Preparing

Winter Solstice:

solstice that marks the onset of winter, at the time of the shortest day, about December 22 in the northern hemisphere and June 21 in the southern hemisphere.

Happy Winter Solstice to all of you. Now we can look forward to seconds added on to the day to begin the slow ascent to longer days. I don’t know the difference, some definitions show December 21 and others December 22. I will just go by my Charley Harper calendar.

This little painting is titled “Preparing” and is our Christmas Card this year.

“All the Woodland Animals were Decorating in Preparation”

Four days until Christmas and I pretty much have my list and am checking it off.

Wrap gifts, make goodies, grocery store and finishing touches, plan to be ready by Thursday.

I think with this picture I was trying to take an image of the full moon but I just couldn’t get it right. Doesn’t it look like a reindeer though?
Last night, the sky was clear and I was able to see Jupiter and Saturn, and I took photos (to the best of my ability). Tonight is supposed to be the night where they are in alignment but it is a cloudy day. Here is a video I found that explains the phenomena.
I am happy to report that progress is being made on this quilt. One side has these flowers appliqued on and now I have started on the other side. If a little time each day is devoted to the project then it goes much faster.
I want to share this beautiful dimensional birthday card one of my gal pals sent. I feel very special because I am sure it was time consuming.
Here you can see the three layers. It is a fabulous card from a fabulous friend. You will be glad to know that Pavel was not bothered by my flash.
It was a banner week in the mail. I also received this journal from my other gal pal. Each page has a treat on it from hidden tags to papers that she dyed along with interesting cards.
Here are some of the dyed papers, a flower that she made.
Tags and pockets, it was just beautiful. With each page turn it is a treat.
The vintage looking papers, lace and torn fabric for the ribbon.
I am ending my post with Miggy or his whole name is Miguel Cabrera. One of our favorite Detroit Tigers. Miggy the cat is a polydactal with extra toes and it is like he has baseball mitts on his paws. He is such a sweetie but so big, 13 to 14 pounds. Every night when I go to bed I have to wrestle with him because he thinks he is going to sleep on my chest and stomach. After seven to ten minutes he finally gets the hint. He is so long that when we shut the bedroom door he can reach up and open the door. With his big paws he can maneuver round door handles too.

I hope you are doing well, are safe and healthy.

Fireworks, Frida, cats and succulents

This pot was just overgrown with succulents. Look at the next photo for comparison) I admit to not knowing much about how to do this. I went to good ol youtube and there are many videos with this information. The one I watched used a chop stick to make the hole for the stem of the plant, which worked very well. It was a good use for those chop sticks we brought home from the restaurant that we will never use.
This was that pot in December and it was much more overgrown by June.
The next pictures are the cuttings that I took from the plants. I know this one looks bigger than the pot but it was so cute. The pot came from an artist in Terre Haute. Kara Lovell Ceramics
Four more in my funky bird pot made by artist Kristy Jo Beber Stoneware. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook.
Three teeny ones for this pot from God Children a few years ago.
Added this one to the fish pot my boys gave to me years ago. I just love it.
Freda is my newest mixed media painting. She is supposed to be a dog but I have been asked if she is a skunk, and I kind of think, with the narrower head a Llama. Whatever you want her to be and she makes me smile. She will be up later in my store, the sides have to be finished.
This is Mama. She would come to my porch in 2018 and stare at me until I would feed her. Those big eyes melted my heart. She then started looking a bit pregnant and we went through a whole ordeal with the kittens. I didn’t get her spayed quick enough and she became pregnant again. This all happened in April and August. So she no longer can get pregnant now and is living a good life inside and she is a good good girl. So loving…now you understand her name. The reason I am telling you about her leads to some new food I am feeding the cats. She would have her chin swell and the vets tell me that it is an allergic reaction to something. She also would have some flaky skin.
This girl is Lily and she came to us about nine years ago. She was soooo hungry and cried and cried outside the door. So she wore me down and I went out and fed her and realized that she had been pregnant but I don’t know where or if there were any babies. She would throw her food up and has probably been bothered by the food I have been giving for years. I decided to try sensitive stomach and sensitive skin food. I have tried Purina One and Hills. Both have worked wonders with these two. Mama’s skin is not flaky, nor has her chin swelled and Lily’s throw up episodes have reduced immensely. All the cats like the food, and it has made a huge difference with the cat boxes. They don’t smell and are so much easier to clean. I will not lie….it is much more expensive but if you have just one or two cats it wouldn’t be overwhelming.

