A PLACE OF FAIRYTALES AND DANDELION DREAMS

“If I’m honest I have to tell you I still read fairy-tales and I like them best of all.”

― Audrey Hepburn

I have dreamed all of my life to escape to a world that may just exsist after all. A place far removed from Human Society to one of a Humane Society. Somewhere quiet, serene, still beautiful and untouched by the human hand where all of God's creatures great and small are your neighbours and friends and of course some humans mixed into the equation for casual sporadic conversation when one feels the urgency to refresh their earthly presence.

I created the above banner "Tansy " many moons ago for my Etsy shop but never used it for the simple fact I was too lazy to go back into Dreamweaver to remove the name. Now, many years later I think I will tackle the work on the weekend since hubby rekindled my desire to work on my graphics when he brought home a business card with a picture of me in Bermuda on our honeymoon that he had designed; it definitely wouldn't do unless I want business of a different sort and with liabilities attached of false advertising lol! : ) So now I'll have to rethink the banner and a business card that will more suit the kind of work I do : )


It's funny how thoughts of the day play in the dreams of the night; many wonderful musings came to me as I slept and this was one of them.


The Dandelion Door ~  A Fairy's Home in The Countryside

Like the Spider Fairy Door, The Dandelion Door was constructed in the same way….see last post

I love the idea of a peep hole so it too got one.

A beautiful piece of drift wood was used for the tree which was attached to a slate base with a metal screw. I then nailed the door to the tree , the nails being both ecstatic to the design and purposeful.

Now a word of warning …. I should have known this and I did but still made the mistake because I was overly anxious to see it finished and resulted in losing the work.

This was my first attempt at drawing, wood burning a dandelion on a piece of birch wood needless to say, I nailed it too close to the edge and it broke! I love the design I drew so i will recreate another one when I get more wood. 

So that's it for this week. 

Don't forget to visit everyone on Paint Party Friday and thanks again 

Eva and Kristin

Until later ,

Annabelle

The Fairy Spider and her SpiderWeb Door

A work in Progress

I had a small wood circle and thought it might lend a touch of whimsy to a Fairy's Door so I went about creating a little Fairy/Hobbit Door. The shape of it reminds me more of a Hobbit's door to their home but being such a tiny door I thought it was meant more for a Fairy, actually a Fairy Spider would suit it best : )

Materials Used

Wood Circle

E 6ooo Glue

French Vintage Glass Button

Art Deco ? Earrings

Upholstery Tack

Inks

Silver Leaf

Wood Burning Tool

Sorry but when I wrote this post it was early morning and I was half asleep so I forgot to say that the spider web , spider and flowers were first sketched in followed by wood burning and then the silver leaf was applied.

I started with a light sketch of the web and Fairy Spider and then applied the silver leaf to the Fairy Spider and her web. I then went over the web threads with a metal tool to give a thinner touch to the Spider Fairy's web threads. The silver leaf is wonderful in mimicking the glittery gossamer silken threads created by the Fairy Spider. After that was done, I worked in the colours with inks. I also thought it be great to have the Spider Fairy know at all times who comes knocking at her door by enclosing a Peep Hole at her door.So I drilled a hold in the centre of the wood circle and added the glass button, when the Fairy Spider Door is placed in front of a light source a light shines through…..magical. 

I will now need to attach the Fairy Spider Door to the burled wood base 

and then I think I will add this Spider Fairy Door to my Etsy shop, I just can't keep holding on to everything : )

So until next time signing off and don't forget to visit everyone at PPF!

Annabelle ~m..m~

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Old Weir Bridge Killarney Ireland 

 “May your thoughts be as glad as the shamrocks, may your heart be as light as a song, may each day bring you bright, happy hours that stay with you all the year long.” ~ Irish Blessings 




Vintage Postcard courtesy ~ TSS PHOTO

Cottage By the Sea

Mixed Media Collage Painting ~ Cottage By the Sea

Sorry for the bad the pictures. ……Will try later to see if I can get a better image of the entire painting .

