Tenderness

A pink china cup full of tenderness...who could ask for anything more ? This romantic little mini series is inspiring all manner of fun things in my studio: Butterflies with wings of dreamy paintings, tea with all manner of creatures. Somehow my little garden will sneak in there with the scent of lemon verbena trailing from my paintbrush. Now painting with wonderful scents would be an over the moon event ! A little vanilla here, a little lavender there and some freshly picked peony on top. A treat for the the eyes and the nose.

Don't ask what has me on this magical mystery tour. I was listening to another artist speak about how women today have a real need for the softness and romanticism we seemed to have lost. The truth for me is that creative women that live in my world haven't lost a thing. We are happily painting winged things and sipping tea while the rest of the world frets and frazzles. That's not saying I don't get frazzled. I do. Oh I do ! But when life gets as frazzling as ever, I know there is a path out. Life was pretty darn frazzled as my father was leaving this dream for another dream far and away, leaving his mortality as he went to spread his wings in another place I can't get to in this form. I painted even more, I sketched and created and sipped as much tea...ok, maybe a little wine, but I kept that precious door to wonder as open as I could. Sometimes I was just glancing through it. Sometimes I walked right in and stayed for dinner...and I finally came home to Grace's teacups full of enchantment. We all need enchantment and we all have it if we just rub our eyes a bit and look around us. A prayer can open that door of gratitude for anyone. Who can be frazzled while they count their blessings. It would be quite a trick.

So a snow queen took up residency on the cover of my newest studio journal. I use it to keep track of my art work, make notes on new techniques and materials so I can go back and remember how the heck I did something. The snow queen was supposed to get closed up in a little mini journal, but queens are infamous for NOT staying where they are supposed to be. I always knew she would have just a few touches of red to light her up and she does shine. I liked her so much I am calling on her sister queens to visit so I can share some of their wonder on my Etsy. Hopefully those fine ladies and the mystical butterflies will debut by the end of the week.

In between all these visits and tender touches, I have been working small wonders in the kitchen, making deviled eggs and roasted tomatoes and a casserole full of eggplant parmesan. All this gardening is making me impatient for summertime veggie treats. I brown the crumb coated eggplant in the oven instead of frying to keep it light and extra yummy. We have some salmon ready for those who need some kind of meat at every meal. The warm evenings have been calling me outdoors in the evenings after dinner. I check my tiny garden, visit the trees and see if they need more pruning ( an recent addiction that scares others who live in the house !!!), then I just sit down with a glass of iced tea and watch the sky turn pink and purple. The air starts to cool and birds stop by for a visit. Last night I watched the moon come up, almost full and blew it a kiss when I finally went in feeling like a kid who had stayed out past her curfew.