Rags to Roses

I don't know if it's our balmy end of winter or if I'm just looking for a 3D tangent, but I've continued to have the urge to make these fabric roses... actually, they resemble gardenia more than roses. I've been knee deep in romantic fabrics and lace and have started a new Etsy store as a result. Soon my shop, Lace and Tulle (LaceandTulle on Etsy), will be filled with gardenia-like hair adornments and corsages, hopefully romantic wedding veils and ring pillows, all hand sewn and one of a kind. Where in the world do these ideas come from?

A rose in winter

I really have no idea where this tangent has come from. I found myself attracted to some of the handmade flowers sold by various sellers on Etsy and went Googling to discover their techniques. I don't believe I ever discovered how to make the fabric flowers I was originally looking for, but along the way I gathered a few new ideas and developed some unique flowers of my own. I'm hoping to apply them to pins, hair adornments and maybe even bridal veils. Stay tuned.

Got Friends?

One of life's pleasures is a leisurely visit with a good friend over a cup of tea. I love bringing out the cups and linens, a variety of teas to choose from and getting comfy, catching up after way too long. It's the best. This is a new acrylic painting on hardboard that I've titled "After the Visit". It measures 12x12 and will be posted for sale on Etsy soon.

Healthy Living

With the new year comes new resolve to eat better. I was raised on home-grown vegetables from my mother's garden, so I know a brussel sprout from a parsnip and actually like most veggies, but just finding the time to cook them is the tricky part. I bought a new juicer....apple, pear, carrot is my favorite so far. Maybe I should throw a brussel sprout in there for good measure. This collage is from 3 different paintings and drawings arranged in a new way. Very fun.

Out of my mind happy

When I look at the colors in this piece I did a few years back, I can almost feel a chemical change in my brain. It's not how I traditionally have worked, but I like it so well, I wonder why I don't do more. This little jewel-like painting was done on hot press watercolor paper using a Sharpie marker and watercolor paint. So simple.

Making this up as I go

Wouldn't it be nice if the artistic life came with some guidelines? Not really "instructions", because then it wouldn't be unique to each creative spirit. With so many possibilities, sometimes it feels hard to get any bearings...just a "jungle" of tangled creative ideas. That's when I pull back to simple shapes and play with composition, suspending expectations for any outcome....just exploring the possibilities. I think it's time to pull out the oil bars again.

Half Way Through

Being that we are almost half way through January means that we are half way through candy season also. If you are a chocoholic like I am, you know that the candy season starts in September with early Halloween candy and flows in a blissful blurr into May when the last of the pastel M and Ms are consumed. This collage pays homage to that tradition. So many of life's difficulties can be solved with chocolate, I think we should send a few boxcars full of the stuff to the Middle East.