Flamingos Can Swim

Flamingo Swim

This is the time of year when the color balance shifts from more color outside to more color inside our home. Possibly there is more color in my paintings too at this time of year although it's subtle. Coral pink is one of those hard to use colors in the garden, but it always looks great with burgundy, plum and dusty pinks. Every color is pretty if we know what to lay it next to. I am trying to absorb this idea as much as possible and continue to learn. More artwork here.

Alice in Wonderland Art

Every day we choose a path to take. Often we cross paths with others which are not confrontational, but a new acquaintance is made. We are so happy for those we meet that open up new ideas and cultures. It adds a little more wonder to our world.

A sweet aceo painting a day is one of my new challenges. When I put myself to a commitment it cultivates the mind like a farmer who tills the soil. I am surprised what is in my mind and heart and how the art and ideas shoot forth like a fresh spring. So much is hidden away in each heart waiting to grow! When I get a pencil and start sketching it frees me and lets me dream as well. And sketching is an art form we can do anywhere. As the weather cools outside, my drawing table inside is filled with sunshine.

View more art if interested here. Candylei Illustrations   

Checked out of Hospital

Luckily my Dad got out of the hospital, not moved to a rehab facility, and is home. I gladly committed to being here night and day until he regains strength and can be back to his independent self. He is so happy to be home. Who would want to look out onto a gravel roof all day at the hospital?

When you have to stay in bed for weeks it really zaps your strength and it takes a bit of time to rebound especially when you are older. All of the physical and occupational therapists come here which is wonderful!

Right now I am looking out over the green fields at some Canada geese. When we came home from the hospital nine deer ran across the hillside jumping and kicking. A pleasant reception to be sure.

We are itching to get gardening again! The above photo is from the Green Animals Topiary Gardens in Rhode Island. (My husband checked out lots of beautiful books for my dad to look at.) One book says this is a camel and another says it is an elephant! Maybe it was originally an elephant that they let grow into a camel? It is formed from California privet which grows fast and is fairly cheap unlike yew. So we don't have any excuses for not growing topiary shaped animals.

Art Dolls Alice Mixed Media Sculpture

Alice in Wonderland so short and sweet with her pet rabbit handsculpted by myself. They were hand sculpted, hand painted, hand antiqued and hand varnished. I love working with clay even though I'm new at it. I really never dreamt I could make sculpture but it's not much different from painting. You just turn the clay around and around and work as you go. This is my version of Alice so small and sweet. It is up for sale on etsy.

Alice in Wonderland Party Planner Art Banner

THE PARTY PLANNER

I'm feeling like a party planner myself. We like fluffing up our nests for parties and Alice wants her party to be fun as well. She has cut a bunny banner to hang. Do you see the woodland evergreen rabbit topiaries in the background. It's been said they come to life for tea parties.

A mixture of papers, paint and graphite pencil were used to make this original mixed media piece. I am offering a print of it on etsy. It is soft and sweet with a dreamy quality about it and the background stirs up more imaginations. Imagination is very healthy when it comes to creating art.

The countdown is on and I wonder if I have enough pieces to sell and all of the other worries people have when they show their art. It definitely makes one pick up the pace from a slow stroll to a mad dash. Yes, I feel like the white rabbit! I have the calendar memorized every day of the week, this week, number and day!

Print for sale on etsy.

Westie Art with Alice in Wonderland

Westies are among the tiniest wee ghosts on Halloween. Boo and Boo are looking for treats!

This is up on ebay now for sale.

white wednesday white rabbit white slip

Our gardening world has many gardeners. My newest painting of a little gardening bunny

who rises early to water her little paradise. It is also the little bird's home and paradise. We share our world. Little

bird sings to her eggs, to the seedlings and to miss bunny. We all respond to love; do we not?

I love how little bunny is in her white slip. I have never done this, but I know of one person who pulls weeds in pajamas! I made the colors dreamy because in the morning

there is so much hope and many dreams for the new day.

Hop on over to Faded Charm to see more lovely white wednesday photographs.

