Day 98 and a Chameleon

Well two more days and I will have finished a painting a day for 100 days. I still can hardly believe how fast the time went by. I am overjoyed really that I have accomplished so much. Today's painting is day ninety eight and this is a chameleon.

When we lived in Africa the children would often come by our house and try to sell us things. From cactus fruit to gum to chameleons. I always thought they were fascinating and they would always bring some different color fabrics so you could see how the chameleon would change to fit the fabric colors. It was amazing how they would blend in. We would always beg our mom to buy us one but she never did. We did occasionally buy some cactus fruit but no live animals of any kind. Except for our one dog Monster. When the children would come by to sell wares' they would sing .. Americana Fay Fay .. I spelled it the way that it sounded to my ear. We would always run to see what they had to sell .. children from two very different worlds. We loved parts of theirs and they loved parts of ours.

If you love this painting which took me many hours today while I enjoyed talking with my two boys today on the phone almost the entire time I painted. It was well more than an hour, infact it was about four .. email me at iwilldream4ever@aol.com. See you tomorrow and the next day. ")

Today is day 92 and the Baltimore Oriole

Today is day 92 !!!  Almost there and today my life feels a little more normal and I am painting again in the MORNING!!! yes I have discovered the time of painting joy yet again!!! I decided to paint this bird because everyone .. lots of people love the birds. I love nature and I love birds too. This is painting is on a map that I have sewn to an old photo folder the ones where they open and have a paper mat for a  photograph. This one probably had a family portrait in it at one time but more then likely was put into an album and my mom decided to keep the folder. The map is of Virginia and Maryland and Washington D.C. Two states that I lived in. Virginia was a little town near Haymarket where I went to school and the other in Maryland where I graduated from High School. SO the Orioles are Maryland's state bird. They have such beautiful orangish yellow feathers .. so lovely. This is a young bird. I like the background of the map and I loved living in both states. We were close enough to visit the wonderful museums in Washington D.C. I spent many trips going to all the art museums there when I lived in both states. Maryland is where I lived my art.. I entered my portfolio into scholastic art awards and got my portfolio picked for judging out of many that were entered. It was the first time that anyone entered portfolio's at our school and three students entered and all three of us were accepted for review. Two of us won something we were told. We would find out at the awards ceremony. One was for a full four year scholarship to an art college of our choice. I couldn't sleep for a week. Sadly I didn't win. I think it would have changed my life and the course that it took over the next 30 or so years. I do still wish I had won but I am who I am because of all that happened. When I paint .. i try to paint my heart and soul right there, no matter who or what I'm painting. I'm really very grateful to be painting every day for the last 92 days and there were some bumps in the road but I've kept true to my commitment. I am amazed when I see all the work there in front of me that I haven't sold yet. I have eight more paintings to do .. and I'm just going to have fun with it..

If you would like to own this painting today of a Baltimore Oriole bird face please email me at iwilldream4ever@aol.com. See you tomorrow .. !!!

Day 85 and the Red Robin babies

Today is day 85 and this is a Robin and her babies.

When I lived in SC my house was in the woods in a beautiful setting. The house was old and falling down pretty much. I tolerated a lot but I loved where it was so much that I didn't really notice the things that most people did. Over a window in the center of the house was a nest. I watched it being built. And it was amazingly wonderful. There was enough there that the egg's were in a safe nest. When they all hatched it was incredible to watch the mother bird go out and come back to feed the little babies. I loved it so much. They all yapped and she was always trying to teach them to fly. They got so big in the nest and there were five of them two more then the ones in the painting.! They were so big that they had to sit on the edge of the nest. Then finally one little bird sat on the edge flapping his wings and I thought it would be soon that they would leave the nest. They were all gone sometime in the next day or night. I loved watching their progress.

This portrait is available to you for $85 and it is about 9 x 11 and it is painting on a file folder. Thanks for stopping over and I'll see you tomorrow. :)

Day 84 Muffy

Today is day 84 and i don't seem to be able to do them on time .. so maybe I am lagging. Just doing the best I can .. i keep falling asleep before I get them done.

Today was moving heavy stuff at my dads so .. I'm sore and still tired .. ha .. i am looking forward to not being tired.

