Tuesday 31 May 2011

1st anniversary of enchanted blue planet's blog



Well, here we are... one year later, barely holding my blog together.
It has been a fascinating experience "meeting" other bloggers/artists and knowing that my words and pictures have been perused by folks from all over the world.

While I have no bells and whistles with which to celebrate,  no cake and ice cream,  no fanfare,  I am comforted immensely by the fact that some of you still care to follow my entries and leave your comments.
It means so much to this isolated, esoteric artist who would otherwise never meet the folks who "get" what I am trying to achieve.


T H A N K - Y O U   S O   M U C H ! ! !


I leave you this shot of my latest work as a gift to be drawn from a hat on June 21- the Solstice.
All you have to do to win it is leave a comment on any of my forthcoming blog entries,  from now until midnight (your time) on June 20,  and check in on June 21 to see if you won.  I will contact you and we will arrange free delivery.


Queen of Hearts

This little  (4inches wide, 6 inches tall)  mixed media piece is done in watercolour with various coloured sewing threads on a lovely textured,  ivory-coloured, 140 pound watercolour paper.
The colour of the thread is much richer than it appears on screen.  I will post some detail shots soon.

You may recall I have a thing for very old playing cards that were originally printed from woodcuts.
I have done a very light wash of muddy watercolour over my painting to give a semblance of age, but the thread colours remain true. As with works of this nature, it should be kept out of direct sunlight though the materials are artist quality.


Let us all be queens and kings of hearts, rulers of our own hearts,
responsible for how we treat the hearts of others.


Wednesday 18 May 2011

spring wildflowers and a bunny



Finally I have something I want to share with you.

W i l d f l o w e r s !

They were everywhere when I took these shots. Even though the forest still seems somewhat barren, the wildflowers are everywhere, from the tiniest things to grand profuse blooms.  I am no botanist and have no idea what most of them are called so I have my own names for them.



First off are these "wild violets". Again that may not be what they are. They are certainly not like African violets but every bit as beautiful.



With apologies for the blurry shot, I still felt this was worthwhile sharing. This wild bush has the sweetest smelling flowers, and I will be sure to get better shots later, but isn't the leaf remarkable?
 Look at the strange configuration of the veins. Fascinating!



Further down the road I came upon these white violets with their lovely purple veining. Exquisite.



Trilliums. These are our province of Ontario's provincial flower, illegal to pick, but they don't last long anyway so it's better just to look. It's wonderful to see a hillside covered in them like I did the other day.



Aren't these wonderful? Furled trilliiums about to bloom.  They come up so quickly that there is still earth on the leaves.  Don't they look like roses? A great find as they do come and go so quickly.


This tiny beauty is a Mayflower I believe.



This shy flower is a trillium, but instead of holding her head high like her bold white sisters, she hangs her head straight down so that you'd hardly know she was there. So precious.



And here is a trout lily that comes and goes so quickly you'd better not blink. I think it must be called a trout lily because of its speckled leaves that are almost the shape of such a fish. Such a lovely spring visitor; too bad she has to go so soon.



And lastly a little flower I've been cultivating since before Easter, finally bloomed today when I realized how to finish it.  A watercolour of a bunny with mulberry paper sewn into place with opaque white seed beads and translucent pink seed beads. The colour is somewhat off as the watercolour paper is actually a lovely ivory.  I will colour-correct this and get it into my etsy shop in the next day or so.



I find the back of some pieces almost as interesting as the front, case in point.


With that, I thank those of you who may still be following this blog for being so patient with me, checking back every now and then to find out what I'm up to.  It's a funny thing this commitment to a potentially large audience with occasional feedback; it's easy to slide away, always with good intentions of maintaining a rhythm more constant than mine has been.  I am eager to pick up the pace.

Welcome new follower dear Esther of Dirty Like Weeds, an amazing talent.

Peace





Monday 9 May 2011

a brief checking in


 I've been remiss. It has been 3 weeks. If I  just waited one more week I could have made it an even month! Yes, life has a way of taking on a life of its own. (Is that possible?) Thank-you to all of you who have checked in on me; I so appreciate your patience. Two weeks of yard sales, one at our local community centre and one here, have kept me busy or pre-occupied with the myriad of details. And today when I could have done something in the studio, I simply rolled down to a complete stop. And such a beautiful day too. Robins sing, ducks come and go from the pond, the warbler that we can never see is back singing like a nightingale, the beaver does laps around the pond, and the peepers set to a deafening chorus at dusk. Oh yes, and the blackflies....

So, I suppose this is just a teaser of what's to come. I have some mixed media projects I've been cooking on, some half started. Perhaps tomorrow....

I am so grateful for your sticking with me. I'm sure I'll be able to pick up the momentum soon again.

Welcome to Amy C. Lund a classical handweaver and spinner, and kindred spirit Melissa  my newest followers. I am always so touched to find new folks who care to share my journey.


Blessings on all that we may walk in peace and love