50 Guinnea Undertaker Crow for the May EHAG Emporium Art Sale!

The EHAG Emporium for May is officially open tonight,

and there are many wonderful one of a kind

art pieces available from EHAG's uniquely talented artists.

Possible Impossibilities Studio is offering for your consideration...

50 Guinnea Undertaker Crow

This delightful fellow is fresh from the funeral parlor, as evidenced with a touch

of Kirk Yard dust upon his frock coat, here and there.

He has struck a portrait pose and is entirely hand sculpted of paper mache.

He is outfitted in painted Victorian togs, complete with impeccably starched collar points,

a vintage Amethyst stud for his stock tie and is draped in black funeary fabric with a

touch of velvet ribbon.

Mounted on an aged round wooden base,

his dimentions are 4 3/4" x 4".

price: $165.00 + shipping

 

If you're interested in making this special piece your very own,

please contact me via e-mail: Possiblim@aol.com

All art is sold on a first come, first served basis, and every

effort shall be made to update the availability as quickly as possible.

Payment is accepted via PayPal or Personal Check.

Items ship as soon as payment is received and cleared.

Thank you very kindly for looking.

Best Regards,

Deborah

Wishing Everyone a Peaceful Memorial Day!

Cinder Folk Owl listing on Sunday AND Happy Anniversary EHAG!!

Up  from the ashes, charcoal and flame,

Is a land where the Cinder Folk creep forth and reign;

Spirits of witches, pumpkin, scarecrow and owl,

Where have you been to set you afoul?

Tis not the scup, but fires castings of dust,

Some with embers, some with rust;

Sleeping then creeping to hearth from the Tinder,

Looking eerily spooky all covered with Cinders;

A frightful charred sight than you've ever seen,

They appear from the soot on this, Halloween!

The first piece in my new series of "Cinder Folk" will be posting this Sunday at 6:00pm (PT) on Ebay so you might want to pop over and have a peep at that time.

The Cinder effect was lot of fun to create and of course, I'm constantly experimenting with new ways to make paint peel, split and crackle. I love sending pieces back in time! lol

Also....

EHAG is celebrating it's fourth Anniversary! Ha Cha!

Congratulations to all of the artists that have worked so hard to make EHAG

the premiere and original Halloween Art Group for unique and collectible handmade Halloween art. 

It's also getting to be that time again....

The EHAG Emporium will once again open it's doors 

May 31st and they're starting things off with a fun

guess the number of jellybeans giveaway game!

So log into the Ehag Emporium site and have a go at winning

some fabulous art from several artists all at one time!

PFATT Tuesday on Wednesday and Whats Blooming!

My PFATT Tuesday, "Mother Goose" poem is

Jack Sprat.

Jack Sprat could eat no fat,

His wife could eat no lean;

And so,

Betwixt them both,

They licked the platter clean.

So, meet Chickie Jack Sprat and his lovely wife Cordelia! :-)

PFATT Tuesday is in full swing on ebay, so when you get a chance you might want to pop

over to Ebay (just enter PFATT in the subject bar) and see what wonderful

Mother Goose themed items the members of PFATT (Primitive Folk Art Talk and Tea) have come up with.

Some lovely Pink Delphinium

When I bought this bush years ago, I was told they were Scottish Bluebells.

I've since seen them in a garden book under another name.... but alas...

I cannot put my hands on it... so.. Bluebells they are!

This is a bush that grows to amazing heights and on the end of each towering stalk

grows vibrant bundles of purple blue trumpet flowers. The bush is just getting going and I'll

show you more photos later.

This is a drought tolerant Pink Rock Rose. The blossoms

remind me of Dogwood flowers.

I was slowed down a bit yesterday while dead heading the flowers and

trimming the groundcover. I was pulling the pine needles out from under the roses when ouch!

... At first I thought it was just a jab from a thorn, (which is usually nothing) but it quickly began to sting rather much and when I looked down, I'd grabed a honey bee that was on the ground! People are always telling me I should wear gloves,

but I much prefer to feel the soil and plant textures with my bare hands.

I've never 

been stung by a bee before, and I must say... I don't recommend it. 

