Linda's Poem

Wonderful poem by Linda Paquette."Faces framed in oval maple creep up the stairway wall. A cobweb sweeps across black lace lightened by countless tiny buttons and gold encircled cameos. Haunting eyes and somber mouths, stoic grins. wide brimmed hats, and flopy white bows. Who is that little boy clinging to a pleated skirt? An old man supports his life with a whittled cane and a ruffled child on the other. She looks beyond the camera, through the dusty layers and down at me. Generations of my family glassed in, trapped, protected, guard this house while we are gone. If I brush away the dust, will I find out who I am?" Glass pieces tumble out of his hand.

Sing and Dance

“Sing and dance together and be joyous but let each one of you be alone. Like the strings of a lute are alone, they quiver with the same music.”  is from the music group Cradle Duende. I loved the quote and have individual people as the strings. Sad that this is my last summer post.

Heroes

“That’s what it takes to be a hero, a little gem of innocence inside you that makes you want to believe that there still exists a right and wrong, that decency will somehow triumph in the end.” – Lise Hand submitted by Patty Grover D

Makes Us Stronger

My friend Beth Wolven posted "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger". I have a beautiful but fractured face and the guardian angel waiting at the side.

My Heroes

My friend Patty Dunchus contributed "My heroes are those who risk their lives every day to protect our world and make it a better place- police, firefighters, and members of our armed forces." by Sidney Sheldon
Please take note of her dolls. It is hard to see but the words "Protect and Serve" are in the background.

Memory

Meghan Wood submitted the word "Memory" and I instantly thought of antique photos and the memory jars from down south. These jars would have all sorts of items stuck to the outside; human hair from a loved one and shells from a visit to the ocean.

Blessed Be the Muses

Denise Bach submitted, "Blessed be the Muses for their descent, dancing round my desk, crowning my balding head with Laurel" from Allen Ginsberg. I have always imagined my guiding muse to be a raven so the wing of my raven becomes the laurel wreath.

Books

Becky James posted "Books are a uniquely portable magic", a quote from Stephen King. I instantly thought of a altered book Kate LaRose had created. It is very hard to photograph but I have a fairy, dragon, unicorn, mermaid and griffin and coming to life from the pages.

Blown Away

Penny Froeschl contributed, "Melissa sitting in front of a fan painting (self portrait). Well I thought of doing something funny but I decided to get conceptual. The paint has been blown from the palette to the canvas and the scrapings make up my face. I used my Facebook image as inspiration.

Forgiveness

Janet Chandler submitted the word "Forgiveness". For myself growing up with "Catholic Guilt" I instantly went to forgiving oneself.

Letting Go

Jeanette Dennison Kononan posted "Life is a balance of hanging on and letting go. The young girl is releasing one bird while another still clings to her shoulder.

Well Begun is half done

I am so excited to see my fellow artist and friend April Hallock. We will be dining out ans seeing the concert. I timed it perfectly as I just completed her quote; "Well begun is half done". I saw a journey so that is what I created.

Something Within

This is part of a story from Amanda Posch. ". . . there is something here, something waiting, something in me. During the day something . . . watches. At night something in me stretches, at first lazy and slow. But the more time I spend on the land and in the cabin, the more it becomes restless. It is becoming uncomfortable and is playfully brushing the edges of painful." I now want to read more.

That's what Counts

Dr. John Collins heard about my painting project and contributed a quote from Stephen Sondheim. "Everything depends on execution, putting it together, that's what counts." Balance on a feather on a tightrope held up by faith.

Nostalgia

A word from a wonderful photographer and former student, Marissa Zarriello; Nostalgia

Be Yourself

Chris Baker gave me a very popular quote from Oscar Wilde; "Be yourself, everyone else is taken." Put away the painted mask and be who you are meant to be.

Blessed and Adventured

Kim Maercklein contributed a great quote from Jack Kerouac; "They lived and loved and asked, blessed and adventured...." Yup, this will be one of your boys very soon.

A Dreamer

Another quote from Charlene Mead; "A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world", by Oscar Wilde.

Attempt the Absurd

I am behind 2 but will be catching up soon. Scott Holliman contributed a quote from M.C.Escher; "Only those who attempt the absurd....will achieve the impossible". The word absurd brought to mind the image of me dancing. I cannot dance but I would love to so I have my person dancing with the birds up in the clouds.

Music is All Around You

Christina Holzmacher-Roach contributed  Music is all around us, all you have to do is listen. They are dancing and one with the music. 

Mothers and Daughters

Catherine Raishart contributed Mothers and Daughters.

Blue Child

Denise Bach presented "...I wondered, an empty child, Heron, whose ghost are you?”

Strange Sadness

"Do you ever feel a strange sadness as dusk falls? They say it’s the only time when our world intersects with theirs… The only time we can feel the lingering regrets of spirits who have left our world. That is why loneliness always pervades the hour of twilight… "from Kate LaRose

Wolf

I saw this on Humans of New York and fell in love.

“The wolf howled under the leaves, And spit out the prettiest feathers, Of his meal of fowl:Like him I consume myself.” Rimbaud I had issues with the red dye in the feather leaking through.