A Prairie Poem

I am Prairie, hear me sing,
Through the wind and on the wing.
My summer tune's a bright affair;
Winter's song is low and spare.
I am Prairie, green on stone,
grass and flower, earth to bone.

A Poet's Garden Observed in Chicago

I love to visit the Art Institute in Chicago. Nothing fills me with inspiration faster than an afternoon stroll around my favorite wings. You would think seeing all the displayed perfection from the Masters may be daunting to an artist, but on the contrary; I am empowered to go home and do my best in my own studio.

This month, along with the Van Goghs, I was strangely attracted to the fellow on-lookers of art. There is an invisible force about a collection of art. You don't have to be absorbed in one particular piece to feel it. No comment, gush, judgement or utterance is required. Just "to be" in the collection's presence is enough.

Mockingbird and Magnolia

The south has seen its share of weather hardship this spring. May the mockingbird amongst the magnolia be there to lift some spirits.

Little board book is here!

The little baptism book is now "in the House" at Augsburg Fortress Publishing! I was sent a sample a couple weeks ago and I'm happy with the end results. I grew to love this project, from the beautiful spare text that my friend Anne Ylvisaker wrote, to how the art looks on such sturdy pages. The book size (about 6 x 7) is so cute, too! "Small books for small hands", was Beatrix Potter's motto, and it fits.

Check it out in detail on the Augsburg Fortress site-

http://www.augsburgfortress.org

Back in Black

The neighborhood black squirrel population continues to grow this spring. A couple babies come around our feeder and I see other adults up the street. Only one in a thousand common squirrels are in this melanistic subgroup. During the summer months, they blend beautifully with the dense midwest woodland. In the winter, man, if you're a black squirrel in the snowy landscape, keep an extra watch out for owls!

Here's a little scratch of one. I'm planning to frame a few for my friend Patti's garden themed art show starting this weekend at Modela in Iowa City.