WELCOME NEW YEAR!

Virginia, Illinois Cemetery Angel

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. 

 ~St. Francis of Assisi~

For Janis

Album Cover

OMGosh!!! I just did something I've NEVER done before in my life.  I got up in a bar and sang karaoke! We haven't been out on the town in years (heck, tens of years!), but my husband and I went out to eat at our favorite pizza place tonight. Then we stopped in at a couple of other watering holes on our way home and somehow I got roped into singing --- ME! A karaoke virgin!

I belted out "Me & Bobby McGee" and got a standing ovation! It was a rush, and it was all for you, Janis!

A Requirement of Genius

The reluctance to put away childish things 

may be a requirement of genius.  

~Rebecca Pepper Sinkler~

Winning

Of all the people I have ever known, 
those who have pursued their dreams and failed 
have lived a much more fulfilling life than those 
who have put their dreams on a shelf for fear of failure.  
~Author Unknown~

A Copy Exercise

"Church at Auvers" (after Van Gogh)

In Al Shull's painting class at LLCC in 2006, one of my favorite assignments was to make a small copy of a painting by a favorite artist, and then make a larger painting of our own, using what we learned about the artist's technique. I chose this one by Vincent van Gogh.  

"Church at Pere Marquette" (detail)

My own interpretation was Church at Pere Marquette (see the Postcards from the Heartland page).

To Lillian

"To Lllian" 18x24 collage   ***SOLD***

This collage is made up of leaves, rocks, bb's, bits of old letters, a faded photo, and acrylic paint.  The young lady in the photo was my Aunt Evelyn, with her portrait made during the Roaring Twenties.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!  

May your New Year be blessed with 

health and happiness and all good things!

Putto

Dickeyville Grotto, southwestern Wisconsin

According to my dictionary a putto is a representation of a naked child, especially a cherub or a cupid in Renaissance art.  It's pronounced POO-toe, and the plural is putti, pronounced POO-tee.
This sweet little fellow dwells in the beautiful Dickeyville Grotto, in the town of Dickeyville, Wisconsin.

Free Ride!

The Illinois River ferry at Kampsville is one of only two free ferries still running in the state of Illinois. It operates 24-7 and connects Greene and Calhoun Counties.  Driving along the bluffs on either side of the river or a venturing up and down one of the many "hollers," makes for a relaxing, scenic road trip any time of year.

Swirly Tie-Dye

I took a bit of tie-dye and swirled it in Photoshop.  Isn't it BEAUTIFUL!

Tools of the Trade

Life beats down and crushes the soul 

and art reminds you that you have one.  

~Stella Adler~

Farmin' Buddies

My husband and son, circa 1991

It is not flesh and blood but the heart 

which makes us fathers and sons.  

~Johann Schiller~