Chasing Bubbles, Happy Mother's Day!

This is a drawing I completed in 2010.  I had my dear son, now in his late 20's, in mind.  It is hard to believe ten years have passed since I created this piece.  Seems like my son was born just yesterday!

You can see these sweet fishies are his baby sitters.  They're having a marvelous time distracting the little fellow with lots of bubbles!  I just love the look in his eyes.  Heehee

Happy Mother's Day, dear Friends! 

Forest Greetings -Paint Party Friday

This little sketch is another I completed on my trip away from home.  When I draw deer--I always think of my sweet Mumsie.

She loves the forest and the deer.  She's the one who taught us how to forage in the forest for good things to eat.  She taught us what NOT to eat, too.  She is such an amazing lady.  I sketched this piece for Mumsie's birthday.  She will be 80  years old on the 18th!  I know it's a little early, but....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUMSIE!
And Happy Mother's Day, my precious Mom!

I am SO blessed by my dear Mom.  She has always been my biggest fan.  And I am one of her biggest fans!  We have a mutual admiration society!  :D 

Thank you for dropping by--your comments always make my day!  Blessings and joy to you dear ones--You are an encouragement and a delight to my heart.  Happy Mother's Day and Happy Paint Party Friday!

Dreaming of Baby Nicholas -Paint Party Friday

I have the most lovely niece in the world.  Haha.  And as you might guess, I am about to become an auntie!  I'm so proud of this beautiful young woman.  I decided to do a series of drawings with her and baby-in-tummy.  When I'm all done--she'll get a print of each of the drawings.

I'm thinking about putting out a coloring book for women who are pregnant!  I am not sure how popular such a thing would be, but I think it might be worth a try!

Above you see my sweet Melissa.  Her Mom took this wonderful photo.

And Happy Father's Day to Tony, who loves Melissa with such sweet strength and devotion.

Thank you for coming by--your visits are such an encouragement to my heart!  Happy Paint Party Friday!

Birds and Berries -Paint Party Friday

The drawing above is a sketch/doodle, which I inked in a few days ago.  As you see, there's a story here.  Yes, the little bird in the middle has two suitors.  One seems taken aback, and the other is pretty sure of himself.

There are so many birds around this time of year--they flock into my garden where I watch them flirt, eat and sing.  Spring is such a delightful time of year.

Here's an extra for you all!  Because it is so close to Mother's Day I'm also posting this colored pencil drawing I drew of my sister and her little girl when my niece was a tiny baby. 

Thank you for stopping by today.  Your visit has brought joy to my heart.  Have a lovely weekend, sweet Friends.  Happy Mother's Day and Happy Paint Party Friday!

Mommy's Laughing -Paint Party Friday

This is a drawing I did for my sister in 2008.  Though my tiny niece is a brunette, I decided to make them both into blondes.  I had a lot of fun drawing them.  They are so beautiful to my heart.

There is nothing so precious as a truly loving Mom.  I am blessed with a Mother who is my precious friend.  It is a great privilege and gift to have such a Mother.  Mumsie is so precious to me.  She taught me how to be a good Mother.

One of the greatest adventures of my life has been to be the Mother of three wonderful kids.  They are all grown and gone now, but they are never far from my heart, thoughts and prayers.

God bless you dear ones!  Thank you so much for dropping by.  Happy Mother's Day and Happy Paint Party Friday!

Diary - Illustration Friday

Mumsie was a writer--even as a child, I remember she wrote and sold stories long before her books were published. One of the blessings of my life is that Mum kept a journal of her quiet times with God.  She not only wrote out her prayers, but would often write about what was happening in the lives of her children and family.  Because of Mum's Journalings I have read how God answered her specific prayers for me.  You can read her wonderful insights at Everybody Loves a Story.  I know she'd love to hear from you.

I learned to journal from watching my darling Mother's example.   I was recently going through one of my old diaries and came across something really funny--so I thought I'd share it with you. Here goes:

"You really NEED to take a bath, son," I said inspecting the dirt my four-year old had thrown into his hair.  

"But Mom," he explained patiently.  "Superman doesn't NEED a bath!"

