Catching Up....

This post has been saved as a draft since last May. Originally I, very cleverly, entitled it "Lilacs". I love this picture of the lilacs from my yard so the photo stays, lol. Lilacs fill my house with a fragrance that always reminds me of sunny spring mornings that are filled with anticipation of a lovely day. Unfortunately they don't last long once cut, but their beauty is stunning.

What a year since these lilacs graced my dining room table, many happy days, many sad days. My family and I have had a most devastating loss of my husband last October, preceded by a very rough summer. So that is why I haven't been contributing to any posts here, it's been difficult to share anything creative since my mind has been shattered into many parts.

 

 

Having the seclusion of a very cold winter and a pandemic lock down has given me time to reflect, to remember the good and to release the bad. 

I have been in the loving embrace of my family and friends who have been my saving graces, each and every one contributing to helping me heal. For this I am eternally grateful, how did I get so blessed to have the family and friends that I have? 

 

 

Very slowly I am coming back to what gives me peace and calmness, working at my drawing table and easel. The canvas and boards have been prepped for months now, it's time to get busy!

Thank you for stopping by.

 

 

Happy Spring!

Spring is here, no matter what else is going on in the world, spring is here!
I brought in some magnolia buds to force, the bunnies and I are waiting patiently.....

Since my last post, which was way too long ago, things have been very active. Christmas time was so busy with my lovely customers supporting me, I felt truly blessed.
Family and friends as always, have been such a rock for me. I had a few very significant losses last year that made it almost impossible to concentrate for very long. Still I am muddling through....


But then I also am blessed to have this guy in my life....

He keeps me grounded and I love him dearly.

 With this time inside I am hoping to do a lot of finishing up of past projects and starting new ones. The itch to do some oil painting is pushing at me and some sewing and some paperclay sculpting and more collages.

This bread recipe is one that I go to over and over again and it's so comforting to have a freshly baked loaf of bread cooling on the counter. Just google Jim Lahey's overnight, no knead bread recipe.
It's yummy!

I hope that this silly little post finds you all happy and healthy!
Stay put, bake bread, paint..!!

New Owl Art

I love to work in series and owls are a favorite subject of mine that I return to often. In this latest series I am combining painting in acrylic with collage of vintage papers of which I have an over abundance! Late last year I did this one:

A barn owl in a night time moon lit flight, all the feathers in the wings were individually cut from vintage papers and applied with Gouldens Soft Gel. The painting was done with liquid acrylics and the stars white acrylic ink.

It took me a long time to organize my thought process with this one and I kept trying to set it up precisely beforehand but kept stumbling around with bits and bobs of cut paper floating everywhere.

Finally I settled on simply cutting a few and attaching, then moving to the next few until the wing shape was completed. And I had a wonderful time making it!

For this next one, my process was the same, but with the addition of some pressed flower petals that were gifted me. As soon as I saw them I knew that I wanted to collage with them.

The underside of a barn owl is very white but the top of the wing is a beautiful shade of brown and the papers and petals worked together beautifully.

The soft light of a crescent moon guides this owl in his night time hunt.

Instead of astrology symbols in the sky I used different moon glyphs that I researched.

This barn owl is indeed standing tall and proud and assured in the passing of time.

This painting was done to participate in the Arts Mid Hudson Show that opens tomorrow night called,

Artists Respond to Poetry

 

https://artsmidhudson.org/

Getting Show Ready and Banana Bread

Arts Mid-Hudson has a spring pop-up shop April into May and I have been so busy 

getting my inventory ready for this lovely venue.

I have two spin racks that will be filled with the 3x3 art bevels,

magnet sets and note cards.

My taping and soldering skills are getting better....I'm not ripping and re-taping quite as much!!

Thank you dear Etsy and Amazon customers for all your orders this month :)

 We absolutely love, love, love our days with this doctor/train engineer in training!!

If you are in the mood to do some vegan baking, hop on Instagram and

find @nora_cooks_vegan for the most wonderful recipes!!

https://www.noracooks.com/banana-bread/

This was so great with my four o'clock cuppa....

MMmmm Homemade Bread.....

This weekend here in the Hudson Valley the weather has been

cold, snowy, sleety, windy, rainy and just plain winter.

I have been cleaning my office, shredding long saved papers, (bank statements from 2008!! what?!!)

organizing what is necessary and trying to do better this coming year.

It's been looooonng overdue and I am easily distracted.

 

 

Especially lunchtime, lol!

