Beauty

There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion.


Wouldn't this be great as a doll? I don't mean a paper doll, either.

Take care,

Candace

Shirt Sleeve Sunday

And did we ever need it!

Minding my own biz (for once), I rolled up those Sunday shirt sleeves and made my way down to the edge of the driveway where I promptly took over. I was armed and ready. Good for the challenge. Fighting fit and ready to engage...


And then I did this. Hail his majesty the sun... for if winter comes, can Spring be far behind? And then I noticed something and just could not resist.

Can you see it? Do you see what I see?

Well, how about now?

I admit it, I turned as lazy as a big orange cat, napping in the you know what ... but while getting my weekend post all ready to shine like a big ol' star, Our Very Own Star came out today, bringing a nice 70 or so Fahrenheit with it, making this day of days a Shirt Sleeve Sunday. Thanks, Sol!

And thanks for those birthday cards, and Sarah, your lovely artcard came right on time! What a lovely drawing... and Jeanne was so kind to post good wishes on my Facebook. Denise sent the handmade Happy Birthday, along with a very fun "CARE package". Goodness!

My much-loved Thister sent the Black Sheep of the Family card, with a hysterical inside message. (Yes, I do look good in black. And I do look good in wool! But on a day like today, I wore pinks and oranges -- how appropriate!)

Mmm... guess which card is from T? Hint: Look for the party animal! What the...??? Freak from T, black sheep of the family from Thister -- ahhhh. Good to know my reputation remains intact.

Speaking of party animals, the Girls loved their very own party favours (Milkbones). Of course, they would.

And Here She Is ... a peek at Persephone's Spring 2010 Line. Dig that veil --

-- which She will be tearing off soon enough, wide awake once again as She hightails it through the fields on Her annual trip home to Mama, leaving flowers and healing tenderness in Her wake.

Get More of What You Love.

Candace

Cardinal Sin

Sometimes I do things that end up making me want a slug of tequila ... and these are things I MEANT to do.

Hello everyone!



Yes, I boobooed My Cardinal oil pastel. Didn't quite get that sunset to work the way I wanted it but was quite sure I'd end up with a muddy look if I did NOT stop... so, for once, I did. Oh well.

Below is Cardinal at Sunset, done on 140 lb cold press with oil pastels, a medium I am not very down with. I understand now what I did "wrong". I know, I know... some folks say there is no wrong in art, but let's not kid ourselves here. It might not be so much that my art is wrong, per se, but the execution itself lacks a certain panache.

As they say, try, try again. Which I will!

The Stone Prince by Regehr is below, followed by my own "version" of it will -- alas! not quite finished. Still working on it. I have been swamped for several reasons, not the least of which is work and company from out of town. Regehr (check out his website here) is someone whose artistic influences were a lot of mine as well. Schiele, Klimt, the PreRaphaelites.

More coming on Friday, as well, especially -- ta-da -- Iconography as tarted up by very truly yours. And the chalk art. By then, I should HOPE The Classic City will be dried out from all the snow and rain. Whew...

Well, Kids, in reference to Cardinal Sin, tomorrow is Mardi Gras... and the day after comes the season of fasting, praying, almsgiving for many. Do you have a "cause"? Or a penance? How do you care for it? I do try to continue to educate myself, talk about it, read about it. I write letters to folks who might further this cause. Sometimes I do art about it... it's the only thing that really soothes the beast.

Take care and let the good times roll.

Candace In Athens.

Will You Be --

-- My Valentine?

Hello everybody! What a difference a day makes. Look at that sky and the glittering trees off my back deck.

Even the deer looked like set dressing out of a nature documentary today. They're in the Corn Bar, a little dive T and I have fussed up for them. A bucket of corn, and fallen logs they lie down in when the wind blows just right. We've counted seven does and one buck... I suspect the nursery will be busy this year.

It was all I could do to NOT jump the gun and show this before Sarah her own self had a chance to revel in it. Proud of her, proud of the work, too. Go over and look at all her stuff. FUN.

Below is a bit of my exercise from Misty Mawn… and one of my “muses”, like so many others’, is/was Frida Kahlo. My own interpretation here is “Frida with Photo”, instead of “Frida with Monkey”. (Once I went to a party as Frida with a sock monkey on my shoulder. Well, I couldn’t find a live one, so I had to make do.)

Tomorrow you will see my version of The Stone Prince, an oil painting by Duncan Regehr. I traveled to Arizona to see a retrospective of his work some years back and have spoken to him on the phone. Nice. And I haven’t forgotten the ICONOGRAPHY, trust me. That is coming up this Friday, 19 Feb, My very own birthday. WOOT. I’ll be 50. Again.

Plus there will be chalk portraits, done in chalk -- gee, imagine that! I love how they look and have always wanted to do chalk art -- just because. This too is from the Journaling in January work. This might have been the only time I wanted January to last longer... time just ran out!

And now, today, one of the very best of holidays – one that blossomed for love’s sake itself.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Kids! Look just a little familiar? I can’t help myself! Time for less grays and more reds, if you ask me. And while the snow is still here, it's melting fast -- but now we're told more snow is on its way! Mmmmmm. Is that rascally Mother Nature trying to tell us something?

Get More of What You Love.
Candace

Bleak House 2010

Hello Everyone.

The snow was unexpected in The Classic City and maybe even more beautiful because of it,

and if you look you will see the deer frisking in the woods between falling flakes.

Trees that have held on to pale golden leaves well past autumn shone bright as beacons in the now whited-out field.

I know that I believe in love. And my sister believes in sending me birthday cards a week early.

But after an old family friend's devastating passing, it's hard to concentrate, hard to work, hard to do Art, hard to be anywhere but Bleak House

where the present seems too cold for comfort and the past shines like those golden leaves, the future suddenly dark and uncertain.

I'll be back Sunday. I haven't forgotten I have some things to show you.

Get What You Love.

Candace

Cartoon Wednesday

Hello!
Okay, okay ... not so much cartoons as just some fun Valentine drawings to share. These are works in progress. That string tied to her finger? I bet she wants to remember to give her heart to someone this year!


I am revving up to send out handmade cards this weekend for the Big V-Day.

This year, I really look forward to the 14th.

First, it's on a Sunday, and that means no work. Maybe a nice brunch with my peeps at The Last Resort, and perhaps a movie at the dollar show ...

Or even a nap like these two sluggards here!

Who knows? The heart's the limit!

Get More of What You Love.

Candace