...And the Moon, too

To behold a night where the stars stretch as far as the eyes can see, from horizon line to infinity, clustered into groups of varying sizes....

To imagine that sailors in times past, navigated murky waters by looking to the Heavens, never alone...

To understand the majesty and magic of what ancient peoples must have seen long ago, before electricity dimmed them from our view...

To know that they are out there, even when there seems to be nothing but black....

In admiration of the twinkling wonders in the universe, here is:

"She was the Stars"

Sparkling and glinting...wishing and conjuring....creating and contemplating...

May the stars be above your head,

a sweet dream wait for you in bed,

may your heart be light

your passions take flight

And moonbeams shine wherever you tread...

Easter Break is here! When do I get to Rest?

I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday!  As for me, my weekend started like this!

Took my Pumpkin Girl to school for their Easter festivities...so cute!  I stayed to watch her don the customary bunny ears and hunt for eggs. 

Only trouble was...it was Artwalk day, too.  So, I felt very rushed after an hour at her school. ( I'm usually there only about 10 minutes on regular days)  But, besides not having enough time for my "special occasion" pedicure....I was able to finish up last minute offerings.....like these cards.

And transform my space in the Gallery from this.

To this.

Those journals there were a big hit!

Though, my hair clips, paperback flower clips and jewelry didn't find any new homes that evening....they are in my shop now for consideration by a larger audience :)  All in all, things went well!  So many friends and family came out to support me that nite...so humbling and so satisfying at the same time!  Ahhh, to be loved!

My Altered Pages got really good reviews....and I even sold one!  Okay, it was to a family member....it still counts, right? ;-}  Anyways, she had a real connection to it, so I think it was meant to be hers when she saw it regardless of who the artist was!  She bought "The Door".

Here I am in front of my pieces...hee hee.  It just makes me giggle, I was so proud :)

I wanted to make sure I had some of these pieces listed in the shop before I put another blog post out there....it's taken me all afternoon and most of the night to photograph and list some new stuff.  I'm sorry it's taken so long.  I'm sure you understand how time consuming this all is....add that my husband and kid are home for Easter Break and it's so hard to get things done.....I promise to put more up all week . Thanks for checking back and being patient.  I really appreciate your interest in little 'ol me....

Well, to continue, on Saturday, Hubby, Pumpkin and I went to the San Diego Wild Animal Park.  They feature a Butterfly Garden this time of year where you walk into an enclosed greenhouse filled with 100's of the little critters.  We all were gifted with little butterfly feet on our heads.  My daughter was so thrilled by this!

She is our funny little butterfly :)

The week is going by pretty quickly already, with plans made for a sleepover, a Family Game nite, a huge Spring cleaning session (especially necessary after the tunnel-vision of creating for the Art Walk) on top of my regular work schedule....whew....gonna need a vacation after everyone else's vacation!

I'll meet you out here in Blogland again...I'll make the coffee (cuz you know I live on the stuff) hee hee.

Til then,

Cameron

Cute Paperback Page Flowers

So, I hear using coffee filters for crafts is all the rage now.....(even Stampington & Co. issued a Coffee Filter Challenge).....  and in the interest of finding more creative things to do with all the paperback pages I have around here now due to my Altered Page art, I decided to try to combine a bunch of things I already had on hand to make these funky and versatile, little flowers.

I thought they'd be great for dressing up gifts, your hair, clipping on a sweater, etc.....

I used dyed coffee filters

paperback flower shapes edged in white glue and glitter,

buttons and feathers....

I adhered alligator clips to the backs of them to make it easier to jazz anything up!

This shows a clothespin holding the clip in place while the glue dries.

I 'm really pleased with how they turned out.  They were so fun.  I took pics of all the steps I took to make them.  If anyone is interested in more info, I'd be happy to supply :)

I "vintagized" this photo for effect.... they remind me of retro corsages, so, it seemed fitting ;-p

Art Walk is just around the corner now....on Friday.....better stay up late to keep up the creative pace.  I want to have lots of eye candy to present to my adoring fans ( and by this, I mean family and friends that I'm insisting come to my exhibition...haha!)

Wishing you well, Cameron

Where Your Roots Are

It seems, fellow Magic Seekers, that the Fairy Folk are emerging from their Wintery abodes to do some sprucing up for the Spring.  It must be just as exciting for them, as it is for us, to welcome the warm sunshine on their tiny faces and revel in the greenery sprouting up all around us! 

I'm assuming, anyway, that this is true. You may remember I was gifted by the glimpse of a fairy home last month.  Well, it's happened again!  In the roots of another old Olive tree it was.  And I must say that they are really decorating in bold Fairy fashion....all aglitter and aglow....

Why after living here all this time am I priviledged to spot their dwellings now?  I believe it is my daughter's doing.... My first sighting was while I was hearing her laughter in my mind...this one, well, she actually spotted.

You see, blue is her favorite color...an interesting coincidence, don't you think?!   She wanted to knock on the tiny door...but, since we were empty handed, I told her we'd try when we had a little gift to offer.  Perhaps we'll return before bedtime with a thimble full of milk and a pretty feather.  Our fairy friends around here seem to have a penchant for them!

So, be on the lookout...I'm thinking that these little Folk are on some kind of mission of late...they are making themselves known. 

-Is it to reinstill a bit of Innocence that we seem to lack nowadays?

