MM x2 = Atarazzi #22 + Altered Ancestors

okay, I kinda stink at math but this isn't really about that.

it's just another Melding-Monday.

meets

Both ask "What moves you today?" For obvious reasons, Mothers have been on my mind a lot lately. Both my Grandmother & Mother in Law passed away last spring. They've inspired several paintings that are still stuck in my head. Something about the latest Artarazzi challenge photo triggered one that I'd been thinking about for a while.

Started fiddling with something yesterday.

MariaPia (My husband's Mum) is on the left with 2 of her siblings.

Last night I dreamed Mercutio's Queen Mab soliloquy ...again.... yes, I am a dork. Had to memorize the blasted thing in high school & it's been haunting me ever since. Mind you I can't even remember my own cell phone number - bah!

So the faerie queen was rattling around in my nut while I played with the Artarazzi piece today. I was also trying to remember a Donovan tune from a million years ago (1971) called Queen Mab. Couldn't find a listen online but there's a teeny tiny snippet on Amazon (#27). For the curious, lyrics are here. I remember hearing this album a few times as a kid (Though where, I don't recall - all we had on vinyl in our house were Xmas carols, The Carpenters, John Denver & show tunes....seriously). Think I'd like to track down a copy but not willing to shell out a hundred bucks for nostalgia.

Where am I going with this?
I added this lovely lady from the Art Freebies blog

Then I tweaked some butterfly wings I had lying about.
And here's the final:

Somehow all the jumbly bits came together in this digital collage tentatively called Queen Mab's Children. To see more interpretations of the original challenge photo (or to play along) click here & then visit the Mr. Linky section on the upper right.

Tuesday Note: Came to grips with the fact that I probably won't get my Mother piece for the Melange challenge done in time, so submitted this one instead. Click here & go thru the comments to visit the other Melange entries. Also check the Melange Team blog Wednesday for this week's new Melange challenge prompt

Fri 29th note: Am I milking this post or what?! I just heard about inspiremethursday.com & they're talking about Altered Ancestors. This piece seems to fit. Click through & Go check 'em out. Or link your own creation. There's also lots of free stuff & giveaway links. Pretty cool place

Happy Mother's Day! - WIPs

I had some time today to play with a couple of mother-themed pieces.

Still have some work to do on them.
Hope to find more time this week to finish.

Both feature my Mother in law Maria Pia (on the left)

Hope all you Moms are having a fabulous day today!
Actually, I hope that everyone is having a great weekend

Lucky me - Lucky You! The Giveaways Continue...

Hello All. Been a very interesting few days. Lost the internet for awhile so more time for fun. Mostly just goofing off, housecleaning (ok not so fun), and making a dent in the pile of books by the bed. I really enjoyed Rebecca Stott's Ghostwalk & I'm 1/2 way though Emma Larkin's Secret Histories - Finding George Orwell in a Burmese Teashop.

On the aside, if you're curious about Orwell, check out one of my favorite blogs, Orwell Diaries. From the site: Since 9th August 2008, The Orwell Prize has been blogging George Orwell’s diaries... Each diary entry is published on the blog exactly seventy years after it was originally written by Orwell, beginning in 1938...


What's this got to do with luck & free stuff? Well, um, nothing ... so lets switch gears. 1st off, Lucky Me:

I just found out I'm featured on Jordanka Yaretz's fabulous blog today! This is a true pleasure as I am a HUGE fan of Jordanka's art. Please visit her etsy shop TreeArtist & check out her fabulous paintings. Bet she becomes one of your favorites too!

I also heard from the lovely Maria Therese of afiori.com that I was included in this elegant & ethereal treasury. Yay Me ;D

It just keeps getting better!! I was 1 of the random winners over at Cephalopod Tea Party last weekend!! And will soon be the very happy owner of this fun piece by the talented Sarah of IndustrialFairyTale . If you've got a few minutes, check out her website & blog. Well worth a visit!

Now, unlike my last giveaway, I won't be parting with my winnings. Instead I have decided to share the love by giving away one of my original drawings. Which leads us to the Lucky You part of today's post:

This charcoal & conte' figure is mounted under a hidden mat set into the wooden frame. Outside of the frame measures 9.5"H x 7.5"W x 1"D and has a lovely concave slope. Rather than relist this piece again at ArtSnark on Etsy, I've decided to have another random giveaway. Just leave a comment over the next week to be entered in the random drawing. For a 2nd chance to win, visit my etsy shop & then come back here and tell me your favorite piece in the shop. 1 random winner will be picked at noon (EST) on Thursday May 14th.

So that's all the news.. But enough about me. What have you guys been up to?

Random Tuesday Thoughts - They Live!

Click on my current fave font to read full report. Special thanks to Mike over at The Mental Kavity for bringing this breaking news to our attention.

