Something I Love

OH dear I am so very late with this post as there are so many things I love, to choose just one is much too difficult. This picture is of one of my favourite Camellias named Haru Gasumi ( Spring Mist) which is very appropriate as it is the first Camellia to bloom in the garden, sometimes very early, it is also scented which makes it even more special. It is a wonderful lift to see this lovely bush in flower, for me it is the herald of spring and all things renewed!

~Jackie

Birds' nests

Somethings I Love

I am inspired by birds nests, which I have been drawing and painting now for 20 years.

The top image is a nest I found which had been blown out a tree on a very windy day.

The second image is an interpretation by me, in clay, of plovers eggs, each hand painted,

 the nest I made from marran grass roots.  The book is also clay, painted with found feathers.

These are my inspiration, and I wanted to share them with you.

Love from Tasmania....Sandra.

Room with a View

I am very lucky to have a sun spot to call home. What I love about it is its sparseness. Mostly what is there are things needed for daily living. Not much more. That in and of itself brings a great calm to me. But the view...

is simply breathtaking.

Something you Love

 There are many things I love in addition to my family and pets.  The love that goes deep is the love of my part of the world with its spectacular coastline.  Part of the World Heritage Jurassic Coast it is a constant source of inspiration to me.  I can't imagine living any where else.  The sea is in my soul.

 The other thing I have a great love for is Buttons.  Antique ones.  These are all 19th and early 20th century shell buttons,  All shapes and sizes, each one a little work of art. 

 

A symbol

‘The symmetrical beauty and long-lasting quality of the flower have long been appreciated by young lovers as the token for expressing devotion to each other. In the eyes of the Chinese, the petals reflect the spirit of a lady, and the holder of the petals (the calyx) represents the young man entrusted by the lady as her protector.

The calyx of the camellia falls with the petals when the flower has finished blooming. This is unlike most other flowers, where the calyx seems to hang around the tree even after the petals have dropped. This phenomena symbolizes an everlasting union between lovers. In many parts of China, the camellia is considered as the flower for young sons and daughters.’ I’ve taken this quote from here.

Lover of Found Objects

For as long as I can remember, I have been a lover of found objects. I collect rocks during my travels. You'll find them in my pockets, purse and suitcases. On my last day of living on the island of Aruba, I drove to one of my favorite secluded, "secret" beaches and take one of the black rocks that covered the cove (center rock). The bowl was created out of a piece of drift wood from another beach on the island. You'll find bowls of rocks in different places in my home including my studio. This bowl lives on a carved Mexican table in my entry way.

Feathers are another love and something I collect on my walks and in my travels. I use to have a handmade wooden bowl with a wonderful display of feathers, but E.G., my cat, decided it was her life mission to have them displayed on the floor so those feathers are now in a box. This arrangement lives on my wall in my studio where she can only admire it from a distance.

Looking around my home, you'll find bowls of acorns, bones, shells, fossilized sharks teeth, pottery shards from an archeological dig and rusted letter Es from Georgia. All of these things have ended up in my art work from time to time.

I also am a lover of quotes. Here is one of my favorites about love and I would add "what you love.":

It matters not who you love, where you love, why you love, when you love or how you love, it only matters that you love. - John Lennon

Things I love

 

My granddaughter, Babybel,

and her little brother, the Very Hungry Caterpillar.


Predictable, I know!

Posted with Blogsy

Many years ago when we lived in Ashland, KY, we build a goldfish pond which gave us many hours of pleasure and provided inspiration for some of my work. Now that we've moved to Lexington, KY, we no longed have a goldfish pond. It's s definite on my "to do" list for this spring and summer!

 Water lilies started blooming in June each year.

 My goldfish had new babies each year. The babies are black when they are young and very hard to see. It's fun to watch them developing color. I used pictures of my goldfish to create silk fusion pictures. "Water Dance" 24" x 24". Silk fusion on hand dyed cotton.

This picture isn't great. Photograph error! "Convergence" 33" x 40". Silk fusion on hand dyed cotton.

The Community Pond

About four years ago a community pond was dug out in a wetland area between our small town and the Weiser River. There's free fishing for children and my favorite, a walking path around the pond. I walk to and around the pond at least once a week, early in the morning when it's very quiet and I always find something to photograph. These are a few pictures from the past year.

hurry spring

daylilies

spiderwort

 Dayliles, wild roses, spiderwort, and surprise lilies all thrive without much attention at my house.  I love when blossoms take center stage.  Spontaneous love from my garden.

mutabilis roses

surprise lilies

well it had to be...

Dragons.

Some who know me realise Dragons can sometimes take over my life. I love going in the children's section of the library to read the latest Dragons stories! I even got Jackie Morris to sign my copy of her children's book 'Tell Me a Dragon'.

I did a series of small works for about 2 years full of dragons and they all had a story.
Here are some of my favourites.

Ancient and Wise Dragon - keeper of memories

Copper Dragon - she plays with the dolphins

Dragon Claw - with scale charm for summoning the aid of a dragon friend

And this love of dragons extends to fire creatures

Fire Wolf - Companion to the Dragon lords

Lava Dog Retriever - this is a pup. They are trained to collect the packages dropped by young dragons in the Lava fields whilst learning search and rescue

Firestorm Feline - Actually, I haven't quite worked the story out for this one, but did enjoy doing it!

So there you are, now you have an idea of what goes on in my head. :-)

Yes, I know..

 Textures

 Shadows and Light

 Hidden Aliens

and Things On The Road
I love my camera..

February's prompt -- something you love

February is the month for love, thanks to Valentine's Day, so I thought it would be fun for us to post photos of things we love.  Perhaps you'll post about your work, or your family, or your studio or the view from your window.  Perhaps you'll think of a favorite food, place or activity.  I'm sure you love something, so please share it with us!

My choice for what I love is the beach.  We have been going to the beach in South Carolina for almost 30 years, but unlike many vacationers, we always go in the winter.  Sometimes it's warm, sometimes it's cold, but it's always beautiful and I love walking on the sand and watching the sea.