this snowy precious day



It is snowing.   I love the cloistered feeling of being snug in the house with the wood stove going and the...quiet....

Welcome to my new follower Active Turtle who so kindly contacted me through my shop as well.

Today,  I will sort through more of my mom's fabrics and papers that she has consented to give up during the huge emotional task of down-sizing.   Ah,  what a lesson there is to be learned here as I watch myself pull favourite pieces from the piles knowing full well I won't use them all;  I,  in turn,  will have to release them 'back into the universe'.   I see more and more how I am my mother's daughter,  insights that I resisted when I was younger.

This is a detail of a mixed media piece that I will be putting in my shop by tomorrow morning.

It is done in watercolour and black and white ink on vintage textbook paper with vintage textiles.

Again the flower girl that I love to draw so much.  It occurs to me that I was once a flower girl at the wedding of my father's brother and his beloved Belgian bride.  Now their children are all grown up with children of their own.

Peace on this precious day that never revealed itself until now

sentimental journey



Helping my mom to downsize in preparation for her move to a seniors condo has taken us both on a sentimental journey.  It was my mom who turned me on to paper and ephemera, keeping a scrapbook with me, and heightening my awareness of ballet and theatre through funky posed shots of costumed performers.  It has given me a huge affinity for kitsch and skewed, ironic ways of looking at things.

Here are the swatches she kept which are now in my possession from the decoration she did in the late 60's thankfully before the worst of the 70's with its browned oranges and mustards.   The top swatch is the wallpaper for the kitchen and the bottom swatch is the wallpaper from my sister bedroom.  (I have the swatch from my bedroom in a scrapbook- of course- somewhere.)   The middle swatch is the carpet that ran from the living room up the hall of our 3 bedroom ranchstyle bungalow.  The blue pattern on the left is still on her mother's dining chairs which Mom pickled in white, and the remaining 2 swatches are from the 2 loveseats which have since gone.

I love love love the idea of redecorating, but painting the walls and downsizing my own stuff is the closest I may ever come to it.   Still, it is fun to dream.

What do you remember from your past that colours your aesthetic now?

sweet dreams ahead

 

love overcomes indifference

Finally a morning without a cloud in the sky. 

The house as been "cracking"  (contractions that make loud banging noises)  in various parts through the night due to the extreme cold;  a sunny day will be most welcome, not only for the passive solar heat,  but for that much starved pineal gland  (on the top of the head)  that loves the sun!

Queen of Hearts - a monotype

Here is a monotype experiment I've been working on in acrylic polymer emulsion that Liquitex sells as 'Ink!'.  It works as a cross between ink and watercolour.  I am very excited about the possibilites and so will contine to explore them.

Also, a big welcome to my old friend and new follower, Mark Mandelbaum.

I love the surprise of seeing who drops in to read this blog.  Thank-you so much silent followers for caring to visit.  So cool.  Please do comment though; it helps me to feel connected to the relevance of what I'm doing here. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

As oil rises over water,

And cream rises to the top,

so love overcomes indifference.

(inspired by Elie Wiesel)

day two on etsy... and a draw winner

                                                                  
What a lovely brisk day it is here in Muskoka. 

It has been a busy and exciting week for me establishing my shop on Etsy.  Lots of excitement, little sleep.  And there is a winner for the draw- Elise Muller of Stonetree Studio !!  And I suppose it is only fitting as she is my most faithful follower (that I know of).  Congratulations Elise. 

For those of you who are not familiar with the world of online shopping ( I myself am a novice),  Etsy is like going to the biggest shopping mall for crafts and artwork but you 'walk' through it online going on the longest window shopping of your life.  It is a highly accessible place where you establish yourself by signing in and creating as private a profile as you like, even using a pseudonym if you prefer.  There are thousands of shops, so the trick is to check out the 'Favourites' of your favourite artists so that you can find the things that most appeal to you.

You can visit my new shop there by clicking on the logo of planet earth on the sidebar to the left for updates which I hope to add regularly.  Now I have a showcase for my work!  There you will find more explicit descriptions of the things I have made.  In the meantime...

Someone needs to do some shovelling around here.

Peace

valentine putto monoprint draw

As I said yesterday, I have not been hearing from any of my viewers except for dear Elise at Stonetree Studio and my dear sister Barbara at Sparrowavenue. It has been somewhat disheartening reaching into the void for a response until today when Mamabeaks became the first someone who isn't friend or family to leave a comment! Welcome! and thanks so much for signing on as a follower; I am very touched.

So as I said yesterday, I am celebrating the opening of my new online store on Friday the 11th by having a draw amongst whatever names and e-mail addresses I gather on my 'comments' as seen at the bottom of this posting.  Please sign up and take advantage of this rare opportunity.

Yes it is late in the day, but I wanted something special for the draw on Saturday morning and I've finally come up with this sweet little  piece I call:

valentine putto



This is an original monoprint painted with acrylic polymer emulsion on acid-free 140 pound (300 gram) cold press watercolour paper measuring 4 1/2 x  6 inches  (11.5 x 15.4 cm)

Life is richer for those of us who keep our hearts open.  But it takes courage.  Be brave.

11 * 02 * 2011 ... a magic date for a shop opening



I think today, the 7th,  is a good a time to make my little announcement.   It is a huge step for me,  as it appears that more folks are finding this little blog of mine through their Google search for images of Persian pottery or snow-covered trees ( pictures that have appeared earlier on this blog )  than are particularly interested in my work.  ( I would so love to hear from more of you.)  So my announcement has the hollow sound of an echo chamber as I meekly offer my work for sale on-line starting this Friday, a date I picked for its magic numbers:

I would like to make a celebration by making a draw for a special gift for those who leave their comments and e-mail addresses ( so that I may contact the lucky winner )  over the next 5 days,  that is,  Monday to Friday at midnight EST.   Tomorrow I will post a picture of what I plan to give away.   I can only imagine that you might be as shy as I have been about coming forward,  but I assure you that I would be most grateful to hear from you.

You might be interested to know that I, like many, began this blog as a way of reaching out to a community of like-minded people.  I spend much of my time alone;  conceptualizing and creativity,  reading and listening to music,  and this little bit of writing are what mostly fill my days... if you don't include housework.   If there is anything that you would like to share with me along these lines,  I would  welcome your input in the space below where  'comments'  can be left.   Let's consider this a golden opportunity!



With my love and gratitude

a special Saturday

Even after all these years I find Saturdays special.   This will be a day away for me,  away from the myriad of responsibilities at home as a friend of mine will drive us down some wild country roads that curve and twist deep into lake country, to seek out another friend whose birthday it is. 

                                                                                    

the view across these snow-covered lakes brings a deep calm over me.

After a most magnificent birthday feast of a lunch, we head off for Parry Sound, a wonderful town on Georgian Bay, where my driving friend has never been in the 30-odd years she has been here in Muskoka, only an hour away!  On the way we encounter wild turkeys on the railroad track.  Whenever I see them I remember how one of the American Fathers of Confederation, Benjamin Franklin, had wanted to make the turkey the national bird of that country instead of the bald eagle.  Whenever I encounter wild turkeys, I'm always surprised by their calm dignity.

Parry Sound harbour where the boats are iced in

So with the landscape more ancient than Saturdays, it has been a special day out.

Peace