Put a Bird on it: A Late Winter Give-Away

Over the course of this past winter, I've become a terrible hoarder of nests.

When we trek along the river's edge, over knoll and under brush, I can not help but scan the boughs above.  I've plucked nests from the mud, carefully snapped twigs, then gingerly carried them miles back home.  I've made sure my nests were deserted, inhabitants long taken to the skies, then scattered them through the house, tucked into turquoise Ball jars, wedged in a goat's jaw bone, hung from fishing line like the finest art a home could hold.

 But now the robins are flying, and the jackrabbits kick up puffs of grass, and I know my time of collecting is dwindling to a close.

I've looked through my collection and chosen this nest, a particularly lovely specimen, as one to give away to one of you lovely readers for your own natural colletions.  I found it in a thicket of brush along the south fork of the Eel River, here in the wilds of Northern California.  Why a give-away you ask?  Quite simply, I've received so much from the land here and it's time to pay that forward.  I take such delight in filling my home with pieces of nature, pieces of life, and want to give that joy away.  And I love birds, but really, who doesn't?

So this is the official "Put a Bird on it" give-away!
Along with this nest, I'll be giving away a copy of "Birds: The Art of Orinthology" - a truly delightful and tiny tome, filled with renditions and studies of birds throughout the ages (including some gorgeous aquatints from James Audubon!).  Additionally there will be a few other tidbits I've yet to decide upon, but rest assured, it will be a splendid little present from me to you!


Ready for the Details?

Leave me a comment (only one please!) below telling me one way the earth has been generous with you.  It could be as simple as a sunny day outside, as growing the food you eat, as giving you one beautiful thing to stop you in your tracks and take note.  Think about it and tell me - You have from now until Saturday night!  I can't wait to hear!

I'll pick a number at random on Sunday March 4th and announce the winner here on my blog!
(and international friends - I'll be happy to ship your way too, so don't hesitate to comment!)
Good Luck and Happy Birding!

The First Giveaway of 2012

That's right.
I said it.
And yes, it's only October.

I'd like to introduce you to the
UmberDove 2012 Calendar:  Creatures I Have Known

Inspired by the feathered, the hooved, the furred and the winged who catch my eye and steal my heart on any given day.  By the restless ones, the cheerful ones, the small busy bodies who comfort me and entertain my laugh.  By the dawn song and the rustle in the ferns.  By the tiny gifts, the slightest clues left behind for my seemingly bottomless pockets.  By those who bring me joy.  Painted in hopes to bring a sliver of their jubilance to you.

A few highlights from the cast of characters...





This calendar represents hours upon hours spent sketching, drafting, drinking tea, laying watercolor grounds, layering paint colors, drinking more tea, adding highlights, painting details, eating milk chocolate sea salt toffee bars (thank you Whole Foods), scanning, editing, proofing, photographing and finally, sending my little flock off to the printers.
WHEW.
Needless to say, pulling off a calendar is a LOT of good hard time put in the studio.

Now that it's officially done, I'm ready to celebrate.
Care to join?  Here's how:
1.  Pour a gin and tonic (Sapphire with a whole lime squeezed - do not skimp here!)
2.  Pack a suitcase for a weekend jaunt up North
3.  Take 30 to 40 more photos of your puppies doing really cute things like spooning-sleeping
4.  Take the rest of the evening off an paint your toes a ravishing shade of teal

OR

You could just leave a comment below and be entered to win one of these markers of months, the 2012 Calendar!

I'm giving away THREE because three is such a lucky number.
All you need to do is leave one (and only one please) comment - say whatever you like - and you'll be in the running!  The contest starts now (bang!) and will end Wednesday, October 26th in the Evening Sometime with the three winners announced the following day after I've had coffee (these are scientifically precise times, no need to worry yourself with the details).

GOOD LUCK!!


It is my additional delight to offer up these brand spanky new paintings in the Shop!   I'll be listing all twelve this evening, each one an UmberDove original, watercolored and gouached (maybe a word?  maybe not?) on archival paper and AS EVER so much more nuanced in person.  
Utterly.
My.
Delight.

Comment away!
~ Umber ~

What's Black and Red and Spread All Over?

THIS JAM, that's what is!

(seriously, LOOK at that color! swoonterific!)

This weekend I truly broke in my new gas range with a batch of the season's first jams: Strawberry-Blackberry to be exact.

