Deer Women and Pink Tornados! Annual Member show at SVAC - Shenandoah Valley Arts Center

I didn't create these two pieces for the Annual SVAC show, but I will most happily submitting them. I especially like that they show two aspects, the moody Deer Woman and the mysterious tornado woman with flowers.

I found an intriguing mystery novel at the library, Mask of the Deer Woman, and through that book, met the Deer Woman mythos. One of her guises is as a protector of women.  I set my version in what I call an 'urban' background. She stands tall for you.

Urban Deer Woman Guardian collage

Not created as a 'companion' piece, although it became that, is Pink Tornado. I came across the idea of pink clouds somewhere, somewhen, and rediscovered it in my files.  In my mind the clouds morphed into a tornado, which adds a different energy than clouds.  Another large ball has found it's way into a piece, along with oversized flowers.

Pink Tornado collage

For the upcoming gallery show, I created embellished mats. I always enjoy adding a bit of assemblage to my images.

Urban Deer Woman Guardian
framed with embellished mat

Pink Tornado collage
framed with embellished mat

If you happen to be near Charlottesville, Virginia or the Blue Ridge Parkway, join us at the Shenandoah Valley Arts Center in Waynesboro, for the annual show.  It runs through June and July.

Till another time!

Anonymous Content to Current Events

When things are going on in the inner and the outer, once again, single images reach out and the 'anonymous content' collages begin to take form.  It's nice that art always finds a way to issue an invitation.

The Twin retro lovelies came across my eye.  They had a haunted quality to me, thus their twinness became a darker mood of entwined.

Anonymous Content - Entwined

Here the key image was a photograph of Tony Bennett; master musician and artist. Playing around with amplification and saturation, the photo became a mood piece and the other elements entered the space. Who is our mysterious guest at the table?

Anonymous Content with Tony Bennet

The work I typically post is not 'topical', per se.  Right now, I work hard to keep my equilibrium with today's current events, which I find deeply concerning and unbalancing.  I make a kind of peace in that I am willing to take any direct action I actually can, while coping with how much is simply not given to me to have any impact on. 

While looking through images for a different project, I found a face that mirrored my own feelings of concern; and then another and still another. From those mirroring faces, this collage emerged.  Paradoxically, in creating the caged figure, it began to change. She is emerging and her branches are reaching upward, but I didn't recognize her as a somewhat hopeful figure until the collage was completed. Our own art reveals and surprises us.

Current Events 2025

Till another time.

Spring! Anonymous Content! Birthday!

I'm happy to celebrate Spring with Nix - my Crow-Hare fairy.  You may have seen her before or in one of her other seasonal themes. In any event, the Equinox has been welcomed and we're entering the Next.

Spring

Nix Crow-Hare Fairy

After the travel collages, it took a bit to do all the 'at home' things waiting for  you when you've been away.  Eventually, an image caught my eye 'just because' and this collage emerged from it. This is the first collage since I've been home.  I call these my 'anonymous content' collages, as I am not carrying a theme forward, instead letting the images 'find' their congruency together. 

The anchor image is the trio of retro-looking people, in the sepia tone, which I embraced.  I found it without any context except Kitty, Daisy & Lewis in the image name, who I discovered is a band. You can check them out here.  

Anonymous Content 9 

It's my birthday month, so naturally an 'annual' collage is in my plan. Totems abound - crow, octopi & such and this year, the trees of Forsyth Park in Savanah were still much with me and provided the background.

e @ birthday

Being away is nice. Being home just nice. Fortunate me. ꩜

Till next time.

 

Rabbits and Cargo Ships!

I didn't expect to see rabbits at the beach, but we see them every day. They have grass and scrub and apparently, it's a great environment for them.

And they are this inspiration for this 'beach bunnies' collage.  Our apropos retro beach gals are from a menu at a local restaurant.

Beach Bunnies

Hilton Head Island 

Savannah is the third largest cargo ship port in the country.  It's a regular event while on the Savannah River Walk to see ships as they head toward the port. Here on  Hilton Head Island, we were surprised to discover that right out our window, we can see ships off-shore awaiting port entrance. At night, we see the lights of multiple ships, making a line across the horizon. The background here was created from a photo of the Savannah port. The cargo ships fascinate my husband, Dennis and this collage is for him.

Cargo Ships Ahoy

Hilton Head Island

We're headed home soon and this is my last travel post for now.

Thanks for coming along for the ride.

Till another time.

Island days. Cloudy. Cooler. Now Sunny!

The blog title says it. We've had varied weather. But the special part of our stay continues to be the large window and ocean view. So 'inside days' are cozy, but the sea is still with us.

Apropos of cloudy, cooler weather, along with collage, a lot of reading has occurred. But unlike our oceanside woman here, primarily through a Kindle app, which will never be as vibrant to look at as a stack of books! 

She has been reading The Sea Priestess by Dion Fortune; a mystical novel published in 1938.  Over the years, I have re-read that book many times when I spend time at the ocean.  The Hawk guardian is a Coopers Hawk, like the one who perches on trees right outside, but so far, not upon any books. There are indeed alligators on the island, but unlike our Reader's companion, they typically wouldn't be on the beach.

Cloudy Days At the Sea Collage

Hilton Head Island

At first I was reluctant to go to the Nakama Sushi Bar because the outside menu board said cheeseburgers and milkshakes were available. Did not compute! But as it was nearby, I decided to check it out on the Web and discovered that so many people were happy to have a sushi place they could take their kids to, hence, cheeseburgers and milkshakes!  We thoroughly enjoyed our tempura, dumplings and soup. As you can see, I loved the eclectic ambiance.

Nakama Sushi Bar

Hilton Head Island

Our time here is growing short. Till next time.

By the Sea!

