"After Lunch" by Elizabeth Norton

I first posted on Norton just over a month ago. I find that I'm especially drawn to her style of color woodcuts of animals given the project I'm working on at this time. Here I feature another of Norton's colorful gems:

The abundant grass is swept up in their steady and continuous feeding.

munch munch munch 

The white rabbit is tired. He leans against an orange companion, eyelids heavy. His rapid heart-beat slows from a gallop to a mere trot.

ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom 

One stands on higher ground, eyes open wider, ears perked up straighter than the rest, muscles more tense. She will give the signal, should anything go awry. Not that anything ever does in this domesticated sphere they occupy.

silence 

Eating, dozing, and on alert - it is everything they do.

"Orange Persian" by Elizabeth Norton

That cat stared right at me like a miniature demon perched on a stump. He knew he wasn't supposed to be on the table, so he preempted my shooing with a threatening glare. His long fur lapped the dark tablecloth, shedding strands wherever they touched, as a torch leaves scorch-marks. Thankfully the fire was contained, and I'm not afraid of the devil.

Elizabeth Norton (1887-1985) was an American artist known especially for her printmaking, including color woodcuts (frequently of animals) such as this. Many of her prints ended up in notable collections such as the Met and Smithsonian. A full profile of Norton can be found at the Pacific Art League's website here.

"Behold the Day" by Frances Gearhart

The trees in the foreground stand motionless, rooted to the ground by shadow, and glued to each other as if each were merely a part of a single organism. A great beast overlooking his domain.

The warm earth glows gold, and slowly breaths in the crisp, cool air. The grass is soft as cotton.

The cerulean sky, a whipping, whirling collection of chimes and murmurs. Wisps of dancing clouds encircle mounds of forest. The heavens, infinitely vast, infinitely deep, are a world of their own. We can only enjoy the view from a distance.