Lost Aussie on the loose

Illio Friday - Wind

Just for a change, a little paint and goop collage to illustrate this week's challenge from Illustration Friday, the topic being Wind.

(Mixed media papers and acrylics on 140lb paper.)

New Art for the Door

One of the fun things that I do like about living here in the US is the opportunity to go nuts with the front door wreath each season!

And thanks to many years of experience gained standing at the side of my Mother, who used to be a Florist, I have a lot of fun whipping up new creations for the door Chez Otero!   Happy Fall...Y'all :-)
Oh..and HBD to Mr Lost Aussie! xoxo

Tagged by Sarah

Playing "Tag" with my friend Sarah in a little game of Have and Haven't.  She prefaced her post with a cute newborn nudie pic and as there is no way I can match that..here's a little shot of me, monkeying around when I was about 3....

HAVE YOU:
taken a picture completely naked? errr not quite. . .
danced in front of a mirror naked?  umm. ho yeah. . .
told a lie? umm maybe a few white ones..do they count?
had feelings for someone who didn't have them back? yes
been arrested? no
seen someone die? yes. too many to keep count
kissed a picture? yes, the little men's, constantly
slept in until 5pm? many times
had sex at work? blush, yes
fallen asleep at work? yes
held a snake? nooooooooo, hate snakes
ran a red light? only a little bit, once or twice
been suspended from school? nope
pole danced? nope
been fired from a job? no
sang karaoke? ugh yes, it was almost madatory when I lived in South East Asia
done something you told yourself you wouldn't? yes
laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? yup
laughed until you peed? not quite, but close
caught a snowflake on your tongue? yes
kissed in the rain? yes
had sex in the rain? yes, in a phone box or is that inside?
sang in the shower? yes
gave your private parts a nickname? that would be telling
ever gone to work without underwear? yes
sat on a rooftop? yes
played chicken? no, fixed to many broken chickens to be tempted
broken a bone? my elbow
flashed someone? yes
mooned someone? no
skinny dipped? yes
shaved your head? no
slept naked? yes
blacked out from drinking? how would I know?
played a prank on someone? oh yes
had a gym membership? yep
felt like killing someone? the thought is about as much as I can manage
truly hated someone? close
felt like smacking someone in the face? oh yes
cried over someone you were in love with? oh my yes
had mexican jumping beans as pets? what are they?
been in a band? no
shot a gun? hopefully never
shot a bow and arrow? yes
played strip poker? yep when I was 14 at GirlGuide camp
donated blood? no
ever jump out of an airplane? no and hopefully never will have to . .
been to more than 10 countries? for sure

Tag, tag anyone who wants to play as well as Carla , Mary and Maija

Bounty'Full

Thankfully my 'hot under the collar' moment from the weekend is past.  For those who don't know me personally, I'm rather FlashNBurn....and I don't keep stuff like that in my mind space for long!

I was very thrilled over the weekend to trade some digital artwork with the renowned Mr. Richard Salley!  He'd very kindly inquired about one of my digital pieces (An Unusual View) and in return for printing a large format piece for him, I am now in possession of a copy of his work entitled "Fox and Friends"....too chuffed or what!!  Thank you Richard, I am honored!

Aside from our unattractive visit to the Fall festival over the weekend, we also made good use of shopping time to check out the Storehouse closing down sale and managed to add to the decorative bits and pieces in the house.  It seems to be taking a while, but the place is slowly coming together.

Others wise, life is ticking along. We have taken up membership at a local gym, with a pool, and I am back to swimming 40 or so laps a day which is making a lot of difference in many ways.  For years it was a BIG habit.  I swam relentlessly after having a horrid car accident and breaking my back in 1987.  Swam through two pregnancies and most other life events during and after until we moved to Charlotte where a lap pool was not so accessible. Until taking the swimming back up a month or so ago, I had not realised how much I missed it.  Aside from the exercise, it provides simple time to to chill out, whilst mindlessly pounding through the pool!  Unbeatable in my book!