I have been meaning to do a mixed media collage painting for some time now. After much acquired inspiration from artists like Carolyn Saxby, Louise O'Hara, Morag, Marji , Linda K and Serena Barton and visiting numerous artists on Youtube I was armed with enough knowledge to tackle the painting….."Cottage By the Sea".

I first started out painting the background , the mountains and cove and applied the cottage painting I had from before. I then added the Old Lace (dyed with coffee) for the sun, sea stars and the birds (Swallows) which I tried to emulate a "murmuration of swallows" but it didn't turn out exactly how I had envisioned them to be; oh well, next time. The waves were also done with Medical Gauze as well as with the Old Lace.
The mountainous hilly range, the sandy beach, the cove and the sun were built with modelling paste . Once the paste dried, I painted what was left uncoloured with acrylics, inks and reInkers.
Finally, adding a smidgen of gold leaf to the sun, mountains and horizon line, sea stars, netted waves, water, cottage windows and cove worked fine in creating the setting sun's glitter upon the landscape below…...Just love the gold leaf pen! And another tool which also came in handy was my heat gun. It worked beautifully in creating depth and dimension in the hilly terrain and sandy beach.

So now I think I would like to add to the painting a film of bees wax but not sure if I can depending on what I have underneath which is glazing liquid and if that's okay, will have to read up on that or maybe some of you might know; love to hear from you if you do.
 Of course there are many things that could be better with this work like shadows and light , the waves and the sky, the murmur of birds, etc etc etc but as a whole, I'm happy with this painting.
 I can't wait to work on another MMCP and explore the multitude of college elements, so much fun!!!


***
* Side Note…Do you paint while listening to music and if you do , do you somehow find it influences your brush??? Or even after listening to a song?

While nearing the completion of my painting and after listening to "Starry Starry Night" I tripled the width of the horizon line into a mountainous range and didn't realize it after I read the lyrics to the song. I also found the sea stars and sun and the cottage gave thought to Vincent's work : ) I suppose I really do love his work!

Music is a higher revelation
than all wisdom and philosphy.
Music is the electrical soil
in which the spirit lives, thinks and invents.

***

~ Materials used  ~

Canvas Board

Old Lace ~ Sun, SeaStars, Waves,Netting, Swallows, 

Medical Gauze Material

Baby Mussel Shells ( found in my bag of mussels I steamed ) Lovely meal and bonus treasure : )
Vintage Flowers

Old Book Cover Binding

~ Acrylic Paints , Inks & ReInkers ~

Blue

Orange

Yellow

Brown

Blue

Green

Red

Violet

Purple

White

Gesso

Molding Paste - Modeling - Pasta Moldeado
Glazing Medium

Gold Leaf Pen

Submitting my mixed media collage painting ~ "Cottage By the Sea ", to Paint Party Friday
HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAINT PARTY FRIDAY AND A HUGE THANK YOU TO EVA AND KRISTIN!!!
Leaving you now with this beautiful song….Starry Starry Night  by Don Mclean





Thanks to wysty67 for uploading this video




Until Later,
Annabelle 

THE MAGIC COTTAGE

~ MOON LAKE ~ TRANSMOGRIFIED ~ 3 TIMES A CHARM

And now known as……..

~ THE MAGIC COTTAGE  ~ 

So I decided adding the cottage to Moon Lake would be a nice touch to it's landscape . 

I added some violet colour to the water and sky , lightened the background trees and also added some yellow to the moons. I think this is it.

After the painting was done I discovered the cottage would  disappear into the woods depending from the distance, angle and time of day I viewed it. I adore when paintings keep a little trickery within their panorama and when you least expect it , there it is. 

It kind of reminds me of the cottage in James Herbert's book "The Magic Cottage": ) ~ 3 Times the Charm

Thanks Eva and Kristin for hosting Paint Party Friday

Until Later,
Annabelle

"MOON LAKE" ~ TRANSMOGRIFIED

"MOON LAKE" #1 ~ ORIGINAL

"MOON LAKE " # 2 ~ TRANSMOGRIFIED

Something unexpected happened at “Moon Lake” last week; It transmogrified into a strange, wild and secluded place.