Who would have expected a bee in there anyway? 

I'll be posting Jack Sprat and his wife tonight on Ebay.

Enjoy!

Sneek peek at "Cinder Folk" Coming Soon..

As you can see, I've really been playing with antiquing techniques and

I'm really pleased with the textures on this guy.

He's just about done, just a few more finishing touches.

The tricky bit is maintaining some semblance of consistency with the many layers, and

that's easier said than done.

I can't tell you how many pieces I've experimented on, only to have nothing occur when I applied

the resist, or WAY too much...Eeeeee.... but, it's a very fun process and

 they're looking forward to making their debut. 

Also, my Dad's eye surgery went very well, and thank you to all

who sent well wishes! :-)

What's Blooming Wednesday...

Today I'm dedicating this post to my Dad who's having eye surgery this afternoon. They're repairing a torn Retina and a hole in the Macula.

My Dad has an amazing rose garden up in Oregon and so I thought I would start off with a rose, since they're one of his favorites.

This is a Julia Child- floribunda rose.

It's bright yellow color is reminisant of the golden light of the sun bringing brightness to our day.

My Tallandsia has been secretly blooming on the side of the garage.

Ever enduring, strength in every situation and environment and

a surprise of remarkable color. Always there to please.

One of the largest Double Delight blossoms I've ever seen!

Double the happiness means double the smiles.

Growing among the ferns is the Yesterday Today and Tomorrow bush.

This interesting plant blooms dark purple the first day, fades to lavender the second day and tomorrow will further fade to near white. Bringing color and brightness to the shadows and always a delight.

Sending healing energy,

All my love and blessings.

Happy Mother's Day!

We had a wonderful day today, sharing good conversation and delicious food on this,

 my Mom's 51st Mother's Day.

Here's to all the Mom's out there!

For all the unconditional love you give;

The understanding;

The support;

A listening ear;

Tender touch;

The friendship;

The wisdom;

The smiles and laughs;

Thank you...

just

Thank you Mom.

:-)

Black & White Fright and What's Blooming the day before Blooming Wednesday!

Here he is! My EHAG Black & White Fright piece!

This is "Spooky Hoot", and he's listing on ebay this afternoon at 4:00pm.

He's a long way from my first visions for the B & W challenge as my initial thoughts went in the direction of the old film noir horror films. The more I thought about it though, my mind would keep returning to the realm of whimsy and wildlife... and so... Spooky Hoot was born.

An artist's mind is often jumping from one idea to the next and I've found it's usually best to just go with the flow, because if you don't, a form of "writer's block" can take over and doesn't get you anywhere.

As my Metalsmith instructor, Kristen Beeler, is always fond of saying: Just keep moving forward. :-)

Here are some blooms for this week.

This weekend my Mom and I went on the Mary Lou Heard Memorial garden tour.

The day before, it had been a wind storm that I'm sure created havoc with those gardeners that were preparing for the hundreds of guests that would be arriving the following morning.

I thought I would share some of the lovely flowers that were on display.

Delphinium and a wonderful yellow daisy-like flower edged in white.

 

Oriental Poppy

Stunning Ranunculus

Birds and Booms Wednesday....

Good Morning or afternoon, as the case my be. Today I'm offering a few different photos than usual, except for the exception above, which is an exceptional Cecile Brunner Climbing Rose. This little bush is about 25yrs old and is the last of four that used to be along side the driveway.

Since replanting the driveway planter, I've put in a variety of sun loving plants. In addition to the roses, there are two varieties of Lavendar. This blossom is Allardi Lavendar which is a cross. It booms all year and is one of the more fragrant. The leaves smell most heavenly when pruning them!

This flower is from one of my Carnivorous Pitcher Plants. Actually, because this is the first time I've ever

seen this, I'm not sure if it's a bloom or seeds.... I'll have to look it up. At any rate, it's very unusual and I think it's a sign the plant is happy in it's location.

I have planted aviaries with a variety of predominatly finches and song birds. In early morning and late afternoon, everyone is happily singing and chirping and it's so pleasant to hear them when I'm outside gardening. 

