In the zone... Live by Faith

I started, yes finally, I started. It has been a great while since I stepped into my messy studio. But after slathering some gesso on an ampersand panel, I am off. Let me begin by saying that I was having a hard time with some details about this work and they were really stupid. I could not decide what substrate to use and then I was worried about how I would present it. I get so caught up in stuff that I should not have even worried about till I am done! But that is how my mind work. I have finished the collage in my brain and am trying to frame it before I even start. My original thought was to go with what I like to use the most and that is 300 lb watercolor paper....mmmm I love Arches. But I knew I did not want to donate the piece without making it ready to hang. I had the paper cut and was prepared to start when I decided to take a trip to Michaels (dangerous I know) to pick up some clear gesso and a frame for a picture of my son. Now, I love the museum board quality of anything Ampersand but those panels are very expensive. I rarely purchase them even for works that I am going to sell unless there is a big sale. But I found myself wandering in the direction of canvas panels and papers. And there they were...I had never seen the lower end line of Ampersand products. Where have I been! I bought a 6 by 12 panel mounted on a 3/4 inch cradle of some inexpensive hardwood. It took me about 30 seconds to pay and get out of the store. All I did to it when I got home was sand the sides and then apply several coats of gesso and boom...ready. Here is about 3 hours worth of work. The background is more or less established. I have the main figure to draw and then will also draw some free elements in the background...we will see how it unfolds. I absolutely love this unusual size and it is perfect for what I envision. Just hope my stored away in the brain imagine looks as good on the wood panel as it does in my brain. Yipee I am excited. I definitely have to become more aware of art materials out there....

K

Slum Dog Millionaire

My husband and I finally got a break and had an entire Saturday afternoon to ourselves last Saturday. We went to see this years big academy award winner, Slum Dog Millionaire. I heard all the hype and after watching the awards, was intrigued. How could a relative bunch of unknowns hit it so big with Slum Dog. Well, after seeing this movie, I liken it to the story of David and Goliath. David was a nobody, through his faith and quiet determination, became the King of all Israel. Slum Dog had a limited release before the awards and now has been viewed by millions. The story is so timely and poignant. It transcends, it soars, and it inspires. This "little" movie touched me, made me cry for many reasons, both happy and sad tears. There is so much poverty in the world and here it was on the screen coming to me in technicolor. Thankfully the story was so much more than making me brutally aware of the dire need in India. I fell in love with the actors, Danny Boyle, and the music. Here is the official clip of my new favorite song and if you cut and paste the link below, you will see a clip of the Pussycat Doll's new release of the same song. Enjoy and please please please, go see the movie.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzH1ApYJ7-Y

K

OWOH Thanks and an Award.

Gee it has been so long since I have posted. I have been sort of busy I guess, and not very artfully motivated. It is tax season and the last couple of days I have been getting all the paperwork in order for that lovely task. My show is still hanging at the conscious Cup (thank you Mike). No sales to report but that is the state of affairs right now. Art is not a number one must have on ordinary people's list right now. Am I bummed, not really. It has been nice to hear all the wonderful comments. I even received an inquiry from Barb of the Palantine-Inverness Art council about displaying my work at an annual show in the autumn:http://www.palatineinvernessarts.org/ . Once my show is taken down (in the next couple of weeks) I will post some originals for sale in my Etsy store. It is really hard to create more art when I have so much now. Although I guess I should be thinking in terms of my series and new venues to display the work.

On a brighter note, I received two of my prizes from the One World One Heart give away event. Thank you to Elizabeth. You can see her lovely collage here:

http://alteredbooklover.blogspot.com/2009/01/one-world-one-heart-giveaway_21.html. The collage with the key in it is the one I received. Really nice! I like Elizabeth's site. She has some wonderful "how to's" on her blog. I really appreciate those instructions because I am one of those artists who will try a technique or new medium once and then forget about it. Elizabeth's blog is loaded with a variety of techniques that are great for backgrounds and collage work. In addition, I received my second prize from the Altered Pages site: http://www.alteredpages.com/. Jackie has a variety of collage sheets that will be perfect for some of the collage that I do. I especially loved all the images of windows, doors, arches, and gates. This gift certificate (of $50.00) was offered through the Collage Contessa's blog: http://www.collagecontessa.blogspot.com/. I thank you Kris for introducing me to some awesome collage sheets!

