Wilbur Paints Christmas

The experience of painting with Wilbur the Sea Lion was entirely amazing. (see previous blog post) Inevitably, an illustration began to churn. And, out came Wilbur painting a Christmas tree.



Wilbur even had a few things to say about it:

Wilbur Talks About His Art from Cheryl Kugler on Vimeo.

To see more about Wilbur, a sea lion who creates abstract paintings at Theater of the Sea in Islamorada, Florida, check out my previous blog post: Wilbur, Sea Lion Artist Extraordinare.

And, one last peek at Wil before you go:



If you enjoyed this post, please check out:
* Painted Violins for the Harrisburg Symphony
* Sebastian and Sylvester: Two Cats Play Amid Cardinals and Roses
* Illustrating a Dog-Gone Cute Christmas Card

Thanks for stopping~

Cheryl

Wilbur: Sea Lion Artist Extraordinaire

Some folks swim with the dolphins. I opted to paint with a sea lion - a most amazing artist experience. Yes, a sea lion named Wilbur actually paints. On a canvas. For fish.

Where? Theater of the Sea in Islamorada, Florida.

On a recent vacation, I couldn't resist the opportunity. Come and take a look at Wilbur's creative process...

THE POSE:
Wilbur poses with his masterpiece. A little abstract, I might say:



VIDEO:
A short video of the experience:
(Note: my first attempt at using Google's video editor. Timing seemed accurate in the editor, but timeframes shortened in conversion - sorry!)

Wilbur: Sea Lion Artist Extraordinaire from Cheryl Kugler on Vimeo.

THE PROCESS:

So, here's Wilbur.



First step. Picking paints:
As the participant, you select 4 colors.



A close-up of Wilbur's brushes and paints:



Wil's first strokes:



Adding color:



Pink makes it POP:



The final painting:
Love Wilbur's whisker marks in the paint! So endearing.



And, with Wilbur's masterpiece:



(On a side note: lovin' the butterfly bench inside the aquamarine park. Would look great in the garden at home. Anyone know where to find one?!)

COME TO FIND OUT that artist/animal enrichment programs are available at zoos across the country. Check out a book called "Fur in My Paint" by Tifane Grace for more information. Paint with dolphins, snakes, orangutans, elephants, SEA LIONS, and more.

Truly an experience I will never, ever forget!

If you enjoyed this post, please check out:
* Pastured, Beyond Organic at Polyface Farm
* Rejuvenating the Artist's Soul at N. Myrtle Beach

Thanks for stopping by~

Creative Cake Plates!

An artsy friend visited us last weekend and surprised us with this crafty cake plate.

The cake was scrumptious, but her clever design is well, truly, clever.

She put together an antique plate of our state, and attached it to a glass candlestick. A cake plate on a pedestal. How cool is that?!

So then my niece and I, inspired by my artsy friend, found a state plate and candlestick at the local Sunday flea market...

and, voila, created a gift for a family friend.

Takes the cake, eh?

If you enjoyed this post, you may want to check out:
* Meet the Duck Junky, a talented duck carver!
* Home on the Range, Where the Deer and the Buffalo Play
* Illustrating a Dog-gone Cute Christmas Card
* Pasteured, Beyond Organic at Polyface Farm

Thanks for taking the time to stop by!

Pastured, Beyond Organic at Polyface Farms

After just finishing reading "The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals", my hubby and I happened to be enjoying a long weekend in the Charlottesville, Va area touring the homes of our founding fathers/presidents. Charlottesville is an hour away from Polyface Farms. The farm is discussed in depth in the book as a source of beyond organic, clean meat, pastured animals.

For $15, why not stop by and take the Lunatic Tour? (yes, that's what it's called) And, so we did.

Arriving:


The Egg-mobile:






Hubby and Michael, the angelic guard dog:


The happiness of "Pig-ness":




The porch swing at the sales building:


Joel Salatin talking about his beeves:






The amazing story of sunlight to grass:

The Splendor of Grass at Polyface Farms from Cheryl Kugler on Vimeo.

