Illustration Friday : Lady in Red

'I've never seen you looking so lovely as you did tonight

I've never seen you shine so bright

I've never seen so many men ask you if you wanted to dance

They're looking for a little romance, given half a chance

I have never seen that dress you're wearing

Or the highlights in your hair that catch your eyes

I have been blind '

When I read this week's word, the first thing that came to mind was the song, "Lady in Red." I've always loved it. And the artist really wrote it for and about his wife, which I also love.

This illustration was prompted by a friend who loved my Super Hero illo. She said "You've got to do more of THAT!" meaning she loved the stylized woman in my illustration. She loved her vulnerability. She loved her exaggerated angles. I mulled this over and got very excited about doing a series of stylized women on patterned backgrounds and calling the series "Wallflowers." So...I'm trying the first one out on you! Any and all feedback is always welcome. Being self-taught, I work really hard at everything I do. But, don't we all? So, here she is, my lady in red.

There are 2 views because it was too large for my scanner. There's a decorative trim on the bottom of the paper which didn't show on the fuller view. I like the scan with more space on the right, but just to show you the pattern I chose to add both views.

This was painted with acrylics on scrapbooking paper. A rubber stamp thingy was used for her dress pattern and then painted in. Everything took at least six layers of paint! I was at this all day. Click to enlarge to view a regular sized woman :)

Centering

" Centering is meditation in action. When you are centered, you are in a state of clarity, focus, peace and balance."

This is my latest painting I hung in my little gallery. This too, was inspired by one of my many walks along the ocean. It was a chilly day and a gull was just hovering in front of me. It was like we shared a moment or two. I painted it large, 3' by 3' square, meaning for it to be hung so the viewer and the gull are eye to eye just as we were. People who come into the gallery all seem to say that my work has a spiritual feel. I must be doing something right because those same nice people have been buying my paintings. I pretty much pinch myself every day!

Thanks for looking. You should be able to click on it for a larger view.

IF : SuperHero

Lily was the new girl in town. Soft-spoken, charming, smart- but she lacked confidence. She had moved so much in her life, always having to leave good friends behind and either start a new school or a new job. She was desperate to belong to some place or some one in some way. Johnny had his eye on her the day she set foot in this town. He felt it was his right to stake his claim on her before someone else did. He was such a charmer. Smooth talker, good looking. He had it all as far as looks goes. But he was a first class jerk, and sadly, Lily was about to find that out. That poor girl fell head over heels in love for the first time, and she fell hard. She'd hear the giggles of other girls who'd see them together. People who became her friends had tried to warn her he was just using her but she'd have no part of any of it. She knew he loved her. She just knew it! After they made love, their dates became further apart. Johnny always had an excuse for why he couldn't see her. He had to work a double shift. His Grandmother was ill and he had to tend to her. Whatever. She finally realized it was all a bunch of lies. He didn't even have a Grandmother. Everyone was right. He would walk out of her life as soon as he 'conquered' her because it was a score thing with him and another school jock. I mean jerk. Lily became withdrawn and depressed. She would lie in bed day after day watching her life drift by. But this one day she happened to put the TV on and Oprah was interviewing a woman who nearly died af a broken heart and miraculously she pulled through because she found a superhero heart mender! Oh My God!!!! Lily jumped out of bed and turned up the volume and vigorously took notes. She called the number on the screen and the next thing you know this big superhero in a little body came over to her house and mended her broken little heart. She held the tiny ladder steady for him while he diligently stitched her wounds. Even though he had to make a sizeable incision, she never felt a thing nor did she have a scar! This tiny little heart-mending guy was truly her superhero to whom she be forever grateful.

My personal superheroes are the workers at animal shelters... and hospice workers... and people who round up feral cats and feed them and catch them to have them spayed and neutered... and firemen and women... and policemen and women...and people who love life even when times are as tough as they can be. People like you! :)

(acrylic on canvas resulting in a crappy scan)

Illustration Friday: I miss the 80's

" Summertime, and the livin' is easy. Fish are jumpin' , and the cotton is high...."

This is all I could think of because I'm freezing here in central California. I miss the temps being in the 80s , although it hardly ever gets that hot here. I just miss being warm! I left New England to come to a warmer climate, but instead it's above record temps back home, and quite chilly here. The whole planet is having screwy weather. Probably global warming, sad to say.

I don't like to complain, but I didn't like this week's word. I was in a bad place in the 80s, so I didn't want to dredge any of that stuff up. (Thought I'd spare you!) So I went with weather...and one of my favorite songs came to mind, "Summertime." I NEVER, EVER do art on the computer because I don't have a clue about any of it, but I bought a greeting card program and played around with it and this is what I did. Oh well, at least I did something !

Illustration Friday : BUZZ

So many things came to mind when I heard this week's word...buzz haircut like my dad always had. Buzz, my husband's best friend in Rhode Island...get a "buzz" on, what's the buzz, and on and on. But then I remembered I had news to share with all my Iffer friends in Ifsville! So many of you wanted to know if Olaf proposed that cold night he skated to Olga's house, and the day has finally come that I can share the good news! So go ahead and read the engagement announcement in "The Town Buzz." I'd be happy to pass along words of congrats, and you can be sure you'll be the first to know when they've set a date. That's it for now...gotta buzz off!!

( For newcomers to my blog, please see IF:Might so this post will make sense!)

watercolor/ink/rubber stamping click to enlarge