Dancing on Golden Eggshells in the Rain...Especially Created for Shanna

"My painting!! Finally!" Shanna exclaimed as I lugged the 50 inch long, 2 years overdue painting  into her  Morrocan inspired home.  She had tried to stuff it into her teeny tiny VW convertible the night before...fearful I would say I wasn't finished for another year, but it just wouldn't fit.  It may actually be 3 years overdue, but I'm trying to keep that hush hush.  I wanted this painting to be so personal yet so perfect for her home that I gave myself paralysis.  I have known all along what I wanted to paint, but I have issues with small decisions and completion.  I am overcoming these issues and fears with the invaluable help of my dear friend, Shanna.  I truly cannot thank her enough.  Her support and belief in me has gone above and beyond.  I am so very blessed to have her friendship.  This past year hasn't been easy on either of us and has surely tested us down to our souls.

I won't go into every personal meaning of this painting, but the intentionally long title should say quite a bit.  I tried to push myself again with more texture and material experimentation....so, I just have to say, those are real eggshells people!  I also used tiny metal and glass spheres and various mediums.  Several of my usual motifs are there: nature and growth, movement and freedom, awakening and light.  Shanna especially loves butterflies, so we've got those fluttering about..  And, when you turn off the lights, you'll see the fireflies.

Shanna broke into my home and took these wonderful pictures as well as many new better ones!  They turned out so great....you can see more by checking out my new website Shanna created for me: http://www.raraavisart.com/

The Kids Tombstones

These were just to be funny for all the kiddos. I painted them all with blacklight reflective paint...oooh. K pasted goofy photos onto them.

I don't know how many tombstones I ended up doing in all...I don't think I can deal with posting every single one, but here's a sampling;)

Bottles, bottles, and more BOTTLES

I've always been a big fan of dumpster diving, but I took it to a new level with this project. Big thanks to my aunt and uncle for being winos and saving the evidence and to my mom for introducing me to the booze recycle motherload at Tierra Linda!

I literally washed, delabeled and painted like 100+ glass bottles and jars. Some were for the house and many were for the bottle trees we had made from my metal guy, Freddy. Please contact me if you want his info for any kind of metal welding/sculpture. Great guy to work with! More pictures of his bottle trees will be posted.

Here is just a small sampling of the glory. This was also a great way to involve the kids in the decorating too...we had a day of bottle painting/glittering and they got to display their handiwork as well. Fun stuff!

*Some were glittered, sprayed with various paints, painted with glow-in-the dark paints, blacklight reflective paints, paper collaged, stickered, google-eyed...all kinds of techniques.