STORMY WEATHER

I love, love, love the rain. The " pitterin', patterin', beatin', spatterin' " sound of rain against my window comforts me. 


And when I watch a spooky, scary, ghostly movie, stormy weather makes the perfect companion. 








STORMY WEATHER ~ 2024 ACRYLIC ON ARTIST'S CONK






STORMY WEATHER ~ ETHEL WATERS 1933





Stormy Weather


Don't know whyThere's no sun up in the sky Stormy weather Since my man and I ain't together Keeps rainin' all the time Life is bare Gloom and misery everywhere Stormy weather Just can't get my poor self together I'm weary all the time, the time So weary all the time When he went away, the blues walked in and met me If he stays away, old rocking chair will get me All I do is pray the Lord above will let me Walk in the sun once more Can't go on All I have in life is gone Stormy weather Since my man and I ain't together Keeps rainin' all the time Keeps rainin' all the time I walk around, heavy-hearted and sad Night comes around, I'm still feelin' bad Rain pourin' down, blindin' every hope I had This pitterin', patterin', beatin' and spatterin' drives me mad Love, love, love, love This misery is just too much for me Can't go on Everything I had is gone Stormy weather Since my man and I ain't together Keeps rainin' all the time Keeps rainin' all the time

'Ah! What pleasant visions haunt me As I gaze upon the sea!' - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I'm haunted and bewitched by the beautiful celestial image I witnessed with my family on April 8th, 2024, of the solar eclipse. I find myself painting white suns these days. Even after bringing an unwanted hitchhiker home from the event, the tick : ) He, as well, was curious and wanted to see. I suppose he had an excellent place to watch from : )

The cliff and water need more work. Maybe add something else to the painting as well.

WIP ACRYLIC PAINTING 10 X 8 CANVAS

April Snow

April Snow

April Snow  6 x 6 Acrylic Anna 2024

April snow turned spring into a wintry scene.
Winter - just catching up with some lost time.

🎵 A BEAUTIFUL MUSICAL COVER OF YANNI  BY WHITE KNIGHT INSTRUMENTAL 

HEART'S DESIRE ~ A WOOD OF MY OWN

I always like to change things in my paintings as I paint and return to them often. Looking at the painting in a different light of day helps me see things I might have missed the day before. I wasn't sure about leaving the trunks without their leaves needles. When I finally decided to add the needles to the trees, I was happy I did. 

A pine stand in the woods is always fragrant and delightful. 

HEART'S DESIRE ~ A WOOD OF MY OWN

~Anna 2024

March 




by William Cullen Bryant




The stormy March is come at last,

With wind, and cloud, and changing skies;

I hear the rushing of the blast,

That through the snowy valley flies.




Ah, passing few are they who speak,

Wild stormy month! in praise of thee;

Yet, though thy winds are loud and bleak,

Thou art a welcome month to me.

LOVELY ARE THE WOODS IN SPRING ~ THE HIDEOUT

 LOVELY ARE THE WOODS IN SPRING ~ THE HIDEOUT
One month is past, another is begun,
Since merry bells rang out the dying year,
And buds of rarest green began to peer,
As if impatient for a warmer sun;
And though the distant hills are bleak and dun,
The virgin snowdrop, like a lambent fire,
Pierces the cold earth with it's green-streaked spire
And in dark woods, the wandering little one
May find a primrose. Hartley Coleridge
I believe I'm done. 

 

 

 

 

There Be Ghosts

There Be Ghosts
There are no ghosts to see, just a feeling of loneliness in the stillness of the woods. The faint chirp of a single bird echoes in the lonely grove.
First coat of paint. I shall take my time with this painting.
I love watching Columbo and Perry Mason while I paint. There is something magical about my old favorites; they help me focus on my work. 

WIP 20 X 14 OVAL STRETCHED CANVAS

SALEM ~ A HALLOWEEN PAINTING

 

★★★★SALEM ★★★★ 2023




Handmade Original 
Measures 10 x 8 
Material : Acrylic Painting
Signed and Dated


~Artist retains copyright ownership and all reproduction rights to the artwork.
©AnnabelleandM


I couldn't sleep but I remembered my dream... Salem returned.


