Snow Day!

Snow days are fabulous when you are a teacher! Friday we had fog and ice and of course snow so we were notified that there would be no school that day! Once the fog cleared, it was BEAUTIFUL out. The sky was crazy clear and the trees were covered in frost. I spent an hour roaming around taking pics of the colors. That is my idea of a great day! Enjoy your day!

Ellie

The owner of The Village Art Center in Mountain Home has a precious little granddaughter named Ellie. The elephant theme was based on Ellie's mom loving elephants as well as tie dye. Grandma loves dachsunds so the pups had to make an appearance also. I think elephants are so precious and it was really special to create this one. I've been working on some acrylic paintings lately...stay tuned.

I'm growing up!!!

Here at the Brenda Raub headquarters (my 12 x 12 bedroom made into a studio) we have gone BIG TIME! That's right folks...we have a real web site! I'm hoping to woo the New York children's book publishers into making me a full time illustrator! Send good ju ju's my way please! So, check out the site and know that I'm still learning all of the bells and whistles and hopefully one day I'll build a web site that would make Bill Gates sort of proud! Check it out at this easy to remember site...www.brendaraub.com. Love and Peace to you!

Hannah!

Every Friday I meet at our local Moxie Java for coffee with a dear friend of mine. She is an incredibly strong lady who has overcome breast cancer, divorce from her husband which ostracized her from her church, and teaching in public schools! Her days now since retiring is spent playing dolls with her granddaughter, Hannah. I cre8ed this horsey name because Hannah has a little cow gal in her.

Debbie

I've been pretty busy with commission work and this is the latest one I've cre8ed. I really love doing these and it's even a bigger bonus when I know a little of the story behind the person receiving the artwork. The gal, Debbie, is getting this piece from her sister-in-law. Debbie just happens to be a young 50-something down syndrome beauty that LOVES penguins! What an awesome present!!!

Go Fish!

I've been having fun with my cre8ive letters! I hope you've found inspiration somewhere out there too!

Daisies at Sunday Lake

A weird thing happens when someone you love passes away. You find out things you never knew before. Suddenly little things mean more than they ever did. So, when my dad passed away a couple of years ago, I found out his nickname in high school was Daisy. A little strange for a former Chief of the Air Force to have a floral name, I think. When I went back to his home town, Wakefield Michigan to visit his grave site, I walked around the hub of the little town, Sunday Lake. I took many photos because it was a beautiful day with many beautiful vistas. One shot I was excited to get was one with Daisies in the foreground with the lake in the back. I'm sure anyone else that may have gotten a shot of daisies with lakes in the background would never have gotten as satisfied as I was at that moment. I got back to Idaho and went to work on a color pencil drawing of that scene. For Christmas this year, I gave my mom the piece all framed in a beautiful custom frame with suede matting. She cried, I cried, and we hugged. Isn't that what Christmas is all about? HA!

I think it's always interesting to see an artist's interpretation of a landscape. So, now you can see the photo I took along with the art results. I encourage you to look through your photos, find a shot you like, and try to draw or paint it. You don't have to put it on a blog site for the whole world to see so there isn't any real pressure. If you DO like it, however, send me an email with the artwork attached! I'd love to see it and hey, maybe I'll even post it to my blog! Keep Cre8ing!!!!