A Few More...

Found these on Tuesday: 

...and these today (the one on the left has five leafs): 

Not a bad haul given that I didn't spend much time looking!

Happy Canada Day Weekend everyone :) 

Saved From the Jaws of Doom?

I thought I'd take a photo of Lucy with today's clover. 

You know, something cute

like having her sit with it perched on top of her head.

This is the best I could get:

Basically, I saved it from being Lucy's dinner
so that I could squish it into a big fat book.

At least it survived long enough for its photo op.

A Wonderful Week

It started out by finding a ridiculous amount of four (and five) leaf clovers, then I found out that my chair sold on Wednesday for the "Buy it Now" option (the Garden Art Auction is still on until Sherway Gardens closes tomorrow at 6PM - lots of great chairs still available!!!), then on Thursday I found out that my painting has been accepted for the "Response for Japan" Exibit taking place in Ayr, Ontario at AyrSpace (July 8 - August 7, 2011). 

If that wasn't enough, I had a great dinner out with friends Thursday night, and a fabulous time at an outdoor concert with more friends last night...and then on this morning's walk with Lucy I found 43 four-leaf clovers and 8 five-leaf clovers!

It's been a week full of smiles (and counting my blessings) indeed, and topping it off tomorrow will be the grande finale...brunch with my wonderful parents for Father's Day!

I'm going to need a bigger book to press these!

Three of the five-leaf clovers I found today

I'm Looking Over Lots of Four (Five and Six) Leaf Clovers

It started two years ago in early May 2009 on a walk with Lucy.  She stopped in a nearby park to do her thing in a patch of clover, and as I stood there looking at the cluster of green I thought to myself "Hmmm...don't think I've ever found one with four leaves."  And then I jokingly thought to myself that singing the song might help, so in my mind I did...and within seconds I found my first one.

Over the past couple of years I've found them fairly regularly in a couple of local areas when I'm out on walks with Lucy.  If I look for them I've got a good 50/50 chance of finding at least one, but in many cases it feels like they find me when I'm not "trying".  Sometimes there's one, sometimes two or a few, but in the past week or so it's been a bit crazy.

A week ago Saturday I found eleven of them:

This past Sunday I found 14 four-leaf clovers and a five-leaf clover.  I found my first five-leaf last fall so this was my second (see close up below):

The very next day I found the very same thing: 14 four-leaf and another five-leaf.  It actually should have been 15 four-leaf clovers, but just as I focused in on a perfect one a few feet away from me some people asked to pet Lucy and I lost sight of it. (I pressed them before taking a photo)

My most memorable find, though, was a six-leaf clover this past April on the 24th.  Isn't it a beauty?!?:

I don't know why I've been finding these (I've lost count...they're at least numbering into the 60's now), but whatever the reason, if I do find any more I'll post photos of them here.  For now, I'm just pressing them into a book, but I think I may see if I can find a way to include/attach one to every painting I do as a signature of sorts; a way to share the luck with anyone who ends up owning something that I've created. :)

Nature's Gentle Power - A Flower for Japan

Done! Now I'm just crossing my fingers that it will be considered for the exhibition (see prior post).

24" x 36" Acrylic on Panel Board

Uh Oh...This Is Due Tomorrow!

I thought I had one more day, but this one's got to be finished for tomorrow...hoping I can make the deadline! 

This is being submitted to AyrSpace (an art gallery in Ayr, ON) for an upcoming "Response for Japan" exhibition where partial proceeds from sales will go towards relief efforts in Japan (I am really loving these projects I've come across lately where foundations/charities benefit from the proceeds of the sale of something I've created).  I do hope that it will be accepted for the exhibit.

Here's the progress up to now (the two first photos are repeats from my April 8th entry):

Hopefully the way in which it fits the theme is clear.  In case it isn't, well, on sight (at least at a glance) it's supposed to resemble Japan's flag.

I decided to paint one of my flowers in a way that would be representative of Japan not only in it's resemblance to their flag, but also beauty, life, hope and (re)growth.

(NOTE: The proportion of the panel itself is accurate for the flag, however the size of the red center is not...I started out with it that way but to do it in proper proportion - about 3" larger in diameter - the red part was just too big for the overall look that I wanted.)

At 24" x 36" this is about the largest painting I've done to date...feels weird to see it so small here so I just took a photo of it with my favourite 9½ pound model to give a better idea of its size:

Lucy and the painting that has yet to be named.

Hey Lucy - did your lip get stuck on your fang again or are you trying to tell me you're not impressed!?!
(Either way, I'd better get back to work...)