TEA PARTY !

I have looked forward to this day..... Don't you know ? Today is the "Mad Hatter Tea Party", hosted by the lovely Vanessa at , A Fanciful Twist. Vanessa is a very talented artist and I have always enjoyed visiting her blog. The art she creates becomes part of her enchanting world & life. So much fun. This is my first blogland tea party. So, I wanted to put my best foot forward. So, Welcome to the Party !
My favorite part of any party, is decorating the table. And, since there are going to be so many artists at this tea party, I knew I wanted to use one of my own pieces of pottery for the center piece. My choices were. This coil built pot, I love it.. Please click the picture, for a close up.
these pots are so pretty close up .But it is very tall. ( i'm not sure how or why it stands so well), maybe if I had a really large table. Then there is this coil pot. This pot is one of my faves, But ...
Too Big. Then, this one. The right size. But, I chose this creamy white coil built pot. Then I ran outside & picked my flowers. Roses, hydrangeas and dusty miller. Very pretty!
So, off to the kitchen to make my scones. We made orange, rosemary scones. Then Hannah, said she preferred savory,"well then", says I, so we made our cheese scones. Yummy.
As we worked we added things to our table. Mr. Frog was invited, as were the little gnomes, who usually sit in my kitchen window. A little this & a bit of that ... Oh, almost forgot, my tea pot. I collect them. You have seen my "Little Red Riding Hood" tea pot. (in March posts) This one has mushrooms on top, and you know how Ms. V. feels about pretty little mushrooms.
O.K. we are ready. So, Please have a scone & a "cuppa". And, finally a picture of me dancing around in my red flannel nighty ,( something I still enjoy doing) my "Little Granny Fields" made it for me.
She made one for my big sister ... And one for our dolls too. I loved this nighty. She was my Great Granny.

Thank You for coming, I have enjoyed this so much. Amy

"A Little Give, Take Action"

Last week I taught a scene painting class for a theatre camp. O.K. , now this is the third summer I have taught at this camp. And every summer I try & think of a project for the kids that will 1.teach them something about being a scenic, 2. engage them, 3. needs to be completed in two 50 minute sessions, and 4. most importantly, will be FUN !
So, the camp is split into 3 age groups. The youngest group starting at 5 or 6, the oldest group no more than 12 years old and then the little guys in between.44 kids in all.
Also, I need to keep in mind that the space that we are working in, is really not good for messy painting, thoe I have gotten very messy by putting down drop clothes and plastic, in the past.
O.K. I decide we are going to do a little trompe l' oeil painting. A" little trick the eye" action.
I decide to cut out 44 canves squares to work on.
Then I decide, I am going to tape off the outside of the squares, creating a frame around a picture.
So, the first day, I talk to them about what a scenic is & the part they play in the production of a show.......I then explain what trompe l' oeil is & that we are going to create "what will appear to be a picture in a frame.....So, the 1st. day we are just going to do a little "scumbling, sponging action with 2 or 3 colors to create the background of our picture. Then tomorrow we will do a little stenciling on the background and finally pull the tape off and do a little wood graining or gold paint action to create our fake frame. Sound Good ?......While explaining, the kids did seem to like the ideal. But, a few hands did go up in the air asking if they could paint their own picture & not use the stencil. Of course ! Their minds were already way ahead of mine.
So, after camp, I go to the art store to purchase the stencils. As I stood there in front of the stencil selection, I thought, "Dummy...they don't want to use these boring stencils !...They want to PAINT !" So, thankfully I walked away from the stencils, walked over to the paint brushes and bought a nice selection of them.
The next day, when I announced to each class that they could paint what they wanted for their picture, they were all like, "YES!"
What was I thinking? Once again I learned my lesson. Every year it's the same, I start out saying, "first we will do this, this & then, this". And every year I am so grateful that I am not totally stuck in my perfectionist ways and am smart enough to let loose. So, between the kids & myself,and a little" give, take action." The class went very well.
Now, look at those paintings. They are BEaUtiFul !
While they worked, they hummed, they sang, they talked.
Enjoy your Monday.
Summer is finally here & I have alot of my own art to do. Get loose Amy, get loose ! :D

Tasha Tudor

Tasha Tudor

August 28, 1915 - June 18, 2008
Boston, Massachusetts

"Einstein said that time is like a river, it flows in bends. If we could only step back around the turns, we could travel in either direction. I'm sure it's possible. When I die, I'm going right back to the 1830s. I'm not even afraid of dying. I think it must be quite exciting." ~Tasha Tudor

I have a book called "The Private World of Tasha Tudor", it is full of beautiful photos that give you a peek into Tasha's amazing life.I have spent hours looking at that book.I grew up reading her children's story's. Her lovely illustrations have touched many, adults & children.
She has left alot behind for us all to still enjoy.
You can visit a memorial sight set up by her family here.
Her family also have a lovely sight called Tasha Tudor & Family

