Humidity: 82%

'The Rainy Season' 12x12" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

The rains have come.

I put on my rain gear

and walk anyway.

Kelp Beds

Harbormaster Office,  LaConner Marina;  Kathleen Faulkner

I like a challenge.

I was offered a job opportunity: 

paint a mural on a post at the LaConner Marina.  

I gladly accepted.

It was a harder, longer process than I imagined

but I learned a lot.

I would do it again.

all photos: Kathleen Faulkner

A good view

'Roadside' 10x10" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

As I look out over the Skagit fields

I am grateful to know that development 

will not be happening here. 

moving forward

'Best Roundabout' 24x24" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

The first time I experienced a roundabout was in Europe in the 90s  I drove the clutch on the opposite side on the two lane roundabout. 

Forever after I feel empowered when it comes to roundabouts.

Here in the Skagit there are quite a few.  All have unique personalities and we interact with each one differently. The Best Roundabout is, of course, on Best Road. It is handsome. Each direction gives the feeling that the road is really going somewhere.  It may also be the easiest to navigate. 

It has history.  People who have lived here awhile remember the house on the corner with chickens in the yard under the huge willow.  I always made a point to notice the tinfoil on the windows.  The house is gone now but the willow still remains and so do the views, including some new ones.

It is the best.

perspective

'Hat, Dot, Saddlebag' 10x10" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

I can see Hat island from my studio. 

 Dot and Saddlebag are hidden behind Cap Sante.

Over on the east side of Padilla Bay 

it's a whole different look.

perks

'Little Indian Slough' 10x10" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

One of the ways to get to Edison

is the Bayview road.  

Two sloughs along the way: 

Indian and Little Indian

I see them as I come and go. 

The tide dictates the scene and

it is always dramatic. 

It is usually a high tide when I head north

a low tide when I'm heading home.

There's a whole lot going on along that road

the sloughs are one

an added bonus to my day

Landmark

'Landmark' 10x10" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

Landmark

A recognizable natural or man-made feature used for navigation

A notable location with historical, cultural, or geographical significance.

A major, important event.*

*Wiktionary

Rx for today's woes

'Afternoon at the Slough" 10x10" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

Sometimes,

when the light hits just right,

what one sees 

can become something else.

it is a good distraction

What would you wish?'

'Islands' 2.5x1.5" sterling silver, beach rocks;  Kathleen Faulkner

I have always lived near water.

It is a different world down below the surface.  

I don't go there but I think about it.

Sometimes I wonder if the marine creatures 

 think about

 our strange world up top.

As I walk along lost in these thoughts

I find a wish rock.

It is my lucky day

Three wishes!

'Three Wishes' brooch 1.5x2" sterling silver, paper, gouache, colored pencil,
graphite, mica;  Kathleen Faulkner

Better than prozac

'Minus Tide' 24x24" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

I like to walk along the channel at low tide.  

there is so much to see and hear and smell

The Swinomish Channel connects Skagit Bay, to the south, with Padilla Bay to the north.  It separates Fidalgo Island from the mainland of Skagit County.

Eleven miles long, it was once a collection of shallow tidal sloughs, salt marshes and mudflats known as Swinomish Slough.

During the Depression, the Army Corps of Engineers used dredging and diking to make it a navigable channel.  It is heavily used today by many types of vessels.

I consider it one of the necessary ingredients for mental health.

A Love Story

'Edison Slough' (The Grass is Greener) 32x32" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

I spend a lot of time in and around Edison. 

In a couple blocks one can find three art galleries, a wood shop, a printmaking studio, a bakery, deli, two taverns, two eateries and four gift shops (all completely different). 

Soon there will also be a distillery.

On any given day one will run into at least a couple of artists and any number of eagles, hawks, geese, herons and ducks.  

I don't know why it works but it does.

 I'm grateful that this little town of Edison

has enhanced my life.

Snow day

'Craft Island' 20x24" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

It is snowing outside

I am inside 

one minute watching the snow fall

the next

wandering around in my memories 

 It was a good day to go to Craft Island

my first time there

I think about it often. 

did you know?

'Mudscape' 18x24" oil pastel ; Kathleen Faulkner

An estimated 40,000 organisms 

live in a handful of mud.

these are trying times

'Mudflats' 18x24" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

I wake to another chaotic news cycle.  

I'm at a loss to understand the thinking

behind the deeds 

of corrupt leaders

I head to the mudflats

that landscape always calms me down 

Some days are like that

'Some Days are Like That' 30x33" oil pastel

The rays of sunshine warm my head
 I lean on the rail
and watch light sparkle on

water

respite from these stormy days

north by northeast

'Morning' 12x18" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

I have some good views from my workroom.

I can't see Russia but,

sometimes,

I can see Canada.

Today I could see Bayview.

It's the little things

'Things We Need' 10x10" oil pastel;  Kathleen 

I look down at the curb to see all the cigarette butts that have been tossed down
on the ground
 destined for parts unknown.