Today's portrait is of a maltese dog and she is Muffy. Her official full name is Muffin Michelle. She was a sweet sweet girl that my mom originally bought from a breeder in Virginia when we first moved stateside. Her close friend wanted two of them and so she bought them and we had to take care of them for a while before they could be shipped overseas. I think something else happened too but I don't remember what it was. But what I am quite sure of is the fact that we had two maltese puppies and they were so adorable and so much fun to have that my mother was not going to do anything but keep them for us. We loved them .. Muffy lived for about 12 or 13 years. She was tiny .. about four or five pounds but she was fearless and she never was afraid of any animal no matter what the size. Most times other animals would run from the tiny fluff of white fur and barking this high pitched bark at them. I think that Muffy and Beau slept with my mom and dad most of the time but sometimes Muffy got to stay with me and my sister. I hadn't thought of it before but I have now .. i wonder if they are in heaven with my mom. I'm sure she would love to be with them and pet them and love them. Makes me think there should be a song called all the pets I've loved. Or maybe i'll just write a book .. All The Pets I've Loved. I love Muffin Michelle and Beau Brummel Bianco. Sweet dogs ..

If you would love to own this portrait please email me at iwilldream4ever@aol.com. This is about 8 x 10, sewn cards.  See you tomorrow.

Day 79 and Feeling Transparent

Today is day 79 and I have been feeling rather transparent.. to tired to explain . .. just suffice it to say I am here . you can see me and sometimes i feel like you see right through me ..  ..                                                                                                                 If you would love to own this portrait just email me at www.iwilldream4ever@ao.com/See you tomorrow..

Day 78 and the Shisa Dog

Day seventy eight and this is one of two ceramic dogs that I was given from my mother's home. They are terricotta ... not sure this is my favorite portrait but there is something about these dogs that is appealing. They are part of Okinawan mythology. They put pairs of these on the entrance or gates to their homes to ward off evil spirits. From reading some believe variations of this same thing. They give gender's to the dogs with mouth's open and mouth's closed. I liked where I read that the mouth open was female spreading goodness.  While other's say the female is the one with the mouth closed to keep in the goodness. I guess it is each to his own in how they interpret or were told were their previous loved ones beliefs regarding a Shisa dog. My mother had several of these around her house. I think she really just loved the looks on their faces and that they depicted the culture of a place she lived and loved. Yes my parents lived in Okinawa for a few years after their nest was empty. Yesterday was a long strenuous day and today I will be back at it again and then someone else will step in and sell the contents that is left. There is still so much left.. many items may not have sentimental connections it's just still letting go .. and then there are still the clothes that I am insisting on keeping. I have no idea where I will put them...so ........i'll sigh and go get my boots on and get busy dealing with all that will happen today .. if you happen to take a minute to read this .. send me a thought of strength and love and compassion for myself and my loved ones that are going through this process with me.. we are all impacted by this good bye to stuff and a house .. a beautiful house with a beautiful garden and beautiful plants and a fabulous view..

As for my portraits .. this one is definitely diffferent and I don't really care how realistic it does or doesn't look .. it's where I'm at today.. if you would like to own a shisa dog email me at iwilldream4ever@aol.com. see you tomorrow..

Day 73 and My Molly Girl

 Day seventy three and I must like torture because I waited again even though I said i wouldn't. Hmmmm .. tomorrow my plan is to make it the first thing I do. I guess I am making commitments to other people instead of honoring my commitment to my self. I think it's been getting more difficult to find stories to tell which is probably good because now I can just be in the now in the present with what life is presenting to me on a daily basis. This is my Molly girl. She is nearly fourteen years old. I love her very very much. She is a brave girl. When I lived in the woods in SC I would sometimes let her outside on a long leash with her older sister Misty. I have often thought that doing this was somehow wrong given the event's that took place when she was outside. But if I had a fenced back yard the circumstances would have been the same. I would have left them out for a few minutes unattended because they would always love to be outside. I often realized that i was very in tune with my dogs. I knew the sounds of their yelps or cries just like a mother with babies. So . . I can assure you that I was both horrified and worried sick when my Molly brave girl, found a copperhead snake in my yard on two different occasions. The first one she got over quickly the second one. I'd only gone inside for a minute .. but isn't that always the way.. she is a hunter, a miniature dachshund and designed to root out and dig for things. That's what she did. The second time was nearly too much for her .. luckily she was bit on the top of her head with her skull protecting her head and the skin just barely covering this strike hit that spot and she was lucky a second time. Swelling and I think horrible pain. I have found it very hard to feel good about having left her unattended given her nature .. but most times she just dug in the ground hunting for moles or digging up roots and having a blast doing it. About six months after that last snake bite her hair started turning white .. bless her heart. I have often called her a cat with nine lives... she's also had a cutebra larvae in her neck after staying with friends in even deeper woods one summer. Just the same she is a sweet loving dog and has been a wonderfully faithful funny toddler like dog to me .. she will eat anything and gets into everything .. But I have learned to love big .. because of her. I love her immensely and I don't even want to think about not having her even though I know it will happen at some point. So .. her portrait is precious.. .. not sure I can part with this one either ..

