Squirrel Bank Tellers

Squirrels.

Just the word conjures up fluffy creatures that jump around,

rarely slow, but always fast paced from branch to branch.

At least here in Maryland. They are about as busy as ants!

The branches bow to the squirrels when they leap through the air 

onto them like the branch is saying, "You're welcome,"

and then tossing them back up in the air.

It's a jungle gym out there in the woods. 

In town toothy squirrels scold the cats, dogs and 

even birds down on the sidewalks.

So I was wondering do you feed the squirrels during the winter months?

Like most people feed the birds?

Our neighbors put out salt blocks and apples for the deer and it keeps 

them coming back for more.  If someone put out salted caramel apples

for me I would keep coming back too. That is a given. 

We have four chestnut trees and the squirrels get more than we 

do every year. To pick the chestnuts you need some major insulation

on your hands. The outer part is like picking up sea urchins. 

Meanwhile the squirrels who have the daintest paws ever and can

only carry one heavy chestnut at a time to their secret hideaway 

still manage to get more than we do.

So here is the real news.......

I am writing and illustrating a children's book

Illustration has worked it's way back to the very tip top 

of my creative endeavors. 

Stay tuned and in the meanwhile I'll be feeding the squirrels.  

        

Simplicity in Art

Simplicity.

 This is what draws me to illustration and watercolors.

Less is more.

Recently I read this quote, 

"Any fool can make something complicated.

It takes a genius to make it simple." 

Woodie Guthrie.

I'm excited to have a little time to paint,

hoping to get back to the daily painter status. 

Looking forward to Christmas as well on this 

blustery, first day of December. 

 I will soon be another year wiser. 

Another year getting 'simpler.

As Martha Stewart says,

"This is a good thing."

Purchase a small 3.5 by 2.5  inch print of this illustration here.

Candylei Art photo mark not on print.

Printed on cardstock. Signed and titled on the back by myself.

A sweet deal for $5.  which includes shipping in US and Canada

Paypal accepts most credit cards and echecks.

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Preparations and Candy Canes

Tis the night before Thanksgiving and we are all stirring--literally!

Some with a spoon and some with a candy cane.

I heard Ina Garten makes many dishes the night before

and then heats them up on Thanksgiving and things are stress free. Imagine!

I am afraid the meat would be a bit dry if I did and the things

that are to be crispy would turn soggy. 

But Ina published a book called Make it Ahead and she knows her stuff.

We are thankful for our family that will gather around the table tomorrow.

For those farther away, we will think of them too. 

Back to the pie crust.

Happy Thanksgiving

Art journaling by Candylei Yap

Drawing, designing and painting are each in themselves a beautiful process. We are not limited in any way, yet we tend to limit ourselves. We are our own worst critic, right after our children. They in innocence point out what they like and don't like. First we need to remember that not every drawing or sketch is meant to be sold. Each sketch is a learning process.  The more we wield the pencil the more it frees our mind and opens our heart. Freedom is what gives us confidence in the art world and what a beautiful world it is.

Often when cooking if we don't have an ingredient in the recipe we improvise according to our taste and substitute a different ingredient. This is slightly where I am at adding a little more abstract backgrounds to my aceos. Different, but overall reads the same!

Stop by my little aceo shop called Dictionary Reader  

Original Aceo paintings

At the drawing board and loving it. When we create it makes me feel weight free...until I stand up! Gardening with all it's wonders and helping others has kept me busy before.

The titled of this illustration is Gentleman's Agreement. It's a small 3.5 inch by 2.5 inch painting.  Such a darling size. This boy made an agreement that he would search high and low for the largest flower. He succeeded. You think of all of the men and women who searched the globe and brought plants and seeds back to their countries and today we are enjoying them in our own gardens. Thank you all!

We have had a lovely summer with lots of rain. The plants and garden loved it. Love this new cool fall weather though! Yes!

Westie Rescue Garden Roots

Westie to the Rescue

Painting

We have been away from computers for a bit.

My dad went into the hospital for a few days, we thought,

and ended up staying two weeks.