Here is a spooky cute poem by
Ian Serraillier,


"Ian Serraillier was an English novelist and poet. He retold legends from England, Greece and Rome and was best known for his children's books, especially The Silver Sword, a wartime adventure story that the BBC adapted for television in 1957 and again in 1971." ~ Wikipedia 


‘The Visitor’, by Ian Serraillier


A crumbling churchyard, the sea, and the moon; The waves had gouged out grave and bone;


A man was walking, late and alone...


He saw a skeleton on the ground; A ring on a bony finger he found.


He ran home to his wife and gave her the ring. “Oh, where did you get it?” He said not a thing.


“It’s the loveliest ring in the world,” she said,


As it glowed on her finger. They slipped off to bed.


At midnight they woke. In the dark outside, “Give me my ring!” a chill voice cried.


“What was that, William? What did it say?” “Don’t’ worry, my dear. It’ll soon go away.”


“I’m coming!” A skeleton opened the door. “Give me my ring!” It was crossing the floor.


“What was that, William? What did it say?” “Don’t’ worry, my dear. It’ll soon go away.”


“I’m reaching you now! I’m climbing the bed.” The wife pulled the sheet right over her head.


It was torn from her grasp and tossed in the air: “I’ll drag you out of bed by the hair!”


“What was that, William? What did it say?”


“Throw the ring through the window! THROW IT AWAY!”


She threw it. The skeleton leapt from the sill, Scooped up the ring and clattered downhill, Fainter... and fainter... Then all was still.


★★★★Salem was one of our rescues, a very special cat who had a sixth sense I'm sure.★★★★

ORIGINAL PAINTING ON SALE HERE: 

ANNABELLE & M

A GHOST'S GARDEN @ MIDNIGHT

A GHOST'S GARDEN @ MIDNIGHT

PRINTS AVAILABLE ON ETSY 

ANNABELLE AND M

A Ghost's garden at midnight: unkept, purposely, for a garden planted by human, supernatural, the birds and the bees was the best garden to have. Its wild beauty was unmatched by any other properly maintained garden specimen. Florence loved it that way, and so did his visitors who came.

On hot summer nights, Florence's favorite thing to do was to stroll barefoot in the garden and breathe in the flower's sweet perfume. Every once in a while, clover magically appears between his toes. Florence was amused by how the clover always wanted to dress his feet.

HAPPY EASTER 🐣🐇

HAPPY EASTER 🐣🐇

Well, I’ve wrestled with reality for 35 years, Doctor, and I’m happy to state I finally won out over it.

SWEPT AWAY TO ANOTHER WORLD - IS THERE LIFE ON MARS?

SWEPT AWAY TO ANOTHER WORLD - IS THERE LIFE ON MARS?

The crashing waves on a hot summer's day playfully mix with the crescendos of Life on Mars that's playing inside my head. Dreaming under a shy sun, we have been swept away: to another world. Is there life on Mars?

WIP  

★ LEFT SIDE OF PAINTING IN THE SAND SPELLS BOWIE ★

"HE IS NOT DEAD HE IS LIVING ON MARS"@niallooo

"Believe nothing you hear and half of what you see." 

A mother/daughter Ghostly Adventure, writing together for the first time about their favorite subject, the supernatural.

♥️ Annabelle & M ♥️ FLORENCE BLUME -MERRICKVILLE

© 2023

LIFE ON MARS


It's a God-awful small affairTo the girl with the mousy hair
But her mummy is yelling, "No"
And her daddy has told her to go
But her friend is nowhere to be seen
Now she walks through her sunken dream
To the seat with the clearest view
And she's hooked to the silver screen
But the film is a saddening bore
For she's lived it ten times or more
She could spit in the eyes of fools
As they ask her to focus on
Sailors fighting in the dance hall
Oh man, look at those cavemen go
It's the freakiest show
Take a look at the lawman
Beating up the wrong guy
Oh man, wonder if he'll ever know
He's in the best selling show
Is there life on Mars?



