
Today I used the rest of the wild strawberries to make ice cream. REAL ice cream, with REAL dairy! Its good … but lactaid-necessary.
Today I used the rest of the wild strawberries to make ice cream. REAL ice cream, with REAL dairy! Its good … but lactaid-necessary.
While we were out in the mountains, I came across some great wild strawberry patches. I haven’t seen so many since I moved away from NH. When I was a kid, I used to pick bowls full of wild stawberries to make muffins. It was around the time that my father was very sick, and […]
Today we hiked La Plata Peak in the Sawatch Mountain Range. At 14336 feet, it is the 5th highest mountain in Colorado.
I start my student teaching semester this coming Monday. For my last week of freedom, we headed up to the mountains for some fresh air.
I don’t do so well with dairy. Today I made a dairy-free coffee heathbar ice cream using coconut milk. Its pretty darn good.
I accidentally put the button necklace I made a few days ago in a mailbox with a bunch of other things to be mailed out. It was in an envelope with no address, as I wasn’t planning on mailing it just yet. I called the post office, and got transferred to four different people, all […]
I found a book of poems for children by Ruth Krauss. This was one of my favorites, so I made an illustration for it.
Watercolor and ink on paper. Looking through some photos of a trip to Utah, I started dreaming of being there – looking out at the La Sal Mountains.
watercolor and ink on paper. Its amazing the amount of sprawl that has happened between Denver and Boulder just in the 12 years I have lived in Colorado.
Finally got in a fantastic hike with three wonderful friends. James Peak in the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area.
I found an abandoned bird nest that had fallen out of a tree. I brought it home, and the Squeezel moved in.
Pen on paper with collage. Inspired by Steve Ersinghaus’ Poem: Maricela, Cruz, and a conversation about eyes
Kids tempera paint on found rocks. UPDATED by Butcher-Hanzen Family “I Spy with Bay” One fat tiger – Two red Elmos – One spiral snail – Two brunette babes One sneaky shark – Bun Bun – Red Bear – Joon Bug – Super Bay – Polkagator Three gentle giraffes – Sheepy, Papa Sheepy, […]
Watercolor and ink on paper. Inspired by 18mo old Bay Hanzen who LOVES owls. They have black walnut trees in their yard, and Bay calls the shells “who whoos” due to their resemblance to owl faces.
Collage, ink and watercolor. I am headed to Arizona to spend time with the Butcher/Hanzen family. I love summer fun.
Embroidery floss. I haven’t made a Friendship Bracelet in many years. It was a fun throwback to pre-teen years to create one. A little info about them: The knotcraft and hand weaving used to create traditional patterns stems from Native American handcrafts, particularly from Central American tradition. According to indigenous tradition, the recipient of a […]
An Unshared Heart Arms and legs tangle, embrace You and I are Me welded by a single beat. Not two years old, doctors warn: amputate or die. This heart can serve only one. Love beyond comprehension I was assigned Take while you were appointed Give. By giving half, took the whole […]
Creek water, pebbles. The last night on the river, we stayed at Jones Hole Creek Area campsite #1. Beautiful, clear water.
Watercolor and ink on paper. Starting tomorrow, I will be off to the Yampa River for a five day river trip. See you when I get back!
Acrylic, ink, and thread on canvas. 36″x36″ Finished sewing this painting today … I have five paintings up at The Other Side Arts at 1644 Platte St in Denver for the month of July.
Collage on Paper. Through this project, I have realized how much I really love making collages. Using images that are already in existence and changing them, sometimes only slightly, can totally change the meaning. A good reminder that a change of perspective can mean all the difference.
Collage and Ink on Paper. After returning from my most recent trip, my mother said something to me that I have been thinking about since. She said, “It must have been nice to be in the real world for a little while.” Yes. It was. And I started thinking about the phrase “welcome to the […]
Marker on “The Last Dragon” children’s story From a collection of stories found in Childcraft, Volume 4: Animal Friends and Adventures, 1949
Digital collage This piece is a play on Joseph Kosuth’s, One and Three Chairs, 1965 An example of conceptual art, the piece consists of a chair, a photograph of this chair, and an enlarged dictionary definition of the word “chair”. The piece is visual expression of Plato’s concept of The Forms. One and Three Chairs […]
Collage and cut paper I found a book called Animal House by Catherine Ledner at a thrift store the other day. It is a series of animal portraits. There were a few different shots of a flamingo … I combined two of them to make Flamingo Dancers.
