Hi all y’all!

Spring is here. And so are two Bohemian Beauties. I didn’t have a reason to paint these women, except that they make me happy.

I like that they are so different. In color. In shape.

I like the subtle embellishment. I put heavy body gel medium in a stencil, took it off carefully, let it dry, touched it with white paint. The sunflower with my favorite spiral in the center reminds me of a carefree spring.

This is where “They didn’t know we were seeds” started.

I ended up painting a deer back in. You can still see the little red bird that I cut out of a Christmas card. Also, part of the fortune. All of the love is still there, it is just buried.

I don’t love words on my painting, but words are what this painting is all about.

I resisted painting grasses and flowers because I think the women are as strong as trees

growing in a cool, quiet, magical forest.

The words are writen in an earthy rainbow. “They tried” is streaked in red, like blood… torture, family…

women.

Ending in light yellow with the word, “seeds”.

In the wise words of mini Mags, “Don’t stop until you are happy with it”.

I am happy with it.

Here, in New Orleans and in our family, we are approaching Easter break.

This holiday is drenched in tradition. The in-laws arrive. We visit cousins and cemeteries.

We boil crawfish and eat snoballs.

If a holiday lasts one or two days elsewhere, in New Orleans it lasts a week or two.

I hope your Spring is everything you want.

Love to you all.

Gator Girl

Hi all y’all!

Mardi Gras has come and gone (sigh). I signed up to dance with the Pussyfooters at the House of Blues for Friday. I feel pretty lucky.

GV_NOLA115_StPatricksDay_WG-1000x500 — xx

Saturday is the St. Patrick’s parade and the St. Joseph’s parade. The parades are very different from each other. The St. Patrick’s parade is in the Irish Channel in the afternoon. Friends who live near the parade route will open their house before and after the parade to offer drinks, snacks, and a bathroom. The floats throw vegetables along with the beads and toys.

The St. Joseph’s parade is in the evening in the French Quarter. My sweet darlin’ is in the Italian American Marching Club. I don’t have a photo to show you, because last time I saw the parade all the Italian men in tuxedos looked the same. I couldn’t find him.

Super Sunday is when the Mardi Gras Indians parade. This is one of those amazing things that is truly New Orleans.

So there you go. A quiet weekend after Mardi Gras.

In my art world… the original Joan of Arc was purchased for the new hospital. I am so excited to have her in a public place.

My friend just bought the original Garden Fairy aka City Park Fairy.

I am thinking that They didn’t know they were seeds is a learning painting. Learning how I feel about writing on the painting. I have liked words occasionally… in script along the side of the image, bananagrams, Pairs in Pears, a little piece of ripped paper with handwriting…

I made two more attempts to like the painting and call it done.

I printed on organza. The words shifted slightly.

I decided that I do like my handwriting, but I didn’t like the square shape. To be continued…

Raffi had an art show at his pre-school. His teacher is fabulous. When he painted part of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, he laid on his back under a table.