These are little fledgling Lady Gouldian Finch. It's amazing how well they blend into the landscaping with their olive coloring as little baba's. The parent birds are moulting, so are not the most photogenic at the moment. I'll snap some shots of them in a few weeks, when they have finished the moult, as I think you'll be most surprised at the difference in the juveniles and the vibrant adult colors.

Don't forget to check out the EHAG "Black and White Challenge" beginning this Saturday, May 1st, on

both Ebay and Etsy! Simply search "EHAG" to see the wonderful and unique Halloween art that the EHAG artists have created especially for this challenge! I've seen sneek peeks and there are lots of fun goodies!

What's Blooming Wednesday....

Today we're being bombarded with wind and a touch of rain so it's a good thing I took these

 photos on Monday.

The Australian Sweet Broom bush has a few flowers just coming on it's branches, as well as a friend or two.

I'm not sure what this pretty little guy is, but he was happy to pose for this photo then slowly meandered to

the other side of the petal, out of site.

This miniature rose is a plant that was purchased at the VA Hospital gardens,

 here in Long Beach many years ago. They have a wonderful program there for the Veterans. Jim, the man

who heads up the program, utilizes the garden grounds to rehab those vets that are in need of a quiet place

to work and readjust from the stresses and often time horrors of a soldiers life. 

They cultivate and maintain beautiful flower and vegetable gardens and it's a

hidden jewels and welcome respit for the folks that go there.

The Mexican Sage is one of my favorites with it's teddy bear like, soft and fuzzy blooms.

It's also draught tolerant and blooms throughout most of the year. 

I'm off to sculpt and paint!

What's Black and White and PFATT all over?!

So, What's Black and White and PFATT all over?

An EHAG member who was newly invited to join PFATT!

Ha Cha!

Yesterday evening I was very pleasantly surprised  and excited when I logged on and found an

invitation and notice from Lori Davis of Vintage Palatte Art, that I'd been accepted to join

Primitive Folk Art Talk & Tea, or PFATT for short.

Those artists that crossover with both PFATT

and EHAG (Eclectic Halloween Artist's Group) endearingly

call themselves PFATT HAGS. :-)  lol

Thank you SO much for the warm invitation! I'm most grateful you appreciate my art and am looking forward to sharing my art on Ebay

with the other PFATTies, friends, and folk art collectors!

oh....

Why the Black and White? Why... for "Black and White Fright" coming May 1st on Ebay with EHAG!

Newly organized and April Wips...

After working in the garden all morning trying to catch up with the seemingly overnight Spring growth,

(ahh.. there's something very Zen like about newly raked garden gravel and carefully pruned plants)

Anyway....

I thought I would snap a few shots of some of the wips I've been working on in the house.

There's a rather chubby Chickie in the background, some Victorian crows, a contimplative moon, a witchy pumpkin, an old owl, and an eyeball...

All awaiting sanding, Gesso, more sanding, and paint.

Although it may seem as if I'm slow in producing my pieces, I've actually still been busy re-organizing

my work spaces so as to be as efficient as possible.

(shifting from a predominantly woodworking shop to Sculpting, Painting and Metalsmithing studio... though

wood will still be in the picture from time to time.)

This weekend I tackled my indoor workspace/mini-studio/bedroom.

I can only brave the evening bugs, strolling skunks, cold Winter nights and hot Summer days for so long

out in the garage/studio, so I decided to create a second little workspace indoors so as to keep the creative

    fires going during those questionable hours.

I actually think I've mastered the art of arranging a space in a Chinese Puzzle fashion, so as to utilize every square inch possible. No more room you say?... Nay! Not true! Go up I say!

 

 

I put together these two cubes and made a makeshift shelf for on top of that so I could better see

what I have and keep things tidy.

Spools of colorful thread in one drawer... assorted ribbon in old jars that used to contain fragrant Lavander, Marigold Petals, and the most amazing Potpourri mixtures, that I'd bought from Heard's Gardens, a favorite Heirloom flower and plant nursery, just before they closed a few years back... vintage paper and German Glass Glitter in another tidy cubby... rusty/brass and silver bells, antique buttons, and old bits of this and that... all ready to play!