The Queen Cupcake Alice and Wonderland Painting

RED HOT HEART QUEEN

Cupcakes rule when they are Queen Alice and Wonderland cupcakes. Here the queen has her maid serve her red hot heart cookies. Her majesty has taken her cupcake wrapper and made it into a red Queenly crown. Her maid sets the silver tray on an impromtu cupcake tablecloth. So creative this maid is to be one step ahead of the Queen. But she is taller and must kneel when the Queen is turned her way. This continual exercise keeps the maid the Queen of Pilates.

About the colors that I chose for this painting. Black and white for both the queen and the maid. So very Coco Chanel styled cupcakes :-)!

Check back for more cupcake characters and their creativity in recycling cupcake wrappers.

For sale.

Cupcakes Outsider Art Paintings

Humor is part of an illustrator's job. Sly humor is the best road to run. Mix in a little imagination and color, stir well and pour out onto the canvas... no weight gain involved in these cupcakes...I'm finishing my Alice in Wonderland cupcakes and I hope you'll fall in love with them like I have. (I promise not to be jealous if you do.)

The cheshire cat and the madhatter titter totter on a flattened cupcake wrapper balanced on another rolled up cupcake wrapper. (There is no end what these cupcake folks think to do with these wrappers.) Since the madhatter has more frosted (frosting) hair than the cat he's on the edge...figuratively and literally.

About the colors---I am into recycling brown paper bags so I love the neutral background color for that reason. It's a crafty color. The blue grey is from one of our siamese cats. These cupcakes are similar to my other alice in wonderland paintings, but differ in shape! Fun round shapes and yet still very handsome.

Up for sale.

MADHATTER, WHITE QUEEN and PLAYING CARD BOY Original Art

Three more of the Alice and Wonderland Characters. There are others that I will post soon. The sunny weather is hidden behind clouds but it was bright enough to get some good pictures.

My son told me tonight that he is saving his money to buy a rabbit. Hmmm, maybe I should start painting some other sweet animals besides rabbits. I would love a rabbit too but it wouldn't be so agreeable with our westie dog. So we will just look at them and paint the precious little fella's.

We have new twin lambs that are the softest loving-ist creatures. They are being bottlefeed which makes them very attached to you and vice-versa.

Westie Dog in Alice in Wonderland Movie

Yes, our westie has dreams. Last night he had a dream that he was in the Alice and Wonderland Movie. (Mr. Tim Burton did you cut all his scenes?) In this dream everyone including Alice and White Rabbit were applauding him for his acting (he is good at drama) skills. I painted this to show what our westie boy described. These three make an adorable team.

As for the colors...why do they usually have Alice in blue? It must have been a very popular color when this book was written. I really like pink on Alice and we'll let westie wear the blue and white. White rabbit wears carrot colors...orange and green. He would look good in any color.

This bit of whimsy is for sale on ebay and I have one print on etsy. Stay tuned for future dreams.

Daily Painting Hats Mrs. Rabbit and Mrs. Snowman Altered Folk Art

Hats off to 2010! Happy New Year! What do alot of people do on New Year's Day...go shopping. We did. All art supplies and some food treats. We had to walk off the sweet holiday food from the last two weeks. I think we'll be walking for along time yet.

This is Mrs. Rabbit and Mrs. Snowman in the painting above. If you've ever wondered what Mrs. Snowman's wife looked like here she is. What do they do when the weather warms a bit? They leave, too, and go shopping...for hats. We had a spiff of snow yesterday and I got the background colors from outside. The coats are soft and muted colors so that their faces shine out above them. For sale now on ebay.

Daily Painting OWLS Girls Mixed Media Artist Candylei

Mixed media paintings are a bit like arranging flowers. Sometimes I have a very clear idea of what I want and other times it changes from the sketch to actual finished work. Art is an ongoing process and if something better pops into our mind as we are layering the pieces we take that route.

These two girls wear bright colors and carry lanterns so the owls can see they are friendly. The blonde is no other than Alice in Wonderland. Do you think she will find a flamingo instead. Who? A flamingo. Oh, I see you are already calling the owls. Up for sale on ebay now.

Check back tomorrow for another cutie. I haven't started it yet, but the idea is in me head. Along with other ideas pushing at the parameters of my mind.