Also a tip about cleaning carpet spots….a carpet cleaner told us one time to only use a spray bottle with ammonia and water. If you use one of the cleaners they leave a residue that attracts dirt. The water and ammonia dries easily and cleans the spots that are left really well. Just rub using a wet rag after dousing the spot with the spray bottle. If you have a large deep spot, take a glass of water and pour it on the spot. Take a thirsty towel and fold it put it on the wet spot and put pressure on the towel like standing on it to sop up the water. Do this as many times as it take until the spot is at least much lighter. Then you can try the ammonia solution.
A neighbor had some good fireworks this weekend that I was able to capture. I was really happy to get these, sometimes I can’t get my camera to cooperate in the dark.
Noelle, my neighbor gal had an art date with me on Saturday. Together we worked on a mixed media piece of her cat Steven. I loved how it turned out and we had so much fun working it out.
I love the color of these coneflowers and they are all getting ready to bloom.
The daylilies are starting to pop also. I have a few different kinds and everything looks quite pretty when they are blooming.
The delicate, yellow, coreopsis are also working their magic. Their fernlike leaves are so soft.

Stay well everyone.

What’s in the Works

I woke up at my usual time this morning, 4:45 am surrounded by warm furry bodies. More than usual because my husband was gone overnight. He is the clock changer so I was surprised when my iPhone said 4:19 by the time I got dressed. So I have an extra hour this morning and decided it would be a good time for a blog post. All of these images are not perfect, they are from my I phone and are not staged at all but they are “Art in Progress”. Showing you what has been going on in the studio.

This 16 X 20 painting is going to be called “Mary’s Garden”. It is a commissioned piece for Mary, with flowers that she loves. I place where I want the flowers to go and then work on an area at a time and I started on the left. Lilacs, Black eyed Susans and Blue Salvia. I would love to do other commissions so contact me if you would like one made especially for you.
I like to show how the painting starts out and how it transforms. I pick the pallet that I want to work with and start putting that paint down. I then decide if I want to use any of it for for flowers or stems or want to paint over areas. It is an ever changing painting. If you notice the blue sky had changed to a softer blue. I love the very fullness of the garden in the upper picture. At the end I tidy it all up and add marks or dots, gold paint and florescent paint.
I am also making smaller art for the Hoosier Artisan Boutique in Noblesville, IN at the end of the month. Rocks are fun stocking stuffers and kids are drawn to rocks.
The are my hand carved stamps that I put on blank watercolor paper cards. It is very nice stationary and large to write a newsy letter.
Different wreaths are also being stamped and will be available.
Another item I will have at the boutique are 5 X 7 flat panel originals for $25.00. Affordable original art, easy to frame, easy to mail. Any that I don’t sell I will put in my shop for purchase. Also let me know if you would like one made for a special person. I can get it done and out to you in jig time. Contact me.

Below I am putting the quote by Gustave Flaubert that I have hanging on my inspiration wall. It is a reminder of something to strive for.

Be Steady and Well-Ordered in you Life so that you Can be Fierce and Original in Your Work.

Gustave Flaubert

A Little Bunny Love

The second little 5 X 5 that I completed today. This also is a repurposed canvas from 2016 and the title is “A little bunny Love”. Once I get it uploaded into my store, it can be purchased in a notecard, 7.5 X 7.5 print and a 10.5 X 10.5 print. Here is the link if you would like to look around.

More new paintings and one Super Hero

This special man with his penetrating eyes and windblown hair has been added to my store. He is eternal so he always has a permanent spot in the shop. Super Hero Jesus, a unique and special painting and it can be found here.

A new painting for Christmas 2018, That Special Night. The Nativity in mixed media and yes…a cat! All that straw, has to draw the mice. This sweet picture can be found here.

A new painting titled, The Circle of Love. A pink painting with white texture marks and a more pink daisy. It can be found here in the store.

I made this star painting and donated it to the LeChic holiday market for the Festival of Trees . The Tree will be displayed and then auctioned off. The title of this painting is; You Get a Gold Star. It can be found here.

 

A new feature, located on the left side of the Home Page  are the Categories to easier find a certain image. 

Remember to Shop Small and support your Local Artists, we really appreciate it. 

Contact me with any questions.

Work in Progress

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Here I started a new painting on a 36 X 36 gallery stretched canvas. It is mixed media and I wanted to make the backgrounds interesting and block it off to give it space. I used pretty much some neutral tones. Blues in various tones were definites that I wanted to use. Right now this looks like a patchwork quilt but it won’t end up that way. It is all in the building process.

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Here is my work in progress. I had to stop for the day and pick it up tomorrow. On the 20th of August I will be heading to Greenwood Indiana for the Wammfest to participate in their art fair. The information is on my homepage on the right side. This will be a good addition to my gallery. I haven’t done a show since Kalamazoo in August and I am looking forward to it. Thanks for stopping!