A Valentine from me to you (above).

 

Mother Nature's gift to us all (below). 

Found while on a dog walk this past week.

 

 

 

There are few things more beautiful than red rocks in snow. That is one of the reasons we visit the southwest. This winter has been warmer and drier than normal, which—after three record breaking years—is sadly becoming the norm. January days near 70 degrees in the high desert of Arizona are pleasant for people, but the plants and wildlife are suffering.

My desire to see the flutter of big fat wet flakes inspired me to fashion a charm in hopes of inspiring the clouds.  Or, maybe, the round wooden tops on the bottles of Cholula hot sauce we have been consuming at an alarming rate inspired my creation.  It matters not.

Taking the wooden lids from different sized bottles and combining them created the perfect snowman shape.  A little embellishment with paint, glitter and stick arms brought him to life. His hat was fashioned from a discarded sock and embroidered with thread from a travel sewing kit.  The “coal” eyes and “carrot” nose are just tiny rocks found on an afternoon dog walk.  One warm day a snowman arose (from my limited craft supply) where before there was none.  And, he did the trick.  It snowed today.

 

 

A little extra whimsy was needed for my card after a serious year.  My initial idea for the image was a polar bear riding a 1947 Knucklehead.  After I wrote the caption for inside, some friends and a bell--or two--were required.  So often these illustrations take on a life of their own and constantly evolve.  This image would have continued to change if I did not have to meet the Christmas deadline.  More puffins?

 

 My 2020 holiday card comes with wishes for a healthy & happy new year. 

 

 

 

 

This quarantine has provided time to explore those forgotten boxes tucked away under the stairs.   Childhood sampler projects, unfinished knitting, hooks, hoops, and needles of every size, are all reminders of a creative upbringing.  My teachers were my grandmother and aunts. Among the tangle of yarns and accessories I found a box of embroidery thread that was given to me by my grandmother. The old box is riddled with tiny holes and I imagine her using it to hold her threaded needles nearly a century ago.  I was given that thread to decorate teenage jeans and jackets when it was all the rage. My grandmother used it to decorate pillow cases to supplement the family income during the Depression.  I was told the whole family helped including my grandfather who would embroider at night.  When I was handed-down that thread, the world I lived in was one she hardly recognized as her own.

While rummaging a couple of weeks ago I came across a collar crocheted by my grandmother.  It immediately reminded me of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  I fleetingly toyed with the idea of sending it to her, but instead, I kept it as a reminder of the strong women in my family.  I am glad I did.  Suddenly Justice Ginsburg is gone and the world is turning into one I hardly recognize as my own.

 

To paraphrase Oscar Wilde (The Picture of Dorian Gray),

simple pleasures are a refuge from the complex.   

Javelina Valentine by Anne Mitchell

Happy Valentine's Day from the desert.

The desert was spreading the love this week.

Bah humbug.  That has been my feeling about the internet since March.  That was when I discovered my artwork was being used without my permission.  A friend shared a St. Patrick's Day meme she found on Facebook.  To my surprise, the image featured my leprechaun on a motorcycle that longtime blog readers know well.  Someone outside of the US stole my image, added Harley Davidson logos to the bike (trademark infringement), then signed the meme as their creation.  Needless to say, I have been reluctant to share artwork on the internet since.

It is the holiday season, however, and this year marks the twentieth year of my cards.  I am posting my card.  Please respect the copyright laws and request permission from all artists before sharing their artwork on social media.

I hope the love and laughter you experience this week follows you into the new year.  Be kind to one another.

Neighborhood mailbox snowman, a few days old.

It has been a cold January, so how about a heartwarming post.  A recent storm dropped almost a foot of snow here. A neighbor took his snow blower around clearing off the driveways of those who couldn't shovel.  After that same snowfall, down the street someone built a cute snowman around their mailbox.  Granted, he saw cleaner days than the one I chose to take a photo on but he still can't help make you smile.  Routinely, another neighbor drops off magazines and newspaper articles he thinks will be of interest.  A sample of a newly discovered Trader Joe's snack often accompanies it. Needless to say, our neighborhood rocks.

Not every day this month did weather have traffic at a stand still. A friend recently dropped off homemade kombucha and ginger beer.  They were both excellent.  Her empty growlers will be returned containing our hard cider, of course.  Meanwhile, we are still enjoying a case of blueberry lavender jelly canned by a family member.  We are lucky to have several good cooks in our lives. They possess creativity, skill and patience that I do not.

We are often lucky benefactors of others' talents.

As I was putting away holiday decorations in early January, the cards sent by friends, homemade and store bought, still dazzled and reminded me that people took the time to stay in touch.  Sometimes life doesn't go as planned.  Not all efforts are rewarded. When harsh winds blew more than once this dreary month, encouraging words were shared by friends and family.  Maybe the world isn't so cold after all.

