Author: admin
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Mystery of the Blue Things
Aunt Mel finds lots of strange things in her yard – arrow heads, strange looking beetles, shot gun shells and broken pieces of kid’s toys to name just a few. Recently she found lots of these little blue things. Do you know what these are?
They were all over the farm. These little blue pieces of something just laying on the ground. Its strange!
Aunt Mel found one at the driveway gate, another on the sidewalk in front of the house.More were found inside the garage.
Even Frank was caught carrying one around in his mouth! What are these strange bright blue, slightly rubbery things? They’re blunt or torn on one end and taper to a pointing tip. Suddenly something slithered nearby and Aunt Mel caught a glimpse of something as it crawled across a rock. The mystery was solved!
A Blue Tailed Skink LIZARD TAILS – GROSS! The Blue Tail Skink is a common Georgia lizard. Their bright blue tails come off when attacked by predators (Frank). One must have a strong stomach and plenty of disinfectant soap when one lives on a farm.
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Kathy Duke’s Pet Portraits and So Much More
I met Kathy about two years ago. We have horses in common. Specifically, our two horses are pasture mates and best friends – Maverick and Bubba. I knew Kathy for sometime before someone mentioned that she was also an artist. Kathy’s portraits are captivating. She paints whimsical and realistic portraits with the skill of someone who knows animals.
Kathy’s work has garnered many awards including winning the American Academy of Equine Arts Elsie Tuckerman award for best portrait. The Humane Society has benefited from Kathy’s donations auctioned for various fund raising activities. I watch Kathy work with Maverick and her dogs and her love for all animals is immediately evident. Her beautiful portraits reflect that respect.
“Reflecting on the Dream” KATHY DUKE
How would I describe my work?
I am an animal portrait artist,…mostly. That is, I use animals as my main subject matter. Most are animals that I know, or are animals that people have portraits commissioned of. I have a variety of styles I work in. they range from classical and realistic, to whimsical, fun, and playful. I paint in oils and watercolor, but my favorite is combining watercolor and colored pencil. That combination gives the painting a soft, flowing color and crisp detail at the same time. It allows me to give the artwork more depth and character that either medium alone. I love how it lets me sharpen the detail “down to the whiskers and eyelashes”.
I believe a drawing or painting should be about more than a likeness. As an artist, I use my experience as an equestrian and all around animal lover, to capture the personality, expression, and physical likeness in my artwork. I know the joy animals can bring. I hope to represent each one as a truly special and unique individual.
What is my creative process?
That depends. In a commissioned portrait, I usually have good clear photos of the animal sent to me. I talk with the client about why they want the portrait. Some are looking for a perfect gift, others are wanting a memorial portrait. I like to hear about the animal’s personality, their quirks, funny things they did, etc. I try to put that personality onto the canvas or watercolor paper.
Artwork for my personal projects usually start with an idea that pops up in my head. I’ll see something, or remember a scene, or just start to imagine a composition. I start sketching after that. I try and bring all of the puzzle pieces in my head together and get to work. Sometimes, I’m not exactly sure what the finished will look like. I just let it develop as it goes along.
When did you know art would be your path in life?
I have been drawing ever since I could pick up a crayon. As a kid, if I was sitting still, I was drawing. I almost couldn’t help myself. I would draw on any scrap of paper available with whatever pen, pencil, or crayon was available. I think Ive always known that art would be part of my life.
Kathy and Maverick If you’re not working on your art – what are you doing?
I am most likely out at the barn. I am one of the very lucky people in the world. I am able to make a living out of my passion. I am a horse trainer and riding instructor. My home base for horse training is at Bits & Bytes Farm in Canton, GA. There, they have Thoroughbred horses that have retired from the racetrack. I help retrain them for a new career as sport horses that do dressage, a little jumping, western riding, or even just enjoy a trail ride. I also travel to other farms in the area to train horses and teach others how to improve their riding skills.
My love of animals has always been as much a part of me as my art. I have always loved horses and dogs. I am fascinated by their personalities, the way they learn, and the way they interact with each other and with us. Ive studied their anatomy and how they move. I did dog obedience training in my teen age years and showed dogs in both the conformation and obedience ring. As an adult, I train and compete in agility with my two Border Collies, Koda and Piper.
Kathy and Maverick 
Whimsical Jack 
Aubrey and Lolly Contact information for portrait painter, Kathy Duke
Email Kathy at: ktd@thistledownstudios.com
Check out Kathy’s website thistledownstudios.com
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STOP THIEF!
We all put things down and forget where we left them. But its been happening a lot lately. Pens, plastic spoons and money are among the many items that keep disappearing. Way too many things to blame it solely on bad memory. There’s only one explanation – there’s a thief at Aunt Mel’s Farm!
Last summer someone broke into Aunt Mel’s garage and stole her toolbox and gas powered weed whacker. Aunt Mel put a heavy chain on the driveway gate and that seemed to keep the thieves out, at least until a few weeks ago. Now someone is stealing items inside Aunt Mel’s house! They don’t leave any trail. Things simply keep disappearing. Who is sneaking into the house? Where is all the stuff?
