Harvesting Apples by Donna Bickley

On the theme of Harvesting:

Apple Harvest starring my rodent critters of my Mousery Rhyme Series. ACEO, 3.5 x 3.5", mixed media: watercolor pencil and pen, alcohol ink, inks...
acid free watercolor 140 lb. paper.

Illustration of the nursery rhym:
, Apple Harvest

The finest of pippins that ever you see;
The apples are ripe and ready to fall,
And Richard and Robin shall gather 'em all.
\
I made this using your theme as the inspiration for this rhyme , Harvesting, in the series I've been working on since October, illustratng nursery rhymes at the request of one of my collectors. Thank you all for the themes cause the inpirations omes in handy.

Things People Do by Donna Bickley

Mother Cat Baking - Just like traditional mothers of all background,, this Mother Cat is  baking to show her love for her family. Mama Cat is cooking and baking.. Meanwhile the  kids (in this case, mice) are having fun with some of her dough, formed into balls and tossed., Little Morty Mouse is using his new ball mitt to catch the dough balls tossed to him by Matt Mouse who has positioned himself by the source of the dough!  A Mother's Day tribute to baking mothers  everywhere!
ACEO (art card) size, 3.5 x2.5"), mixed media (ink, watercolor, acrylic paint, etc.) .

Big and Little, Donna Bickley

A Big and Little piece titled "Fact and Fiction", a real cat and a fictional mouse, produced originally as an entry in a Monthly Photo Challenge on an art board.
ACEO size, mixed pen, pencil and paint.

My Favortie Tool, Donna Bickley

My favorite tool for my art (well, at least one of them) is my camera for taking photos of my aceo art for listing online.
When I picked camera, I tried to think of a way to portray it in line with my critter universe, thus, Morty . Mouse is using the camera on this mixed media aceo art card.
My back story: Morty Mouse is taking a photo of his friend, Mason who is painting a portrait of his friend Maxwell painting a picture of...Mason sells his art on eBay and Morty acts as his photographer to take the photos Mason needs to accompany his art listings. He's a good friend.

Self-Portrait by Donna Bickley

Here is my "cheat" self-portrait (artistic license). Here are the cheats: Back of my head shown, not front; my legs are not as short as they look here I work sitting down, not standing up; I work only on aceo's NOT large canvases; I can't hang my canes on aceo's; my cat can't sit on top of the easel; there is no black cat who stands on 2 feet, nor any mice in my studio
But, some of this is  truth, I do like to work in bare feet, hair is grey-white and about that length and I work with pens mostly.
Ink, acrylics, alcohol inks, and watercolor pencils.

Draw what you see, Donna Bickley

Draw something I see - by Donna Bickley

From my studio window I see a small crabapple tree with reddish brown, fermented apples leftover over from the season - the tree  up against a simple wooden fence.
There has been a freeze and now a warmish time which brought a thaw thus aiding in the fermentation and softening of the apples' interior.
\. I drew the tree from my window view and the robins and other critters were added from my memory and imagination.
I made the tree smaller than reality and the robins bigger to convey the vision in my head of the weight of flocks of a dozen or more robins who came to visit this tree in a 3 day event in which they gobbled fermented apples, were intoxicated and staggered about hilariously. The melting snow , one of my cat characters and a coupla local mouse voyeurs complete the picture you are seeing.
Mixed media on an aceo card, pen, acrylics, and watercolor pencil.

Christmas in the US, Donna Bickley

An aceo mixed media painting of a scene from my childhood in Pennsylvania, US, in the 1940's and ;'50's . In our family, the Christmas Stocking was the King of Gifts - many different gifts from an orange (fresh fruit) and nuts in the shell to small dolls handmade by mother or grandmother to wrapped mystery gifts, games, socks, puzzles, etc. were stuffed into giant stockings (stockings big enuff to fit a real giant!). And every member of the family (including pets) had a stocking, with each member contributing to the stockings stuffing!

 I continued that tradition with my own daughter
and even after she was grown, for my husband and pets. 

October 16-31 Your Work Life by Donna Bickley

Last December when I first started painting ACEO's, I did this one as part of a series of famous artists, catified. It is is pic of me (catified but not so famous) working at my art table on my 2.5 x 3.5 cards. It is as if i am using a magnifying glass to paint our cat, Lagna (shown bottom left by the mouse hole often depicted in my cards but which do not exist in our house - Lagnia is more of a spider-er than a mouse-er)!

Mixed media.

Pictured below is Lagna in reality:
\

Night Scenery, whimsical Harvest Moon, Donna Bickley

Harvest Moon with cats and mice on the neighborhood  fence!

Activities people do - Crocheting, needlework, Donna Bickley

. 

 Yes, its a cat not a person, but in my art world, cats and mice and pigs and bunnies ARE people.

 Granny Cat Crocheting: A coupla local mice have discovered how cozy it is in the giant yarn ball (Granny plans to make a LARGE afghan someday - she even has a giant crichet hook ready to wield.)