But if you want this one write to me at iwilldream4ever@aol.com.. See you tomorrow .. EARLY !!!

Day 71

“I hope you will go out and let stories, that is life, happen to you, and that you will work with these stories... water them with your blood and tears and your laughter till they bloom, till you yourself burst into bloom.” 
― Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype

This is my offering .. it is where I am today .. I think of this amazing woman when I see a wolf. I dreamed once of three white wolves. I waited all day to paint today.. to much going on .. this one turned out to my satisfaction and I thoroughly enjoyed painting. 

Now i am tired .. 

If you would love to own this beautiful wolf email me at iwilldream4ever@aol.com. I even machine sewed a spiral into the paper.. first time I have done that .. 

See you tomorrow and have a wonderful rest of the day.. :) 

Day 69 and King

Today is day sixty nine I am nearly thirty days away from being done. Last night I popped over to the ladies stitching social that I go to from time to time and was talking to one of the young ladies that attends. I was the youngest and now she is the youngest. She showed me a photo of her dog, a white German Sheppard and instantly it provoked a memory for me. Lately after writing over sixty stories I sometimes am at a loss for a story.. maybe you can tell .. hopefully not. I am rememoring my life so I am going to try to tell this from the angle of something that blessed my life.. even if it wasn't all pleasant, it was impactful for sure. I also want to say that because I am now in contact with Josephine of ChildUK.org I am telling this story to the children there that are so brave and beautiful and have been through some great trials in their young lives. 

The dog .. I drew this dog whose name was King because I remember last night how big this dog was seeing my new friends photo of her dog. Even though he is a German Sheppard, he's huge. To a child he may feel something like a giant. When I lived in Africa there was a class full of children that were my age and a few of them became close friends to me. One girl was Jackie .. she was friendly and animated just like me and I can only remember having a lot of fun with her. I went to her house many times. Her dog's name was King and he was a giant to me and white .. I always tried not to be afraid of him when I went to her house. But I'm sure you can imagine that a dog is excited when someone new comes around. I never thought of him as a German Sheppard because he was white so this part is new information. The dog loved Jackie .. This story isnt really about King he is just the poke that helped me remember her. I think we got to be close friends when I was in the 4th grade. I didn't know that she was sick from something. I never knew what was wrong. I could never tell by looking at her that she was having problems. But one day she told me that she was going to have to go to the hospital in Germany to have surgery. We played chinese jump rope that day. We laughed and played like we always did. I was sure that I would be able to play with her again when she came home. A few days later I rode my bike to school and was the first one in class and my teacher was there. She didn't say hello really .. she seemed upset but I didn't know why. I think in fourth grade I was about nine or ten. Then suddenly she blurted out, Jackies full name and announced that she was dead. Just like that .. no careful letting me know .. no letting me in on this news in an easy way.. just matter of factly. I said .. Oh NO I just played with her she's fine. Then the teacher explained that she died on the operating table. I was in shock of course. All I could manage to do was tell every child that came into the room the same thing. I never cried .. I just could not believe that this happened. There was no funeral, there was no crying, there was no chance to process any of this grief .. So i cry now .. I cry for Jackie .. for the loss of my friend, for the strange way that I was given this sad news. I never got to tell Jackies family that I loved their daughter and that I loved the dog King and how much she loved her dog. I never got to say sorry for their loss. It's ok that I cry about this now because I can just have this and it's ok to have my feelings. But I can also be grateful that I had a friend that was like me that liked me and that I liked and that for some reason had to leave here sooner than I would have liked. I missed her a lot. I do still think of her but not in the same way. Today when a child dies schools bring in counselors and help the children. We didn't have that then. Maybe you don't have that for yourself .. its ok to cry. And then it's ok to get on with living. To live fully I think is to pay respect for those that left too soon. those are just my thoughts .. I am sure that I will see Jackie again and that is my own belief. I think this experience so young has made me more tender hearted towards the hurting and maybe caused me some fear in living. I am grateful that I am not too old to learn more about life and myself . I'm grateful that I can tell you about Jackie ..  I am going to practice living with less fear and with my joy, i want to have joy every day .. even when life makes me sad.. painting gives me joy. This daily practice of painting has changed my perspective .. i would highly recommend you try some daily practice that you love and see where it takes you. 

