Max Needs a Weekend!

Sometimes life is tough on Puppies!

I think Max needs a Loving Weekend!

I hope your weekend is filled with Love & Joy!

Happy Mother's Day to all my Wonderful Friends!

Your Artist Friend in the Wilds!

Jennifer....

& Sad Max!

Throw-Back Thursday!

Throughout a long Art Career you have many things happen to you.

Over the years I have been truly amazed the places I have visited, experienced and lived!

In 1989 I was selected to be one of the artist's to be included in the book "Northwest Originals".

The book included 47 women in the fine arts from the northwest. 

The book was published by Unison Publication, Inc. of Portland Oregon.

I was honored to be included with names such as

 Ursula K.Le Guin, Jean Auel, and Elena Carter just to name a few. 

The book helped create a defining moment in my Art Career...

the next year.......I was on tour in Japan!

When the book was released I was using my married name of "Miller".

In 1999, I changed my last name back to "Lake" to honor the "Lake Family Legacy" in the Fine Arts.

The "Lake Family" has over 150 years of artists.

Writers, producers, photographers, designers, painters, and sculptors are all members of the family.

Listed below are just a few names in our family:

George Catlin ~ American Painter

Paul & Mary Ritts ~ The Ritts Puppets ~ Producers ~ Painters ~ Writers

Mark Ritts ~ Producer ~ Director ~ The Science Guy~ Writer

Herb Ritts ~ Photographer

Katherine Lake ~ Artist ~ Designer ~ Teacher 

William Lake ~ Bird Sculpture ~ Designer ~ Writer ~ Potter

Easton Miller ~ Executive Chef ~ Culinary 

Amy Lake ~ Artist ~ Designer

Melissa Williams ~ Painter ~ Sculptor

Malcom Williams ~ Painter ~ Designer

..............MANY MORE!

You just never know where your career will go next...or what door will open!

I am so pleased that I entered so many open doors.....they all lead to a Wonderful Art Career!

Have a Great Thursday Evening Everyone!

Your Artist Friend in the Wilds!

Jennifer

ART Nature Design!

 The colors and designs of "Nature" have fascinated me all my life.

I guess its the details that I find incredible.

The pine branch below has so many shades of green.

The needles create amazing lines and texture along with the 

pine cones.

In the spring the Tamarack Pine Needles are lime green in color and look like

 miniature brooms.

Tamarack Pine looses its needles in the fall after turning an unbelievable lemon yellow!

In the summer the foliage is so soft and is filled with thick clusters of needles.

The needles can provide a great blanket under your sleeping bag!

Look closely at the intricate stem detail.

The native Oregon Grape grows closely to the ground the higher you climb in elevation.

You can find red, gold and green all year long.

The detail in the edging of the leaf and the vibrant red of the stem is amazing.

The colors of nature provide you a wonderful decorating theme.

Rocks are another resource for decorating with color and textures.

I have used rocks several times. They have provided me great ideas for decorating.

I used a rock as an idea for one of my master bathrooms. I used several layers of plaster. I took a trowel and roughed the plaster to resemble stone. After it dried ...I added several layers of glazes.

It took several weeks but the results were amazing.

Note the lines and variances of green- gray tones in the pine branch below.

You can use your imagination to see needlepoint threads, upholstery, and tapestries.

 The rock below looks like an Abstract Painting!

The detail and the lines that flow through the rock provide such fascinating interest.

To learn more about "Nature Design" I highly recommend the two books below!

Excellent Read!

Have a Wonderful Day Everyone!

Get out and ENJOY Nature!

Your Artist Friend in the Wilds!

Jennifer & Max

My Little Daffodil

My Little Daffodil...Max!

The other day Max was so gracious to take time out from his busy schedule....

 to pose for me!

I had him sit in the middle of the daffodils!

The daffodils just started blooming this week around the cabin and are GORGEOUS!

The original owners planted thousands and they are everywhere!

The fragrance is welcomed after such a long winter!

I wish they would last longer however!

Vases are being filled with them all through the cabin!

Have a Fabulous Day Everyone!

Remember to always take a few moments everyday and

 ENJOY what this beautiful earth has to offer!

Happy Spring!

Your Artist Friend in the Wilds...with my Favorite Guy!

Jennifer & Max!

Last Weeks Customer's Favorite Things

Customer's Favorite Things

The painting called "The Peaceful Lake" is on its way as

 I write this to a collector in Michigan!

I created the painting for the "Flowers of My Life Show" sponsored by 

Sun River Resort & the SHARC in 2014.

The painting was one of three that I have created using masonite board.

The surface was primed five times. 

I found the final look fascinating because it looks so flat!

A long time client from Portland, Oregon purchased a framed print of the "Colors of the Plateau".

The frame and mat are simple but make the focus entirely the painting!

 As you know last week I started "Spring Cleaning" the cabin!

I placed several art pieces up for sale. 

A buyer in Redmond, Oregon purchased the framed Todd Lake piece!

I will be posting some more pieces over the weekend!

The "Red Dragonfly Fabric" was purchased by a client from Littleton, Colorado.

 Once again the fabric was purchased for her patio pillows and accessories. She purchased both designs to work together. The Red Wing Blackbird Fabric was purchased by a quilter from Racine, Wisconsin. The fabric is the second highest sales fabric in my store! How great is that! The Iris Fabric was purchased by an interior designer from Santa Barbara, California!

The Rosario Resort Products were purchased by a retail store on Orcas Island in Eastsound!
I think the Bugga Bag will be great on all the Sailboats! I can see the pillows used on the interior benches or sleeping areas!
Thank-you "Everyone" for making my Art Career a true Joy! Have a Great Week!
Your Artist Friend in the Wilds of Oregon!
Jennifer .......& of course Max!

