In search for interesting cemeteries for my ghost series of paintings, I found a fantastic one, right near home. The Santa Clara Memorial Park. It's even dog friendly! My mom's dog, Star, found a friend there (Star is the white dog). Interesting monuments and trees, including redwoods and pepper trees. We got there late so we only had time for a short visit but I'll be back soon.

New ghost 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 an original acrylic painting on a gallery-wrapped stretched canvas (the 3/4" sides are finished off in black 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.

Found another great site on etsy, sewmeamemory, featuring all kinds of clothing, items for the home, accessories. This little girl's purse is just too adorable:

One thing I love for breakfast is a whole-grain English muffin and some sort of fancy jam. I found a great shop on etsy, dasweetspot. The Vanilla Bean with Pears Jam is particularly tempting.

Today, I went on a little day trip to Monterey to gather inspiration for my Haunted California series, and more Lenore paintings. There was a fantastic cemetery there. I took over 100 photos. Here are some highlights...
My personal favorite for "Spookiest Tree in the Cemetery":

Unusual cross covered in seashells:

One of the many mausoleums. This one was a little fancier:

These tall cypress trees stood like sentinels, watching over the graves:

This was a different one with an Asian theme:

And, as we were leaving, I spotted this sweet little angel statue near the base of a tree:

New ghost painting, "Bent Cypress and Blue Lady":

A local legend, the ghost of the Blue Lady walks the bluff along Half Moon Bay. She wears an evening gown from the roaring 20's. A crow (messenger between worlds) perches on one of the distinctive cypress trees. Seagulls glide through clouds in gentle shades of mauve, gray and purple tones. A golden halo surrounds the sun in the late afternoon. This haunted California paranormal fantasy seascape is an original acrylic painting on a gallery-wrapped stretched canvas (the 3/4" sides are finished off in dark green 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.

I am inspired to work on more ghost paintings so I looked up some older cemeteries to visit. Today, we went to Los Gatos Memorial Park (in San Jose, California). We had the puppy with us so we couldn't go in. I took some photos at the entrance gate (where there was a crow...I thought that a good omen) and where the hedge was low enough. We saw there was another entrance on the other side but we couldn't find it so that will have to wait for another trip. Here are some images from the excursion:

Happy New Year! Got my newsletter out: Click here for my January 2011 newsletter. Chock full of special offers and a nice recap of new pieces. There's a sign up on my website, or email me.

I can't really say when it started but, for years, I've wanted to go to the ocean near the new year. This year, we went to Santa Cruz. This was a particularly inspirational photo, I thought, of the light and the ocean.

And wouldn't this be a great house to have.

Full Moon over Paris, original ACEO painting (half price):

I joined a new ACEO group on etsy called ACT. The first project is a cityscape. This is not a subject I've worked much with. After some debate, I decided to spend Christmas in Paris and painted this:

It will be available for sale soon.

Got two 16 x 20 canvases gesso'd for peace tree paintings today. One will be a green background with butterflies. The other a multi-colored background with dragonflies. Not sure which one I'll start with.

New ghost painting, Lenore by an Olive Tree (from Poe's The Raven). Went into a private collection but prints are available.

In a white empire gown, the ghost of Lenore drifts among the olive trees, forgotten by all except the raven. The full moon illuminates the ghostly landscape. The night sky is in shades of dark red and burgundy. 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. It has been lightly varnished to protect the paint and preserve the lustrous colors. The copyright watermark does not appear on the actual painting.

Peace Tree in Golden Glow Original Acrylic Painting:

The setting sun illuminates blossoming tree branching, arcing to form a peace sign. Some of the cherry blossom petals are dancing in the sky, which is in shades of glowing yellow and gold. A couple dark red dragonflies dance in the sky. This hope-filled 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 burgundy 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.

Peace Sign Tree with Monarch Butterflies Handmade Art Pendant on Cord on ArtFire. From my original painting :-)

Got a good start on the golden glow peace sign tree painting. For this one, I started with a 16" x 20" canvas and used my new Golden open acrylics. The background went on very similar to oils. I then wanted to get the main branches & some blossoms in while the paint was good & wet. You can't really simulate that after the fact. Worked for hours. Time for a break. The open acrylics will stay wet through the day and can even be reactivated. I was planning on some dragonflies as well, however, and I may want the paint to have set for those (easier to do the transparent wings).

New zen painting, The Moon in a Teacup

A blue dragonfly lands on an earthenware yunomi (Japanese teacup). The luminous full moon is reflected in the green tea it holds. Steam rises from the black tetsubin (cast-iron Japanese teapot), which is sitting on a woven mat. In the background, a couple more blue dragonflies flit among the green bamboo forest, twilight turning the sky lavender. This zen landscape 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.

This is one of those paintings that's been on my mental "to do" list for I don't know how long.

Through Dec. 9th, get free shipping on *any* order by entering the code SLEIGH: http://shop.cafepress.com/zenbreeze. My CafePress Shop has various wonderful things...T shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, mugs, pet dishes, cards and calendars.

I've had in mind that, for my next Lenore ghost painting, I'd set her in olive trees. Olive trees always look kind of spooky to me to begin with. Since I was there anyway, I asked Steve to take a couple quick photos of me (pretending to see a raven);
Then, I remembered there was a great olive grove at a nearby convent.