Clytie

According to mythology, Clytie was a water nymph who fell in love with Apollo who was embodied by the sun. She spent hours gazing at the sun and following its course through the sky. Nine days she sat and watched the sun, until eventually she became brown and rooted to the soil, her face transforming into the sunflower which to this day continues to follow the course of the sun. The sunflower remains a symbol of constancy.

Thus, you have my imaging of this event. And who in their day hasn't been dazzled by the sun.....

Take the Step....

Well, let me say that this holiday season has not been the best, house fires and all day hospital visits and various unluckiness has proven to make this holiday very blah, blah, blah, blah, blaaahh........

BUT, I think you still have to close your eyes, lean forward and let the wind carry you........carry you away from it all, otherwise, you become landlocked and brittle and you begin to crumble.......

The wells of depression run deep in my family and every once in awhile I have to remind myself to let go, lean forward and fly away.....

I think that's why wings, hearts, fly-away hair and general escapism imagery pops up again and again in my more recent art......I'm trying to remember to let go....

Sail Away! Sail Away!

I absolutely love those books and movies that take you away, show you new worlds and sights you would never see otherwise. The authors and artists that create these worlds are absolute magicians. It is these people that I look to for inspiration and wonder and guidance. And it is my desire to attempt what these artists have already achieved, to follow in the paths that they have laid out before us. I want my art to transport if not our bodies, then our minds to new places, new sights. I want my art to tell stories that speak to different people in different walks of life. Perhaps this is a bit ambitious, but what is life all about but trying to raise yourself up and set out to accomplish those goals and dreams that map out our paths........

I suppose these are deep thoughts for Christmas, but sometimes I think the greatest gift is the freedom to follow our dreams....

And so I say Thank you, to those who have gone on before, to those following and to those just tagging along for the ride. Thank you to everyone and everything!

And not least of all..............

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

New Pictures!

I recently watched the movie "Vincent and Theo" and it reignited my love of Van Gogh so.... here a few pictures that were drawn during that time.

Books!

Here are two books that were commissioned for Christmas presents. The black one was my first attempt at using leather and I think it came out rather good. And I promptly made another one right after I finished this one.

The other book is just a plain hardback book. Both have 100 pages, but the black one has thicker, artist paper.

Making these reminded me of how much I enjoy making books and how long it's been since making soon....so more bookmaking projects are on the horizon for me. Enjoy!

Crochet!

So I've recently learned to crochet and here are my early attempts at.....stuff. I really don't know what these things are, but they're fun to make.

Note: Please excuse the messy painting table.

Christmas is Coming!

Christmas is right around the corner. Over the past year so many wonderful things have happened. I've taught book art classes, starting selling my own art at open air markets, met new and inspiring new friends. Ended and started jobs. Experimented with new art forms/techniques. This year so far has been quite an adventure. And I carry hope in my heart for the remaining days and the start of a new year.

Animation Station!

Well, here is the aforementioned animation (sans sound) that J and I worked on. It's a bit rough but we had lots of fun and learned a lot. Hopefully, there will be more in the future. Enjoy!

First Friday's tonight! Hopefully, it won't be as damp and I won't get a cold (I'll be very cold but that's quite different). Also, my mom will be there selling her items!

Yeah!

Wish us both luck!

Two Picture Day!

Rainy Day today........ Rainy days make me want to crawl in bed with a good book or burrow into the couch under lots of blankets and watch movies. But, alas, that is not to be my fate for this rainy day. Off to work it is....*sigh*


But...

I hope you get wings!

I like this spunky little guy...no fear..... just doing what needs to be done and soaring above it all.... may his example give us all a little courage and spunk of our own......

Have a great (albeit a rainy, at least here) day!

A sketch or two...

Here are two sketches I did awhile back.... the first one was inspired after seeing the cover of this book.

Mine is really just a sketch and I have no intention of producing this image, I feel it's too similar to the other.

And the second one was just a doodle, more or less.

Enjoy!

New Possibilities!

Consecutive time off always leaves me feeling refreshed and focused....something I lose in hectic day-to-day life. I always gain a sense of possibility and potential and clarity, that anything is possible. The air looks and feels cleaner and it clears the fog from my thoughts. I try new paintings, and daydream and I have a delicious sense of restlessness, feeling as if I could set out and explore and find new and wonder-full adventures. There's nothing quite like this feeling almost like....having wings and being able to take flight.

I also get this feeling anytime I go somewhere new for the first time. In 2007, my husband and I went to Savannah and feeling of hope and possibility and that somehow we would be changed-for the better-was amazing. If I'm thankful for anything this holiday season, it's this feeling, this recharging of spirits.

I think in our everyday life we lose this, the potential, the possibility and the wonder of life. We focus on bills, work, negativity, etc. and we lose sight of the essential truth that makes us human-time spent with loved ones, exploring our world with open eyes and having a sense of wonder and play.....Maybe I've over simplifying things and being romantic, but I feel like somewhere along web connections and networking and multi-tasking and finding out and trying to solve everything , we've lost our selves.........

My solution is this: Trying to retain something of that wonder, possibility and clarity in my everyday life. Looking a little things, focusing on color and light, finding amazement in everything around us, but most importantly slowing down so that I don't lost.

