2012 New Year

will be arriving here soon.  i have the most wonderful year in my art with connie's classes, my writing class with 'tasha and meeting many new artisans along the way. 

let your light shine in 2012 for someone else to follow. we all need encouragement.

my heavenly daddy gave me two roses in december and a daffodil.  how amazing are you Lord!!

Truth Shadow

i find great joyin playing with shadows and my painted backgrounds thanks to natasha, my writing coach.

son graudation VCU

of course he had to make a statement by

wearing his sunglasses during his walk.

Wild Shadows

sunsets come in all shades and colors.

Sunset Shadows

across the sundial the royal shadow flickers.
hawaiian pink and purple shadows peep
 out from the rushing waves.
nearby roots so shallow lay over.
wispy mauve shadows watching guard
as a lean ash-violet shadow remains silent
in the gentle breath of night.

purple passionate shadows tease one another in delight.
a lone periwinkle companion shadow trails behind
the gothic deep-orchid caped shadow.
good night wild-thistle shadow
buried beneath the fading sunset.
good night wild-thistle shadow
until the break-of-day shadow appears.
good night.

More Green

i'm really enjoying painting tropical, who said water has to be blue or sky blue. it's called

 Creation By Imaginationand i really love it.

taking the pic i played with my hand shadow to create the effect of 'being created'.

Constantly Changing

                          Look Up - Tropical Wishes

i love that i played with color - imagine purple water and a green sky with creature clouds? Use your imagination and create something wonderful. my creature clouds are a lion and lamb. when blogging about this on DEEP i realized those are two of the names Jesus is referred to in the Bible. how God to place those in my painting. i've been thinking of heaven more and more - eternity.
before vacation i was browsing the book store for a book to carry on the cruise. in the clearance section was a book tucked underneath other books - funny it wasn't on sale.  BUT i believe someone wanted me to find this particular book and read it - Heaven Is So Real.  for some reason it was not a book i could breeze through - i had to chew on it, meditate in the visions and let it vegetate in my soul - deep within my very Being - Deep. and then the Creator spoke to me about taking clouds pics while on vaca. just beautiful!!

Adventure on High Seas

watermelon carvings on Princess Cay.

coconut carvings, something to drink?!

sweet face

i love this sweet little face, can't get enough of just looking at him.

he was created from DEEP chat challenge to connect the dots and here he is in his entirety.

Passion Fruit

one of Deep's invitations this week - to paint two paintings side-by-side like siblings. i used my sponge again and the purple, green/yellowish colors. loving those rightnow. anyways after i finished i kept thinking of passion fruit. what are you passionate about that is producing fruit in your life everyday?

Devotion 2 Deep

the second week of DEEP

this little fishy popped out, no matter how i tried to go in another direction it just wouldn't hear of it. i love the colors. 

and the second one was to continue in a series with the first painting we created. so out popped GloBalN2MeC. i love how i played with a sponge swirling paint, splattering out color with a straw, a glob of blue paint at top, spritzed and spritzed til it ran and i rolled it around on the paper where ever i wanted it to go. its fascinating to me.

Living Water

DEEP just started this past week. Connie's first week was about devotion and what that is to us as artists. this deep longing to create living water just kept flowing through me and when i had finished my painting i could see this faint image in the center flowing into the pool of water.

i know my relationship with Jesus Christ, spending time in the Word Of God is deepening. many people have grown up being in religion but never had experienced a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ allowing the Holy Spirit to reign in their lives. i grew up in religion until about 12 and from there on out religion was left behind for a relationship. it was life changing and continue to be.

Beauty

Which Way To Go

our lives bring so many twists and turns - so many choices to choose from. what if .... this is not the way, what if .... i make a mistake,  what if .... what if...... what if...... How about letting go of the 'what if's' and enjoying life. take the turn - don't be afraid to see where it leads, stop and enjoy the scenery, life is worth the living, there will be ups and downs - so what. It's what you make of them that counts - don't think too much, don't try to figure it all out - just BE and enjoy the moment.

Hidden Deep

i did this face and then painted all over it.i actually like it better hidden. and then i lightened it for you to see what's underneath. this is my profile pic for DEEP. everywhere i look to read the word "DEEP" keeps popping up.

Diving into the Deep

shell we see where this adventure in DEEP will be heading?! Spiritually i am reading Deeper, Richer, Fuller - discovering the spiritual life you long for by Tom Paterson and am excited to connect the dots together.  shells found from previous adventures.

