Jan's Art Journal

It is a sad time for us. Yesterday, our dear dog, Pumpkin, joined her sister in doggie heaven. At least, that's what I want to believe. It was a tough but loving decision. She was a great friend for almost 16 years. We'll miss her a lot.

I'm so glad I did a pastel painting of her a few years ago. I tried to sketch her while she was ill, but it was just too hard. All I could see were her bones.

I started doing pet pastels of other people's pets and discovered that many people didn't have decent pictures of them. I work off with some pretty questionable material. A word to the wise. Get some decent pictures of your pets while they are young and healthy. I have a number of pet friends on my website.

Jan's Art Journal

This was our second African safari and I doubt if it will be our last. The sunsets are incredible. I painted several scenes from our last trip and decided to put them on my blog. There are 2 best times for animal sightings, in the early morning and in the evening. The animals like their siestas. There is nothing more incredible than watching the animals and the sunsets with a glass of wine! These game drives are referred to as "sundowners." That's exactly what we did, watched the sun go down. These experiences can be addictive. The euphoria and the oneness I felt with nature I want to experience over and over again.

Jan's Art Journal

This is the reason we went to Africa! We saw Mom Rhino and Child at Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania Africa. These are the only ones we saw. Apparently there are only 30 living in the crater. Their horns are prized for their aphrodisiac qualities so there is a huge problem with poaching. Tanzania is a great place to view wildlife. We need to give them our support. There are very few places in the world for us to see animals in their own environment. Central Africa has been experiencing severe drought for the past 3 years. Drought, civilization, and poaching are causing major problems for some of the most unique plants and animals in the world.

I am grateful I was able to have this experience. Seeing those magnificent animals was truly an "artful" experience.