So you would think with these wonderful prizes I would be really motivated to get my act in gear. I need to get started on another piece that I wish to donate for this years Susan Komen's Walk for the Cure. Our church group, The Pink Ribbon Angels, are gearing up for another walk. This would be my third year donating to the Cure. My friend Michelle suggested a theme of faith. I have a quote I want to work around and even a thought or two in my pea brain but I can't seem to get myself motivated. I need to finish by the end of April. I have time....

Last but not least. Through the OWOH give away, I rediscovered some "old" (sorry Lorrie) art friends. And a couple of days ago, to my pleasant surprise, Lorrie gave me an award for my blog. Lorrie's bog: http://lorrieabdo.blogspot.com/, is indeed very creative. I have been an admirer for several years. She makes the most beautiful paste papers, she teaches workshops, and her work is very different. I am honored that she would think that my blog is creative. From what I understand about this blog award, the recipient should list 7 items that inspire them and then pay it forward to other bloggers. Lorrie chose three others that make her stop and stay for a while. So my 7 inspiring items are:

1. Santa Fe: I have been there over the years maybe 8 or 9 times. After arriving home from a stay there, it would take several days before I could empty my heard of all the ideas I formed. The landscape, the mountains, the people (both Native American and city dwellers, the artifacts, the archeological sites, the air, the water, Georgia O'Keefe, the art gallery scene, Canyon Road, the smells...you get the pciture...I could go on and on. If I could, I would relocate there and die with a smile on my face.

2. Great Artists: like Frida, Pablo, Rivera, Redon, Johns, Matisse, Van Gogh, Da Vinci....are but only a few whose works have inspired me to draw again.

3. Great writers like Harper Lee, Shakespear, Jane Austen, Victor Hugo, Hemingway, Tolkien, Dickens, Burnett... If only I could use words the way these authors do. Their stories can carry you away..their prose is magical.

4. Color: Lorrie mentioned that color inspires her. I love the colors in nature. The greens and soft shades of brown. I also like contrasting or shocking color combinations, like the bright red cardinal a top a redwood roof. I saw that one last Spring...I had to look twice.

5. Music: All kinds. When I am in my studio, I listen to a variety of music from Led Zepplin, to Josh Grobin and everything in between. I love Mozart and have been on a Mozart kick having just watched (for the third time) Amadeus.

6. Dance: As my readers may remember (LOL) my children dance. My most recent series of paintings revolve around ballets that my children have performed in. I will be watching a performance and all of a sudden I will see a fairly like being that will become a new mixed media piece.

7. Other bloggers: Misty Mawn, Rosa Murillo, Linda (undaunted), Kelly Rae, and so many others whose art work and words touch my soul. I wanna be just like them. No just kidding...life would be too boring if we were all alike out there in bloggers land.

Of course, seven things that inspire me really does not cut it but this award made me stop and think for a while... I try to inhale all that surrounds me...There is so much beauty. OK for my thoughts on who I would give this award to... I am thinking Rosa Murillo http://rosamurillo.squarespace.com/rosa-murillo-journal/, Undaunted http://rediscovering-art.blogspot.com/, and a newer blog that I discovered in the OWOH give away, Cetta who lives in Kauai http://cettacheese.blogspot.com/. I love Cetta's photos. Those in themselves are inspiring. She writes well too, not to mention that there is plenty of other eye candy on her blog. I hope that covers everything...Lorrie, thank you!

K

Grosgrain: The Conservatory Overcoat GIVEAWAY!!!!

Grosgrain: The Conservatory Overcoat GIVEAWAY!!!!

Wow, this is so cool. I found this link on another blog I frequent! Have a look!

k

OWOH Winner

Using : http://www.random.org/integers/ I generated that magic list of random integers. And the winner is Melanie, AKA TwinsMom. Melanie left me a very personal and heart felt message as did so many of you (see below). Thank you Melanie for participating. I will keep your aunt in my prayers and I hope she enjoys "Hope." Please visit Melanie's blog: http://88designs.blogspot.com/ . She is a digi scrapbooker an Mom of twins (3 yrs old) and an 11 year old. As many of us, she has got her hands full!


"that is truly heartwarming! My aunt is undergoing treatment for breast cancer right now. she is about halfway through her radiation treatments. she was lucky that they caught hers very early so she didn't have to go through chemo, too. she has done remarkably well. AND, I also have a set of twins. They are boy/girl twins and they are three. And a set they are!!! Please enter me in the drawing for this picture!! I would love to be able to give it to my aunt. It would have a very special meaning to her!!!" Melanie.


