Kick up your heels....

 
I am a basic black at heart...but some brave souls out there thrive on color...and to those who dare, kick up your heels and wear them proud!

Shiny things...

 
We are a disposable society of dixie cups,chinet plates and plastic sporks...but every now and then, when I rummage through an antique store and see gleaming silver tea services and such, I wonder why we got away from such shining beautiful things.

A mix of greenery awaits...

 
"As from a large heap of flowers many wreaths and garlands are made, so by a mortal in this life there is much good work to be done."-Buddha....(Riverside Nursury in Canton)

Fade away...

 
It is interesting watching this old barn in Burlington, year after year, as it fades into the landscape. There is something very beautiful about the weathered barnboard and all the lights and shadows. Someday it will just be a stone foundation but for now it is a photographer's dream.

Birds on the Wire...

 
"How the sky turns to fire, along the telephone wire. And even I'm getting tired of these useless desires."-Patty Griffin (One of my favorite songs)

A Girl's Best Friend...

 
We spent a wonderful Thanksgiving day at my brother's house in North Canton. Mingling with all the Uncles, Aunts and cousins was the sweetest little dog, Biscuit. She was in everybody's lap throughout the day. By the end of the day, Leah was convinced we needed a dog, just like Biscuit. Can they clone dogs?

A thoughtful friend....

 
Today, as our students packed up their paper turkeys, Thanksgiving poems and what not...my teacher suprised me with her little gesture of thoughtfulness...she says she is thankful for me, but the feeling is mutual...she is a wonderful, giving teacher and friend...how lucky am I to be working along side her!

Littlest Indian...

&nbs
First session of Holiday Art Class held this afternoon at RBS...getting ready for Thanksgiving. This is the youngest student in our session...adorable...and a quite a good little artist. I do LOVE kids' artwork...it's so free flowing!

Fruit Faces..Take Two...

 
Our HeArt in Hand art camp did another session of Guiseppe Archambaldo's "Fruit Face People"...the students really love this project and the results are always very colorful.

For all those...

 
who can captivate the imagination, there is no such place as faraway....the cover of my Sketchbook Journal Project...theme being "In Flight"...after months of working on this, I am finally finished...now I send it off to the Brooklyn Museum of Art for a showing...then the group of artists' sketchbooks travel to 6 various museums around the country on tour...and I get feedback from other artists on my journal...cool idea, glad I did it!

How much is that doggy...

 
in the window, the one with the beautiful eyes. Walking past a storefront in Collinsville this morning, we came upon this peaceful pup...better to let sleeping dogs lie.

The color of nutmeg...

 
"He is the color of nutmeg. And the heat of the ginger...he is pure air and fire; and the dull elements of earth and water never appear in him, but only in patient stillness while his rider mounts him; he is indeed a horse, and all other jades you may call beasts."-William Shakespeare-Henry V...(my favorite horse at a stable I pass by each morning on my way to work.

A helping hand...or two

 
"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."-Anne Frank ...our class worked together on this Thanksgiving dinner for a needy family in our area...lots of small hands making a big difference to someone.

A day well spent...

 
Anytime you spend a part of your day being creative is a day well spent...so many ideas are percolating today.

A work of Art...

 
"There is no need for a piece of sculpture in a home that has a cat."-Wesley Bates....I can look at this cat, Chloe, day after day, and still see different beautiful patterns in her coat.

Winter Berries...

 
It's mid November and the burnt orange colors of Autumn are fading into memory...the ruby red berries of winter are blooming on the vines...they do look beautiful against the snow that will all to soon follow.

Words to live by...

 
"Never jump into a pile of leaves with a wet sucker."-Charlie Brown

Fields of Gold...

 
"Take rest, a field that is rested gives a bountiful crop."-Ovid (The corn fields across the street from my school)

This girl deserves a Party...

 
Tonight, with 33 of Traci's closest and dearest, we threw a surprise 50th party for our girl...Traci has always been there for all of us and it was her night to shine! The theme was Traci's favorite -a touch of leopard, we looked like a cult of wild women, but what the heck...you only turn 50 once, so let it fly!

Veteran's Day Tribute

 
One of the many pieces of moving children's artwork on display around our school halls today, honoring those that made the ultimate sacrifice.

it's that simple....

 
ART...it's that simple...I love it!

It's not as easy as it looks...

 
These are just a few of the random scraps of paper I have written quotes on for this blog...it's not as easy as it seems to come up with a good shot each and every day and then find a good quote to match to it...but I have stuck with this blog for over 2/3rds of this year and I WILL see it through...but on certain nights like tonight, I am just plain tired and my creative mojo has left the building...hopefully it will return tomorrow.

Unnecessary freezing...

 
"A lot of people like snow, I find it to be the unnecessary freezing of water."-Carl Reiner....welcome back first whirl of snow..I missed you so! (A lonely glass orb in our courtyard garden at school)

"Here an oink..there an oink...."

 
Leah painted these two piggy banks for her friend's new babies. They really did come out quite nicely. I know Leah thinks that Lauren and I have all the artistic ability...but she is a pretty good artist too...when she stays home long enough to do a project ;)

Unexpected gifts...

 
My dad has been painting old railroad stations and barns since 1965. Today, when I visited him, he pulled this particular painting off his wall and gave it to me, because I always liked this one. He painted it in 1978, I believe. Unexpected gifts are always the nicest surprises!