A Make Believe World~sometimes

Sometimes you just need to live in a make believe world.  When you were a youngster, we all were at one time if you remember, and played Cowboys and Indians or the Queen and your sister had to hold an umbrella over your head so all the make believe flowers people were throwing to you wouldn't mess up your hair?  You know that kind of make believe. Making mud pies and pretending they were the best in the world.  

This sweet little fairy is one of the make believes.   I painted her in Painter and just played and had the best time, no pressure just paint.  It was for a  digital class and was so easy breezy.  I did add clothes though, you know my southern upbringing sometimes pops up.   I call myself southern, I did get to Texas as soon as I could. 

Picture the night glow on her flowing hair with fairy dust sprinkled around her.   Now there is a wonderful brush in painter called -fairy dust.  Now isn't that the coolest name ?  In my make believe world, it just rocks.   I painted layers and layers on this little fairy, to make the wings sheer and sketched and as you can see just had some fun.   I can almost bet that I used pastels, seems to be my media of choice on the digi paintings. 

There you go and thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today.  

Our Metal Stalion

 Living in Texas I know it is thought we have horses and cows and six shooters.   In the wild west days I bet we would have but today,  we only have a 400 horse power wild metal stalion that is red and will run like the wind.   When our red metal stalion was new he smelt like the new car smell they have but  only lasts a short while.  That is not the same as the wonderful smell of a tried and true horse.  The kind with 4 legs and that are such magnificant animals with swishy tails and ears that never stand up when you want to take a photo of them. 

I was not raised with horses  in my life growing up, but my Daddy raised Alpaloosas and my half sister was quite a horsewoman in her younger days.  I know I would have been just like she was with the horses all the outfits adorned with  bling and riding like the wind on her beautiful horse.   The wind blowing her hair back as she rode with such confidence looking majestic as her four legged friend.

We and our daughter went together and bought our grandaughter a red horse.  Not sure what he is called in horse colors but red to me.  We got go baby sit him for a little over a year and it was wonderful.  I got to love on him and watch him graze on our "back 2 .  Actually it was our back two acres but we called it our back 2.  The tail swishing and just watching him run with the neighboring horses and the sun shining on his coat.   That was a treat for us to be able to do that.  He later was sold but the memory of him was great for me.  

I do like to paint them though so here are a couple of paintings I have done of these magical animals.

 This beautiful paint was at a horse show we went to a couple of years back, he was tied to a trailer all by himself and I just had to paint him.  His ears perked up so pretty when I walked up to him and just talked and talked to him.  He made the wonderful sound they make when talking back to you.  Like hello Annette thanks for taking time to come and see me.

This handsome fellow is my rendition of an indian horse of sorts.  Just had to give him a little paint and some fancey feathers.   A tad make believe here but it could have happened at least in my world.

There you go, thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today..

The Taffeta skirt

Sometimes you just feel like swishing and swirling with your colors and your brushes.   You know like when you would wear a taffeta skirt and it made the swishie noise when you walked.  You either hated it or thought here I come world watch out.   This is what this little painting made me feel like when I painted it.  The colors and just the shapes were fun and I culd have been wearing that taffeta skirt when I was painting it.  It felt that good.  Now I am sorry to the guys reading this, I now you never wore a skirt that gave you confidence like that but I am sure you had a shirt or some new tennis shoes or that one special thing you wore that made you feel pretty good or to use an old word ~ Dapper. 

I know this is a little different from what I usually paint but just had to throw some spice in here every once in a while.   Please enjoy the colors and the movenment.  

Thanks for stopping in Annette's world today and seeing what is going on.

My Paper Dolls

I wonder if girls play with paper dolls anymore?  You know the kind that you cut out so patiently around the little white tabs that hold the clothes onto the paper dolls ?  Their paper shoes, dresses, hats and scarves?   I use to love cutting out all the high fashion clothes and using my imagination and seeing what kind of lives my dolls would lead.   I remember having an Elizabeth Taylor set and a Doris Day set of paper dolls.  We would play with them for hours and having their imaginary boyfriends and dressing up these little pieces  of paper dolls.  I do wish I had those dolls now, but alas they  probably got torn and wrinkled and tossed away in the trash.  Maybe even one of their arms got torn off when we were dressing them in a hurry to go on a paper doll date.

On my art journal journey with Zinnia, on Roses on my Table, we are doing paper dolls.  Yep you read right.  Well not exactly like Elizabeth and Doris but still dolls.  We are making queens but my dolls just sort of wander and not sure what they are.   I have one set that are kind of frumpy and the other set I am pretending they are the daughters or grandaughters of the frumpy ones. 

 I am having fun with the art journaling and learning lots everytime I play with it.  Of course buying new supplies certainly does not hurt my feelings.  I am surprised how many of the supplies I already have though with scrapbooking and my photography supplies and the art supplies I had from years ago.  

