Taking Time to Smell the Gardenias



"Seedo"



Ahhh......The gardenias are in bloom in my backyard and Tux and Seedo are building yet another nest in the aviary.  People who live in the northern states brag about their seasons.  Yes, they get their Autumn leaves.  But they also get that bitter cold and snow that never reaches the southern part of Florida.   We plant our tomatoes around October and start to enjoy the fresh red fruit just after the holidays.  As they plant their starter tomato seedlings in the ground, we are harvesting our last crop.  They enjoy the most amazing flowers during their spring and summer months, as our flowering plants are struggling to survive under the oppressive heat of an August day.  There are pros and cons to every region.  But, I just think that my little hamlet in the world is the best.  My orchids, gardenias and hibiscus fill my days with beauty.  



My friend, Froggy.



So, this is spring.....80 degree days that warm the waters of the nearby inlet and beckon summer's arrival. School kids start to wear shorts, instead of their skinny jeans, as they anticipate the end of school days. I overhear conversations throughout my day of summer break plans with family. I wonder if  my friend, Froggy, will return to my water garden again this year.  I love to hear his croaking sounds on a wet summer evening.  (Hubby hates it, oh well.) I realize that in the next month, I will be collecting the supplies I need for my "Hurricane Preparedness Box." Yikes!.....Now that is one aspect of living at the very southeastern tip of Florida that isn't quite that nice.  Still.... I love it here.  I wouldn't trade it for the world. ..... Okay, I could possibly be persuaded to live in Southern California, but hey, this is pretty awesome too. ..... 

As you know, I have a ton of projects going on that I need to tackle today.  The Hurricane supplies will have to wait.   I would like to finish the master bedroom bookcase and the stairway landing table today.  I will place a little bowl of cut gardenias near my paint booth, so I can enjoy my Florida springtime day..... Enjoy the day, not matter what the season. Oh! and remember...........

-The End-

Color, Inspiration and School Buses

I am often asked about how I get my ideas and inspiration.  This is a common conversation between myself and my artist friends as well.  I have one artist friend, Riitta Klint, who paints amazing landscapes.  She thinks that maybe they are from distant childhood memories.  She grew up a child of the world, living in several countries because her father's work took her there.  I have seen her paint.  She moves quickly, intuitively building layer upon layer of color, tone and texture.  If you want to look at more of her work, go to her studio Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Riitta-Klint-Studio/306189237669.   

Riitta Susanna Klint
"Weeping Nomad Sky "
-SOLD-

While I had a wonderful childhood, I don't believe that I harvest any of my ideas from that time in my life.  I did have a series of student work during my BFA that addressed bullying and the dynamics between women, which was a source of personal tragedy for me as a teenager.  I also did a lot of work that touched on other women's issues.  Here are a few images of that time in my career. 

"Solemn"
Lesley Litrento



"In Service"
Lesley Litrento



"You've Got Your Mother's Eyes"
BFA Graduate Show
Lesley Litrento



"You've Got Your Mother's Eyes"
Detail
Lesley Litrento

But today, I would say that most of my inspiration comes from a source from within that yearns for colors and the dynamic play between them.  I am not so much into the conceptual aspects of my art, although I am sure that they are present in everything I create.  I am certainly inspired by the colors around me as I go about my day living in a tropical locale.  Here is an image of a painting that I completed not too long ago.  I did a series of these paintings and have yet to name them.  They are kinda a colorful representation of tropical fruit and fauna.

Untitled
Lesley Litrento

When I paint, like this image above, I feel open and free......like I am expressing something from deep within my psyche.   It's fun and expressive.  I currently do not feel the need to justify my art.  It's liberating and I am content with the place I am presently occupying.  Ahh........

So, I have had this little table resting on the landing halfway up my stairway. (image below) It's been there since we completed the re-paint of half the interior of the house.  The mirror in the image has been removed.  I realized a few days ago that the shape was just all wrong for the space.

I have been toying with color. Yes, I am painting this little table. Shhhh..... Don't try and tell me not too!  I haven't been able to make a decision, so the table just sits waiting.  There are a lot of dynamics.  You can see this table as you enter the house through the dining area.  A lot of visual information and colors are at play.

This was taken before I placed
the table on the landing. 
But you get the idea.  A lot going on...

Okay......so here is the kinda crazy artist thing that happened.  I was in the car at the crack of dawn taking my son to his high school.  I am sitting at a light and a school bus pulls right up behind my little car.  All I can see out the back of my window is school bus yellow. 

It triggers the following image in my brain.....

I saw this desk a few days ago on a Linky Party.  It was a re-do by Katie at Craptastic.  (That's right.  That is her blog name.  I'm not kidding.)  She calls this desk, Old As Dirt.  That made me laugh then and I am laughing now.  Regardless, I have been seeing a lot of this yellow color on the blogs lately.  I have been wanting to try it out.

