Take a little challenge...

The challenge for the week at Inspiration Avenue is  

English Literature

brought to us by our own English author Lisa of Wright Stuff.

While pondering what to do for the challenge,

I came across another fun little challenge:

A Little Gallery of Famous British Authors

Click the link above to take the challenge!

How well do you know the works and faces of these and other English authors? 

I thought I would do dismally, but I surprised myself.

Give it a try!

Happy Holidays!

A Coupon Sale

Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday...

Take 15% off anything in my Etsy shop.

Note: this sale has expired, but may be back

before Christmas! Thank you for looking!
 

If I may make a suggestion, here are a few ideas...

and a few more...

As you can see, my inventory is taking over the house,

and I need to make room for more!

I know. I sound like a commercial for a car dealership.

(Apologies to anyone who is actually a car dealer :)

Sale will go thru Cyber Monday and then I will rethink everything.

I feel so powerful saying that lol

Anyway.

Happy Thanksgiving 

to all who are celebrating it on Thursday.

And since I am so thankful for all of my blogging friends,

Happy Thanksgiving to EVERYONE 

no matter where you are :)

Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge

The Happy Court Jester

Harlequin ~ one of my favorite patterns ~ is the theme this week

at Inspiration Avenue, chosen by Stephanie of Dragonfly Design Studios.

A fun theme, and open to many interpretations!

Check out the gallery of entries later on Sunday at Inspiration Avenue.

This carefree kitten is cavorting happily throughout the court.

I hope he is not tried for treason for having King Edward's head on a stick. 

Beware, Kitty!

Pray his antics will be so pleasing that the King will 

overlook the infraction. Better dance and sing for your life, Kitty!

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

Can you tell I've been reading historical novels again?

I just finished reading about King Philippe IV of France.

Now there was a king who believed in getting what he wanted.

And had the henchmen to carry out his wishes.

The book is The Crown and the Kingdom by Jeannette Angell.

I enjoyed it very much. If you like historical novels, this is a good one!

Paint Party Friday and the butterfly effect

A page from my Sketchbook Project journal

 I wanted to have something for PPF even though I am late.

This is a page I am still working on in my

long-neglected Sketchbook Project journal.

Not as much actual "paint" as I usually use,

since I am exploring the art of needlework for the 

Inspiration Avenue weekly challenge.

Also not much "needle" work here since I caved

and used a lot of glue! Love glue...so much quicker and *safer*

than pricking your finger with a needle every few seconds :D

For the IA challenge, I am going to try to do a little

actual sewing in my piece. Friday already, and I

haven't started it yet...but I'll think of something.

In the meantime, visit Paint Party Friday

and check out what's new there!

One more thing to post.
I am linking this portion to the butterfly effect where
the theme is cats this week, go check it out!

Since I am obsessed with fabric right now,

here is a little brooch that was fun to make.

Not much painting here though, just the green background :)

{I have noticed that I seem to feature quite a few ginger cats

in my art. Neither of my current kitties is orange.

I had a ginger cat named "Boy" when I was twenty-something.

Perhaps I have never gotten over that I let him outside one day,

and never saw him again. Yep, I still grieve when I think of him.}

Here is Boy

(yikes, this is over 30 years old.)

Our current kitties do not go outside.

Art Nouveau Challenge ~ IA

Klimt? Or Mucha? Maybe neither one . . .
 

Once again, I stumped myself with my own challenge.
I think I just pick a subject that sounds wonderful
without pausing to think if it will be near impossible to draw or paint.
And worry about it later.

I'm not sure if this emulates the art nouveau style.
Maybe with a bit of my own style thrown in for good measure.
The patterns are a bit Klimt, the flowing hair and outlining are a bit Mucha.
But of course nothing like their masterful works.
It's based on Klimt's "Mother and Child" painting,
with the "child" being a little ginger cat :)

While looking at Klimt's paintings, I was enthralled with
 the patterns he used in the backgrounds and in the women's clothing.
Come to find out, his lifelong friend, Emilie Floge,
was a Viennese fashion designer and Klimt himself was very
interested in women's fashion. Together, they designed
loose-fitting dresses called “reformkleid” which freed women—
and men like Klimt, who wore them—from the constricting clothes of the day.
Now why can't the shops be filled with Klimt's clothing?
I would love to wear his dresses :)

Portrait of Emilie Floge by Klimt (1902)

Klimt in "reformkleid" dress


“I have never painted a self-portrait. I am less interested in myself 
as a subject for a painting than I am in other people, 
above all women...There is nothing special about me. 
I am a painter who paints day after day from morning to night...
Who ever wants to know something about me... 
ought to look carefully at my pictures.”
                                                                  — Gustav Klimt 

Stop by Inspiration Avenue on Sunday afternoon 
to gaze upon all the pretty Art Nouveau! 


Oh, on a different note ~
I have proclaimed my WIP "finished" ~
before I work it to fussiness.

It's a bit different than Friday's post, but I hope not overworked. 

Paint Party Friday

WIP

Doing something a little different 

(for me)

I have a bunch of 4 x 4 chunky canvases 

that I'd like to do some kind of a series with.

And *Faces* just popped into my head.

Not so amazing or different though, since it's what I like to 

draw and paint better than anything. Okay, so it's actually predictable.

I'd like to keep the style different from my usual whimsical faces.

Easier said than done, but I'll see how it goes :)

This first one is far from finished, but I wanted to post it for

Paint Party Friday

I don't want to over work it though...I'd like to achieve

a happy medium between over done and just plain messy.

It's kinda messy now.

Why is it that painting the sides of a canvas is so tedious?

Because it's boring, maybe...but I think people

like the sides to be painted, so I'll keep doing it. 

Happy PPF, don't forget to visit the party!