fall

Small, dark, moody vignettes

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I was trying to come up with a title for this post, which is about the five pieces I want to share with you today, when it occurred to me that they are all little stories on the canvas. And what the story is, or what it means, is entirely up to you.

All of the above art pieces are 5”x7” in size on a deep canvas with finished edges. They are suitable for hanging on the wall or sitting atop a dresser, table, mantel, or shelf. Created using hand-torn papers (including the pumpkins, ghost, and bat), acrylic paint, and acrylic inks. Perfect for Halloween or all-year evocativeness. $35 each, which includes US shipping.

I haven’t added these to my online shop just yet, so you can email me to claim one if you don’t want to wait!

Well, hello October!

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Fall is well and truly here in southern New Jersey. We’ve been enjoying cool nights and excellent sleeping weather. In only a few short weeks, it will be time for Halloween, which makes me mindful that I have some offerings that would be PERFECT for both the Fall season, and for Halloween.

Fall is my favorite season.

I’m not a person who usually has a favorite anything, but I do have a favorite season, and it is Autumn (or Fall). Which partially explains why I created the following pieces of art. I love the fall palette when it comes to creating art. I love the leaves (both in real life and in art).

Here are six paintings—four for Fall, plus two specifically for Halloween. All come framed, and prices include US shipping. The first, square piece is a 12” square canvas framed in wood. It features a quote from Sense & Sensibility: “It is not everyone who has your passion for dead leaves.” It is for sale for $150, which includes US shipping.

The second and third paintings are 8”x10” canvas board, matted and framed. Both feature Emily Dickinson quotes. The first, with the butterfly, is “Autumn—overlooked my Knitting” and the second is “If you were coming in the Fall”. Each is priced at $125, which includes US shipping.

The three pieces in the bottom row are all 9”x12” mixed-media collages on canvas board, matted and framed. The first features a quote from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” The middle piece features a Cornish blessing, “From ghoulies and ghosties, long-leggedy beasties, and things that go bump in the night, the Good Lord protect us.” The final piece just says “Boo” and features a handprinted ghoul. All three pieces are $150, and include free US shipping.

If any of the above pieces appeal to you, please get in touch to claim it. You can order from the website, drop me an email, or message me on social media.

Restocked for Fall

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I’ve been working on some new pieces for fall, and there are now some at both Olde Pear Primitives on Lafayette Street in Cape May, NJ and at MADE. Artisan Marketplace on Broad Street in Woodbury, NJ.

What you see above are hand-painted papers cut into hearts that form Halloween garlands on black & white baker’s twine, which are stocked at both locations, four pieces that I left at Olde Pear, and my shelves at MADE, where I left garlands and one of the little 5”x7” pieces.

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Party on

This 5”x7” collage includes paint and sparkles. $25 plus shipping!

What you see above and below are the three 5”x7” collage pieces that I currently have here in my studio, ready to mail out. If any of them call to you, they are a steal at $25 (USD) plus postage.

I have been having a good time painting inks and paints onto heavy watercolor paper in shades of orange, white, and black. Despite being essentially those solid colors, each paper has at least 6 or 7 colors involved—for example, the “black” is blended from black ink, Payne’s Grey ink, and some indigo and Burnt Umber acrylic paint, and includes some speckles of orange, green, purple, and white.

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Halloween garlands

$8 each or 2/$15.

I will try to update my website this week to add some new pieces to the site, but if any of what you see here is YOURS, by all means, let me know! You can email or fill out the contact form here on the website. Or, y’know, holler at me on social media.

It's finally starting to feel like fall!

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Probably moreso at my home in New Jersey than here in Summerville, South Carolina where I’ve been spending the last couple weeks in order to help transport my dad to his weekly chemo appointments, though even here there’s been a chill in the air for a couple nights, with more cool weather to come next week. I mean, it’s still in the 80s during the day, and I actually made it to the beach for the first time this year.

Here’s a shot of my feet on Folly Beach last Friday.

Here’s a shot of my feet on Folly Beach last Friday.

One of my favorite poems from college was “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot, and towards the end you’ll find these lines:

“I grow old ... I grow old ...
I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.”

Perhaps a little too apt, right? Here’s some of the rest

“Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach?
I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.
I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.

I do not think that they will sing to me.”

Here’s hoping that Eliot is wrong and that a mermaid choir shows up after all. Meanwhile, here are four pieces I still have available from my Jersey Shore series. Each of these is approximately 4”x6” in size, and is matted and ready to pop into an 8”x10” frame. They cost $48 each, plus shipping, and 25% of the purchase price goes to Clean Ocean Action, an organization dedicated to keeping the beaches and the waters off of New York and New Jersey clean.

Jersey Shore 2 and 3 are on the top row, Jersey Shore 4 and 7 are on the bottom.

