Puppy Bliss

Posted on November 12, 2013 by MaryALivingston

Saturday Night Kintaro of Akiyama – Kinta helps me haul firewood.

Meet Saturday Night Kintaro of Akiyama. We call him Kinta. He will be a guest at our home for several months before he is able to join his family in Japan.

Japan is a rabies free country. Kinta was born in Montana, USA. The US is not a rabies free country. He comes from Saturday Night Golden Retrievers.

The procedure goes something like this, Kinta will receive a rabies vaccination as soon as he is old enough. Then he will receive a booster a month later. A month after that, his blood will be tested for rabies titers. If his titer level is high enough, he then must wait for six months before going home. Once in Japan, he will be observed for several hours prior to being released to his family. He will also undergo many other health certifications prior to getting a green light to breed. It is a lengthy process.

Kinta checks out the pond. He’ll be swimming in no time.

Our friends Noriko and Yoshi are very dear to us, so we are happy to assist them with a foster home for Kintaro. We have fostered two other pups for them, Sakurako and Jutaro. Noriko and Yoshi are dedicated breeders of competitive golden retrievers in Japan. They take care to select genetically sound parent stock.

Kinta enjoys some Northern California sunshine.

For the next 10 months or so, I will get to enjoy, train, and share the love of a good pup. His family will visit from time to time, we take care to be sure he knows them and knows their scent.

Handsome boy watches down the driveway… are those quail he sees?

Kinta on the move – this is his standard pose.

Here are a few shots and a quick watercolor sketch of Kintaro.

Saturday Night Kintaro of Akiyama – watercolor by MaryALivingston

Percy Wins Book Award!

Posted on October 4, 2013 by MaryALivingston

Gold Medal
Inspiration and Motivation

I can’t even begin to say how excited I am. The more I worked on the art for this book, the more I fell in love with little Percy. It was the first picture book I illustrated, and I feel so blessed to be a part of its making. I worked with two wonderful women, Patricia Schetter, the author and Kandis Lighthall, the educational contributor from ABTA Publications and Products. My illustration group from Make Your Splashes – Make Your Marks was invaluable for critiques and points of illustration wisdom. And of course my wonderful Tim (The Forester Artist) is always encouraging. I just can’t stop smiling!

The ABTA Publications and Products children’s picture book, Percy Learns to Fly, has been awarded the 2013 Gelett Burgess Children’s Book Award for outstanding contributions to children’s literature. A Gold Medal was awarded in Lifestyle: Motivation and Inspiration category.

Author: Patricia Schetter, M.A., B.C.B.A., Woodland, CA
Illustrator: Mary A Livingston (ME :D) Anderson, CA
Educational Contributor: Kandis Lighthall, Redding, CA

Percy Learns to Fly tells a heartwarming story by Patricia Schetter of fitting in while being different. Everyone can see Percy is different. He tries hard to fit in with his friends and do well in school. Join Percy in this heart-warming tale with moments of disappointment, excitement and joy as Percy Learns to Fly.

A page from Percy Learns to Fly

Includes an exceptional Teacher and Parent section with resources.

Hardback ISBN 978-0-9844660-1-6
Paperback ISBN 978-0-9844660-2-3

Here are a couple of websites with the book:
ABTA Publications and Products

also at
redtail.com (discount for the Red Tail site is code BLOG15 edit cart in checkout 😉 )

Meet Percy

Posted on October 3, 2013 by MaryALivingston

I’d like to introduce you to Percy. He’s a love. The poor little penguin is hatched to a pair of gulls. Don’t worry, Percy has heart, lots of heart.

Percy is hatched to a gull family. Character development for Percy Learns to Fly. ABTA Products and Publications. Schetter/Livingston 2013

I met Percy through author/educator Patricia Schetter. Patty is an all around awesome gal who has followed her bliss. She is a Behavior Analyst and Autism Specialist and she teaches fellow educators. You can find out more about Patty here.

Percy Learns to fly was the first book I illustrated. Lucky me! To study for Percy, I went to the San Francisco Zoo and observed the penguins. You see, we don’t have penguins in the wilds of Northern California, so the zoo was pretty much my best option for a hands on look at the movements and behaviors of a penguin.