Ten year challenge: Someone's Gotcha Day is in January.

2018 holiday card by Anne Mitchell

Holiday card pencil drawing on board

Holiday card detail

This is the nineteenth year of my motorcycle-themed holiday card.  There is magic in the air as rider and passenger travel into the new year.  The bike is based on a 1904 Indian but the rest is pure imagination.  Enjoy the season.   

Homemade cork reindeer

Two more reindeer are needed to get Santa off the ground.

Even the windows in NYC are art.

We no sooner returned from Arizona and we were packing our bags for New York City.  No business involved, this trip was pure pleasure.  There is so much to see in the way of art, architecture and entertainment in the city that never sleeps. Whether it’s classical musicians busking in the subway, street performers in Times Square or Willie Giese waving at you from the NBC studio window, the city pulses with energy and creativity.

Artist Jose de Creeft's bronze Alice, Mad Hatter and White Rabbit

In early November, Central Park still glowed with Autumn color. Mild temperatures most days allowed for walking mile after mile taking in the sights and sounds unique to the city. You can find the past and the future on every corner.  Gleaming skyscrapers mingle with century old Irish pubs.  Art of every description and era is yours to seek out.  The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Guggenheim were a priority for me as I had missed visiting them on previous trips to the city.  There was so much to marvel at, the art museums will get a blog post of their own.

NYC Public Library        Natural History Museum       St. Patrick's Cathedral

Downtown we took the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island tour and visited the 911 Memorial Museum.  Walking from the Battery we saw Krista Visbal's Fearless Girl staring down the Wall Street Charging Bull.  (The statue has since been removed and will be relocated to the Stock Exchange.)  The short walk to the 911 Memorial took us past Trinity Church that hosted George Washington and miraculously survived the September 2001 attack.  The church yard has grave markers dating to the 1600s.  Nearby the twin tower footprint memorial fountains and underground museum are impressive tributes to the more recent fallen.

Trinity Church and historic graveyard         Oculus near September 11 Memorial

Midtown, where we stayed, features Times Square and Rockefeller Center. Both make for great people watching. On the NBC Studio tour we saw the Nightly News, Saturday Night Live and Jimmy Fallon studios.  No photos were allowed.  Tidbit: those seats on the floor in front of the SNL stage are for studio insiders and friends of the host or musical guest.  Public seating in a balcony does not allow access to the stage.  If you get tour tickets on a Friday, you may catch a glimpse of a rehearsal.  While we scored stand-by tickets for the Tonight Show, we did not make the cut.  Securing tickets to any of the numerous television shows that tape in the city is a goal for our next trip.  They are free.  We did catch a Broadway show, but, alas, it was not free.

My husband remembers visiting NYC in his youth during a long garbage strike.  The piles of trash lining the streets towered above his head.  This trip made a better impression.  The city was preparing for the holidays with the Rockefeller tree arriving while we were there. Shop windows sparkled and spirits were high.  Multiple languages were spoken with French prominent on the ferry ride to see the Statue of Liberty, a gift of the their country. New York City is a mix of old and new, a mix of people and experiences.  Everywhere you turn, there is something to do.  We just scratched the surface on this visit and look forward to returning. 

When the Frost is on the Punkin

  

They’s something kindo’ harty-like about the atmusfere

When the heat of summer’s over and the coolin’ fall is here—

Of course we miss the flowers, and the blossums on the trees,

And the mumble of the hummin’-birds and buzzin’ of the bees;

But the air’s so appetizin’; and the landscape through the haze

Of a crisp and sunny morning of the airly autumn days

Is a pictur’ that no painter has the colorin’ to mock—

When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder’s in the shock.

JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY

1849-1916

When I awoke to find our porch pumpkins covered by an early snow recently the phrase "frost on the pumpkin" came to mind.  Where I had heard it was a mystery to me but no more.  The second stanza from James Whitcomb Riley's poem is listed above.  You can find it in its entirety here.

Speaking of pumpkins, we were off to Arizona again for a project that will be revealed next year.  While there, we checked out the Enchanted Pumpkin Garden in Carefree.  The free event runs for approximately two weeks at the end of October and features pumpkin carvings by Ray Villafane and his talented crew.  I highly recommend this event with its extensive displays.  I overheard Ray saying that he carved several of the pumpkins three times due to the effects of the heat.  His website can be seen here.

Ray Villafane at Enchanted Pumpkin Garden 

Black Cloud, Carlos Amorales

Flying in and out of Phoenix gives us the opportunity to visit the wonderful museums the city offers.  The Heard Museum is not to be missed and was enjoyed on a previous trip.  This time we explored the Phoenix Art Museum.  The unique museum welcomes you with Carlos Amorales' Black Cloud.  Entrance walls are covered with 25,000 black paper butterflies and moths.  It is a stunning sight.