I will look forward to next years event and am truly grateful for discovering so many new blogs.


k

In the Classroom of Silence. Completed.

I completed this mixed media piece last week but have been so busy with the One World One Heart event that I have lost all track of time! As a last minute update...the event will culminate with the drawing for my give away as well as the other participants give aways at 11:59 PM tomorrow. So even though the event is ending for this year, I have discovered so many wonderful blogs to enrich my soul for many weeks into the future, I feel that the actual prize will keep on giving through these wonderful blogs.

A bit of history here about this work. I was asked to donate a piece to my twins school for a raffle type fund raiser. No problem... I had my same doubts (see entries below) but no problem. As I was working on this piece early in January, I received news that a good friend of our family and in particular, my husband, has pancreatic cancer. The prognosis is not good at this time. And so I wanted the work to evolve into something that reflected how I feel. I looked for quotes but found nothing that really conveyed what was in my heart. So I wrote my own using a graphite pencil:

"It is in the calm before the storm when we find ourselves, when we learn just how strong the human spirit is, when we realize in order to march forward we must enter the classroom of silence to converse with our Lord, when entrusted in His loving arms we fine peace, not peace as in the calm before the storm but peace as the calm during the storm." KL.

While these words aren't earth shattering, worthy of a Pulitzer, or even note worthy, they convey a sort of helplessness as we face a storm in our life and a realization that sooner or later we must give it up to the Lord. I have been praying day and night for our friend. Cancer is a terrible thing, any kind of cancer.... There is symbolism in the piece and I hope whoever wins it feels and sees it.

k

OWOH

I have to say that this event was a brilliant stroke by LisaSwifka (see entry below). I have discovered so many new blogs, filled with wonderful stories. I have been moved by the many comments about by own give away. So many out there have been touched by breast cancer. This disease is everywhere,. Wendy in New Zealand is a survivor. She has been cancer free for over a year! Yea way to go... Brenda (AKA Dragonlady) is a breast cancer survivor, another Brenda had a Mum and an aunt with the disease, seahagsstudio has a sister with a 3 1/12 years old and a one year old currently fighting this cancer, Mistress Girly has a friend recently diagnosed with breast cancer, Kathy has three friends with the disease, Melanie's aunt if fighting the disease, Stampgram has a friend who lost her Mom to the disease, and Carol has friends with the disease. These are just some of the comments under my OWOH give way entry on this blog. I am truly humbled and I want you all to know I have read every comment and taken them all to heart. You are all amazing. In my own world, Jean is still fighting the disease but going strong. In the autumn it will be a year since her diagnosis and we are all hoping for a good mammogram! I have just started to think about this years breast cancer fund raiser. I think with so many comments I will have plenty of inspiration.

Thank you new blog friends for your artistry and wonderful stories. I am blessed to share the Internet with so many kindred spirits. Please know that whether I "win" a give away or not, I already have won a prize...you, all of you! I will leave you with my last years donation entitled: Lean on Me

You can find the story here: http://artful-musings-of-kathyl.blogspot.com/2008/04/work-of-hope-and-love-for-michelle.html. And here: http://artful-musings-of-kathyl.blogspot.com/2008/04/lean-on-me-work-of-love.html

k

One World One Heart Blog Event!

It was just today that I came across this wonderful bloggers event called One World One Heart. You can read about it here or click on the icon: http://oneworldoneheart.typepad.com/one_worldone_heart/2009/01/index.html. This event, which is in its third year I believe, involves a blog give away but those who participate are linked through the One World One Heart blog over 600 participants and going strong). Lisa, the woman who started this event, explains the concept and why she started it here: http://oneworldoneheart.typepad.com/one_worldone_heart/2009/01/from-my-heart.html. Basically the event brings a variety of bloggers from all over the world together to share their stories. The giveaway part is just icing on the cake. I thought that this was a really an awesome idea. There are so many talented people out with with a story to tell. I have a handful of blogs that I follow rigorously and I know that it will be fun to add a few more! I will definitely leave a comment on some of the wonderful blogs who are participating in the hopes I just might win a little something. Some of the give aways are beautiful. More importantly though, is the good reads I am experiencing through so many new blogs.

So here is how it works. Below is a scan of the original artwork entitled Hope. She was donated to a breast cancer fundraiser but I would like to giveaway an Art Print of this work. The print is about 5 by 7 and is centered on a 8 by 10 paper, archival, very high quality matte, and printed with archival inks. I will title and sign the print on the front. I created this piece because a good friend had been recently diagnosed with cancer. This is one of my favorite mixed media and collage pieces. The poem quoted is by Emily Dickinson, "Hope is a the thing with feathers that perches in the soul..."

