Making a "Flower Play"...

 Tilting...

 Turning...

 Tumbling...

Twisting...

and feeling totally

light hearted and mischievous...

listening to the tantalizing tunes of Sade

and

wishing each of you a terrifically cool and jazzy kind of day.

“It is better to play than do nothing.”

~Confucius

The Long...

 ...and short of it...

Above are a few of the watercolored bookmarks I made

as art favors

for the 18 participants in my

Whimsical Watercolor Botanical Design class

Thursday, June 7th 2012

held in our local art club studio here in Arizona.

Click on any image to enlarge if you like...:)

 We worked on leaves in the morning ...

 ...then we all took a break for lunch and ice cream cones...

 ...and designed whimsical watercolor flowers in the afternoon. :)

My students...new friends...Studio 2...and lots of smiles.

Wheee!

"Every child is an artist.

The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up."

~Pablo Picasso

"Artistic Play..."

...made by

simply splashing on some watercolor

and

allowing my pen to dance and my soul to sing.

"Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot.

In your soul

are infinitely precious things

that cannot

be taken from you."

~Oscar Wilde

"A Past Post Remembering..."

...those who gave their all this Memorial Day.

"Love your country and live with pride

And don't forget those who died.

America can't you see...

All gave some

and some gave all...

And some stood through for the red, white and blue

And some had to fall.

And if you ever think of me...

Think of all your liberties and recall

Some gave all..."

~BillyRay Cyrus

"Designer Fabrics..."

...for everyday use and casual lifestyles seem to be

a popular marketing trend

lately.

Options and price points can range

from upper end Marimekko of Finland designs at

Crate and Barrel stores...

(I remember craving these designs in the early 70's...

and STILL loving them now...)

to the latest arrival/reveal (just yesterday, actually)

from "across the pond"

of the incredible more affordable collection

by Liberty of London for Target.

Shopping is certainly becoming an artistic adventure!

So I was thinking...

what about a "Water Blossoms of Arizona"

collection making it big time

somewhere??? LOL :)

Ah yes!

We must all have a dream!

All one has to do is take that first step...get this...

you can click HERE

for a link to a site called Spoonflower

which will actually take your artwork and

print it on fabric!

The wonderfully imaginative Jane LaFazio

did just exactly that....you can see her results here!

Now how cool an idea is that !!!???

Happy Blooming Tuesday! :)

"We live in a web of ideas, a fabric of our own making."
~Joseph Chilton Pearce

"I Got Blasted..."

...on the 4th of July

by a miserable migraine which planted itself

deep into my head...choking off

my visual acuity with a vengeance.

Drawn here she appears fairly fanciful...but let me tell you

looks deceive!

She eventually abated...but...

whether it was due to a heavy dosage of meds or the

liberal use of my Pitt Pen

(and strains of smooth jazz wafting in the background...)

"the jury is still out..." :)

"Imagination is not a talent of some men,

but is the health of every man."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"IF: Adapt..."

...to the changes in your life and your art...from bud to blossom...

from light to dark...from paint to pen.

Adapt.

Happy Blooming Tuesday!

"The wise adapt themselves to circumstances,

as water moulds itself to the pitcher.”
~Chinese Proverb

"A Fantasy Flower..."

...Painted while feeling a bit frisky and playful a long while back.

She was then scanned, flipped using digital editor

and posted

for the first time today...

...all while waiting

for the energetic version of my artistic Muse to at long last reappear!

Have you seen her???

"Often the Muse will not respond to direct and logical requests.

She must be lured in with the playful and gentle."

~Jill Badonsky

"Plant Your Heart..."

in a good place...this Earth Day...

and this Earth Night...2009.

"I only went out for a walk

and finally concluded to stay out till sundown,

for going out,

I found, was really going in."

~John Muir, 1913

"Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth

are never alone or weary of life."
~Rachel Carson

"The earth is what we all have in common."
~Wendell Barry

"Spring Fling #5..."

...Spreading creative wings...paint first...then ink! :)

"St. Patrick's Day is an enchanted time -

a day to begin transforming winter's dreams

into summer's magic."

~Adrienne Cook

"Spring Fling #2..."

“There aren't enough days in the weekend.” :)
~Rod Schmidt

"No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn."
~Hal Borland

"Springtime is Blingtime..."

