Cat Sanctuary

Just had to share this detail, from a new piece, listed last night on eBay; "The Salem Sanctuary for Wayward Cats; Ferals and Familiars Welcome". I had so much fun painting these eyes - a luminous cross between green and gold. :)

I know I'm not the only one who can relate to the concept of their home as a cat sanctuary, hehe....In fact, if John were not the voice of reason, I just know I'd turn into the neighborhood Cat Lady, lol....But since he IS the voice of reason, I'll content myself with our three, and the colony of several ferals our next door neighbor cares for. An older gentleman, and amazing gardener, he's given his garage over as shelter and his beautiful garden as playground to a number of strays. And although he takes them in for neutering and spaying as he can, more seem to arrive every spring - usually drop offs. Word gets out FAST when you feed strays, but I'm grateful someone is doing it. For the most part they avoid our yard, as the Aussies are a little intimidating. But I do love to see them in the garden next door, and occasionally sunning themselves by our koi pond.

I'm beginning another cat piece this week, inspired in part by our neighbor's efforts - a painting of St Gertrude of Nivelles, patron saint of cats and gardeners. I learned of her quite by accident, and knew immediately I had to paint her. She'll be the first canvas in quite a while, and I'm picturing her done in a whimsical, folk art style....

Cat lovers and gardeners stay tuned. :)

~ Carolee

Color

I just can't get enough of it - the brighter and more vibrant the better. (In fact, left to my own devices, it wouldn't take long before I turned our home into something resembling a gypsy caravan, hehe)....

Bright oranges, blues, purples.....It's probably why I love painting Halloween so much (that, and black cats and witches). Here's the latest eBay offering, in shades of brightest yellow to deepest tangerine. Painting it turned an otherwise dreary and rainy day something bright and magical. Oh - and check out the candy corn on the legs - lots of fun to paint!

Soooooooo many ideas spinning around my head this week, I hardly know where to begin; a sign or two, some canisters, a sewing box, a purse.....No idea what will be next, but I do know it will be BRIGHT, so stay tuned. :)

~ Carolee

New Work

Just have to share what I've been up to all week.....

The first piece is a large Halloween sconce, listed now on eBay. This one was soooooo much fun, and as you can see I got a bit carried away with detail, hehe:



The second piece is a tea tray (also listed now) painted with a Tuxedo Fairy Cat Mother bestowing blessings on all her feline friends below, including the two on the right, inspired by my own Merlin and Arthur:



Next up - another child's chair...Stay tuned....

~ Carolee

Believe

Sometimes inspiration comes from the strangest places.....

Take last week, for example. Dave, the guy who cleans our backyard pond (shown here) and his assistant Carlos, were commenting last week that our frog was just about the biggest they'd ever seen.

"Really?" I said.

"Let me show you!" said Dave, whereupon I took two steps back (brave Halloween artist that I am) as he reached into a large bucket (the frog's temporary home while the pond was being powerwashed) and pulled out the biggest amphibian I've ever seen up close and personal. He was HUGE. He was spotted. And he was well over a foot long.

"Want to kiss him?" asked Dave.

"No, but thanks for asking", I replied.

"Are you SURE?" inquired Carlos. "He may turn into a handsome prince".....

At which point John emerged from the house to check out the frog - perfect timing to explain that I'd already found my handsome prince. :)

Fast forward to a couple of days later when I awakened at 4AM, from a dream I was sculpting a Frog Prince. And the only thing to do when that happens is to get up and start sculpting.

Which is what I did, and here's the result - sitting atop a treasure box depicting scenes from the fairy tale "The Frog Prince" (the modern version where the princess kisses him, not the Grimms where she throws him against a wall). I think mine is cuter than the big guy in the pond. :)



TONS of fun, lots of crystals and sparkly "Neptune" colored glitter.

I love this job. :)

Gathering Basket

Just had to share this one....

If ever there were a piece I was tempted to keep (and there have been several, hehe) this one just may be at the top of the list....

The basket itself - made by hand here in Pennsylvania - is just perfect for gathering summer herbs and flowers, or as a decorative accent almost anywhere in the home. I was picturing it giving a springtime touch to the old woodstove in my dining room, but I need to get over that, because it's listing tonight on eBay.

One of these days I really WILL keep one of my pieces - or at the very least get around to painting our dining room table all bright and funky....but in the meantime I get to send my work all over the world, and it doesn't get much better than that. :)

A Little Break :)

Between eBay offerings, commissions and preparing for a show, I've been working 7 days most weeks, but this afternoon decided to treat myself to a little mini-break. So after a quick visit to the post office, John and I headed to the nearby town of Lititz, PA for a stroll around town, some window shopping and a latte. It was SUCH a gorgeous day, and did me a world of good to be out there IN IT.



The only drag is that my favorite shop EVER, The Herb Shop, has closed it's doors after twenty some years. But a few new shops have opened, including one called the Cafe Chocolate (does it get much better than THAT?!) With entrees like Mulligatawny Soup and Chili con Chocolate, I'm just as determined to try it as John is to avoid it (he's more your basic meat and potatoes kinda guy, what can I say?) So I may have to grab a girlfriend and take another afternoon off. :)

In the meantime, it's back to work. Look for the first Halloween sign of 2008 to list tonight on eBay, with new pieces to follow SOON!