Happy Turkey Day!

Happy Thanksgiving to everybody! I hope you get lots of good eats!

And while you're celebrating, take a moment to remember all those folks around us that are less fortunate AND those that work really hard to make our holiday's and lives a lot brighter.

And last of all, remember all our furry little animals friends that (whether or not you believe it) depend on all of us so much....

Donate a bag of pet food to your local animal shelter (and maybe pick up a new friend!) and help our furry little friends have a great Thanksgiving, too!

Gobble, Gobble!

See! It's a Sea-Horse!

A Sea-Horse! A Sea-Horse! And quite a literal translation. And full of greens, and blues and waves of all sorts.

Hint of things to come: Jacob and I have been working on some stop-motion animation and hopefully, I'll have a clip of it to put on here soon.

A Light in the Dark

So, I'm a bit torn. One part of me wants to paint, create, whatever and woe to him who disdains me, the other part of me wonders why in the world I DARE to put brush to canvas when there are so many better and more talented artists out there in the world.... Now, I know it's foolish to play the comparison game but I think competition and comparison are all part of human nature.

I read a section of a book that seems to sum up the "torn" feelings. It said that a lot of artists try to be both hero and victim at the same........(Is it any wonder that artist have gotten a bad rap for being crazy or depressed?) Reading that quote really hit me...it seemed that on some levels I do this a lot of the time. At one moment, I'm ready to take on the world and the next all I want to do is sleep. (But maybe that's overwork!)

As a little kid growing up, when I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up I always said artist and that is still my wish, but sometimes life gets in the way and you need a light in the dark to help show you the way.......Be it a friend met, a song heard, or a book read, these little inspiring "coincidences" that lift you up and reveal the light, really help you to stay on the path no matter how many weeds get in the way......

Books and More Books!

Here's a couple of books I've made in the past few years. I taught myself how to do bookbinding and apparently got pretty good, because I was able to teach a couple of classes on bookbinding. There was even a big write-up in the local newspaper.

Hopefully, teaching more classes will be something I'll be able to do more of in the future.

To paint in oil or not to paint in oil....?

Here is a painting I did to see if I still hated oil paints....yep I do. It's smells funny, is harder than who-ha to clean up and it's still drying after a week.

But it's growing on me.

Sidenote: I promise I have lots of plans for this blog discussing my journey in making art and all the trials and greats that come with the territory. All I can say is hang in there, that's what I try to do everyday.

And a one, and a two, and a three....

Here's a happy trio a kids dancing, playing music and making all sorts of merry.

Interesting Tidbit: The uke kid was inspired by my husband who plays a ukulele and all sorts of other instruments. And who usually has shaggy hair.

Riding in the Catbird Seat

This is one lucky cat indeed. I wonder where he's going?

The Feeling of Floating and Flying in Space......

Well, I've been sickly over the past few days (due to First Friday's yucky weather) and I feel as if I've been floating and bumbling around with a bowl on my head.....so here's today's picture. Enjoy!

First Friday!

Well, tonight is First Friday and yours truly will be there trying to peddle her goods.

Wish me luck!

Sunny Days....chasing the clouds away.....

Here's a quick, happy little painting. One to hold you over on chilly winter days......

There's no gnome like this gnome....

Here's my little gnome guy that was sketched after seeing a gnome peek out from a claw machine....the kind where you have to maneuver a robot arm to get your prize. And you usually end up spending way more in change trying to get the toy than you would if you had just gone in a store and bought it....

Digression: At a certain large retail establishment, there used to be one of these machines that cried out in a somewhat drunken voice " Don' give up, tttrrryyyy a'gin" It always cracked me and my husband up...hmmmm.....good times...

Well, that's it...Have a great day!

To touch a heart.....

Here is a new drawing. This is a snapshot and it's kind of skewed weird, but you get the idea.

Cribbage and food

So my hubby and a friend are crazy cribbage players. And what goes better with cribbage than food....after all it is a traditional pub game....

Happy Halloween!

For your treats here is some new work, I've been, uh, working on....enjoy!

And don't forget.....

Happy Halloween!

Can you spot the mistake....?

So a friend was going on and on about me painting her a Piggly Wiggly sign for which she has a strange obsession, so I painted her this and then, lo and behold, I discovered that I had made a mistake or rather a deletion of sorts.

Can you spot it?

I offered to fix the problem and she said no she liked him as is.....so here he is...in all his mistaken glory.

Red Shoes and Cat Love

Some pretty red shoes and a sweetie pie cat make a very happy picture..........and an early attempt at digitally coloring a whole lot easier.

It's not half bad....even if I do say so myself.

Hallowe'en

Halloween is my favorite time of year. The colors... the trees... the crispy, chilly air... All very good for the soul.

This guy's having a bit too much fun dancing with the crows.....

Sketches

A couple of sketches I did last year.

Juried Art Show....Attempt

Well, this was my first attempt at a local art show. I didn't win, but I had a really good time and met an artist friend. So, all in all, successful for me.

Happy Birthday!

Well, here it is! I've finally done it. I hope it's great! Once I figure it all out!