Spode Flowers

Happy New Year!  2018 is here, ready or not.  I'm so delighted to be able to share this new year with you.  We have much to praise God about.  He has rescued us from 2017 and taught us many lessons.  Two of my big praises are that there are currently no further signs of cancer for Vern, my precious husband, and that all my children are healthy and happy.

I'm sharing here with you a photo of myself that was taken when I first began marketing my art.  It was taken by a friend of mine specifically for my first website.  This photo is about 16 years old, so, no, I don't look quite the same.  But I am choosing to share it as a reminder to myself of how time flies and how quickly things change.  It also is a reminder of my artistic journey.

Another exciting bit of news to share with you in this new year is that I have finally been given the opportunity to have my art displayed and for sale in a store here in our home town of Fort Bragg.  I would invite you to drop by The Front Porch, a darling boutique run by Laura Augusta.  You can find her on the web and also on Facebook.  The store is located at 700 N Main St, Fort Bragg, CA. 

I've decided to start 2018 out by sharing one of my favorite paintings.  This painting is one that is very near and dear to me.  It really is about home and the joy and happiness that it brings me.  Growing up I always thought that paintings were mainly of landscapes.  It was when my eyes were opened to the possibility of painting the little things that surround me that my joy of art really took off.

So now I'm going to take a few minutes to talk about the little things in this painting that mean so much to me and came together to create this composition.

You will notice that in the painting are Alstroemeria, commonly called the Peruvian Lily.  These exuberant flowers flourish with great abandonment in my garden here in Fort Bragg.  They both delight and exasperate me as a gardener.  They are very sanguine in nature and refuse to be contained or confined to one spot.  At the final measure, though, these sunny gems manage to brighten my life and cheer me on.

Another very precious element in this painting is my collection of Spode dishes.  Many years ago I was reading a Victoria magazine, and that particular edition was all about blue and white Spode.  I thought it would be so fabulous to collect those dishes, but didn't think that joy would come my way.  But life surprised me with a wonderful collection that delights me and reminds me of the little gifts that life has given me that mean so much.

Every day when I take one of these plates down to eat, I'm reminded that life is good, good surprises do come, and to savor not only my food but the simple pleasures, such as eating off your favorite plate.

Each small element in this painting conjures up memories for me.  The lavender is special to me because of how its small, delicate flowers bring visual delight, but also how the scent of these flowers has blessed my home in myriad ways.  The red roses remind me of love and how lucky I have been to experience great quantities of it in our home.  The little yellow candle was homemade by a friend of mine who is dear, and I wanted to honor her by including it in this painting.  The cupboard itself was a gift from my husband, and the memory is fresh and sweet of the day we found it together in a quaint shop in Eureka and how he chose to delight me by its purchase.  There is also a photo frame.  You can't see the photo in this painting, but in my home it includes a photo of my precious family taken at my childhood home by my sister.

As you now know, this painting is precious.  I hope that you have enjoyed sharing in my delight in enhancing your understanding of this photo.  I also hope that this painting will encourage you to look around your home in 2018.  Remind yourself of the little precious things that surround you.  Don't take anything for granted.  We are all just caretakers of our things for a little while.  All we have will sustain us through the moments of our lives and will possibly sustain those who enjoy them after we are gone.

“If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive.”

— Eleonora Duse