Underneath the cubes, books, and drawers of goodness, I have a lovely 1900's Mahogany sideboard with an oval mirror and floral wood carvings... never to be seen again. Well, someday maybe. lol

Oh!

Don't forget to mark your calendars for May 1st!

That's when the members of EHAG (myself included) will be posting their special

Black and White themed Challenge Pieces on Ebay, or Etsy.

EHAG has some of the most talented Halloween artists around,

so be sure to keep an eye out to see what sort

of wonderful black and white goulish goodies everyone has come up with!

Another, "What's Blooming Wednesday"..... here already!

This is the first "Sterling Silver" rose this season. This little bush was on it's last legs last year from being heavily shaded, so I transplanted it and oh my goodness.... it must be very happy in it's new location!

This climbing rose, "Dublin Bay" is in it's second season and is just starting to be a prolific bloomer. These flowers are on the lower branches amongst the Margarite Daisys and Lavendar Gazania ground cover.

This is a very small "Peace" rose bush and these are it's first blossoms this season. Humongous!

Now.... onto the Popcorn Bush!.....

There was much interest in the Popcorn Bush last week (yes, it really does smell like buttered popcorn!) and so I thought I would give you an update.

Day before yesterday, I noticed from a distance that the blossoms looked a bit odd

so... I went in for a closer inspection.

Gah!

What a difference a few days makes!!!!

Whoooo Arreeee Youuuuu?

I wasn't looking so much at lovely flowers as juicy fat yellow caterpillars!

Not just one mind you.... but several, on each flower!

I'd never seen this guys before,  and I must admit, they were just too beautiful to remove from the plant.

These aren't tiny little fellows either, but large 2 1/2inch individuals. I'm hoping that they'll eventually emerge as a larger moth or butterfly, adding another dimention of beauty to the garden.

Lepidoptera Update:

Thank you Lori Ann for the super butterfly link!

It turns out these caterpillars are Pheobis Sennae- "Cloudless Sulphur Butterflies"!

I've been a bit delayed with my work of late....There has been some saddness in the household.... as my red factor Canary, "Montague", passed away, then 5 days later our family's elderly Pembroke Corgi, "Foxy" passed away.... then 3 days after that, the Cooper's Hawk got our male "Scarlet Chested Grass Parakeet" on the wire of the Aviary.  :-(

Strange how we can go for years without loosing our pets, then for whatever reason, like beautiful climbing roses, they creep above the garden walls out of sight, then ...

crossover all at once.

Though we can't see them, we know they're blooming still, on the other side.

      

What's Blooming Wednesday!

Following the lead of my friend Jennifer MacNeill-Traylor of Gypsy Mare Studios, I'm posting

a few shots of the lovelies that are blooming in my garden this Wednesday.

Despite the wind, rain and earthquake, the flowers are bursting forth, more and more each day.

Two years ago I took out the lawn in the front parkway and planted shrubs and flowers. It's been a work in progress and with each season they're presenting a greater show of color.

The yellow flowers above are a Popcorn Bush.

One might think it's mearly the yellow color which gives the plant it's name but, it holds a delicous

surprise... when you rub the leaves you're treated with the amazing aroma of

Buttered Popcorn! yum!

I planted this Blue Hibiscus last year and the squirrels had a wonderful time

continually rebounding off of this shrub, and were constantly breaking

it's branches... ah well. This year though, the squirrels are being kept happy with

a supply of peanuts and several lovely lavendar/blue blossoms have shown thier faces.

Each spring the miniature Ice Plant that is bordering the garden gives

this hot pink show. OooLala! When the hot weather of summer arrives, this succlent like

plant looks cool and inviting, and is drought tolerant.. something that's important here in

Southern California.

I'm working on new sculptures so check back in a few days!

Happy Easter Everyone!

Wishing everyone a Happy Easter, filled with hopping bunnies, smiling chickies, decorated eggs,

colorful jelly beans, marshmallow Peeps, and of course, being the first to nibble the ears

of an old fashioned chocolate bunny! Yum! :-)