The latest vegetable on my counter

I had purchased a beautiful eggplant from the farm a bit of time ago, with every intention of eating it. But as it sat in a basket on my kitchen counter it started to take on a whole new and different personality, and one that I realized I wasn't about to shorten by selfish consumption.

the warm leather brown
 underside...

I moved it to a pottery piece, which I think resembles a tiny boat in this situation, and it seemed to me that this little being was floating peacefully down the slow and windy river of life.

what a hat!

It must be easily near 2 months since I first brought it home and it has since morphed into quite an interesting character. From the shape of it's "hat" to the "underside of it's soul" it's provided unending interest while I'm at the kitchen sink.

Tiny Little Houses.... The Movie!

Here it is! The one and only, uniquely created by Pretty Fluffy Chicken and me. I'm super excited with how our first video together turned out. What do you think?

Building homes for my tiny little houses

Don't you just love it when unexpected combinations occur outside of our control?

Sometimes it can take years before 2 ideas meet.... In this case (a small wooden box for an expired idea that had fallen to the wayside (a while ago) and the need (most recently discovered) for a home for my tiny little houses), it was probably only a bit over a month before these 2 ideas were hitched together.

I played/experimented around and created the perfect recipe for the backdrop for my tiny little houses.

The photograph above shows one of the steps. Encaustic covers the sides and the back of the wooden boxes. The next layer of oil will create the tonality for the atmosphere I'm desiring..... Stay tuned  ;)

Plucked from my garden

I love gourds, completely inspired by their forms. No two are alike and it's sometimes hard to figure out which to buy (or to rule out) for an arrangement.

This year was different as I had a volunteer plant coming from my compost pile.  I don't remember composting this variety last year.... Regardless, I was excited to see what the decision that was made for me had in mind.

I'm quite taken with this color! and am surprised by their solidity (average weight around 1.25 pounds!) - I love how their weight, form, and texture feels in the palm of my hand! At first glance they seem so very similar from one to the next. But their subtle differences nestled together are what make this collection different and interesting.

The development is expanding....

Neighbors?!

I started expanding upon my little houses idea with larger boards. This is one of my latest, in process, a few layers (of wax) in, and yet a few layers to go before its completed.

Prepping for tomorrow's painting day

Ready to go!

I'm looking forward to pursuing the ideas that have been tumbling around in my mind since before our travels. I pulled out the wood cradles this morning, looking and feeling for the 'right' size. The ones shown here are the winners - I figure they can be both horizontal and vertical in nature....

An introduction made....

in un mondo di fiaba 
(in a world of fairytale)

My husband and I were able to spend a day in Genova, Italy this last month. Walking the character-filled streets we came across Il Vicolo Galleria d'Arte. I spotted a piece (Emanuele's Concerto grosso di Bach) through the window and had to go in.

I realize the image to the left is quite small and therefore certainly doesn't give justice to the piece itself, but it was the closest I could find on the web that reminded me of my recent love at first sight.  Created by the late Emanuele Luzzati I was drawn immediately to the colorful and dream-like state of his work. I was also intrigued by the variety of medium the artist used in one piece.

I do think I need to see the short films he has created as well as the children's books he's illustrated. And I can just imagine the costumes and sets he designed! I'm sure his style was through and through.... He would probably be one of those people I would love to have met....