Marc Chagall

Abraham and the Three Angels (1954-67).
Song of Songs III (1960)
Look at what a very kind face he has, what a cute guy!
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Great art picks up where nature ends."
"Only love interest me, and I am only in contact with things I love."
"All colors are the friends of their neighbors and the lovers of their opposites."
"My name is Marc, my emotional life is sensitive and my purse is empty, but they say I have talent."
Marc Chagall, July 7, 1887- March 29, 1985

One of the things that I love about blogging, is that it often sends me out searching for more information. I was visiting an artist's blog this morning & I made the comment that her figures reminded me of Marc Chagall's. And that got me thinking about a book that I bought many moons ago, 1988. There was a small, but, very good bookstore across the street from my apartment on Strawberry St. (yes, Strawberry St.) that I spent alot of time in. And, when I first laid eyes on Marc Chagall Arabian Nights I just had to have it, the shop owner let me put it on lay-away. It is a large "coffee table" book with colorful, romantic illustrations by Mr. Chagall.
After taking this beautiful book off the self, I looked Marc Chagall up & read a bit more about him. I found these quotes (above) and I can't help but think what a romantic, lover of life he was.
He was not afraid to depict and even indulge himself in romance and color in his art.
Maybe some may think that he wore rose colored glasses. But, he was clearly a lover of life and beauty.
He lived to be 102!!! He died when I was 25. Maybe his beautiful look on life had something to do with that. Anyway, I just LoVe his art and want to know more about him. I will take his book & read it again tonight. It has been... WoW, 20 years since I bought it and I can't remember the last time I have spent any time enjoying it. And somehow, I don't think he would saying he is a cute guy. : )
OoOo, Amy

His Scribble, My Scribble

Please click to see detail
So this morning ,I was visiting Eric Orchard's blog, ( one of my favorite blogs to visit) and he was
telling us how coffee had gotten spilled over, oh about 2 weeks of drawings he had done for a book he is illustrating. Yikes ! But, that got me thinking about work of mine that has gone the way of the "Doe Doe" for what ever reason. Most of my mishaps were due to my darling children trying to help Mom with her art. So, I told Eric I would post this painting. After my son had also worked on it (scribble) , well, it felt like a happy accident. I called the piece "His Scribble, My Scribble". That was about 15, 16 years ago and it was Gabriel's handy work, he is the one who just graduated from HS. The portrait is of him & myself, maybe that's why he felt he needed to add his touch. Anyway, I LoVe this little portrait. And hey, Gabriel has become an amazing artist & will be going to art school next year.
So, Do You Have A Story You Would Like To Share, About A Piece Of Art That Had A Happy or Sad , Unplanned Ending? Leave a comment and post your story, post your piece on your blog , if it is still around and we will come see it. : ) have a grand day! amy

Hot, But Fun !

Well, the graduation celebration was a hit. Our guests braved the heat yesterday & came out to celebrate with us. All I can say is, "thank goodness" for our big magnolia tree in the back yard. It was a haven from the HOT !
And this little pool I bought last year has proved itself to be a smart investment. The little ones were happy as clams splashing around.
The food was yummy, the crabs were delish. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. They must have been, because they all stayed & talked and laughed under the sweet shade of the magnolia.
So, I just want to say, "Thank you dear friends and family for making this such a special time for Gabriel."
Stay COOL, it was hotter today than yesterday. Yikes ! Drink plenty of water! oxox amy

Smells so Lovely !

Can I just say," my lavender has gone crazy! " I had to share this photo with you, before I tie it back. There is a sidewalk under all that beautiful lavender.
I tease my postman, asking him, " isn't lovely walking threw the lavender everyday to get to my mailbox?"...He just smiles & says, "yeah".
This is it's third spring, but it blooms all summer long. Happy bees & little white butterfly's visit all day long. We need to take care of our bees & butterfly's. They are apparently dieing out.
So, stay away from the poisons, who cares if you have dandy lions , clover & buttercups mixed in your grass. These highly under rated flowers are very important to our world. Let them live in your yard. Bees love them. (see "Feeling Dandy" post 4/30/08 )
So, I am up early, I have much to do for our party tomorrow. Wish me luck. Enjoy your weekend. Amy

Congradulations Gabriel !

Gabriel graduated from High School yesterday ! I cannot tell you how proud I felt , setting there watching him from the bleechers. I mean , you know you are proud of your child. But, at that moment it was an overwhelming, gushy, I can't help myself, look at my beautiful , smart, handsome, son ! PROUD !!! and Look, he is a young man now. Tears. Happy, but, tears.
Happy Young Man !

His party is this Sunday. So, I am still busy with all the running around for that. It will be so much fun. I will be back on Monday. One more week till my other three are out for the SUMMER! "Have a lovely weekend. " amy