The Magic, Miracles and Joy of an Artist

Friday, March 15, 2019

Promise

7:00 - Outside my studio window. The promise of Spring.

70*

6:00 - 70* and sunny!! Happy. Taking Jake out to play ball.

Joy

Day 4 of Spring-like weather! Loving this. Being outdoors is such a joy!

Thursday, March 14, 2019

An electrician is working on the security light on the back of the house. Jake is NOT happy. He's been barking for 1/2 hour and running to and from the window not understanding why this stranger is out there.

Work in Progress

Work in Progress. Week 5. Book pages and Fiber paste for texture. It sat all night and dried, so I am now adding more texture and paint.

Monday, March 11, 2019

We Have BUDS!!

Sunday, March 10, 2019

Bluebird

Studio time this evening. I painted this 6"x8" mixed media piece ~ "Bluebird".

Jake

66* Beautiful Sunday. Played ball with Jake.

Buy the Season

Buy the Season ~ a fun place to spend some time! Bring some Spring into your home!

Saturday, March 9, 2019

Kelli May-Krenz

Opening a package from Kelli May-Krenz is an event!! It is so exciting to open the lovely wrapped package, decorated with her hand painted flowers, and finding sweet little hand written notes scattered at every turn.

And THEN - the ART!! It always takes my breath away! This hand painted, beaded, and embellished piece consists of a large envelope that carries 4 pages to write "my story" on. I'm pretty sure I will put some keepsakes inside rather than taking any chance of ruining her beautiful pages by writing on them.

The Spirit Warrior is STUNNING! Nothing else needs to be said. You can't help but be entranced by the magic that comes from Kelli's hands.

Thank you, sweet friend!! You fill my heart with joy.

Who wouldn't enjoy opening this lovely envelope?

What you see when you lift the envelope flap.

The 4-page "book" that is inside the envelope.

Pages two and three. Notice the beaded attachment at the inside corner.

Beautiful back page.

Back of the envelope. It is just as beautiful as the front.

A few more "Kelli" flowers.

I LOVE this Spirit Warrior SO much.

Details of this custom Spirit Warrior that Kelli made for me. LOVE!!

Friday, March 8, 2019

What a Great Sign!

International Women's Day

Yearly mammogram at hospital today. How appropriate that my appointment landed on International Women's Day. It is important that we take care of ourselves.

I love the view from the Breast Center window. This is just two of the many windows that cover the entire length of the main room. You can see mountains stretching both ways through all of the windows.

Wintry Mix

Our Wintry Mix arrived today.

TAAZA ROANOKE

Had a fun delicious lunch at TAAZA ROANOKE with friend Phillip Morgan yesterday.

He always provides lots of laughs and we both satisfied our Indian food withdrawal. It had been too long!

Thursday, March 7, 2019

Living the Creative Life

Last night was our monthly Living the Creative Life group gathering. We met at The Grandin Village Co-op again. Our theme was ANTHROPOMORPHIC.

Wally Neilsen did a different take on his. He looked at the first photo until he saw something, and then painted what he saw - second photo.

Margaret Manuel used clay to create the two small sculptures in the next photo.

I (Audrey) tend to lean toward the whimsical as you can see in the next photo, and there was no surprise that I chose a deer to morph with a human.

Tricia Scott brought some things she painted in the past, showing "Lion Man" and "Fennec Fox" as her theme pieces.

Therry Neilsen-Steinhardt wasn't able to attend, but will post her painting soon.

We'll meet again in April - date and location to be announced later. The theme will be: UNDERWATER.

Wally Neilsen

Margaret Manuel

Audrey

Tricia Scott

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Ash Wednesday

Oh, there's those ashes again reminding me that I'll be dust again someday. SO grateful to still be around.

"Remember man, that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return."

Waiting for Spring

The sun is shining bright this morning, but it's 21* with snow flurries!

Tuesday, March 5, 2019

Easter

EASTER has arrived at Buy the Season and Booth #2173.

Brrrrrrr

Monday, March 4, 2019

Week 3 ~ 48 WEEKS WORKSHOP

Tonight, I finished my spread for Week 3 of Donna Downey's

48 Weeks Workshop. I am really enjoying this free style and new techniques.

12"x16-1/2"

YOU WILL NEVER FORGET A PERSON WHO CAME TO YOU, WITH A TORCH, IN THE DARK.

Sunday, March 3, 2019

A Peek

A small peek at my journal spread as I continue with week 3 of 48 Weeks Workshop.

Artist Trading Card

One more ATC, created by Carol Weiler of Illinois, arrived this past week ~ eternal rhythm. Your art card is lovely, Carol, and I will enjoy using the additional little papers that you sent in a work of art one day.

Saturday, March 2, 2019

Spring

Spring is truly on the way.... these trees are in bloom all around the city, the koi are happily swimming around, the sky is a beautiful shade of blue, and Mr. Sunshine is happy that the rain is gone!

Friday, March 1, 2019

Journal Work in Progress

Gesso, book pages, mesh, super heavy gesso, and molding paste. It's a perfect afternoon for creating - dark, rainy, cold, and gloomy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Patty !!

Sending Birthday Wishes to you, dear sister. I am glad we had the chance to celebrate while you were still here in Virginia, but I wish we were together to celebrate on your special day.

Have a relaxing fun day and remember to celebrate YOU!! You are special and you are loved.

♥

For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come!

I AM A "SEARCHER"

"I am one of the searchers. There are, I believe, millions of us. We are not unhappy, but neither are we really content. We continue to explore life, hoping to uncover its ultimate secret. We continue to explore ourselves, hoping to understand. We like to walk along the beach, we are drawn by the ocean, taken by its power, its unceasing motion, its mystery and unspeakable beauty. We like forests and mountains, deserts and hidden rivers, and the lonely cities as well. Our sadness is as much a part of our lives as is our laughter. To share our sadness with one we love is perhaps as great a joy as we can know - unless it be to share our laughter. We searchers are ambitious only for life itself, for everything beautiful it can provide. Most of all we love and want to be loved. We want to live in a relationship that will not impede our wandering, nor prevent our search, nor lock us in prison walls; that will take us for what little we have to give. We do not want to prove ourselves to another or compete for love.

For wanderers, dreamers, and lovers, for lonely men and women who dare to ask of life everything good and beautiful. It is for those who are too gentle to live among wolves."

~ James Kavanaugh

I am THE LOVERS Tarot Card

Motive, power, and action, arising from Inspiration and Impulse. THE LOVERS represents intuition and inspiration. Very often a choice needs to be made. Originally, this card was just called LOVE. And that's acually more apt than "LOVERS." Love follows in this sequence of growth and maturity. And, coming after the Emperor, who is about control, it is a radical change in perspective. LOVE is a force that makes you choose and decide for reasons you often can't understand; it makes you surrender control to a higher power. And that is what this card is all about. Finding something or someone who is so much a part of yourself, so perfectly attuned to you and you to them, that you cannot, dare not resist. This card indicates that you have or will come across a person, a career, challenge, or thing that you will fall in love with. You will know instinctively that you must have this, even if it means diverging from your chosen path. No matter the difficulties, without it you will never be complete.