-Maybe to renew our belief in Possibilities?

-Probably they're just mischievious and want us take other people back to where we saw the door...only to have it not be there anymore....hmmm?  Tricky Little Creatures :)  Good thing I got a few pictures!

Whatever the case, those Folk, their kin and the Spring are always welcome here!

Until we chat again,

Cam

P.S. Of course, you are always welcome, too!  I didn't think that needed mentioning...but in case you were wondering ;-)

It's Nice to Have Friends

I just wanted to share with all of you some child-like magic...This is the Story of Lilly Walters Schermerhorn.  She just happens to be one of 3 Grandmas my daughter's Best Friend (left) is lucky to have! 

That's how I met her.  She is a Face Painter, among other things, and takes out her brushes and paints for the kids' birthdays.  We attended one of our little friend's parties and my Pumpkin was so excited to have her face painted. 

Lilly is so patient and not unlike a big kid herself, delighting in the choices the children make while flipping through her portfolio of characters and ideas!

She graciously invited us to her home one Christmas (me, my daughter & my husband!) had a stocking and little gifts for my girl, just like she did for hers.  She fed us, gave us a tour.....her whole house was a feast for the eyes....

She's painted everything so whimsically and beautifully.......ceiling, linen cabinets and all!

I loved how fantastical it all was...and so uniquely her!

She welcomed and embraced us...and, with a smile so warm and genuine, invited us to visit again.  I wish I could show you her whole house (and I'm sorry for the quality of these photos!  They don't do the place justice!) Her work is amazing! You can see her incredible painted necklaces here.


She continues to include us in plans she makes with her family and asks about my little girl when visiting with her granddaughter.  She has touched my heart through her generosity and Fairy Spirit.  Her persona and art exude it....

Much to my delight, she has agreed to come and paint at my Pumpkin's Birthday party!  I don't know who is more elated by this news...me or my daughter :-D  I'll be sure to put up some pics of her handiwork after the celebration in May!    Thank you, Lilly!

So I leave you, Dear Readers, with gratitude, for giving me a place to share the good things in Life.  Friends are definately one of the Best!

Getting Ready for Art Walk

Hello All!

So sorry I didn't post on Friday....I've been super busy getting ready for the Artwalk.  I had a great meeting with Mike and Candace of Violethour Studio and Gallery about my impression of how the Walk went and showed them my new pieces (like this one) and they graciously offered me a huge space to exhibit and showcase my merchandise!  Essentially, it'll be like having a booth set up in their gallery during the Walk!  So, needless to say, my production has amped up to high power!

I've been working on more covered journals....these are ready for art and embellishments.

I've packaged all my hair accessories.

Even been trying my hand at creating jewelry with my art....still experimenting with the art part.  I'm in love with the shell earrings!

And though I said I wasn't going to do it, I made more copies of my new and previously uncopied works to make notecards with and to use on the journals.  I figure, anything left over from the walk can be offered in my store!

This is my latest Altered Page.  The words read, "She was completely ridiculous."  I wanted her to be whimsical and fun.

 My daughter liked that she kept her teapot on her hat.

How magical it would be to have butterflies flutter out of my pockets like that!

Have any of you made something with your art that you've found people really enjoy?  I'm curious and would love more ideas on what I could make.  Thank you!


I'm off to do more............much, much more!
Cam

Work in Progress

Happy Wednesday Everyone!  I thought thaty I'd share a piece with you that is not yet finished.  I've never taken pics during the various stages of completion before, so I thought this would be the something new for both of us!
Plus.....if I put it out there, unfinished, incomplete, and in full view for the world to see....I'd have no choice but to get a moving on it again.  I always seem to work better on a deadline of sorts :)  Thanks for helping me overcome a little procrastination!

This is the reference photo I'm using for this piece....It is Killian again holding her dog. You can see another painting that I completed using a photo of her here.

I changed the sketch to have her holding a cat instead....though I know Familiars can really be any creature, I wanted it to be a little more obvious that these two were a Magical duo.

Here it is on 11 x 14 140 lb watercolor paper with the background put in.....this will not be the final background (or final anything, for that matter)....I still add more (and more) layers after I block in some of the other parts....no wonder it takes me so long to get one of these done...sheesh :)

Here, I've started the hair and skin tone....these 2 are, by far, the hardest things to get right, in my opinion!

The cat and the denim vest are started here.  The cat will be black, but I'm using a grey undertone for some of the sheen...on the vest, I utilized some watercolor pencil for the fine lines and details.

That's all I have so far....I'd guess it needs about 2 hours more of work before it's done.  I'm not sure, yet, whether I will define it in black ink after all the water media is finished.  Any thoughts?

My daughter likes me to describe how I draw and paint....and she has taken some of my practices to heart!
At 3 1/2 years old she's becoming pretty adept, at the risk of sounding like a bragging Mommy :)  Take a look for yourself....

This is a dragonfly from a coaster she picked up from the coffee table.

This one blew me away.  A fantastic rendition of one of her toy spiders (yes, I say one of....she likes bugs:)

Thank you for giving me an excuse to take a piece from the "in the works" pile and breathe into it some new life and excitement.  I look forward to posting a completed image of it soon!  I'll still be working on those altered pages, in the meantime....I find their quicker timeline of completion such a relief after taking on a larger scale watercolor! 
Until we meet again,
Cam