WE ARE ON OUR WAY

Why do I get this long space before the pictures?....keep scrolling down to see what's up!!  There she goes...on her way to Amsterdam!!

Mary Ann Moss that is!

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Yes, we've been inspired by another artist teacher and well on our way to more creativity and ideas. With new ideas swimming in my head here are a few goodies found around local shops with old stuff that I plan to use someway in new visual journals. Thank you Mary Ann Moss for your artistic mind and direction in the journaling process.  I've learned so much!  Also here are the cards I made "mail art" to mail to each member of our class exchange.  And a book I found of old stencils.  And albums to turn into journals etc.  The fabric is old and beautiful. Was that Mary Ann in the buggy on her way to Amsterdam?!  That trip will mean a new class I hope!!! God's blessings to you. Enjoy!

THE JOY OF IT....

The hungry second born (born that day!) of the beautiful blue eggs my mockingbird laid in her beautifully built nest....which was in a wire basket on my trellis where I could lower it each day to check on them....she never fussed!! Those little nubs of wings that will turn into beautiful wings so he can fly! The nest was so beautiful, even had horse hairs in it that she got from the neighbors barbed wire fence where the horses tails swish across the barbs leaving long hairs... Click on the pictures to see them up close!!! Look at the beautiful fungus on the tree twigs.... a loosely built nest on the outside and then a delicate more tightly woven nest on the inside.... Those feathers beginning to develop ! NOW for a nap til supper!! This is ONLY one week later!!! I FORGOT TO MENTION....Flat Stanley Star Wars style from LaGrange Intermediate school, came for a vacation to our house and got to climb a tree with the grandkids! "D" for daughter... God and Family, cherished, the apple of His eye..."Home is where the heart is...."....for my daughter's Mother's day card.... Card below designed by my grand daughter for her Momma...the top attic opens for a sweet note....we used stamps too....she wanted no color....simple and classy, just like her Momma! she put our bird nest up in the peak....it was Mother's Day.... For a friend's daughter.....praying for her to flourish and heal with upcoming surgery.... "A" for Adams....or Anything! A design gathered from an old white on white hankie.... The JOY of what? There is so much hurt, disappointment, loss, self-righteousness and self centeredness .... what JOY could I be talking about? Sometimes you just can't put it into words ..... or you may be critisized for it anyway .... and you just aren't up to the analysis of others .... so you don't try to explain it.....I'm sure you have been there! BUT!! .....BUT there IS JOY ..... JOY in these words spoken this week ...... why are we so lacking in the work we try to accomplish for Him? These words ( Isaiah 33:6...And HE will be the stability of your times, A wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge; The "fear of the Lord is his treasure"....it is key, I think, for authentic success) words rang LOUD in my head when I read them over and over this week. Then there is the JOY of ART and the colors and joy of getting to be creative with it .... for me anyway! Here are some pieces of ART I have been playing with and the house card my grand daughter did for her Momma. THE JOY OF HIS LOVE ..... even for "just me" .... inspite of myself or the yukky and sometimes disappointing world around me. I BRING YOU THE WONDER OF HIS CREATION AND THE JOY OF IT....enjoy these incredible pictures of my "Mockingbird Babies" and enjoy the art.... Blessings to you!! Have a good weekend.....

TREE LETTERS.....

The one below is a twenty fifth Anniversary piece and they wanted their dog, Sally, on it who had recently passed.... I've done these "Tree Letters" for fifteen plus years ... can't remember when I started them exactly, but they are still requested by customers needing to give the gift of "Remembrance", "Newlyweds" or "Newly Born" in birth or in Christ. A few went to Russian Students that were at Baylor playing tennis. It has been a joy to do all of these "special names" over the years with their chosen scripture for each person. You end up thinking what the person is like while you are painting their initials or their full name....when you don't know them....you end up praying for them as you draw and paint their name. It has become a special order when I get a new name ... for whatever reason it is being requested and I feel blessed to get to do it! Enjoy and Great Blessings to you this week!!

The Bird Dog...

The unseen story....just paint randomly layed on. Above I saw the old lady with red glasses and green hair piled on top, and long nose. A big face at the top with maybe a mustache?....Naw.... The birds began to come out...NO PAINT is added at all during this process...only graphite or drawing...the shapes seen. little houses, trees, lake... Above a house, birds, flowers, SEE the Bird Dog on the upper right? More flowers, birds and trees... and the BIRD DOG that showed up... He made the story a story...click on pictures to enlarge... to see the complete drawn in story before painting.... The BIRD DOG..... That is the name I came up with for this developing story in this canvas (piece of wood). It is about 6.5 x 23 inches or so. I did as Mystele (in our free class, basic story telling) has been showing us and enjoyed randomly (with nothing in mind) laying gesso, paint, collage, and other items to add texture to this canvas. Then I let it dry .... then I sat it up to look at and to find the story ... one way I saw a big face at the top, but could never make the rest come out. Then another way I saw an old woman with her hair piled on top of her head, and she had glasses on and a long nose that I couldn't get away from .... she was there, clearly....but I just didn't like her or have a feeling for her .... I'm feeling old lately and it was just too depressing .... believe me, she would have turned out ugly .... really ugly .... so I searched and searched for some other story in the canvas and it began to develop! I saw a couple of little houses, a lake, some trees, a sky line, and birds kept coming through....lots of birds ... and flowers. Well, it was not much of a story UNTIL....THE BIRD DOG showed up! I guess that is why the birds appear to be still, very still, ready to take flight if he gets any closer! A little like our lives sometimes! Do you see him? He is small and pointing! OKAY, I have my story and I kept drawing in what I saw in the shapes and colors. NOW ..... this where I usually mess up a good thing!!! When spreading the "unknown" shapes and colors, I am really free and loose ..... BUT when I "know" what that shape is, ( a bird, tree or dog) .... I begin to fill it in like a coloring book and become tight with my brush applying the rest. Hmmmm ... I will leave you these without the finished product ..... and post the results later .... and I will also take any advice! No spiritual message here, except watch out for THE BIRD DOG!! Enjoy and Blessings!!

I KNOW....SHAME ON ME!!!

I KNOW....I've been playing hooky!!! ....is that how you spell it?! Sorry I haven't been blogging, but thanks to some sweet followers that were worried about me, I feel I must catch you up with what I'm doing!......NOT MUCH......still resting and taking breaks from teaching ....... doing my garden, reading a lot now with my new glasses, fooling around with some jewelry making, more gardening, little league baseball, a little boy's fractured wrist .... jumping out of a swing at school .... OUCH!!!! ... getting ready for all my children and grandchildren coming in a few weeks!!! We are also working on "Roma's House" ...... which used to be a condemned house that became a dream for a family ..... a few pictures I will make a blog about later ...... BUT honestly, I have just been happily lazy and resting and doing ONLY what I WANT to do .... just pleasing me ........ a rare thing, but feels wonderful! I will try to add some pictures just for interest ..... as soon as I do something more interesting, I'll blog ..... I promise. I will paint again, I promise. Here are some photos of our little B&B guest house and one of the garden from a distance.....my vegetables are beside the little garden shed.....just small plants so far.....and my zinnias are beginning to come up. Have a GREAT week!!! And a cup of coffee on the porch with the birds!!! Let some mud squish between your toes...... remember that?! May God Bless You All .... whether you like it or not!....Love yal....