Looking Back...

...in an attempt to clear the air...

to purge...

to tie up loose ends...to close the books...

to try to bind everything together.
Whew!

What we have here is
 one big "sketchbook dump"...
a plethora

of thoughts and illos and attempts to maintain my sanity.
You know...

I have been "here"...but, not really.

I feel badly about that.

This is only my 71st post of the year..

barely one quarter of what I have posted in years past.

The reason?
I haven't a clue...
other than the fact that this year
has certainly thrown a few curve balls my way.

Fortunately,

I have been able to turn to my Muse

for a wee bit of artistic therapy and spirit building.

Some of the pieces here will definitely

allude to that.

The above entry was blogged about here

and was drawn ink straight in...lead free...over a series of days.

Seeking a bit of bi-monthly resbit with my art tangling friends here.

My notes are hopefully self explanatory...just click on any image

to enlarge

for better viewing. :)

Sue's passing was bittersweet and difficult for all of us...

she was my sister-in-law.

She suffered for so long...was so young...and was loved by so many.

The trip back to Illinois left our hearts heavy.

I am blessed to have still have my parents with me...

we have had several close calls this year.

I am also blessed to be able

to let my soul breathe and grow through my art.

Waiting and being hopeful and calm have been a challenge.

Patience and the art of developing keen observation skills

have been my frequent companions.

I wonder what challenges will face me in 2013?

I surely hope I will be able to handle them

with a certain amount of

grace and hope and creativity.

Thank you,

each and every one of you,

for checking in on me...

and

even leaving a note

every once and a while.

I love that.:)

I plan to really BE HERE this next year...

I really do!

“The object of a new year

is not that we should have a new year.

It is that we should have

 a new soul.”

~G.K.Chesterton

Happy 90th Birthday...

...dearest Harriet, Heddy, "Sam", Mom, Nana...

We Love You...lots!

JW...

Peg and Scott...

Jack, Sharon, Vanessa, Steve, Myles, and Lauren...

Mark, Katie, Chris, Courtney, and Corey...

Susan, Dave, Joya, and Jillian.

xoxoxo

Pssst...Special birthday hugs also today for my dear friend Jan...:)

"Because time itself is like a spiral,

something special happens on your birthday each year:

The same energy

that God invested in you at birth

is present once again."

~Menachem Mendel Schneerson

Joy, Peace, and Love...

...to you and the ones who mean the world to you.

Merry Christmas!

Simplistic Relaxing Fun...

 in the mandala format of "Four Roses"...

and an "Opera Pink Floral" zendala.

I made these to use as examples

for a

"Whimsical Watercolor Mandala" Workshop

which I will be

teaching March 1, 2013...here in Arizona...

at my local art club.

These are NOT made coloring book style.

These are painted with watercolor first...then inked.

The final result is driven by the paint shapes

not the inked lines.

Pencil is used (in a compass) only to draw the original circle...

seriously...not a joke!

These were both

extremely relaxing and great fun to design.

Why not try one yourself?

My Muse giggles

just thinking about the possibility of making some more...:)

“The time to relax is when you don't have time for it.”

~Sydney J. Harris

Some "Seeded Zen"...

 ...another new piece from my Waterblossoms "Mandala Collection".

And

here she is...flipped into bedtime mode...

radiating a bit of nocturnal

serenity

for those who incessantly burn the midnight oil.

"Clear conscience never fears midnight knocking."

~Chinese Proverb

It's A Family Tradition...

...the Monday after Thanksgiving...

when we all gather

 to decorate

Nana and Papa's Christmas tree...

the twins

decorate my sketchbook...

...and, eventually, I decorate my blog.

Cheers!

“The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree

is the presence of a happy family

all wrapped up in

each other.”

~Burton Hills

Beading it...

...another work in progress...:) 

These are my 2 pages

in Paulette's Maruman Japanese fold sketchbook.

Paulette's theme is "Womens Accessories"

and as you can see above

by the time I received the book many options

had already been chosen.

This is when my latest copy of the Chico's

catalogue gave my Muse

some wonderfully beaded inspiration

and
I was off to begin the rough draft.

Once I had my idea...work in the actual book began.

The chain strap was the first thing

to be inked in...

followed by seemingly thousands upon thousands

of beads.

 

 Color play then followed...a rough draft first...

then some

serious painting in the book itself.

I added a crystal bangle for a little extra bling

and to also provide a nice lead in

for Barbara

the next, and final, artist in the exchange.

(Please click on any image to enlarge for better viewing.)

Above is the final scan of my two pages...

complete with an art club badge and a few art accessories.

Our own books will return home to us

at our final art exchange/wine party in January.

Hmmm...

What more might a girl want???

"Try to be inspired by something every day.

Try to inspire at least one person

every day."

 ~Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi