Showing posts with label Personal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Personal. Show all posts

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Dia de los Muertos..

A celebration of life
and the beautiful memories of those
who are now gone...
but are 
living forever in our hearts...never to be forgotten.
(Please click on image to view details.)
 
"The day which we fear as our last is but the birthday of eternity. "
~Seneca

Friday, May 9, 2014

"Mom...N...Me"...

...just the two of us... 
having a zen filled artistic play date with our Muses...
painting
whimsical butterflies
and
making special memories
to decorate our
hearts.
Love you, Mom!
;)

"Happiness is a butterfly,
which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp,
but which, if you will sit down quietly,
may alight upon you."
~Nathaniel Hawthorne

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Happy Easter...


...from my little corner of the world...
to yours.
 
"I think of the garden after the rain;
And hope to my heart
comes singing,
At morn the cherry-blooms will be white,
And the Easter bells
be ringing!
~Edna Dean Proctor, "Easter Bells"

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Aspen Starfall...Remembering Sue

November 26, 1960-March 23, 2012
We continue to hold you gently in our hearts
and
think of you with a smile
each time
we remember the sparkle in your eyes...
the love in your heart...
and
the never ending strength in your spirit.
We see
you in the twinkling stars of the desert night sky...
we hear you
in the soft rustle of the Colorado aspens...
we feel you
in the soothing warmth of the western sun.
You are always with us.
We will
always love you.

"To live in hearts we leave behind
Is not to die."
~Thomas Campbell,
Hallowed Ground

Monday, March 17, 2014

Getting Back...


...to making fabulously free and wonderfully wonky drawings
in my illustrated sketchbook.
Each is made
lead free...ink straight in...
and watercolored a few days later, at home.
Sometimes, 
I feel like I need to draw...just like I need to breathe.
I have truly missed you, girl!
Ahhhh!
 
"Drawing is a frame of mind, a loving embrace if you will."
~Susan Avishai

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Life's Special Moments...

Thinking about you with love and joy
Lillian May Krahenbuhl...
an angel in heaven for seven years today.
 
"I'll be seeing you
In all the old familiar places
That this heart of mine embraces
All day and through.
 
In that small cafe
The park across the way
The children's carousel
The chestnut trees, the wishing well...
 
I'll be seeing you
In every lovely summer's day
In everything that's light and gay
I'll always think of you that way...
 
I'll find you in the morning sun
And when the night is new
I'll be looking at the moon
But I'll be seeing you."

"I'll be Seeing You"
Lyrics by: 
Brian Andrew Leisner & Hugh Thomas Morgan
Recorded by Billie Holliday


Tuesday, February 25, 2014

A Special Birthday Remembrance...

 ...of a beautiful, love filled soul:
Aunt Gretchen...
on this day,
may you continue to joyfully fly with the angels,
brightening our hearts,
and
landing softly on the shoulders of those you love...
comforting and guiding us
along our way.
We miss you greatly.
 
"May God grant you always...
A sunbeam to warm you, a moonbeam to charm you,
a sheltering Angel so nothing can harm you.
Laughter to cheer you.
Faithful friends near you.
And
whenever you pray,
Heaven to hear you."
~Irish Blessing


Sunday, February 16, 2014

With Forward Focus...

...I present here
my driving forces for 2014...
exploding like a cosmic blossom from my heart...
colorful, determined, and strong:
Draw,
Leap,
Cherish,
Love,
Inspire,
Give,
Learn,
Be.
That should just about cover it.


Wednesday, February 12, 2014

For Joyce...

 
"When you get to the end of all the light
you know,
and it's time to step into the darkness of the unknown,
faith
is knowing that one of two things will happen:
Either you will be given something
solid to stand on,
or,
you will be taught how to fly."
~Edward Teller

Painting by Albrecht Durer
"Wing of a n European Roller" (modified)
1512
Watercolor and Gouache on vellum


Friday, February 7, 2014

The HeART of an Artist...

...beats forever.
We miss you dear Robert.
Rest in Peace.
 
"I hope with all my heart there will be painting in heaven."
~Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Happy NewYear's Eve...



...to each and every one.

