Homage

I have been thinking about doing a painting with something related to my dad for a while. Ironically the word for Illustration Friday this week was homage. I am paying homage to my dad with this. The original photo of the flowers is one that is in a previous post on here. I painted it and then scanned it with the photos of my father. He passed away when I was 16, he was just 35. God bless him...I know he does. My parents were divorced when I was around 4, and my father passed away just as I was beginning to realize what a big part of me he was....children have to live and learn those things I guess! I will always have precious memories of him from when I was little..though so long ago..I still hold them dearly. One that I really love, is of the times..perhaps maybe even one..when my little sister was fast asleep..and I snuck down the stairs to find my parents snuggled on the couch watching Sonny and Cher. I remember climbing up on the couch and sort of sitting behind them and feeling so safe and special..as much as a three or four year old could. I think everything was right in my world right at that moment! I also remember visiting his apartment once..he had an easel with a drawing of some flowers he had started. He showed my how to draw a simple flower that day...Or the time we went to see him at Christmas..and I soooo loved Shawn Cassidy! I came home with a pile of Shawn Cassidy stuff that I could only have dreamed of. One of the last times I saw my dad he wanted to know all about my plans for the future. He knew he was dying. My heart aches when I think about how he never got to meet his grandsons. But then I tell myself he is watching from above..and probably knows them better than I. I love you dad..you are never ever forgotten.

Just too pretty to sit in my computer folder....

Back Alleys...wide open..it was daylight.

The Secret....now that it has been a while since I finished reading it I find myself thinking I need to read it again! Perhaps a chapter every day. Sometimes I feel like I need to "hear" the words of those who have their quotes in the book. Really, I don't think it is a book you can just read and then put away...that is what I am starting to feel. So tonight I am going to pick it up again. My life seemed so refreshing after reading it.. and I want to continually remind myself of this!

Today I took a run through town....which led to a few back alleys...shhhhh...don't tell my husband or my mom! Well...mom is probably reading this...but obviously I made it home safely...I was truly expecting to see a random person passed out here or there...but alas there were no such people. Actually was the first time I have jogged through back alleys..they were pretty out in the open..I just would spot something really catchy looking and have to trot over their with my digimax!

More Fleeting Images

Ahh..yes..the memory is still fresh in my mind...it was only yesterday to be honest with you, so the fact that it is fresh really doesn't say much for me. I just wanted to post a few more remains from yesterday morning! I am so very glad we did get the sticky snow one more time...I had taken a few shots similar to this before but lost them. Alas....the beauty is disintegrated. However a gorgeous newness is just waiting to burst forth...I just know it...it has to be. Dreams of running a smelling fresh cut grass will soon be a reality! And with that more and different subject matter to photograph!

Just a one more time...please...

Just one more time...pleeassse! Old man winter was pleading with us today. And we let him snow down on our ground....just one more time. I must say he provided a devastatingly gorgeous morning. Looking out my window as I came down the stairs today took my breathe away. I went to grab my camera, then realized I had left it in my pathfinder overnight. Quickly trudged out to get it and recharged the batteries, while recharging myself with coffee. Not just any old coffee...Black Silk Folgers coffee.....only certain brands will do these days....it can no longer taste like regular coffee...we need that deep, rich blend to pick us up! Anyways..I knew there was not much time to waste...as the images of the snow lined trees would be fleeting...it was fairly warm out. Just two hours later...it was gone. But not before me and my brave photog, furry footed friends...Tia and Yogi, ventured out for our morning jaunt...camera in tow. I heard a flock of wild geese as I was runnning, a flock of very loud wild geese....and figured they must be so confused...having just flown back up here..now they seemed to be heading down south again...poor things! I am sure they figured it out though, something about instinct that does that to you!

Pull Up a Chair Please!

White lightening Yogibear and my Princess Tia

Did you ever wonder..or think..how strange it is that beauty can be found in a tattered old house, a discarded chair frame....a falling down barn? I myself find them all truly gorgeous in their own way. This little wrought iron chair frame was just sitting, all by itself, outside a shed...next to a house that truly is dilapitated...but oh..the photographic possibilities it holds!

Today I finally ditched my poochies and went running into town. They of course got a quick jog with me on our back trail...but afterwords it was in the house for them...and out the door for me! Sweet doggie-less freedom...Don't get me wrong, love running with them...but do enjoy a run alone too. As I was running old territory that I hadn't been on all winter..I looked. Truly looked to see things I may find beauty in. The snow is dirty, the sidewalks muddy...and the prettier signs of springs are not evident yet...So it was a personal little challenge. I could have taken many pictures of empty vodka bottles along the outskirts of town...didn't feel to inspired to do that at the time. It wasn't until the end of my run that I found the sweet little chair frame...like it had been sitting there waiting for me all along.

Attention

Attention...sort of a question for whom ever is reading this. Does the attention you get from your art or craft...or anything..make you feel uncomfortable? I must say it does make me feel that way..somewhat.. I love to share my creations with people and want them to like them. Sharing on the internet is so much fun..because I can shyly read what people have to say! Do you sometimes wish you could be a little fly on the wall as someone else shows people your work and you can hear their compliments from afar. Don't get me wrong, I love to hear positive feedback! I guess I must get embarrassed...or don't want people to think too much of me! Does this all sound weird. Really, tell me if you think so ...or if you feel this way sometimes! Maybe I am just one of those odd artists..and really am supposed to be reclusive! I don't truly think so, but I can understand why some of them are.

