On this fresh morning

in this broken world. For Memorial Day, I wanted to post this painting first. Never, not for a second, do I ever not fall down on my knees and humble myself for the men and women who gave their lives for my country and my freedom. In all the wars; the American Revolution, to the Civil War, to World War I and II, to Vietnam, to Iraq, Afghanistan, Persian Gulf and all the modern days wars.  I hate modern day politics with a depth of despair I can barely describe. But I owe a debt to all of the American men and women, civilian and military, who died for my freedom, to live, to blog, to paint, to view what I want, to read what I want, to kiss who I love, to vote, to let my voice be heard. I never take it for granted. Let me live on this fresh morning in this beautiful and broken world for all of those who never will.

This 12 x 12  acrylic mixed-media painting is rare for me in that it came together rather quickly. It incorporates vintage book pages, including a lovely pen and ink illustration of a farm from an old children's book.

I made a stencil of the sweet little bird and typed the beautiful Mary Oliver quote on an old notebook scrap. I've used old wallpaper, a paint chip, and leftover painted scraps as well.

For the first time, I've used F&W acrylic inks that I discovered in an art class taught by Tracy Verdugo. I really love them. I painted in some elements of the tree and farmhouse using Tim Holtz Distress Inks which I'm also enamored of.

I'm always trying to develop my own iconography unique to me and most often it is represented by lettering and numerals. Considering I'm a librarian, it feels authentic. In a number of recent pieces I've used some old fragments of rub-ons that I've stashed away for a number of years. I get a little hoardy when it comes to rub-ons (that sentence sounds a little unladylike), so I'm glad when I use them instead of always looking for something new to buy or something else out there to acquire.