Sol+stice derives from a combination of Latin words meaning “sun”+”to stand still”. As the days lengthen, the sun rises higher and higher until it seems to stand still in the sky. As a major celestial event, the Summer Solstice results in the longest day and the shortest night of the year. The Northern Hemisphere celebrates […]
Vintage photograph with digital collage. In honor of this past weekends Pride Fest in Denver. Love is Love is Love… I don’t know who these guys are, I found this photo in a vintage shop today.
Found Objects – Assembled. I have a habit of picking up various things I find while I’m walking around town. Some people call it junk … I like to refer to it as art supplies. I found this headless dinosaur a few years ago and have hung onto it. A few weeks ago, I found […]
Found Butterfly and Ink on Paper. Silas found this butterfly in the parking lot at Grafton Pond last week and gave it to me. I’ve been thinking a lot about my family and my father today. George Little Ayres. October 21, 1951 – June 13, 1994
another collage and watercolor. The Sacred Heart (also called the Sacred Heart of Jesus) is one of the most famous religious devotions meant to represent and emphasize the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity. I found this image of an ancient world map (Nova Universi Orbis Descriptio (1531) by […]
I just watched the documentary Marwencol. Really great film – I recommend watching it (you can currently get it on Netflix instant watch). “Marwencol” is a documentary about the fantasy world of Mark Hogancamp. After being beaten into a brain-damaging coma by five men outside a bar, Mark builds a 1/6th scale World War II-era […]
Collage and Pen on Paper. Some things just can’t be fixed by man-made contraptions or technology. It is scary to think that bats and honey bees, among other creatures, are in serious danger. They are a presence that many of us take for granted and it is hard to imagine the repercussions of their decline […]
Pen on Paper. When I was really young I wanted to give myself a hair cut. So I took some scissors and chopped off a huge chunk right in front. I was really worried that my mom would find out and get mad, so I figured the best plan would be to dig a hole […]
Pen on Paper. First day back in Denver. Got back in the wee hours of the early morning. Trying to recover/not go mad from all the mosquito and black fly bites I got during the past week in New England. This is a sketch of the house I grew up in. There’s a little swamp […]
Pencil Rubbing on Paper. There’s a really old cemetery on Cider Hill Road near my house in New Hampshire. I went to do a grave rubbing and found a lot of young people buried there. This little guy (literally little Guy) was only 9 days old. Its a good reminder that we are all a […]
Watercolor and Pen on Paper. Just a quick sketch. One of my favorite things about New England is all of the water. My cousin Abby graduates from High School today! CONGRATULATIONS ABBY!!!!
Watercolor and Pen on Paper. My very dear high school friend Brent Battis got married today. Congratulations Whitney and Brent! It was a beautiful day with lots of really great people … and BLUE FROSTED CUPCAKES!
Found Objects. There is a house on Cider Hill Road in New Hampshire that my father used to work on. It was a beautiful old farm house from the 1700s. We used to go to work with my Pop and he would pay us $1.50 an hour to paint the place. A man named Sam […]
Re-appropriated objects and Childhood memories. When I was young my mom and I used to make houses in the woods for gnomes. I was hiking in Rumney with Kyler and came across a perfect spot for a gnome home. Just a quick little shack really. Love you Mom. UPDATED by Margaret Knipfer “Gnome Home” got […]
Photograph. This is the cabin my father built. We lived until they had their third kid – Silas, and then they built the house. We cooked down here because the gas to the house is not hooked up right now. On this particular morning, we made bacon, eggs, kale and coffee. We forgot to bring […]
On the plane to Boston, I was looking through the Sky Mall catalog. So many useless gadgets in there. I was particularly struck by the Litter Kwitter, which is a system to train your cat to use the toilet. Good stuff. I actually just went and watched the video. Check it out if you […]
Cut paper and Pen on Paper. I will be in New Hampshire until the 8th of June. I haven’t been home in years. Update… It was a fantastic trip. Lots of family, friends, catching up, swimming, canoeing, diner breakfasts, and BUGS!! Lots and lots of bugs. Bats are being killed off by the white-nose syndrome […]
Digital Collage I am on the 5th day of my cleanse. I have eaten so many vegetables that today I actually felt like I might be turning into one.
