Journey

Trippy

This might not be exactly a well planned journey, as prompted by this week's topic at Illustration Friday, but this little girl's definitely going places. 

Have you ever felt like the rug was yanked out from under you? 

Let's Get Figgy!

Hello to all my adventurous art and cooking friends out there!

You're probably already familiar with They Draw and Cook, the Internet's largest collection of illustrated recipes created by artists from around the world, brought to you by the most dynamic duo of creative siblings teams, Nate Padavick and Salli Swindell. 

I'm thrilled to introduce their latest published collection of recipes for fig lovers- Let's Get Figgy, containing 30 delectably illustrated recipes. The recipe I submitted for the Year of the Fig contest was among those selected. If you take a peek, you'll understand how excited I was to be included- little ol' me stirred up into the mix of all these talented artists and chefs!

100% of the proceeds from the sales of this book will assist in the relaunch of their new website, which is scheduled to debut this fall. Check it out here and be the first one in your neighborhood to get your copy! Stay tuned- They'll surely be dishing up platefuls of tasty surprises and inspiration, delivered directly to you from kitchens and studios from around the globe!

King

King Neptune

A favorite king of ours, whose name equates with a place to hide out on summer days when the water is warm and the cares are few. Yes, Neptune has been kind to us over the years, at one of the area's best kept secrets.

Sharing this painted version via Illustration Friday today and calling it good...Hope the summer has been treating you royally!

Peace

It just wouldn't be a happy eve of Illustration Friday without another trip to the cemetery, now would it?

Even though this might seem to be an unsettling vision or just give you the plain ol' creeps, I do find a sense of peace visiting some of these old grave sites, especially if my ancestors have found their final resting places there.  According to a Chinese proverb,  "To forget one's ancestors is to be a brook without a source, a tree without a root."

The farther out there my life strays, the more securely connected I feel when I look back to honor these lives well lived. May they all rest in peace, though the rest of us still have quite a bit of living to do...Hopefully, quite a bit!

Golden

Thought I'd try to sneak another Thursday afternoon quickie in for Illustration Friday.

Yes, a quickie- If "quick" was the point, then I should have picked something 

in the golden yellow family that was quicker and easier to paint, 

like a lemon or a sunflower or even a poppy, 

being a native California girl...

But then I couldn't say in that lull, "Silence is golden," now could I?

I'll return with more words later!

Temptation

If you tell a person not to do something, then chances are, he or she might do exactly the opposite simply to satisfy that curious itch. This piece for Illustration Friday's weekly challenge would suggest to go ahead and use that key, take a peek if you so desire. I promise I won't tattle...

Temptation already got the better of me and I opted to open up this blog again, as it has been almost a year to the day since my last post. Time flies. I've been working on a few projects under wraps, behind closed doors...I hope you will pardon the dust and rust, and feel free to visit again. I'm eager to see and hear what everybody else has been up to!

Sweet

Short and sweet this week, another last minute quickie for IF. It's what's inside that counts, whether that may be thoughts, feelings or intentions!