HOLDING ON TO FADED DREAMS ...

Most times when I drive by an abandoned home or business I often think to myself  "I wonder whose dream that was? What were they like?  What did they envision?  What made them give up on it? Was it a dream fulfilled or a dream lost?"  Answers I'll never know but interesting to think about.  Interesting to make up my own stories.  

This is from a photo I saw.  It immediately caught my attention and the house made me think of dreams now gone.   I changed a few things but hopefully still kept the feeling of what once was ...

'HOLDING ON TO FADED DREAMS'

5 x 7" Acrylic on Wood Panel

For more information on this Piece Please Click HERE

My head is in the clouds . . .

If you read my second post on Las Vegas you will remember that I posted several Cloud photos I took.  I love Clouds and, as a child, like most of you I'm sure, had fun finding all kinds of wonderful things up there in the sky.  We've had some storms here in the last week and some of the Cloud formations have been stunning.  I had this crazy idea and thought it might be fun to post a Cloud photo each time I do a Post.  If you are familar with the Blog 'The Accidental Artist' (Carrie Jacobsen ~ a very good Palette knife Artist.) then you know she posts a 'Dog of the Day' at the end of each of her Blogs.  Well, obviously I'm not going to do a Dog of the day ~ that idea is taken.  So, I thought a cloud of the day might work and you can have fun seeing what you see. (Or not! :)  Maybe they'll just be inspiration.  So here is the first one and, would you believe it ... I see a Dog!  :)  A Golden Retriever to be exact.  (Sorry, couldn't help myself, but he was right there!!)  Can you find it?

“Some dreams fade away like a current in a stream. Others burn like a light that won't burn out no matter what life throws at you. That's when a dream turns itself into a vision and a true vision won't die”     ~ Scott Coner

CHARLEEN

AND SHE SAID "I KNOW ... IT'S ABOUT TIME!"

I wrote in my last months (well, actually June) Newsletter  that sometimes Life gets in the way of Life.  That was shortly after my husband suffered a stroke.  That being one of the several reasons you haven't heard from me.  (He was lucky. He is doing very well now, Thank you!  If you get a moment, and didn't receive my Newsletter, you just might want to click on the  above link and read last months letter.  His symptoms were not the norm but definitely something everyone should be aware of ) The Best of intentions can be railroaded so easily can't they?  This month (well, actually July ... I keep forgetting it's August 1st!) I decided he'd had enough of the attention so in for knee surgery I went.  :)   The first of two, and this one was suppose to be the simple one.  Not quite as simple as we thought so the knee has been up, the pain pills out and the brushes 'almost' dry.  I did get some work done but not nearly what I had expected.  There will be another knee surgery, but hopefully not for another couple of months. Time to catch up.

In between all of this I had a birthday.  A BIG BIRTHDAY.  In fact, a VERY BIG BIRTHDAY.  :/  I thought I'd share with you the card that my grandchildren made for me in case you have never seen one of these.  I had seen several smaller versions of this that they had done for their friends in the past, but this one was quite the surprise.  A lot of work, a lot of imagination and ... a lot of calories!  It may be a little hard to follow in some spots but I think you'll get the idea.

Art in Flavors!  Just fun and the idea could be used in so many other ways :)  I'm a pretty lucky Grandma. 

NOW ON TO MORE SERIOUS MATTERS!  :)

EVENING ON THE DUNES

This is a 6 x 8" Acrylic on Textured Wood Panel.

More information on this Piece can be found by clicking HERE

I've been doing a lot of my work lately on textured Panels.  And, when you have a lot going on, Painting is much easier to set up and do than trying to arrange a gazillion small pieces of paper for one of my Collages.  

Here's another ...

SUMMER AFTERNOON IN BLUE

8 x 10 Acrylic on Textured Wood Panel

More information on this piece can be found by clicking HERE

Blue is such an inviting color and I find, an easy color to work with.  

"I think I have something to wear tonight that is not quite correct for Evening wear.  

Blue suede shoes."

                                           ~  Elvis Presley

til next time ...

             Charleen