So Totally Digusted

Many hours later and a few good glasses of REd and I am still brimming with fury and disgust.....

Hubby and I took advantage of the nice fall day to venture out to visit a very well reknowned Fall Festival and Craft Fair.  After being duly marshalled into an appropriate area for parking and making off to peruse the show, we returned with our bags of goodies to make off and take care of the chores for the rest of the day.  We had actually parked fairly gingerly, the field being very wet and soggy and of course as kismet would have it, our car got bogged in the field as we tried to leave.

Several abortive attempts at getting out and we were firmly stuck in the MUD!!  Leaving Hubby to try and work the car into a better position I left to seek the help of the three burly parking attendants..........

Sorry LADY...cant help you....we'd be LIABLE if your car got damaged.  You have to call a tow truck and get them to get you out!!!!   THREE MEN, all weighing in at 200LBS+ each and they can't stick a shoulder to your bumper to give you a push????

So they lounged on their post as I called my girlfriend, all of 100lbs and her hubby (not much heavier) who arrived with smiles, burlap and a bunch of goodwill.  Within minutes, the car is free and we are all in good shape!

WHERE OH WHERE AND WHEN did just plain Neighbourly good manners and the offer of a helping hand get caught up in the whole B/S liablitly issue??????????

All I can say is "Gentlemen"..... I hope you never need a helping hand in my part of the world ....

I Don't Art Journal Either

I've always aspired to creating fabulous art journals like Teesha Moore but the truth is that it really does not happen for me.  I have many happily prepped books and pages all waiting for that inspirational moment but it just does not seem to work for me.

What does work is rip and tear and 5 minute compositions of whatever is on the near top of my work-space and can easily be pinned, glued and pasted onto the most handily torn piece of paper.  These collages are all very serendipitous and just what I can find at the time.  I press them and then file them into old gutted out hard bound book covers that are closed with fat rubber bands.

Different strokes for different folks I guess!

Illio Friday (on Tuesday)

Can't say this is a particularly timely entry for Illustration Friday's topic of "Smitten", but better late than never, as they say :-)

And if you are like my Husband and always looking for the subliminal messages in my artwork...I don't always concoct digital pieces with any particular idea or thought behind them, but this one does have one...can you figure it out????

The Wonder of Stuff...

It seems that the acquisition of this new printer is no simple thing.  Unlike most things that we buy today, it actually comes with a MANUAL!..hooray!... and it bears reading.  So much new information to absorb.

Pre-delivery I'd invested in some colour management software to make sure that what I see on my monitor is actually what comes out on the paper...but its not even as simple as that...each new piece of paper requires a "profile" and ink setting...and..and..and

It leave me wondering whether or not my somewhat toasted brain will be able to cope with all this new information and regurgitate it in a useable fashion further down the road..

..but it's only ART...right?

I'm In Hawg Heaven...

Well "P" is definitely for PRinter! and this is MY new one!...Can you tell I am happy dancing and just quite delighted with the new piece of hardware!

Oh so smashing, printing 24" wide and as long as any darned piece of paper I can put through the feed!  It is just sooooo delicious!  And seeing the art supersized for walls is quite something else.  I'll probably bankrupt myself buying ink for the darned thing before the novelty wears off.... a little Giclee anyone?

Just A Little Missing

I talked to the Boys tonight.  They are back in Perth after their "Spring" vacation in Bahrain and will fly back down to school on Monday.

It doesn't really matter how good my long distance plan is..and believe me 5cents a minute to Australia is not bad...an hour or two on the phone does not take the place of that up-close-personal snuggle and chit chat that you do on the couch or sneaking that quick peak kiss as they drift off to sleep - yeah even at 13 & 14!!. 

There are not too many minutes in the day that I don't think about them or wish that we were in the same place on the planet.
Sleep tight honey bees, I miss you xoxoxo Mum