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Home made for the holidays

Santa and his elves might be busy in their workshop putting the final touches on the goods, but the kitchen is where these goodies are being baked. Visions of sugarplums have been dancing in my head, by the plateful to share with friends and family

Here's a favorite recipe for Molasses Cookies, from my home to yours.

Merry Christmas!

Smooth

Drink up folks- Here's a "smoothie" of a different sort. Trying to sneak one in for Illustration Friday's theme. It seems like I'm always trying to pull one more smooth move here at the last minute. This one was just a fun "mock chalk" image done in Photoshop. 

Not sure if there is a real fountain of youth anywhere, but I can tell you that if there ever was one in California, it is probably dry by now. Maybe it will start flowing again by next spring...(Sorry, bad pun!)

Heading into November now. More warm and sunny days ahead. Still grateful, just thirsty!

Trouble, Throwback Tuesday for IF

Immovable, Illustration Friday. Originally posted September, 2010

The past few weeks away from participating in Illustration Friday's challenges were spent tending to some other things that were piling up here. How fitting that in those two weeks, the themes were "Silence" and "Octopus." Sometimes it just works out best to remain silent, not to say (or post anything) as in "If you can't say something nice..." etc. I really felt strongly about not posting anything, not that I was going to toss about any unkind words here. And during those past couple of weeks, it would have been good to be like an octopus, eight- tentacled to deal with the projects I had going while the blog ironically came up empty handed again.
So today I decided that rather than taking a third week off, this was going to be my "Throwback Tuesday," a good day to re-post an oldie from a few years ago, re- purposing, multi tasking an existing piece. Sort of like how reheating leftovers is no trouble, this one was still waiting on ice to resurface in another form...An easy way to come up with something when the heat is on!

Wish

Do you remember when water didn't magically appear from a tap indoors?

Or do you remember when it was common to see wells placed placed in yards and serving as somebody's decorative garden planter?

"Well" my friend, could you be wishing for younger days?

(Just sayin', of course!) ;o)

This is sort of a vintage thing I did for Illustration Friday, because I do remember "when,"

as in when we had lots of it here in these parts.

Meanwhile, I wish we'd find some water soon, before the well runs completely dry.

Novelty

This is for all the black sheep out there-

Celebrate your unique qualities,

even if the novelty of being yourself sets you slightly apart from the rest of the flock!

I'm going to stray over to Illustration Friday briefly- 

There's a lot of art over there that's not too baaad! ;o)

Money

Time to Change the Picture

Well folks, it's time to change the picture again. Gotta sneak another one in under the wire for Illustration Friday.

Speaking of time, they say that time is money. I can't say that's always the case... Just gotta love what we do, and hope someone else loves it as much as we think it's worth. 

This is a copy of a painting I did quite a few years ago for a former employer. It had some sort of sentiment added to it afterwards, as part of a brief detour into a new product category. I don't think this employer loved it as much as I did doing it. It gave me a much needed break from the daily grind of that artists' shuffle we accept as part of our natural gait, "One step forward, two steps back." With that particular employer, we often joked that it was followed by at least four steps back on average.

What kept me going there, during those dark days was the prospect of grabbing at that twisted and poisonous dangling carrot in the form of a regular paycheck...

You see, they also say that money is often the root of all evil, as well.

(So when's payday coming around again?)

;o)

Radio

10-4 Good Buddy

I don't know if it's hot where you are, but the past few days have been pretty warm here. I'm not complaining, it's just that by about dinnertime or so, the air has been getting sort of still and it becomes well, just a little harder to cool off. With the drought conditions we've been experiencing here, the local water authority has imposed water rationing measures. Watering is restricted to certain days and times of the day or evening. Our drought tolerant plants could really use a drink, and you know it's dry when even the cactus begins to show signs of stress. The forecasts are calling for even warmer temps in a few days. I can't explain why the throwback to the CB radio era lingo this week, but I think we are getting the message, loud and clear that there isn't much water to be had.  I tried to complete this one as fast as I could for Illustration Friday this week. The sun is beating down through my west window and the watercolors are drying up, too...Stay hydrated, my friends!

Metamorphosis

Labor Day

Last week, I mentioned that Labor Day weekend was coming up. For the most part, a holiday which was set aside to honor the efforts and achievements of the American work force has morphed into another reason to celebrate with a three day weekend, BBQs and getting the kids ready to go back to school. Not that I'm arguing with any of those points, mind you. But its arrival also opens the door to the holiday season, and the merchandise is already making its way to the shelves. Let's face it, we've passed the point of no return.

Once upon a time, traditions associated with this weekend also suggested that we were supposed to put away our white shoes until the spring, but really now- In southern California, it's too hard to even tell what season it is on any given day, especially lately. For that matter, I don't believe I've even owned a pair of white shoes since I got married quite a few years ago! That's what happens when we've been around for awhile. Nothing is ever the same as it used to be.

Recently, our beaches felt the effects of Hurricane Marie. Roaring up from the south, it brought no rain here, but pounded the coast with large waves, delivering an early holiday gift to experienced surfers and misfortune to those whose physical limits were no match. For those of us who chose to wait it out before venturing back to the shore, we were met with a rearranged beach, piles of cobbles that had been churned up littered the high tide line and as the ocean surged, rocks continued to tumble back and forth. As each wave receded, it could potentially expose an array of shells and some of my favorite glittery treasures, sea glass. 

If there is ever a positive effect of littering by human hands, let it be captured in these little fragments of colorful glass, tumbled into soft shapes that hardly hint at their once razor sharp edges. A tiny bit is like a metamorphosis this way, a souvenir from a trip to the beach that parallels changes that we'll meet as we hang around this planet for awhile. What was here yesterday isn't necessarily going to be here today and if it is, we might not always recognize it in its current form.

And so it goes. And it will continue to go. I'm going over to Illustration Friday now, and am hoping I can post this before next week's topic changes!

Skull

Numb Skull

Here's a little brain freeze for Illustration Friday.

It's not exactly an ice cream headache, but all I could offer since I couldn't get the term "Numb Skull" out of my head this week!

Don't let the threat of Labor Day weekend fool you-

There are still plenty of warm days ahead to enjoy a few more frozen treats.

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!