The doors and windows are always locked so the culprit must be a resident – its an inside job! One of Aunt Mel’s sweet animals is a miscreant, a troublemaker, a prankster and they must be identified. Aunt Mel lined up all the suspects for interrogation. When in the middle of the questioning, a clue!
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The Rats must die!
There are lots of cute animals that live on Aunt Mel’s farm including several rodents. Tiny grey field mice make nice cat snacks. There are dozens of chipmunks along the tree line. The squirrels are like clowns with their crazy desperate antics to pilate from the bird feeders. Then there are the rats. Rats are not welcome at Aunt Mel’s farm.
Rats normally live in the fields, burrowing in the tall grass and along fence lines where they’re somewhat save from owls and hawks. But when it starts to get cold, the rats look for warmer homes and they’ve poorly chosen Aunt Mel’s garage. Once a rat finds a safe home, they start having baby rats. And pretty soon, the baby rats are having their own baby rats and within a few weeks, Aunt Mel’s garage becomes a nursery for field rats.They wreck havoc. They chew through metal tubs to get to the horse food. They make nests inside Aunt Mel’s riding mower, stuffing the battery cavity beneath the seat with all manner of soft bedding – hay, straw, chewed up bits of paper. They boldly dash around including running up Aunt Mel’s leg causing a horrific scare. Twice they chewed the starter wire to Aunt Mel’s car disabling it. Two tow truck lifts, two missed days of work and $600 in repairs and, well, simply put, those rats must die!
Aunt Mel hates to kill any animals, all life is precious. But there is no sleep lost over dead rats. Aunt Mel took a trip to the hardware store and purchased a $12 poison feeder that was strategically placed near the horse’s grain bin. Within a few days, no more rats and good riddance!
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The Drive In Diner – for Birds
Each winter, Aunt Mel puts out a few bird feeders to help the wild birds forage. There is a feeder of fine thistle for the finches and two feeders of black oil sunflower seeds for everyone else. All sorts of birds from miles away stop by to dine. I guess word got out that the menu at Aunt Mel’s farm is top notch!
One little finch is not afraid of Aunt Mel. He will ride along on the edge of the feeder while Aunt Mel fills it with fresh seeds. These are just a few of the types birds commonly spotted at the feeders.
Blue Jay 
Cardinal 
Chickadee 
Red Finch 
Tit Mouse 
Morning Dove -
Barney’s Sweet Demeanor
Many cats have shown up at Aunt Mel’s farm. If they hang out for a few weeks, Aunt Mel takes them to the vet for vaccinations and to be neutered. Barney showed up one day and immediately took up residence.Big and fuzzy, he marched into the barn with his tail straight up in the air and took charge. Barney followed Aunt Mel everywhere and when she sat down, he immediately jumped in her lap. He would curl up and purr with his big thick fuzzy tail curled around him like a hug.
Barney was a wonderful cat, very large but he was well behaved. Sadly Aunt Mel learned that he was sick. Being a former wild cat roaming the fields and woods, Barney grew up with no one to care for him and no one to ensure he had the vaccinations that would protect him from infections. Barney had feline leukemia.
The vet asked if Aunt Mel wanted to put Barney to sleep. But she did not. The other cats were all vaccinated and safe from becoming sick and Barney was an otherwise healthy and happy cat. So Barney lived his short life at Aunt Mel’s farm. He visited with the horses, sat in Lyndon’s nest of straw and hunted mice and birds. Barney was a lovely cat who deserved a longer life than he was afforded. RIP sweet Barney.
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The Obsessive Dog and the Pink Plastic Disk
Lucky is Aunt Mel’s farm dog. He helps with chores, supervising feeding the horses and pig. He barks an alarm when the coyotes are in the pasture or when the morning doves are sitting on the electric lines. He is very helpful except when he is distracted by his one nemesis. The Frisbee.
More than anything in the world, Lucky loves to play with his Frisbee (always hot pink). He runs in front of Aunt Mel and strategically drops it in her pathway. Positioned so she must either step around it or on it. Rather than do either, Aunt Mel obliges Lucky, and picks it up and throws it. Again and again and again.
Let’s play frisbee!
I’ll chase it down
Catch it in mid flight
Return it by shoving with my nose
Just so you can throw it again
Lucky loves to chase it. He loves to jump in the air and catch it. Then he drops it to the ground so he can growl at it and push it with his nose. When he reaches the driveway, he places it upright and gives it a good nose push. With a little air underneath, the frizbee floats across the drive making a loud scraping noise. Lucky chases it and puts his front feet on the suspended Frisbee, pushing it further along with his back legs. Not unlike someone riding a skateboard. Somehow around all his frenetic chasing, after a few short minutes, the Frisbee is dropped or pushed back to Aunt Mel’s feet. And once again, she picks it up and gives it a yet another toss.