Faces

i cleaned up all of the mess you see underneath my large wall painting.  turned around my desk and organized everything.  now on to the next section of the room for cleanout. 

have you ever thought about the many faces you wear? so many feelings, thoughts, attitudes, emotions deeply hidden inside.  This past week we lost a sweet, vibrant, full-of-life young girl that my youngest attended school with.  She was longboarding an hit her head on a rock. Massive brain damage.  i am feeling this loss and my son who is very quiet, has grown even quieter. His dad and i prayed with him when he first shared it with us. i can't believe she's gone.
and
on the flip side he shared a beautiful story about a friend at college.  He took her to Wave on Wed night - a celebration of life through Jesus Christ and she accepted Christ as her Savior and Lord.  How awesome! that Friday her parents called her to say her dad who had only a few months according to doctors to live had been totally healed from cancer.  Now he is planning on coming here to visit her from Oregon. 
i don't pretend to understand the Sovereign God but i do know after years and years of searching that for me He is The Only Way to find - peace, joy, love, confidence, empowerment in this crazy world.

Waitless

you carry no weights/burderns when they are butterflies - they just lift up and off. lighten your load, let go of stuff that doesn't matter anymore. i loved creating this painting totally inspired by tami on IB. its going over my bed in my studio area.

Hidden

paint over paint - not because i hated it but bc it was meant to one day be concealed.

GoatHead

finally the last thing added was the goat head - why a goat head i have no idea. that's just where the painting wanted to head, lol. Inner Breath has been interesting and challenging. thought of Sound of Music the song The Lonely Goatherd. yodeling as i go.

Inner Breath Challenge

to use only warm colors for my painting. i decided to lay on my exercise ball and paint using my art journal on the floor. it started out as a tree with portals below.

 and finished as a She releasing the black birds from one portal. She holds the keys to Release.

i didn't feel restricted at all using only warm colors. the three keys each represent my sons. black birds come through in Spring and Fall landing in our trees - for only a short time they fill the trees with their flutter, flurry and chatter.

BIGGEST Blind Contour Painting

this is my BIGGEST painting ever - Blind Contours is going on my studio wall.  i really love these and so does my doggie.

love this closeup of what i call 'the bull'

and the guy at the bottom - he is so classical and very well educated and talented too, but not snobby.

Pecking

what an amazing gift i heard this morning then discovered where it was coming from.  Five little baby bluejays were on my front porch pecking at my beautiful, huge, blue pot.  we had seen their evidence earlier in the year when my red and yellow ceramic disappeared off a smaller pot on the porch.
God has created so many amazing creatures for us to enjoy. IF ONLY we will listen. What are you missing bc you are "too busy" to stop?!

BIG WIP

this royal gentleman came out in a painting, but he's not finished yet. i love the oil pastels and smushing with my fingers still.

I'm at War-HeArt Big

i'm not sure where this came from within me, well i sorta do. lovin' the whimsy of it all. to scan my body from feet up, do a painting then another painting opposite.  this was the feet up scan. it all started with painting BIG feet and then the body up to the head. i painted a helmet on her head, purpled up her military-style pants, added a face mask.  then the real whimsy came after painting a sign that read "i'm at war" on her helmet i gave her a blow dryers as her weapon.  why did i do that?  i don't know but it was just a fun painting to a heavy day.

What does it feel like to BE me

in BIG week 5 question was: what does it feel like to be me?

i wrote the question on paper and kept it before me as i painted - the result - aloe vera plants.

there is so much meaning in this painting for me - the aloe vera plant is a wonderful natural healer.
not sure if it needs more highlights - when wait, look, observe and let it speak to me.  one thing is for certain - i feel very compelled to buy a few aloe plants.

Bahamian Artist

one of my favorite artists shared a quote by Amos Ferguson, a wonderful painter who has passed on.  http://harbourislandgallery.com/artists/ferguson.htm  he said, "he paints by faith, not by sight."

She Burns

this is my energy - new oil pastels smushed around with my fingers produced her and the borders are acrylic paints. the flower shapes were intended to be an atom shape. thanks tracie for that!

i named her "She Burns". i love how the gown looks like marbling. the first painting has stalled, it began like a seed, turned upside side may end up being a flamenco dancer, who knows! just this.

The Seed

i came across this book two days ago in B&N, started reading it and had to go back today to finish the read.  Inner Breath class started today and so funny everything she was saying i  had been saying to my hubby this week, even last night at dinner ask him if we could just live in NOW, not the past or the future, just NOW.  synchronicity?!?!?!?! anywho The Seed had a line in it that said 'the baby girl was named Koa which mean 'fearless'.  that got my attention - names are important and very meaningful.

Blind Contour Personalities

so we were to experience blind contour - mine became a collection of little personalities.

Bearded Lady

George the Trainer

and the cutest one by far Pink Curlers, Leopard Pants and Tiger Stripes.

BIG contour

i'm loving contour on BIG, i think i am working a series. and the fun part its unfolding with a story about each one. they are all familiar to me - people from the past so far. so funny, but i'm lovin' where its going!

