YAY Snowdrops!!!

Our first actual flowers of the year!!! YAY! We're so excited!!

I put the second photo in to show the ones in the background. There's a whole little flotilla of them. A mini armada.

New art: In 1964-65 (I'm giving away my age here, if you didn't already know it), I owned a 1949 Indian. This is not it, but an older one I used for the art. I have, believe it or not, NO pictures of that amazing motorcycle. But I had fun--on the bike(s) and on the art. I did the piece in metallic markers, but you can't tell in the scan.

it's coming!

Daffodils coming up! YAY! And I heard spring peepers today! YAY!

flocks of robins

It's winter and cold, but there are flocks of robins eating the crabapples. (Click on image to view larger).

House in Detroit

The houses in Detroit vary enormously in size and structure. Many are made of brick, in part because of the fires associated with the riots. Currently, many boast flowering trees. (This is not our house, but a house nearby.)

Our own Yard again

Forgive me for publishing pix of our own yard--but it is representative of what you' see if you visited Detroit today. Spring flowers everywhere in great abundance. The first picture is by my husband.

Stoney Creek Metropark

Hiking around at Stoney Creek Metropark--which has a wide variety of habitats. Two of him by me and one of me by him. (I wasn't feeling well.) We were walking in the rain and I'd had bad insomnia the night before.

Boatwells and Freighter, Pier Park

Pier Park is right on Lake St. Clair. You can see that most of the boatwells are still empty. And in the background, a freighter going by in the shipping channel--the rest of the lake is fairly shallow.

Edsel and Eleanor Ford's Island

This island is a pleasant place to walk. Right now, it is abundantly covered with wild and domestic flowers. These are "Virginia Bluebells," Mertensia virginica. This is part of the Ford Estate. The brightness in the background of the first picture is the lake, Lake St. Clair. It was darker in the grove, so the lake was washed out.

And, here is one of my new art pieces, a watercolor a la Tom Jones. (I've been doing lots of art been I've been too busy to post it.)

A Swan on its nest at the Ford House

This swan was sitting on a nest a the Island at the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House--its mate was swimming protectively nearby.

The Eleanor and Edsel Ford House in Spring

This is a wonderful place to visit, walk, explore. The house and grounds are huge and impressive and attractive. You can also see how our spring is progressing.

Here is one of my recent paintings, a sketch of a magnolia tree:

The magnolias are in full flower in Detroit, but going by soon. We stopped to enjoy Sam and Joan's magnolias when we visited them yesterday and I was inspired to paint them.

This was done with three "colors," Windsor Red deep (wc), Hooker's Green Dark (wc) and white (gouache). No other paint.

Detroit's Magnolia's

Everywhere in Detroit, trees are pink, but not for long! The magnolias are glorious, but short lived and already shedding petals like leaves in autumn!

Slow Spring at Pier Park

The lawn is greening up, a few baby leaves are showing on the trees, and 4 more boats have appeared in the slips for a total of 5--but most are still empty. Day by day, small changes.

And here is my latest art piece, a watercolor sketch of ML Liebler, Detroit Poet, reading at the Scarab Club among the art pieces.

Spring Sprung At Pier Park

This young man is fishing at Pier Park, he and a number of others. I asked what they were catching--Rock bass and bluegills. Note the sailboats behind him, in the distance, another sign of spring. It was actually a hot summer-like day yesterday--cooler today. I was away again all day--will try to get caught up soon. I missed my poetry reading though, but I am behind in the Moleskine Exchange group I'm in and need to paint paint paint paint to get caught up with that.

Here are some of my new art pieces:




I did this with a Tom Jones video in my water media class. Click them to view larger.

And here are two tiny little quick sketches:


In my personal small Moleskine

and finally, here is an illo for a new poem I wrote:


"THE SNIPE HUNT" by Mary Stebbins Taitt (click image to view larger.)

The poem is here, if you wish to see it. The illo combines two previous illos in a digital composit.

Spring at our house

I was away all day yesterday and never got on-line to comment--hope to catch up soon. Busy today, too. :-(

So sorry. Will catch up as soon as I can.

This is not a great picture by any means--it is our own front yard. In flower: tulips, daffodils, jonquils, pachysandra and azalea. Also a potted hydrangea.

Spring in Nashua Woods (Belle Isle)

Nashua Woods is carpeted with Fawn Lilies and all the little buds are just bursting open. Spicebush is in flower. It's wonderful

Dodge Park in April

Dodge Park is a wonderful spot to bicycle, walk, hike, rollerblade and look at wildflowers and wildlife.

The third picture is from the conservatory, a close-up of one of the cacti shown from the Xerophyllic room.

The fourth and 5th are two of my recent new quick small sketches.

A visit to Metrobeach

Glorious Spring is taking hold up at Metrobeach, too, though slowly. The swans have arrived; the frogs and turtles are out, and the people are enjoying the fine weather.

Spring in Detroit

At Pier Park, the first boat has been placed in a slip, the kids are playing on the beach and fishing.

In the woods, the wildflowers are in bloom (bloodroot, cut-leaved toothwort, Dutchman's Breeches, spring beauty, trout lily, hepatica) and in our yard, the daffodils, jonquils, hyacinths and forsythias.

There and here

At the Village Market--flowers outside. At home, Lenten Roses and Aconites, flowering, outside!

Bye Bye Ice Fisherman

If this warm weather keeps up, the rotting ice will be going out soon and the ice fisherman will have to retreat. They can fish in the water or wait until next year. I took these shots at Metrobeach over the weekend.

More art by Detroit artist Mary Taitt:

Colorplay, by Mary Stebbins Taitt. Digital painting.

I also painted this.

and made these quick sketches in a Moleskine sketchbook:

I'm working on filling in the final blank pages in a returned sketchbook that circulated around to 12 people in Jim Doran's Sketchbook exchange--I did these quickly with Faber-Castell and Pigma artist pigment pens. On the first chicken, I added a little white gouache. The second chicken is one of about 15 sketches I did on newspaper before I did the sketch in the Moleskine. On the last picture, I added a little colored pencil. The Moleskine is one with yellow paper, so they all look a little too yellow to suit me. Click images to view slightly larger.