Collage and Ink on Paper. In honor of my good friend Branden’s birthday, I made today’s piece. It’s sorta a “you had to be there” moment, but just picture Branden pretending to ride a bike down I-25 yelling to all the cars “GO AROUND! I’M ON A BIKE, GO AROUND!” It was REALLY funny. … […]
Pen and Watercolor on Paper I am finishing my second day being on a cleanse, and I’m feeling really amazing. This is one of my favorite salad recipes included in the program. If you are interested in learning more about this cleanse, or about healthy eating in general, I highly recommend you contact Jenn Jessup, […]
Photograph Donkey, Riley, and Kyler on an evening walk… or as Riley likes to call it a “go-fer” This certainly isn’t the most technically sound photo, but it does capture what its like to walk these two together.
Cut and Sewn Paper Couple funny stories about bugs this week. I was babysitting and the two boys found a roly poly outside while they were digging in the dirt. The four year old went on and on about the bug for about five minutes. Four yr old: “Cute little roly poly, oh I love […]
Pen, watercolor on paper. Working Sunday brunch is not fun. We joke about it smelling like coffee, ketchup, sweat and tears. I actually have cried because I was so upset that I had to work yet another one … Next time you go out for brunch – keep your server in mind. They may not […]
Digital collage. The Center for Disease Control advises that we prepare for the Zombie Apocalypse. We decided to teach Riley to eat the zombies with her stumpy teeth. She’s been practicing. The CDC advises: “When zombies are hungry they won’t stop until they get food (i.e., brains), which means you need to get out of […]
Pen and watercolor on paper. Just a quick little sketch of the North Six Shooter in Indian Creek Utah.
Photograph On our camping trip, we talked about cleaning as a form of alchemy. Cleansing involves transformation, be it physical, mental or emotional. It allows for a fresh start, with new space to work with, and often new perspectives. My friend Libby is one of the most beautiful and talented alchemists I know.
Photograph. It rained the entire four days of our desert camping trip. It was beautiful. Hiker Man: “A frog, really!?!” Us: “Yup. Over there.” Hiker Man: “Wow! Tell me it’s a tree frog and I’ll be happy.” Julia: ” … It’s a tree frog …”
I went on an amazing desert camping trip with some of the most wonderful girlfriends I could ask for. On the first day, getting packed up and on our way there, we noticed how often we all said “sorry” to each other. Sorry for things that weren’t in our control at all. Sorry for things […]
Photograph, Digital Collage I was babysitting again today and we spent a good part of the morning playing “camp/ picnic” with miniature things. I like this lunch we assembled. Pig, chicken, orange juice, lettuce, tomatoes, an apple, sardines, jelly (or is it jam?) and cake. mmmm! Thank you Nicolette Wong for bringing life to these […]
Pen, Watercolor, Collage on Paper It has been raining for the better part of four days. Not very common in Denver. It makes me think of home.
Photograph Had a lovely time at the Lumineers show! What a great band! If you haven’t heard them, be sure to check them out. Feet-stomping, heart-filling, happiness-inducing music to be sure.
Pen, Watercolor, Collage on Paper There is an amazing ice cream place in Denver that serves dairy free ice cream for the lactose handicapped. Sweet Action. It has changed my life. Although yesterday I was really full before going there, and I still managed to eat an entire waffle cone … and also finish off […]
Digital Collage Donkey, Chama, and Riley … the three best friends that anybody could have. Chama is visiting for the week and Riley and Donkey couldn’t be happier. Here is the original photo for this piece – three spoiled dogs taking over the house.
I was waiting for the light rail, zoning out, and I was thinking about how I don’t know anyone with a Siamese cat. Really random thought. This poem is really random too… but my favorite part about this project so far has been that I get to just have fun and create anything I feel […]
Watercolor, Ink on paper I was babysitting and we were having arts and crafts time. This was a piece of paper that was sitting between the watercolor palette and the picture I was making. The picture wasn’t very neat, but I liked the splotches on this scrap paper. Sometimes doodling is so simple and liberating.
Ceramics and oil paint. I have to admit, I made this little guy last week, but I painted it on Day 2 of the project. I am playing with the idea of making a series of paintings about conjoined animals… so there may be more where this came from.
Black Bird deconstructed 1950s atlas page. “What a sad little atlas page. I know, I’ll put a bird on it!” If you haven’t already seen it – watch Portlandia Episode 2. Funny.