Lost

This week we've come full circle at Inspiration Avenue,

from sun kissed to

Icy

The theme is courtesy of Lisa of The Write Stuff.

I enjoyed thinking cool thoughts even though 

I'm not quite longing for winter. Not yet.

Autumn, maybe. . .

I'm hoping to get this posted in time for

Paint Party Friday also.

It IS still Friday here, although just barely.
Go there and check out all the wonderful art bloggers
that have left a link for this week.

I don't have a story for this painting.

I don't know why the poor little fairy

has found herself lost and alone in a snowstorm.

Freezing cold without her coat.

At least she hasn't forgotten her mittens 

like those naughty kittens.

If she speaks to you and tells you why she's

trudging through the snow, would you let me know?

You may be stuck in a heat wave like so much of 

the Northern Hemisphere. If you are,

 go see all of the ICY entries at Inspiration Avenue.
Guaranteed to be refreshing!

Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge

Sun Kissed

Poor little mermaid is sun kissed,

but she's sad because she never gets a suntan.

All that sun and she is as white as can be.

Her old grandmother tells her, 

"Just think how young you will look 

when you are 150 like me."

This doesn't make her feel happier.

She wants to sit on the rocks above and soak up the sun's rays.

Her mother thinks she will become involved with the

nasty sailors who cruise by every day if she goes up to the rocks. 

"Stay away from there,"  her mother says. 

"Those sailors are nobody you want to meet!"

The little mermaid is just sooo bored.

She's thinking about sneaking up to sit in the

summer sunshine, anyway. What could be so bad about

those sailors? Her girlfriends say they are trés handsome and 

very tan from being on the ship's deck all day.

Besides, she's looking forward to creating an
awesome new hairstyle while sunning on the rocks.
She's had enough of all these bad hair days...

Visit Inspiration Avenue to see all of the
Sun Kissed entries!
This week's theme is brought to us by the talented
Stephanie of Dragonfly Design Studios.

Paint Party Friday

Friday once again!

When I worked 9 to 5 in my little cubicle, I looked forward to Fridays.

I'm no longer punching the clock (at least for now)

but there's a new reason to love Fridays.

Paint Party Friday of course!

My sunflower was going to be for Inspiration Avenue's

"Sun Kissed" theme, but now I have another idea for that.

It involves something I started a long time ago,

and I'm hoping to have time to finish it before Sunday.

The sunflower needs some more work.

I'm not really happy with it.

It's acrylic paint on bristol board...

I think I can add a bit more paint

without the paper breaking down.

Visit Kristin's and Eva's

Paint Party Friday

 to see some amazing art of every description!

Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge

November

The theme this week at Inspiration Avenue is

The Forest for the Trees

the inspiration of Judy,  from Judy Goddard, Artisan.

I love trees, and got to thinking about them.

I know it's easy to miss the big picture 

by concentrating too much on the details. 

But. 

The opposite is also true. Sometimes we miss 

something important by taking too broad a view. 

 Imagine . . . you're walking through the forest,

a chill wind blowing on a brisk November afternoon.

Leaves are underfoot, but none remain on the trees.

Easy to miss the entrance to a fairy domicile

tucked among the roots of an ancient oak tree. . .

Even though the lights are blazing and smoke 

from the cooking fire is pouring out of the chimney?

You might think the tiny lights and the moss-green door 

are some last bright autumn foliage.

And that pungent, smoky aroma . . . isn't that just

the smell of burning leaves in the November dusk?

Look a little closer. . .

If you knocked on the door to beg for some warmth

in the autumn chill, would you be invited in?

Lost and Found

Anthony of Padua with the Infant Jesus by Antonio de Pereda

I've always believed that miracles can and do happen.

I've even witnessed one or two.

But I can't say I've been one to pray to any given saint to

help me resolve a problem. Not since I was a student

at St. Thomas More School, anyway (back when dirt was new:).

Yesterday I lost my Sketchbook Project sketchbook.

Tore my art room apart looking for it and finally when

I was looking in the same hundred places for the

third time, I said to myself, how ridiculous is this...

if it wasn't there the first 2 times, it won't be there now.

So I gave up, and said a prayer to 

St. Anthony, the patron saint of lost articles. 

Not having any idea how or if my sketchbook would appear...

...skeptical, but hopeful and desperate enough to believe.

Some 15 minutes later, as I sat at my computer concentrating
on something else, a thought popped into my head from nowhere,

of one final place I hadn't looked.

You guessed it...there was my book sandwiched inside a stack of
Christmas CDs that I had quickly shoved into a drawer

with a bunch of camera paraphernalia. The book is small.

(come on Sketchbook Project People, 

couldn't you have sold us a slightly bigger sketchbook??)

I must not have seen that it was buried among the CDs.

This has truly amazed me, because I know for certain

I would not have found that book except by accident

at some much later date. When it was too late to

fill all the pages by the deadline.

Hmmm...has anyone else had such an amazing

experience with St. Anthony? Or, as I believe,

been allowed to tap into the power we have in our

brains by the energy that is "St. Anthony"?

****************

OK, now for some BIGGER news than my lost sketchbook.

(Saving the best for last :)

Last Saturday, I was able to meet up with Lisa,

(of Priti.Studio) in Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania, US,

for those who live far far away).

Lisa had to travel here to pick up her daughter Mia,

who, amazingly, has been studying dance 

in Pittsburgh for the past six weeks. 

It started with a chair which sadly wasn't able 

to come because of size issues :)

But it was still a chance to meet up with one of my

Inspiration Avenue buddies and favorite artists.

Yay! Here we are in Oakland 

checking out the shops and restaurants.

Photo was taken by Lisa's friend Deb, 

whom it was also a pleasure to meet!
Deb is full of energy and kept us moving along.
(Lisa and I might just have stayed in the
used book shop 'til nightfall :)

The morning went quickly, and soon it was time for 

Lisa and Deb to go to Mia's performance.

So off they went, and off I went, picking up some
fresh corn for dinner on the way home.

All in all, a lovely Saturday!