GRAB YOUR SLIPPERS . . .

AND GET OUT IN THE GARDEN.  OTHERWISE YOU MIGHT MISS SOME GOOD GOSSIP!

'THE EARLY MORNING SLIPPER CLUB:  

GARDEN GOSSIP'

I recently brought The Early Morning Slipper Club back.  I haven't brought them to life for quite a few years but I had a recent request for some ladies along this line so I thought who better than the Slipper Club.  This is the second in the series.  They are fun ladies to play with. You just never know what kind of gossip they might be spreading now. :)

 You can find both on my website at www.charleenmartin.com

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We recently went out for an evening ride with friends to have dinner in the desert.  Thought I would share a few photos with you.

you just never know what you might find

a 'cristate' which is a deformed saguaro. nobody knows why this happens

superbloom of orange mallow after the heavy winter rains

an old well

i saw a dog. my friend saw an elephant.  i think she was right. :)

mexican poppies growing in the roadway

CLOUDS OF THE DAY . . .

and the western sunset reflecting off these mountains ended our day

Happiest of Easters Everyone!

Charleen

Gossip can be entertaining: occasionally, I've heard the most fascinating things about myself I never knew

~ vanna bonta

www.charleenmartin.com

i SMELL CHANEL . . .

DO YOU?

"IS THAT CHANEL NO. 5 

I SMELL?"

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Last weekend was 'Art Weekend' in Ajo.  Painters came out and participated in several different events, including painting more murals.  These murals are painted on the backsides of buildings surrounding the downtown Plaza.  How great is that!  Most of the time, the backs of buildings anywhere are ugly and uninviting places to be.  Not in Ajo.

Welcome to . . .

this is just a small sampling. . .
and these are all big murals!

they worked into the night under big lights

 the hand detail on this is incredible.

these faces you see are of actual residents taken from old historical photos

this one is not new, but remains one of my favorites.

it is done by an artist known locally as 'Wolf'

He has painted murals on several buildings here and has just brought the buildings to life.

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CLOUDS OF THE DAY . . .

NIGHT SKY OVER AJO, AZ.

"IF YOU ARE SAD,
ADD MORE LIPSTICK AND ATTACK."

~ coco chanel

LET'S RAVE!

CAN YOU IMAGINE THESE GUYS OUT ON A DANCE FLOOR?  PICTURE IT.  THE DJ (another raven of course) BLARING THE MUSIC AND THESE CHARACTERS  STRUTTING THEIR STUFF.  I FEEL A PAINTING COMING ON!  :)

                                                        sold

"THE LAST THING THAT BLEW MY MIND WAS THE WIND."

"I KNOW IT'S 5 O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE!"

"WHADDA YA MEAN THERE'S SOMEONE BEHIND ME?"

These pieces are all 6 x 6
and can be found on my website at
www.charleenmartin.com

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CLOUDS OF THE DAY . . .

At first I thought this bright blue guy was a Sun dog (mock sun/parhelion) but upon looking it up, a Sun dog is normally on the same level as the sun.   So . . . I can't answer your questions about what it actually is, but I thought it very interesting and so I am sharing it.  If you have any thoughts, please let me know.

And now, a real dog . . .

This is Gus, and when Gus isn't busy sunbathing, he is usually running in circles chasing baby geckos.  He hasn't learned yet that they are just way too fast for him.

After going in circles chasing a gecko around that tree stump, (that gecko had to be toying with him!) he's pensively waiting for the gecko to make another appearance.  'Determined.'

Have a great week . . .

Charleen

OPPORTUNITY DANCES . . .

WITH THOSE ALREADY ON THE DANCE FLOOR.
~ h. jackson brown, jr.

"MAMA SAYS THE BIRDS ARE SPECIAL ANGELS SENT HERE TO SHARE THEIR MUSIC."

'HERMOSA MUJER'

A little color.  A little influence influence from the sights and sounds down here in Ajo.  The last 2 weekends at the Saturday Farmers Market the local Folklorico Dancers performed.  Their costumes are beautiful ~ full of color. I think the littlest dancer was probably about 3 and she was simply adorable. Unfortunately, I didn't have a good vantage point to be able to catch her in a photo.  

