Rain and Life's Rhythms

 

Its raining today. Everything in me wants to sit with a nice cup of tea and draw while listening to the raindrops tap dancing outside. I am not unique with this thought. I've heard it so many times from others. The rain calls us to be still, to slow down, to be calm.  The birds outside are tucked away somewhere under large tree leaves or the eaves of a house.  Even the dogs and cats inside are more sleepy today.  

Of course slowing down isn't what we do.  We curse the rain or we choose to ignore it as we bustle around trying to get 36 hours squeezed out of 24.  I've been thinking a lot lately about the rhythms of life and how we press so hard against them.  It would seem to me that paying better attention to the patterns set by the Creator might be the wiser route to go.  That isn't an easy task in our culture.  

Our lists for "to do" are longer than our arms, and then just a few moments spent on popular social media is enough to remind you that whatever you might have gotten done today, surely you are behind what everyone else is accomplishing.   

I propose that we proclaim a respite from those dreaded lists and try, at least a little bit, to listen more to the rhythms of nature.  I propose at least one hour of each day be set aside to live life rather than run the list.  I imagine this will be life altering and life giving.  I'm going to try it.  I dare you to join me.

Wind and Honey Creations
Creative Pencils - Online Drawing Lessonshttp://creativepencils.com

In For A Swim

Me and Thee In for a Swim

Illustration Friday is a weekly event with word prompts. Although I rarely have time to participate, I think its fun when I do. This week's prompt word is "Swim". And, as usual, I do not have time to whip out something for that word. But, as it is, I already have a "Swim" drawing. So, I'm good to go this time. This is one of my favorite illustrative drawings. I had so much fun creating it.   I used graphite pencils, watercolor pencils, Inktense pencils, and Prismacolor pencils.  Whew!

New and exciting things are coming to Creative Pencils....  more information in just a few days.....
Well, I'll give you a hint....   It involves people who love to be truly creative.  




Wind and Honey Creations

Illustration Friday

The topic for this week's Illustration Friday is "shadows".  Some time ago I created this digital collage and until now have not used it.  It is a change from the mood I usually try to create with my art.  This was created on a particularly heavy and burdened day.

Wind and Honey Creations

Inspired by the Creativity of Children

In keeping with the theme of children's art in the last few posts, I've created an original collage for the Crowabout Challenge.  This is for week 87.  We'll just ignore the fact that I'm 2 weeks late.  This collage is entitled Through the Window and it is meant to make one ponder the creative thoughts in the imagination of a child.  I've always remembered fondly a quote from the old Muppet Babies cartoons.  Gonzo said "Who knows what weirdness lurks in the minds of kids."   LOL!   That would definitely have been true at my house.

This collage began as an original digital collage printed with archival pigment inks.  It was then hand embellished with a variety of artist colored pencils.  And then mounted permanently on a gallery wrapped canvas painted with acrylic paint.    It may be found in my 1000Markets Shop.

On another note, I've been gathering a few treasures from sales lately.  I thought I would share.   I bought this suitcase from Aunt Agnes (as her niece running the sale called her).  The others have come from various sources.

Isn't this pin cushion sweet?

There was nothing in the thread box.  But I thought the box itself had enough character to stand on its own.

Dancing Swans all in a row.

I bought the photograph of this woman framed.  It is not a print but an actual photograph in 11 x 14 size.  Is this woman anyone famous?  Should I be recognizing her?  I'd love to share her with you for art purposes. But would love even more to know something about her.  Feel free to download her and please share your work with me if you do something creative with her.

Quite A Pear!

The images for this mixed media collage came from the Crowabout Challenge.  I couldn't resist doing something with this lion.  I've played with the placements of the images digitally.  Then I embellished it with paint, colored pencil, ink, and a couple of metal pretties.  The image is then adhered to a vintage book cover.   The finished piece measures 5.5" x 8.5"  and is titled Quite a Pear!

On another note, I found this quote the other day in my stash.  I have no idea to whom to attribute it.  But of course, I love it!   "Veterinary research has learned that a cat's brain structure is similar to a human's and that cats make decisions by processing data from the five senses." 

Every Little Girl Needs A Big Brother

On this day four years ago, my brother Bill was finally released from his battle with pancreatic cancer.  I don't talk about that much.  So I will move on quickly to talk about what made him such a great big brother.  When I was three my father was killed in a fire and my big brother, 16 at the time, decided his little sister needed someone to act like a dad in her life.  And he volunteered.  He took me fishing, let me sit in his lap and think I was really driving that car, came home from college to take me trick or treating, and was my escort to the Blue Bird Father/Daughter Banquet.

When I was a teenager Bill lived about 10 hours away.  We visited his home a couple of times each year.  During each visit he would take me on a date for pizza or something - just the two of us.  He would act like a gentleman and treat me like a lady and tell me that was how I should expect to be treated.  Years later when I became engaged to my husband, Bill called, and with a smile in his voice, he asked who the jerk was that thought he would dare to marry Bill's little sister!  He was just a tad bit protective.

The worktable I use in my studio was Bill's kitchen table.  We sat at it and talked many times.  It makes me feel like my big brother is still a part of my creative endeavor to have the table in my studio.


Here is a collage I created for him when he first got sick.  It says "Every little girl needs a big brother".  And the sun is saying "Go Pokes".  The man's blood ran orange for Oklahoma State University.  And he did a good job of brain washing his little sister.  In Bill's last months his little granddaughter was just learning to talk.  To his delight her first sentence was "Go Pokes!".

Bill always loved me, always believed in me, and always encouraged me to be all I could be.  And I miss him.  I hope you have someone like Bill in your life.  And I hope you can be someone like Bill in someone else's life.

Mixed Media Monday

The theme for the Mixed Media Challenge this week is "I am Woman". I have chosen to focus on a woman in the making, one looking forward to the future with her dreams. This original collage is 3" x 5" and is for sale in my etsy shop.

Childish Dreams

This is my newest mixed media collage art. It is the first in a slightly different direction for me and also the first piece I have created as a direct result of my new venture into art journaling. It is a very personal statement on many levels.

The screen door started as a digital image then was embellished with paint. This quaint screen door actually lives propped between 2 trees just like this in the backyard of some artsy friends of ours. The 2 quotes are Dream the dreams of a child and There lies within each of us the potential to be more. The little girl was painted with acrylic gouache and the rest is probably self explanatory.

Although I started this piece a while back, it fits in with this week's Melange challenge 'gateway'. I hope you enjoy it.

What a Wonderful World

This video was sent to me via email from a friend. The video is about the sweet relationship between a fawn and a kitten. It is precious and stands to teach us all something about how we can treat others that are different than we are. And the fact that the song in the background is by Louis Armstrong is just the icing on the cake for me. I've always loved him, even as a small child. My father was killed in a fire when I was three years old. My mother says that when I was seven we were watching Louis Armstrong on a TV show and I said I wished he was my daddy. I'm not sure what prompted that comment. But I wonder if it wasn't that captivating smile.

I hope you enjoy this video.