Red Lipstick, Purple Earring

Red Lipstick, Purple Earring

I Try To Be Jovial

My friend J said something funny to me today, and I put my own spin on it and created this little comic to celebrate her forthrightness.  Because she has a great sense of humor (something disappearing faster in this world than the speed of light), she loved it and said, put it out there!  So I am doing just that. (-:

"I try to be jovial, 

but you're not the boss of me, 

I'm the boss of you!  

Now kneel and bend over!"

Raymond Decided NOT to Become A Gumshoe

Although both his father and grandfather were detectives,

Raymond received a clear sign from the universe to NOT become a gumshoe.

Gwen Stefani on the Key to Creativity and Success (Gwen, Part II)

Gwen on being the truest artist possible.  Focus on the love of your art and not on the money.  She continues to be such a rare, grateful, truly talented inspiration to me.  You've come a long way from that light, blue-haired girl wearing a bindi in the early '90's.  Oh, yes, girl, I remember. (-;

For the Record (CBS Sunday News): Gwen Stefani Part 1

Oh, I love Gwen Stefani SO MUCH!  I have followed her since she first appeared on the scene with No Doubt back in the '90's...that's a long, long time.  She's such a humble, true, real, kind person and artist!  I've watched this over and over and thought, surely some of my peeps would like to read it, too.  I'm very protective of her.  I couldn't be happier for you, Miss Gwen.  Congrats on being #1 on itunes and having your first #1 on Billboard's 200.  I'm hoping you get a Grammy acknowledgement next February for your emotional, happy, sad, honest, hit-filled work.

Necks Outstretched to Great Effect

Necks Outstretched to Great Effect

This baby hung around for quite some time, maybe a month or so.  I wasn't sure where I was headed with it until it told me.  I guess it was shy at first to make its appearance, but I'm quite in love with it now that it has fully revealed itself. (-;

Ballerina with Calculations

Goodbye accounting class.  I am now purely back to my obsession with art, and my soul feels better already.  It's quite clear that my only purpose on this earth is to create.

Richard Had to Buy a Baby Lawnmower to Keep Up with His Haircuts

Richard was blessed with fast-growing hair, but it was a curse as well.  It was like he had rows of premium sod adhered to his scalp.  He was starting to run out of money just to keep up with a presentable appearance.  He liked his barber, but he didn't want to hand over his entire paycheck each week!  Instead, Richard resorted to buying a baby lawnmower and started to groom himself.

Finger Shooter

Here's a little camera perspective.

Finger Shooter

La Silla (and Ebert)

There's more layers and different media in here than I can recount.  I had fun making this, playing around with it for days adding this and that.  It's more vibrant in person.

La Silla

(Spanish for "The Chair"  (pronounced see yah), in case you didn't know.

Oh, and p.s., it's National Puppy Day.  Who knew?  

Here's a picture of Kman holding one of our dogs when he was a pup.  

Ebert, my beagle boy.

World Aswirl

Our world...

For the Love of Chocolate

I recently had a birthday, and I celebrated not with cake, but with the finest of chocolates!  My two favorite chocolatiers, Vosges Chocolates out of Chicago and a box of heaven from La Maison Du Chocolat.  I've gotten the latter delicacy several times over the years, and they never fail to amaze. If I can't visit Paris, at least I can pretend at home, n'est pas?  The confections are so intensely flavored and they dissolve like liquid silk down your throat.  Just incredible!  The "Salvador" is one of my favorites--"dark chocolate ganache with raspberry pulp from France."  You just can't imagine how intense that raspberry is!  Here's a few more to give you an idea of the lusciousness inside this brown box:

The "Jolika" with almond paste and pistachios,

the "Bacchus" - dark chocolate ganache with raisins flambèed in rum; 

the "Maracuja - dark chocolate ganache with fresh passion fruit juice and pulp; 

the "Cristal" with almond and hazelnut praline with crushed hazelnuts and grains of Maldon Sea Salt (OH MY!)

Well, you get the picture.  They're all incredible!

The Vosges box is also a dream and you can order from their website here:  http://www.vosgeschocolate.com.  Sign up for their mailing list and some coupon codes with come your way to help make these a little more affordable for you.  I was able to get 15% off of my box of milk chocolate truffles.  It made them all the more delightful!

