on hold

'Slack Water' 20x24" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

Life during the time of COVID

I am at a stand still 

no movement either way

 in the tidal stream of life

keep on the sunny side

'Slough' 24x24" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,

it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,

it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity,

it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness,

it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair."

Charles Dickens

This oil pastel was completed 

during the pandemic.

It will

forever

remind me of the time 

we lived or died.

when in doubt

'Grey and White and Cloudy' 12x12" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

Max said,  "paint clouds and water".

life on the edge

'Moving Forward'. 24x24" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

It's been a tough winter.

I make myself move forward 

knowing that all things change.

 Spring is coming.

Junco junction

'Anne's Feeder' 10x10"oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

I watch the birds

eat at Anne's feeder.

I look past the feeder at the tree behind

The leaves are gone now

replaced with juncos

waiting their turn.

weather or not

'Winter Morning'. 12x12" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

Sometimes

in the midst of ruff and tumble weather

hopeful breaks appear.

I always appreciate those.

things we remember

'Childhood Landmarks' necklace 30" sterling silver,
gouache, graphite, ink, mica, glass lenses;
Kathleen Faulkner

I was born and raised in Seattle 

It seems like a very long time ago

or just yesterday

depending on the day.  

Many places are gone now. 

Some still remain. 

The links in this piece are names of meaningful

places from my childhood that no longer exist.

The drawings are of some places and things that we can still visit. 

It's just a  glimpse. 

'Childhood Landmarks' detail;  Kathleen Faulkner

wishes

'One of Many' 24x24" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

Happy Solstice, Friends! 

My wishes for the New Year are 

probably about the same as yours:

Our Planet is saved

and the quality of Life is improved for Us All!

Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa and a Better New Year! 

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