"Playing Through The Veil"

Legend (or modern invention) has it that there exists an obscure musical genre known as "funerary violin", active in Europe in the 19th century, and eventually extinguished by the Church.

Funerary violinists would compose haunting music, and play not only at the burial, but would remain at the deceased's gravesite through the night, playing their souls into the afterlife...

Legend or not (you can read more about it here), I found the concept so beautiful, and so compelling, it had to become art. And what better day than October 31st - when the veil between worlds is thinnest - to complete such a piece? ;)

The etching shown above - this month's EHAG Emporium offering - is a scratchboard; a black, inked board, etched with literally tens of thousands of lines. Some artists use a pin or etching tool - I prefer the finer line of an exacto blade.

The piece measures 5" x 7", and is priced at $125, with shipping in the U.S. included. It is unframed, but would look amazing "floating" on a white ground, with a gothic, black frame. UPDATE ~ SOLD ~

Thanks for taking a peek, and please email me at carolee@kingofmice.com with questions or to purchase. ♥

Wicked Jack and a Treasure Hunt!

I've been busier than busy this week, and it's likely to continue, but today I'm allowing myself a little reprieve to go treasure hunting for a secret project! I'm a woman on a mission, searching for paper and canvas, buttons and bows, ribons and lace, vintage hardware, and all things sparkly....Wishing very much some of my artistic sisters were close enough to join me, but I'm afraid this is going to be a solo mission. ;)

Don't you just LOVE days like this? Where the whole purpose is just discovery and ArT!?

Too fun. And Lancaster County is just the place to do it...Sooooooooooo many artsy-crafty stores and architectural salvage places. Maybe I'll bring my camera so I can share later?

Oh! And while we're on the subject of sharing, here's a peek at the current eBay listing...

Not much else new around here, except of course I'm painting like MAD for the upcoming Ghoultide Gathering! My talented woodworker just dropped off a large order last week, so look for a couple of real showstoppers on eBay too, including a very large Halloween checkers game table (check out the banner above - such a cool piece!) of course, this one will be painted differently, so stay tuned.....

Right now I'm off to grab a few CDs for the car (most of the stuff in there is John's at the moment, which means noisy electric stuff, hehe)....Anyway, I just picked up the new Jason Mraz with one of the many birthday gift cards and am LOVING it, so if you're in Lancaster County and see a black Beetle loaded with treasures and emanating happy music, that'll be me. :)

OK, off I go....Have a happy and *cReATivE* Thursday, all!!

♥ Carolee

"Living Seasonally"

The first time I heard the term was when we joined a local CSA farm many years ago.

The concept of appreciating each season for what it is, living in that moment, enjoying each season's bounty and being in tune with the planet's natural cycles is certainly not new. It's the way we were meant to live. Or should be.

But in this age of easy accessibility - where we can enjoy tropical fruit in the dead of winter, and arctic, air conditioned temperatures in the midst of summer - it's pretty easy to lose touch with the seasons. And probably moreso for those of us whose work always seems to be a season ahead; spring and summer are spent thinking about autumn, autumn is spent thinking about winter, and so on.

So yeah....where the work is concerned, I'm immersed in Halloween and will soon start thinking about Christmas. But where life if concerned, I'm trying to keep it all about summer now....

Harvesting lavender from the front walkway and hanging it to dry...


Cooking with fresh basil from the herb garden...


Sitting outside at night enjoying the pond's waterfall and frog songs....


Then there are summer concerts! I just love listening to great music under the stars (looking forward to Susan Werner and Richard Shindell on the 26th)...

And while we're on the topic of music, it too changes with the seasons. I know I'm seriously dating myself with some of the selections, but if look to the right and scroll down a bit, you'll find a playlist with some favorite summer tunes. ;)

The upcoming fourth of July weekend will be spent painting, of course, but I hope to take a break for a cookout at some point. To be honest, I'm not big on the flagwaving thing (nothing against it, and am probably prouder than I've been in a long while, but just tend to think more globally), and have come to dislike fireworks for the way they strike terror in the fur-kids...but I'm ALWAYS up for a summer gathering with friends. :)

Summer is also the season of productivity, of taking advantage of longer days and more natural light, which means painting, painting and more painting! This is the latest work in progress - a wooden ornament chest for storing Halloween treasures.

I'll post photos when it's finished.

In the meantime, I wish you all the blessings of summer, and a happy, safe and *CreAtIvE* holiday weekend!

♥ Carolee

The Painting Soundtrack

As a young art student, I remember teachers who insisted that music was a distraction, that it interrupted the creative flow. Others felt it was OK - a personal choice, although few allowed it in the classroom, because tastes and preferences vary; what one of us finds inspiring, another may find disturbing.

For me, music and painting are deeply entwined. There are days I spend more time choosing CDs or uploading a playlist than I do choosing a palette for a new piece, and often the music will lead me in a completely new direction...

The playlist here on the blog (scroll down on the right) is pretty typcial of what I like to listen to, although the CD player is often loaded with entirely Celtic music, or strictly classical, and on rare occasions rock. Never rap, never metal, and never country.

Commission work is different, because the direction of the piece is already established - so I'm not as careful with the music selection and tend to listen to whatever I'm in the mood for.

With two commissions in progress, this is one of those days, and the music doesn't get any better than this: an NPR broadcast of the brilliant Leonard Cohen, live at the Beacon Theater in New York, recorded just 8 days ago. A dear friend sent me the link yesterday knowing how much I'd enjoy it, and just I have to pass it on. Seriously, give this a listen, it's incredible! (I would sooooooooooo love to see his upcoming Philadelphia concert, but with funds limited and tickets going on sale Monday, it's doubtful.)

So how about you? Is music important to your creative process? What inspires you? Do you like silence....something mystical...or maybe something high energy? Inquiring minds want to know....

(And do you think I should paint myself a CD cabinet one of these days, hehe?)

~ Carolee

Just a Glimpse.....

"Herbes et Potions"; a beautiful chest, hand made here in rural Pennsylvania in the tradition of old salt boxes.....

A good basecoating of paint applied, some beautiful paper antiqued with sepia ink and decoupaged on the drawers and interior, it's now ready for detail. No plans yet - this is one of those pieces which will lead me in it's own direction once I begin....

Although I can already tell I'll be tempted to keep it here, mounted on the brick hearth beside the woodstove, hehe.... Tempted, but not likely, so look for the listing on eBay tonight or tomorrow. :)

In the meantime, I'm off to brew up a pot of tea and select some CDs...Tea, music and art - the perfect way to spend Super Bowl Sunday, don't you think?

At the risk of being run out of the state on a rail, I have to admit we are NOT football people. I'd rather have root canal than sit through a game, and John would just as soon read a good book or play his guitar. Growing up in England, it just wasn't a thing. In fact, I have an amusing story to share about this....

After moving east from California some 15 years ago, my husband's first day at the new job was near the beginning of football season. So his co-workers were anxious to see what the new guy's thoughts were on the subject of Pennsylvania teams...

"So, what do you think of the Eagles?" one of them asked.

"I like them a lot. I was really bummed when they broke up" answered my husband.

Which pretty much sums up what we know about football, teehee....

Okay, off I go....Wishing everyone an enjoyable day however you're spending it!

~ Carolee