Small Things

 

Recently I came across this adorable tiny house -- so tiny that it would probably work for a family of fireflies.  In recent years these very small items have been in retail outlets as folks construct fairy gardens within their landscaping.   Regardless of your age, this is a really fun way to play in the dirt and use your imagination to create a magical space.  Actually it's nothing more than a potted plant and a few other props.  In this scene, the house, ladder, fence and windmill are easy to spot among the variegated foliage.  Such a playful small space with endless possibilities.  

Insert Originality

 

This work is a compilation of things I enjoy, including drawing repetitive patterns, using discarded cardboard as a canvas, and incorporating beautiful floral stickers as the center of flowers which I draw.  In this case the white marker pops off the page on the light gray background as it's terrific in contrast with the bold centerpiece and many yellow accents.  Finally, my hope is that this post inspires you to let yourself have some time to enjoy whatever it is that delights you, and the result will probably be something beautiful.

"To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong."

                                                                                  --Joseph Chilton Pearce

Visitors

Although these images are of mediocre quality, the subject matter is still terrific.  What's better than trees, a river, a blue sky with puffy clouds and feathered friends stopping by as they search for bugs?  Typically when I'm seated so close (approximately six feet) most birds stay higher overhead or further up the trunk but on this occasion I heard them arrive, looked up, reached slowly for the phone and was able to photograph them without interrupting their hunt.  Of course, I had to use the 'zoom' function on the camera which creates some distortion; however, I was thrilled to capture both of them in the same scene and still have a decent image.   And, just in case you wanted to know, the bird on the left is a nuthatch while that on the right is a woodpecker.

 

"A bird does not sing because it has an answer,

it sings because it has a song."

                                                                                                    --Maya Angelou

Pops of Produce

 

Currently in your garden do you have any of these veggies?  If you live in these parts, they'll most likely need a drink of water as conditions are very dry.  But, I found these beauties in a local market and spent most of my time photographing the produce while my husband scooped up the items on our list.  I'm fortunate he is patient and just goes about his business when I get immersed in something beautiful -- and that could be just about anything.  Today may you, too, spot something beautiful and spend some quiet time enjoying the view.

"The power of finding beauty in the humblest things makes home happy and life lovely."

                                                                                --Louisa May Alcott

It's Back

A few years ago this sculpture spent a period of time in Anamosa, Iowa, and now it's back.  And it's my understanding that with the area's ties to Grant Wood, there is a movement underway to have it become a permanent fixture in the city's downtown.  Anyway, as one views the images it's obvious that several humans could fit inside the piece of luggage, and the man and woman tower into the treetops with the background fencing being dwarfed by their overall height.

 

As an artist and native Iowan, I've always been fond of Grant Wood's work, and especially drawn to the widely known American Gothic.  In that 1930 painting the female model was actually Wood's sister, Nan Wood Graham, and the male his dentist, Dr. Byron McKeeby.   Anyway, when I heard that this sculpture was back in a nearby community, I wasted no time getting there to see the final portion of the installation.  Three crew members travel with the piece and are visible (notice the yellow circles) in the third photo.  Be sure to take a look at that image as seeing humans and a lift truck alongside the imposing figures helps relay the proportions to which this was created.

Lastly, the title is God Bless America and sculptor Seward Johnson.  More information is available at www.sewardjohnsonatelier.org

 

Perfectly Imperfect

 

The Zentangle® art method includes the idea that there are no mistakes but rather just more opportunities.   In addition to applying that principle to my artwork, I've slowly started to realize how fitting that is for so many things in life.  Anyway, I decided to post some of my work that I love but that also contains errors.  In particular, the bottom image shows a tangle that I am fond of but regularly seem to get those little white pods arranged in a way that is not quite what it is designed to look like.  And, I don't care because the contrasting colors along with the gold highlights still create a beautiful and unique pattern.  It's perfectly imperfect.

More Veggies

In these photos are some beautiful rich colors along with textures, lines, shapes and forms.  Just as noted in my previous post, I spotted these gems in a recent trip to the market.   The images are a feast for my senses as I mindlessly gaze and get lost in all the design elements.  Oddly enough I find myself so smitten with the artistic composition that I forget that these are actually items I could consume and how cabbage isn't tops on my list while beets are a favorite.  And, it's pretty fun to get lost in artistic creations.  Now I'm inspired and will put pen to paper....ahhhh... the little things are really big things.

"Life beats down and crushes the soul 

and art reminds you that you have one."

                                                                          --Stella Adler

 

Pretty Produce

After a year or more of exclusively shopping for groceries online with curbside pick up, I'm now keenly aware of all the beautiful things found in the produce department -- so much that I grabbed my phone in order to capture some of these gorgeous colors, textures and gifts from the earth.  The radishes were the size of small peaches while some peppers exceeded the length of my outstretched hand.  So often I am reminded of simple pleasures, and this trip to the market was like winning the lottery.

"It is the sweet, simple things of life 

which are the real ones after all."

                                                                                                                                 --Laura Ingalls Wilder