Anyway, hope you celebrate your birthday exactly the way you want to as well!

La Maison Du Chocolate

Vosges

Some shots from a visit to one of my favorite stores:  

Anthropologie

I Existed on My Own Terms (Shannon L. Adler)

I created this drawing over a couple of quotes by Shannon L. Adler.  I'm feeling an affinity to those words.  It's never easy to stand by your own principles--it's a lonely endeavor.  It's easier to whisper one thing and then cover it with sugar to the public.  No matter how painful though, I feel called to live by the words of John Mellencamp:  "You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything."

You can read the full quotes below.

I Existed on My Own Terms

“I existed on my own terms. I was different my entire life. Some called me divergent, wild, crazy, unpredictable and unconformed—an apostate to the rules of the majority. I called myself God’s creation and found purpose in the madness. When that day came, I didn’t allow other people to dictate how I should feel or act. I learned there was no shame in imperfection because history had shown being different had the power to change perspectives and eventually the world. This is when I realized that flaws had responsibility. This was the day that I learned I was truly BLESSED.”

***

“The wise do not buy into other people’s perceptions of who they are and what they are capable of. Instead, they bypass a person’s public persona and see who they are in their highest expression. When you see actions taken with integrity, instead of words only, you will then know a soul’s worth.”

***

And then there is this most dead-on, nail-on-the-head piece:

“Sensitive people are the most genuine and honest people you will ever meet. There is nothing they won’t tell you about themselves if they trust your kindness. However, the moment you betray them, reject them or devalue them, they become the worse type of person. Unfortunately, they end up hurting themselves in the long run. They don’t want to hurt other people. It is against their very nature. They want to make amends and undo the wrong they did. Their life is a wave of highs and lows. They live with guilt and constant pain over unresolved situations and misunderstandings. They are tortured souls that are not able to live with hatred or being hated. This type of person needs the most love anyone can give them because their soul has been constantly bruised by others. However, despite the tragedy of what they have to go through in life, they remain the most compassionate people worth knowing, and the ones that often become activists for the broken hearted, forgotten and the misunderstood. They are angels with broken wings that only fly when loved.” 
― Shannon L. Alder

Scratches

Scratches

From 2/15/16

Ink, acrylic, pastel, oil on paper

Falsies Forever

I'm posting my creations a bit out of order.  This one was from last month,  but I just wasn't posting to my blog for awhile.  Anyway, it's just a few weeks old.  I thought she was humorous. (-;

Falsies Forever

Collar, Striped White

Collar, Striped White

I should be working on an accounting class I'm taking, and of course, all I want to do is draw and paint and visit with friends and not do accounting.  It's not that I don't like it nor feel great satisfaction when everything balances.  It's just that there's so little time in life, and I just want to put color to page or canvas more than anything.

Here's a brewery--Tangled Roots Brewery--which I went to with some friends this weekend.  The son of my former boss is the head brew meister, Meister Brewer. (-;

Vogue Runway - New Paris Fashion Designers

I just thought many of the clothes were so beautiful. Art comes in so many forms. I find the craftsmanship in some of these creations are just so beautiful.

Watch this on The Scene.

Loving Vincent - Animating Vincent Van Gogh

I think this is sooooo beautiful and so visually extraordinary!  Watch the video that follows this one as well.  It's a documentary on some of the painters and animators of the project.

For more information on this project go here.  For a concept look, go here.

Eyes Wide Set

Eyes Wide Set

(Black and White Version)

Just A Guy

Paper and charcoal.  If I were limited to only two art supplies, these would be it, and I would be a happy gal.

Just A Guy

She Realized Her Future Could Only Be Found In Her Own Two Hands

She realized her future couldn't be found in the stars or a crystal ball or in tarot cards, but rather in the palms of her own two hands.

As I said to a friend, oftentimes no one knows what lies with us.  Sometimes even we don't know...until we do.

(By the way, I fixed that double "or." (-;)

Happy Cold, Hopeful March

It had been feeling a lot like spring at the end of February, and then today, March 1st, the month roared in like a lion.  Cold and some freezing rain, but still, a promise of life from the cold ground.

Go ahead. Ask for the impossible.

I have to move backwards in time with some of my postings.  Not sure how I got so far behind in posting.  I'll try to get these in the right order.

Go Ahead. Ask for the Impossible