Take moment and enjoy the flowers!
Have a Great Summer Evening!
Your Artist Friend in the Wilds,
Jennifer
Click for My Facebook Page!
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
A Beautiful Summer Day in the Wilds!
What a fabulous day on the mountain today! The Purple Asters, Yellow Paintbrush and Yarrow are all in full bloom. The skies are clear and the peaks of the mountain tops glow in the sunshine!
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
A Foxglove Summer!
Wow! I cannot believe the Foxglove blooming on the mountain this year. Just gorgeous!
All shades of pink! It truly is one of my favorite flowers. Below is a little information on the plant.
I am going to create and paint a couple of paintings of foxglove...
such fascinating detail, shadows and color varieties.
Foxglove Foxglove bears tall, dramatic spikes of tubular flowers with speckled throats. Foxglove blooms in midsummer and adds elegance to a perennial border, woodland area, or shade garden. The name foxglove is formed of the elements fox and glove. The name is recorded in Old English as foxes glofe/glofa 'fox's glove', though there it does not refer to Digitalis. Although the elements of the name are transparent, their meaning is not. Because it is not clear why the flower should be called foxglove, other etymologies have been offered. Henry Fox Talbot (1847) proposed folks' glove, where folk means fairy. Similarly, R. C. A. Prior (1863) suggested an etymology of foxes-glew, meaning 'fairy music'.  |
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
Three Cheers for the Red, White & Blue!
Happy Tuesday Everyone! Wow, cannot believe how hot it's been ...even up here on the mountain!
I found the following recipe I am going to try today....maybe it will cool me down. It sounds great! 
Just cause it's salad season doesn't mean you're confined to a bowl of greens with extra stuff on top. I like making different plays on the classic summer tomato, mozzarella and basil caprese by switching up the fruit, cheese and herb. In this instance, I had a whole juicy watermelon, nutty Spanish manchego and an abundance of fresh, peppery farmers market arugula straight from New Jersey.
Feel like converting the salad to hors d'oeuvres? Just skewer alternating cubes of watermelon and manchego and plate on a smear of arugula pesto. Try your own ingredient combinations for easy variation. ( Shared from Food Recipe).
Have a Great Summer Day!
Your Artist Friend in the Wilds,
Jennifer
Monday, June 27, 2016
Sunday, June 26, 2016
Saturday, June 25, 2016
My Americana Cabin Porch Challenge!
A couple of weeks ago I started decorating my summer porch. A friend of mine came up with the idea to challenge myself and create it all from the Dollar Store. I have watched many crafters come up with ideas...so why not? When you walk in a Dollar Store you are first shocked with the variety of items they carry. I stayed focused and let my imagination go! So here is the result of my Porch Challenge: 
It is truly amazing how cold it gets up here at night so I decided to mix fake flowers (ugh..I know) with real ones. Living in the forest you also have an abundance of pine bows so I mixed them with the plants. It was amazing that they stay green for so long! I love pine cones and gathered a bunch to also fill the pots.
The outdoor furniture was all repainted in bright red. The paint totaled $20.00.
I made pillows out of dish towels from the dollar store. The bows on all the baskets are also made from dish towels.I think I spent $6.00 for the pillows!
While I was at the dollar store I found a ton of round placemats that were thick like the grass outdoor rugs. Well my imagination exploded.....outdoor rugs! I cannot believe how they are holding up! I stitched them together and used a wood glue to hold it in place! Now I have little flower rugs! All three total $18.00! Could the rugs become a Pinterest Post? 😊👍🇺🇸
My fun "Americana Porch Challenge" cost less than $75.00! What fun! Maybe you will be the one I
challenge to another project!
Have Fun Everyone! I am so proud to be an American!
Celebrate the Red, White and Blue!
Your Artist Friend in the Wilderness,
Jennifer
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Circles of Redwing Blackbirds ~
The Redwing Blackbird is one of my favorite birds. The sound of its call in early spring brings such joy. The official sound announcing winter is over!
To my delight it is also a favorite bird of many of my clients. I have hand painted the Red Wing Blackbird onto tiles, lamps, boxes and many more objects. I was so pleased when I received my fabric for a new art project I am working on.
The detail that came through into the fabric is amazing. I ordered the poly cotton because this project is a collage. The fabric will be placed onto a wood panel and will be part of a painting when complete. The image provides an array of concepts for the seamstress or crafter.
I am also going to make placemats utilizing the circle of blackbirds as the center focal point. I like that you as a customer can design my fabric your way. You can adjust the size of the image and design pattern. Many fabric options are available. The Jennifer Lake Fabric Store has over 200 designs available. Be creative and enjoy!
Your Artist Friend in the Wilds,
Jennifer
Sunday, June 12, 2016
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Sleds
Living on the mountain the past year has provided me the great opportunity to become extremely creative. Besides experimenting with many art forms I have also discovered some great finds.
Eastern Oregon has many small, isolated communities. Most developed from the timber, mining and ranching economies. Each small town has a story and unusual landscape settings. I have discovered some wonderful small antique shops, farm sales and flea markets. I have always loved antiquing since I was a child. Now I look for items that I can restore, repaint...or simply bring back to life. I found this great toboggan however 50% of it was covered in contact paper! Why? I have know idea. A little muscle and sanding took this solid oak toboggan to the final product!
