dreamy town

dreamy town
12" x 9" mixed media collage
on solid aspen
copyright 2008 julie king

headed home to dreamy town
my heart and soul are there
it's just a sleepy little burg
with a homey, quiet air

the homes are closely nestled
together on a hill
the people recognize me
it's such a welcome thrill

children's voices call me
aunt julie, play a game
what blessed reassurance
that everything's the same

mom is in the kitchen
and dad is in his chair
my siblings' love surrounds me
oh what a love we share

delicious food and laughter
a trivia game to play
my soul sighs in satisfaction
oh how i want to stay

goodbye my special dreamy town
i'll say a little prayer
that when i next come visit
i'll find my solace there

happy thanksgiving, all!!

sweet addiction

here's my finished piece that i gave a "sneak peek" of back in late october. i'm loving all the textures, patterns and colors! that's it for today folks. short and sweet but still a sweet addiction!!

hopeful beach huts

in a quaint little fishing village
beside the turquoise sea
there's a row of hopeful beach huts
like sirens calling me

they speak of tranquil mornings
of sand and shells and sun
a gentle breeze caresses
as dolphins jump in fun

the message of these cabins
is one of hope and peace
a washing of the senses
a soul's most blessed release

my soul will be awakened

when i venture there
love and joy will surround me
i'll be hopefully aware

this new mixed media collage is titled "hopeful beach huts". it is 36" x 18"on solid aspen. it is a tribute to my time on the florida panhandle.

enjoy your weekend! i'm off to have coffee!

crane in marsh flowers

my latest commission is done on a 12" x 18" piece of solid aspen. the picture doesn't do justice to all the textures and layers of this piece. i used lots of crinkled up tissue paper under the body of the crane and for the reeds at the bottom. plus the acrylic paint flowers are built up in layers as well. it was a fun piece and has gotten rave reviews from my client and all my co-workers.

i'm headed to the kitchen to fix a quick bite of supper so we can watch the election results! i was at the polls at 6:10 this morning and finished at 7:55. can anyone beat my hour and 45 mintes spent at the poll? it was well worth it!!!

sneak peek

just a quick sneak peek at the piece currently on my art table. the sun was casting wonderful shadows on it thru the vertical blinds today. i love this wonderful play of light and shadow.

this is my last blog for a week or so. we're headed out to the florida panhandle for a much-needed vacation. our batteries are low and we need sunshine, long beach walks, shell-collecting, lazy reading and long naps to get restored. i'll be back soon with lots of pictures!!!

fanciful flowers

i really can't believe how much i am enjoying my collage work now that the stress of my job ending has gone away. it feels so rejuvenating and free to just concentrate on being creative without all the political hoopla that engulfed my life the last few months. i titled the above piece "fanciful flowers". it is a combination of watercolors, torn paper, pastel chalks, ink and oil pastels. it looks so beautiful hanging in my art room which is painted a wonderful shade of apple green. i have several ideas for additional collages using this same technique of torn paper over a wash of watercolor. like many of my projects, this one took a completely different direction than my original plan. it just seemed to spread its wings and take on a whole new life of its own. it pretty much ended up much better than i could have imagined which is a good thing!

i was up in the night looking for a job because even though i'm having the time of my life with this art gig i know the realities of the world and that i truly must be employed. how else will i be able to continue my art hobby??? i had wonderful luck and applied to 7 jobs. i have my fingers crossed!

paradise palm

today was my first day of unemployment -- a glorious day!!! i got up at 6 am and spent 3 hours completely reorganizing my art room. it was a total mess and i just couldn't even think about collaging until the chaos was banished. then i spent the rest of the day working on this commission piece i titled "paradise palm". it is an 18" x 26" solid piece of aspen and will hang in the home of a co-worker's friend who lives in bermuda. i wasn't sure if i would like collaging on wood but i totally did. it did not have any give so the paper did not bow or buckle so it was much easier to work with than canvas. please tell me what you think about this collage. i don't feel very objective about this one. probably because i'm tired!!

tomorrow i'm hitting the art room early again so i can get a few more canvasses done before my artist reception on may 11th. i have a few ideas brewing but nothing sketched out yet. since the art room is cleaned up i can veg out and sketch while sipping my coffee. it will be another day of glorious unemployment!!!

pussy willow vase

this is the commission i just completed to coordinate with the "blue flowers serenade" 14 x 14 original mentioned in my blog below. this one is 12" x 24" and hopefully pammie will love it. i was very pleased with the way it turned out. i love the blue and brown combination so much and will be doing some additional pieces in this style soon.

i am enjoying a bit of peace and quiet after having my granddaughter jenna for the weekend. we have so much fun together and she is such a whirlwind of energy. at 3 she is very interested in everything in my art room. her favorite thing is my box of oil pastels. today she discovered my box of pastel chalks which were quite messy but she thought they were grand.

jenna's parents, my son matt, amaris and layla came for lunch which was fun. everyone wanted to play on my new mac, check out all the latest canvasses and put in bids for what art they want me to create for them. it looks like my "unemployment" period will be very busy. and that is exactly how i want it. i sent matt home with my "crane in cattails" canvas as he really wanted it and i did not want to sell it and then have to create a similar one for matt.

only three more days of getting up and going to my current job. big sigh!