It's on America's tortured brow
That Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow
Now the workers have struck for fame
'Cause Lennon's on sale again
See the mice in their million hordes
From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads
Rule Britannia is out of bounds
To my mother, my dog, and clowns

But the film is a saddening bore
'Cause I wrote it ten times or more
It's about to be writ again
As I ask you to focus on



Sailors fighting in the dance hall
Oh man, look at those cavemen go
It's the freakiest show
Take a look at the lawman
Beating up the wrong guy
Oh man, wonder if he'll ever know
He's in the best selling show
Is there life on Mars?


- DAVID BOWIE **** "HE IS NOT DEAD HE IS LIVING ON MARS" @niallooo

 

“A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word to paper.”E.B.WHITE - WRITING A GHOST STORY

WRITING A GHOST STORY 👀

I am a romantic for ghost stories. 

Spooky, mysterious, and entertaining spooks on tv always trap me for an hour or two in telling their scary tales. I believe many people believe in ghosts. I never was one to keep a bucket list, although I do have a few things on a list I would like to achieve before that time; writing a ghost story is one. I wish I could write, and I wish I could paint, I wish I could play the piano. Unfortunately, I do none of those things well. My writing is atrocious. If not for Grammarly and my daughter, I would be lost. Still, I have the desire to write a spooky story. A couple of quotes by E.B. White, one of my favorite authors, inspire me to keep writing. “I admire anybody who has the guts to write anything at all.” And ... “A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word to paper.” ― E.B. White. So true. M, my daughter, is my ghostwriter. We are collaborating on this ghostly tale. I recently watched Eugene Levy's, 'The Reluctant Traveler. He met up with a gondolier in Venice and talked about working with their kids. Mr.Levy mentioned how much he had enjoyed working with his son Daniel for seven years. So now, mother and daughter are working together on a ghost book. Today is my birthday; I turn 66. I was born on March 10th, 1957, a wonderful year. And the year I die, well, hopefully, be just as wonderful. No matter how difficult, I want to reach my goal; write the ghost book with my daughter. In the end, I leave behind an artistic legacy for my children. When one has a will, there is always a way. ♥️ Annabelle & M ♥️ © 2023 @batandmaggie

MAGGIE

BAT

STORMY, STORMY, STORMY WEATHER

A perfect stormy night for a good sleep, the old ghost thought. 

It poured and rained, such a sweet sleep filled with dreams of his earthly life and memories. Stormy, stormy, stormy weather was his favorite weather.

And then, the sounds of the thundering storm were interrupted by the breaking of glass. Ghost got out of bed and went downstairs to investigate who had disturbed his sleep: a baby owl; perched on the broken window pane. Maggie and Bat were wondering why he was there.







The day is cold, and dark, and dreary;

It rains, and the wind is never weary;

The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,

But at every gust the dead leaves fall,

And the day is dark and dreary.




My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;

It rains, and the wind is never weary;

My thoughts still cling to the mouldering Past,

But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast,

And the days are dark and dreary.




Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;

Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;

Thy fate is the common fate of all,

Into each life some rain must fall,

Some days must be dark and dreary.

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

A mother/daughter Ghostly Adventure, writing together for the first time about their favorite subject, the supernatural. ♥️ Annabelle & M ♥️ © 2023 @batandmaggie (Daughter's instagram account)

PORTRAIT OF CAPTAIN GREGG - THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR

CAPTAIN GREGG

Portrait of Captain Gregg - Sea Captain Oil Painting Digital Download Art Hi-Res JPEG - The Ghost and Mrs. Muir Classic Movie Art The other day I discovered this print of Captain Gregg, the ghost from the 1947 movie classic "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir", one of my all time favourite ghost movie with Rex Harrison and Gene Tierney. I thought where I would hang it and my art studio is the perfect place. So I bought the digital portrait of Captain Daniel Gregg from Sylvester's Charts on Etsy. It's on sale, so a good time to buy it. Now to make a print and find the perfect frame. Constance Metzinger did an amazing job on the portrait of the Ghost Captain. Love♥️

"INFO: This is a newly painted portrait in oil of Captain Daniel Gregg, the famous sea captain featured in the classic film "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" ( 1947 ). Before the handsome Captain Gregg ( Rex Harrison ) became a ghost and haunted Gull Cottage, he had this portrait of himself painted which Lucy Muir ( Gene Tierney ) had hanging up in her bedroom. 