He is home now and very happy to be there.

One nice thing is that on Thanksgiving Day the hospital

cafeteria gave us a full on Thanksgiving Day Meal for free.

Sweet potatoes, squash and apples, turkey, mashed potatoes...

you get the picture. We thought that was very nice of them.
Then later we had a lovely Thanksgiving Day dinner
that my daughter cooked. I ended up not doing very much
in the kitchen this year.

I did get a few paintings done today.  One of my westie boy

who probably thinks we have been off on vacation every day

the last few weeks. Not.  Outside he usually is at a running pace

everywhere he goes. And I tend to be slower with wellies on.

So our westie boy is the scout.

More about paintings here.

Frida Kahlo ACEO Portraits

Flowers are a woman's best friend.

 Frida thinks that and 

her hair is the best place to 

display them.   

In this little aceo mixed media painting

Frida picks some for herself and some for you

and left some for the birds to dance on.

We are getting a good scrubbing of wind and rain

from Hurricane Sandy.  Sandy please settle down!

The good thing is we are getting family time inside!

More about painting here. 

Original ACEO's Here Dictionaryreader

Sweet little creations have been flowing

as of late from my creative space and heart.

..................................................................

Vera took a napkin and folded it into a chef's hat!

She is clever and fun.

Little Vera is a fine baker (whereas I am a better taster

than a baker at times) rolling out some dough

cutting out some round cookies when she noticed

she had a rather pumpkin face in front of her.

Her kitchen wall is painted with chalk paint

so she can write down the recipes as she creates them.

(I rather want a gray wall myself to doodle on.)

And her banner, well every day should be a fun day...

and it is if you are doing what you love!

My shop here.

How many times have you started a project to have

it take a turn in midstream...and the turn being for the better?

That seems to be me. Not sure that everyone

will think it is better but I do.

My son has had his third chemotherapy treatment and 

is halfway through them. Yay! 

Surrealism & Frida Kahlo Art

A new painting/illustration of Frida Kahlo. Her self portraits were so severe sometimes that I like to paint her in a fun light showing her sense of humor and her love of animals and birds. This one is titled MY CAGE.

Siamese Cat Nap and Roses

Today I think Spring arrived. I passed a sign today at a nursery that said, "Spring is coming," and I had to smile thinking ..."It's already here." Yay. I painted this watercolor titled Spring Songs and listed it on ebay. It has some of my favorite things in it. Topiaries, roses, gardens, siamese kitties, birds, white table top, paintings...well it has the side of a painting and last but not least the soft lime green color!

Got to Plant some Roses

Yesterday the forecasters said it might reach 70 degrees today. They were a bit off. I want to plant some Louise Odier bourbon roses so badly! First the ground was frozen and now it's a pond in some areas. I shall wait and think of fragrant, pink cupped roses that are hardy. So hardy they have lasted since 1800! That is the kind of roses I like. Super fragrant, strong and vigorous. Plus they are French. Win! Win! Win!

I did some more small watercolors. Since I am in a rose-crazed state you will notice my animal paintngs all love roses too! Hence my new blog banner. I hope you are all well and getting enough gardening.

Edwardian Westie Boy Dog Clothes

Edmund, the westie, and his friend Lester share a croquet game on the lawn. Lester is trying to line up his shot with the stars, I think.

Original aceo painting for sale on ebay. I am smitten with watercolors and india ink. These little characters are pulling on my heart strings.

Victorian Cats Lester and Eleanor Watercolor

Lester and his sister Eleanor have a pet squirrel who retrieves nuts for Lester. Yes, the squirrel can hold up to three nuts in his mouth at a time. He is used to chasing them when they roll from the trees and it's not much different when Lester tosses them.

Original watercolor illustration painting up for sale on ebay now here.

Edwardian Cat Named Lester

Lester loves being outdoors even when he is dressed for indoors. Every button buttoned and bowtie tied, but Lester hid his shoes in the bushes so they will stay clean. His feet are feeling the outdoor bliss and if I know Lester he is about to race off and his toy rabbit will be para sailing behind him. He comes here to admire the birds who are not as flighty as the birds at home. The topiary birds move ever so slightly in the breeze just enough to make them seem a bit real.

