Welcome to my blog Upstate Girl, (a.k.a Follow Your Bliss Part II), I am an independently published author. This blog is all about writing and the stuff that inspires me to write, the joys and obstacles that come along with the writer's life, and my fascination with the psychology of people and what makes them tick...the human condition, as is...and my love for words, playing with them and making sense of them...and I throw in a few photos from my acre of the world just to make things pretty...sometimes there are things I have no words for, only pictures will do.

*Copyright notice* All photos, writing, and artwork are mine (
© Laura J. Wellner), unless otherwise noted, please be a peach, if you'd like to use my work for a project or you just love it and must have it, message me and we'll work out the details...it's simple...JUST ASK, please.

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Surfaces and textures...


The Skin of a Rock

I've been playing around with a bunch of photos that I took earlier this month...I love trying to trim them down to the narrowest or tightest view...the more abstract the better...and today I was thinking of these surfaces as "skin"...


The Skin of a Leaf


The Melting Skin of Ice on Asphalt


The Skin of A Tree

On Friday morning, my little kitty Picky-Picky (who is 12 years old going on 13) suddenly became very ill from a urinary tract infection and thankfully, after a visit with Dr. Tom, she seems to be getting better, she's on 2 antibiotics, a steroid, and a prescription diet, so her appetite has returned (steroids tend to make them eat everything in sight, including the fuzz off the floor) and she's talking again (she always announces herself when she wakes up from a nap)...but she's not yet out of the woods, she's got a long recovery ahead. We're keeping our fingers crossed that it's just a very bad infection and nothing else. She's a tough little kitty girl, she holds her own around those fat tabby boys pretty well (she's the only girl, all the rest are boys.)


She's resting comfortably in her favorite basket by the woodstove...a toy mouse keeping her company.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Inspiration...

Rocks in Water, (at Tinker Falls), New Years Day 2010.


There are times when my "gifts" alarm me...I'm not quite sure why, but to be a writer, to be an artist, to see things as I do, and to think the things I do is just...alarming...or maybe stunning. I'm not coming up with the right word. Sometimes it's hard to grasp, sometimes it's hard to breathe, I keep going at it in some form every day, always making something, reading something, writing something down, shepherding some thought into being even if it's is just a color combination on a bit of paper with a few lines. What is inside my head is so "large" I don't think I could ever get it out...it's very overwhelming. It should be simple enough...

...you'd think.

I'm exhausted. I'm joyful. I'm full of sadness. I'm content. All at once...I look at my hands, so dry, paint covered from a day's work...it is good.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Thaw...


This picture was taken one magical night while the snow event was happening...now we're thawing out, but it's not all gone yet, there's still lots of snow out there...only compressed.

I've been working on the final proof stage of The Fractured Hues of White Light, I finished the latest read through of the designed book, made notes for my Fred to make corrections, we'll tend to those in due time...the cover design will come along...I've got a small watercolor that I'm considering for the cover...well, one or two watercolors...and a drawing...ummmm, yeah...we need to pick one and go with it.

Dusty Waters: A Ghost Story rec'd another positive review on Goodreads from one of my giveaway winners...I'm still doing a happy dance...

I spent a chunk of the afternoon setting up my new printer/scanner...that was a couple of hours I wish I could have back, but it's done and I'm glad...it's part of working toward the future...now I can print my photos (YAY!) Now I gotta get some paper (already on order.)

There's new artwork in progress too...I'm multi-tasking again...dropped off artwork at the gallery on Thursday for an exhibition opening on Thursday...looking forward to that...

It is my plan to set up an Esty shop so I can make such things as photo prints, original artwork, and signed copies of Field Stone Press books, and whatever else handmade I come up with int the someday future when I have more time on my hands to make extra stuff...it's coming soon (the store, not time)...gotta finish this book first...

My buddy Max...the snow bunny on the trail of bunnies...

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Winter...

I snagged this picture through the window this afternoon...I knew that I couldn't suit up fast enough and I didn't want to miss the sunshine on the snow, there was just a small hole in the clouds!