Since it's miserable out, a big pot of warming soup and a freshly baked loaf of bread is in order.

There are many recipes out there for a no-knead bread and this time I tried this one:

 

https://lifemadesimplebakes.com/2016/09/4-ingredient-no-knead-artisan-bread/ 

 

It is so pretty and cooked up beautifully!

Also busy photographing my new style flower of the month pendants.

These are placed in a sterling silver plated base with a silver plated chain. There is a swarovski crystal birthstone wired wrapped and hanging from the chain too.

The chain measures 18" and the pendant is about 3/4 of an inch.

I love the way they came out.

This is the February pendant.

I know.....back to the office and finish up that chore!!

 

Hope that you have a lovely day :)

Busy, Busy Time of the Year!!!!

I know that I've been missing for some time here, this last quarter of 

the year is always so frantic for all of us isn't it?

I did a lovely little show in Beacon at the Howland Center on Saturday and I am in a pop-up show at the same place for the month of December too. Also The 

Mid-Hudson Arts Council has a pop-up at their office on rt 44 in Poughkeepsie

that I am doing also....whew!

My Amazon Handmade Store is growing by leaps and bounds, for which

I am very grateful.

Spending time with these two is a priority that is a pleasure.

If Papa has on a red jacket, the little man needs a red jacket, lol!

He brought tears to our eyes the other day when he said that when 

he grows up he wants to be a Papa, such a sweetie pie.

This view of the Hudson River from the overlook at Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park is 

always restorative to me. We love going there for walks at all

times of the year.

Beautiful Autumn Days.

This first week of Autumn has been a busy one!

We love taking out grandson out on nature walks, he could live outside all the time.

 

 

This timid visitor stopped by in the afternoon one day.

 

 

 

 

Apple picking here in the Hudson Valley is a must and this variety of

apple that we picked is called a SnapDragon and is absolutely the best 

tasting one IMHO, lol!

 

 

 

 

 Friday was prepping for a demo on collage that I was doing for 

Arts Mid-Hudson at Bethel Woods on Saturday morning. There is a festival there this weekend

called Mkng Festival and there are many workshops to attend, music to listen

to, foods to eat, and vendors to purchase from.

 

 

 

 

 There is nothing prettier than a sunny morning, in autumn, in the Hudson Valley!

You can't really get the full scope of the top two pictures,

but that is the field where the Woodstock Music Festival was held.

 

Soon the leaves in our area will be in full glorious color, time for hot toddys,

apple pies, and warm fires.

 

 

On My Drawing Table

My local arts council has a members show every year in August and this year the

theme is: Flights of Fantasy

So, with my proclivity to things with wings, immediately an owl in flight came to mind. How to incorporate fantasy into my work took lots of thought and planning.

With all the vintage papers floating around in my studio I knew that I wanted to use that in my artwork and also acrylic painting. There was a cradled wood board that I had prepped earlier leaning up against the bookcase and that became my canvas.

After sketching out the barn owl I began to cut individual pieces of paper and arrange them along the wing span.

That quickly became cut and glue and put in place, I trusted that all would work out.

 

The first wing was amazing and so it continued....

Just loving this....

I was so busy painting that not many more photos got taken.

"Night Flight" can be viewed at:

Flights of Fantasy: Arts Mid-Hudson Members’ Show – AMH Gallery
August 3 – September 9
Opening Reception:
Friday, August 3, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

(The opening was cancelled due to loss of power and will be rescheduled.)
Art Brunch: Sunday, September 9, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

artsmidhudson.org

Two Nor'easters in a week!

With another one on the way....

Spring has been elusive for us here in the northeast this year.

We were able to enjoy an early spring outing one day and...

gazing out to this the next!

Rocky, even though he's an older guy, still loves to run in the snow.

Ugh!

I was able to spend the time in manufacturing mode. 

My magnet sets feature my artwork and make a lovely whimsical 

addition wherever they are used.

They are available in my Etsy Store.

 

A visit to Dia:Beacon.

A few weeks ago when my younger son was in for a visit, we spent a few hours at the Dia: Beacon. A contemporary art museum in Beacon, NY which is a small city along the Hudson River.

I love this pathway!

So many light filled areas.

The building itself was originally used as manufacturing plant producing Nabisco boxes.

 

The architecture is as amazing as the art within.

If you are in the Northeast and haven't visited yet, you should!
If you are planning a trip any time in the future, make sure to put this as a stop.

Sue
https://www.etsy.com/shop/digiliodesigns?show_panel=true