Karen's Muse and Musings

In My House ...

... there is a little girl! Today I found a wonderful new online art challenge, Dans ma maison il y a ... This week's theme is une petite fille. For my house, I used various text papers, handmade paper, gel medium, acrylic paints, Shiva Paintstiks, Primary Elements and rub-ons. The image of the little girl is from my own collection.

Prairie Sisters

Did you watch Little House on the Prairie? When I saw the photograph of these two little girls dressed just alike, I thought of a particular episode in which the mother, Caroline, bought some beautiful fabric to make herself a new dress. However, she ended up making 2 identical dresses for her daughters, Mary and Laura, instead. True mother's love!

For the background of the collage, I used an old letter written from North Dakota in 1909. It begins, "Dear Sis." in English, but then continues in what I believe is Danish. I added some strips from an old primer and hymnal. I call the piece, Prairie Sister, and it's now for sale in my Etsy shop.

They were all happy that night. The fire on the hearth was pleasant, for on the High Prairie even the summer nights were cool. The red-checked cloth was on the table, the little china woman glimmered on the mantel-shelf, and the new floor was golden in the flickering firelight. Outside, the night was large and full of stars. Pa sat for a long time in the doorway and played his fiddle and sang to Ma and Mary and Laura in the house and to the starry night outside.

Laura Ingalls Wilder
(This quote is taken from "Little House On the Prairie," page 131)

Gothic Arch — Viva la France

Viva la France! This week's theme at Gothic Arches was selected by Frieda Oxenham, fabric artist extraordinaire. Click on her name to visit her blog and see her amazing art.

Lunching in Rome

I ate lunch in Rome yesterday. My sister, along with my niece just in from Athens, whisked us away for a lovely day in her private jet.

Gotcha! Actually it went more like this: I ate lunch in Rome, Georgia, yesterday. My sister, along with my niece just in from Athens, Georgia, home of the University of Georgia, whisked us away for a lovely day in her Honda Accord.

The trip was planned as a Mother's Day treat for my mom who grew up in Rome. She and my other sister met us, and we really did have a wonderful day exploring the old Southern river city, having a delightful lunch at the Harvest Moon Cafe, and wandering through Myrtle Hill Cemetery. I couldn't believe that I forgot my camera! Luckily, my mother let me use her camera to capture some stone angel photos which I hope to use in future art projects. Here are a couple.

Oh, and by the way, here in Georgia we also have a Cairo and a Vienna!

Fun with Color Mists

My friend, Aileen, makes the most wonderful sprayable watercolors called Color Mists. She asked me if I would make a piece of art using three very special colors she developed for Art and Soul at Asilomar. Of course, I said yes. (It didn't hurt that she gave me the beautiful colors! A little bribe is always nice.) I decided to make another house-shaped ATC triptych. I just love this shape, and since I made it on two layers of 140-lb. watercolor paper, when it is scored and folded, it will stand up on its own.

Here's the reverse side.

Finally, on the front side the door opens for a little surprise.

Wednesday Stamper — Trees

I have not participated in Wednesday Stamper for some time, but I needed to make a card for a friend who is ill, so I thought this would be a good time to pull out the rubber stamps. Happily, the theme this week is one of my favorites — trees. I hope this little card will bring some cheer to my friend.

Stamps used — tree and leaves by Art Impressions, script by B Line Designs

Meet Bobby

A beautiful cabinet card arrived in my mail yesterday from Christine. I just love this little boy with his ball and his adorable toy horse — so much so that I sat right down and created this collage sheet.

Here's a little poem from A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Looking Forward

When I am grown to man's estate
I shall be very proud and great,
And tell the other girls and boys
Not to meddle with my toys.

Time for a New Look

In honor of the recent first anniversary of my Typepad blog, I decided to freshen things up by trying a new look. After completing the "remodeling," I searched for a poem to fit the renewal theme. However, I found this lovely poem by Robert Frost, and I couldn't stop thinking about it, so this is my offering for you today.

The Exposed Nest

You were forever finding some new play.
So when I saw you down on hands and knees
In the meadow, busy with the new-cut hay,
Trying, I thought, to set it up on end,
I went to show you how to make it stay,
If that was your idea, against the breeze,
And, if you asked me, even help pretend
To make it root again and grow afresh.
But ’twas no make-believe with you to-day,
Nor was the grass itself your real concern,

Though I found your hand full of wilted fern,
Steel-bright June-grass, and blackening heads of clover.
’Twas a nest full of young birds on the ground
The cutter-bar had just gone champing over
(Miraculously without tasting flesh)

And left defenseless to the heat and light.
You wanted to restore them to their right
Of something interposed between their sight
And too much world at once—could means be found.
The way the nest-full every time we stirred

Stood up to us as to a mother-bird
Whose coming home has been too long deferred,
Made me ask would the mother-bird return
And care for them in such a change of scene
And might our meddling make her more afraid.

That was a thing we could not wait to learn.
We saw the risk we took in doing good,
But dared not spare to do the best we could
Though harm should come of it; so built the screen
You had begun, and gave them back their shade.

All this to prove we cared. Why is there then
No more to tell? We turned to other things.
I haven’t any memory—have you?—
Of ever coming to the place again
To see if the birds lived the first night through,

And so at last to learn to use their wings.

Robert Frost (1874–1963).  Mountain Interval.  1920.

East Meets West

Asian is the theme for this week's Gothic Arches. It's funny because it's not my first choice for art style, but my friend, Shirley, has been here this weekend, and on Friday we ate Thai food, and yesterday we ate sushi! So something definitely is in the air.

Shirley and I have had a delightful time together. Eating, of course, was one of the highlights, but so was shopping. I took her to some of my favorite local stores where we definitely did some damage. (Warren, honey, if you're reading this — Shirley did most of the shopping!) Afterwards we came home and drank Grey Goose martinis and shared art tips — the perfect way to spend an evening.

Boy with Goose

Make up your own story to go with this one.

You can now order prints of my artwork such as this one at Etsy.

 

Goose photographed by my good friend Joanne Thieme Huffman and used with her permission. Thank you, Joanne.