Frida Kahlo's painting The Suicide of Dorthy Hale (1939) and You Who Are Getting Obliterated in the Dancing Swarm of Fireflies by Yayoi Kusama were highlights for me.  "Fireflies" is an installation you enter and it will leave you changed upon exit. The Phoenix Art Museum offers something for everyone. It and the Heard Museum are treasures and I encourage you to explore them if you can.

The Suicide of Dorthy Hale, Frida Kahlo 1939

  

You Who Are Getting Obliterated in the Dancing Swarm of Fireflies, Yayoi Kusama

October is just a memory now, but a fun one.  It is Thanksgiving Day and I am thankful for not just good friends and loving family, but safe travels, museums, talented artists, pumpkins, humor, and flight attendants that dress up as witches on a Halloween flight.  Happy Thanksgiving.

And they played "Thriller" as we disembarked.

 

Tonight was the opening reception for the Missouri History Museum Dias de los Muertos Festival.  This Saturday and Sunday, October 27 and 28, you can visit the museum in beautiful Forest Park and participate in the celebration.  Music, food, dancing, altar displays and a procession are just a few of the offerings at the event.

My artwork in museum shop

Art will also be on display including this piece by me.  All month my artwork and others were offered for sale in the museum shop. This weekend they will be on display in the Grand Hall.  The reception this evening was a fun kick-off event for museum members and participating artists.

Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, traditionally takes place from the evening of October 31 through November 2.  The first day honors children who have passed and the second honors adults. It is a time to welcome the departed back by building altars filled with favorite foods and belongings.  It is a lovely tradition celebrating the ones we miss.  I hope you get a chance to visit the museum and this special event.

Festival altar detail

Festival altar detail

 

A box of t-shirts arrives from the printer.

Design detail.

When something new arrives in the house, the dog has to check it out.  Recently it was a large box of newly screen-printed shirts. After several months of work, this motorcycle event t-shirt project is a wrap. The two-color detailed design, front and back, was a fun one to do. 

My original concept had the front graphic larger and centered on the chest.  When pocket tees were requested, the front image had to be shifted and the size reduced.  Sometimes you have to roll with changes. 

Hint: When you are responsible for artwork, pay attention to the proof your printer provides. Even though artwork and instructions were furnished, mistakes showed up on the proof.  I caught them, the printer made their corrections, and the shirts were printed successfully.  Careful proofing is essential prior to any print job. 

Over the years I have created a lot of t-shirt art and a gallery will be added to this blog to share some of these designs.  Many clients request black shirts.  The shirt being sniffed by the quality control inspector in the photo above was mine to keep.  Great care was taken to insure no dog or cat hair hit any of those black tees.  With my fluffy crew, that was a job in itself.   Ride safe.

Printer's comp with corrections marked up.

Sunset in Bar Harbor, Maine

Where did the summer go?  My last post was in June and now we are over half way through August.  I must have been having fun because time flew.
 
This summer has been HOT.  Globally, this is shaping up to be the fourth-hottest year on record. Only the three previous years were hotter. 17 of the 18 warmest years since modern record-keeping began have occurred since 2001. 

Trail marker in Acadia NP

Acadia trail

In an attempt to escape the heat, the Mr. and I headed to Maine but temperatures near 100 followed us.  The Mainers we met said they were not complaining for they had had a particularly cold winter. Hiking in Acadia National Park was still enjoyable, as were the sunsets in Bar Harbor.

The carriage roads, precarious trails and giant granite boulders of Acadia all lend to its step-back-in-time feel. Even in Bar Harbor, walking among the old homes transports you to a bygone era.  Tall masted ships sail around the nearby islands.

Fourth of July, Camden, ME

We celebrated Independence Day with a sail followed by fireworks over the bay in charming seaside Camden.  Driving further south we checked out one of Mr.'s childhood homes in Cape Elizabeth.  Not much had changed, he said, but it was hotter than he remembered.

Continuing down the coast we checked out Portsmouth, NH, Mystic Seaport, CT and Providence, RI.  (All hot, by the way.)  Each gave a us a chance to explore the history of this country from its founding to the Gilded Age. We gained a sweat stain in every state, too.

Historical architecture and art abound on the east coast and we only scratched the surface.  So many times we passed a place worth stopping but there was no time.  Where we did stop, we left much unexplored.  We must and will return, but perhaps, in a different season.

Stay cool.

  

Rosecliff Mansion, Providence, RI

Heart shaped staircase in Rosecliff Mansion