New painting, Cats on a Spring Night

Here is one of my most recent paintings, Cats on a Spring Night:

 This subject was a suggestion from someone who had, as you can guess, an orange tabby and a long-haired black cat.  I'm always happy to get suggestions.  Although I have an extensive "to do" list of painting ideas, I often cast about myself when I'm in between paintings, like now.

 In addition to providing the print options, I'm also trying to include the pendant on the same page:

New Pendant

 New pendant, Shinto Lantern at Dusk.  I kept the first one of these I made.  Goes beautifully with gray, olive green, orange or even basic black:

New pendant, "Dreaming of a Raven"

New pendant...Dreaming of a Raven A raven gazes at a lovely lilac point Siamese cat. Both are illumined by the full moon as bright autumn leaves dance in the night sky, which is in shades of muted plum and purple. This visionary landscape is part of the Dreamscapes series, which combines my original paintings with digital enhancements. The grunge texture and imperfections give the images a weathered, timeless feel.

New Print - 'Ginkgo Leaves on Gray Stones'


First official one from my new camera.  Took the photo out in my backyard from leaves I gathered on a walk.  Altered it a bit (also new to PhotoShop Elements 10--used one of the new texture effects on the stones).

New painting in a fresh new series...

First painting in the Timeless series, Raven in Dark Autumn.  I have been so inspired with the new Dreamscapes digital painting series that I decided to try to achieve the same effect with an actual painting. I am hoping to do three others to represent the seasons (backgrounds are done--need to add the ravens and seasonal elements).

New jewelry set from my painting, Soul of a Rose:

Here are more views of the piece:

A woman takes a moment to take in the fragrance of a pink rose. Inspired by the Waterhouse painting, "My Sweet Rose," which was commonly called "Soul of a Rose" from Tennyson's Maude poem. This romantic floral landscape is offered as a necklace, handmade by the artist from my original painting. Due to the variety of vintage and modern beads, I nicknamed this one "Grandma's Attic" as I was stringing the necklace.
An 18 1/2" beaded necklace of vintage pearls, glass and metal beads, with a toggle clasp, completes this unique piece of wearable art. A bonus set of dangly kidney-wire with heart charms earrings is included.

New pendant of Chakra Meditation in the Redwoods, handmade from my original painting. Great for a man or woman :-).

The original painting and prints are available at http://zenbreeze.com/store/chakra2.htm

New pendant of Mermaid at Santa Cruz:

A raven-haired mermaid with a green tail looks out to the Santa Cruz Lighthouse on a distant bluff. Seagulls glide through the soft gray clouds, which cast a silvery-blue hue on the ocean. This fantasy California seascape is offered as a pendant, hand crafted by the artist from my original painting. Made from polymer clay with the print baked into it, then sealed with resin, giving the image a glass-like quality and providing water resistance.

An adjustable knotted cord is included so the piece is ready to wear and will fit most sizes (these are adjusted by sliding the knots and don't have a metal clasp). As they go over the head, these tend to hang long. If you would prefer a cord of a particular length with a clasp instead (recommended for shorter or choker length), let me know at the time of the sale (no additional charge).

The original oil painting and prints are also available at http://zenbreeze.com/store/mermaidsc.htm

Getting some new pendants listed.  First up is Kona Kat.

A black cat has leapt onto a table where coffee has been laid out, mesmerized by the steam rising from the cup and pot. The red hibiscus flowers in the background are echoed in the blue batik cloth on the table. The pottery coffee pot has a relief of palm trees crossed above a tiki and is an earthy shade of raw sienna. Behind it, palm trees sway and sea gulls glide in a glorious tropical sunset in shades of yellow, orange, magenta and purple. Tiki torches are aflame on the distant beach. This Hawaiian landscape is offered as a pendant, hand crafted by the artist from my original painting. Made from polymer clay with the print baked into it, then sealed with resin, giving the image a glass-like quality and providing water resistance.

An adjustable knotted cord is included so the piece is ready to wear and will fit most sizes (these are adjusted by sliding the knots and don't have a metal clasp). As they go over the head, these tend to hang long. If you would prefer a cord of a particular length with a clasp instead (recommended for shorter or choker length), let me know at the time of the sale (no additional charge).

New handmade jewelry set of Beside Moon Bridge:

A Siamese cat watches the koi pond at Hakone Japanese Gardens in Saratoga, California. In the background, twisted pine trees and foliage in rich shades of greens, teals, purples and blues. This zen landscape is offered as a pendant, hand crafted by the artist from my original artwork. Made from polymer clay with the print baked into it, then sealed with resin.

A 20" beaded necklace of stone, glass, wood and metal beads in gray, plum and green, and stunning lampwork beads, with a rustic toggle clasp, completes this unique piece of wearable art. A bonus set of dangly kidney-wire earrings is included.