I didn't intentionally paint “Moon Lake” this way, it just happened, accidentally. Somehow, the water, the trees and the sky took on a deeper more mysterious feel in the shadows of the night which grew older and darker as time ticked on, maybe it was just me painting in the dim light : )

I wish I had left it alone because I did like the original version but then again the new version is kind of beautiful too and I like it so I'm not too disappointed. I suppose this is what happens to someone who is a novice painter learning from their mistakes.I am still debating on adding a small cottage along the shore to the right of the painting, not sure, will ponder on the thought for a while. I also need to add some light to the trees on the shore line and then I guess that's it…. : )

Sharing this week's painting with Paint Party Friday……Thanks Eva and Kristin for hosting!!!

Until later,

Annabelle

MOON LAKE

This week's Paint Party Friday submission. 

Another WIP "Moon Night " that I am trying to emulate from an old magazine picture.

I had a terrible time with painting the lake, still not fussy over it.

 I used wood board for my substrate , inks and acrylics and I'm  thinking that maybe I would like to make this into a mixed media art piece incorporating various elements including wax, will see.

So far this makes the #4 work in progress for me : ) 

Oh, and here is a little bit of Opera for you to enjoy. A youtube video by Cristian Faur taken from the film "FARINELLI " The story of celebrated Italian Castrato singer of the 18th century and one of the greatest singers in the history of opera, Carlo Maria Michelangelo Nicola Broschi.
If you would like to see the film (English subtitles), I have seen quite a few on youtube. I'll have to watch it later on my own ; no one here, I'm afraid likes Opera, too bad ( ;

Portrait of  Farinelli by Corrado Giaquinto ~ picture from Wikipedia


 I listened to this piece this morning while painting "Moon Lake" : ) Really does keep me focused and at ease, especially when the lake was giving me some issues. Enjoy!

Until Later,

Annabelle

Sleepwalk of Love ~ Dreams of the Night

On a Date with my Old Love on Saint Valentine's Day : )

Late posting … sorry, busy this week and heartbroken over Plushenko's sad departure from the Sochi Olympic men's singles so no personal art to share with you but I think this might do : )

So for this week I'm sharing my dreams of the night , thoughts on Love that crossed my mind while half awake walking to the kitchen in the wee hours of the morning for a glass of warm milk.

Happy Saint Valentine's Day

To My Old Love, To The Ones I Love , To The Paint Party Friday Group 

and

 To All the Lonely Hearts

Image courtesy of Inspiration Lane 

A Love by any measure of Time becomes an Old Love ~ Annabelle

Love, an unrelenting emotion that knows no boundaries and when Mortal Love dies yet it remains behind.

An undying Love.

And If not for Love, our spirits be forever depleted and lost.

It is Love , an Old Love that keeps you in blissful warmth, even in your arduous hour.


Happy Saint Valentine's Day Sweetie, my Old Love : )




Leaving you with this beautiful musical piece….happy dreams : ) Until Later, Annabelle

SOCHI WINTER OLYMPICS ~ A CAT'S SWEET DREAMS

DREAMING OF CANADA IN SOCHI

OUR KITTY CAT KARSON DREAMING OF CANADA IN THE SOCHI WINTER OLYMPICS

GOOD LUCK TO CANADA AND TO ALL THE ATHLETES!😊😊😊

Best of Plushenko ~ Edvin Marton (Featuring never before seen fan pictures!!)

Published on Feb 9, 2014
This video from Emmy award winning composer and performer Edvin Marton features never before seen fan pictures sent from across the globe to create a unique video to give his friend Evgeni Plushenko the energy to skate like never before at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games.


There's a genuine camaraderie that encompasses the Olympic Stadium.
A stranger from afar, something unexpectedly happened to me last Sunday and although I was cheering my country it was Plushenko's stardust that filled my eyes and heart. An amazing Olympian who left me with a starry night to remember.


