Paintings With Soul

"Queen Anne's Lace," 5" x 16", acrylics on a museum quality panel, inspired by a journal page  I did earlier this week. Last November my community lost a young girl to leukemia. "Pay it Forward" cards were created with her name and picture on them, and untold numbers of acts of kindness started in her memory. I wanted to do something extra special. Something that would keep this child's memory alive much longer than buying a cup of coffee or a tank of gas. And today it came to me. A Random Act of Art. A painting created by me, inspired by her, and gifted to a stranger. When designing this piece, I thought of how delicate Queen Anne's lace appears, but how resiliant the plant actually is. It reminded me of a child with a serious illness, vulnerable and yet stronger than we can even imagine. This painting is "hidden" somewhere in my community, along with a Pay it Forward card. My hope is t...

My absolute favorite breakfast - farm fresh basil infused eggs, rosemary hash browns extra crispy, lemon waffles (not pictured, sadly, I hope they won't take it personally) and caramelized bacon - as served up by My Better Half yesterday morning.       I am blessed to have a family that knows how to spoil me.    My Better Half and I don't usually exchange gifts on milestone days - instead, we try to do for each other. On my birthday he let me sleep in guilt free, served up an extraordinary breakfast, had the kids clean house AND do laundry (I'd been slacking on that, so it was no small task), and negotiated a bicker-free zone for one week (I know they say it takes 30 days to establish a new habit, but I'm really pulling for an exception in the next 7!!).   In keeping with the doing for others theme, every year around my birthday, I challenge my collectors and fans to do the same. Help a stranger load groceries into their trunk, l...