If you would love to have this beautiful dog portrait in your home just email me at iwilldream4ever@aol.com. I will be back tomorrow. Have a wonderful day!!! 

Day 68 and Toodles

Today is day 68 I didn't sleep well last night so I got a late start today and that darned tooth is hurting yet again .. I need to get it checked but that is the way of things.. i will put this off till I have to .. ha .. So this paper says lazy dog on it but I never thought of Toodles as a lazy dog. I met Toodles at my girlfriends house when I went to stay at her home. I don't think either of us ever expected that I would spend so much time with her but I did. It was a rough time in my life and Toodles was there when I was there. She was being cared for by my friend because the owner was out of town. I have to say that I was a very sad and hurting woman at that time. I slept a lot. There was one day that I was laying on the couch .. being lazy!!!! haha .. i was the lazy one.. and i was sad .. and Toodles came crawling up to me and laid right on my solar plexus. I really felt that he knew that I was hurting and he laid where he knew that my pain was... or where he knew that it would do the most good. I didnt' even know Toodles and most of the time he was pretty shy and didn't really get to close to me but as I lay there he comforted me beyond belief. I was truly honored that he would do this .. i felt very loved by this animal and I really really needed it at that time. I'm so grateful that Toodles did this for me that day .. I have and never will forget Toodles and what he did that day. I was going to say I didn't think this portrait was as good as some of the others but you know what it doesn't even matter cause Toodles looks how I remember him. Sweet beautiful soul he was.

So . if you would like to own Toodles just let me know by emailing me at iwilldream4ever@aol.com. I'll be back tomorrow .. have a great day!!

Day 67 and The Lazy Brown Fox

The day is number sixty seven and the title of the piece is The Lazy Brown Fox. I had to give it that title because I painted this on a piece of practice calligraphy paper that my mom had saved. I have gradually been going through all the paper ephemera that my mother saved. I think that the interesting thing is that I have learned more about my mother after her passing by going through her saved collection of papers then I did talking to her. She loved calligraphy and I think when she was living in Japan she took some classes. I do know that she loved the whole art of sumi painting and the creation of textural characters. She often wanted to recreate words or poetry in calligraphy to share with friends or just to put on her own wall. She has a whole book of hand lettered practice pages. This page gave me a clue what my next animal to paint would be. I have no idea where the thought that a fox was lazy but maybe it has something to do with how little they will work for food. I really don't know. I have only had a few sightings of foxes in my life time and one night I was driving my boys home and there was a driving rain and I hit a fox that was running across the road. I tried in vain to keep from hitting the fox but it just couldn't be avoided. I must say I was quite distressed over this event. I never ever want to have any part in killing an animal for any reason unless perhaps for self defense but even that would be difficult for me. I appreciate the Native American Indians respect of animals. Sacrificing an animal only for the survival of the man. I love this fox .. i love the undone parts. I was going to say I am not tired anymore but I just about fell asleep and it's morning!!!  I must need a nap haha ..

Ok if you would love to own this lazy brown fox just email me at iwilldream4ever@aol.com. Now only 33 days left .. so grateful to be practicing a painting a day .. see you tomorrow..

Day 66 My Misty Girl

Today is day 66 and I definitely work better when it's the morning and I am NOT TIRED!!!.. So morning painting is going to stay as much as humanly possible. At night when I wait to do the painting when I am tired .. it's like torture haha.. so no more torture. Only morning painting no matter what .. ha.