Size: The pendant is 1 1/2" x 1 3/4" (approximate, not including the bail, which is the piece that fits over the necklace). The necklace measures 20". If you would like the necklace longer or shorter, restringing is available at the time of purchase for no additional charge.

New painting in the Lenore ghost series, And This Mystery Explore:

In a white gown, the ghost of Lenore drifts among the cypress trees, forgotten by all except the raven. He perches on her ivy-covered tombstone holding her necklace, which has a key dangling from the chain. The setting sun casts an eerie golden glow over the haunted abandoned cemetery. This Gothic fantasy landscape, inspired by the "The Raven" poem by Edgar Allan Poe, is an original acrylic painting on a gallery-wrapped stretched canvas (the 3/4" sides are finished off in black acrylic)--no need to frame.  Prints also available.

Finished an ACEO (miniature painting, the size of a trading card) in the new chakra series. I'm working on a full size painting in this theme but I wanted to try an ACEO first. Great deal on this...the auction starts at only $9.99 and it's an original! Click here to bid or buy

We went on a pilgrimage of sorts to Portola Redwoods State Park.  This is one of the California State Parks scheduled to be closed in September, due to budget cuts.  I wanted to make sure to visit this incredible place again while I could (I have inner ear trouble that makes the winding roads leading to it difficult but it was worth it).

It's difficult to convey the magic of a redwood forest.  The trees are immense.  I remembered this place as being particularly wild and primordial.   It reminded me of those old gaslight authors, such as Blackwood, who wrote stories about Nature taking back over in such places.

While walking through the trees, we made our way along the stream, having to cross it now & then.  I still need to get a walking stick so we passed Steve's back and forth as necessary.

We chose the trail (coincidentally, the Iverson Trail) that led to tiptoe falls, a lovely waterfall cascading down a hillside (only the last section was visible to us but we could hear it). Resting a moment by this pool, you could imagine that, if the old pagan gods are still around, this is one place they are.

I'm looking through my treasure trove of photos of which ones to use as a basis for future paintings.  Look for them in my Land Gallery.

Big Sale on Big Prints! I know a lot of you have been wanting big prints. Here are specials on giclee canvas prints (ready to hang) in larger sizes:

30" x 40" only $149!

24" x 36" only $119!

24" x 36" only $119!

Limited time only! Other prints available at http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/laura-iverson.html

"In the Buddhist tradition, June 1st through the 15th is the most auspicious time of the year. June 15th commemorates Lord Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and parinirvana (passing from this world). June 15th is the holiest of holy days for Tibetans and it is our belief that because Buddha Shakyamuni prayed for all sentient beings to achieve enlightenment, and he achieved enlightenment on this day, the merits of our virtuous and positive actions during this 15-day time period will be multiplied 100,000 times (most especially good deeds done on the full moon of June 15)."

Oak Tree Meditation

Daffodil Dawn Meditation

Golden Afternoon Meditation

Meditating by a Golden Waterfall

White Tiger Meditation

Balinese Cat at Hakone giclee print on canvas (ready to hang) for only $45!

Sale today only! Enter coupon code 18REFUND for 18% off your order in my cafepress shop. In addition to the T shirts, sweatshirts, mousepads, boxes, etc., they are offering a whole bunch of new products...jewelry, gym bags, iphone cases.

One of those occasions where I was really glad I had my camera. We were walking through Santana Row, which is an outdoor mall in San Jose (across the street from the Winchester Mystery House). I looked up and saw this second story window with this enchanting scene. I was so taken with it. I grabbed some photos, then altered them:
The Fading Scent of Lavender:

A Window Lost in Time:

Waiting in the Window:

Bayou Peace Tree

The full moon illuminates green Spanish moss hanging on gnarled tree branches. The tree branches have arc'd to form a peace sign. Blue dragonflies dance in the night sky, which is in shades of lavender, deepening to purple. This meditation piece, part of the Zen Mandala modern art series (visionary landscapes in a surreal Asian style), is an original acrylic painting on a gallery-wrapped stretched canvas (the 3/4" sides are finished off in purple acrylic)--no need to frame. It has been lightly varnished to protect the paint and preserve the lustrous colors. The copyright watermarks on the image do not appear on the actual painting.

New, from my original painting, Lenore in the Breaking Dawn

In her prettiest ballgown, the ghost of Lenore casts a final look at the raven, before the day breaks and she fades. The rising sun illuminates the haunted cemetery, casting light of pink, deepening to magenta. Cherry blossom petals dance among the tombstones. This Gothic fantasy landscape, inspired by the "The Raven" poem by Edgar Allan Poe, is offered as a pendant, hand crafted by the artist from my original painting. Made from polymer clay with the print baked into it, then sealed with resin, giving the image a glass-like quality and providing waterproof protection.