Long Overdue Thanks!!!! ♥♥♥

As I have mentioned of late, I am behind on everything and keeping up with things that should have been posted on my blog is at the top of the list. I am pretty sure I am three weeks behind.....at least.
So let me begin with this utterly amazing, meticulously detailed work of art I received from Ces.
When she read about how happy I was with a single acorn, she took it upon herself to do THIS! Nine exquisite acorns, each labeled on the back with the Latin Quercus name, done in amazing detail on lovely cream paper and signed, matted and ready to frame.
If you have enjoyed seeing her acorns on her blog, as she draws and posts them, then you cannot imagine having nine in front of you in real life. (that you now own!)
I have drawn for years, yet I still look at these and there is something completely magical in the style, the inkwork, the finished product. I want to stare and study and muse and just LOOK. And the other thing that is something I cannot absorb---how quickly she creates these.
We all often wonder, are we artists? What does the word mean? Do you have to make money from art to be *an artist*?
Let me say this; there are many people making money from art-like work that are far from being artists. They fake it well, but cower in the presence of real talent. Perhaps it is salesmanship that gets them by--I don't know.
And then there are people who are true artists and struggle with the idea or do not think they are. Because they do not show? Are not represented by a gallery? Or an agent?
Those things mean nothing. Art is what is in you, the raw talent that you draw out and put to paper, canvas, fiber or photo. Art is your soul, your vision, your very essence of being.
Ces........you are an artist. End of story.
And thank you from the bottom of my nutty little heart for this amazing piece that now allows me to keep my single nut in my studio, and THIS goes into the gallery hall.
I have the best of both worlds!
Truly.....I do!

Pax....

300th Post, A Most Lovely Award, Welcomes....Oh Yes, and a Blog Give-Away!!!

A few days off from the blog and what happens? Wonderful things! First, a most heartfelt thank you to Ces for the above honor. Please click the image and go read the post behind the creation of the award. It is a marvelous history of how this came about and needs to be read and savoured. To say I was speechless and stunned is mild. I had even debated, before receiving this, about not posting yet because I felt at 300 posts, you should have something of importance to say. And I was not feeling particularly important word-wise, or even remotely intelligent. I wanted something really soulfully good for my readers.

Maybe I have done a bit of that already.......I hope so.

I truly DO.

Another delightful duty on the blog is when I welcome another follower here, and a hearty WELCOME goes out to Sophia, who has joined our little band of mirthful mixed media miscreants! (just kidding...we encompass a LOT of different types besides mixed media and miscreants; even normal people are most welcome here! LOL!!!) Join in when you feel like it......

And now to what I hope will make me worthy of the above award. I had debated doing a give-away of a piece of art, wanted to do it before Halloween, which I knew wasn't going to happen and then it struck me...why not share some of the items I make art from, and see what happens? Why not put together a mixed media goodie box and let another artist do their thing, or share the contents with one of their friends, or just have fun pilfering the contents?

I believe artists have a responsibility to pass things to other artists; knowledge, joy, support, advice, information, love, care, and in this staggeringly tight economy, if you can do it....supplies. Now, when I buy things, I....ummmmmm....usually get a little TOO MUCH. So sharing eases my wallet's guilt pangs and makes my soul a bit lighter knowing that ALL ARTISTS are like little kids when it comes to supplies......it's Christmas morning and we're ripping into the packages at warp speed!

Therefore, I present to you:

"El Milagro's Milagro-Box-Mixed-Media-Supply-Give-Away!!!"

I know....it's a long title, so you can whack it down to fit your side bar. There are papers and fancy napkins and paint and oddities; canvas and pearls, bottle caps, things that may not be in the photo too, because I want to have a good, healthy box to ship! Oh yes, if you look close, there are 5 real milagros! (that's like parting with blood for me......)
So here's the rules to play:

1. Leave a comment and it's one entry. Same goes if you are on Facebook and don't blog, but see this. Leave a comment there, I'll count you in.
2. If you leave a comment and then have a link and pic on your blog, that's two entries.
3. If you leave a comment, link and pic on your blog, and become a new follower, THREE chances to win this.
4. The winner will be chosen by my fancy schmancy Random Number Generator (thank you Random.org!) so it is all legit.

Naturally, I won't be replying to the entry comments as I normally do others......I will be keeping count on everything fair and square, and I may be off blog as far as new posts for a bit to get some work caught up. I've not abandoned nor forgotten y'all! And I will try and visit your blogs to leave comments..... ;-)
I want everyone to have fun, and I especially want to make sure the contents go to an artist who works with mixed media, or to someone who might know another artist who would like to try it but just can't come up with all the supplies from the staggering lists of things we use.
We've all been there; one item shy for a project, and an artist friend comes by and says, oh, use some of mine. Encourage people to enter!
So please my dear blog sisters and brothers, let's get this give away info around and find the box a good home, and let the creativity begin!!!
I will draw the winning number on November 1st, All Saints Day.....because I have had the privilege of meeting so many good people in this blogosphere we call home.
Until we chat here again, which no doubt won't be long.....I bid you, most humbly.....

Pax.

Artistic Vision: What You See and What You Walk By

I have to dedicate this post to Ces, who has a wonderful blog "Ces and Her Dishes" but it should be Ces and her amazing talent at rendering trees!

I have walked by this tree trunk so many times it is embarrassing. It is on the roadside where I used to take walks daily before the *hip-adventure*. I knew there was a dead tree there. Walked by, glanced at it....nothing more. Kept walking. Too busy looking for who knows what, or worse yet, looking at nothing. Or trying to keep from getting run over......

The other evening when I was out shooting pics, it was the first time I actually SAW the trunk. And when I did, it certainly was a V-8 moment as I mentally smacked myself, saying how could you miss this??? It is sculpture, pure and simple. I clicked off several shots, some I liked better than others but these were the winning two.

Both photos should enlarge; it is worth the time to do it just to see everything that is going on with the state of decay of the wood, the weathering, the lichen growing......textures and lines, light and shadow....all sorts of exciting things an artist should not miss!

What is wrong with me? (rhetorical question...no answer necessary)

The only thing I can think of in my own miserable defense is this:

Normally I would walk in the mornings, with the sun coming bright from behind the tree.

I was late the other evening getting out, so the setting sun was full on the cracked and creviced trunk, and maybe that was what made these eyes open.

There is always room for an artist to reassess how they see things; what catches their eye, why, how we process the information. Making yourself look in locales that you are accustomed to what is there is a fun exercise. I had a ball!

I highly recommend it, no matter what medium you work in or where you live. There is more to be seen than what we see.

For other amazing trees, you need to check out Ces's blog and see what she paints and also an amazing exposed root structure of a nutmeg tree that I hope is in her sidebar still. (maybe not...)

Okay, go open your eyes and find something wonderful!!!

Pax.