Waiting For Santa and La Befana

As we anticipate the arrival of our favorite seasonal characters, my head is spinning with inspiration...There's Santa of course, and all his variations (my favorite is Ded Moroz, or Grandfather Frost). There's La Befana (more on her in a minute), and of course, there are more-legged characters as well - The selfless cat from The Cat Carol, Charles Dickens' Cricket on the Hearth...and who could forget all those reindeer?

One of the first seasonal offerings this year is a Christmas Mouse, and I thought it would be fun to share a bit of his progress. It begins with a simple pencil sketch on canvas...

Next, colors are blocked in, and a bit of detail added. You'll notice the mouse in the painting is considerably larger than the one in the sketch - an adjustment made during the painting process, to keep the mouse more in proportion to the mouse-hole.

Finally, the finished piece. I had such fun with the tiny details like the stocking and mistletoe hung with pins, and the swiss cheese gift wrap. ;)

I've titled this one "Waiting for Santa", and the little guy will be up for grabs on the PFATT Marketplace, this Saturday morning at 10AM Pacific time (1PM EST).

The next piece on the studio table is another favorite of mine, La Befana, whose image will grace this large wooden plate. Right now, there's just this vibrant background...

The next step will be to hand letter a traditional Italian verse around the outer edge of the piece:

La Befana vien di notte
Con le scarpe tutte rotte
Col vestito alla romana
Viva, Viva La Befana!

The English translation is:

The Befana comes by night
With her shoes all tattered and torn
She comes dressed in the Roman way
Long life to the Befana!

Lettering accomplished (hopefully later today), La Befana will make her appearance.

This one will probably list on Etsy sometime in the next day or two. :)

So many other creatures and characters are whirling around in my brain, wanting desperately to escape to canvas or wood panel, box or bowl. (All I need is another couple of months before Christmas and Yule - is that too much to ask?)...

How about you? Do you have a favorite creature or character this time of year? A favorite childhood story or legend? Please share a comment - I soooo love hearing about how these stories shape our holidays and celebrations!

Looking forward to hearing from you, and in the meantime, I'm off to accomplish a few mundane household chores so I can get to that lettering before noon.

Wishing you all the blessings of the season, and time to enjoy them!

♥ Carolee

New Work and Some Thoughts About the Season

Well, it's that time of year again - just a few weeks left to paint all the Yuletide goodies (OK, SOME of the goodies) I'd hoped for eBay and Etsy sales, several pressing commissions to finish, cookies to bake, halls to deck, presents to make, cards to write, and friends to visit.

Each year I make a vow that things will be different NEXT year; I'll be better organized, won't have to work so much, will get an earlier start, will have more funds...but around comes December, and well, some things never change. ;)

I'm managing to paint a few things in between commissions, and have had great fun returning to my roots - if just for a few weeks - as a dog and cat artist. I sooooo love painting our four legged friends, but I'm also remembering why I moved away from it - the requests for different breeds, different colors, different markings can be overwhelming, and while I MUST, I don't like telling people "no, there just isn't time". If you'd like to take a peek, here's one listed on eBay now, a little French bulldog...

In a beret no less...

(John says he should also be smoking a cigarette, but that's just WRONG, haha!)

I also painted a little La Befana box, but she sold right away. She's very folk-artsy, and a prelude to a "Buon Natale" sign I have in the sketching stage...

I love the concept of a Christmas crone, don't you? If you haven't heard of La Befana, click here - she's truly a fascinating character!

I'm also hoping to complete a small chair in the next week or two, and a large, wooden ornament chest. And more trinket boxes and signs, of course. ;)

On a personal, and more serious note, I'd like to update friends and family on John's situation. It seems the interferon is not bringing about the improvement we'd hoped, and it looks as though (with decent Christmas sales and all the planets in alignment with pet-care) John will be starting radiation treatments in the New Year. Your prayers and positive energy are much appreciated as he faces this challenge, and I thank you in advance. :)

He's had a rough road these past couple of years, but the support we've received has been incredible. And while I may as above, lightheartedly bemoan the craziness of the season, I know for certain it's not about the trappings. It's not about the mall, or how much we spend, or the latest electronic gadget. It's not about family feuds and frustration and short tempers. It's not about tinsel and cookies and stockings.

It's about LOVE.

So hug your significant other, hug your kids, hug your pets, and say a prayer to God or Goddess or the Universe or whatever power or energy you believe is out there, in gratitude for every moment you get to spend with them.

And thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting my work. Despite the ongoing challenges I feel as though I'm truly blessed.

♥ Carolee

"The Best Laid Plans"....

..."Of mice and men, oft go awry"....

I'll begin by showing you this sparkly bunch

Fun, yes? So much fun, I got just a weeeeee bit ahead of myself with the glittery accents, and added the sparkles prior to varnishing - eek! So the eight boxes you see here, along with a larger candle box, will not actually list this evening (as I've been optimistically posting on facebook), but will list tomorrow evening instead, after first having been very carefully varnished. ;)

Am I the only one who tends to jump right to the most FUN part of a project first? Not that it ALL isn't fun, but there's something extra-special-magical about opening a jar of glitter...

Anyway, by tomorrow these little gems will be shiny as well as sparkly, and will list on eBay and Etsy, all available for direct purchase.

I've had so many requests this year for smaller, more affordable items, and I think at $39 to $59 these fit the bill nicely. :)

There's a candle box listing tomorrow too - the second piece this week inspired by the notion of a cat wishing upon a star. This one will feature a white "peace cat" with a snowflake wand, granting the wishes of homeless cats everywhere; love and comfort, kindness and compassion, a place to call home, a warm hearth, and peace on earth, good will to all. I'm including a few scented votives with this one too. No photos yet though, as it's still in progress.

That's about it for now. I'm off to feed some very impatient Aussies (the earlier it goes dark, the earlier they think it's dinner time) and then to scare up some dinner for John and I.

And after that, the varnishing will commence, haha. :)

Oh! Almost forgot - Just for the holidays, I set the music to begin automatically, so if you'd rather not hear it, or are already listening to something else, just scroll down to the purple playlist on the right, where you can stop it. (Or not - they're great tunes!)

Back very soon,
♥ Carolee