What you need to do if you would like to have me send this to you, is to leave a comment on THIS post. Please include your email address or some way that I can contact you if you should win. You can post up to midnight on Feb. 11th . I will draw a winner at random on February 12th and post his or her name to my blog. That is all...Simple! Happy commenting!

k

Conscious Cup Show: Jan - Feb. 2--9

I had my little artist reception on January 17th. It was not advertised so the turn out was low. I sent an email out to some of my good friends and was happy to welcome them. The pictures look wonderful on the wall. I was pleased with the installation. So far, there have been a lot of nice comments but no sales. I am not surprised. With the economy and it being right after the holidays...who has disposable cash for art? Oh well. It has been very gratifying to have people walk up to me when I am in there to ask me about the work. That is way cool. I love to interpret my pieces. So here are a few pictures from the reception. The youngster is my son Colin and the dude is my husband. I am also on the website of Conscious Cup here:

http://www.consciouscup.com/joomla/ Thanks to the Jack and Mike for the plug :)

And just a short note to make it official...I now have an Etsy shop. I thought that I would give it a go. Original art will not be put in the store till after the show. I have to say I find the environment at Etsy a bit more easy going than eBay. I really did not want to list my art there. So many of the atists that I admire have shops on Etsy...so why not?

K

Classroom of Silence- More definition

Today is another cold one here in McHenry, IL. The temperature (without wind chill) this AM was -17. Yep,
-17! My kids did not have school again, yea! It was nice to allow them to really sleep in. I made a nice warm sweet bread, lemon poppy seed, for breakfast and they were able to have it warm out of the oven. All the homework was shelved and they have basically watched TV or played video games. Oh to be a kid again!

I was able to sneak in a little studio time and here is the next phase of this piece. Things are a bit more defined. I am currently working on the veil. I plan on building up the layers/folds with more tissue and then I will probably give it a wash of color. I am not exactly sure. Sometimes my portraits will speak to me as I am working. That probably sounds weird but for me anyway, it is true. This one, however, is silent. I wonder if that in itself says something?

K

Classroom of Silence-working title

So...today along with my daughter Kaitie and my husband, we hung my gallery show. Naturally I forgot my camera but hopefully will rember this Saturday. I am pleased with the look.

Today was the coldest day in Illinois in about 10 years. My kids were home from school and after I hung the show, we came straight home and I buried myself in my studio. With a warm cup of coffee, my paint brushes, and music, I was content to spend three hours just collaging away. Here is the beginning of my piece that I think I will donate to my children's school for a fundraiser. I am always leery about donations because you just never know if people will bid on the work. I am not so insecure when my work is hanging in a gallery. People can choose to look at the works or choose to purchase a work. But with a fund raiser, you sort of have no choice on what you are bidding and sometimes feel like you have to bid. Maybe I am over thinking all of this but I do feel so insecure in this type of venue.

So this is a Catholic school. There are religious elements in this piece but I really want to convey a sort of inner quiet and peace one achieves through prayer. The working title is Classroom of Silence, in deference to Matthew Kelly. I am not sure exactly where I am going with the work and although I had parts of this piece in my mind before I started, the rest of it will have to come to life as I paint. The background is a patch work of papers and my children's art work. The figure is in the style of Redon (at lest I hope it is...I love Odilon. Redon, he is one of my favorite artists). I can't wait to see how this one unfolds...

k

der Weihnachtstraum 1-109

Happy New Year I say as I pat myself on the back! It just feels good to have come through the Holidays. We are on the cliff looking down as we wait for the axe to fall. My husbands job maybe no more thanks to Bank of America's many acquisitions and mismanagement. OOH there are times when I just boil thinking about how the banking industry has run itself to the ground. But I digress. I finished Clara from my ballet series (forever an a day ongoing). I titled the work der Weihnachtstraum (The Christmas Dream). Since the Nutcracker takes place in a German household, the German title seemed to fit. I just really enjoyed working on this one. There was a point on the work when I had no idea where I was going and then I took a long hiatus in December. I picked up the piece again last Tuesday and just knew what to do. I love when that happens. So my little Clara was sketched from a foto of my Claire when she was about 9. The dress she is wearing is very similar to the actual costume worn in our local Nutcracker production. She will be hung along side the other Nutcracker works this Thursday.

