10 Questions

In honor of the 100th post at THE ROSE ROOM, I am answering the following 10 questions. It makes me a part of her 100 hours of posting! Yay! A party - I always love a party! Click on her name if you want to be a part of it too! :)

OK, here are my answers, if you are interested:

Relationship: Married for 12 years to my darling Shea! We married after just 7 months of knowing each other but knew that we were perfect for each other!

Children: 2 Furry Children Cats named Figaro and Gabriel, 5 years old this June!

Pets: No pets, only furry children! Heh Heh!

Age: I turned the big 4-0 this year and I'm loving every minute of it!

Star Sign: Taurus - Mess with the bull and you'll get the horns, mister. Heh Heh! Actually, I'm rather tame!

Fave Food: Tofu and Tacos

Fave Drink: Strawberry Margaritas

House Decor Style: Funky Eclectic, lots of color, Kandinski Art

Collections: Witches and Day of The Dead Skeletons, Vintage Purses, Old China, Books

How Did You Get Into Blogging: My hubby started a blog first and I thought it looked like a great way to showcase my art!

My Artful Hands

These two 8x8 collages were created for barb over at 123 Lavender Lollypop Lane. We are doing a tip-in swap and her theme was our hands in shades of white and a color of our choice. We had to trace our hands and add them to the pages. The words on the left hand say "Anything is Possible" and mean just that to me. Especially when it comes to creating art! The birds represent how art has made my life soar. And the heart on the left finger is, of course, my beloved! The tie around the right wrist is representative of how my crushed wrists became locked and frozen (unable to rotate anymore) after the accident. However, the words "Happiness in Life" show how that happening actually led me to art and the expression of my artistic side - which makes me very happy!


PS: Tracing my right hand with my left was a TOTAL TRIP! My left hand works less than my right and it seems to ignore my brain signals 80% of the time. For example, I will often drop things or fling them across the room if I am carrying them with that hand - which isn't what I want to do! So when I was using the pen with that hand I had to keep telling it out loud to keep going. It was like I was talking to something not attched to my body that was hard of hearing! heh heh! I'm glad I can laugh about it, but it is a trip to have a part of your body not work the way it's supposed to! I don't think I'll be trying any non-dominant hand drawing any time soon! :)

2.1 Million

That's the number of children who were living with AIDS in 2007. THREE-HUNDRED THOUSAND of those children died. And that is just the children. In the 21st Century this should NOT still be happening! So please, consider giving money to an AIDS Charity to help erradicate this horrible disease! And please read this loving tribute by my beautiful friend SANDEE (click on her name) who lost her brother to this this disease three years ago! No one should have to watch their loved one die of AIDS! We can make that happen if we donate time, money and our voices to educate!







Fourteen years ago I lost my friend Michael Anderson to AIDS. He worked in my Dad's nursery-Antonelli Brother's Begonia Gardens in Santa Cruz - and was a strong, vibrant, wonderful human being! He loved gardening, so my dad's nursery was the perfect place for him to work! When AIDS began to affect his health negatively, he was forced to tell my dad that he had it. I know that was not an easy thing for him to do and he worried if he would be fired or shunned by my dad. Well, one of the reasons that I remember my dad so fondly (he died in 2003 of lung cancer) is that he stood up and said: What can we do for you Michael? What my dad did was continue to allow Michael to work and take off as much time as he needed without fear of losing his position. I think that was awesome!


Sadly though, Michael lost his battle with AIDS after becomming a bed-ridden shell of a man who could no longer take care of himself. No one should ever have to die that way! And they don't have to! AIDS can be erradicated in this age! The drugs they have now to treat it are good, but we need better! We need a cure! Your donations can help that be a reality! NO ONE and I mean NO ONE is immune to AIDS! You don't have to be gay or an IV drug user to get AIDS! It can touch everyone, every socio-economic level, every human being on this earth. So please, read my story and Sandee's story and the stories of many others out there and help to get rid of this disease!


Thank You! And Sandee: I LOVE YOU GIRL! You can be proud that you are carrying on your brother's wishes about educating others about AIDS! I know he is proud of you! Give yourself a big hug from me, ok?!

The Dragonfly Garden

This is a four page spread I did in an altered book for the TEArific Anne D! Her theme was Asian and this is what came to me. I hope you like what I did for you Anne! Please excuse the blurry images, the dragonfly and little blue crystals are dimentional and do not scan well! Also, the green is softer looking and the trim very vibrant in person!

Lingering Memories

These are two 8x8 tip in pages for the beautiful Tanya P! Her theme was "Cemetary Angels" done in a soft, respectful and loving way. I chose to illustrate my pages with a poem by Percy Byshe Shelley. Hope you like them!

Music, when soft voices die,

Vibrates in the memory,

Odours, when sweet violets sicken,

Live within the sense they quicken.

Rose leaves, when the rose is dead,

Are heaped for the beloved's bed,

And so thy thoughts, when thou art gone,

Love itself shall slumber on.

Christmas in May

This is a Gothic Arch for the wonderful and sweet Gina! Her theme was "Holiday Memories". My mom and dad putting little presents under a decorated tree in our yard for neighbor kids was the memory I chose to illustrate. I hope you like it Gina!!

"Radiance & Reaction" Gothic Arch

This is a large gothic arch for Cindy McM. I'm a bit late on it...sorry girl! I call it Radiance and Reaction. Do you get that? Or am I just trying too hard??!! Heh Heh! I'm going to mail it Saturday...but I'm not sure if it is done or not. The front feels fine, but the back a litle spartan. I'm thinking of adding the two words from the title to the front and back - having a transparency done in red or black I think. Or maybe just putting the title on the back. Hmmm. I just don't know! What do you think?? Anyone? Anyone? Bueler?

Anyways, this is the kind of art I create when I just sit down and don't think about what I want first. NOT that I wasn't thoughtful about it for Cindy! It's just...I tend to think, think, think about the piece first and it never comes out like I imagined. And that's been bumming me out lately and making me not want to create art. So I thought I would just allow my muse to play a bit and create whatever she wanted. It definitely came out different than my usual pieces. And I really like that. I think my brain often gets in the way too much with my art. I think that's why I can justify that class with Jesse Reno in Southern Cali! He just allows his art to flow out of him and it is so thought provoking and awesome! And I could definitely use some of that action with my art!

Altered Book Spread

THE SONG OFTHE DAFFODIL FAIRY

I'm everyone's darling: the blackbird and starling

Are shouting about me from blossoming boughs;

For I, the Lent Lily, the Daffy-down-dilly,

Have heard through the country the call to arouse.

The orchards are ringing with voices a-singing

The praise of my petticoat, praise of my gown

The children are playing, and hark! they are saying

That Daffy-down-dilly is come up to town!

from "Flower Fairies of the Spring"by Cicely Mary Barker

Sorry, the scan is horrid! It's much softer and prettier in person. :)