EARLY SATURDAY MORNING.....

I am needing something alive and happy, at the same time serene and peaceful in my life right now. I think I can achieve that with this mix. Grazing deer near a stream in the summery setting seems alive and happy. A light winter snowfall brings a cooling and peaceful serenity. Ah, that feels better now.

untitled watercolor 9x12

untitled watercolor 11x14

These are quick "get in and get out" paintings I did after a wet-on-wet watercolor class.

UNTITLED POST...SIGH.............

THE SOUL OF A MERMAID

16X20 acrylic on canvas

THE GLORIOUS ART OF MOTHER NATURE

I wanted to show this postcard picture of a Catalina Macaw I received today from Naturegirl, simply because of the brilliant, wonderful, juicy colors. This is natural art, and it just doesn't get any more beautiful than this! Thank you Naturegirl.
And thank you, Mother Nature.

PAINTINGS vs ILLUSTRATIONS; THE GODDESS FILES CONTINUED

This is a basic drawing that "evolved".
This is the final evolution..THE GODDESS OF THE RIVER

GARDEN GODDESS - it also "evolved"

There is a Canadian artist living and working in Mexico by the name of Gary Slipper. He is a fantasy painter, and his work is brilliantly beautiful with colorful Mexican influence, a combination of fine art and folk art, and much of it sells for thousands of dollars. I think it's wonderful art and I wish I could paint as well as him. Gary states "When you start a painting on a pre-determined path, it becomes illustration. You might say the parallel is in giving a speech versus having a conversation; paintings evolve - like a conversation or like a dream."

Perhaps this is true. I know when I did the 101's (remember them?) I considered them illustrations. I planned out each one based on the type of day I'd had, or expected to have and knew beforehand what the finished drawing would look like. I guess that was like a speech. But when I paint, I only have a general idea of what I am going to do; my paintings definitely "evolve". I think Gary has the right idea! You can google his name to see some wonderful eye candy.

There are no "speeches" in this post. Only conversations and dreams.

GODDESS ART ON MY MIND......

GODDESS OF THE PLANETS

Acrylic on paper

I'm doing some painting and blog reading and working and trying to get some shopping done here and there in preparation for my trip out west in August (yeah, it takes me that long to get ready!). I'll be back in a couple of days. Be creative, and most important be peaceful within yourself.

This is a gorgeous "Tomorrow" flower I received from Ang. It will go into my little twelve-month ATC book. On the back of the card it says "Tomorrow I'll call you. Tomorrow I'll live a dream. Tomorrow I'll giggle like a child. Tomorrow, tomorrow!" I love it Ang. Wonderful design. Thank you!!! And Ang, I haven't been able to see those boxing kangaroos yet!

I'm quitting my glass class. Maybe I will start up again in the fall. Just too much to do right now.

Hope your day is filled with things you love!

MY PERSONAL TRIBUTE TO DAISY.....

.....the only way I know how. Through Art.

"BECOMING"

Ironically, Daisy herself named this painting. I was going to call it "Lady of the Moon", and I went back to my May 29 post to be sure I had not already used that name...but I had not. I had painted "Lady of the Sun". Here is a comment on that date about that painting...and I quote from Daisy Lupin..."I like the title 'Becoming' as the woman looks as though she is striving and beginning to become ethereal under the power of the moon."

When I re-read that post, there was no question that this painting must be named "BECOMING".

Daisy, this is my personal and final tribute to you. I appreciated knowing you through your blog. I envied you your country life, your bus rides, your cottage garden. I often wished I could sit there with you and have tea, and get away from this harsh, hurried life I have to live in the city. Be happy where you are now in your spiritual life. One day I will see you again. Thank you for allowing me to know you.

TRIBUTE TO OUR BELOVED GLITTER SISTER HILARY

Daisy, if you come in spirit, or send your tiny garden fairy friends to visit our blogs, know that you made all of us glitter sisters aware of just how much we mean to each other. Thank you for that.

AHHH...SOMEONE LEFT THE CAGE DOOR OPEN....

.....And I'm FREE!!!! I will return soon....just checking to see if the grass really is greener over there!

NO RHYME OR REASON, JUST FOR FUN

THE NEST IN THE WOODS

11x14 acrylic on canvas board

ISN'T IT AMUSING WHERE YOUR IMAGINATION CAN TAKE YOU ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE A PAINTBRUSH IN YOUR HAND!

SUMMERTIME

One can tell from just looking out the window at the sun's glare when the oppressive heat of the southern summer has begun. But when you walk outside day or night and the heat hits your face like an oven blast, when you can breathe deeply and inhale the wonderful heady jasmine scent that happened almost overnight, and feast your eyes on the overgrown blue plumbagos, and hear the locusts lonely song; and when in the morning the sparse grass feels damp to your bare feet from the humidity, even though it has not rained for days and days, yet in the afternoon it burns your heels, you know without a doubt the lazy, hazy days of a southern summer have arrived.

ARTFUL MEMORIES

For lack of any new work I am ready to show, I decided to go down memory lane and dig out a couple of things from the past.

The fish is BLUE ANGEL, 16 X 20 pastel DH doesn't want me to sell. Oh well.

The girl in the tub was my first true attempt at watercolor some time ago. LOL........see the crooked tub, see the crooked bottle, see all the painted hard edges...oh my! STOP LAUGHING!!! I don't think I will ever master watercolor.

The other is a print of a pastel PELICAN. The original 16 x 20 was sold to a lady I did a mural for. Did you know that with the brown pelicans, the yellow on the head signifies a juvenile?

Well, now that I have bored you with memory lane art, what am I going to do the rest of the day? Oh yeah, I wanted to mention that I recently received a very huggable little bear from the sweet Mz. Kai. She sensed that I needed that bear hug and it came in the mail! I tried to photo it but it is being very stubborn and does not want to be photographed.......or scanned! But THANK YOU Kai! You already know Ah Wuvs You.

I have projects to do; I just can't seem to get started! Oh sigh, maybe tomorrow, Mz. Scarlett........

BACK YARD FISHING

photo source: St. Petersburg Times
A local man went fishing off his back yard seawall. This bull shark is what he caught. It weighs 650 to 700 pounds, and is 8'10" long. It took him and two of his neighbors three hours to bring it in. He called around to local fish markets but no one was interested in having this fish. He plans to mount the jaws, and throw the rest of the carcass back into the water. Bull sharks are dangerous and aggressive animals, but this time of year they come into the bays and inland waterways to give birth to their pups. I wish he had just left it alone to live it's life in peace.

RAIN, RAIN, DON'T GO AWAY YET

Isn't it funny that we finally get some rain on the first day of hurricane season, and that the much needed rain is caused by a tropical storm that made landfall further south? A little scary, but the rain is so welcome. It will make the plants and grass grow green again and put out those terrible wildfires. It's been raining straight for about 15 hours now. But...that's a good thing.
Did you ever think you might just want to hop onto the back of a tiny bird and fly away to somewhere unknown? Forget everything here and just start over? I've been inspecting myself, wondering what my "calling" is. Why am I here? I seem to go in great circles. I have started my life over before - with great determination - and seem to circle around to the same place each time. Do I really WANT a purpose in life? Do I need a passion, a direction, a meaning? Is there someone/something in my life stealing my destiny? Sometimes I feel stressed out, overloaded. Not with things to do, but rather with personal drudge.

I think I'll tumble down the rabbit hole and mull this over for awhile.