 For more wonderful works of art on this week's subject "Diary," visit Illustration Friday!

Malaya's Lessons - Happy Mother's Day!

I have been collecting fairy tale books for years--a whole shelf full of them. In particular, I've loved stories of mermaids, mermen and their families. I even found a book called The Mermaid Reader, which details the lives, stories and legends of the merpeople.

This morning, in honor of Mother's Day I am re-posting one of my favorite drawings.

Here you see a tiny mermaid learning how to swim, instructed by her lovely green and blue tressed mother. The fish is a helpful friend--bubbling encouragement to the little one as she learns to flip her fins.

My reference models were my Sister Leigh and darling little niece Malaya.

Happy Mother's Day!

Finding Beauty

This is a pen and ink I found in my drawer of old drawings. It is called Finding Beauty. I remember the incident which sparked this picture.

We were living in a very old house with single wall construction--there was no insulation. The idea was to fix the old place, building equity as we went--sweat equity. That first winter all five of us lived in the tiny living room and adjacent bedroom--about 450 square feet. A wool blanket separated those rooms from the rest of the house, where in winter one could set a cup of water on the window sill to find it frozen by morning. The house also leaked like a sieve. We had no way to fix the leaks, and our things were being damaged. I felt desperate and could find no beauty in where we were living.

Mumsie came over one weekend and I was pouring out my heart to her. She listened. And then we went in to look at the leaking roof. She smiled with a mischievous twinkle. "Look here," she said pointing at the brown stains on the ceiling. "You can see a face right there."

"And there's a hippopotamus," I replied.

"And a rosebud," she returned. We looked into one another's eyes and I began to laugh. Deep uncontrollable belly laughter. We laughed until our stomach muscles were sore. Suddenly I had found unexpected beauty and could see the humor in my situation.

Things were still hard after that, but I saw everything in a new light.

DADDY UPDATE: Both Dad and Mom slept through the night. Dad did not have any flashbacks or nightmares, and seems quite plucky this morning. Please continue to pray for Dad and Mom. There are also emotional hurts which must heal along with their bodies.

My Bliss

First of all HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!
.
Second of all--here is my most recent cloud painting. I was so inspired by the spirited challenge from Painted Garden, that I finished this cloud painting lickitysplit, and since it's been done, I've been chomping at the bit, to post it! Here you see the cloud which portrays My Bliss. If you look closely, there is a faery hidden nearby. You may have to click on the drawing to see....

Below is the original cloud which caught my fancy. I took this picture of a stormy sky out over our back fence. Since then the trees have unfurled all their leaves, and it does not look the same.

Happy Mother's Day, all--may you have much joy this day.

Treasure Within

This drawing is a reflection of the poignant memories of becoming a Mom for the very first time. The idea of a child growing inside is such a beautiful and intimate miracle. I am very grateful for the children God gave my husband and me. We have been immensely blessed to have them in our lives.

The Lady and the Lambs

In honor of Mother's Day I'm re-posting The Lady and the Lambs.
.
This drawing is dedicated to our own darling Mumsie. When Mum was young and unsure of herself, her Father gave her a picture--he told Mum she looked just like the lovely woman in the picture, and that she was beautiful. A few years ago, Mum and I actually found a copy of the original drawing on a card, so I bought it for her. I loved the old photo so much I used it as my inspiration for this graphite drawing.

Now here's the fun part! I photographed my drawing (it is very big), and ran it through a new photo enhancing program I was learning at that time. The resulting picture was infused with a brilliant rainbow of color.


I was astonished, and oddly, I never was able to duplicate those colors again. There's a little bit of a miracle in every day, don't you think? And to be a Mother is one of the greatest miracles of all.
.
Happy Mother's Day!

Little Princess

I've decided to dedicate the rest of this week to Motherhood.

.

This is a drawing I created for my brother's son's darling baby girl. How Dow would have loved to hold his tiny Granddaughter in his arms. I can picture that quirky little smile on his lips, and the pure delight beaming from his eyes. I am so happy our brother lives on through his son, daughter-in-law and Granddaughter.

In the future I plan to draw her inside of a rose--as her name is Rose.  She is a dear little girl.

.

Happy Mother's Day!