Okay, so back to the school bus......I am sitting at this traffic light with this school bus in my back window thinking of Katie's desk.  It all of a sudden occurs to me that THIS is the color I will paint the little table on the stairway landing.  I am also working on a large bookcase for the master bedroom, but this little project can be slide in on the side.  Perfect! 

This is the crazy way that my mind works.  I store what seems to be useless information, only to bring it right back up at the appropriate time.  So, I gotta get crackin' on all of this..... I would like to show you the results this week.  My finish carpenter is here again today working on the bead board in the master bedroom.  Hope to show you some of the progress this week as well.

Sherwin Williams, here I come.  Gotta pick out a mustard yellow for this little table.  But first, I gotta drop my daughter off at her middle school.........

-The End-

Popping Bubbles and Project Updates

My daughter got some bubbles in her Easter Basket yesterday.  Both of my kids are teenagers, but I decided to go 'retro' and include some things that I remember them enjoying as little children.  Along with the bubbles, my daughter also got Mad Libs.  My son, got a small bag of Legos and one of those plastic guns with suction cup 'bullets.'  They both got a Slinky.  Now before you start feeling bad for these two.....they got a chocolate bunny, their favorite gum and a $15 App Card for their IPods too. 

Funny thing is.....I sat and watched them.  My son immediately opened the gun and started shooting it around the house and my daughter started playing with the bubbles.  He then frantically opened the little Lego set and put together the little Lego man and car and then zoomed it across the table.  The chocolate bunnies and gift cards sat around all morning without being touch.  So much pressure is on teenagers today. They really enjoyed the moment......to just be a kid. 

Out in our backyard, I watched the bubbles spill out from her butterfly-shaped bubble wand.  I stared at them floating down, some being tossed back up by the breeze.  She would run back and try to 'catch' as many as she could.  Her face was all lit up and her eyes filled with such joy.  Some bubbles hung in the air making the task easy.  While others fell more rapidly to the ground forcing her to run harder to catch them.  A few bubbles touched the ground without her catching them and quietly popped on impact.  

I thought to myself  how much my life has become like this in the last month since I started this endeavor.  I have so many 'bubbles' in the air, some float and some fall.  I catch some of them, but some fall only to pop quietly on impact.  I feel like her, running after them with such joy and purpose in the moment.  I am okay with the ones that I can't catch because there are so many that I can easy snag and some that make me work happily to grasp.  I laugh with her as she runs.  I 'get' this.  Catch it girl, catch it.

So here are the bubbles that I am running after at this moment and the update of progress. 

Master Bathroom Project

Granite Floors are installed and I have been running after bubbles on all the other details.  I haven't found the stained glass art yet for the windows.  I have been unable to determine the best course of action for the counter tops and cabinets as well......

Granite Done.



I have really spun my wheels on what to do with the cabinets.  Last week, I called in a designer friend to help with the project.  Sometimes bringing in a professional is the way to go.  I just don't like the contemporary feel of these cabinets and she recommended replacing them.  She also recommended not installing subway tile in the bathroom because there is so much 'going on' in the room.  Plus, we could use the funds allocated for the tile and installation toward designing cabinetry that suited our needs better.  I like the idea and am awaiting her designs.

Master Bedroom

I have completed one piece of furniture that I showed you on a blog post last week, Cherished Chest of Drawers Gets A Makeover.  Last Thursday, It took me a total of 8 hours to clean out the bedroom.  The dust was absolutely horrible from the tear out of the bathroom floor.

OMG. The dust this created!

I set up an upper patio "paint studio" and a bookcase and the two end tables are waiting to get a work over. 

A messy necessary evil.  Easier just to paint here
and take back into the bedroom.

My finish carpenter is here today for the bead board installation.  I am also having him trim out the two sliding doors for a more finished look. 

I am currently calling this room my Bohemian Bedroom because our mattress and box springs are resting on the floor. 

My designer friend is also drawing up plans for a built in for the television and AV equipment.  There are a lot more 'bubbles' to show you.  As the progress continues, I will share them.  Like, this painting that I am starting for over the bed.  

The Homeless Finch Retail Business

Now THIS endeavor is the Big Bubble!  I have started gearing up and researching the possibilities for starting a retail business.  I don't know if it is a booth in a vintage/collectible mall, or a small studio with retail space, or an Internet retail shop, or a combination of these things.  One thing I do know is that I will need inventory!  So I have started purchasing items and storing them in every nook and cranny.  I have set up an outdoor painting studio area, just outside my studio and the stuff is starting to pile up! 

This is all kinda a crazy mess of bubbles falling from the sky.  So glad my family and hubby don't care that it's all in an uproar!   I have no idea where this all is taking me, but I am in a moment of catching bubbles with my face is all lit up and my eyes filled with joy.....and that is all that really matters to me right now.......

-The End-