Sort of thought these two pictures were appropriate....in the second one..the leaves and trees are shyly hiding in the dark.

There will be sunny days...

Yes, eventually, the sun will come out! I am posting this picture...again..it was posted previously in my long lost blog...Just wanted to see it up on the silver screen again..and share it with you of course! So funny, that when I took this picture..it was a beautiful sunny day.. The sky was that robins' egg blue that goes on forever..yet seems like one piece of pretty construction paper at the same time. This picture just downloaded this way. I didn't change anything...but it certainly is deceptive as to how that day actually looked!

There is just something comforting and easy on the eyes when you are viewing a "dark day picture or an actual gloomy, grey landscape. I really do appreciate those scenes...as well as the others...the sunny, gorgoues ones...they just don't seem as "deep" though. Do other people feel this way? I am sure, judging by the vast array of dark day, bird in tree photos I see on etsy! How about you?

Heavy

Heavy...I thought that could be the title to this painting. It actually is Illustration Fridays' word this week. I have had this drawing in my sketchpad for close to four years now. I really didn't have any plans for it until recently. Last week it was pulled out of its' hiding place and made alive with acrylic paints and digital editing.

The picture at the top is one of my latest photographs..in a series called Going Home. It is my dreamiest, most favorite ever...so far! I love how dark the trees are, and how deep the blues are.

Garden

This weeks illustration friday word was garden. Wouldn't ya just love to just lie in a field of poppies, on a sunny day, and stare soulfully into big blue bunny eyes? This is just another hint at my quiet obsession with The Wizard of Oz!

Thankful ..... twenty things

What are you thankful for? I recently read a blog post with a list of 20 things the person was thankful for, and the challenge for the reader to ask themselves that. I am also reading the Secret, if I have not already mentioned that..which is big on being of aware each day of what you have to be thankful. I am so happy I am reading this book. Even before I started it..I often thought about what I was gracious for. So now here is my list of twenty..off the cuff..in no particular order..except number one.

1.
My family....my mom, stepfather, real father, spouse, sons..ect...every single one of them. I love them all, no matter if they speak to me or not, if they are living or gone. There is a reason for everything and I try to believe that god doesn't give us anything we can't handle..thus the non-speaking siblings! Nobodys family is perfect, if they are, they are hiding something! Mine is not perfect. Something would be wrong if everything was right!
2.
The beauty of the earth......nature I mean...One of the greatest gifts we have is this beautiful earth that god has given us. He must have loved us so much to make it for us. Only god could have a hand in the beauty of a clear blue day, the green color of the grass, the sparkle of the snow. I am repeatedly in awe of it. Take a minute and look around..and really see what is here for us...
3.
A run with my dogs. It keeps me sane. I love to see the joy they have running free. I love to challenge myself and try to climb the highest hill, go faster, run longer...and make myself stronger.
4.
My job...I am truly blessed to have one.
5.
My house...ditto number 4.
6.
Books....could eat them up one by one if only I had more time...I am ready three right now!
7.
A glass of wine.....preferrably Australian...nothing else to say about that!
8.
My sons...a subtopic of number one....I love them so much...and am so lucky to have them in my life.
9.
My husband...I have a husband who loves me and treats me as an equal.
10.
The smell of fresh cut grass...
need I say more.
11.
My mom....another subtopic of number one...she set an example for me with her strength. She was a young mother...but I always felt we were her priority. She was always someone to come home to. She worked so hard to make a warm, safe home for us. I love her to pieces.
12.
My stepfather......who help provide for three children that weren't even his!
13.
My stepdaughter......who is the most wonderful young women I have ever met. I am so proud of her and the person she has grown to be.
14.
My dogs......they are my friends, my running partners, my partners in crime...and most importantly...they cuddle up close on a cold night!
15.
My father....who passed away at the age of 35. I am thankful for the happy memories I have of him....and the quiet talks in my mind I still have with him, and for the thought that he looks down from heaven and is able to see his grandchildren he was never able meet while on this earth.
16.
My move to Arkansas..yeah, sounds weird..but I would never have learned a little more about people if I hadn't done that....I still miss it to this day.
17.
The short time I spent working at hospice in Arkansas....I learned so much about strength, hard work, caring, love and family....throught the staff and the patients I worked with.
18.
My laptop and the worldwide web...obviously.
19.
The quiet hour or so in the morning before anyone else is up....I am all alone with my thoughts..and yes, my laptop.
20.
The hard times I have been through...they made me what I am today.

ok..now it is your turn!

