For The Modern Witch -1927

I've always loved old illustrations and spent a lot of time trying to draw them.  Better yet, one would make me think of a story and the story dictated how I would draw the image.  As I write this, I realize this is basically how my art pieces emerge....

Birth Day For Taylor!

There is a wonderful young woman at my office who works the reception area, handles all the people who come for services,  AND all the providers who work there. She just had a new baby girl named Taylor.....This is her gift from me, made with a vintage handkerchief, and hand embroidered with vintage embroidery images.

Remembering Summer

The leaves left on the trees here are brown, the colors gone.  The world is greying into winter.  So one last glimpse of summer.

 

"Summer Tree"

 

Hand embroidered and appliqued.  The small leaves were individually cut out and sewn on by hand. 

Each leaf was also outlined with green, blue, or yellow fabric marker.

 

 

 

 

Ephemeral

I was invited to participated in an art exhibit at the SIU library for the "Day Of The Dead".  Tied into this is the disappearance of the Monarch butterfly.  The name of this piece is "Ephemeral" and it is
16  3/4"  x  17".

 

 

 

The natural order is birth...life...death...birth...life...death.  The evolutionary rhythm is eternal and unchangeable, even as it is the source of constant change.  Nature's dance is never personal.  It both creates and destroys, but life always emerges from death, and death from life. 

 

Generations have dismissed signs and warnings of global catastrophe and we are now watching our world die; not naturally, but from human greed, power, and narcissism.  As we have been taking and taking from our world, without gratitude and stewardship, we have been killing her. 

On this Day Of The Dead, we honor the natural life cycle

and we grieve what humans have wrought. 

 

 

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Coming And Going!

Well, I'm back.  My old business stuff is mostly settled.  Every time I think it's over, it shows up again.  I call it "The Thing That Wouldn't Die!"  It's kind of like a zombie dynamic.

However, I have finally begun to do my work again. So here goes.....!

Memorial Day 2013

This is part of a poem I learned in seventh grade, and which is always with me when I see those graves with the flags planted on them.

"....between the crosses, row on row,

  that mark our place....

  We are the dead, short days ago, 

  we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

  loved and were loved, and now we lie

  In Flanders fields."

They gave everything...

MY Annie Oakley

This is a picture of my Annie Oakley from 1950's Saturday morning kid shows.  Once for Xmas, my mom made me a "cowgirl skirt" and vest with fringe on them; she used a stencil and painted a small horse on the front of the vest.  I also got my handy six-shooters and a cowgirl hat....and the hat had her ACTUAL signature on the hatband!  I was one happy little cowgirl!  I practiced my quick draw alone and with combinations of my sisters.  I also practiced drawing and shooting from different positions, creeping quietly and slowlyyyy  up behind people, jumping out of and off of trees, rocks,whatever.  I was especially good at dying.... melodramatic?....unexpected?....slow?....fast?....painful?  And, best of all, the one where you look dead and not moving.... and then....suddenly.....you stagger up and weave around shooting your gun while the others try shoot you actually dead. Which, of course, creates a deep need for "thespianism" from the future corpse.

I had a lot of fun and I absorbed a lot of power being Annie Oakley.  I never did learn to shoot while standing on my horse's back....however, I did destroy the arms of the couch while trying. And I've given myself credit for effort....Annie would want it that way!

Deep Thoughts

You may not control all the events

that happen to you,

but you can decide 

not to be reduced by them.

                                                     Maya Angelou

Cowgirls Are Better Than Cowboys!

I've been super busy today, but for me finally.  I've been able to get more done to close down my old business....and, oh, it feels so good.  It's hard to imagine how much more time and energy I'll have.  I was thinking today about my "hero" as a little girl, Annie Oakley.  I didn't know anything about the "real" one, but I loved the one on television.  She could stand up on a running horse, hit anything she aimed at, and was braver and smarter than all the males.  She was a good role model for me since the only others were housewives (who really seemed to like being in the kitchen). The following are some of my small cowgirl collages:

    AND, while not cowgirls, I think this fits here:

Happy Trails!

Mother's Day! Where Did The Time Go?

Here's a small piece I made for my daughter a long time ago, called "Love You Forever," after a book I used to read to my kids.

How could THESE.......                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

   

       
Turn into THESE?! 

       

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

    

What's Old Is New Again!

I thought I was approaching the end of my business drama, and I still am....approaching it, that is.  Another unexpected thing happened and it got very unpleasant, but it's (supposed to be) behind me now.  Because of all this, I'm still working on the Madonna piece. It's amazing how dealing with things like this and all that negative energy just absolutely sucks the life out of me. I could sleep twenty hours a day and still be tired.  I hope to be finished soon though.  Until then, some oldies you haven't seen:

  

The Church Lady Says

"Well, now,

let's just have 

a special little Easter, 

shall we?"

Walking Home Again....Again

This is an email I received asking permission to use this picture of one of my pieces for a poster and playbill for a play created by women in prison in Australia.  The women themselves were responsible for the play's  content and the acting which focused on where they came from and where they were headed as they faced release.  I gave my permission for this, a project to help support and empower women to take responsibility, to hope, and to work for change.  This is also in honor of someone who has hit bottom, who has wanted to give up but didn't, who has created change out of the deepest pain, and whom I respect so much.  She knows who she is.

Mexican Madonna

I've always been drawn to madonna and mother and child images.  I finished  a small piece that I was only able to work on in tiny bits and increments over several months.  I wasn't sure how she would turn out with the wild, crazy energy I've had as I worked on her....However, here she is:

 

Mexican Madonna
11"  x  11 3/8"

It's Four O'Clock In The Morning

Definately time to go to bed!