* The Adventure Continues

Had some time today to continue working with my Angel painting.  I did their faces.  Having never painted small faces before, it's been a day of mostly laughing as their expressions emerge with no help from me!  A lot of detail work still to do.  This should make you smile.

"The Gathering"

Closer up so you can see their expressions.  The little one on the right looks like he's never been exposed to anything like this before.  I love his 'scared' expression.

 

That's it for today.  Take care of yourselves and your families.  LOVE, and this moment - that's all we've got.  Cherish it.  xoxo Donna

“Except to heaven, she is nought; Except for angels, lone; Except to some wide-wandering bee, A flower superfluous blown; Except for winds, provincial; Except by butterflies, Unnoticed as a single dew That on the acre lies”

* Book of Days

Went shopping with a friend today to a large town about an hour away.  Big Box Store City.  ha ha  Anyway, I did manage to snag a ceiling fan, track lights for over a mirror and a ceiling light - all for my studio upstairs.  Now I just need some hallway lights and that takes care of the lighting.  It seems never ending what one needs to finish a house.

By the time we got home I didn't get any more painting done, so I will share a spread from my book of days.

She looks like she might have had a little too much vodka --- ah well --- hope she had a good time!

It hasn't rained today, but looks like it might.  I bought a fig (Ficus) tree today with the trunk already braided and a gardenia, so I'm excited to get them into pots tomorrow.

Thanks for dropping in - always a pleasure to know you were hear and read your lovely comments.   Blogland is a magic place.  Take care.  xoxo  Donna

As we become purer channels for Universal light, we develop an appetite for the sweetness that is possible in this world. A miracle worker is not geared toward fighting the world that is, but toward creating the world that could be.
Marianne Williamson

* A little adventure ...

I have always been connected to my angels and guides in some way.  During some parts of my life it has been stronger and or course sometimes it all gets lost in the chaos I allow.

An interesting course became available for an unbelievable price so I signed up.  "Angels in my Studio" with Sheri Ann Ponzi.  I signed up half way through, so am still getting caught up.  Yesterday I did my first guided meditation to connect with the angels.  Being a hypnotherapist myself it didn't take me long to go into a very deep level of consciousness and when I came out of it at the end, I really didn't remember much.

Last night (in the middle of) an image came to me for a painting.  (Painting is part of the course).  I began working on it today.  The image I saw went like this ... I am walking in the forest and come upon a door.  The light is so bright, even though the door is closed, the light filters through the cracks in the old door and allows beautiful shafts to escape into the trees.

I open the door.  Inside the bright room stand huge angels.  They are the archangels, which I am not that familiar with.  When I entered they approached me slowly and with great love, embracing me with their wings.  I felt very small.  They were dressed in bright clothing which was embroidered like the native dress of Mexico further south.  I had the distinct impression they had done this to honour me, as they knew I loved it.

The story will continue as it happens.  Today, I began the painting as I envisioned it.

You can hardly see the heads - just sketched in.

So good to be back blogging, even if it's not every day.  I'm loving this painting so much - it has a feel about it.  I guess because in a way 'I was there'.  

Thanks for dropping in and for all your kind and loving support.  What would I do without you.  xoxo  Donna

“When angels visit us, we do not hear the rustle of wings, nor feel the feathery touch of the breast of a dove; but we know their presence by the love they create in our hearts.”

* Row Housing ...

In book of days, we've been making houses and more houses for swaps.  We now all have Sister "Hoods".  They became quite addictive, easy to make and a nice quiet way to spend some time when I was feeling not so great.  Thought you might like to see some of them.  I don't have photos of them all.   I'll show you the ones I received when I get them organized and take some photos.

Thanks for dropping by and having a lookie-loo.  Hope you are having a great weekend.

 Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself - Harvey Fierstein. 

* It was one of those days .....

.... one of those days when, you know, you just can't lift yourself up with any sense of integrity.  So I had to lie.  I decided to use the old saying 'fake it 'til you make it'.  This is a spread from my Book of Days.

Thanks for dropping over.  It's Sa Turd ay!  (Did you know there was a turd in Saturday (OH MY!)  Have a great weekend.  

If you don't go after what you want, you'll never have it. If you don't ask, the answer is always no. If you don't step forward, you're always in the same place.

~ Nora Roberts

* It's me! Don't be too shocked.

Hi everyone!  Hope this finds you all well and enjoying your summer.  It's been beautiful here.  Even though it's the rainy season, we are having just the right amount of beautiful drops for a couple of hours a day and the rest of the time it's glorious.  My surroundings are green and the dam we use for water is filling quickly, both of which make me happy.

I've been restless.  They say that's a sign of healing.  Hope so.  Nothing was coming on to the canvas in the "Spiritual Women" department, so I decided to try something a little different.  The canvas is large, and once I had begun I wondered what I had gotten myself into.