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Ajo 

During the Market this coming Saturday, Artists will be coming from all over to paint murals on the back walls of several of the buildings here in the plaza.  These will be added to the array of vibrant, multi-cultural murals already adorning the walls of several other buildings.  New white under-coating was applied to the buildings and now they wait to be filled with color. Below is one of the existing murals.  I love this piece.  It is so indicative of the area. The Artists name is on the bottom but unfortunately I can't read it so I'm unable to give them credit.

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CLOUDS OF THE DAY . . .

A Sunset, if you want to call it that, from the other evening here.  This is across the road from our property.  I like how this photo turned out because, without doing anything, it has the look of an old black and white photo.  This was the actual color of the evening sky. 
And yes, we did get rain during the night.
And yes, when I squint a see a puppy dogs face.

Have a great week!

Charleen

CATCH YOUR DREAM . . .

REACH OUT. THEY ARE WAITING.

'THE TREES WATCH AS
THE DREAMS FLOAT AROUND THEM'

12 x 12" Acrylic over an Acrylic pour

for more information on this piece
please visit my website at:

www.charleenmartin.com

We were out for a desert ride Sunday with some friends and came upon this fellow.  I'm pretty sure I posted a similar photo about 2 years ago when we first found this Cristate.  It's a Saguaro with a deformity at the top.  Or, maybe all the others are deformed with their perfectly round tops, and this is how they are suppose to be.  :)  But, there are only 4 (that we know of) in the area of the Sonoran desert right around Ajo.  They don't know what causes this ... lightening, a cancer, or possibly even frost.  This is two angles on the same saguaro.  They are considered Iconic symbols of the Sonoran Desert.

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CLOUDS OF THE DAY . . .

                                             indi behrendt

No, that's not me.  :) 
It tells a great story though, don't you think.

Photography takes an instant out of time,
altering life by holding it still.
~  dorothea lange

Charleen

ARE WE EVER ALONE . . .

Not very often!

'ALONE . . . BUT NOT'

(This little piece was bought by a couple who are traveling full time across the U.S.  They buy small pieces of art wherever they go and put them up all over their RV.  They are remembrances of where they have been on their travels.  They said even their cupboard doors are covered!  Honored to be part of those memories.)

'DESERT CONVERSATION'

For more information on this piece please visit my website at:

www.charleen martin.com

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 CLOUDS OF THE DAY . . .

Amazing to think that on any given day you can look up at the sky and see a whole new painting, free of charge with no hidden fees.  Videos too, as the clouds can change form and move around as you watch.  Bring out the popcorn and the wine.  Time for one of the most beautiful shows on earth.  

Once you have tasted the taste of sky, 

you will forever look up.

~  leonardo da vinci

JUST LIVING IS NOT ENOUGH ...

YOU HAVE TO STOP AND SMELL THE FLOWERS ...

'JUST ONE OF THOSE MEMORIES'

'GYPSY SPRING'

'COMBINED THOUGHTS'

I am down in Arizona and it has been unusually cold (and rainy) for this time of year.  Not complaining though, compared to Idaho we are in the midst of a heat wave here.  But, all this rain and the cold nights are destined to bring out what's called the 'Super Blooms' in the Spring.  That means Lots and Lots of desert flowers!  There are always desert flowers, but when you have weather like this it brings them out in abundance.  I'll keep you posted.  :)

All of the above are 6 x 6 Acrylic
and can be found on my website

www.charleenmartin.com

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I enjoy exploring old, abandoned buildings.  These are just off the highway heading towards Gila Bend.  I always wonder about the 'story' behind such places.  Who lived here?  Whose dream was this?  

I like the lines of this one.

 

Looking through the window of what is left of an old stone home to remnants of a storage shed (where I found the boot below).

I love this one.  You never know who lurks in the shadows!

And, at some point there was a child ...

And then, there's just rust.

Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.

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CLOUDS OF THE DAY ...

NIGHT SETTLING IN ...

By the way,
Happy New Year Everyone!

Charleen