It's hard to believe that it's been exactly 8 months today since the last time I blogged. At that time, my husband was working through his second lay-off in 15 months. It was only a couple of weeks after that last time I blogged that he was hired.
Things are still difficult in some ways, but oodles better than they were during the lay-off days. I suppose it will take a long time to "get back on our feet."
During the last 8 months, I have been up and down. Thinking, figuring, trying to make some sense out of life.
As always, I have found peace and balance through my garden and nature....
California poppy and a busy bee ~
Hollyhocks reaching for the cerulean sky ~
A sunny yellow blossom. My beloved Mexican tulip poppies ~
I have found that the gifts of nature can be healing....
blustery clouds ~
rainbows ~
and Johnny Appleseed skies ~
Garden strolls with my puppy.....lizard patrol ~
He runs himself ragged chasing my garden lizards.
Time for a nap ~
Sometimes, just getting away from home for a little while is the best thing...
I went with my daughter to get her first tattoo a few months ago. I wouldn't trust anyone more than this guy for my daughter's first! He's the only artist I've ever trusted for myself, so it was only natural that he would be my daughter's first.
On our way home from our tattoo journey, we left the beaten path and found the wild wild west ~
Even a visit to a local bookstore can be a welcomed journey...
My inspiration ~
I am sad to say, I have not been prolific in my studio.
I haven't created a single collage/mixed media piece in 2016.
I have, however, revisited sculpting ~
My son and I worked together on some sculpting projects. The skeleton you see is his work in progress. I am working on sculpting a Humpty!
During the holiday season, I dabbled with some fun, salted watercolors.
I am not a person that loves the winter, but I do love a snowman ~
The originals have all sold, but you can get these 3 in print versions right HERE.
I have also continued to work on a series of Humpty Dumpty salted watercolors. These paintings have helped to get me through some rough patches.
Again, the originals have sold, but both can be purchased in print versions. Simply click on the titles to view the print.
This piece is about burdens. Never-ending burdens all year 'round. Humpty pulls his burdens along with him everywhere he goes, all year. Winter = the snowman. Spring = the rabbit. Summer = the lawn gnome and Fall = the pumpkin. The thing is, Humpty doesn't have to bring these burdens with him, but he doesn't know how to let them go.
This piece is about empty promises. Humpty promised snowman that this would be a safe trip home. A smooth ride. But Humpty can't always be trusted. He gave the pig a little kick in the ribs to make him buck, knowing that it would scare snowman.
Empty promises are one of the things that I have learned to loathe since the time my husband was job searching. Companies would make so many empty promises, and not follow through. Sometimes, not even calling back. It was beyond frustrating.
There is no way I can sum up the last 8 months in a single blog post. So, I hope you can enjoy the photos and know that things are better now. We are hopeful that life will continue to get better and the last 2-1/2 years will one day be nothing more than a blurry memory of a time gone by.
Thank you so much for visiting me again. I won't make any empty promises about blogging more often. I love my little blog. I love taking photos of my garden and sharing my art. I hope to be back soon....but I won't promise.
Until Next Time:
Kim
Gerushia's New World