All for less than $25.00. ............I kept the original green paint intact. Now it happily hangs on the cabin for summer.
The next find was a sled with a steering wheel! How many of you had one of these? I found it almost in pristine condition. All it needed was a little sanding and a recoat of polyurethane. A few other people were fighting over this sled. I won!👍😀😊 $30.00! 
I instantly cleaned it up and sold it to an antique dealer. Oh the joy of antiquing! Have fun this summer and check out some of those quiet little towns...also the local cafes have some of the best homemade food around!
Have a Great Weekend!
Your Artist Friend in the Wilds,
Jennifer
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Monday, June 6, 2016
Saturday, June 4, 2016
Friday, June 3, 2016
Thursday, June 2, 2016
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Deep in the Ruts!
Over 36 years ago I stood at this same location when I arrived in Oregon! I remember asking my husband Les "What do you think our adventures and life will be like? "Who will our friends be?" Les and I came west from Michigan (Les was raised in Oregon) on the original Oregon Trail. While I stood gazing over Flagstaff Hill and the valley below this past weekend I had the overwhelming feeling I was now part of Oregon. The adventures and life I wondered about has been everything and more than we ever dreamed. The thousands of people I've met through my art career have been a gift. I am still fascinated about the west and continue to find new stories to paint and now new vistas. Like the deep wagon train ruts going through the valley below..... so now is my history.
Have a Wonderful Day!
Your Artist Friend in the Wilds,
Jennifer Lake
Photos:
1) National Memorial Marker for the Oregon Trail.
2) Flagstaff Hill with the Elkhorn Mountains and Whitman Wilderness.
3) "The Oregon Trail" Painting that was used as a fundraiser for trail preservation.
4) "Coming Home" A painting I created as part of the "Oregon Love Story" series.
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Chimney Cleaning in the Wilderness!
Hi Everyone,
I had to contact a local contractor to clean the chimney last week! The roof is so steep that they brought a crane! I was truly amazed and thrilled to discover the chimney was in great shape and
no critter living inside! So one job is complete off the Spring Cleaning list!
Have a Wonderful Day,
Your Artist Friend in the Wilds,
Jennifer Lake
Saturday, May 21, 2016
I Found My Prince!
Saturday was just one of those days! The rain started early in the morning as a gentle down pour.
I have been weeding around the cabin and thought how easy it would be to weed after the rain stops.
It was. The grass keeps growing through the small rock wall surrounding the flower garden. Much to my surprise I found a wonderful heart shaped rock. Almost red in color and heart shaped perfection! I have been collecting heart shaped rocks forever. I call them "Little Loves from Nature". I have made the joke many times to everyone that I keep looking for my "Prince Charming" under the rocks! Well today I was so happy about finding this perfect rock! I picked it up instantly..... And behold.....sitting in a crevasse under the rock .....was My Prince!
A small rock frog sat gazing up at me....
Isn't he adorable?
Have a Wonderful Sunday!
Your Artist Friend in the Wilds,
Jennifer
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Monday, May 16, 2016
Sunday, May 8, 2016
Saturday, May 7, 2016
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
The Wild Neighbors!!
Living in the "Wilderness" gives one a sense of solitude, peace and silence. Right?
No! After living here for one year the wilderness is NOT silent. I wake up early in the morning listening to my closest neighbors...the Robin and Chickadee in a constant argument. What these two birds would be fighting about is beyond me. They are my official alarm everyday at 5:30 am. At 7:00 am just right on the dot my new friend "Stella" a Stellar Jay arrives demanding his daily bowl of peanuts. It amazes me that he arrives at the same time everyday and will squawk until fed.
You can hear a little rustle coming from the bushes and Mrs. Turkey arrives. She ruffles her feathers and starts to forage for food. She is always mumbling something...sounds like complaining! Did her husband not come home? Are her children driving her nuts? I have no idea but she mumbles non stop.
Off in the distance you hear the first Elk call. The day proceeds with the sounds of Crows, Ravens, Geese and thousands of bird calls.
For several months I heard a constant banging at the back of the property. All through the winter I could hear the same sound. Now that the snow finally has melted I hiked to the back ridge and discovered the noise! Pileated Woodpeckers! Look at what they have done to this tree! Amazing!
Pileated Woodpeckers are huge! At least 18 inches and larger. Woody the Woodpecker (the famed cartoon character) was named after these birds.Oh the noise they can make! Rat a Tat Tat...Bang... Bang!
As the day turns into evening the deer, coyotes, frogs, owls, elk, and the occasional wolf create the forest into a symphony of sounds. My neighbors are just now different but each provides me a comfort and joy. Each has its own character and sound just like my old neighborhood. They just look different.
Have a Great Day Everyone!
Your Artist Friend in the Wilds!
Jennifer
Monday, May 2, 2016
Celebrating Birds! Check out all the Bird Fabric for your Summer Patio!
Jennifer Lake On Line Fabric Store jenniferlakeart.blogspot.com
Sunday, May 1, 2016
The Second Bird Competition Ends Monday Evening! I Wonder Who will Win!?
Remember to Comment Everyone! Good Luck!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)