"An optimist
stays up until midnight to see the new year in.
 A pessimist stays up to make sure
 the old year leaves."
~Bill Vaughan

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Happy "91st" Mom...!




Simple things...
a homemade luncheon...
carrot cake...a candle...some apple fritters...
a 73 degree sunny, bright December Arizona day...
quality time spent together
laughing...talking...remembering...sharing...
 the love of family...
What lovely birthday presents, indeed...;)
xoxoxo

"Your birthday
is a special time to celebrate the gift of 'you' to the world."
~Author Unknown

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

From the Memories...


...of a Christmas "Past"...
...to the hopes and dreams of a Christmas "Present"...
I wish for your day to be filled with all the joy your heart can hold...;)
xoxoxo

"Christmas is the day that holds all time together."
 ~Alexander Smith

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

A Bit of a Holiday Kick-Off...















...spent with my family
celebrating the beginning of the Christmas season
 Arizona desert style...;)

"Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life!"
 ~Albert Einstein

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Happy October All!

I celebrate the birth
of my most favorite month of the year
with
an ATC sized white ghost pumpkin card all star dusted
and happily nested in her
desert digs...
a hint of what is to come...very, very soon.
Only three days remain of our seasonal love affair
in the Midwest... 
making today somewhat truly bittersweet...;)

"Bittersweet October.
The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause
 between the opposing miseries of summer
and winter."
~Carol Bishop Hipps,
"October," In a Southern Garden, 1995

Sunday, July 28, 2013

A Mirror Image...

...and some floral play...designed with a reverse batik effect to
celebrate the 11th birthday of
my lovely twin nieces
Joya and Jillian.
What joyful delight you bring to our lives...
you make our hearts sing and and our spirits dance!
My love to each of you...xoxo

"Our birthdays are feathers in the broad wing of time."
~Jean Paul Richter

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

The Flutter of an Angel's Wings...

Heaven holds one more angel tonight...my dearest aunt Gretchen.
Knowing her made one feel blessed.
Sending thoughts of peace and love to my uncle Skip
and
their beautiful family.

"May we live in peace without weeping.
May our joy outline the lives we touch without ceasing.
And may our love fill the world,
angel wings tenderly beating.”
~An Irish Blessing

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Seeking Zen...

...while painting a Persian blue sky portal...
perfect for a cloudy, blustery, cold Arizona day.

"Three things cannot be long hidden:
the sun, the moon,
and
the truth."
~Buddha 

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Sometimes...


...whether it be day...or night...
one just needs
"To breathe deeply...and move in curves."
~Katie's Grandma

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Illustration Friday: Wings

Wings...
they are beautiful...they are empowering.
They are fearless.
Whenever my heart uses hers
she becomes light.
She flies freely in the night...up amongst the stars...
gliding ever so peacefully, in curves.
She tip toes playfully
throughout the gossamer dream fields of the universe.
 Her imagination is tickled by stardust
and she giggles
with hope.
She recharges her very essence
by
just.breathing.deeply.
and
taking it all in.
When she returns home
she carries with her a newly invigorated spirit.
A spirit that is grounded...and positive... 
full of light
and full of peace.
She thrives and is full of love...
until
...totally unexpectedly...
her wings become useless...
clipped, crippled, broken, and bashed.
She becomes 
chained and tethered...unable to soar.
Buried in nightmares
of reality
her spirit depletes and allows no
revitalizing breaths in.
There is no light...there is no peace.
In the darkness she chokes and begins to smother.
Struggling,
she moves in jagged lines...
with harsh edges...leaving scars in her wake.
Her memories of flight and freedom...
the days of simplicity, innocence, and playfulness...
vanish
into an inky blackness.
Life's experiences, indeed, wax and wane between extremes.
Life is cyclical
and her lessons are oftentimes difficult.
Because of that
we must grasp daily as much revitalizing energy
as we can...
from whomever we can...
whenever we can.
To spiritually survive...
we must remember we have wings.
We must continue to use them to become light
and to fly and to soar...
no matter what the
emotional weather conditions
of the heart, the mind, and the body may be.

“Be as a bird
perched on a fragile branch
that
she feels bending beneath her,
still
she sings away all the same,
knowing she has wings.”
~Victor Hugo