Lily's Top 5

Thank you, Bethany, for posting on my birthday! I've finally made up my mind on my own favorites from ArtPrize. Here they are:

thirsty

The photographer took this shot of a horse and some pack mules stopping for a water break in Little Lake Valley, California. They are framed by the crystal clear stream, beautifully textured grass and trees, the Sierra Nevada mountains, and the dramatic sky. I think it's breathtaking! Wow, how I'd love to have been there to witness this scene in person!

Cycling Guide to Lilliput

In Gulliver's Travels, the island of Lilliput was inhabited by tiny 6-inch tall people. I'm not sure what cycling has to do with anything (who would be riding their bike in the dark through snow?) but this oil-on-copper painting is indeed tiny like the Lilliputians. It's only a few inches across, as you can see when it's compared to paint brushes. The detail in this winter scene is incredible! 

The Bag

At first glance, this may not seem very exciting. One side has objects in white; the other has objects in black and white. But look closer, and you'll notice that this is actually an impressive before-and-after. The artist started with two sets of white objects and then colored one set with graphite, and he did an incredible job. It looks like a 3D version of a black and white photograph.

Reflections of Nature

Water Night

Winter's Breath

Macaw

Fox Hop

This entry was a collage of the artist's work, and all of them were of animals. As you can see from the four I chose to show you, she is highly skilled in a wide variety of mediums, from photography to graphite to scratchboard to watercolor. My favorite is Fox Hop.

The Orchid Tree

This is a 3D sculpture about 12 feet across, 8 feet tall, and 7 feet deep. On the forest floor and attached to several real tree trunks and their branches are tons of orchids. About 130 species of wild orchids from around the word are represented. All of the orchids are made out of pieces of pop cans, which have been carefully cut, formed, and painted by hand. It sure is hard to tell! They look so real!

And now to look back on my birthday, October 15. Our aunt, Nala's owner, knows that Nala was born sometime in October. She has arbitrarily chosen October 15 (halfway through the month) as Nala's birthday. So I now share my birthday with a dog. Lucky me.

Here is my (and Nala's) beautiful birthday pony from Mom's page-a-day calendar:

<3 I think I may win the prettiest calendar page horse prize.

I was not very hopeful that I would flute a similar horse on HI2, however. And, unfortunately, I was right. Vixen and I fluted a horse that wasn't pale in hue at all.

They both have big white marking on their faces, though. ;-) And check out the Frenchie's personality distribution! Its symmetry all on the most desirable side of the scale should get a prize. 

Now that my sisters and I have all celebrated our birthdays for 2017, we'll have to do a recap post soon, where we'll decide on the winners and award prizes. That should be fun!