The strawberries hail from my favorite vendors at the farmer's market: A young couple, 35 at the most, the very definition of earth sprites.  She has long ringlets of strawberry-blond hair and a smile like Mother Nature herself.  Last year as spring progressed into autumn, she would weigh out my potatoes and lettuces with a gentle hand on her growing belly.  This year she has a beautiful blonde boy permanently strapped to her chest but she mans the scale as deftly as ever.  Her partner looks a bit like Moses, long curls and a bushy beard with a constant wide grin.  We chat about the brussel sprouts and his uncle's plum orchard (last year I made the most heart-stoppingly delicious jam from those plums, this year the crop was too small to bring to market and I almost cried).  They gush over squash blossoms and always throw an extra head of garlic in the bag with a wink.  Their berries are the sweetest at the market, and I'm constantly suckered into giving them all my cash for whatever they may have harvested that morning.

The blackberries hail from the southern fence-line of my property, starting approximately 12 feet from the laundry room door.  Between the songbirds, the pup, and myself, we're working hard on snapping up every plump black globe but the bushes just keep coming.  Prolific!  I think I'll need to make up a cobbler this week, "need" being the key term.  I've always had a love affair with blackberries, stemming from hot summer nights kayaking down rivers, filling milk jugs with the fruit that overhangs the water's edge.  I imagined myself a doe, plucking berries delicately with my teeth while teetering on skinny legs. 

All of this to say,
I made TWO jars for you!

Organic Strawberries.
Wildcrafted Blackberries.
Organic Unbleached Sugar.
And a little bit of magic earth fairy dust thrown in for good measure.

All you need do is leave me a comment below and cross your fingers tight!  I'll draw two names from the proverbial hat sometimes on Wednesday August 10th and ship-shape the lucky winners their jam!  Buy some bread, bake some scones or just get your spoons at the ready.

And Good LUCK to you!

Winners in the Land of Marmal-Milk and Honey

I'm happy to report that lemon marmalade has made its appearance on my plate every day in this last week. Including the last 20 minutes wherein I finally made myself breakfast after waking waaaaaaaay too late and running out the door to my morning radiation appointment without even brushing my hair.  HEE!  (ok, so yes, there has been no hair to brush for months and months, but I had you for a second, didn't I?  Plus, I'm *nearing* full coverage up there, as the stubble is thickening up to a downy soft SHAVED HEAD LOOK.  I'll have my mohawk back in no time!).

Mmmnn... yee haw!

Back to the matter at hand.

Which is lemony goodness and three lucky ladies.

So upon arriving home and filling said belly, I utilized random.com, that old trusty friend and came up with three numbers, leading me to three names, which will ultimately lead me to three packages mailed out with California lovin'.

That said, will commenters 8, 17, and 33 please step forward?  Or if you don't feel like counting,

Andrea of Crownology

Kathleen of Gaia Metal 

and

FirePan54

(Friends, drop me an email at kclarkstudios[at]gmail.com with your addys please!)

HUZZAH!
After reading ALL of your comments, I wished SO very much that I could send every last one of you a jar of liquid gold!  Thank you endlessly for taking the time to enter - you've made these jamming fingers itch for water baths and fruit by the bushel!  So much so, that I do think come summer fruiting season, the giveaways may need to continue...

But for today,

I'm feeling the need to mix paint.
What would you feel about a little sea stone shop update tomorrow, Wednesday the 9th, say around 12:00 pm PST?  Yesterday this jackrabbit sprung from my paintbrushes with a stamp of fuzzy toes and a twitch of elegant ears to join the warren I've been creating.  I truly can not stop.  And truly, I don't want to.

If this jackrabbit full of sight belongs to you, I'd be happy to reserve her - just drop me an Etsy convo right here.

Off to get painty!
- Umber

GiveAway! A Tasty Bit of California Sunshine

I'm in a tart and tasty heaven.

All those meyer lemons I mentioned the other day?  Homegrown in the sweetness of the California sun and hand-delivered by one of my oldest friends?  Well I sliced and diced, steeped and simmered, sweetened and sauced up a whole mess of them into the most glittering jars of marmalade.  Now I know that plenty of people out there are not big fans when it comes to marmalade, that rot-your-teeth-out-in-one-bite business (usually of the smuckers variety - blech), but this, THIS is a whole different beast.

It's sweet, but tart enough to never be cloying, so fresh that you can nearly smell the trees they were grown on, and set to firm texture with perfectly delicate slices of zest.  I think it would be brilliant on scones, smeared over toast with a slice of romano, or just by the spoonful.  I'd never judge you.