After watching Plushenko skate that night I was left with remnants of the music he had chosen for his program floating in my head; I just had to find it, and I did!
It happens to be a collection of famous musical scores, specifically ones taken from Plushenko's past programs. A compilation put together by Plushenko's friend , emmy award winning composer and performer Edvin Marton. Not only was this new musical compilation destined to be absorbed like a sponge by the audience for it's profound spirited intensity of the combined movements but also for being loved passages of time, Plushy's time. Plushenko used every bit of his unique and amazing talent in his performance, floating on air high above the ice in every jump with ease and exquisite interpretation to each of the musical pieces marking periods in history . Definitely a genius idea in my mind ; that, I think was part of the magical program Plushenko and Marton devised.
The music soared and ignited the fire in his exuberant heart, aflame with all of the apical of spirits of his homeland partisans and now the world's.
He left us enchanted.

“When he is on the ice, the soul of Russia is on the ice.”

Thank you both Plushy and Edvin , for an unforgettable show.


Until Later,

Annabelle


Hey Gloria, Look what I found…..directly from Russia! Enjoy!



Courtesy of ПоСекрету ВсемуСвету

INTERMISSION WITH A DREAM ~ "FISHIN on a DREAM "~ MOPSY THE SPIDER DREAM CATCHER

Since last Friday I've been busy working on my WIP "Brown~Eyed Daisies and Chrysanthemums " Bas- Relief Painting contemplating the finish I want to render it in. So far this is what I have achieved in the next step of the work, adding a few more tints of colour ,wiping away the excess and highlighting some of the areas ; now, I'm sort of stuck where to go from here.

So I thought a little respite from the painting and dreaming along the way that I would share this Dream Catcher I made.
Being one who always loves the intricate magical work of a Spider's web, I'm not at all surprised when an idea pops into my head that it's source derives from Charlotte's Web…: ) and leads me somewhere new.
 As I recall, the idea came to me when I saw a little boy fishing on a dream catcher; I thought, why not a spider  fishing and instead of his catch of fish, make them fireflies .

Here is where vintage jewellery comes in handy.

Mopsy the Spider fishing for fireflies

A Little Star

Fireflies and a mother of pearl heart


So now , without rushing the work , I must get back to finishing this Bas~ Relief. …..I have another painting that I'm anxious to get started : )

Don't forget to pay a visit to the gang at Happy Paint Party Friday

Until next time,
Annabelle

A Little Mystery Solved

How exciting it is when one finds a magical surprise in their mail, never knowing that it ever existed, until one day there it is, veiled in falling snow. At first, I didn't know who had managed to enhance the WIP Bas ~ Relief painting I've been working on but with a little investigation, I found the magician behind the work was none other than the secret robot belonging to Google+ . I kinda of like it and actually I discovered more of my images had been touched by his magic wand and had been for some time.

Moral of this little story, check your mail a little more often and read it all for you never know what you may delightfully find concealed inside the envelope: )

Until the next surprise : ) 

Annabelle

A Good Habit ~ Art Obsession ~ "Brown~Eyed Daisies and Chrysanthemums " Bas- Relief Painting

BAS ~ RELIEF PAINTING ~ WIP

Paint Party Friday Week 47 ~ Year 3

Art has it's way with me, almost always , if I let it.
Usually, even before dawn has waken, it quietly arrives accompanied by the high pitched vocal of a hunger cat by way of a strong aroma of percolating coffee entering my senses and triggering my creative habit…..my "Art Obsession Habit ". A habit I happily accept with a few minor negatives thrown in, like one  having too many unfinished projects. One of those unfinished projects is this Bas- Relief of potted daisies and chrysanthemums I've had for some time now. A found art piece which was never finished and had the worst colour ever.The original background was a chocolate brown and the flowers were painted gold. So I decided to give it a fresh coat of white gesso paint.

 After a number of applications of a monochromatic colour and drying periods in-between, I mixed some paints and started to repaint it. I also used some interference gold and mother of pearl for the flowers. In the process of deciding on the shadowing of the florals ,my daughter mentioned that the work reminded her of Van Gogh's Sunflowers painting in the way I had painted only a few of the daisy centres brown. I had never realized it until she mentioned it but her remark did make me feel good about this work's progress.

For now, I call it “Brown ~ Eyed Daisies and Chrysanthemums”

Love some FEEDBACK on where to shadow : ) THANKS



Until Later
Annabelle


Linking this art post to the Paint Party Friday Artists' Group