A Room With A View

Dearest Friends....
I am home from my GLORIOUS Italian
adventure with so much to share.
I beg your patience, this week,
as I sort through over five hundred
photos from the journey and continue
to recover from a bit of jet lag.

The above image is the breathtaking
picture postcard, sunset view from my
room in Orvieto. Just a hint of what is
to come!

Forget-Me-Not

Can it be called serendipity when
art imitates life?

I believe creativity sometimes bursts
forth in waves with such moments
foreshadowing other happenings
that shall pass.

I have, for many weeks, been
entertaining a persistent creative
muse, inspired by a delicate
treasure from the past. Beautiful
and endearing writings, touching
sentiments offered as enchanting
and irresistible fodder. Such gifts
have had me indulging myself in
the most delightful painting project.


With the brittle pages from a
tiny autograph book, I have
mixed memories with nature
and art to make, what I call,
Forget-Me-Nots.


Simply named by the prose and poetry
of the writers to the respective owner
of the autograph book, but also, because
I must depart for a journey that will leave me
missing your company greatly, dear friends.


"It was when I beheld thee first
And memory lingers yet
Tis love and tho it be suppressed
I wish not to forget
Tho far away from thee I roam
Forget thee I can never
For all the joys this life affords
Is pictured in thee ever."


Do not forget, as I am away living life,
and having new experiences...
remember, if only for a moment won't you...
entertained by these remnants of my heart.

I promise to return with tales to tell
and joys to share.

For Luck...

Does this look like a bag that's ready for travel?

Well it is, almost... just a few last minute
items to tuck into the remaining yet,
quickly disappearing small spaces
before I leave on my Italy adventure.

I can hardly believe that after all these
months of hoping, dreaming, planning,
and preparations, I will be on my way
in a matter of days.

If you remember from this post,
I have a journal all prepared to
record the trip.

And I also finished reading this
terrific book, that I highly
recommend! There are some super
tips to really make the most of your
words when travel journaling.


In fact, I decided to try one of the
author's suggestions by pre-journaling
before my voyage. So this last Friday,
(which was the one week marker), I
penned the page below and decorated
it with splashes of color.


Here is an excerpt from my writings -

"one week from today I will
be leaving for Italy. I expect
to experience so many special
moments that may be life
altering mostly because that's
what travel does, it changes
you. For better or worse, you
are different after stepping
outside the comfort of your
familiar surroundings.

You return with a clearer
understanding of another
culture. You have an
opportunity to soak-up
the gifts of history, nature,
art, and customs, all the
while comparing and
contracting each of those
to your own life's rituals."


Then being inspired by a friend's
gesture when recording her first
journal page, I, too, added a
good luck charm to the top. This
one is painted, which is surely just
as good as the real thing... right?

Work Table Wednesdays

I have been having loads of fun this
past month sharing glimpses of my
studio in posts on Faceook.

In particular, I snap a single photo of my
work table every Wednesday morning.
Clean or messy, the scene is completely
unedited before taking the picture.

I think the exercise makes a super visual
journal and provides a perfect opportunity
to see how one particular working artist
spends her days.

Just take a peek...

(August 11th)

(August 18th)

(August 25th)

(September 1st)

I am so amazed with how similar the
last three pictures are to one another.
It is mostly likely because I am currently
working on a series of collage paintings
that I can't wait to share with you in the
next post.

My hope is these images inspire you and
others to not be afraid to dive in and just
create!

I invite you to participate along with me by
adding me as a Facebook Friend and
posting a photo of your own work table in
its current condition. Be sure to leave a
comment when you do, so we can come visit!