It has been a while since I have made a blog post here. I have been busy settling in after my big move and getting a lot of loose ends checked off my list. As so many people know, getting things taken care of in these times of COVID shutdowns and slow downs one needs to have patience.

This year I decided to decorate a small Christmas tree to make things festive. I haven’t decorated a tree in years. I enjoyed it tremendously all month and was trying to decide how I was going to compost the tree when I spotted a post from Ballydidean Farm Sanctuary asking for the old Christmas trees for their animals to enjoy. The Sanctuary is not too far from me and I have visited once before to meet the animals. I loaded my little tree, camera, and sketchbook and popped over to give the animals their treat.

The afternoon wasn’t too chilly and the winter sun came out as I was sketching. I have been busy drawing predators and haven’t drawn many domestic animals lately. I am going to have to take a look at the anatomy as it varies slightly from species to species. I also finally got to see the big guy below up close. I am 5′ 1.5″ tall and his back hipbones were slightly above my head! These gentle giants will have a home for the rest of their lives at Ballydidean Farm Sanctuary.

As I hinted at in the title of this post, I have more big changes coming my way. My landlady decided to sell this house and move across the country. I will have to find another place to live this spring. It will be challenging due to many factors and I am working on it. For the moment, I am happy to be getting back to my work. I have a lot of plans in the making and will continue to use this blog in my search for a place of my own. I have also decided to post my illustrations here. I plan to offer the illustrations up for sale to help fund my future home. As always, a portion of the proceeds go to conservation of environment and wildlife as well as this wonderful farm sanctuary. I will start sharing the drawings in the new year, which is a few days away!

Wishing all a happy and healthy New Year!

Yours in Truth and Beauty,

-Renee