And on another note, this Thursday begins my show at the Conscious Cup Cafe in Crystal Lake IL. http://www.consciouscup.com/joomla/. I have about 18 works to hang, 6 of which are new but continue my series work. I hope my work brightens peoples mornings. Everyone seems so depressed and very quiet. At least though, our coffee shops are still getting customers. Coffee is a hard one to give up, even with the poor economic outlook. My show will be there from 1-15 through mid February. I hope to be more diligent in keeping my blog more current (at least till the next ballet).

k

Christmas Eve 2008

So here it is! Can't believe another Christmas Eve has arrived. I made this little tag for my husband and thought I would share. This tree is a collage of photos and other hand made papers. I created it this Am in between baking two pies and finishing off some Christmas present wrapping. And oh yes, my Claire and I put together my husbands present too. Whew!


And I did survive the Nutcracker. I attended 8 of the 10 performances. I never ever get tired of watching my children perform. They are artists for sure. Colin and his sister Kaitie (who is two years older than him) received standing ovations for their Russian solos. They were awesome. I had more parents of dancers (many of whom I only know by sight) came up to me to say how wonderful they were. Colin was also Fritz and I was blown away by that performance as well. And then there was his performance as a Spun Candy Cavalier. My Little boy was the talk of the town! I am so proud of him and his sisters. I might also say that he is now on a full dance scholarship. I guess they like him!

May your Christmas be blessed and your New Year prosperous. Till 2009...

k

Nutcracker Push 12-1-08

I am having serious withdrawal...I can't stand that feeling of not being able to find the time to escape into my studio. I have a work I am just dying to finish. I need to feel the paint between my fingers. Poor Clara will have to wait as well as the rest of my life. I have not even had the time to check in regularly with my usual life lines on-line. Kelly Rae, Rosa, Misty, to name a few. My own blog is also suffering. Those that follow, please forgive me.

So where have these two months gone? I have been so wrapped up with my children's performances. The extra rehearsals and trying to juggle the home work agenda (theirs of course), is trying to say the least. We are at the studio or in the car going to and from the studio most of our free time. My son Colin has perhaps the the heaviest load. He has two solo parts: Fritz and the Russian and a rather large core role in a newer addition to this particular choreography. He is also understudy to the male solo role for Chinese. This means a lot of extra rehearsal time. All three of the kids have been plagued by injuries as well. Colin has had a pulled groin muscle and shin splints. Trying to get a 13 yr old boy to sit with ice packs on his

injuries is next to impossible. The girls have had similar injuries and Kaitie has been plagued by hip problems. We have been nursing them each evening trying to keep them together. Then there have been all the colds. Serious sniffles have been passed around between kids and adults for the past 8 weeks. No wonder I can't think straight. And now we are headed for the home stretch. The rehearsals will only intensify. Tech week (a term they use for rehearsing on stage at the venue and checking all the sound and lighting, begins next week. Right after school the kids will be brought to the Woodstock Opera House where they will practice until around 10 each night. Hopefully they will get their homework done. It is going to be a long couple of weeks leading up to their performances. Hopefully I will be able to post again before those performances! But I know any art will be out of the question...

Here are a few pictures of Colin and his partner Sara, doing their Chinese number.

K

A Christmas Dream: part 2 10-30-08

I added a few details to the work last Tuesday. Slowly but surely my little Clara is coming to life. This is still in the rough stages but we are getting there. There is so much going on in my head right now that I want to put into this work. I think I have limited myself with the size of this (11 by 14). Maybe larger next time! I want to add at least another rat and possible a third and I want to add more to the background. Clara still needs a lot of refining but that will come in stages. I am working on 300 lb watercolor paper (arches). I love this paper. It will hold up to most of my work. I can get it super wet and saturated and it holds its shape.

On another note...I have been given a reprieve. My gallery show will not be until January (I hope). There was a mix up in scheduling. Part of me is disappointed because I do have some pieces interpreting the Nutcracker ( 3 pieces 11 by 14), Clara is one of them. The other part of me is relieved because I am living the Nutcracker with my kids through Christmas. It is very frantic getting them back and forth from rehearsals, both scheduled and unscheduled. And the homework! I hate it! There does not seem time to just enjoy the holidays. It is just one big jumble. Sigh...I need to breathe.

K

PS Happy Halloween...We are having a party here...What was I thinking?