...so how about a whole week...full of...

...Bits of nature...all bejeweled for our fanciful fling...
each and every day...and all night long! :)

"Springtime is the land awakening.
The March winds are the morning yawn."
~Quoted by Lewis Grizzard
in Kathy Sue Loudermilk, I Love You

"Baubles-n-Baskets..."

"Faith is putting all your eggs in God's basket,

then counting your blessings

before they hatch."
~Ramona C. Carroll

"Striking Gold..."

...My newest paint order from Daniel Smith

arrived yesterday!!!

I chose some really fun

amazing colors...some are very granulating ...

some are very iridescent!

Here are some color tests...

This first one is scanned...

This one was photographed...Paper too large for the scanner...

(What!? Pre measure my paper???

Now that's a novel idea! )

LOL :)

This one is the digital flip of the one above it.

Even though

most people prefer the colors of my original pieces best...

I still decided to flip one view

to more deeply portray the layering and glazing of color

that happened here....

(Click on the images to enlarge for the best effect.)

The iridescent colors

float magically...like sheer veils...over the base colors.

They shimmer and sparkle and glisten

and take on a life of their own.

Interesting

how it's the little things make

us smile!

I really struck it "color rich" for sure.

"Some people weave burlap into the fabric of our lives,

and some weave gold thread.

Both contribute to make the whole picture

beautiful and unique."

~Author Unknown

"Deep Purple..."

...Dreams...

...all throughout the stillness of the desert Night.

For:

Lillian Mae Krahenbuhl

June 14, 1920...February 26, 2007

We love you and miss you each and every day.

"Soon as the evening shades prevail,

The moon takes up the wondrous tale,

And nightly to the listening earth

Repeats the story of her birth.

~Joseph Addison

"Late Night Playtime..."

My watercolor paint palette is one big juicy mess...

and

it needs to be cleaned up badly...really badly.

But...alas...

my heart wasn't in it last night...so instead...

I dabbled and doodled

with muddy smeary colors on insanely rough paper

while watching the full 3 hours of the "dramatic" Bachelor Finale

on television...Geesch!

I think I have lost my ever lovin' mind!

I am cleaning my palette

today.

"When television is good, nothing is better.

When it's bad, nothing is worse."
~Newton N. Minow

"Lost in Fantasy..."

...Inspired by...and drawn during

Wednesday night's episode of one of my favorite

TV programs...

"Lost" !!

And... it is also

G.I.V.E.A.W.A.Y...#3!!!

...a tag or a book mark...

...it measures 3"x 7"

and is

tied with a brown and turquoise

mandala patterned ribbon!

Leave a quick "Howdy Do" from your little corner of blogland

right here on this post...

Deadline is midnight Sunday February 22nd.

Join the fun if you like! :)

"Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves."
~Henry David Thoreau

"A Montage..."

...of more of my artful musings in Nina's Johansson's marvelous Maruman

"Multitude"!

This is my artwork on pages 17-20 of Nina's book.

(Click on images to enlarge.)

My artwork on pages 5-8, posted earlier, can been seen here.

You can also

check out the Maruman_X blogspot for more "goodies"

and any recent updates.

There will still be much more to see and enjoy.

Two books remain to be completed before being sent home to

Anita Davies in England

and

Jennifer Lawson in Bali.

"Spend time every day listening to what your muse is trying to tell you."
~Saint Bartholomew

"An Autumnal Array..."

...of natural beauty...bedazzled in jeweled tones.

"Where oils lumber...watercolours prance. "

~Doug Mays

"Shimmy, Shimmy..."

...Aspen trees...you shake and quake, no doubt...

Shimmy, Shimmy, golden leaves...shake it all about!"

~Me...inspired by Little Anthony & the Imperials :)

“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”
~Mahatma Gandhi

“Today is life-the only life you are sure of.

Make the most of today. Get interested in something.

Shake yourself awake. Develop a hobby.

Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you.

Live today with gusto.”
~Dale Carnegie

“You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.”
~Indira Gandhi

"Well I said shake baby shake.

I said shake baby shake.

I said shake it baby shake it,

I said shake baby shake.

Come on over

Whole lot of shakin' goin' on ..."

~Jerry Lee Lewis

Happy Shakin' ...Every Day Counts!