This is a portrait of my dog Misty when she was a puppy. She was such a beautiful dog. And I have to say .. i cried while I painted this this morning. I loved this Misty girl so so much. She had my heart completely. She was so much my dog and she was so faithful. She passed away just nearly two years ago in March. I feel bad saying but I examine my heart and see that I loved her more then some humans I have loved. Her love and forgiving nature was so unconditional. I want to believe that I will see her again in my next life. She was so smart and when I gave her a plastic frog toy when she was just a puppy she never injured it.. she loved to play and I would throw it to her and she would always bring it back to me but she never chewed it up .. always played with it gingerly really .. so careful not to hurt it. She played that way with Molly .. Misty was a big girl when she grew up and so so smart. She always wanted to be right beside me and her favorite spot was outside on the porch. She would always opt to stay there if I offered her to come inside, I always felt like she enjoyed surveying her land and I couldn't blame her, where I lived was such a beautiful spot in the world. With beautiful trees and long view, beauty and nature all around. I miss it. I buried her under a tree on the edge of the yard. I miss that I can't be in that spot where she is now. I honestly cry so much when I think of her still. I don't know that I will ever get over losing her. I do feel that she was my most trusted and faithful confidant. I love my Misty girl.

I'm not sure I can part with this portrait but if you really want it please email me at iwilldream4ever@aol.com. I also will do dog portraits on commission if you'd want one. Have a fabulous day and I'll see you tomorrow.

Day 64 and Sow

This is day sixty four and this is a sow. I am exhausted and I put off painting till the evening to get ready for the event I am doing tomorrow. I'm so tired now that I am having a very difficult time trying to stay awake .. So my pig sow here is finished to the point that I could no longer keep going. It's been a long week and seems to just be getting longer. I want to sleep right now but I'm here posting this blog so that I can put up my day's face.

The story of the sow pig is one that my mother told many times. When she was a little girl she was visiting her grandmother on her farm. . I think she and her siblings were all dressed to go to church and since they were with their grandma they wanted to go outside to play and for some reason they found that the watering hole that was nearby was a good place to hang out. Their mom told them not to get dirty. Can't imagine that it would be easy near a pig pen. But anyway they were out standing on the trough and it was kind of like a pool for the animals but too high for them to get into.  It had a fairly substantial ledge on it. I don't know if you know what a sow looks like but they are big mommies of the pigs .. they are very big so that they can feed all those babies. They have minds of their own. They are huge really. There is good reason to be fearful of a huge momma pig that is almost the size of a small car and they make loud scary grunting sounds. My mother's brother thought of a neat idea as they all stood there on that ledge overlooking the water. He simply yelled out "sow's coming" and the girls all jumped into the water. They were scared to death of the sow. Their brother, my uncle Justin laughed and laughed and the girls quickly got out when they saw that there was no sow .. but they were clearly wet and about to be in big trouble. My aunts and my mother always retold the story with a great deal of affection and boisterous laughter. It's one I will never forget.

If you would like to own today's portrait... email me at iwilldream4ever@aol.com. It's $64. Painted on sewn papers and an enveolope. See you tomorrow .. i'm going to bed!!!!

Day 62 and the Blue Heron

Day 62 and it seems that life is just happening left and right here and so it's been a challenge to continue in the midst of all of it. I'm grateful always to those that stop and leave me a note. Encouragement is always a great thing when your tempted to stop .. i mean some days ... I knew that at some point there would be the days that I just didn't want to paint.. and there are some days when I just get to it and the process just seems to take over and I don't even think about what I'm doing .. i just get in the flow of things and it works out .. I like this one today of the blue heron. I tried to think of something that my mom would like .. because today is the day she was born. Yep .. she died six days before her 78th birthday and so today she would have been 79. I just don't still know where a year has gone. I don't know how it's possible. But it has and a lot has been going on this week ..

My mom loved the herons because at her home in Florida there was always a blue Heron sitting on the back deck overlooking the river. She loved the water and loved to sit and look at the river and the birds and sometimes a manatee or dolphin would come near the house. I guess I got some of my love of nature from her.

This is painted on some anniversary cards that she and my dad got for their 50th wedding anniversary. Sewn together and painted on with acrylic paint. If you would like to own this heron please send me an email to iwilldream4ever@aol.com. See you tomorrow.

Turtles

Today is day 61.. I'm still kind of tired but glad to have my art to keep me going and focused on something good and fullfilling.

