The Heralds Of Autumn
Woke up to a cold, gray morning. Brr
As I stepped out onto the patio, my ears were greeted by the squawking of geese overhead as they made their journey south. The heralds of Autumn.
Afternoon winds gently blowing against the curtains. The smell of old leaves and earth . . . Reflections . . . Recollections of all the past Autumns . . . Time slipping by . . . Sweet longing for a place where I can curl up unnoticed and sleep in the late afternoon sun … warm and comforted . . . safe and loved
Weaving ~ Creating ~ For now, this moment is all I need. x0
Journey Of Courage
It takes courage to try new things and explore uncharted waters. Especially when our inner critic keeps whispering in our ear . . . I wouldn’t do that if I were you! You really don’t have time for this! Remember how frustrated you can get with Photoshop!
Today, I played around with some photographs taken over the past couple of months, and tried my hand at creating a photomontage/collage using Photoshop & Painter 7.
I tried several different techniques I had read about, and ended up merging them all together in this one image. Some of the techniques worked and some didn’t, but I sure had fun!
Photoshop and I have an uneasy relationship, and one of these days I am going to take a class. I know it would make my life so much easier!
thought for the day;
“Another word for creativity is courage.” – George Prince
“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.” – Mary Lou Cook
Wednesday with Sunflowers
Today, I took a photo of this glorious sunflower and decided to take it into Photoshop, to play around with the image.
So for the moment, this is as far as I got on this project. I will add more as I go along.
The shape and form of the sunflower reminds me of a mandala.
thought for the day:
“Bring me then the plant that points to those bright Lucidites swirling up from the earth, And life itself exhaling that central breath! Bring me the sunflower crazed with the love of light.” – Eugenio Montale
“And here the sunflower of the spring
Burns bright in morning’s beam.”
– Ebenezer Elliott
It’s a Rainy Day
Well it has been a rainy day today in the bay area and it came down hard at times. I snapped this photo as the rain water gushed down our driveway.
I spent the day finishing up an acrylic painting I have been working on, and later I’m going to finish reading my book “The Artist’s Quest for Inspiration” by Peggy Hadden. This book is absolutely wonderful and very helpful!
thought for the day: The spirit, like the body, can be strengthened and developed by frequent use. And for this reason it is necessary for the artist to know the starting point for the exercise of his spirit.” – Wassily Kandinsky
Quiet Moments
Today I had my yearly retinal scan, during which they dilated my eyes. They gave me a set of plastic glasses to wear while my eyes readjusted.
I then left the doctor’s office and everything was bright and blurry. My husband laughed when he saw me wearing those big plastic glasses.
I guess I looked pretty weird. hehe . . .
Quiet Moments – Digital Collage & Photography
I knew painting was out of the question so I decided to create a digital collage using a photo I took of a tea cup.
Afterwards I had a cup of chai tea and a quiet moment to myself.
“Traditionally we are taught, and instinctively we long, to give where it is needed – and immediately. Eternally; woman spills herself away in driblets to the thirsty, seldom being allowed the time, the quiet, the peace, to let the pitcher fill up to the brim”. – Anne Morrow Lindbergh
We’re Having a Heat Wave!
Can you believe it’s 7 am in the morning and it’s already 84 degrees outside. The weatherman says we can expect triple-digit temperatures today. Our average temperature for this time of the year is 74 degrees.
This morning as I was watering the garden, Mr. Merlin (scrub jay) showed up for breakfast. He is such a character, he actually taps on our kitchen window with his beak when he wants to be fed. As I was finishing up, I saw him frolicking in our water fountain. At least he has found a way to keep cool!
Mr. Merlin in the Garden
Thoughts For The Day
“If modern man would use it, he could find old wisdom in his heart and clear his vision enough to see from start to finish and finish to start, the circle rounding perfectly.” – Tao-te Ching
Garden Roses – Photograph – 8 X 10 inches
Gratitude
Grow.
Remember.
Accept.
Trade.
Invoke.
Treasure.
Understand.
Delight.
Explore. – Unknown
The Morning Ritual of Coffee
A good cup of coffee is one of my favorite things in life. There is a wonderful coffee house we occasionally visit in San Anselmo, which has a lovely garden area. We love the “neighborhood feel” of the place, along with the friendly atmosphere.
There’s something so comforting about the delectable aroma of freshly brewed coffee, the hissing of the frothing machine, and people gathering together for their morning ritual of coffee.
The Morning Ritual of Coffee
“In Seattle you haven’t had enough coffee until you can thread a sewing machine while it’s running.” ~Jeff Bezos
“Good communication is just as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after.” ~Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Busy Day
I’ve been busy working on my new gallery, moving images from my old site to the new one. I ran into a few glitches, but I’m finally getting the hang of it. I still have a long way to go!
The flowers below are so magical, I took several photos to use as reference material for a new painting.
Brugmanisa
Beautiful Sunny Day
What a beautiful morning, the weather will be perfect for working outside. I plan on starting with our herb garden which really needs weeding and pruning the roses in the backyard.
I love gardening and the way it connects us with nature. We always have scrub jays, squirrels, and varying birds visiting our backyard, although for a couple of years I’ve noticed fewer songbirds. At least our lovely mourning dove is back, this morning I heard it cooing just before dawn.
