Don’t You LOVE to Laugh

Laughing . . . who doesn’t like a good laugh? I can’t imagine anyone not loving to laugh, it’s one of my favorite things to do and I very much miss it when it’s been too long since I’ve enjoyed a good laugh! Laughter is even more important in stressful times, such as this past year, and I thought this excerpt from my 1982 Every Day Cook Book, was most interesting and so very true!

So there you have it . . . Go ahead and laugh and I say do it boisterously as well! You will feel so much better afterwards, as laughter is truly the best medicine! That being said, here is your “Ridiculous Remedy” for the week. I must say it’s weird for it be geared toward women, but alas it was in a time when women did most of the cooking in the late 1800s. Perhaps this is where Rocky Balboa got the idea of drinking raw eggs for strength, but I think I will pass on this one no matter how hungry I get!!

The sun blessed us with its appearance a couple of days this past week, so once again Wes and I charged outdoors full speed ahead to enjoy the infrequent occurrence! I even got to wear shorts and I can’t express how wonderful it felt! I got a great dose of vitamin D whilst traipsing about beneath clear blue skies!

The first afternoon we went for a nice hike in the park, and I was delighted that the Spring Peepers were out and about, filling the air with one of natures most beautiful symphonies! Nearly every pool of water we passed was filled with an abundance of frog eggs, in various sizes and stages. 

Every time we came upon another pool, I had to stop and peer down into the water to look for eggs. There were massive clumps of them everywhere, gently pressing onto neighboring clumps. It was an amazing frog nursery, and paired with the song of peepers filling the air, delivered the most delightful arrival of spring! The photo below was taken with my GoPro camera underneath the water, affording a unique submerged glimpse into this amazing occurrence.

Whilst hiking we discovered this Honey Locust Tree absolutely covered with BIG, long, sharp thorns, and I decided it obviously wants to be left alone! I can’t imagine tripping and falling into something like this . . . YIKES!!!

The other sunny afternoon, we spent on the water kayaking. It was all fun and games on the way out, with the wind at our backs pushing us along. However, on the return trip, we paddled like crazy at times and didn’t seem to go anywhere, and the wind occasionally gusted so hard, it was spraying us with water! Thankfully it was quite a bit warmer this time, so I didn’t mind it at all. As a matter of fact, there were times when the waves gave quite a thrilling ride! Although the water is still way too cold to wade in, I had some fun with my GoPro and captured this really cool video (below) of both beneath and above the water!

~ In The Studio ~

I’m putting the finishing touches on my commission of President Biden, for the Woolaroc Museum’s historic Presidential Portrait Miniature Collection. I’ll be sharing the video with you, of the complete process once it’s finished, as well as photos of the painting installed in the case.

~ See our miniatures in person this week ~

 Exquisite Miniatures at the Norfolk Arts Center, in Norfolk, NE

To see our available miniature paintings, visit our website, artofwildlife.com

Would you like to commission us? If so, contact us by Email

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Until Next Time ~ Rachelle

Fun Outside and at Our Easels

Well, we managed to get out and enjoy the great outdoors a couple of times during the past two weeks, and I must admit it was very nice indeed! The weather forecast for the one day promised clear blue skies and no wind, so we decided that would be a great day to get back out on the water for a little while! While there was no wind at our house, by the time we arrived to our embarking destination, the wind was blowing hard enough it was creating good-sized waves, with some even white capping! Having driven the distance to get there, we decided to go out for awhile anyway. It was actually fun riding the rise and fall of the waves, and upon paddling around a bend in the water, we were able to escape some of the wind, especially when heading up a small stream. There the water was quite calm and clear as glass, offering a diver’s view below the surface of the frigid water.

Within no time, the sun had all but disappeared, dropping the temperature quite a bit, but thankfully we had brought along enough clothes to layer up, keeping most of us warm, except for our hands, which were pretty cold even with gloves on. During the times the wind was at our backs, it was great, like getting a perpetual push from behind! However, when we turned, facing into the wind, it was a different story all together, and we had to really work at it to make good headway. Nonetheless, it was glorious to be back out on the water again, and I must admit it felt really good too, to be back in the van and out of the cold wind.

I thought these Mud Daubers had impeccable taste in the location in which to build their nests!

Another day was predicted to be partly sunny, so we jumped at the chance to go walk in nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I think that forecast was totally missed, as I don’t believe the sun came out at all during the day, but we enjoyed a delightful hike, and seeing the beautiful vistas offered through the naked woods this time of year! The gentle rise in elevation during our hike kept us nice and toasty too! 

The past several days, a beautiful Hermit Thrush has been gracing our back deck with its’ presence! It’s always a delight to see rare visitors in the yard, and I absolutely love watching it eat off of the wooden picnic table, which seems to be one of its’ favorite locations!