We are having lazy days here in Hilton Head and our lovely ocean view from our rental enhances every moment.

You never know what you'll see out that glorious window.

Ocean Palms by Dior collage

Hilton Head Island, SC

Seawoman collage

Hilton Head Island, SC

Till another time!

      

At the beach!

We're spending some time at the beach on Hilton Head Island, SC; just a short travel from Savannah.  We did not go to our little town of Cedar Key, Florida, which is still recovering from hurricane damage.

HHI is a very different experience for us; accustomed to just parking the car and walking everywhere. I chose our rental because of the view and because  it was in walking distance to Coligny Square, a hub of restaurants and shops and the first such place built on the island.  Very fortunate choice, because most everything else requires a travel by car.  We ventured out a bit, but are mostly happy here in our little 'neighborhood'.

HHI is really only 54 years old and  planned with an idea of keeping the natural look, so architecture here is 'of a piece' in many ways. There are many parks and old wooded areas and of course the ocean and inlets, so nature is catching my eye instead of old Victorian homes.

The background here is the view from the window in our rental; amplified and altered, of course. It is a joy to see it all the time and we have a deck as well to be outside and hear the ocean as well as see it.  Windows evoke a bit of mystery to me and our enigmatic twins anchor that energy. Do they even notice our Octo Maiden? Perhaps not.

Sea Window collage

Hilton Head Island, SC

I came across this whimsical sculpture in a nearby park. Sandy Roads, by Mark Larkin. Our gentleman ponders it as I did.  There is a lot of public art here. I'm on the look-out!

Art In The Park Collage

Hilton Head Island, SC

Till next time!

 

Adieux Savannah 2025

Soon we'll be traveling on to some time at the beach.  I always experience Savanah as a 'heart home' and it never feels too long to 'live' here in our Winter travel. The familiar always reveals a touch of the new, another facet discovered. And there is always something fresh to find as well.  This year some favorite restaurants were gone; a art gallery we always enjoyed is now an event space and the shows at the major museums were in transition, so we saw less, but at least without an admission cost. And then there was snow!! A unique visit in many ways.  I hope you've enjoyed these 'postcards' from Savannah.

Frieze is a favorite shop of ours and as it says, it always has some treasures to look at in it's gallery-like setting. I always find a little treasure here.  The stylish gentleman is a nod to the most gracious owner, more like a host, of Firenze and yes, some of the objects are from the shop.

Frieze Exotic Gifts collage

York Street - Savannah

Quinn's Breakfast and Lunch is another favorite; breakfast with that diner feel.  It gets a nice local crowd, as well as travelers who find it.  One day we sat in a booth near the kitchen and I was able to get the shot of the cooks at work.  And although I would indeed add a giant flamingo and lush flowers to the background, they are actually part of a mural wall in the restaurant.

Quinn's Men At Work collage

Drayton Street - Savannah

Gingerbread House, as I call it, caught my eye with its detailed scalloped shingles. The day I photographed it, the sun was just at an angle to make the house a brilliant white. Cherry cheesecake seemed the perfect highlight. 

Gingerbread House with Cherry Cheesecake collage

Savannah

Thank you for traveling with me.

Till another time.

Howard Street - Savannah 2025

Recently we found ourselves walking along Howard Street. We've wandered the Savannah Historic District - North and South - for many years now, but this street seemed unfamiliar. There are other streets that parallel Howard, so it's possible we never went this way. In any event, it felt very fresh and new.

I was quite captured by the expanse of windows in this lovely Victorian. Our elegant lady holds a bit mystery with her Ouija-board teacup.

Windows on Howard Street

Savannah

The actual colors of 'Blue House'  and its shutters are almost as vivid as they are in this collage. Many of the Victorian-era homes sport these 'San Francisco' color schemes. In my collage world, pie is always welcome.

Blue House on Howard Street With Pie

Savannah

This is actually the front of the windows house. I was attracted by the architecture, but discovered there is history with this building.  It is the Bynes-Royall Funeral Home.  It is the oldest African-American owned business in Savannah as the first funeral home for African-Americans, established in 1878 by William R. Royall. In 1955, the business was purchased by Frank Bynes and his family continues to run it. I included the name on the portico awning and and a hint of a 1959 Cadillac hearse as a nod to its history.

History on Howard Street

Savannah

Our Savannah stay is coming to a close, but I have a couple more images I'm working with, so we'll see what's next.

Till next time.

Snowy Days in Savannah!!

As you may have seen on the news, snow came to the South, including Savannah.  We've been here when there was a cold snap, but never snow and apparently there has never been this much snow here.  Only 3" total, but here everything stops.  Only major streets get plowed; sidewalks aren't cleared because who has snow shovels or salt! The main plan is to wait until temperatures rise and everything melts. So we've been snug in our vacation rental since Wednesday.  But the bonus is uninterrupted collage time!

Kustom Hustle Tattoo has such a wonderful facade; evoking old-school tattoos, which I assume is intentional as they advertise 'Traditional Tattooing.'  

Kustom Hustle Tattoo

MLK Jr Boulevard - Savannah

The green door is  next to our place and it is almost as vibrantly green as in this collage. The 'lady' planter always catches my eye, especially her somewhat stern face, and here she is in full flower abundance.

Green Door on Jones Street

Jones & Whitaker - Savannah

Eyes on the House includes some 'purloined' art from photos I've taken in various shops and restaurants.  Some of the 'eye' wall was a single display, but I've embellished things and added other photos. The wonderful woman with houses is from a painting in our favorite breakfast place, but here she is amplified.  I especially like the woman, as I myself often use over large figures in my collage.

Eyes on the House

Savannah

Night-time snow scenes from our condo windows.

We hope to venture out this afternoon as temperatures warm to the mid-forties. But I'm happy with my photos and thinking of the next piece.

Till next time.