Also in the news: Tamp IKEA opens the 6th (YAY!) Ok, that's not really the news, THIS IS ! People have already lined up outside the store - buh? C'mon - I like cheap fun design as much as the next guy but this I just don't get. If you have 3 minutes to spare, check out the interview. Why? Hmm. I dunno. It just seems like the RTT thing to do.

Geeked out big time tonight. Started with Doing DaVinci. No, it's not renaissance porn. A group of guys build working machines based on Leonardo's drawings. The bickering & one upsmanship on the show is stupid but the devices are very very cool.

Caught this DaVinci exhibition in Rome last summer (twice). Highly recommend it, especially if you are traveling with kids. My (then) 4 year old was fascinated by the models (some are hands on) and has been obsessed with inventions & Rube Goldberg devices ever since.

If you have even more time to kill today, check out some Rube Goldberg devices on Youtube & see what crazy fun stuff is there. I am amazed by the amount of time people have on their hands (says the woman watching 12,000 dominoes fall)

Once I had the remote to myself tonight, I settled in with some Tivo'd Cartoon Nerdwork - I warned you! Sat. nights they've been rerunning some classics so I let 'em stack up & then save for the insomnia nights. Caught Episodes #25 of both Full Metal Alchemist (Words of Farewell) & Death Note (Silence), two of my favorites. Then the finale of Cowboy Bebop (a series with the best opening theme ever, by the way)...sigh... geek-girl heaven.

If you've stuck with me this far, pass the popcorn ;D If you don't know what the hell I'm talking about, go enjoy your life & I promise to chatter about art & stuff again soon. And if you just gotta have some more of that sweet yet crunchy chaos, pop on over to The Un Mom today. Oh, and be sure to warn Keely about the quarantine....

Monday's Muse meets Musical Mondays

Oh, I had a dream
It seemed I stood alone
And the veil of all the years
Goes sinking from my eyes just like a stone

-from Nostradamus by Al Stewart

Sue's Girl Life size charcoal drawing

Reading some interesting blogs tonight & decided to get a head start on

Over at Moss Hill Studios JoAnna Pierotti is talking about Mothers. Leave a comment on her blog about your maternal influence - you could win a space in one of her online workshops.

The charcoal drawing above, Sue's Girl, was a gift for my mother several years ago. My Mom is an interesting woman. We've not always had the best relationship, but it has certainly never been dull. We are very different in many ways, but one thing we have in common is a strong belief in intuition and dream. I fear I'm sounding a bit flaky, so I'll leave it at that.

A visit to Joy To The Blog introduced me to Musical Mondays, a cool idea that starts over at Good Mourning Glory. GMG is also running a drawing for free music. Click on the button & check out the details.


Tonight's music has been background. Mostly Al Stewart's Rhymes in Rooms. One of my favorites is Nostradamus. Unfortunately the only versions I'm finding to share have dopey background stuff going on. So instead here's Clifton in the Rain

Artarazzi Challenge #21- Spring Flowers

The modest Rose puts forth a thorn,
The humble sheep a threat'ning horn:
While the Lily white shall in love delight,
Nor a thorn nor a threat stain her beauty bright.
- William Blake

This week's visual prompt from Artarazzi is the painting Spring Flowers by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema . I've added some lilies I shot a few years ago & some corner brackets from a scan of an inkadinkadoo stamp package. Pop on over to the comments section (& Mr. Linky) at Artarazzi to add your own creation & enjoy the variety of submissions.


While I'm a big fan of William Blake, I stumbled upon this poem by A.E.Houseman that also feels apt. The Lent Lily is a name that I haven't heard in years. That's what my grandmother,who spent much of her time in the garden, used to call her daffodils.

'Tis spring; come out to ramble
The hilly brakes around,
For under thorn and bramble
About the hollow ground
The primroses are found.

And there's the windflower chilly
With all the winds at play,
And there's the Lenten lily
That has not long to stay
And dies on Easter day.

And since till girls go maying
You find the primrose still,
And find the windflower playing
With every wind at will,
But not the daffodil,

Bring baskets now, and sally
Upon the spring's array,
And bear from hill and valley
The daffodil away
That dies on Easter day.

- A.E. Houseman

Bit O Eye Candy Today

Been busy playing catch-up this week. Haven't had time to create anything new. Played around with some potential blog buttons but have not yet figured out how to make them easy for you to snag. If anybody has a simple how-to, I'd love the help. Have I mentioned what a neo-luddite I can be sometimes?

Lucky enough to be in a couple of great Etsy Treasuries this weekend. If you click on the pics by Monday, they'll take you to each treasury's page where you can click & comment. Or shop ;D

Mine is the little house portrait on bottom center. Many thanks to Etsy seller SantAngeloDesign!


You'll recognize the top right lady from 1st button. Special thanks to Artdecadence!

For some more eye candy, check out Totus Mel's Wunderkammer. You will find a fabulous selection of "the slightly odd, the darkly beautiful, the elegant and steamy pieces of goodness." A wonderful eclectic collection, from corsets to robots, art to airships. Well worth a visit