I’ve been keeping our better camera on the dining room table, to be able to get a few nice photos of it.

~ Ridiculous Remedies ~

Okay, it’s time for a few laughs again this week with more ridiculous remedies from my 1892 Everyday Cook Book, and remember I am in NO way suggesting that any of these be used! This first one is really odd to me, since I grew up in Florida and spent much of my earlier life striving to have tanned skin! I can’t imagine wanting to do something to erase it! And I wonder who in the world Fuller was, and how far one had to travel to get water from him . . . Ha Ha!

This one is quite interesting in the day and age when many are trying to do just the opposite of this! Nonetheless, it sounds like they have figured it all out and as if they’re trying to fatten up the family hog . . . HA HA!!! I’m very curious to know what bathing daily will do to help fatten one up. Makes you wonder if doing just the opposite and not bathing, is a way to produce weight loss? It would save on the water bill regardless. Ha Ha!

Oh my goodness, this I just can’t even begin to imagine enduring, and who in their right mind would even consider gargling with borax . . . YIKES!!!

~ What’s Happening in The Studio ~

Wes finished his miniature painting of an adorable Little Rock Pica. You have to look really close to see it tucked in there between the rocks, hence the title “My Hiding Place”. This painting is available for your own collection.

Wes’s “My Hiding Place”

While I love painting portrait miniatures, they’re very tedious at times, so I had to take a wee break from my Presidential commission and started painting a miniature version of Claude Monet’s beautiful “Springtime”. I am having great fun with this one and am imagining the lady being myself, sitting out in the warm spring air and reading a delightful book, whilst being surrounded by all of the lush green foliage!

I’ve made lots more progress on my commission of President Biden for the Woolaroc Museum’s Presidential Portrait Miniature Collection, and will probably finish it this week. I’ll be making a time-lapse video of this miniature, and will share it with you once finished.

To see our available miniature paintings, visit our website, artofwildlife.com

Would you like to commission us? If so, contact us by Email

Follow us!

Until Next Time ~ Rachelle

Valentine’s Day at SEWE Through the Years

One of my favorite pics from SEWE was taken in 2018

Happy Valentines Day . . . I must admit it seems terribly weird not celebrating it in Charleston, SC during the Southeastern Wildlife Expo, especially since that’s where we’ve been on Valentines Day for the past 20 years now! But life has become weird in and of itself hasn’t it? For the. most part, nothing seems the same, so we just keep plugging along one day at a time, whilst hoping for some sense of normalcy, whatever that may be now, to return to our everyday lives. 

2007

We still lived in Okeechobee, FL, where I grew up, when we attended SEWE in Charleston for the very first time, and what an amazing experience it was indeed! We sold more paintings that year then we ever had before, so needless to say, we were flying high by the end of the show!

      2008

Every year seemed as exciting as the past and of course getting to dress up for the formal opening was always a treat for us! So was the food, I had never seen so many scrumptiously delicious little desserts to tempt me, and of course I gave in many times over . . . HaHa! 

2009

 2012

I absolutely love the grand staircase in the Charleston Place Hotel, so many years I tried to remember to ask someone to take a photo of Wes and I standing on it.

 2015

 2016

 2019

Last year was an exciting year at SEWE for us, having been featured during “A Big Night For Small Works” and asked to demonstrate our miniature painting techniques throughout the evening! People were delighted to watch us paint and ask questions about miniatures, many of them seeing them for the first time. 

Wes and I demonstrating during “A Big Night For Small Works”

Well, I hope that you enjoyed this time travel through the years at SEWE, as much as I did! We were sure miss spending time with our dear artist and collector friends! I also hope you enjoy a very happy Valentine’s Day and remember to eat some dark chocolate to celebrate! 

“Ridiculous Remedies” will return next week, so get ready to laugh some more!

~ Fresh Off the Easel ~

Wes finished his painting of a beautiful of an Oriole this past week. I enjoyed seeing the beautiful bright green leaves and illumination from the sunlight in the painting and it brightened up our studio! This painting is now available for your collection.

Wes’ painting “Natural Gold”

I was delighted and honored to be commissioned once again by the Woolaroc Museum &Wildlife Preserve, to paint the newly elected U.S. president, Joe Biden, for their collection of Presidential Portrait Miniatures. I started painting on the portrait miniature this past week and thought you’d enjoy seeing this short video of some of my latest progress! I’ll be sharing more progress with you next week.

To see our available miniature paintings, visit our website, artofwildlife.com

Would you like to commission us? If so, contact us by Email

Follow us!

Until Next Time ~ Rachelle