And I canned three jars for you, because this sunshine gracing the west coast is too good to not share.

If you like to be entered into a drawing for a little package of warmth and lemony-deliciousness, all you need to do is leave me a comment below!  Say whatever you like, no rules, no restrictions, just all love for you on this gorgeous Friday!

I'll draw, very randomly, three names next Tuesday morning, February 8th for the three homes these jars are destine to!

Pucker up baby!

And the winner is...

[timing disclaimer]
Well my friends, today my internet provider and I have heartily disagreed on what constitutes "high speed internet."  Apparently Mr. Internet is still on winter holiday, and doing business only via his smart phone between pinã coladas on a beach somewhere that is most certainly NOT in my house.  So here it is, high time for dinner (tamale pie to ward off the December chill) and I finally have a little video to share...

*****
I honestly think this has been the richest giveaway contest in the history of UmberDove: reading through all the celebrations your lives has upped the anti on the incredible sense of community I feel in the bloggy world.  It has given me cause to remember joys I'd not consciously celebrated and revel in the shared experienced we have (and by "we" I really do mean me and YOU).  I've had a perma-grin settled on my cheeks every time I've opened my laptop.

I'd like to host a giant tea/booze party and invite you all over for fresh guacamole, persimmon cookies, and oreo truffles just so I could sit and hear the stories pouring from your lips.

I loved it.

Really LOVED it.

So without further ado, here we have the winner-winner...

In case you have not watched the bit of silliness above, the absolute random winner of the Dwell Stone Giveaway is...

NANCY*MCKAY

Nancy, my friend, wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-hooo!  I'll have this beauty fluttering cross country right to your door step!
And to everyone else who commented, thank you from the upper right chamber of my beating heart for sharing with me!

*****
All that said,
I'm back to my own winter holiday and way too many pieces of toffee!  I've family in town through the weekend so I'll be largely off the interwebs and enjoying their company until next week soooooooo...

See you then and
HAPPY 2011!

GIVEAWAY of Celebrations and thoughts on Dwelling

Well first things first.

I'm here, in my local laundry mat (which I love, I should mention) and apparently, Saturday night is Abba Night.  It rocks my socks (every last pair) and makes me want to pop a huge bowl of popcorn and watch Mama Mia for the bazillionth time.

Ok, now more Important things second.

You know that giveaway I keep mentioning, dangling from the pitch of my long limbs like a tasty treat?  LET'S DO IT NOW!

This stone, which is no small token - over six inches in length, is for you.  

She is dear to me.

I'll just say that for starters.

I've been thinking, meditating, reminding myself constantly of late on Dwelling.  In the long lifetime that this last year has been, there have been too many moments where something in me sprinted ahead of my present time, to every last (and often worst) possibility, dragging my head in places it never belonged.  I think it is in our very human nature to dream, but the antithesis to that is our nature to worry.  We have these built-in mechanisms for brilliant reasons, to protect us, to help us plan for the future, to propel us forward on our individual paths and the grand highway that is mankind.

But flying into the future is not always healthy for our hearts.  Sometimes we forget that we are where we are, right now, right here.  And this place, where our soles rest on the ground and our lungs pull in air is exactly where we need to be.  To dwell in the present.  To see the true nature of what surrounds us in the current second.  To be present with our bodies, our hearts, our laughter, our tears.

I say these things to you as no expert on the matter.  Rather, I paint these words because I need my hands to spell out a physical reminder.  Again and again, and no doubt, I'll need to again in the future.  Which means to me, that I'm not the only one craving that reminder.

So.

We strive to Dwell.

Here and Now.

Ok.

Giveaway Rules?

This time it's as simple as can be: just leave a comment below telling me ONE thing in your life you're celebrating right now.  I'm going to be a stickler on it, no celebration, no entry!  Entries close at midnight PST on Monday December 27th 2010 (after I return from celebrating Christmas!).  I'll announce the winner on Tuesday December 28th.

***

Now.  It's time for me to wiggle my nose like Mary Poppins and watch the laundry fold itself then settle into place on best behavior.

Ship Shape!

I supposed you'd like a winner, huh?

