Living In the Moment

This afternoon, I met up with my friend, Kathryn Antyr or as many know her as the "Collage Diva".  We had not seen each other for quite sometime, so a visit was a "Must".  We had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory (A first for the Collage Diva).  (You can see a pic of our desserts in the above photo - YUMMY!).  We then did some shopping afterwards.  Always nice to catch up with a great friend.  Looking forward to our next get-together ... 

Let me introduce Harmony Lenasbunt ...  She is another truly, talented artist that I was lucky to work with this year.  We spoke for many months getting to know one another. She decided that she would like to see some photographs of flowers that I have taken over the years. She wanted to do embroidery on a  photo that gave her some background to play with - So we decided on this Magnolia Bud.  (See above -  My original photograph - Photo Below - Harmony's embroidered work). I hope to work with Harmony again in the near future. Thank you, Harmony for collaborating with me on this beautiful project! 

I would like to introduce   Dana Payne Saunders ... She is a passionate, creative painter that I am proud to call my friend.  She is like a writer with paint, every brushstroke tells a story. She asked me to do some digital art (which is seen on the left) to go along with an acrylic painting she wanted to create (seen on the right).  I think blending our two visions made for a vibrant finished piece.  I just love this painting knowing it involved two minds - and a great friendship connection. Dana ~ It was a real pleasure working with you. I would love to do it again in the near future.

It started the morning I decided to visit Muddy Waters (Coffee House) in Burlington, Vermont. I was told by the locals that if I was looking for a quiet place to write and enjoy a good cup of java, this was the place. I entered into a few different level rooms containing booths, cozy benches and chairs. After ordering an Iced Machiatto, I settled into a nice corner bench adjacent to a bookshelf. It was quiet, the perfect seat to get some reading done. My reason for spending a quiet morning here was to work through a few more chapters in The Artist's Way. (Julia Cameron's ~ Guide to Inspire Artists). Upon looking around, I noticed that there was a small, rolled up piece of paper tucked away in the brick wall behind me. At first, I was not sure whether to take it out and read it, or not. Perhaps I have seen too many "Candid - Punked" like shows, and someone was watching my every move. Pushing these paranoid thoughts aside, I reached over, read it and I was elated...

When I went food shopping this past weekend, they were selling cards - ARTWORK FOR EDUCATION - Castle Heights Elementary School (Los Angeles, CA) students are raising funds for programs and equipment for their school.  I had many different cards to choose from. This is just one that I purchased. Of course, I wanted the heart decorated card, created by Irene - Age 9. As all of you who follow my blog know - I love anything "Heart" related these days ... These are the times I feel like I am "Giving Back" - Small gestures to help out - Wish I could do more - Perhaps, Someday I will be able to ... When was the last time you came across something like this? 

This is how I am feeling today ~ Tapping to my own beat ~ It is a free day for me, of sorts ~ Getting things done, but at my own pace ~ Looking outdoors and realizing what a beautiful day it is, in February ~ We have had unbelievably warm weather this Winter, here in New England. I wonder if we will escape this season with no more snow ~ How nice that would be ~ Slide right into Spring with gentleness ... Ahhh! How are you feeling today? I would love to hear back from you! 

Living In the Moment: Heart Day on Saturday ... : I wanted to start this post by "Catching Up" ... Unfortunately, I was unable to post on Valentine's Day - So I am celebrating "Heart Day" t...