Until next time.....

~ Carolee

Garden Spells

It's that time of year....

Robins and sparrows are out in full force, daffodils are up, the lilac bushes, wild rose and flowering crabapple tree are covered in buds, and clematis is beginning to climb the trellis on the backyard fence. The pond maintenance people will work their magic sometime next week, which I'm sure the resident goldfish and frog will appreciate. Once that's accomplished, and the last frost day has passed, the clearing and planting will begin!

Appropriately, I've been reading a book called "Garden Spells" the last couple of days, and in addition to reinforcing my notion of the garden as a magical place, it's really putting me in the mood to add some edible flowers to the herb garden this year...nasturtuim and pansies for salads, lavender for cookies and cakes, and of course chamomile for tea. The herbs themselves will be purchased at the annual Landis Valley Museum's Herb and Garden Faire - a local event held each year the two days prior to Mother's Day, and the last frost date for this area. They also have wonderful selection of heirloom tomato plants, which I just can't resist.

I suppose it's no wonder all this spring fever is making it's way into my work this week....The piece shown above, titled "Bless This Garden" just listed this evening on eBay. I so like the idea of a fairy garden, and just may plant one myself this year...All I need to do is figure out a way to squeeze just a couple more days into each week, or at the very least a few more hours into each day, hehe. :)

The coming week will be spent on eBay offerings, a piece for October's Ghoultide Gathering, and some commission work. But tomorrow I'm taking the day OFF for the first time in recent memory. We have some friends coming over for dinner, so I'll be spending most of the day in the kitchen, preparing an Italian meal (with Bacardi rum cake for dessert - yum!)

Back again in a few days...In the meantime, I hope everyone has a happy and restful weekend!

~ Carolee

Tarot Dreams

Occasionally, inspiration comes as I sleep - one of the reasons I keep a notebook handy in almost every room of the house, hehe....

This piece was total gift, a dream I awakened from several days ago; not of floating around this cosmic scene, but of actually painting it. The last time that happened was a couple of years ago when I dreamed I was painting a purse with a portrait of Edgar Allen Poe. So paint it I did. :) I have absolutely no idea what it means, but when that kind of direction comes, there's not much to do but accept it and paint.

That said, this one is kind of similar to a black cat tarot table I completed recently (sold), and there's been some interest expressed in my illustrating a deck of cards, so I have had tarot on the brain lately. I don't want to get carried away and read too much into all this, lol...

At any rate, unless it sells first (feel free to email), it will list on eBay tomorrow evening. It's a pretty cool little table, handmade here in Pennsylvania, and the drawer is just the perfect size for holding a deck of tarot cards.

Next up: A parade of trick or treaters on a long child's bench, and a magickal garden painting.....

In the meantime, I'm taking a little break for the rest of the night......pouring a glass of red wine, getting out the knitting, maybe doing a little reading....Another wild evening. ;)

~ Carolee

Wicked Jack

Witches dancing around a cauldron, black cats prowling a cemetery, a full moon, a flurry of bats, and Wicked Jack presiding over the entire scene - it doesn't get more Halloween than this, hehe!

I had a lot of fun painting this treat box, listed now on eBay, and hope it brings a smile. :)

Back again in a day or two with more Halloween goodies!

~ Carolee

Magickal Midnight Tea

Just had to share this child's chair, listing tonight on eBay at 9PM Eastern (6PM Pacific)....I really had a lot of fun with this one, and as you can see, got a bit carried away with detail, hehe! It's listing with a "buy it now" option, so if anyone falls in love with it, they can snap it up. Otherwise the auction will end Monday night. :)

Lots of other work is in progress, to be listed soon; a treat box, a new sign, and that table I've been promising for ages! (Can we say organizationally impaired?) Truly, I'm painting every minute I can....So stay tuned. :)

~ Carolee

Tee hee hee hee heeeeeee!!

(She says in her best cackle!)....Just six months to go!!

Work has begun in earnest for this year's Ghoultide Gathering, out in Northville Michigan on Saturday, October 4th, and I couldn't possibly be more excited.....

Click here for details about the show, or visit the blog to see photos from last year. It was truly overwhelming to see so much fabulous Halloween art all in one room, and meet so many other artists (as I said last year, I felt like the cool kids were letting me sit at their table, hehe!) And it was so special to meet both EHAG friends and collectors in person, some of whom had driven quite a distance to see the show. The only regret I had was being unable to spend more time chatting with everyone, because we were so crazy BUSY all day ("a good thing" as Martha would say, though)...So this year I'm trying to organize an informal gathering of sorts at a local restaurant after the show for anyone who's interested....Details as the time gets closer :)

In the meantime, I'm painting non stop...for the show, for commissions and for eBay. No rest for the wicked, eh?

I had hoped to list a new piece on eBay this evening - a child's chair - but got so caught up in adding more and more detail, I'm afraid I lost the daylight before I could shoot the photos. So look for the listing to begin tomorrow night (Friday), possibly with a "buy it now" option.

And again, DO check out the Ghoultide Gathering site - if you love Halloween, this is one show not to be missed!

Until next time.....

~ Carolee