Christmas Dream in progress...very roughed in. 10-24-08

As I work on my latest mixed media and collage painting, I thought that I would continue to document my work in progress. I actually enjoy looking at an artists work in progress because some of the layers are revealed as the creative process unfolds. The working title for this piece is "Christmas Dream." But that may change. This is very rough right now. Things are still a bit wonky (to borrow a word my friend Undaunted uses) For example: Clara's hand is off as is her arm...hopefully that can be "fixed" when I get to the crayon stage. She obviously is no where near finished. More background elements need to be added and no doubt the colors will change in the background. I also want to add more texture in Clara's dress and perhaps the background too. The picture I copied from is a photo of my Claire when she was maybe 9 years old. I drew her on a sketch pad, changing elements of her clothes. She was wearing a warm up jacket. Then I transfered my drawing using good old tracing paper. It has a resemblance. The dress Claire is wearing is the actual dress that Clara wears in the Nutcracker as performed in Woodstock, Illinois annually. I am hoping to finish her next week which will be a week before my show. I have some serious odds and ends to tie up before the show...like getting my framing supplies in order and printing out cards (title, descriptions, price, contact info) to affix under my works. I much prefer the creative process...

k

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month and breast cancer victims, I finished a found art theme finally called "Have Faith." Faith is something women must have when confronted with this terrible cancer. We must have faith that a cure will be found, we must have faith that we will survive this beast, and we must have faith that God will carry us through the worst of it. For all those fighting breast cancer, have faith...there are many who are praying for you.

k

She Bowed for Clara: Finished 10-14-08

As I stare at this finished work, I fell like my style is evolving again. Yes, and I think it is a good thing. I would like to say that I am growing, maturing...at least a little. My portraits are a tad more realistic and reveal more of how I am feeling. The small dragonfly was included in deference to a wonderful ballet instructior at Mrs. Svalander school. She has danced the Arabian number on and off for many years at our local venue. And we will be treated to another performance this year. I can't wait. This portrait looks nothing like her but it has her grace and elegance. The writing says: "And then a mysterious woman danced for me, so sensual and magical. When she was done, she bowed to me. She was so beautiful. "

And so it is time to move onto a new portrait. I want to interpret Clara from the Judith Svalander production of the annual Nutcracker. I want to use my own Claire as a model. I found an old photo of her dressed as a party child from the opening act. She is maybe 8 or 9. The original Clara from the E.T.A. Hoffman's book "The Nutcracker and Mouse King," was quite young...12 or 13: http://www.nutcrackerballet.net/html/nutcracker_story.html. I so love this profile of Claire so I think I will enjoy sketching it. I am hoping one day she will be Clara in the annual production. This is one way to will that. The piece is starting to come together in my brain. I want to get into Clara's dreams...experience how frightening the mice were, experience the magic of the Christmas Eve party and the mystery of Uncle Drosselmyer. I hope I can convey that in paint. I also want to add some of the magic I feel every time I go to the Nutcracker. I would say I have been to my share over 12 years!

k

Found Art Tuesday 10-6-08: La Virgen

As I work on my larger pieces, I tend to get a little antsy waiting for things to dry. My studio always looks like a hurricane (category 5) hit it and so I will often pick up pieces of this and that and try to assemble them into quick ATCs (artists trading cards). These are often found art Tuesday items. It is really a good exercise because I give myself different challenges. This one was timed... five minutes to be exact. Sometimes the challenges have to do with color schemes, themes, drawing, etc... The humble ATC is a good venue for experiments and my goofy self imposed challenges. I left this one at a local coffee haunt. I think I will do something along Halloween or Dia de los muertes next.

And I just noticed a new widget or gadget on this blog. We can become followers of our favorite blogs. So cool. I was surprised to see that I had a follower. Thank you UNDAUNTED! Now I have to figure out how I can follow my favorites.

k

Nutcracker Mixed Media work: Arabian interpretation

I have a little over three weeks before I hang my next show. I was so hoping to finish two more new paintings. Unfortunately I spent most of my September "art" time working on a couple of logos and some volunteer work for our local library. Now it is crunch time. I really wanted to do a few more Nutcracker pieces as companions to my Snow Queen. I just started my interpretation of the Arabian piece from the ballet. This dance is very sensual and has an aire of mystery associated with it. The soloist is very self assured and alluring. I love the feel of this dance and have always wanted to pour my own creativity into a mixed media piece. Here she is in her humble beginnings. I have maybe 6 more working hours on her and then I think she will be ready to "clean up."

k