ICU

Hurricane Irene is coming! i read Deanna and Jill's blog post on Saturday - felt so raw, vulnerable - so had to paint - chose blues. swirls like hurricane. where ever i wanted it on paper -then wanted to feel my fingers in paint - i placed all the tips of my fingers in the blue paint and rubbed and rubbed just to see how far paint would go. i knew i had to cover the corners up, i didn't want them white, then i didn't want borders left white - switched to purple and drippage but who said drippage always had to start at top - i just wildly let it drip where ever - i was really moved by the two blog posts - i had to paint i noticed an eye in blue off the side of the page - so didn't touch that area but everything else had to be covered - NO WHITE - none! when i was finishing i started to cry - the feeling of just peeping out from behind  - would that feeling ever go away - what was that eye thinking, feeling, seeing, tasting, touching, expressing - piercing eye. and then a memory came to me of a peeping tom in our neighborhood when i was a little girl - not feeling safe in my bedroom bc i had a window.  

Open Door

two nights ago i felt like painting this green door and inviting you in.  i really loved working with the different greens.  i thought of my sister and her desire to visit Ireland.  then i returned to BooksMillions to buy a Panpipe music cd all Irish melodies.  one was titled 40 shades of green.  you know since i'm into green right now i had to bring it home - listening to it as i paint.

Earthquake Today

 while sitting on my couch having a late lunch the house began to rumble.  my doggies went crazy barking, they knew something was up.  even after it stopped my body was still moving and felt weird. it was a 5.8 earthquake and we are on a fault line.

 

and my portal, beam me up scotty.

Kandinsky and Ireland

natasha sent me an inspiration art pic from this artist. i had looked at his work before but now i'm looking through a different pair of eyes.  i see so much thanks to tasha's challenges.  i just may have to travel to BnN to check out a few art books. and here is a blog that just happened up on my kandinsky art page, i love her blog, marking as fav to go back  http://lisadoradesigns.blogspot.com/

BTW happy birthday sis.  i know, i know you will always be younger than me.  don't rub it in.  love to you. and funny Ireland is beginning to pop up all over around me.  it reminded me my sis would love to visit Ireland and you know what i really have a deep desire to take her - we never do sista' time together. she's now a grandma and lovin' that little one with another on the way.

i Wept

and wept and wept and wept some more, my heart was aching, it seemed my chest was being torn to shreds and ............................
                        http://amokarts.wordpress.com/2011/08/19/responding-to-controversial-art-part-2/

True 2 Color and Stinky

the stinky part - the dismal swamp is burning. the haze here and the smell of rubber tires burning is strong - i'm sure no one wants to venture outside for long.

and here is my Memory True 2 Color

i learned so much from week 2 in BIG.

More Than A Memory

 in my BIG class i had this memory - a broken robin's egg in my front yard, a blown down nest and a Christmas with my new doll. of course i'm nesting.

the little 5 year old in me could not wait for good light to take this add-on of one more memory - painting Easter eggs and the baby chick my mom gave me. once upon a time they use to dye the little chicks at Easter for children.  anyway this egg is much brighter blue.

Breaker Wave

i just started painting with blue and kept building until i created this breaker wave and then the next day i was reminded my son surfs and he attends The Wave Church.  but that didn't occur to me while i was painting. it still needs work but i was so amazed i created this during my time at the retreat.

Diamonds on the Lake

i had the most amazing artist retreat this weekend in Georgia at Diamonds on the Lake. 

i entered my bedroom named The Tree Of Life and found this beautiful artist card awaiting my arrival. its titled "Wings To Fly"  the little card reads "only through instinctive determination and perseverance will a butterfly emerge from its cocoon with wings strong enough to fly in breathtaking beauty. God has promised that as we persevere in our trials and struggles we, too, will emerge in brilliant beauty, clothed in His joy and peace."

thank you so much janice!

our group enjoyed our bonding time so much we named ourselves Love Dove.  

Really i do

this pic is a continuation it seems of my feelings from time-2-time. the word in middle attitudal "really" and now its "really i love you, i really do".  lovin' BIG 7 Tribe with Connie.

today is my hubby's birthday and i am scheduled to fly out in another hour to Georgia for a class. i hated leaving him on his b-day, but he's working all day until about 10:30 tonight.  My family gave me a great art class in GA for my birthday all orchestrated by my DIL2B.  i love her, she's so thoughtful.

BIG 7

this is the culmination of all my skeleton paintings from Total Alignment for BIG 7 Tribe.  how funny that there are 7 flowers on this painting and that was not planned. i wish my teeth were that white, lol.

Big7 Tribe Begins

                                                            scribbles - friends
not sure why 2 blues and black chose me but scribble they did and i loved it. became friends

line - purple tulip

looking at my cally lily painting i observed lines so from there my lines formed

Total Alignment Day 5 Grounding

 my camera is acting up - some reason didn't take the whole body pic and upload, maybe is suppose to be two parts, lol.  every Day of Dead i usually see revolves around some flowers, every funeral usually has many flowers. so i added flowers. Connie spoke of roots going deep into the ground and of course the seeds produce vines/flowers. my skeletal remains is intertwined in growing vines.

and

here is the bottom half of Skeletal Remains-Grounding. i may add more flowers until the entire painting is full of overgrown flowers.

i finally was able to get the entire pic uploaded.

dia de los muertos