The original painting used in the film was painted over for use in the 1968 television series "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir". This oil painting was painted by Constance Metzinger in 2022 and replicates the one seen in the film. "

The Road So Far iWIP

The Road So Far ... WIP oil painting ... still some details to add.

Remember I did say it takes me forever to do a painting but In the end I have to be happy with it. 

This painting has been a long time coming. My aunt who lives in Little Rock loves wolves and asked me to paint her one like 2 years ago ; the wolf happens to be her spirit animal. Anyway, I finally tackled the project. Never painted a wolf but so far I like him. I didn’t like the witch in the cloak so I removed it and gave her a dress. Still need to work on her hands ( a first again for painting hands) and shade her dress , face and shading the baby wolf and papa wolf. Hope you like the painting so far, Pat. Oh, and yes , Supernatural has inspired me in many ways as well as my daughter’s stories she is writing for Supernatural Fan Fiction. So proud of her. My writer in residence🎃♥️@BATANDMAGGIE

Watching the last season with my daughter and husband. Amazing show🧡🎃🧡🎃

MOONSTRUCK ON CAT ISLAND AND HAPPY CATURDAY 🐾🐾🐾🐾🐈‍⬛

I HAVE LOVED AND ADMIRED SIDNEY POITIER ALL MY LIFE. THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM ON FILM WAS "TO, SIR WITH LOVE" AND FROM THAT IST PERFORMANCE I KNEW HIS KIND SOUL. I COULD FEEL IT RADIATE THROUGH THE TELEVISION SCREEN.

SIDNEY POITIER WAS BORN ON AN ISLAND TUCKED FAR AWAY IN THE BLUE WATERS OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA. CAT ISLAND IN THE BAHAMAS WAS HIS HOME. WHAT A MAGICAL PLACE IT MUST HAVE BEEN. IT WAS HERE ON THE TINY ISLAND HE WAS TAUGHT BY HIS PARENTS THE VALUES AND MORALS TO KEEP CLOSE TO HIS HEART ON HIS LIFE'S JOURNEY.

"IN THE KIND OF PLACE I GREW UP, RECALLS POITIER, "WHAT'S COMING AT YOU IS THE SOUND OF THE SEA AND THE SMELL OF THE WIND AND MOMMA'S VOICE AND THE VOICE OF YOUR DAD AND THE CRAZINESS OF YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS ... AND THAT'S IT"

I READ "THE MEASURE OF A MAN" BY SIDNEY POITIER, HIS SPIRITUAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY, AND FELL IN LOVE WITH HIM ALL OVER AGAIN. 

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BEAUTIFUL BOOK!♥️

THEN, JUST RECENTLY, I WATCHED OPRAH WINFREY'S DOCUMENTARY ON HIM, "SIDNEY". NATURALLY, I WAS LEFT THINKING OF HIM AND CAT ISLAND AND INSPIRED. 

BAT WEIGHING .8 OF A POUND THE NIGHT WE BROUGHT HIM INSIDE 

BAT ONE OF MY FAV PHOTOS OF HIM TAKEN BY MY DAUGHTER EMMA

BAT THIS MORNING LOL 

I PAINTED BAT, OUR BLACK CAT RESCUE WEIGHED A MERE .8 OF A POUND WHEN HE CAME TO US AND HAD LITTLE CHANCE OF SURVIVING, BUT HE WAS DETERMINED TO LIVE. HE WILL BE 6 YEARS OLD THIS OCTOBER 27TH. I DECIDED TO PAINT HIM IN MY REVIVED PAINTING OF "GHOSTS IN THE MOONLIGHT". WHAT BETTER PLACE FOR A CAT TO LIVE THAN ON CAT ISLAND IN THE BAHAMAS.