Sometime after the stroke of midnight, I sat myself down for a little blog count and a visit to the random number generator site. I numbered out every post, every tweet, every lovely little comment you left me. I let my finger hover for a few seconds over the "generate" button while I thought quietly, may this painting go to the person who most needs her, most connects with her, then with a quick click I had the wining number right there on my screen. Not yet the name I'd be writing across the package within which "Come Spring" would travel to her new owner with great flourish (I hadn't yet checked the winning number with the winning person), not yet the person I'd get to announce today as the winner, but just a random little number.

Truth be told it was kinda anti-climatic.

The number just pops up. That's all.

And I can't do that to you.

I like to get my kicks.

I went with my randomly generated number without question (who am I to get in the way of fate) and I'm THRILLED to announce a winner. And then I got really excited and picked two more random numbers because, well, shoot, we all like prizes and I figured there were two more sassy lasses out there who needed some UmberDove lovin'.

But when I told Thai who won, he wanted to play announcer, and I really couldn't argue because I have raised two quite self-entitled kitty boys with whom I share a rather codependent relationship. So I made him a cape which he proudly wore for his photoshoot.

Miss Little Jeans,

CONGRATULATIONS!

I'll be bundling up and shipping out "Come Spring" with loads of love and bubble wrap just for you!

AND

To my next two randomly generated ladies,

Trista Anodei

and

Elaine

CONGRATS TO YOU TWO TOO!

I would love to send you each a print of your choosing from my little shop, so drop me an email at

kclarkstudios@gmail.com

letting me know what print you would like and what address you would like me to ship it to and I'll chop right to it!

To EVERYONE who commented and shared the love in this last week,

THANK YOU!

I appreciate you each so much it makes my heart give a little flutter and my toes give a little tingle every time I think of you.

You really are the best.

I mean it.

Bring it on Spring, I'm ready for my GIVEAWAY!

SO.

As much as I know you love listening to me chatter on about silly matters regarding the state of the lichen in my backyard and the afternoon light on the ridge causing the most beautiful sunflare, or my cocktail of choice last night at 5:00pm (pomegranate liquor, straight up) , or what tune I've had stuck in my head for days now to BC's bane (Chances by Jill Barber, I'm done with you now. Thanks for the good times. Now go and please do not leave Sweet Home Alabama in your wake AGAIN) I'll try to spare you the details and cut to the chase.

We've got a giveaway on our hands here, and I mean to deliver.

"But cool your heels" I hear you say, "We need proper Introductions first!"

Ahem.

This, my friends, is "Come Spring." Oh I know a GRIP of you out there are dealing with snowdrifts to the knees but here in the Pacific Northwest we're experiencing a Faux Spring. I return home from my runs and lay flat on my back in the grass, allow the still-chill wind to dance over me while I soak up the watery rays of sun and the heady scent of soil slowly warming. The birds are simply beside themselves, chattering on about their good luck and rich prospects. This faux Spring still manages to bring a bounty, and if nothing else, a little renewed hope.

Come Spring

Oil on Canvas 4" x 4"

- On To The Details of how "Come Spring" could come and live with YOU -

I had a long talk with the boys and they agreed to let me use a random number generator to determine the winner, so please leave a separate comment for each of the checkpoints below (it's just like more raffle tickets and who doesn't like a whole fistful of bright red raffle tickets?)

1. Just leave me a regular-o comment, say cheers or howdy-hey, or what's crackin' or... yeah, whatever's on your mind. = 1 red raffle ticket!

2. Leave a comment if you follow my blog (there's a button somewhere over here on the right side). = 1 red raffle ticket!

3. Become a Facebook fan of UmberDove (again, there is a terribly conveniently located button just to the right - I do like to make life easy for you). = 1 red raffle ticket!

4. If you proudly sport an UmberDove item - or several - woo! (be it purchased from my UmberDoveStudios.Etsy shop OR my UmberDove.Etsy shop) leave me a comment (because I appreciate you so!). = 1 red raffle ticket

5. For everywhere you post news of this giveaway with a link to my blog, be it on your own blog, your facebook, your twitter, wherever your webular steps lead, leave me a comment with a link to your post. = 1 red raffle ticket PER post

And there you go, so many amazing ways to earn yourselves fistfuls of red raffle tickets! But remember to post up a comment for each way you spread the UmberDove love. The giveaway ends at 11:59 pm PST on Wednesday February 17th and I'll be declaring a winner on Thursday February 18th so get crackin'!

Best of the Best Luck to You!

Credit where credit is due: I must say I've been so inspired by the rampant generosity of some bloggy friends of late - it really must be that Spring is in the air - and I just want to say thank you to YOU, Miss for the idea for this format. Cheers!