". Arranged Words

12 Dec 2017

Just Popping in To Say. . .

 Hello everyone,

Time has been flying by and Christmas will soon be here. I can't believe it! 
Because we put the tree up early this year, everything else seems to be falling into place with relative ease. I've sent out the cards and parcels, and most of the wrapping has been done.  Next week  more cleaning and a bit of baking and that should round things out.

In the meantime, I've been enjoying a few Amaryllis blooms and all that glitters both at home, in the malls and the snowy neighborhood.






A cute snowman. I find some of them rather creepy, so he's the only one I have.

A ship conjures up thoughts of home.


Paperwhites on the grow.

Backup beauty ~ on the way.



So...basically I just popped in to say have a Merry Christmas Day! 

If you do not celebrate Christmas, enjoy the holidays.

And my very Best Wishes to all of you for the New Year too!

28 Nov 2017

Wonderous Things

Hello lovely people,

I hope my U.S. friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I always wonder how you do it, with Thanksgiving so close to Christmas. Both times require a lot of preparation, so my hat goes off to you all.

Earlier this year, I made my way to Toronto and I thought I'd share a few pics. I saw a painting by Rubens that the AGO recently acquired for 150 million dollars.  I was vastly overwhelmed by the subject matter, so I didn't take a picture of it. However, with that said, it was amazing, vivid and looked like it had been painted yesterday.

"The Lady of Shallot" by Tennyson a favourite poem of mine has, thankfully, been painted so beautifully by John William Waterhouse. I am not sure how many he painted in that series, but they are all wonderful.

'I am Half-Sick of Shadows,' said the Lay of Shallot.

Click here to see a clearer version.

"On either side the river lie
Long fields of barley and of rye,
That clothe the wold and meet the sky;
And thro' the field the road runs by
       To many-tower'd Camelot;
And up and down the people go,
Gazing where the lilies blow
Round an island there below,
       The island of Shalott."
Tennyson
 
Loreena McKennitt's song "The Lady of Shallot." You can listen here.

 Monet


Lady with Soup. Picasso ~ Blue Period

* * * 

I absolutely love Greek sculptures.

A favourite of mine. From the palace of King Nebuchadnezzar ll. c 600BC.
I love to imagine what the palace was like.


A wondrous totem pole. Taken at the ROM

Georgia O'Keeffe.

 I made it to the O'Keefee exhibit with only a day or two to spare before the closing date. Pictures were prohibited.  However, this wonderful photo covered the wall at the end of the show.  And people were lining up to have their picture taken with Georgia.

* * *


My orchid has been blooming for more than two months!

In keeping with my usual winter habits, I've planted a few Amaryllis bulbs. I should have one in bloom next week.

* * *
"I've been absolutely terrified every moment of my life and I never let that stop me from a single thing I wanted to do."
Georgia O'Keeffe
Cultivate your dreams. 

'Til next time. . .

21 Nov 2017

An Artful Winter Wonderland



Hello there,

Thank you for stopping by.  As you can see we've had a snow storm that has beautifully covered the world. Although I am not enamored with winter, I do love a downy snowfall.

Humming and Singing " It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas."



A squirrel came out to check it out too. I think he/she was somewhat amazed. He kept jumping about like wow what's this.
Jumping for joy, or he has cold feet.  From my vantage point it looked like joy. It must be his first winter. (Cell phone pics...sorry about the quality, but even fuzzy joy is definitely worth seeing.)

 * * * 

These two paintings have been sent to a good home. 


I found a scrap of heavy paper, so I put it to use for this rose bud.

I added a few embellishments to this wee violet painting.

And a few embellishments added to this one too.Watercolour paper on a birch panel. First attempt at multimedia. A learning lesson for sure since I don't really now what I am doing. :)  Because framing watercolour runs into added expense, I am hoping to use birch panels for other paintings. I may finish the sides, although I do like the look of the raw wood. 
This one isn't finish yet. Normally you finish with two coats of spray varnish, and then apply  Dorland's Wax Medium.

Framed "In the Tropics"

* * *
"Kindness is like snow. 
It beautifies everything it covers."

Kahil Gibran

Cultivate your dreams!

Have a lovely week...