More blue birds...

The second week of The Summer of Color hosted by Kristin featured the color green with a hint of citron.
I started with the color citron to make yellowish-greeny flowers and then went from there. A green tree and the birds just came on their own. They happened to be blue so maybe I am thinking they will be related to the first blue bird. We shall see. When I was coloring in the blue of the eggs I got carried away and forgot I was working on tea bag paper which is fragile and so when I pressed too hard the paper broke through and I am not kidding I felt like I had just broken a real birds egg. The feeling is awful. So in the nest are two eggs and a broken egg. Such is life.
All of the birds seem interested in one direction and what are they noticing? Do they hear something? Smell something? Imagine something? We shall see!
Of course you know I am leaving a part of each picture unfinished in case I want to tie in a theme as I go along, or at the completion of the ten pictures.
Hope you are all having fun with this event, *smiles* Norma
P.S. I wonder what those gold round things are coming from the tree? Or are they coming from the sky? It is a puzzle.

Thanks for dropping in!

Come to a Fortune Reading Mad Tea Party!

Oh I do hope you will drop by. You are invited! We are reading fortunes. Our special guest, the Cheshire Cat was here earlier but had to rush off somewhere. But he will be back! He's left his calling card (a self portrait drawn on a used tea bag) so he would feel a part of the ceremony and left with these words..."I'll be back." So we are expecting him any moment. But meanwhile won't you join in?
We have been practicing tea cup reading and are having so much fun! So far, it's been foretold that crow will find a solid silver button and will be able to cash it in and move to warmer climes (it is hailing outside today so we've had to move the party indoors. It is June 25th! Four days ago it was the first day of summer in this neck of the woods!) And one eyed' Jack (the red jack-in-daw in case you wondered) will find a cashmere red knitted vest to keep him warm. He's lost his feathers many the year ago and shivers mercilessly. And henny-penny (we couldn't resist naming her that due to the child's storybook but we call her hen for short), well she will discover that she has a knack for cooking and will open a vegetarian cookery around the corner. The house wren will assist and go from table to table to sing to the clientele. Budgie will get a very very large new cage. So large that it has to sit on its' own table. This cage will be hand wrought in India!
And me? Well I will find my wings! Of course!
p.s. I do hope you like Turkish tea!

Thanks for dropping by, *smiles* Norma

To get back to the blog hop!

Tea and Scones with Dostoevsky

Today I decided to make myself a tea tray and go back to bed to read. I'd made a batch of scones so they were at the ready, and I put the water on to a rolling boil and set out a tea tray for myself. A while ago I finished reading "The Gulag Archipelago" which reduced me to ashes. Now I am reading Dostoevsky 'The Brothers Karamazov' and as I sat at the side of my bed munching on scones (I had two pieces; oh my!) and sipping my second cup of tea, I found myself wiping away the stream of tears that were falling down my cheeks. I am so apprehensive about a 9-year old boy (one of the characters) I am fearful may die. Gosh those Russian writers know their craft.
Well now it is now on to the daily things...

Blue Bird

The first week of The Summer of Color event hosted by Kristen has begun with the first color assigned being BLUE. I am working on used tea bag paper and have left some wiggle room for additions to my drawing in the event a story unfolds (of course it will!!!) and I might want to add an element or two later.


She sits on a branch looking out...dreaming...


There will be ten drawings in all to fill a skirt hanger. The next color is GREEN! So let's see where that takes this bird.

Thanks for dropping by! *smiles* Norma

Heart Rocks

In the mailbox an interesting looking package sat~a lovely surprise from Firusan, who is an artist friend that I met on line. I'd contacted her to ask if she might be able to send me a heart rock. Her art contains that element and I wondered if heart rocks might be more prevalent in her corner of the world. I've not found even one, here, in the years that I've been looking. So I thought that the heart rock had arrived.
But the package looked bigger than one containing just one heart rock. I carefully opened it and found a bundle of magic wrapped in deep burgundy tulle tied all together with a thin length of ribbon.


