Martooni Time, 10x10 Inch Acrylic Painting by Kelley MacDonald

I made one more swipe at this one today after I photographed it, but couldn't get a photo without even this much glare!  So hopefully I'll get a better image tomorrow by noon, and replace this one.  This is another 'Recovery' Painting.  A painting that did not 'make the cut' getting another chance at life with a new painting over it.  I leave little strips of the old painting, which looks like colored stripes, peeking out… to remind the new painting that it has roots.  Hoping that the new painting is one that sticks, and gives it a new lease on life.  It's exciting and fun, and I can't even remember what the old painting was by the time I finish the new. 

I'm on a martini kick these days.  Lemon garnish coming later this week.

Blue Moon…. 8x8 inch Mixed Media painting by Kelley MacDonald

When my children were young, I sang to them every night.  They each got a story (or 2, or 3) and then a song or two.  My youngest, my daughter, got to a point where she only wanted me to sing "Blue Moon", which would have been fine, except I couldn't really remember the verses.  I knew about 4 lines, which she had me sing with more and more emotion and vigor… until I think my neighbors must have thought I was a little soft.

This month my Girls Just Wanna Paint Challenge was to do a mixed media piece.  Here's the story:  At some point this was a reeeaaallly bad painting I had done.  I painted over most of it, leaving bands of color in strips here and there.  I called paintings like this "Recovery Paintings", and in my mind I was thinking of the people I knew who, through illness or situations, were re-making their lives.  What I saw was that their recoveries made them stronger.  I thought… maybe my 'recoveries' will have a new lease on life!  So I took a 'recovery' painting, and used ink to place the moon.  Then painted over most of the recovery painting.  Then added text and some images of birds (returning to us now that the winter is waning).

So, though layers and layers of paint, ink glue, paper, and even on the 'snow' some iridescent glitter, I hope there is strength to be found here!