Happy Halloween

There are a number of amazing Halloween events happening tonight and I hope everyone has a great time.

Celebrate …  laugh … Dance … Sing … Make Merry … and stay safe.

Halloween – Digital Collage – 3 x 4 inches

The mask I am wearing is made of paper mache, acrylics, metallic ink, and lined with soft leather.

Storm in a Teacup

I am sitting here at my computer looking out the window watching the wind scatter dead leaves across our yard as I wrap my cold hands around my tea cup. Brr!

The dark gloominess of the day has really affected my work output. I started the morning out with sketching a few designs for a new project and found myself staring off into space. Needless to say I was getting nowhere fast.

October is drawing to a close and it seems the earth is exhaling it’s last breath before winter. Maybe I am also releasing, exhaling, turning inward in preparation for winter as my thoughts stray towards warm fuzzy slippers, hot apple cider, flannel sheets and all those books I’ve collected and set aside for the cold wintry nights ahead.

I’ve decided the only thing that can set things right is to take a walk and let the wind sweep the cobwebs from my brain.

Harvest Moon – Combined Media – 8 X8 inches

Jack – o – Lantern

Demeter & Persephone

For the past few days I have been working on my new blog site at Gaia’s Garden and I’m having a lot of fun updating and writing new content for the blog and the original website.

Today I am working on ideas for new images for the website and came up with the image below for Gaia’s herbal section. I still have a long ways to go before it’s finished.

Demeter & Persephone – Digital Collage

“O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
Tomorrow’s wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call;
Tomorrow they may form and go.
O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow.
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know.
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away.”
–   Robert Frost, October

Mosaic Flowers

I took a walk this afternoon and came across this beautiful mosaic memory wall located at a local hospital which has been creating a healing garden on their property.

Over the years they have planted herbs and flowers along winding walk ways and added lovely statues, bird feeders and a water fountain. Most recently they have also begun building a labyrinth and  I can hardly wait for it to be finished.

Mosaic Memory Wall – Artist unknown

Friday

I spent this evening working on this digital collage. For the background I used an image that I created a while back and added some detail with ink and pastels.

Next I digitally enhanced the image of an angel statue and layered pastel and ink details over three separate images and then merged them together. This collage was created with Painter IX and Photoshop.

Later on I may add some distressed text and numbers, but first I will need to create them. I guess there is no rest for the weary!…

Passage to Heaven – Digital Collage – 8 X 10 inches

“Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy.” – Eskimo Proverb