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Merry Christmas From My House To Yours!

and to all my Crazy Amigos!

Merry and Bright

I haven't painted at all this month because I've been busy getting ready for our Christmas guests, so I thought I'd share a few photos of our house and garden.







                                  for Be Colorful

Mind's Eye

 " Everything you can imagine is real." So said Pablo Picasso, and I'm certain he was right.  Where would I have traveled, without an imagination, on days and nights when I was held captive by circumstance? Nature is the true dreamer. On that miraculous day when she speaks to the imagination, we feel the limitlessness of the universe but also the strand connecting the core of all of us, the oneness of all creations. We are reminded that the sky, stars, and ancient rocks are but facets of our own essential nature.


For her the Fancy, roving unconfined,
The present muse of every pensive mind,
Works magic wonders, adds a brighter hue
To Nature's scenes than Nature ever knew.
~ William Cowper

This is the last of the little big-eyed creatures from my Imaginary Friends collection featured this month at Donna Van Gogh's Artist Market. The paintings in this collection were inspired by the wonders of the natural world and the mysteries of  the human soul and the connections in between. 

(for Three Muses)

Put a Commission on Your Christmas List This Year

As Christmas approaches most children’s "letters to Santa" are made up of electronic gadgets and games, but one very wise mother I know gives her daughter a piece of art every year. The first painting she gave her little girl was, in fact, an abstract painting by moi!  I love to see original art in
children's rooms.



                                          via Little Crown Interiors
Wouldn't Lily the Snailgirl be right at home in this pretty pink nursery?


This abstract painting is lovely in this serene bedroom and provides just the right "scope for the imagination."


                                                   via House of Turquoise

Or how about a colorful  collage in this funky retreat?
                                            via femtalks.com

So spark lifelong love of art and put a painting under the tree for your little one this year. Try one of my Imaginary Friends or a small abstract  to add some whimsy and individuality to your child's bedroom. . You can even send me a photo of your child's favorite "lovey,"  like Sock Monkey), and I'll paint its portrait in time for Christmas.  Take a moment to check out my Countdown to Christmas Sale on FB and see if there's anything calling your name or, if you are interested in a commission, just email me at kathymccullen@hotmail.com or give me a call at (770) 266-6212.

for Three Muses and Paint Party Friday

Imaginary Friends

Sock Monkey 12 X 12 mixed media on panel


Tomato Party 12 X 12 mixed media on panel


Sack Man 12 X 12 mixed media on panel for Three Muses

Where The Wild Things Are

Chickabee 12 X 12 collage and mixed media on canvas for Take a Word and Collage Obsession

“I think it is unnatural to think that there is such a thing as a blue-sky, white-clouded happy childhood for anybody. Childhood is a very, very tricky business"
Maurice Sendak

One of my earliest dreams was to write and illustrate children's books, and the small paintings I've been working on for my new series remind me of how much "scope for the imagination," in the words of Anne or, to be more accurate,  L. M. Montgomery, children's stories provide.  Have a bad morning? Stand at the window and pretend that the raindrops parading down the street are a marching band.  Lonely? Imagine a kindred spirit who lives in the garden under a bush. Don't like the weather?  Dream up some sunshine and green clouds!

Maurice Sendak is one of my favorite illustrators and Jan Brett and Tasha Tudor and Jessie Wilcox Smith and John R. Neil.  I spent countless naptimes poring over the gorgeously illustrated books, like Swiss Family Robinson and Ozma of Oz and Tales From the Arabian Knights. And then, later at night, in the dark, I conjured up my own stories and characters in brilliant technicolor detail.

Three years ago my sister, Lee Ann, wrote a story for me to illustrate. I had just started painting, and I wanted to develop my skill and my own style, to try to do justice to Lee Ann's beautiful words. So,  I've been working on it, and I think I'm getting there.  In the words of my students, I'm feeling it or starting to anyway.  Meanwhile.... I can always dream.

The Seeker

The Seeker  8 X 10 beeswax, acrylic paper, ink, and charcoal on canvas

for Illustration Friday and Paint Party Friday

Thank You Gilded Lily!

I spent a fun morning with Don and Melodi McPherson  at The Gilded Lily in Monroe, GA. They are incedible to work with; both have amazing taste, and their framing is an art itself.

 
Stop by, if you're in the area for original art, exquisite framing, and expert design advice.

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.

Wishbone Extended Remix Version

Wishbone 16 X 20 mixed media for Take a Word and Illustration Friday

This is an older piece that I recently reworked.  It tells the story of childhood with all its magic and fears. After I completed her the first time,  I actually obliterated the entire left side of the painting, in dissatisfaction, and then just left it for almost a year. I decided recently, though, that the original theme of the painting meant something to me, so I went back and collaged more images to rebuild the underlayer.  If you look closely at the background, you can make out the fairies and butterflies and flowers surrounding the little girl, and, if you look very, very hard, you might also be able to see the sea monster and the spiders lurking just under the surface. Can you tell what her wings are made of? That's right: bones. The pelvic girdle, in fact. This image came from an old anatomy textbook I found at a flea market. I also used a piece of lace, a ballet program, roses from vintage postcards, children's book pages, and old sheet music. Childhood is like this; fantasies and nightmares, imaginary playmates and monsters under the bed, terror and wonder in equal parts.



Since several of you have mentioned viewing a larger size, I've put a link here to see the images better.

Random List

Sleepytime Rain 12 X 12 mixed media for Take a Word


I love naps and listening to the rain on my screen porch.
I drink coffee, wine, and whole milk.
I have sons that play me songs, bring birthday picnics, and share my art on their Facebook pages.

I teach American literature to students with learning disabilities.
and I never read the newspaper.
I love ballet, Fall, and girlfriends who always show up.
I have a husband who bakes me cookies and scrambles my eggs.

I listen to Al Green, Emmy Lou Harris, and frogs.
I'm as loyal as a dog and loose as a goose.

I'm organized but absent-minded.
I don't believe in ghosts, bad manners, or holding a grudge.
I like to drive at night with the music up and the windows down.
I dream about seashells, flying, and my grandmother's house.

I collect broken jewelry and scraps of paper.
I need to know why, and I hate to hear no .
I wear high heels, flip flops, and running shoes.
I dread change, but I often seem to seek it.
I love rituals, and I hate routines

I look for lightening bugs, lucky rocks, and little people.
I like swimming in cold water and getting in hot cars.
I eat slowly, walk fast, and get up early.


I believe in forgiveness, singing along with the radio, and that George was the best Beatle.
I never meet a stranger, and I hate to say goodbye.