Inside I found a necklace art piece and a ladybug bracelet made by Firusan, FIVE heart rocks, and scattered throughout, lovely color images of leaves edged in gold glitter along with an image of a saint (my idea of a saint).
Firusan thank you for your generous spirit. You touch my life in a special way and I am honored to call you a friend. *smiles* Norma


p.s. Firusan's art necklace is made of a combination of very cool elements. The central focus is a stone with a natural indentation containing an added crystal, and encased in a hand crocheted wool cocoon of folding petals. The cocoon is embellished with impossibly tiny sequins hand stitched on to it, and with more crystal decor as well. It has a hand crafted clasp at the top on which to attach a necklace chain. I've got my eye out for the right chain.

Idyllic Dreaming

Today I began working on the first composition for the ten week long "Summer of Color" challenge hosted by Kristin at Twinkle Twinkle Like a Star. Each week we will be given a color and this first week it is BLUE.
I'd been wanting to work on the size of my new MOLESKINE and when I started mixing up some blue gouache I spotted out of the corner of my eye, a stash of prepared (dried and ironed flat) used tea bag paper. So I'll be using that as a ground. My subject is a blue bird from my imagination, who is dreaming. So the picture is called 'Idyllic Dreamer.' I've used india ink, acrylic paint, gouache, pencil crayon and rubber stamped lettering thus far, for this mixed media piece. I'm thinking very much of the fragility of things (and of life) as I am working because the paper is gradually tearing as I handle it. Everything is temporary. I love the metaphor.
Well you can see that the tea bag picture is hung from a clothing hanger (skirt) and at the end of the ten weeks it will be full. I have an idea to make a book but the muse will tell me what to do as time goes on. The hanger may be an installation piece.
Well nice chatting, and hope to see you soon. *smiles* Norma

Thanks for dropping in!

Blue is the color of...

The first week has the color blue for the challenge in the Summer of Color event.
I am planning to do paintings and mixed media compositions using a size to fit my new MOLESKINE book (5.5" X 3.5"). I might make a little book at the end of the project but will let the muse decide what will happen. It will be a surprise to myself as much as to anyone else.
All I know is that the color blue will be prominent in the first composition. So I will mix up some paint and see what happens.
Talk to you soon I hope, *smiles* Norma

Hearts

These are some hearts that have come into my life recently. The first picture is a grouping showing a tree branch heart laying on the road, with a large glass silver heart and two very small white heart shaped rocks from the beaches of Turkey.
Yesterday I noticed the heart shaped branch with leaves laying on the road in front of where I live. I didn't add to it and considered it a gift of mother nature and took a photo. I still cannot figure out how to rotate a photo so it's sideways (sorry).
Then later that day my neighbor gave me a heart shaped glass decoration. They reminded me of the rock hearts that were sent to me a few weeks ago by an artist friend that I met on line.
So I went back outside the next day and found the heart shaped branch laying on the road but by this time it had been run over by a few cars. One car was even parked on it; the folk were leaving so I waited to compose the shot. It's a bit worse for wear in the group photo.
Well my dears out there, have a good day! Talk soon, *smiles* Norma

MUDRAS

Yoga in your hands...
On my workdesk today is a small acrylic painting of the 'Ganesha Mudra.' The elephant Ganesha is the deity who overcomes all obstacles.
The painting shows the hand position for this mudra. While doing it, visualize the color red~perhaps a mosaic of all shades of red, or a persian carpet or a tulip petal. Focus on all of your senses while feeling the color strengthening and warming and widening your heart; giving you the courage to be open and confident.
The affirmation is: "I meet other people with courage, openness, and confidence."

I will be completing the painting of the hands proper, with shading and all, but wanted to get enough to show you what I am working on this week. The painting is small, 1" X 2" and is edged in very shiny over the top (gold) Indian trim.
This painting is meant to rest on a book shelf, or can be hung on the wall.

Thanks for stopping by! *smiles* Norma