In Percy Learns to Fly, Percy faces danger.

As I poured over the story and got to know Percy, I fell in love with his personality and strong heart. Percy teaches a lot about persistence and how in the right environment, we too can soar.

So how about you? What’s your environment for bliss?

I’ll have more to post on Percy in the coming days…yes, that’s a tease, so stay tuned!

Mrs. Hatcher comforts Percy after a long day. Percy Learns to Fly

By Candlelight

Posted on November 20, 2012 by MaryALivingston

Power outage at our place. Happens every now and then, just a fact of life when living in a rural area. So out with the candles and lanterns. I just loved power outages as a kid, board games and ghost stories were sure to follow. But today, when the outage occurred I was painting a cover for a children’s picture book. The candles and lanterns did not cast enough light to paint, not a book cover anyway.

I decided to start a piece that’s been on my mind for a while. It was moving along nicely in the glow of the candlelight. Then it was time for fresh water. No water. We are on a well. No electricity = no water. I began plotting for water. Would it be decadent to paint with bottled water? Would the water in the pond be too muddy from the rains? Perhaps some water out of a downspout?

In the midst of plotting for a water source, Tim arrived and we discussed setting up the generator. He did get a little one out of our RV up for lights. Then voila…the power company had the main electricity back on. Isn’t that how it goes?

Work in progress being painted by candlelight.

Here is the ‘by candlelight’ work in progress. I may have to finish it by candlelight. For now, back to the book cover.

Wedded Bliss

Posted on November 4, 2012 by MaryALivingston

I just stared at the wall. Painting upon painting. His wall was covered with art.

Some of the art on Tim’s wall 31 years ago. Check out his blog if you would like to see what he is up to today. Tim Livingston – The Forester Artist

I didn’t know this about him, that he was an artist. Apparently, I was the only one who didn’t know. Unlike me while in college, his artistic works were in the open, out there on display for friends and family to see.

About ten months earlier, we met on a blind date. (Don’t ask.) We had mutual friends and at some point, after this botched introduction and continually running into each other, we started dating.

I was already in danger of loosing my heart. The moment I saw he was an artist tipped me over the top.

Six months ago, over 31 years after seeing his wall of art, I picked up brushes and started to learn watercolor. No one was happier for me than Tim that I was learning to paint. Being married to my best friend is one of the greatest blessings in life. The fact that we also share many of the same passions is life’s icing.

You may wonder why it took me so long to pick up brushes. Oh, I toyed with it a few times, but I knew inevitably, people would compare us.

Our relationship is not about comparing.

Sitting in a blind one morning. Our version of dressing up for a date.

Well, we are comparing our WordPress blog world maps. Oh, then the time we took martial arts together and competed for trophies. And he did get the first buck this season. Mine was bigger. I found the biggest nugget on our claim. Although he holds the record for the biggest agate. However, my geode is near the size of a basketball. We both found nice septarian nodules…nonetheless, you get my point.

Asking a spouse or loved one to critique your work is risky. Tim says that asking him to critique my work is like asking him if my butt looks big or if my clothes make me look fat. There is no right answer.

So I joined an online illustrating course, Make Your Splashes – Make Your Marks!, where I am able to learn, hone my skills and participate in critiques.

As for Tim, here are his most expert responses to my most ridiculous question:

Us with a few of our golden retrievers on vacation at Roaring Camp. It’s a great place to learn about gold mining.

Her: Does this make me look fat?
Him: I don’t think it does your body justice.
or
Him: I don’t think you would like the way it looks.

Yep, wedded bliss.

Happy Birthday Tim –
Love,
Mary

Our Littlest Heroes

Posted on October 26, 2012 by MaryALivingston

I would like to introduce you to Horses for Heroes. This organization does wonderful work for those who serve; be they firefighters, police officers, military or other public service personnel putting their lives on the line for us.

The littlest heroes, the children of these men and women, also benefit from the healing and therapeutic power of horses.