While renovating a turn of the century house, many things turned up as we took down walls and lifted boards, basically gutting the inside.  Some of the objects were interesting and were kept in a box.  Now some of them are on the canvas.  I'm not sure what to think - you can be honest and let me know what is going through your mind.  (Is this story true or false.  You choose)

 

Top close up

Bottom close up

Thanks so much for dropping in.  Hoping I'll be posting a little more often, however no promises.  Take care.  xoxo  Donna

I have a lot of things to prove to myself. One is that I can live my life fearlessly.  Oprah Winfrey

That is an amazingly difficult attribute to learn!

* Tea with my Muse

I've been enjoying tea, well actually coffee, with my Muse these days.  Very interesting indeed.  One day she told me she wanted her portrait done.  So I sketched something out on canvas.  The woman looked a little like Hilliary Clinton, wearing a huge dramatic hat with beautiful ribbons and flowers.  My muse took one look at it and said "That's not who I am!  That is not me."  So I began again.  What appeared the second time was a huge surprise to me.  Here she is.

"I would like a name please.  I wish for you to choose it.  The only caveat I have is that it be ancient African.  I have not had an African name in eons and I would like that when I'm working with you.  When a child was born in old Africa, it's name was considered to be the first earthly gift received."  So, off I went on a hunt.  My first name is Dorothy  (root of Dorthea/Greek) which means 'gift of God".  I came across an ancient African name which meant the same, so I chose that. 

"Mariama", ancient West African.  Gift of God.  She's delighted with it.

Thanks for dropping by.  Hope you are all having a wonderful summer.  Sorry for anyone to is caught up in the storms of the US and the floods in Europe.  There is no relying on the weather anymore.  We are going into the rainy season here.  Take care my lovelies.  xoxo  Donna

”Happy are the painters, for they shall not be lonely. Light and colour, peace and hope, will keep them company to the end of the day." -- Winston Churchill.

* Painting Complete - I think .....

She won't disclose her real name.  She tells me this one "Guardian of the Night" is a trick name and she wants me to guess.  We obviously will have to have chats.  I completed her with jewels as requested.  Some vintage garnets which I strung together and put bead caps on.  Two vintage brass scarabs hold them to her head piece. In ancient Egypt scarabs were used as a talisman and a symbol of the soul.  A small crown encrusted with rhinestones grace the ear which is visible.  The bells she requested around the lambs neck are East Indian dancing bells, the kind they wear on their wrists and ankles. 

Here she is "Who Knows Her Name" ... lol

Thank you so much for all your lovely comments and concerns.  Little by little, I will be back.  It will take some time to get back to my normal pace.  xxoo Donna

“What you seek is seeking you.”
― Rumi

Guardian of the Night

Almost complete.  I really got inspired today and couldn't put my paintbrush down.  It was hard to get started, I felt so flat, but once I got going I couldn't stop.  She has confided her name which is "Guardian of the Night".  She wants jewelry and real earrings and bells on the lamb.  That's for tomorrow.  For now, here's where we are.

The bird is not complete, and of course, the jewelry is not attached - perhaps tomorrow.

Thanks for all your wonderful comments, and your e-mails - so good to hear from you.  It seems like it would be an easy thing to go 'round and visit each one of you leaving comments - but somehow it's not.  I can hardly do what I'm doing - so a little more patience would be so appreciated.

Thank you so much for your loving support.  It means the world.  I don't have the energy to look for a quote tonight - so please bear with me for a little while longer.  Take care.  xxoo Donna

* Lost Blogger Found ....

Before anything else I want to say a heart felt thank you to all of you who emailed, sent cards and letters, phoned and sent gifts.  It certainly kept my spirits up even though it didn't seem to help me be able to actually do anything.

I've missed you all, and to those I was unable to answer, I'm so sorry.  The energy just simply wasn't there.  It was like someone pulled the plug and drained all the water out.

I've been trying to keep myself amused with "Book of Days" which has been good, because it's smaller pages.  This week, however, I had the urge to paint on the BIG painting --- YEAH.  I made quite a bit of progress this week, but get tired so quickly.  Habibi and I do a lot of napping.

Won't be blogging almost daily like I used to, but in the beginning I'm hoping to be able to get something on the page once in a while.  I'll also try and get around to see you all in the next couple of days/weeks/months/ (who knows for sure). :o) I've surely missed you LOTS.

So, here's what I'm working on at the moment.  Not a very good photo, I couldn't get the light right.  Still lots of work to be done.  She has hardly spoken to me at all.  Told me there was to be a lamb in her arms and something muttered about 'mysteries of the night'.  Other than that - I know nothing!

Thanks so much for sticking it out with me.  Thanks for dropping by and most of all for caring.  You have become true friends.

 Kahlil Gibran

Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity.