And here's Rover! Actually the dog of a friend, and his name is Freddie, not Rover. He died very recently--we're all mourning. I've used him in several pieces. Freddie has beautiful eyes and you gotta' love those ears! Another set of texture challenges. I'm happy with the ears, but still considering Freddie's dog hair.
Very excited to start on the next drawing which will include the dog named Rover.
A big push today, and the Cart and Bull is done! It was very interesting working on two different kinds of shaggy fur--the silky goat and the rougher bull. Actually Marylou's hair is not unlike those textures. 
A lot of running around this morning--to the Hill to pick up work from a show and then to Rockville to look at space for another exhibit. But finally got to Montpelier for a couple hours of drawing.
Summer is here. It's hot and very humid, and today is the annual Montpelier festival and tea. I got out there at 10 and stayed until 2 working on the cart and bull drawing. Lots of folks came through the library gallery. Many kids, including one 7 year old who spent a very long time studying the drawings. His mom says he loves drawing and I think he as working out how I did things. From 1 to 2 there was a piano concert in the main gallery. Quite nice. I still have at least another day on this drawing. Maybe two.
And I confirmed today that my knees hurt from sitting in a chair for long hours without getting up and moving around. I'm going to take my stool out with me on Monday!
Glad to be home for a while now, and then off to Artomatic's meet the artist night in a bit.
I wanted to make sure I got something started before Saturday and Montpelier's annual open house. They promise there will be crowds of folks visiting and I said I'd be there. And now I'm introducing the cart and bull. I had an idea yesterday about both changing the mockingbird and moving the ring. More shifting things around Marylou as we go.
I had a couple of appointments in the morning and didn't get to Montpelier until noon. And then had the pleasure of visitors--Marianne Wiseman and her husband Tom, and Pat Stocks. So, though I was there for three hours, I didn't get a whole lot done. But I had fun showing them my work and giving them a tour of the other two galleries.
Today I finished up the goat. This one is really fun to draw--especially because his coat reminds me of what my hair currently looks like. Long, in my eyes, kind of wild. And, of course, I love goat eyes. I always think of the goat in Pan's Labyrinth. Chatted with some of the resident artists and Anne Shields came by to see me. A great way to spend a rainy day.
Boy, did I miss being out here drawing this weekend. As the gifts from mama accumulate, the drawings are going to take longer. Though I got in a solid four hours Friday and today, I am not finished. Which is just fine. I'm glad of to have an unfinished piece to return to tomorrow. The broken mirror is a bear. I'm trying to render the shine and fracturing of the pieces. Pretty hard stuff. But the billy goat is, as I had anticipated, sheer joy to work on. Love those goat eyes!
