Living in Season, but Painting Ahead...

I find there's something very close to sacred when we live "in season", making a mindful effort to remain in sync with Mother Nature, tuning not only our minds, but our bodies to the wheel of the year...

Once upon a time (before the age of the thermostat and the supermarket) our food and our activities reflected the changing seasons. Gardening in the summer, harvesting and preserving in autumn, resting in winter, and planting again in spring.

Summers were spent cooking outdoors, sipping lemonade on the front porch, running through lawn sprinklers, or swimming at the beach, or a nearby lake or creek. Winters were spent sledding, building snowmen, cooking hearty meals, telling stories, reading good books and snuggling in front of the wood stove or fireplace.

I count myself fortunate to live in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where the seasons are still very much a part of the culture, and try very hard to embrace each season for the blessings it has to offer. Today, for instance, will find me roasting batch of butternut squash (for soup later in the week) and planting yet another pot of mums in the front yard....

But it will also find me painting (gasp!) a Christmas piece, along with a couple of autumn commissions. ;)

Since people decorate their homes well before the actual arrival of the holiday or season, it means holiday artists must stay a step ahead. Winter pieces in autumn, spring pieces in winter, and so on. I suppose it would be easy to be thrown off-kilter by this, but I try to see it as a preview - a little inspiration and anticipation of what's to come.

To that end, I've just listed the first holiday box of the year on Etsy - Peppermint Polly, a little angel mouse...

A little early perhaps, but I'm hoping others will be anticipating the season right along with me, and she'll find a good home.

In the meantime, I'm off to work on the last of the Halloween commissions, as I wish you a happy and mindful autumn! May you enjoy all her blessings. :)

♥ Carolee

Winding Down, Anticipation, and the Wheel of the Year

One of the most meaningful things about being a "holiday" artist is the opportunity to focus deeply on each season as it approaches. In creating work for Halloween and Samhain, Christmas and Yule, Easter and Beltane, and so on, a connection is made to the natural cycle of the earth. There's harmony to be found in living and painting for each season, in letting Mother Nature take the lead, and celebrating each festival or holiday as it comes around.

For the last several months, Halloween has been the primary focus, and anticipation has been building. Now that it's almost here (just two weeks!) I'm anticipating a bit of a gear change. The days are already growing shorter, a reminder that soon the harvest season will be over, and winter will be upon us. A few Halloween pieces remain up for grabs as of this writing, and I do hope they find good homes before the season is out. To this end, I've added a little note to the higher priced piece allowing two payments (a little easier to manage in this economy).

The apothecary/spells and potions chest is available on Etsy, and there's also a trio of mending box pinkeeps on the PFATT Marketplace. This is the larger of the three...

Soon Yuletide work will be in full swing (but always with a magical twist). I'm very excited about a new Santa cutout, and am considering combining the best of both seasons by creating a "Harvest Santa". Stay tuned. ;)

Angels have been spinning around in my brain as well, but not the human variety. I'm thinking angel cats, angel mice, angel rabbits, and so on. I do believe our furry friends are angels in disguise, so I suppose it's a natural progression. :)

Commissions are winding down too, as I play catch-up over the next few weeks, and a new project focusing on the wheel of the year will begin in January. VERY excited about this one, and just know it will be a blessing to paint.

How about you? Are you anticipating the change of seasons, or doing anything special to mark the holidays or festivals? I just love hearing about other people's celebrations and observances.

That's about it for today. I have a very full week ahead, with a friend visiting, painting and errands to be done, and a few hospital tests for John (who facebook readers may remember was stuck at a Pittsburgh area hospital for a few days earlier this month).

But I'll be back soon to share the first few pieces of the new season! Until then, I wish you all the blessings of Autumn...

♥ Carolee

"Seasons of the Witch"

As winter takes hold here in the northeast, my thoughts turn as they do every season, to the natural cycle of things; from warm days to hot, from cooler days to cold, from long days to short, so it goes year after year...

And so go our lives. From young to old, from learning to wisdom (hopefully), from birth to death, we're constantly changing, and growing in the process.

Tying these changes together - the earth's cycles and the cycle of our lives - is the inspiration behind this latest piece. I've called it "Seasons for the Witch" because it depicts the four seasons we experience each year along with the triple goddess archetype of Maiden, Mother and Crone (preceded here by Child for the purpose of tying the paintings together - call it artistic licence, hehe).

Like the seasons, the piece turns, allowing any and all sides to be displayed easily depending on the time of year or just personal preference. There are more photos on the eBay auction if you'd like to take a peek. I'll be adding "buy it now" options on the next few listings so as to give the opportunity for immediate shipping, and arrival before Christmas and Yule.

In other news, it's busier than Santa's workshop around here, but in a good way; lots of fun new pieces (a tea chest is up next!) and lots of carols and cookie baking and present making. This is the third year in a row we've committed to a hand made Christmas, and while it's a lot of work, it's also a lot of fun, and makes the day truly special.

Speaking of which, I have some knitting to do. Pockets, to be precise. But before I go, I'll leave you with a photo of my 2009 yarn share from Juniper Moon Farm, which arrived a few days ago. I ordered it dyed in this yummy mustard color, and I'm thinking I'll knit up a shawl or wrap, or possibly a hat and scarf - something to be worn against my black cape....

Gorgeous,yes?

So I'm off to knit, but I'll be back very soon with photos of a wicked cool tea chest. In the meantime, have a happy and creative week!

♥ 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