Long long ago, in a house next door. . .

We're having a moving sale.

It'll be five years this June that we loaded up the kids and all our stuff and headed West. We went from Florida to the Oregon Coast, with dreams of a life less humid. We didn't have jobs lined up, but we figured we could be poor anywhere, so we might as well enjoy the scenery while we were at it. We stayed with my mom for the first week, while we found a little house to rent and a job (or two). I found work at a little gallery, and at a fabric store.

Dylan stayed at home with the kids, and started to learn how to have our own little arty business online. We started with little tiny paintings. He cut the wood and primed it, and I took the little boards with me to work at the gallery (it wasn't a successful gallery, so I had to keep myself busy). There I doodled folky cats and birds and bunnies and skeletons and whatever else tickled my fancy.

Cart Before The Horse was born.

This was my very first little painting.

We listed it on ebay for $14 I think. It didn't sell.

So we listed it again for $9. No one was interested.

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Now here it is, five years later, and we're moving again. This time we're just moving across town, out of the flood and tsunami zones. No cross-country trek. In the course of packing we revisited so many little rejected paintings, and decided to give them one more shot at finding a home (they've been on a dark shelf in a closet for too long). This time they're being listed for a penny. Undignified? Perhaps, but so is the closet.
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Here's another very early one, inspired by the funny little birds that run along the edges of the coast. I really liked this one, but I was alone in my appreciation.

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This one is actually the very first Bone Daddy, a character I have revisited many many times over the years. He wasn't really rejected by the world, but rather by us on account of he has that chip on the bottom corner of his block. He was inspired by traditional Guatemalan Day of the Dead figures, like these. I'm very fond of Day of the Dead, for many reasons, but that's another post. . .

Crazy Week

This week started like any other, but you know what they say, "If you wanna make God laugh, tell Him your plans." On Wednesday Dylan woke up to a call from our landlord; she had sold the house we've been renting for almost 5 years. Surprise! After a few minutes of What??!! we embraced our challenge and set about finding a new place of residence. Lots of looking and calling and looking some more, but nothing revealed itself immediately, so we gave up for the day, resolved to wait for next week's paper (that's right, it comes out once a week) to come out for more leads. Then an evening call to a friend led to just the right fit. By the time we picked up our oldest kid from play rehearsal we were on our way to check out the new digs.

Woohoo!

It's a lovely place, and we're having lots of fun figuring out how to arrange our new studio space. I'll miss living down the dirt road from my parents though. Right now we're out in the boonies, with cows and elk and Canada geese for neighbors. Many mornings I stop by my folks' house for tea and conversation before starting my day.

Lately the hummingbirds are taking over.

Funny, cheeky little things.

They're like tiny feathery birdbugs.

My dad has become quite the photographer as of late.

Here's the latest of many hummingbird pics.

Isn't it wonderful?

It's been quite the challenge trying to balance packing and working and such, not to mention the man-eating plant that we're making for my daughter's school play. But we have managed to get a few pieces done.

This one's my favorite this week:

Mary, Mary, quite contrary,

How does your garden grow?

With silver bells and cockleshells

And pretty maids all in a row.

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Hope this day finds you all happy, healthy, and willing to embrace new beginnings should they arrive unexpectedly.

I'm a winner!

Doreen from Vermont Harvest had this

giveaway on her blog and I won!

Woohoo!

A wonderful surprise indeed.

I'm feeling mighty lucky now.

Thank you, Doreen!

Angels and Addictions

This one's my favorite this week-

Dylan wanted to name her Long Tall Sally, but she was much too sophisticated for such a silly name, so she opted for Eloise. (Dylan, for those of you who don't know, is my sweet husband and partner in art.)

I think she'd make a lovely painting too, so maybe I'll do one next week.

* * *

I think I may be addicted to the creative process. I find it hard to go a whole day without at least drawing something. I suppose as far as addictions go, this one's not too awful.

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We can all take the time to add some creativity to every day. For some it's cooking an amazing meal, or coaxing flowers from the ground, or engaging in imaginative play with children.

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I LOVED having little ones to make puppet theaters and costumes for. I loved being their attentive audience. I guess I'm still doing that, only now I'm making props for school plays and watching baseball games.

I only enjoy cooking on rare occassions, but I always love the chopping up vegetables part (just not onions *boohoo*). When I was a teenager I worked at a sub shop, and I worked the closing shift. Not much going on at a sub shop at 1:am so I'd amuse myself by making veggie prints with the bell pepper slices dipped in mustard. Some things never change.

= = =

What form of creativity do you revel in?

That Pretty Girl and Her Little Friends

Tah-Dah!

Well, here's the whole lot of 'em.

They were finished just in the nick of time to be listed on Sunday evening.

My favorite amongst the little guys is the one in green. He's just the most amiable of the bunch. The one with the yellow hat bites. And that bald one just right of Snow White thinks he's General Custer or something. I keep catching the little bugger trying to organize some sort of war party. Luckily, the rest of the fellows are a lazy lot and will have none of it. Snow manages to keep him in line well enough though.

I've never tackled this particular storybook character. Done lots of Little Reds, most of the the residents of Wonderland, and a Goldilocks or two, Miss Muffet, the cast of Charlotte's Web, and even Mary and her little lamb; but somehow Snow White just had yet to be made.

I like to research the origins of the stories before "illustrating" them with cloth. And, like so many other old stories, Snow White's tale has mellowed quite a bit over the years. One of the originally published tales had the wicked queen punished by having metal shoes scooped hot from the fire and put on her feet, then she was made to dance til she died. Harsh!

Childhoods are sweeter nowadays I suspect. Although there's still something to be said for a sinister queen and a bright red poison apple (whilst tucked safely on the lap of a parent, of course.)

. . . . .

You can see more of Snow and the little guys here.

Special Thanks

I've been meaning

to show you all

a wonderful little painting
I received in a swap

from my new friend Danita.

Isn't it lovely?

(Of course, my photo doesn't do it justice.)

It hangs in a place of honor

amongst our family pictures.

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I'm a big fan of bunnies.

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Thank you, Danita!
I will treasure it always.