Love Birds!

https://www.zazzle.com/jenniferlakebirds

Forest Adventures with Kids Young and Old!

The forest is filled with wonderful fun for the young and old alike.

With a little imagination an entire NEW world can open up!

I have discovered when you teach people to see and observe ..

they will never look at the world the same again.

Hiking in the wilderness provides me the opportunity to allow my artistic imagination to wander!

I look for unusual things in nature to photograph or paint.

I discovered this log in the woods last week.

 It is fascinating that it landed perfectly in the middle of the V of the other tree. 

I see a Ski Ramp for "Ms. Elizabeth" and her friends!

Yes ...you will see this in a painting shortly.

When you are walking in the woods with children you want them to discover everything.

The variety of trees, plant life, animals, leaves... will have them looking everywhere.

Create a game out of it...How many things they can find and name!

When you spend time looking closely..NEW Worlds start to develop in your mind.

Spiders and insect worlds that live on the bark.

What lives in those deep crevasses of bark?

Observing the last of the winter snow, one can view foot prints of animals in the area.

A blank canvas filled with seeds, leaves, needles, and stones.

Observe closely and you will see snow tunnels made by the forest mice or moles.

What do their homes look like...let your imagination go!

Old stumps or as I call them "Forest Sculpture" provide worlds of habitat for so many creatures!

Living inside these "Forest Sculptures" one can find interesting
 lichen, mushrooms, insects, birds, bats, mice and even snakes.

Trees that have fallen create worlds all onto their own! 

The one below was quite the housing complex for some very eager chipmunks!

When my son Easton was small we would call stumps like the one below

"Chipmunk Condominiums"!

Some looked more expensive than others! LOL!

 If you look closely you will see one chipmunk is thoroughly enjoying the local restaurant!

The two entangled trees below look like the start of a wonderful Te-epee!

 The log bridge below obviously has many residents that use the bridge.

Remnants of many eaten pine cones grace the top of the log.
You can just think of all those chipmunks have a bridge party!

 

 The "Bug Trees" below have been nibbled on by a variety of Nuthatches and Woodpeckers.

The straight lines and holes provide a nature canvas for you to observe.

It also provides a great tree rubbing by using paper and coloring over it.

Wow...Who lives here? Pretty nice house!!
It must have quite the Zip Code....Don't you wonder what they pay for taxes?

 Look inside...you can see a nest ....filled with grasses, twigs and feathers from the forest.

Remember to knock first before you enter. Be polite to nature!

My suggestion is LOAD up the kids...pack a picnic and have FUN in the forest this weekend!

Play a little Pine Cone Base Ball!

Most of all "Teach your Children to SEE"!

Have a Wonderful Weekend!

Your Artist Friend in the Wilds!

Jennifer 

&
Max

Throwback Thursday ~ Cascade Meadow Ranch ~

 ~Cascade Meadow Ranch 1989~

Throwback Thursday takes me back to 1989!

I was commissioned to paint a very large painting of the Cascade Meadows Ranch.

The ranch is located outside of Sisters, Oregon.

The property is a very unique 360 acre gated community surrounded by the Deschutes National Forest.

You see views of five Cascade Peaks and Black Butte.

Riding, fishing, skiing, hiking, biking and tennis are all nearby or on the ranch itself.

At the time there were many homes already constructed and the horse barn, stalls, equestrian center and clubhouse. If you look closely you can see the horses, cows, people, cars, tennis courts etc.

 

The painting itself was massive.....6 X 9 feet!!!

I had to stand on a ladder to paint the upper half of the painting.

Please note all of the perfectly shaped Ponderosa Pine Trees!

Below is the Equestrian Center. 

The facility had to be the cleanest I had ever seen! 

The horses are truly spoiled living here!

Note the little tractor on the roadway! Detail ...Detail...Detail!

 What a fun way to have shown future investors what the ranch looked like!

The painting took several months to complete.

The project had to be one of the most unique I have ever completed.

I also painted "Home Portraits" for most of the beautiful homes located on the ranch!

A beautiful slice of Central Oregon!

Have a Wonderful Thursday Everyone!

What were you doing in 1989?

Your Artist Friend in the Wilds!

Jennifer 

&

Max

Pretty in Pink!

Last weekend I hiked in the wilderness...

 and was treated to

 the magnificent debut of May!

The forest floor looked like it had been created by the Forest Fairies!

Yellows, blues, vibrant pinks and lime green all under your feet!

The forest looked like it was Celebrating the birth of Spring!

Open meadows begged you to take a closer look!

The giant old Ponderosa Pines tower over the meadows casting shadows on the grasses!

A forest wedding!

  The Pink Flowers are called Grass Widow. A few lavender or purple, bowl shaped flowers bloom at the top of stems that grow from clumps of narrow, sword like leaves resembling grass.

They flower from March - June.

The yellow flowers are called Sagebrush Buttercups.

A small fleshy plant with most of the leaves at the base and shiny yellow flowers.

The buttercups also bloom from March - June in open meadows of pine forests.

The buttercups grow so close to the ground...less than an inch high!

Over the years I have always looked to nature for color themes when I decorate my home!

Mother nature never seems to get the combinations wrong!

The interior of one my homes in Sisters, Oregon was all based on the color of a rock!

Green, cream white, yellow, gold and sage green stripes in the rock created the entire interior theme!

I still have the rock!

  Captured in black & white film the meadows create a nature spectacular!

So the next time your hiking look to Mother Nature for ideas!

Most of all spend time and take it all in!

You may never see it quite that way again!

 Have a Wonderful Day!

Your Artist Friend in the Wilds....Celebrating the arrival of Spring!

Jennifer

&

Max!