Mad Tea Party - and GIVEAWAY!

Now is the time, my sweets, for a fantastically magical Mad Tea Party! Thank you to the lovely Miss Vanessa at 'A Fanciful Twist' for hosting such a splendid event!

Please be sure to scroll all the way down to see the very very mad and cunning little pendant that you can WIN by leaving me a comment on this post! And be sure to visit the 'A Fanciful Twist' blog to visit the amazing array of participants in this, the maddest of tea parties ever...!


Was little Alice dreaming, or was that a White Rabbit she saw, sporting a waistcoat and a pocketwatch! Down a rabbit hole it went...

("Ready to Follow" - 8"x10" acrylic paints with circa 1890's antique music sheet on canvas board - RESERVED)


"In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again."

("Alice Where Art Thou" - 9"x12" acrylic paints on circa 1913 antique music sheet and canvas board - RESERVED)


..."Down, down, down. Would the fall never come to an end!"..."'Well' thought Alice to herself, 'after such a fall as this, I shall think of nothing of tumbling downstairs!'"

("Falling Down the Rabbit Hole" - 5"x7" acrylic paints on canvas board - for sale here.)


With a bit of a detour at the White Rabbit's house, she's off to explore this magical Wonderland...

("A Bit Too Large" - 8"x10" acrylic paints on canvas board - for sale here.)


How strange this place is, to be sure! Perhaps a rest before seeing which side of this mushroom will make her large, and which will make her even smaller...

("Which Side to Eat" - 8"x10" acrylic paints on circa 1890's antique music paper and canvas board - for sale here.)


But what is that emerging from the garden? A large top hat, in the most alarming shade of green! She must get to the clearing to see who belongs to that ridiculous hat...

("We're All a Bit Mad" - 5"x7" acrylic paints on gallery-wrapped canvas - for sale here.)


But what should our Alice find when coming upon the clearing? A fabulously mad tea party, and with more than enough room for her!


And such a table it is! There is almost enough here to make up for the madness of the host - almost...


Such loveliness as she's never seen!


Surely chilled watermelon is just the thing on such a warm summer's day. And the scent of lavendar is enough to bring a bit of peace to such madness as this!


Such delectable treats were there! Enough to tempt even the fussiest child. Banana bread still warm from the oven, beautifully blue-sugared vanilla biscuits, and - of all things! - pink champagne truffles!


Surely there's enough tea for all! I think I'll take a nibble of those lovely tea-sandwiches, as well. And a bite of fresh fruit is just the thing to finish it off.


But would she ever find that White Rabbit?


Time to leave the tea party and continue her search! Off into the garden she scampers...

("Alice in the Garden" - 9"x12" acrylic paints on gallery-wrapped canvas - RESERVED)


...Only to find the most wonderful display of pendants! Oh! That she could own one to adorn herself, she would be the happiest creature on earth!

(hand-painted pendants on polymer clay and wood, for sale in my Etsy shop here.)


But what's this??? The Mad Hatter is feeling particularly kind today it seems, and is offering up this cunning little pendant for you, my sweet guests! Yes, leave me a comment on this post, and you could WIN this sweet hand-painted pendant!

(acrylics on wooden pendant)

You have until Saturday July 3rd at midnight EST for your chance to win! Please don't forget to visit the other amazing participants, and thank you so very very much for your lovely visit!

We're All a Bit Mad.....

Only 3 days until the Mad Tea Party...
Be prepared for many new Alice themed paintings, as well as a fantastically mad giveaway! Hope to see you here!

First Flight - Revisited

As I'm still busy at work on more Alice in Wonderland paintings, that will be unveiled this coming Saturday, I've decided to revisit a favorite of mine that wasn't properly shown here on my blog when it was completed.
I've re-taken the photo now, and am much happier with it:

What is more exciting than a child on their first airplane flight? Especially when accompanied by her very best friend.

Delicate Strength

I am constantly in awe over the delicacy, intricacy and strength of spiders' webs. And when I caught sight of this beauty, the sun was glinting off of the silk in amazing rainbow shimmers.

Celebrating Summer With a Bit of a Dance...

Several days ago I saw two incredible yellow butterflies fluttering wildly around each other in my backyard. Hoping to get a picture, I ran to get my camera, but they were flittering about so erratically that I couldn't get a decent shot. Finally I snapped this, and I realized that what I thought was erratic was really an aerial dance. Looking the species up online, I THINK these are Western Tiger Swallowtails. What a beautiful entrance to summer!

Hidden Treasure

I found this chair at the top of a rubbish heap that had been piled in my neighbors driveway after they had moved out. Now, I'm not typically a dumpster-diver, but this chair had incredible bones. It looked sturdy, and the potential caused me to save it. It's been hidden away in my shed for several years now, and I finally was inspired to try my hand at refurbishing it.
And here's the finished chair! I am so proud of this piece. For the seat, I removed it from the frame and recovered it with an amazing french inspired tapestry material that I found several years ago and just never knew what to do with. The frame I primed, painted, and hand-painted sweet climbing roses to the top to mimic part of the pattern on the seat material. Then I gave it two coats of matte varnish.
A detail of the painting I did at the top of the chair:

Here's my newly painted chair, in it's new place at my little sewing-turned-painting desk, a very comfy place to create!

Finding Peace Close to Home

Being in the San Francisco Bay Area we don't have a rural home, with miles of undulating green hills and quiet forests of slumbering evergreens in our backyard. Despite this, and the nearly constant hum of traffic surrounding us, I can still find an oasis of peace just a few steps from my back door. The drone of cars melts away, the whisper of the wind becomes serene and melodic, the shrill calls of the birds rise above it all. And a small moth sipping nectar can seem like a bit of heaven on earth.

Every Pebble Causes a Ripple......

The oil spill in the Gulf is a catastrophe of massive proportions. Looking at the pictures of the marine life dying from this makes me feel a helplessness that brings me to tears.
But now there's a way, through art, to help these poor creatures! All thanks to an incredible lady named Kelly Light and her blog Ripple. For a $10 donation to The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies or The International Bird Rescue Research Center you can own an original art card by any number of incredible artists! It's that easy!
Below are the two art cards I've donated to the cause; you can find them HERE. Or click HERE for a look at the entire blog! So please visit and give your support!

You can find me local!

I am very very excited to now have my artwork in a local boutique in San Jose, California!
It's called Eni-Thing, and it's a wonderfully sweet shop full of the most incredible handmade items I've seen. Here are some of the items I've placed in the shop; if you're in town please stop by and check them out!

Dolce

A sweet little silhouette painting I've added to the shoppe:

I've been working furiously on not only a group of Alice in Wonderland themed paintings for the Mad Tea Party coming up in a few weeks, but also several items that will be sold in a local artisan consignment boutique; be on the look-out very soon for pictures of the pendants, bookmarks and paintings that will be available there, as well as the location of this sweet shop!