Through the Looking Glass

“And if (you) left off dreaming ..., where do you suppose you'd be?” Lewis Carroll


Sweet Dreams 12 X 12 mixed media for Illustration Friday and Paint Party Friday

I can never seem to leave off dreaming, even when I'm awake.  In fact, it's a habit of mine to actually start dreaming before I go to sleep. When I was a little girl,  I'd lie in bed reading long past my bedtime, until, finally I heard,  "turn off that light and go to sleep, for goodness sake!" In the dark, fueled with inspiration from lands beyond magical looking glasses and enchanted wardrobes, I would imagine  my own stories. I envisioned characters and scenarios in intricate, technicolor detail, until sleep finally caught me and transported me to a dark, mysterious otherworld of enchanted creatures and flying princesses.

I've always been drawn to the idea of portals to alternate realities, perhaps because I escaped my own reality through books and stories, and I spent my time dreaming of little folk and hidden kingdoms. These fantasies healed me and kept me safe, just like the art from my newest collection.  After my last festival three weeks ago, I've spent most of my time cozy and quiet in my upstairs, slant-roofed studio restoring my soul and painting these keepers of dreams and guardians of innocence. My new collection will be available  in Atlanta at Donna Van Gogh's Artist Market on November 1 and on-line to collectors who live too far away to see them in person. I will share them with you here on my blog, and, if you recognize a kindred spirit who needs a home with you, you can call me at (770) 789-4129 send me an e-mail, and I will get back to you. It feels somehow right to have come full circle, back to paintings that tell stories and reveal the mysterious connections between reality and the subconscious.  So many of you helped foster my creative spirit, by sharing your art and championing mine, that it gives me great joy to share this new work first with you.