handy door knocker

A dear friend spotted my door to door post yesterday and sent this wonderful "door knocker" which she took a photo of while in France.  Don't you love the the color of the door and that door knocker truly must come in handy!  

door to door

"The Blue Door" of a client's cottage for the Holiday Card~

In a matter of days, many of us will be opening our doors, embracing guests for Thanksgiving Day or the Holidays which shall descend upon us swiftly.   I shall be posting a series of doors from around the world.  Knock Knock, who's there, do you hang a wreath or have something wonderful to share?  Ding dong, it's me, here to see your door!

memories of a dress

You know the one, the dress that brings back all the memories of the day when you heard those words, "for better or worse."  Well, a new painting like the above is being "given away" by this talented artist.  Not only can Diane Bronstein wield a brush, but she has an amazing photo safari class that she teaches as well as several blogs (Inspiration by Design) that she keeps.

Without a doubt, my wedding dress has to be my favorite dress.   My very own design, created from a heavy double face silk which I literally could have worn it inside out sewn by one of the most amazing seamstresses who took pride in her work.  Inside around my waist, I wore a nude grosgrain ribbon from which to bustle the back and cleverly attach to the ribbon.  I felt very elegant, not fussy and I would wear it again today as well as marry the same man.  Memories of a dress, from that day forward for better or worse.   The best memory is that it also cost very little to make.  Fashion cents comes in hand every now and again.

Some other dresses that seem to be calling my name are from the Bottega Veneta Collection.

Chic Sheath dresses for day to dinner.  Post the above painting and tout about your favorite dress today.

honor tree

The intent of my visit to my parents was to help them both, to make them both feel better, but in all fairness, my visit was to honor them.  I witnessed my parents, still very much in love with one another, in sickness and in health.  When we honor the ones we love, we find new meaning in our own life.  As the holidays are upon us, one way to honor your parents or a family you love is to make a simple family tree, an "honor tree."  The above tree is so simple from Martha, just a pretty colored paper and a white pen, write the names to form a tree of honor and simply frame.  What a lovely hostess gift!

How do you honor those that you love?

time out

Time-out for me.  I am taking a little time out to fly down to Kentucky and see my Mom who is not well.  In the midst of providing comfort as well as comic relief, I am taking a blogging break to focus on my Mom and some work that is piling up too.  I just love this photo of Lucy, now that's what I call, "Grace under Pressure."

Hope this time-out will be just the thing to cure my Mom and get my act in line too.  Back in a week! 

my friend with the camera

It is with great pleasure that I announce the work of my dear friend with the camera.  Photographic Artist, Elizabeth Belliveau is participating in the "Rooms with a View" at the Southport Congregation, in Fairfield, Connecticut this evening.  The body of work that she will be showing is titled-

"Le Ballet dans le Jardin"

pve design painting, photograph by photographic artist Elizabeth Belliveau

Our friendship began many years ago, before husbands, before children, even before the camera.  I had saved some magazine tear sheets for my friend, and she began to set up the shoot and we both jumped at the chance to do this.  We only had a few hours to accomplish all this which seemed like an easy thing to do given our fabulous children were at school and the husbands were toiling away.  I keep encouraging her to form her very own web-site or get a blog.  She has an amazing way with the camera.  Trust me her work is incredible,  Please leave her a comment, to add fuel to the fire to motivate her to join the blog world.  I am happy to give her contact to you should you be interested in your very own photographs.  

The day after

A new day dawns, congratulations to President Obama and family.  

I think I need a J.Crew Cardigan and a new flag too.

vote

One word for today, Please vote.  Vote 2008.

hole card

I have never been a card player, however one "hole card" that is no longer a secret with me, I would like to share with you.  I learned this trick from an incredible teacher that I took art lessons from way back while in High School here.  If we were painting from a photograph, one tool that we learned to use was to simply "hole punch" a card and place it over the color that you were trying to see and "voila" you would somehow have a sort of "gps" to find the color.

Try it and you will readily see the color that you need, a hole-in-one of sorts.

draw the line

pve sketch, micron pen

My work begins with a series of what I like to refer to as notes, lines and editing in order to capture the image on paper.  I spend an inordinate amount of time looking and then making "jabs" or lines to capture what I see.  Once I feel that the piece is ready for color, I begin by formulating a color palette.  

Often - I use a simple card with a hole punch to locate the true color, especially if I am working from a photo.  Often I am surprised by the color that I see in the hole.  This simple exercise helps me to see the dark and the light, giving me a "road map" or what I like to call a to the final art.  

pve color illustration

Laying in the color, with a brush and a fast pace of "pulling and pushing" in order to give the work dimension and to draw one in.  A limited palette is also easy on the eye and accentuating the focus of the work makes one want to step inside.  If similar colors are next to one another -then the hue of that color pops when different, for example the gray blue roof next to the aqua sky.   Note the cobalt blue pots pop against the yellow. 

Hope this post inspires you to draw the line!