Here you go the frumpy ones.  Now the sweet ladies here are not the frumpy part, I do believe it is their clothing.  My fashion of lace and paper I suppose.   Still they are paper dolls and had so much fun playing with them.

Here are their daughters or grandaughters, beautiful lawn gowns for the garden tea party made out of fashionable tissue paper and a tiny bit of lace.  Something every young lady needs in their closet for the garden party. 

There you go,  Annette's paper dolls of 2011.   I am fixing to start on a larger version of these little treasures soon.  So will see how much I have progressed with them. 

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world.

The Blue Door

This being the last day of March, I thought one last post for the month.   It is March and what is the saying ~in like a lion out like a lamb ?  Well here in our part of the world it is a beautiful day.  The wind isn't blowing a million miles an hour, which is so West Texas in the spring and the temperature is perfect for most people.  The golfers, the yard workers and just the walkers should love it all.  I know our fur babies, Jewel and Libby love it also.

My sweet friend Mandi took this photo and I just loved it.  It is colorful and just says Santa Fe, New Mexico to me.   She is a great photographer and has such a wonderful career ahead of her.  I remember when I had such enthusiasm  about it as she does.  She is such a delight and she wants to be the best and I do believe she is certainly getting there.  She has been gracious enough to let me use any of her photographs and I am sure you will see more of them down the line.

The painting was done in Painter and I added lots of colors stroke by stroke to it.  The top part of the gate door,  I think called a header possibly,  did bother me composition wise but it is so traditional to have the top piece going over it I just let it stay there.   

So here it is and thanks again Mandi for a beautiful photograph. 

                                                                   The Blue Door

I hope you enjoy the painting and seeing what is going on in my world today.

The Kite

This young man was about 5 years old when this photograph was taken.  We were at the beach on a little vacation and he wanted me to take his pictures.  I have taken his photographs his whole life and now he is 22 and still he will pose for me and just smiles and thinks "Nana " !  Every once in a while he was growing up he would say "no more pictures".  Even for his 21 pictures,  we photographed when he graduated from college, he as so patient. 

I loved it because he had his little hat on, way to big being as it was an adult size but he didn't care  and neither did I.   It was grandson and the grandchildren can do now wrong in any grandparents eyes.  His colorful swim trunks were just him.   I remember when we bought the kite, oh he was proud of it and came strutting out of the store with it in hand.  I do wish I had it today, I am sure it got thrown away during the past years, to put on the wall with this painting.  I wouldn't care if it had an elephant on it at all. 

I have made limited editions of it and it was featured on a calendar that Karen Bonaker makes every year and I used it as my favorite painting when she honored me as one of the featured artists on her forum.  I got to share with all how warm this painting makes me feel.   It is done digitally with pastels as the media, stroke by stroke it was painted and remembering all the little things we use to do together.

So here it is  and please enjoy it and the little story that goes with it.

This is just a close up of part of the photograph of how the sand and how all of the sea weed had washed up on the shore.  Didn't smell to good either and of course being on the beach the wind was blowing quite well.

There you go, that is what is going on in Annette's world at the moment.  Thanks for coming by and looking forward to see you again.

My sweet little Owl

I belong to the Journal Journey group on Roses on my Table.  My friend Bev encouraged me to do this and it is fun and I love it.  No pressure just play and mess and gob all  you want. 
This time the prompt is Owls.   Now still being new at this fun art technique I have watched several videos and didn't realize this is a going thing.  The art journaling and mixed media art work.  Remember I have been in a sheltered world for the last 24 years and just now immerging  like a butterfly I suppose out of it's little comfy home.   Well, I am certainly not a butterfly but you get the picture.

I discovered the magazines from Somerset Studio magazines, oh if you haven't discovered them and want to play with the mixed media or any of their many subjects RUN to the book store.  These magazines are a treasure to behold.   Several years ago, I mean several, a sweet friend--Lynn, gave me one of the magazines.  I was so busy with photography then I just glanced at it, thought it was pretty and then put it up and thought one day I will have time to look at it.  Well I did and oh what a treat it was, so wondered if they still printed it.  That was the discovery of the century to me.  Now nothing like Christopher Columbus did but in my mind it was.

I was looking at one I purchased and there were the cutest owls in it.  So I looked and read the article and thought I might use it one day.  Well lo and behold our journal prompt for this time is Owls.   The artist is Juliette Crane and she gave wonderful  directions on how to paint these little guys.   So this is what I did for my prompt.  

There are lots of layers on text, paint of all kinds on here  including acrylic, oil pastels, water soluable wax pastels and the wonderful words I added   Someday I will fly.  

I drew the little owl and painted her and she was the last thing I applied to my journaling pages.   I hope you enjoy it.  Oh be sure and click on the picture and you can see it larger.   Have fun if you try it. 

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world.