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Views From My Artistic Vantage Point
Overlooking Yellowstone National Park On The Yellowstone River
- by Shirl Ireland -


#11 - + Kids!
Anola was born! 2 days after Christmas... (Named after a dream. It's a really good story - ask me sometime.) I was meeting with clients...


#10 - A NEW Studio
Yes, the new studio was finished just in time! That’s Tim in the photo above, the log builder I found in the 'want ads' who saved us....


# 9 - MORE Painting, Lighting & Building
I started plein air painting with a vengeance and fell in love with oil paints. I upgraded my equipment, so I could hike with it all....


#8 - Progress...
My paintings were improving and furniture was refining. Eventually, we were accepted into the Adirondack Museum's fall exhibition, where...


#7 - Building and Painting
That's me on the roof, FINALLY getting those barn slates to their final resting spot. Very satisfying after moving them so many times....


#6 - Barn Raising 101
Next up would be the barn raising. First we found a very old book about constructing hand-hewn barns at the library. How hard could it...


#5 - Going, Going, GONE
The first step was dismantling the barn - piece by piece. The graph paper came out and I found a book at the library... Be Your Own...


#4 - Let The Building Begin!
At the very beginning of our artistic self-employment, we did small local shows. John worked nights, so I did the shows with a friend......


#3 - Adirondack Mountains or bust
Graduating college in August was not the best time to start looking for a teaching job, so I decided to throw myself into the gladiator...


#2 - A little back story...
I was the youngest – by far. Some called me "an accident", but I prefer "miracle" :) I was born when my mom was 47 and my dad was 50. My...


#1 - It's been quite a ride!
I gave a Power Point slide show and talk this summer, and thought it might fit well in pieces as blog posts. Here goes... When I was...


My "Artist Journey"
Thank you to all who attended my talk and slide show presentation in Bozeman Montana last weekend. It was a treat to have the opportunity...


New elk calf born on the property
Spring around here can be full of excitement. Loads of new wildlife born - and sometimes right on our property! Here's a new elk calf...


Pronghorn has twins - right out the windows!
WARNING - For those of you who are a bit squeamish, LIVE BIRTHS are in this video. UNEDITED. It's long, graphic - and ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!...


For An Artist Mother To Love... & Juggle
These are my kids.... A picture of us from a while back when the 'juggling' was quite pronounced. I was an artist long before I had...


Monet's Magpie
As March kicks off, it has been a particularly cold snowy one here. This is the time of year I should be having 'birds on the brain'......


Otters... AGAIN!
I've had some good otter sightings this winter. It helps that the windows near my easel look out over the River and the spot where they...


Great Art
Always good to get out and see the world's greatest Art. Anytime I'm traveling, museums are a must see. A selection of gems from my...


Bird Games
I love birds, art AND learning... So I combined them all! After painting and drawing at the Yellowstone Heritage and Research Center for...


Otters out the window!
A favorite wildlife sighting - Otters in the Yellowstone River. I was just having breakfast when I saw them out the window playing on the...
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