Happy New Year to my Blogland Friends

Sending my best wishes for all of you to have

a wonderful 2014, full of love, peace, and time

for artful pursuits!

Last Paint Party Friday of 2013

This is a busy time for most of us as we wind up things from 2013 and prepare to take on the challenges of 2014. I hope the transition goes smoothly for all of you and that the events of the new year will be pleasant and rewarding. This is not a new painting since life has gotten  in the way of art. I am entering it this week for the Paint Party Friday challenge because I really want to get back into the swing of things. I am adding this to Paper Minutes challenge for this week: Baby, it's cold outside.

Merry Christmas to my Blogland Friends

Dear Friends far and near,

My heart is full of love for and appreciation of you.

So many of you have sent encouraging messages to me

during the long illness of my dh. Many of you have offered 

up prayers for me. Many have sent kind wishes and thoughts.

We each have our own personal style of art and the presentation

thereof, but kindness and caring reign supreme in this arena. 

Thank you for visiting my blog and for leaving comments.

I feel as if each of you is a friend I can count on.

I look forward to a new, exciting, artful year.

My wish for you is that the true meaning of Christmas

will live in your heart forever. Love never fails.

Entering this into Take A Word Challenge.

A Tea Party for Tracey

This was made especially for the tea party for Tracey Fletcher King,

sponsored by Paint Party Friday. It is a view from my dining room table.

The painting on the wall is an oil painting of an old pump.

Wishing for each and every blogger who reads this a happy and

wonderful Christmas. May your days throughout this joyous

season be fulfilling and blessed.

Paint Party Friday

Here is a quick sketch that has been made

into a Christmas card. I am entering this

in the Paint Party Friday this week.

Word Art Wednesday using Patty's Lily

This painting was done from a photograph I borrowed

from Patty a couple of years ago. She takes such

beautiful photographs and when I saw this one I

 just had to try my hand at it. I am using this as my

entry for Word Art Wednesday, trying to ease back

into art following the loss of my dh and all the trauma

and sadness associated with such a life-changing event. 

A new Look at an Old Painting

There's an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth:

A right time for birth and another for death,

A right time to plant and another to reap,

A right time to kill and another to heal,

A right time to destroy and another to construct,

A right time to cry and another to laugh,

A right time to lament and another to cheer,

A right time to make love and another to abstain,

A right time to embrace and another to part,

A right time to search and another to count your losses,

A right time to hold on and another to let go,

A right time to rip out and another to mend,

A right time to shut up and another to speak up,

A right time to love and another to hate,

A right time to wage war and another to make peace.

from Ecclesiastes 3

“When you part from your friend,

you grieve not;

For that which you love most in him

may be clearer in his absence,

as the mountain to the climber

is clearer from the plain.” 

― Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

Church Bazaar

The long awaited fall bazaar at our church was held today. I have been making cards all year for this event. Sometimes I'd use whatever I had painted for a challenge to be the front of the card. Some I bought stick-ons from the Dollar Store. Some I did a watercolor front. Here are some that did not sell. I noticed that most of the Christmas ones went fast. I will try next year to do more Christmasy ones.