'twas the night before Christmas...

New Pet Portrait

Above:  Zero - Yorkie/Pomeranian Mix

This little pup portrait is ready to go home!

Beginning a new pet portrait

I'm just beginning this fun portrait of an adorable dog. Makes me laugh---he's such a cutie. I'll post again when the painting is complete.  ~Sparky

Cottage in the City

 Above:  An unusual cottage home in an unusual setting for the city

Above:  Entry

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Above:  Living room

  Above:  Tiny, but functional original kitchen.  With very careful planning, I was able to design an area and squeeze in a dishwasher (shown above) and coffee station (shown below).

 

 Above:  Dining area with tall windows make it easy for the dogs to keep tabs on what's happening on 

the street.  I had the dining chair slip covers made from Tricia Guild fabric samples---three coordinating different patterns for the six chairs.

  Above:  Dining alcove, door with trompe l'oeil painted panels.  Christmas cards on the window blinds.

 Above:  Dining alcove with view of camellia bushes through the window

Above:  My subconscious was carrying the above image when I pulled together this little dining alcove:  The Dessert Harmony in Red by Henri Matisse.

 Above:   The quality of light coming in from the eastern window inspired my painting below...

Above:  Watercolor painting Seattle Winter Table (Toni Youngblood, 2012)

 Above:  Dining buffet

 Above:  Temporary solution to a boring door:  Chalk drawing of panels and a red cat.

 Above:  A peak into the cottage studio

 Above:  Master cottage bedroom, chandelier brought back from Sicily.

 Above:  Painting of greyhound, Cricket.  (Toni Youngblood)

 Above:  Guest room

 Above: Another view of the Guest room

 Above:  Bathroom (with lovely fir wood floors and original clawfoot tub)

 Above:  Garden gate with a peak at the garden shed upon which is painted:  "Life in the village is sweeter."

 Above:  Garden shed

  Above:  Garden shed "reliquary" wall

Above:  Home Sweet Home for me for five years where warm memories were created with loving friends.

Chocolate Winter Wonderland

Image source and recipe here.

 

Oops, just a little diversion  from a regular work day.  (I took the photo above inside the Villa Farnese, also known as Villa Caprarola Italy when I was an architecture student in Rome.)

 

Above:  Painting of the same stairway by Hubert Robert (22 May 1733 – 15 April 1808), a French painter, noted for his landscape paintings and picturesque depictions of ruins.

 

Above:  In the Stair well (Scala Regia) looking up

 

Above:  The main facade of the Villa.  The architect, Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola dealt with the changes in grade up the hillside creating a very complex building solution.

 

Above:  A partial section cut through the complex structure.

Above:   A glimpse of the gardens

Above:  The Villa on the hill above the town.