I painted the turtle because it always reminds me that it is ok to slow down and take care of my self. To retreat into the shell for a just a time until the danger or whatever is lurking has passed. There was a post on my blog a few years ago .. I think called It's been a turtle week.. I had seen a series of turtles about three in a row. I like to think about the messages that nature can bring me. I love how the Native American Indians interpret the symbols of nature. I know for me when the turtles showed up in my life I realized how much I loved nature and it caused me to go outside and really look at the nature that was around me there where I lived. I loved doing that. I even saw a tiny turtle.. things I have never EVER seen there. This really gave me so much happiness. I enjoyed looking at them and letting them be themselves and just feeling so honored to be able to witness their magnificence. I know that I will always love nature.

If you would like to own this turtle painting. Email me at iwilldream4ever@aol.com. Today's painting is $61. See you tomorrow.

Something different and I'm with my Godmother

Today is day fifty nine and I am sitting in the Hospice of the Comforter with my Godmother as she makes her way to be with her Lord and her dear sweet husband and other family. I left to come here this morning. I drove for a little over an hour and I have stayed this late and didn't get this posted .. I did actually do this portrait before midnight and so it count's as that days even if it is taking me longer to post it. Today's face is done with a makeup pencil on the back of a checkbook. ..

This is just life happening. There will be more posts in the days ahead.

Today I will just say that I had the best Godmother in the world I think. When I lived in Africa she would send me letters and sunday school lessons. She taught sunday school for 30 years. She was and is an amazing woman. She always sent me cards for my birthday and for Christmas. When I was little and came home from Africa with my parents she would walk me down the isle and tell everyone that I was her Godchild and now I do the same .. I tell everyone that I know that she is my godmother. I have always been loved by her and I love her just the same .. I always will. I have told her to say hello to my mom when she gets there. .. So forgive me for the lack of a highly realistic face..

If you would love to own a tiny make up face email me at iwilldream4ever@aol.com. haha .. see you tomorrow hopefully ... for now I am having a slumber party with my godsister sitting with my godmother in the Hospice of the Comforter.

Day 57 and Hyena

Today day fifty seven and it was the first day where I really had no idea what to paint or what to say.. so I got a late start. Oddly enough this came to me after I sat still for a minute. There is for me great value in being still for the creative process. Busy-ness just seems to kill it for me. And on this one .. I just decided to give the shape of the animal and focus my attention around the eyes .. these eyes just say so much to me. Hyena's are not the most loved animal of Africa .. they have been given many characteristics most of which are negative. Either way there is something about those eyes ..

The hyenas came up in my thoughts when I recalled that while were spending weekends at the beach we were reminded about .. the bathroom situation. There was a series of holes dug in the ground surrounded by some wooden walls .. I really don't remember what it looked like inside but for sanitation reasons that's where you had to go. At night I often needed to go .. we were always told never to go alone, ever. So usually my dad got the potty duty and off we would go with a flashlight. I wish that I had some kind of an amazing story about them but all I remember is that he would stand there with the flashlight and point it out where they were .. I could sometimes barely make them out, usually their eyes would glow but they never, thankfully, came close. I never heard any stories about any close calls of anyone that we went with to the beach. I am thinking there is one really good thing about a hyena and I think it's like a vulture, they are like the clean up crew of dead animals. I think they will eat just about anything.

If you would love to have this beautiful eyed hyena in your house .. email me at iwilldream4ever@aol.com. This is painted on sewn folder with wrapping paper. About 8 x 12
I like this one. See you tomorrow .. and it's a great day!!

Day 55 and Camels

Day 55 and so this means there are 35 more days to go.. today I have a lot to do .. so I am feeling the pressure. I still love doing the faces and I don't think that I will ever stop loving painting. I don't care for the stress.. so I may have to change things .. but it won't impact this aspect of my life .. I am committed to doing this!!!

