Holiday Season

This weekend has been all about decorating for the holidays. My favorite. The garden is still working for me, the holly is beautiful and the red twig dogwoods are as appealing in the winter as any other season. They all look great stuffed into window boxes and urns,add a few lights and the season begins. Today I hope to paint. I painted the Poinsettia last year. It was a challenge to say the least.

Holiday tradition

Ever since I can remember my sister and I have planted paperwhite bulbs at Thanksgiving. Our hopes are that they will bloom in time for Christmas.This year Thanksgiving is late and I forgot to plant them a week or so ago . This is a Thanksgiving gift for my sister ,she is the Thanksgiving hostess this year. (for that I am thankful!)

zzzzzzz

This urn sits on my kitchen table and well, it's a great urn filled with ivy, but the painting is just so.... green. I had to sit on my hands just to stop myself from adding some bizzaro color. I contemplated doing all kinds of things to jazz it up. Collage, stamping... off to bed I went. Then the idea came to me how about a red Christmas bulb,maybe crop it,yes that's it,or into closet never to be completed just too green:0)

virtual sketch date

Wow what a challenge. This is it. I have to admit I really struggled with the composition and color. It appears that the full tree needs more dark colors . I don't know if I will attempt to alter it again. I hear jingle bells ringing! On to a new theme:0) Well I did decide to add some more value after all. I used just a touch of prussian blue.(painting at the top)I think it works .

saturday morning

Looking out my bedroom window on a Saturday morning. What will this day bring? What will this season bring? Hope,sorrow,grief, joy,laughter?When I look out my window I can view the seasons,{I know I should forgo the puffy curtains,they take away from my view,but I can't resist!}Now that the leaves are turning i know that they will fall and that it will snow, and that the leaves will return.{It's the things I don't know that frighten me. Goodbye control.} The circle of life . Here's to a long fall ,filled with hope.

Before we knew

Hope is itself a species of happiness, and perhaps the chief happiness this world affords.-Samuel Johnson_( click on picture enlarge)

The diagnosis came fast and furious,who would have thought that bloating and gas were symptoms of Ovarian Cancer. Pathetic actually ,that there is no early detection for this dreadful disease. Could this be a women thing....hmmmm. Surely there is more that can be done.
http://www.ovariancancer.org/ This is a great site. It is full of information about Ovarian Cancer and how we can help.







http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-NziGE6DVY

My friend is a fighter, aren't you Sharon. She is that one in a million type of person who puts the needs of people she loves before her own. Selfless and strong. Not much of a complainer. I have to think I would be a total wreck going through all that she has.Not her, she is working through this ,a day at a time, with intelligence,grace ,humor,and strength. Chemo is every three weeks, for now, and a tribute to her and her family, they are wonderful, we actually laugh our way through it. It's not unusual for the nurses to come in and want to join in on the fun. Isn't that incredible? I think so , but that's just how wonderful my friend is. This fall I plan on selling Cards for a Cure. All of the money will go to Ovarian Cancer research. I am hoping to complete this in a few weeks.



Sharon and I have been close friends for so many years that we often refer to one another as sisters. (not trans-sisters though)
Antony ,of Antony and the Johnsons ,is a tortured soul but has one hell of a vibrato. He sounds like a cross between Brian Ferry and Tiny Tim. Have a listen and see what you think. ( see the above site) . ************

Please scroll to the bottom of this post to leave a comment thanks.
( I really had a difficult time with this post. The photo of the picture is sloppy and you have to scroll a looooong way to the comment... sorry.)

virtual sketch date 2

I painted these pears and was not satisfied so I ripped them up and went to bed. Today I like them rip and all.