🕷🕸 SPIDERWOOD 🕷🕸

This wood slice once was a fairy door but after my son texted me about the tarantulas he encountered at Joshua Tree National Park in California, I just had to repaint the door. Thanks for the inspiration, Ty. I know just how much you love 🕷🕷🕷😂
The wood slice has a hole in the middle so depending on where u place its light will shine through. A little bit of magic🧙‍♀️

Wood Slice acrylic and inks 

Bat Bat Boo ~ Happy Caturday ! 🐈 🧡🎃🦇🧹

BaT, Bat Boo! The spooky cute, little fella that just doesn't miss a chance at keeping my company when I paint. Do you see the cat candle ring on the taper? My daughter gave it to me and I usually wear jewelry for a few days and then eventually it gets used to decorate the house. I think I like it better on the candle than on my finger. p.s. No cat was harmed to take this photo!😉 HAPPY CATURDAY !!!

Painting Cats 🐈 🐈

Painting cats 🐈. I finally got around to painting this little black cat 🐈 I have a couple of cats but can’t find them, either I donated them to the thrift store or they’re buried in the basement. Lol ☺️🎃

Looking Spooky Cute

So, before or after?

Ooh, and the seat is a mandarin hubby and daughter dried out. If I didn’t mention it I think it could have passed as a tiny pumpkin.

Happiness is A Bat...Pipistrello🦇🐈

Happiness is A Bat...Pipistrello


I read a poem by D.H. Lawrence 'BAT', who unfortunately didn't like bats. I shared the same sentiments until my daughter got me to appreciate them on our bonfire nights. Although, I must admit I still do get a bit anxious when they fly a touch too low.

"Bats, and an uneasy creeping in one's scalp
As the bats swoop overhead!
Flying madly."


Lawrence also states in his poem that in China the Bat is a symbol of Happiness.Bat after all is a cat we must not forget but sometimes we do! I suppose half cat and half bat counts for all the happiness he's brought us 🦇🐈

Along came a bug on October 27th who almost didn't make it. The little bug though looked very much like a tiny bat and so he got the name Bat. Of course, we all have since gone batty ^..^


Couldn't wake up Bat but this other little witch-bird should be sleeping by now.

Love Bats, Cats, and Halloween 🦇🎃🧹🐈


The Bat by: Arthur Guiterman (1871-1943)


Airy-mouse, hairy mouse,
Keen-eared contrary mouse,
Come from your cavern--a star's in the sky!
Fluttering, flittering,
Eerily chittering,
Swoop on your quarry, the dusk-haunting fly.

Airy-mouse, wary mouse,
Witch-bird or fairy-mouse,
Soft through the shadow the dawn-glimmer steals;
Night's your carousing-time,
Day brings your drowsing-time;
Hence to your hollow and hang by your heels!

A DARK AND DREARY OCTOBER SKY 🎃🎃🎃

Black Bats, Werewolves, Pumpkins & Cats & Haunted Trees *** 

Under this dark and dreary October sky, an otherworldly atmosphere occupies my space. Still painting but the light is escaping the room or maybe it's me : ) Love this little black velvety /rusty pumpkin I made using vintage fabric and a real pumpkin stem. Most of what you see on display are vintage treasures I collected on my country road trips to my favorite haunts. The German Werewolf Beer Stein is a recent find and the spooky cute haunted candlestick is even more adorable because it holds a wine cork candle with my birth year 1957 @ ghostales1957. The black velvet glass dish fits perfectly under the mini pumpkin. Love collecting the vintage Velvet glass and it doesn't look black in the light but sometimes it's purple or red when you place it in the light...bLACK mAGIC!

The old haunted tree candlestick and German Werewolf Stein also found treasures @ Sally

Found these sparkly bats and the starry candle votive @ Sally Ann

Something about this room, the cats just can't keep out. This time it was Maggie's turn to keep me company. 

CASTEL BOUS 🎃🎃🎃👀🧹🐈

Urban Dictionary

Bous is a term used to define any: thing, feeling, emotion place, person, situation, experience or comment that is highly positive or loved by an individual or social group. 

'Castel Bous'

This Halloween Mixed Media Painting is done in 

Acrylic and Ink on small miniature wood panel. 

Still working on a fence for the front of the Castel : )

Can you spot the skair-ee cat ?

Boo came to mind because of the peeking ghost so when I asked hubby for help with a title he sent me the above definition and in the subject wrote "Castel Bous" misspelling 'Castle' with Castel.

The name Castel to me sounded like a wine,  which turns out there is a wine from France called, Maison Castel. Of course when stringing the two words together Castel Bous you immediately think booze :  ) I found it kind of funny so I kept the title ...'Castel Bous' * Hope you like it. 

Anna 🎃🎃🎃👀🧹🐈

A Mostly, Ghostly Night 🐺🐺🐺 🎃 👀

"Listen to them,
Children of the Night. 
What music they make."

~ Bela Lugosi  Dracula 1931


PHOTOS BY M www.instagram.com/murtagh13/

Inspired by an old flick from 1931, 'Dracula', starring without a doubt the best Dracula ever, Bela Lugosi. I have always loved his line about his pet wolves so I thought why not make 3 little scary cats afraid of Dracula and his furry kids. 


 ' A Mostly, Ghostly Night ' is a  Halloween painting done in acrylic & ink on a wood slice and features a clowder of three ghostly cats, Ghost, Spooks, and Boo @ The Castle By the Sea.