I have recently been looking through old family photos. That was one thing that my mother was very good at doing as well as organizing all the things that she saved. She kept lots of family photos and back then you had to take them with a film camera and get them developed. I found a photo of me wearing a christmas outfit that my mom made and I am riding on the top of a camel by my self. I look to be about 6 years old. If you know anything about camels they have that hump on their backs and the saddle is usually on top of that if you are doing the odd thing of riding on one. They are kind of like horses for us in the US. They are the mode of transportation used in the desert. They are very tall and when you hold onto a saddle while it's laying down when it gets up its something like an amusement park ride or a roller coaster. It's the same when they get down. I think that the scarier thing however, is not the ride, but the noises that the camel makes. And the long neck that allows it to have easy access to you on it's back. The noise sounds like Chewbacca from the star wars movies. That is a bit scary to a six year old child. So this photo I found was me riding a camel while attending a children's Christmas party in Africa. Guess that's how they do it there.. or at least that's how American's do it in Africa. I have also ridden on one while we were at the beach on the coast. An animal roller coaster ride. This one looks cute and they all did have those big black eyes and all have their own unique look and with much character. This ones a cutey.

If you would like to own this Camel send me an email at iwilldream4ever@aol.com. He's painted on a folder with a map and red paper as well as an envelope sewn together. About 8-9"x10". Hope you have a great day. See you tomorrow.

Day 54 and Elephants

Today is day fifty four and I am painting an elephant and oddly enough the only time I was close to an elephant or yes even rode on an elephant was at the zoo. Now this is an African elephant but where we lived was north of Kenya and Nairobi where you would likely see elephants in the wild. But I do recall going with my mom and I think my grandparents to the zoo in Topeka, Kansas and of all places. I think that's where I rode the elephant. It was big and slow and I remember thinking how awful it was to see this animal tied up and not roaming in the African jungle. I guess it is hard when man and animal intersect and one population grows and the other seems to stay the same or dies off. I don't really enjoy the zoo just because I feel the animals are not in their natural habitat. It's about the same as opening a prison so we can go and gawk at the inmates.

As for the artistic process this one is a hard animal to paint. Elephants are full of folds and creases, crevices and they have mud on them and they have these tiny eyes in the recesses of their big blackness. Time prevents me from being able to render every line but that's definitely an animal with no lack of character and content to draw. They seem like gentle giants. I think that the best part for me is that the articles of paper that I am using have sometimes a lot packed into them. This is painted on a card that was hand written by someone that is no longer in my knowing. Someone that has some heartache attached to it .. but with paint those words disappear and all that is left is one legible word on the tusk .. you'll have to look closely. It's Love.. and that is what this whole project is about for me. Reclaiming the past and choosing to focus on the love parts. The goodness. So .. that makes me glad and filled with gratitude.

If you would like to own this gentle giant .. email me at iwilldream4ever@aol.com. Slightly larger than the others to be able to see the long snout. Done in acrylic. I hope you have a fantastic day. See you tomorrow. :)

Day 53 and Sea Horses

Today all I could think about was how much I love nature and creatures. I find that after writing so much about the time that I lived in Africa as a child, I realize that I have had a love of nature from childhood. We often went to the beach in the early years of living there and later we would go to a place we called the TTU. I'm sure it stands for something but I don't know what that is. The TTU was like a hotel in my child mind. This was a change from staying on the beach camping, where there was always sand in your shoes, to being in a place where you could swim, ski or just sit outside and enjoy the view. Here we could go back to a room after playing hard and shower, get dressed and go somewhere else to have breakfast, lunch or dinner. We went here often too. My mom and dad loved to water ski. I never found it something I wanted to try. My sister was afraid of the water unless we were swimming at the beach. Sometimes my mom would take us on the boat to watch her ski. As we got older this wasn't something we enjoyed very much. One day we bored out of our minds so we asked if we could swim to the beach at the TTU.. it was in the bay we were skiing in. So the boat goes as close as it could and off we jump into the water and swim over the beach. We would play there but there wasn't the long distance of shallow water so it wasn't as much fun. The deep dropped off ... one day my sister and I were playing here in this water and we didn't always look at what was around us but somehow we found ourselves looking at little tiny sea horses! We were so excited we ran up to the tables where were sitting and found some paper cups so we could catch this wonderfully magic creature. Their little tails were wound up into a spiral and they would swim around and move their tails. They were amazing to watch. I don't think I have ever seen them since then. It was a magical memory that I'm so grateful to remember. The beginning of my love of nature.

If you would love to own this beautifully magical creature, email me at iwilldream4ever@aol.com. This is painted on a cover to a catalog and piece of wrapping paper and an envelope all sewn together. It is about 8x10 in size and is painted in acrylic.. have you noticed the added use of color? I love it!! See you tomorrow .. i'll be back.