Please let me know if you are interested in one of the above pieces, or in chatting about T.S. Eliot (also author of the poems that became they lyrics to most of the songs in the musical CATS). And if you are interested in signing up for my newsletter (which only goes out once every few weeks), you can do that here.

Fall Cleaning

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My husband, Morris, and I spent hours together yesterday and today, cleaning out half of our garage. We have a two car garage that we keep our two cars in, along with TONS of other things stored around the edges. Our efforts resulted in giving away a five-foot tall IKEA wooden wine rack, putting an awful lot of tools and doodads away (so many loose screws, you guys — LOL), and throwing out a rather impressive amount of things. Including a dead squirrel, that apparently crawled under some shelving in our garage to die. (I am so sad for the poor wee thing—but it obviously had passed quite a long while ago.)

Earlier this week, I spent quite a lot of time cleaning half of my studio. Below is a shot of a still-needs-to-be-cleaned table, but I sort of fell in love with it anyhow.

Feathers, oils, a crystal point, a paint carousel, a music box, some silk sunflowers, . . .

Feathers, oils, a crystal point, a paint carousel, a music box, some silk sunflowers, . . .

I’ve been diffusing some lovely combinations here in the house lately. At this moment, the house smells of Cedarwood, Wintergreen, Orange, and Bergamot, since that’s what I added to the Epsom salts in the bath I ran for my sweetheart after so much hard work today. He literally powered through SO MUCH STUFF. I spent more time in a chair or advising than actually lifting and carrying and such, though I did do a decent amount of sweeping and sorting of hardware. It’s not something I focus on, but in case you are looking for high-quality essential oils, I do sell Young Living oils (in theory — I have my distributor listing, but haven’t signed anyone up or sold any to other people in the past five years). The post being, if you’d like some, hit me up.

On Monday of this week, I started taking a new online art course, which has kept me busy this week. But I’ve also almost finished up this piece, which features an Emily Dickinson poem and will be going in my shop early next week at $100. (Holler now if it’s yours):

Autumn—overlooked my Knitting—

Autumn—overlooked my Knitting—

Next week is for more art class, and for my IV infusion to treat my rheumatoid arthritis (hence the sitting and not lifting so much portion of fall cleaning), and for travel to South Carolina for most of October, where I hope to be of use as a chauffeur for my dad, who is doing radiation and chemotherapy for esophageal cancer. BUT! I have an event that I just got to list on my calendar for November, so that makes me happy. More in a bit, once it’s confirmed.

If you’d like to sign up for my newsletter, you can do so at my home page. I just sent one out the other day, and the next will go out sometime in October. (Hint: it will have a special sale event for subscribers!)

Falling for Autumn

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When I was younger, spring was my favorite season. I loved the newness and everything bursting into bloom, the longer days. But for the last 15-20 years, fall has been my favorite and my best. (That phrase borrows from “Snow is My Favorite and My Best”, the title of a Charlie and Lola book by Lauren Child.) I love the lengthening shadows, that whisper of chill sweeping through on the breeze, the way the leaves change color and eventually fall and swish and drift.

The setting sun on my studio the other day. I love that golden light.

The setting sun on my studio the other day. I love that golden light.

I spent the equinox yesterday at ArtWorks in Trenton, surrounded by other artists and writers at the closing of the Creative Capital program that I was lucky enough to be selected for earlier this year. It renewed my commitment to thinking and acting strategically in my arts business, and also started me thinking about the direction of my art and what I want to work on in this coming fall season. I don’t have the answer yet, but I’m listening to the whispers of the leaves, and the whispers of my heart, and I’ll keep you posted.

Whatever it is, it’s likely to be explored and begun at least partially in South Carolina, where I’ll be spending most of the month of October. My dad has begun radiation and chemotherapy for esophageal cancer, and once I’ve done my upcoming IV infusion for my own health issues (hello, rheumatoid arthritis!), I will be hitting the road and heading south so that I can help with transportation and anything else that needs helping.

Meanwhile, I’ve got two new collage pieces available just in time for Halloween decorating. The first contains an ancient Cornish litany: “From ghouls and ghosts and long-leggetty beasties and things that go bump in the night, GOOD LORD, deliver us!” The second has far less to say (“BOO!”) Both are 9”x12” mixed media collage pieces on canvas board, and they look spectacular matted and framed. They are going into my online store at $65 plus shipping for the piece alone, but will happily sell them matted and framed at $90 plus shipping!

Also available for fall are a piece with a quote from L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables about the month of October, plus an Octobers greeting card and a Poe-related Raven greeting card entitled “Nevermore”. Hope you’ll check out the shop!

Happy fall to you! Drop a comment to let me know what your favorite season is, and what plans you have for fall.