When Ghost, Spooks, and Boo are invited out to the Castle for the October Halloween Ball their plans quickly change when they realize just who lives in the Castle by The Sea.

*****

~ They could hear a strange and haunting melody carried across the sea only soon realizing the music was the sound of howling wolves and they knew that only one could be their keeper, Count Dracula. 

And so, they sat on the mooring posts wondering if wolves and the vampire hunted Ghost Cats.

And when I went to paint the driftwood mooring post for 'Ghost' the cat,  I remembered a scene from my very favorite Ghost Movie, "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" 1947. If you have seen the movie you know the scene I am referring to but if not, it is where 'Lucia's' daughter, 'Anna' played by Natalie Wood writes her name on the driftwood log. 

It is my name, after all, Anna. 

How could I not? Purrfect! 
I hope you like the painting and of course Bat.
Happy Halloween ~ 
🐺🐺🐺 🎃 👀 A Mostly, Ghostly Night 🐺🐺🐺 🎃 👀

Anna

Good ✨ Night ✨Sleep Tight

NINE LIVES 😽😽😽😽😽😽😽😽😽 DONE 🧹

I believe this time it's done! I took a poll and asked people if they preferred the black and white version of 'Nine Lives' or the color. So I decided to add more color to the original; something I tend to shy away from.

I find each new painting I work on is a learning lesson and although the vision of what I perceived of the landscape to do not always materializes most often I'm happy with the end results. Of course, in the end, there is always that option to have one in black and white if I wish. 

'Nine Lives' with more color

 I  changed the vines and light on the tree. I think it's more effective in reflecting light. I also added color to the bird trees to the right of the tree and the moon has a small crescent moon inside its time tunnel. I also did more detail work on the moonflowers adding gold leaf to their center and star. Basically, I added color where it was needed. I like this one much better than the original.

'Nine Lives' ~ Original

If you are interested in my artwork or my daughter M's artwork and photography...

Three Cats, a Dog, and a Camera

I have just reopened my Fine Art America Shop and will be adding more artwork soon.

See You in Another Life Ol' Blue Eyes 👀

Something old, something blue, a lover's eye I give to you...lol

See You in Another Life Ol' Blue Eyes ...  An old painting of an eye I did years ago.

This pillow is available on Fine Art America

See You in Another Life Ol' Blue Eyes ...  An old painting of an eye I did years ago. 

If you are interested in my artwork or my daughter M's artwork and photography...

Three Cats, a Dog, and a Camera

I have just reopened my Fine Art America Shop and will be adding more artwork soon.

Thumbelina Bat ~ How Bat 🦇 Got His Name

When we brought Bat home with us from The Ottawa Humane Society, the staff had covered him with a pink crochet blanket, only his face was showing. He looked like a tiny bat. Photograph by my daughter M

BAT'S BAD DREAM 👻

Bat loves to watch me paint and when the painting was complete he just had to take a closer look. I think there is something in the eerie landscape that reminds him of his bad dream.

NINE LIVES 🐈🐈🐈🐈🐈🐈🐈🐈🐈

*** My latest painting *** "Nine Lives " ***

Bat and "Nine Lives", sure hope this little fella will live all 9! 🐈🐈🐈🐈🐈🐈🐈🐈🐈
I must confess, I do have a favorite pet, Bat! Why, well because his story is so special but that's for another post.

I've become the crazy cat lady in my senior years but I do love them a bunch, all three of them, Bat, Maggie, and Karson! Still, I miss our Grace but for the time being, will wait a bit longer before we get another dog, life is too busy at the moment.

Under the willow, the cat's tomb sunk a little further into the old tree. Only, in the ghostly glow of the moonflowers, could one see the tombstone dimly appear from the dark crevices of the ancient monolithic trunk. 

So, I paint and listen to my music and the words in a song, in a man paint a picture in my head. 

 *********

"So long ago, I don't remember when

That's when they say I lost my only friend

Well, they said she died easy of a broken heart disease.

As I listened through the cemetery trees."

My art is inspired by Living Life and Art.

 Movies, Books, spoken words and Music 

Art imitates Life, Life imitates Art.

The song "One Headlight", The Wallflowers ~ written by Jakob Dylan, was discovered one night when I heard it played in a movie starring Alicia Silverstone and Benicio Del Toro in "Excess Baggage "... Thanks, M for getting me to watch this movie, loved it! Of course, Bat kept me company while I painted. I think he was a painter in another life.

I think I like "Nine Lives " better in black and white. I believe my favorite color is black.

Deceased cat to her paramour: 

"Nine lives lived...

" I know that the ones who love us will miss us". 
I miss you too, my sweetie". 

    

Hubby gave me the title "Nine Lives " when I asked him what he thought of the title I had "Miss You". Then, later I read an article in The New Yorker on Keanu Reeves and his thoughts on death. I'm sure our furry friends feel much the same and so I used Reeves words for the kitty cat. 

Once in a while, a star really shines brighter. Keanu Reeves is one of our very, favorites, especially so for my aunt, Anna in Italy. 

p.s. Anna, 

I thought you might like this bit of information on Keanu Reeves : )

Ghost cats and Bastet,  guardians of Willows Cemetery.

Original in color

Enlarge the image and you'll discover there is more to see besides Bat : ) Hint: look at the trees, sky, and moon and maybe a tombstone, too : )

Hope you like "Nine Lives" and Bat, well I think most do.