Cigarette filters are made of 95% cellulose acetate, a plastic.

The balance is paper and rayon.

The thin plastic fibers look like plankton,
a food source,
to unsuspecting marine life.

Not fake news

'Threatened' 11x14" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

We all love the owls.

Most owls live in forests

The Northern Spotted owl

lives in old growth forests

but we're cutting them all down.

carry on smartly

'Good Schooling'  Brooch, 4x4.5" sterling silver, gouache, 

graphite, mica;  Kathleen Faulkner 

 

The power is in the numbers.

 

I like to believe

 

'Journey' 18x24" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

One can guarantee that

the only constant is change.

We are all the same

yet we are different.

The darkest hour is 

just before the dawn.

'Journey' 18x24" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

humans are very adaptable

'Another Look' 9x20" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulokner

Being able to see over a distance

is a wonderful thing.

I remember coming home from the Aleutians after a few years there.

The evergreens that I grew up with 

made me claustrophobic for awhile.

I had become accustomed 

to a very different lifestyle.

This can happen with current events, as well.  

we get used to a new level of insanity

pretty soon it seems normal

things we see

'The Burn' 8x8" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

 It was a bad year for fires

the burned areas were becoming miles of dark, 

beautiful patterns

 as we traveled along and the scenery flew by

'The Burn II' 8x8" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

the other side

'East Side' 21x17" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

 It is a different world. 

 

the smell is warm and the palette, too

  sometimes you can see forever

'Side View' 21x17" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

Rainworks Art Trail

rough sketch

cutting out the stencil

finished

‘Water is a transparent and nearly colorless chemical substance that is the main constituent of Earth's streams, lakes, and oceans, and the fluids of most living organisms.

Water covers 71% of the Earth's surface.

It is vital for all known forms of life.

Safe drinking water is essential to humans and other lifeforms even though it provides no calories or organic nutrients.

Ditches and storm drains do not connect to a treatment system, so everything that flows down the drain goes directly to the nearest water body, ultimately flowing into the ocean.’ *

Be mindful of what you toss.  It could end up in a stomach somewhere.


Rainworks project includes stencils located throughout Mt Vernon, WA by seven artists in conjunction with the Skagit Conservation District and Mt Vernon, WA.
My stencil can be viewed on a rainy day in front of City Hall.
More information and a map of the locations are available at http://www.skagitcd.org/ 
or pick up a map at TriDee Arts in downtown Mt Vernon, WA.


https://www.goskagit.com/news/art-revealed-by-rain-adorns-area-sidewalks/article_db74ec16-27a0-547e-9126-258220b67cbe.html

*Wikipedia

the complications of living

'Ghost Pipes' 18x16" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

If one lives long enough

one says goodbye to many of one's friends.

I've been saying goodbye 

 to friends lately.

wild animals don't really like humans

'Ready'  16x16" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

 I see him on my walk.   

Sometimes I watch him from a distance

doing his work

Mostly though,

 he sees me and readies for flight

thinking about safety.

I come too close 

Then he's gone. 

 

remembrances

'Apartment Complexity' front-back, ring size 6.5-7

2x1.25x.25" sterling silver, colored pencil, graphite, 

ink, found gasket, mica;  for the show,

'Right On! Rites, Rituals, Remembrances' 

Facere Jewelry Art Gallery, Kathleen Faulkner

We lived in apartments in the city.

I learned to be quiet at a very early age 

so as not to disturb the neighbors.

All around me was the noise of the city.

It was background.

 

As a small child 

with family from the deep South

I heard stories

that made me afraid.

Later I learned about diversity 

It opened up my eyes 

and made the world 

a more interesting place.

 'A House of Many Colors' brooch, 4x1.5"

sterling silver, found object, colored pencil,

mica;  for the show, 'Right On! Rites, Rituals,

Remembrances' Facere Jewelry Art Gallery,

Kathleen Faulkner

Greetings from the Skagit

from my home to yours;  Kathleen Faulkner

It's been a difficult year.

I've had worse

but it's been a while.

The good thing about a new year is

Hope

and I have it!

I raise my glass and toast to YOU!

Here's to Peace, Joy, 

good Health and 

Inspiration 

for us all! 

CHEERS!

these are trying times

'Boo'Ya Moon' 24x50" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

There are places that draw us in.

They can be beautiful yet dark, places that can go black.
We choose, to a degree, whether or not to go there.

I think most people want to be good.
I think some people go into a dark place but are still good.

Then there are a few that just go there.

it's seasonal

'That Afternoon Breeze'  20x20" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

In these warm last days of summer

I am noticing the change

Light is different  moody

and the blackberries are so ripe

I try to pick them 

but they are soggy now from the first rains

others have missed the season

they won't make it past that lovely blush of pink

the leaves are starting to turn

night comes a little earlier 

and morning is beginning to show off 

it's dew covered webs

I'm lost in these thoughts

then that afternoon breeze 

comes dancing around my head

waking me up

sending me on my way.