local birds

I love finding new blogs that I want to return to, even if it might not be entirely good for me from a distraction point-of-view (understatement of the year). And though it happens very rarely, it's even better when those blogs are local as I almost never get a chance to meet fellow bloggers in person. Just recently I've actually had that opportunity twice. I ran across Amie Roman's blog when I discovered an article she'd written in the recent Art Avenues magazine. I have been wanting to incorporate relief printing into my work for awhile now but wasn't sure how to proceed and then I saw her beautiful prints. Her attention to detail is amazing. Not only that, she asked if I was interested in a 'skill swap'. You betcha! I met Amie a couple of weeks ago at her house and her work is even better in person. Yesterday I finally bought some lino-cutting supplies and promise to share my progress -- if I have any, that is. Check out Amie's website.

And who did I get to share my shopping-for-art-supplies (the best kind) experience with? Ellen Sereda and I met for coffee and Opus in Langley, about halfway between our homes, and it was great to meet her. She's new to blogging but already writes one of the most readable blogs around (she has a unique and totally grounded perspective) and it turns out that she's just the same in person. I fell in love with this painting, called Tabloid Trash, the moment I saw it. It's probably a good thing that she's sold it since I might've felt compelled to buy it with the cash I'm saving to replace the 28-year-old clothes dryer that finally gave it up a couple of weeks ago. Check out her EBSQ profile.