Going Home

So anyways...I was so refreshed when I walked out the door of the hospital today...I work from 7am to 7pm...almost 7am to 7am today..my replacement was sick..luckily that worked out okay. Back to the subject..so it is now fairly light out when I leave work..love it! My newest habit is having a camera in tow..whenever I can remember to bring it with me. I hate it when I see something so awe inspiring and just want to capture it but can't! Thus my new friend...digi. On the way home, the first night I have worked since the time change, I fell in love with the colors of the sky...different shades of pale blue..with faint shades of light here and there..with trees and buildings in the foreground. It resembled a watercolor picture, only millions of times better. We are so lucky...all the god given and ever changing colors that this world offers the sighted! I took about five or six shots of the skyline on the way home...mostly while still in my car..through the windshield. I digitally...only slightly..enchanced the above photo..didn't want to stray too far from the stunning original.

My challenge to you is to see the world as you are going home from work...or the store..or somewhere. See it as it is changing each second...each foot you move..each mile...and be happy that you have that.

Blessings of the Forest Pendant

Thank goodness for a little ride to Saratoga yesterday! I found more of the broken tile I had been wanting. It is a black toile print, I originally found a bag of it on a shopping trip with my mom and granny. I have loved everything it has created so far...and was running out. Fortunately found more! This pendant is so peaceful and 'distressed' looking. I don't find it hard to look at like...and it doesn't have a nervous energy about it. It has found its way into a window of my etsy store...finally..it had been hanging out on my desk for a while. Do you have a particular something that makes you feel "ok"....or portrays the peace that you want to have each day....?

Self Portrait

If only we could photo shop the way we look every morning...and then be done with it for the day! Unfortunately our face isn't computerized....only on the great and wonderous web. I seem to have run into a few problems....there are oh so many things to do on photoshop and my blogs, jewelry sites, paintings. I would ask for someone to slow my mind down, with all the possibilities and projects swirling about in my little head...but I am having so much fun just thinking about it. When you finally open yourself up to all the dreams you may have had....such as painting, sharing your self and ideas...ect...it is mind boggling! Having something you are passionate about..keeping those motor pathways in your brain busy 24/7...is very tiring..but wonderful....and who knows, may be helping to deter early dementia..or so they say...Only time will tell on that one! Thanks god I run or else I would probably never calm down!

Where is that place?

This is the question I realized the answer to today...before I really had asked myself. I have been reading the book "The Secret"...last night I came to the part that suggested you have a thought of something that makes you happy...I couldn't really figure out the thought that would draw me back into good graces with my mind..not at that moment at least. Well, today I was driving down the road, (the roads around here are a little narrow due to miles and piles of snow) when a dumptruck swung around a corner and nearly drove me into a snowbank. That led me to think that I couldn't wait for all the snow to be gone, so I could once again jog down to the bike path, headphones on, sneakers lace just right, for a sweet 8 mile run...That thought alone made me feel very calm and happy...I was smiling inside just picturing it. Then I realized my happy place thought...of jogging...for a long time, on the bike path..no cars...a random dog walker or bicyclist. I realized this is when I feel utterely relaxed, calm and at peace with the world.
So maybe with some thought today..you can find that place..it may take a day or two..but when it does..keep it in the corner of your mind..to use on "one of those" days!

Glimpses of the day

Can you just imagine waking up one morning, opening your eyes and seeing something as beautiful as this picture? I never would have unil we moved into our "dome" home. This is a picture in my bedroom. The window is sort of in the ceiling, sort of in the wall..depends how you look at it. It sometimes provides some of the most devastatingly stunning glimpses into what awaits me outside.

Actually coming back to put a post-note in...this picture, yes, is small! I took it from an avatar I had made..the original is lost somewhere on an old computer! Apologies..not quite as "stunning" this size!

Sisters

Here it is...this little sweetie! I painted this in water color paint and pencil..then did a little digital adjusting to my liking...(twice) seems to be how it is lately with me..Anyways...what do you think?

Leap

Just finished my illustration Friday painting...leap. I like the way it turned out! Should the sweet little bunny leave the abandoned house he has been living in...to leap into the arms of the fair maiden from the forest? The bunny really does belong in the forest...and longs for someone to love him...what will he do?

and which one do you like better..top or bottom?

Bless This House Necklace

This is one of my favorite necklaces I ever made. Unfortunately..well depends on how you look at it...someone bought it right off my neck last weekend! That little house looks so spooky and lonely...I would love to actually go someplace like that. It made me want to turn on the tv and find one of those shows about hauntings on the discovery channel...love those. Anyways. ..I am so seeking another piece of tile similar to this! Would love to make ten more of these...one or two for myself of course!

Sometimes you just need..moody

This is my first post of a new blog..am still maintaining my original...shabby accumulations..however...a new idea came to me in a burst of anxiety this morning. I had been attempting redesign my shabby site when I dumped all my links and widgets! So I deleted and restarted it...now rebuilding! Actully like the new shabby much better...but need all my old friends back! Anyways....I do like the thought of having a moody, sometimes haunting site...I am drawn to those type of images..and also enjoy painting or photographing them...even creating "moody" jewelry. For some reason I find it very calming and relaxing..to think about, to look at, to create. Probably because the colors are usually pale, muted..understated...you can usually find some sort of deeper meaning...So, not wanting to bring the more colorful people of the world down..with my moodiness..I created my very own place for it...so distressing. I am so very much looking forward to this creation.