ACEO size, 2.5 x 3.5 inches, mixed media: acrylic, alcohol inks, pen

Trees of all kinds: Critter Christmas Gift Box Tree

I did this for another challenge on another site with the topic of "boxes". (My other "tree" offering was done for this site and also used for the "box" theme, ou know, boxwood tree!- I am involved in a painting a day )
.I am throwing it in here since it is a "tree" of sorts, and just for fun! Kind of expands the topic to absurdity, which is my forte.

 This one photographed in soft focus for some reason. It is brightly colored Mixed media, aceo size (the only size I do), my usual critter theme.

"Critter Christmas Gift Box Tree - Morty Mouse is balanced atop the Christmas Gift Box Tree as Cory Catz and some of Morty's mouse cousins cheer him on. You'll notice that Marvin Maus is exploring the contents of one of the boxes - he always did have difficulty waiting."

http://www.ebay.com/itm/141766894536...

All Kinds of Trees - Topiary Co-op Apartments - Donna Bickley

Topiary Co-op Apartments - Monty Maus and Kilmer Katz families have jointed together to set up house in an abandoned topiary Boxwood tree (you can see it needs some trimming and is certainly out-of-control).. The mice are having trouble with the altitude (being used to living near the floors of houses. The Katz, on the other hand are happy as clams up in a tree.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/131595842607?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649

Clothes and Shoes - Clothes by Donna Bickley

 Holy Cow (generic - no specified relgion, my apologies to all)

ACEO, mixed media

http://www.ebay.com/itm/141753102552?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649

Clothes and Shoes - Clothes by Donna Bickley

Fashion Cow - You've heard of a Fashion Horse (Someone who only wears the latest fashions, in order to place herself at the top of the competition.) Our cow is  in the vogue with her cloven hoofed boots (she got them online) and the dress she purchased from the runway in Paris, Kentucky. It was modeled by Kate Moos.

\ACEO, 2.5 x 3.5 inches, mixed media

 http://www.ebay.com/itm/-/141751179188?

Clothes & Shoes, Shoes by Donna Bickley

There was an old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe - Catified - Actually she's an old Queen (female cats are called "queens' - males are "Toms") who lived in a Saddle Shoe with her zillions of kittens and adolescent cats. And, actually, she very well did know what to do there were all those youngsters to supervise - And she was an artist and painted ACEO cards and had other hobbies as well! And rarely did she want for something interesting to do!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ACEO-Old-Cat-Queen-Who-Lived-in-a-Saddle-Shoe-kittens-Orig-whimsical-cartoon-/131583528655?

ACEO , 2.5 x 3.5, mixed media 

Clothes & Shoes, Slippers (shoes) by Donna Bickley

Critter Slippers - Beyond Bunny Slippers - Our local critters, Cat, Mouse, Bird, Bunny and Pig are enjoying their new critter slippers and "putting themselves into the other fellow's shoes". The bluebird who has entered the picture seems a bit hysterical upon noticing the bluebird slippers. Do you think he believes real birds were sacrificed?????

Aceo size, 2.5 x 3.5, mixed media

Shoes by Donna Bickley

Shoe Sale - More adventures of my critters. It's back to school time and the Katz family have sent Kev to buy some new school shoes (he insisted on going "by myself", not with his mum). Morty Mouse went along for company. Kev is having difficulties getting the right size and his choice of shoe style and color is not likely to please Mum. Morty is amused.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/-/131581916076?

Clothes and Shoes by Donna Bickley

My critters in form of paper dolls, with clothes designed for them,  - aceo size backgrounds. A project in process.

Favorite Meal by Donna Bickley

Favorite Meal by Donna Bickley

Bacon and Eggs takes the spotlight, leading to Mouse and Cat (and ME- it is my fav!) to salivate, 

 and causing Pig and Hen great grief as the critters spy my breakfast from the backyard!

Mixed Media, acrylics, colored pencil, pen and alcohol inks helped produce this scene!

Thanks for the topic - it was fun to do!

Summer/Winter Madness, Donna Bickley

Summer/Winter Madness

Piggyback Hiking - Papa Piggy and son, Percy are hiking in the Boarback mountains amidst the wild flowers, clear air and  a view of the mountains and the clouds adorning them.
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/131544134335?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649

Balancing Act - 3 critter pals, a cat, a mouse and a piglet are trying out their surfing balancing act. Wish them well...
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/131543363324?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649

Spirit of '76, critterfied - A local mouse, cat and piglet are celebrating this 4th of July by posing for a tableau of The Spirit of '76 (aka Yankee Doodle), a parody of the 1875 painting by Archibald Willard.
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/131546921694?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649

 Mouse-Surfing" - Mortie Mouse and his teen sons have taken to the ocean on Mortie's new surfboard. They are having a ball on the waves...
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/141701343790?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649

 Johnny Mouse - "A Wild One" - is ready for a road trip in his Marlon Brando style motorcycle cap, his black leather jacket, his dark shades and astride his favorite ride.
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/131547742983?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649