Tea Time Miniature Drop & Life Update!

Orphan Girl Fine Art

Tim and I, after eight years together, finally got hitched on January 11th. For many of you this should come as no surprise, as we all know eleven is my favorite number. We had a beautiful ceremony up on the Greensprings in the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument, surrounded by close family and friends. Now we're wildly excited for our next adventure--purchasing a home that has room for our expanding businesses and family of critters. I foresee two pygmy goats, Thistle and Thorn (yes, I've already picked out names) in our future. We are in the closing process and rather overwhelmed, so I will keep this update short and sweet. But, to be sure, I want to offer each of you a huge thank you for your continued support. This amazing opportunity to own our first home wouldn't be possible without it.

I have never had any of my Tea Time Miniature paintings available on my website, so I'm excited to announce thirty have been added to my online shop! Each mini is an original painting on half of a pH-treated upcycled teabag. I use a proprietary method to transfer a sketch from one of my larger paintings onto the tea bag material, and then paint in all the details with a "tea" tiny brush. These are great fun for me to work on and I finally have enough to offer them to you online. They are 6x6 inches and framed. Each can be hung or set on a surface, propped up by the kickstand on the back of the frame. They make whimsical gifts for the tea or bird enthusiast in your life, or a great addition to your own home. I'll be doing a social media post soon announcing these, but wanted to give my subscribers the first crack at them.

Jack Rabbit

A Jack Rabbit freezes to check you out in front of the Cascade Siskiyou Mountain range. Every time I see these fabulous creatures I am thrilled, particularly if they sit still and don't immediately head for the hills. There is something so wild and free in the way they move.

Male Anna's Hummingbird

A sweet little Anna's Hummingbird sits atop Pussy Willows. Every spring I eagerly await the first Pussy Willows and I have already seen quite a few budding out for the season. They are a tenacious plant, one of the first to greet the Anna's Hummingbirds that have overwintered here. I love collecting a few branches to dry for flower arrangements throughout the year.

Ruby Crowned Kinglet

A Ruby Crowned Kinglet perches amidst the grape vines. This winter I have been graced by the presence of one of these little birds in my backyard. I watched him chase a male Orange Crowned Warbler in my roses--his red crown flashing his irritation at the nerve of the warbler who was clearly minding his own business gleaning winter insects from the bare branches. As fierce as he was, I couldn't help but chuckle at the spectacle as they flitted about.

This winter hasn't given me quite as much easel time as I would have liked, but I have managed to create quite a few new pieces between getting married, looking at houses, and getting time outside with the dogs. This first piece was inspired by a poppy seed pod embellishing the bow of a wedding gift from a dear friend. I can't wait to plant the seeds this spring. Interested in giving a painting below a forever home? You can reach me at [email protected]

View these new paintings and other available originals online by clicking the link below

Many of you might know Tim Hallam from the Lithia Artisans Market where he often shows his work as a landscape photographer. In fact, it was at this very Market, where we first met. Others may have recognized him helping me in my booth at some far flung show in another state. But some of you might need an introduction to this wonderful man to whom I was lucky enough to say "I do". Tim shares in all of my life, not just as my husband. He is an integral part of my business, creating by hand many of the frames I use, offering input on composition and palette choices for my original works, changing the oil in the van, helping with set-up and take down at shows, and occasionally even points his camera at a bird for me to use as a reference photo. It is a great fit--Tim shoots the landscape while I run around with binoculars chasing birds. He also builds and constructs the things I dream up, using his great skills as a welder and woodworker. He helped me realize my crazy plan to make an art studio out of a greenhouse - finally giving me my own space to create. Dedicated to this craft, Tim does all of this while also tending to his own business as a Landscape Photographer.

I'm not present at all of his shoots. I pass on the 3am departures and freezing temperatures. But he is out there, willing to take a chance that conditions might just be right. That's the thing with Tim, he doesn't use photoshop to add elements that weren't there, doesn't over saturate his images to the point where mother nature can't keep up, and you won't find AI generated images mixed in. Tim is out there doing his best to capture and edit his photos in a way that is both true to nature and captures the emotional quality of being there and seeing that lightning hit. Sometimes, even most times, he comes home without a portfolio worthy photo to show for the miles driven, temperatures endured or the hours spent planning a trip. In my mind this sets him far apart from a lot of photographers out there. And Tim is a natural and enthusiastic teacher. I have so often been on the receiving end, but I've also witnessed it in the photography workshops he teaches. He is kind and patient and seems to intuit the student's level, meeting them there and giving them the tools to further their craft. Now I know I may be a little biased, but I hope you take the time to check out some of his amazing work using the link below.

This year is already speeding by - at least that's how it feels like to me. The Lithia Artisans Market is set to open March 15th, and I am so looking forward to getting to see my art family again on the front lawn of beautiful Lithia Park. You can always check my show schedule on my website (link below); I do my best to add new shows as I am accepted. So far I've applied to twelve larger shows ranging from Washington to Arizona, New Mexico to Utah, and of course, closer to home in Idaho and Oregon.

We hope to close on our new home before the end of March, so we will experience a lot of chaos in uprooting our home of seven years here in Phoenix, Oregon to make the move North to Rogue River. Of course, the deal could yet fall through, but so far everything is proceeding smoothly. The 12x12ft custom built kit greenhouse I use as a studio will move along with us and I hope to do an update, maybe a video, on tearing down and relocating it. I think it may be interesting to some to see how and why I set up my studio the way I did, and learn the real costs associated with that. There is a lot to do around the Linton Hallam household and it will all be one grand adventure, one which I hope you will be a part of.