This is an original watercolor painting on 140 lb. cold press watercolor paper and has been finished with a light acrylic varnish. For sale here.

The Little Details

These new khaki raincoats for little girls are from Land's End. I just love the little ruffles along the bottom.

Ruffles are in on everything.

Big ruffles.

Little ruffles.

Ruffles are beautiful.

Just as long as we don't get, "ruffled up." That is not beautiful.





I've finished a few more aceo watercolors. This one is titled "Watering Hope".

Some things just take time to bloom.

We have to be patient.

We have to nurture it and protect it.

Watercolor Aceo and Mermaids

On Board

Smaller and smaller my paintings become. I am bending over farther and farther to paint and am glad I can stretch back out. Truthfully the smaller the paintings are the harder they become because you have to edit your ideas. But ironically I seem to be putting more elements into the smaller ones. Go figure. I think the dreaminess and purity of watercolors is what draws me to this medium.

I had mentioned earlier about some exciting news. Some art shows and groups allow members once a year on a blind juried basis. There is one coming up that I would love to be a part of. To do this you need a large number of new artistic endeavors to show plus a larger number of past works. Then they decide whether you can be a member and be associated with this elite (read hard to get into) group. Quite a few apply. Many are declined and only a few are choosen. I am aiming for the moon and entering. Aim high. Work hard. (play hard.) Work some more!

Watercolor Aceo Fever- Let it Snow

A wonderful NEW watercolor set has finally been opened and this is my first with it tonight. I actually was waiting up a bit to see if it was really going to sleet and ice rain tonight. In between 10 other projects (only slight miscalculation, it's more like 100 other projects) I opened the watercolor set. Watercolors are challenging as one cannot dream and paint--which means you must be fully awake. They are also so fresh looking.

Ice rain is a headache for us (for obvious reasons) because we are in a hilly area and some country roads do not have any shoulders here. So if someone ahead of you starts spinning out going uphill all of us behind are stuck. To back up a bit, we have to make it to the car first without injury! Then we move on to worry two.

To back up even further to cats and snow, which is the reason I did this painting. Our tom cat is so heavy that he falls through the snow. The others tip toe right across the top of the crusted snow. He needs snow shoes. He doesn't care as we're around he just wants to snuggle and rub his head against us. My son named him Happy and I had named him India at first because I thought he was a she, but that is another story.

Wonderful News and I'm Nervous

I feel like the roadrunner today. Driving and running all around, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and back through all three states again and yet what have I accomplished? The countdown is on.

An invitation came for me to show my art and sell it in Virginia. Now I can hardly sit still and our westie puppy thinks I have turned into a human form of westies. Such as... easily excited, why, why, why walk when you can run, rarely sleeping. You get the idea. More to come soon.

Scandinavian Mixed Media Westie Scottie Paintings

These colors are so soft and sweet like new fallen snow. I lightened up in my colors in these two mixed media originals and I feel like I am in Europe with the brightest lights and soft pastels. But I'm really here in Maryland at 44 degrees and no snow on the ground...yet! See the westie racing down the hill. That is exactly what our westie does when our son sleds. They have energy and then some. Both little boys and westies.




I put westie's cousin, Scottie, in this painting. A sweetheart. Karina is ice skating in Sweden! We are going around the globe here. Both of these will be on ebay for sale. 5 by 7 inches each and on stretched canvas with collage papers and acrylic paint. Pink colors are so restful and calm.

Town and Country Gentleman - Westie Art

Most days my westie dog is the perfect gentleman. He looks handsome in a black bow tie with his football linebacker neck. He loves his gardens and protects them...soaks up the sun and scents in calm and quietness...most days. The only time he loses his graceful calm is when he hears foxes yipping...and when he smells peanut butter. Other wise he is a perfect Country Gentleman.

This large 16 x 20-inch paintng is up for sale on ebay now.