wandering through then

i've got wanderlust, for past eras. the 20's, 30's. i would really love to be spending these hot still days in a soft lazy manner and these breezy chirping nights in a whirling daze.

morning:

barefoot. tea & toast with jam while feeling the wind twist through the curtains of the kitchen window. catching sun rays with peripheral vision flickering on proximity glass.

afternoon:

barefoot. collecting wild flowers for an antique vase, laying in a field watching clouds change shape, bird songs, clinking ice cubes in iced tea, not a care in the world.

evening/night:

barefoot. a silk dress and champagne cocktails, wrapped around the hug of a handsome boy on a dance floor, swinging amongst wide open laughter, living aloud, a clock that doesn't know how to tell time.

.repeat.

i'd say it's about time for some free art.

i'm giving away the above piece, 'Ringmaster', a 2 3/4" x 2 3/4" original mini mixed media painting on stretched canvas.

the rules:

all you have to do is leave a comment on this post about what era you would time travel to if you could.

one entry per person. spread the word on your blog for a second entry. simply comment on this post with a link to your post. what the heck, spread the word however you'd like and just let me know here!

i will put all names into a proverbial hat and draw on Saturday June 11th at 8:00pm EST. please make sure you leave an email contact in your comment so i can get in touch with you if you win.

xoxo

la bonne nuit belle

a piece of a piece

a little sneaky peek at another piece for the show (mentioned in post below), 'Mersey Thames'. A collaborative artwork between myself and Robin Luoma.

and you are?

May has been a busy month, filled with bits of everything. I'm making my return to blogdom though, i need to get back to writing. Be they short, sweet, small posts for now, they will be there.

the news right now - a show! my friend, and fellow artist, asked me to collaborate on some paintings a few weeks back. she had gotten a show at a gallery downtown and asked me if i would "team up" to create something different. we have very different styles so it was a challenge and it was fun, it felt odd painting over someone else's work though i have to say. the theme of the show is Pop culture so we decided to base our works on our joint love for The Beatles.

we met in high school and while everybody else was listening to whatever it was they were listening to we were in the 60's. we listened to my dad's extensive record collection, we watched the Beatle movies over & over & over again (i can still quote along to them), we hung Beatle pics in our lockers, you name it. so this seemed a very fitting idea for us over 15 years later. our works aren't direct representations of the fab four, paintings of their images or anything. we've combined our styles to depict a vision of what their impact was on us. the above and below photo are sections of a piece we are (currently) calling 'Two of Us" (just like the song, no real stretch in title there, hahaha). Robin created the background with printed beetle images and i added the collage over top.

we're still working on a few last pieces, it's down to the wire now. the show is tomorrow, a night of art, music, food, and drink. i've been a painting nut for the past couple of weeks and it feels great!

a little snip of magic

i've been spending a lot of time in fantasy lately. it's pretty cozy up here in my head. i'm so grateful for my imagination because otherwise, being stuck in traffic or on a rush-hour train would be cause for my institutionalization (i'm not a huge fan of tinned peas for lunch or shock therapy for dessert so, once again, phew).

wouldn't it be great to shrink down to the size of a field mouse and squeeze through a keyhole? who knows where that rounded morsel of light could take you?

******************************************

your imagination and desire for surprise lead the way as you're pulled up the door by a strand of dream towards the blurred beacon. upon reaching the top you hold your breath, close your eyes, and hope for the best. you step forward, a warm breath of air wraps itself around you and you're washed away in an ocean sound. bright lights in a spectrum of colour penetrate your eyelids yet calm you, you're on your way to bliss. you feel this.

when you land it's warm, there's stillness, you slowly open your eyes. you look around as the horizon comes into focus and after all those years of wondering what clouds taste like, a lilac-jasmine lands on your tongue. you knew it all along! you don't have much time on ground level to enjoy the sweet taste, a kite whisks you away on its ribbons and takes you to an old yellowed book page spelling out the definition of "wander";

–verb (used without object)

1.

to ramble without a definite purpose or objective; roam, rove, or stray: to wander over the earth.

it prickles your toes to walk on the words but you enjoy the sensation. a loud clang turns your head to the right, a footless man wearing a black and purple striped tie drops a teapot and tells you to run westward. you run in slow motion through molasses, swatting paper snowflakes out of your view. you end up at a halt gazing upon thirteen Russian dolls winking at you in Italian, a riddle you never expected to exist. They tell you to pick up three things; a page of white, a cherry branch, and a heart loved whole. Once you have collected the three you are to toss them into a shimmering northern lake and whisper "you have fallen from the things we never learned". a kiss will hit your lips.

Take whatever lessons you have gathered and put them in a glass jar in your pocket. Be it physical, emotional, dream, or thought, store it safely. Feelings are fragile if not kept properly... make sure to poke holes in the lid.

You will notice your pocket jar(s) are tied with an amber tether. The knots you tied yourself drip with a honey essence and cannot be undone without the belief in magic. To unleash a pinch of love whisper the words "simple me", to unleash a dash of truth speak softly "i will always".

Your being encounters doubt and reality at the same time, you now live in an environment of float and physical, pain and sensation. Be you at every waking minute, it's the only way to survive.

where art thou blue?

“Oh! darkly, deeply, beautifully blue, as someone somewhere sings about the sky.”

~ Lord Byron ~

Following Dorothy

Newest original art piece available in my shop. Measures 8" x 8" on wood panel.

The Other Side of the Tracks

another new original painting for sale in my shop. Measures 16"x12" on wood panel.