And big ole' scale in the sales building:


Lunatic? Not so much!, But, definitely thought-provoking. The day was rainy, making the fields soggy and muddy - which translated to walking the route versus the planned tractor-pulled wagon ride. Note to self - bring rubber boots next time!

Joel touts that his farm is transparent and it is indeed.

If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy:
* Serene Tans and Blues at Rehoboth Beach
* Kitties in the Garden - EVERYWHERE!
* Chair Sculpture for 3-D Design Class

Thanks for stopping by~

Chair Sculpture for 3D Design Class

I decided to take a 3-D design class this past semester, and just finished it this week! We worked in wood, clay, plaster, and metal.

One of the more challenging projects was to find an old wooden chair, tear it apart and make a sculpture from the pieces. The final design was not to resemble a sitting chair, be composed from all angles, create "triangulation", define space beneath the sculpture, and have a sense of force.

And, here is my finished project, titled "Sitting Around":

The local art critic stopped by to give her two cents...

The sculpture made it into the student honors art show and took first place for 3-D design.

On a side note, the chair is actually made from two tavern table chairs. I found them along side a curb, out for trash pick-up on my way home from work. Do you think I should return the chair as sculpture to the place that I found the chairs? ;)

If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy:

* Painted Violins for the Harrisburg Symphony
* Black and White: Remember Film?"
* Thunderstorms Illustration for Sparkle Magazine
* Sebastian and Sylvester: Two Cats Play Amid Cardinals and Roses"

Thanks for stopping by!

Thunderstorms Illustration for Sparkle Magazine

Summer is well on it's way (er, well, that is if it will ever stop raining here in Pennsylvania this Spring!). But, the continual rain does give a perfect segway to introduce the most recent illustration that I completed for Sparkle magazine, a young girls club magazine.

The illustration:
Two sisters huddle in dad's ole' pick-up truck after they get caught in a thunderstorm in their backyard.



The activity:
Find the two matching thunder/lightning clouds.



What fun! I can remember loving these kind of magazine activities when I was little.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy:
* Painted Violins for the Harrisburg Symphony

Thanks for stopping by!

"Painted Violins" for the Harrisburg Symphony

The "Painted Violins" is a fundraising project for the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra. Twelve violins painted by Central Pennsylvania artists will be auctioned off on April 3 to benefit the organization.



As a selected artist, I chose to represent the composition "Carnival of the Animals" by French composer Camille Saint-Saëns.

The Challenge:
To fit 14 movements on the small violin:
*March of the Lion
*Hens and Roosters
*Wild Asses
*Tortoises
*The Elephant
*Kangaroos
*Aquarium
*Characters with Long Ears
*The Cuckoo
*Aviary
*Pianists
*Fossils
*The Swan
*Finale

The Sketch:

Painting In Progress:









Finished!











A local news clip about the project:



If you enjoyed this posts, you may like:
*The Great CHAIRity Event: Painting a chair of Boiling Springs
* Sebastian and Sylvester: Two Cats Play Amid Cardinals and Roses
* Home on the Range: Where the Deer and Buffalo Play
* Hiking in the Dark: Sparkle Magazine Illustration

Thanks for stopping by!

~Cheryl

Icy Icicle Gardens

Eye candy. Clear, sparkling ice encasing everything in our gardens. Gorgeous! Hard to believe that was just a few weeks ago. And then yesterday, temperatures soared to 70 F - something us Pennsylvanians usually don't see until May.

The icy beauty:







The mail person is probably going to be late:





Magnolia buds patiently awaiting the thaw:





So delicate...







Loving the hint of green...



Anyone for a hike?



If you enjoyed this post, you may want to view:
--Serene Blues and Tans at Rehoboth Beach
--Sebastian and Sylvester: Two Cats Play Amid Roses and Cardinals

Thanks for stopping by!