Saturday, March 29, 2008

REMEMBERING CHILDHOOD DAYS



I received a beautiful bouquet of mums for Easter and will be planting them in the garden as soon as the threat of frost has past. Today I wanted to something special with them so I decided to take the real flowers and create a collage. As I created this piece I remembered the wonderful spring days of my childhood.

How happy I was when the days began to get longer and the flowers began to bloom.

I lay in the grass staring at the stars
Wondering how many were in the sky,
Wishing upon each one as it fell...
Watching the sparkles upon the dew
And dreaming of angel fairies
That would fly around the flower garden
Kissing each flower goodnight.

What fun the days would bring
As I would help grandmother remove the weeds
That hid among the floral carpet.
Each tiny flower's bud held a beauty within
And would open with a smile as the sun
Rose high in the sky.

The tiny angel fairies would fly happily about
As each bud's smile would reveal a deep and pure color.
I would dream that each fairy had a special
Way of helping the flowers look as beautiful as possible.
These tiny and lovely creatures were everywhere...
And always seemed to be happily going about their work.

Butterflies would kiss the flowers....
One by One....
They would open their wings and float gently
On the summer breeze.
Each flower smiled as the butterflies moved
Happily from one to another.
I would sit silently in the midst and...
Sometimes the butterflies would light upon my cheek
And I could feel is soft and gentle kiss.

When nighttime came I would watch from the window
And see the sparkle of the fairies
As they folded the flower petals.
The lovely botanicals would bow their heads
And sleep throughout the night.

Friday, March 21, 2008

WELCOME FIRST DAY OF SPRING





Today is the first day of spring. I finished my picture of the dandelions and added my favorite butterfly the Monarch!

HAPPY EASTER, MY FRIENDS!

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Waiting Anxiously

Today was a beautiful day with the sun shining brightly and a pure spring breeze. With tomorrow being the first day of spring I began to think about nature's awakening and the blossoms that will soon grace our countryside. This put me in the mood to paint some flowers. So I decided to begin a painting of the most common flower on our landscape.......the DANDELION!





While sometimes a gardner's annoying botanical it is a beautiful little floral kiss to the green carpet of the yard. It is very sweet and attracts bees and butterflies in abundance. And you can even make a very sweet jelly from it's blooms. When I was a child I loved to blow the white seeds from it stems and watch the tiny seeds float through the air.

As soon as I arrived home from work I grabbed a piece of fabric, brushes and paints and began painting these small and colorful florals. I wanted to share the start of this painting and to wish all of you a Happy Welcome Spring Day!!!

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Artistic Fun with Friends

As Tracie Lyn and I boarded the plane last Friday we were giggling with anticipation. We could hardly wait for the 4 hour flight to begin, then end so we could begin our creative adventure. We talked of our plans to incorporate fabric distress techniques in with the bird painting. We wanted this class to be fun for everyone.

Nearing our destination we looked out the window of the plane where we could see the majestic Mt. Rainer on one side and Mt. St. Helen on the other! What a view! AND this was ONLY the beginning!!! We are arriving in Portland, Oregon.

Once we had gathered our baggage we hurried out of the airport terminal and there was our dear friend, Ruth. She had patiently awaited our arrival and was ready to take us to the BEAUTIFUL retreat where we would spend two fabulous days with a TERRIFIC group of artists. We were in AWE as we arrived to the MOST scenic country home one could only imagine. It seemed a dream that we would be staying here among nature’s BEAUTIFUL landscape lined with trees that touched the sky and a pond for ducks and other wildlife.

Many new friendships would be formed here and artistic talents shared.

Our room was right next to our hostess, Glenny’s, art studio. I was so envious of this spacious and well organized studio. It was going to be a real treat to have our class in this lovely room.

Once we settled in we took a tour of the breathe taking landscape surrounding Glenny’s home. Just look at this view out the back windows and from the deck!





Saturday we arose early to get the studio ready for the class. As each student arrived we introduced ourselves and the atmosphere was strong with friendships already forming. Here are some pics of the fun-filled and creative day!! Everyone there WOW-ed us with their talents.













Abby, our youngest student, was very devoted to her artworks and couldn’t lay her brush down. Can you believe this TALENT!!!!









This was the most relaxing and exciting day! These FABULOUS ladies have talents that are pouring from their veins and talk about kind and generous! They made food and treats that were the BEST gourmet!



















Sunday came and it was time to leave. As we gave Glenny, Tammy, Lorna, Connie, Jan, Maria, Suki, Abby, and Ruth a hug goodbye we knew that these past two days we had made lifetime friends.





Dear Ruth drove us to the airport and we boarded the plane for Missouri. We felt a bit sadden to be leaving majestic Portland but giggled with anticipation of our future return in October. We are anxious to return and see our PRECIOUS new friends!

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

FRIENDSHIP AT ITS BEST!!!

Sunday I returned home from a FANTASTIC weekend with a TERRIFIC group of ladies! We spent the weekend creating and sharing artistic ideas. It was a MOST fun filled weekend of "girls just having fun!"



This is the beautiful "backyard" where we stayed!

We giggled and talked until late in the evening, created art all day and shared stories and experiences. I felt like a teenager hanging out with friends with laughter ringing through the air where joy and fun surrounded everything we shared.

I have so many pictures to share so I am only going to give a sneak peak today and over this weekend I will post the WONDERFUL stills of our experiences.



Look at this beautiful pond that was right outside the backdoor!







This is moss that I gathered to include in my artwork! I am so envious that this grows right there in the backyard and is abundant everywhere!

I can hardly wait to include this beautiful natural moss in my fiber fusion and collage!

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Time with Friends



Last year I met an ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS group of ladies at Art & Soul! They invited me to come and teach a private class and have a slumber party! Can you imagine a weekend of girls just having fun?

I am ANXIOUSLY anticipating a fun filled weekend of creating, laughing, sharing stories and doing all the things I used to do with my friends when I was young. I hear they have been planning a wonderful menu of goodies. So this weekend I am off to beautiful Portland to spend time with these new friends!

I will share the stories of our weekend upon my return!

The picture above was created with them in mind and the time spent with friends "gossiping and over plumcake and tea."