MIXED MEDIA OIL PAINTING ON WOOD 

MOONSTRUCK ON CAT ISLAND 2022 ANNABELLE ...I  FORGOT TO SIGN IT, LOL

THANK YOU SIR♥️

  HAPPY CATURDAY FROM CAT ISLAND 🐾🐾🐾🐾🐈‍⬛

INSTAGRAM POST WITH SOUNDTRACK FROM PRACTICAL MAGIC  - ALAN SILVESTRI

A WISH, A DREAM , A HOUSE , A COZY COTTAGE BY THE SEA

They say dreams do come true but do they come in disguise? 

COZY COTTAGE BY THE SEA

I kept this card for many years, hoping one day I would use it to announce we had finally found our dream house. But life doesn't always go your way, and when the pandemic hit, choices of homes were virtually nil, and the prices were outrageous! So, last June, I had an opportunity presented to me by my son to buy his new home. It took me ten months to decide on buying Tyler's house. In the end, we devised a perfect plan. We could buy a cozy cottage by the sea down east. Ty, talk with the Maritimers at work, and I'll start searching. : ) ❤️♥️❤️♥️🌊🏠

SEASONS OUT OF TIME - VELVET PUMPKINS

Velvet Pumpkins in blue velvet with tiny real pumpkin stems, vintage porcelain Forget-Get-Not flowers, german glass glitter, silver hearts and, dot confetti. 

 I'm living in the past in a season out of time, watching old film reels and creating old vintage souvenirs. Seasons out of time always seem to inspire me the most. I'm not sure if it's my longing for a season or just something from that time of year I miss. Maybe, there's good reason for my fanciful twists in the year. Maybe, I traveled here from somewhere out of time : ) Or maybe, it's just my way of living in my happy place.

 

A COUNTRY ESCAPE ♥️

A COUNTRY ESCAPE

Happy am I when I slip into bed-
I dream of a pastoral place,
A country escape,
And find heaven on earth

There’s a cottage @ Rideau Ferry, it’s name - “Heaven on Earth” and I think it is😇

This lovely mixed media painting is a treasure I found on one of my shopping trips, unfortunately, the artist didn’t sign their name to the artwork.

' Haunted ' by artist Stacy Guerra Rodriguez

This house is haunted!


'Haunted'


by artist Stacy Guerra Rodriguez

A haunting portrait to hunt my home - perfectly spooky! An original I recently purchased by artist Stacy Guerra Rodriguez of Coffee With Frida Inspired by Old Hollywood classic actress Loretta Young. Thanks so much, Stacy. Very happy, she now haunts my house.

"MAPLE SPIRIT " -The bLUE aRTIST, A Moon, and Cloud Study, and Then Inspiration Strikes!

"MAPLE SPIRIT " 

The Blue Artist - I'm afraid I haven't grasped hold of color mixing skills, or, for that matter, painting clouds, water, trees or the flowers, the birds and the bees, cats and dogs, just about everything there is to paint, but that's ok, part of the journey is learning the art. 
A few weeks ago, I went for a country drive along the Rideau River to look for pussy willows. I make it a habit to take a particular route home passing through Burritts Rapids, a tiny hamlet I love. Right before I turned onto county road 2, I noticed a few of the maple trees at Christ Church had buckets placed on them to collect maple syrup. Not wanting my coffee to get any colder since I had already left it earlier while picking the pussy willows I found, I opted to skip taking their photo. It was only yesterday I told my husband and daughter of the maple trees at the church.
Stan chuckled at the thought of collecting maple syrup from maple trees surrounding the church. He asked me, " Is that the same church with the cemetery at the back where we went for a walk last year"? 
"Well, he had the name already picked out, and my daughter, the picture in her mind; I just had to paint it. 
"Maple Spirit"; sort of sounds like a brand of maple syrup. Don't you think? And so, the moon and cloud study I was working on got a landscape below. Love how inspiration strikes.