River Garden Studio

of shells and butterfly wings

These are my newest pages for my "Open Doors" journal.  I began them last week when my art group was here.  The first pages are of shells.  I imagined what it might be like to be a shell...

I am your shell... in watercolors and acrylic, and anything else I could find.

A home, a place of rest and protection...

And the wings of butterflies...

so fragile and lost forever from flight.

The watercolor of the yellow butterfly/moth on the top is one of mine. Below it is moss under a thin piece of tissue paper.  

I may add more to this post tomorrow...

at the hand of an artist

My art group was meeting at my house.  I thought we might work outside, so I got the garden ready, the colors are just about to turn...

I planted some new mums and asters. Lady moon looked on.

The wind came up and it was too cold to work outside, so in we went.  My dining room table worked well to hold all our supplies.  Here are my dear artist's hands, too busy to stay still for a picture...

And some of Lynne's crayons which I want...

more supplies and work in progress.

and still more...

This is the cover to Anna's journal.  She etched it with a wood burning tool and then painted inside the uncovered board.

Anna brought me some beautiful apples...

and I made snacks, still in the collage spirit.

This is part of my newest page in my exchange with Seth.

And new work for my Open Doors journal, not finished. I am inspired by the cover of the new Natural History magazine.

Lastly, my new beginnings for Autumn Timeless Women...

Have a wonderful week.

open doors

I have been spending time with my newest art journal, feeling a new freedom to combine my messy art.... and my painting and writing.  I am here, cutting and tearing papers, gluing them down and then pulling them up, always  leaving traces behind of the previous artistic attempt.

This week I have been wondering , where is my place in the world of art?  It is though this insecurity has pushed me to create even harder.  

The arch, symbolizing an open door, a window to the world, to creation...

The cross, symbol of Christianity, this one photographed in an old graveyard in france.

My retreat is the world of art...

A girl watches... In my teaching I am seeing my students watch and learn...about themselves , their world and their art.

A pastel drawing done by my mother of me watching. I found it packed away in a closet and brought it out... It has been inspiring me these days of early fall...

A question we all ask.  Who was I, who am I now and am I still that person?