Willow's Quiet Corner

Daniel Merriam

noreply@blogger.com (Willow's Quiet Corner) — Sun, 13 Jul 2014 01:38:00 -0700

Tonight I had the honor and privilege of meeting and shaking the hand one of the nicest people and one of the most fantastic artists. I bought one of his prints a little over a year ago along with his book, Taking Reality by Surprise. I brought the book with me tonight hoping I might be able to get him to sign it for me. And he did. Yay!

We even chatted for some time about his work and I was surprised at how many paintings he puts out a year, which he currently estimates at about 30 or so. I thought that was a lot, but he said previously he probably put out 40-60 a year. That just seems like a lot, roughly 1 a week on average! I would love a chance to be able to sit and watch him work. He was so kind to spend so much time chatting with me, I really enjoyed it.

Le Petit Trianon

I have watched some of the online videos of him working and I found them fascinating, but of course, they are speeded up, so it is a bit of a distorted way of watching him work.

Flying Dreams

The print I bought last year was Le Petit Trianon and I still enjoy examining every single detail in it. From the tiny little glass of red wine in the upstairs window to the veining in the butterflies wings to the tiniest architectural detail. Every single item has the most intricate and delicate details. I love the colors in it. His coloration is superb. The gradations are done so gradually, so smoothly and so seamlessly they almost appear airbrushed. The original is huge, something like 4 feet by 8 feet. My print is half that size.

Falconess

When I look at the copy in the book with a magnifying glass it appears 3D. I just love it.

Madame Blanche

They have had others in the gallery I really like, Madame Blanche, High Altitude (really love this one, too) and Lake House. He has a couple of new ones that I really like as well, the Falconess and Flying Dreams, both of which are calling my name . . . LOUDLY! :) He hasn't made any prints of Flying Dreams yet, but I hope he does someday.

High Altitude

Here are a few links if you would like to explore his work a bit further. If you have a gallery in your area who represents him, I hope you get a chance to stop in and see his work in person. I think you would really enjoy them!

Lake House

Daniel Merriam's Website

Daniel Merriam's Facebook Page

Exclusive Gallery's Webpage

AFA Gallery New York Webpage

I really like this one, as well. . . Ok, it seems I like all of his work, really well! What a magical world he lives in!

Built on Dreams Alone

Happy Valentine's Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Willow's Quiet Corner) — Fri, 14 Feb 2014 11:47:00 -0800

I'm still having fun decorating my new shelving (I know, I know . . . I should be FIXING the shelving . . . :) But, I'm being lazy! However, please know, I WILL fix them "one of these days" . . . eventually! :) Perhaps when the newness of being able to have spots to decorate wear off! ;)

I should also get in gear to get the rest of the house taken care of! I have a very long list of things I want to get done! (I'm sure I'm not alone in this!)

I will also start getting better at hiding the ugly cords . . . a little ribbon perhaps? Maybe tiny dabs of museum putty to hold it against the wall also . . . so it is not just hanging there?

The 4 white pillar candles are electric and I have them and the string lights on a timer so when I get home at night I am greeted with this cheery red glow to welcome me home! Trust me, it really is red-ish! ;)

I wish I had better lighting to capture it a bit better! Perhaps one of these days I will also get around to getting a new camera as well! My lists are getting longer and longer!

But, for now . . . this is what I have to work with!

I bought this mirror a while back for about $10, I think. It was black and had different hooks on it when I got it. It's very heavy. I threw some white paint on it, but I didn't do a very good job and I'm not entirely happy with the hooks I put on it. I'm thinking about sanding it down a bit and putting another coat of white paint on it to tidy it up a bit more and, hopefully, get rid of the brush marks! I am also keeping my eye out for other hooks.

I will also have to try to figure out how to photograph mirrors! I don't know where those strange white tic-tac-toe stripes were coming from in the photo up above the one above here!

In other news . . . the raccoons are back and using the top of my shed as their latrine! GROSS! I will have to amend their names a bit to also include Shed Mucker-Upper. I am wracking my brain on how to stop them this time. I have a couple of ideas, but they are probably going to look very bad. Very, very bad. :( But, I am going to have to try something! Shotguns and electrical "stimulation" are apparently out of the question! ;) Darn firearms laws and animal rights! (Before you get upset with me . . . please know I am joking! Refer to my initial posts on the raccoons! But, I am getting VERY frustrated!) I guess this is just their way at getting back at me for keeping them out of my pond . . . for now. I'm sure they are hard at work googling and researching how to get around my blocks. I can just picture them doing it . . . sniggering at me the WHOLE time!

If it didn't embarrass me so much, I'd show you the solution to them tearing up my pond! But, you can see a peek at it here. I have another idea on that one that would look much better . . . just trying to figure out the actual logistics of how to do it!

Nothing like a little adversity to get the creative juices flowing!

Anyway, that's it for now! Hope those of you under tons of snow are staying safe and warm! For those of us in the drought-plagued regions, while I am loving this picture perfect weather . . . we NEED rain! Or at least snow in the mountains! Yeah, that would be good! Leave the sunshine to us and put 9 feet of snow in the mountains for the skiers and snowboarders so it can melt and fill our reservoirs! Win-win! :)

Don't forget to grab a bite of chocolate on your way out! The ones in the pink wrappers have a yummy raspberry filling! I'll try not to swat your hand away from my favorite! Happy Valentine's Day! ! !

Merry Christmas! ! !

noreply@blogger.com (Willow's Quiet Corner) — Mon, 23 Dec 2013 23:21:00 -0800

Getting ready for Christmas

Hello, everyone! I am still here! I've had lots to post about, I just didn't manage to sit down to do the actual posts! :( There has been so much I needed to get done, I just seemed to run out of steam! So, I'm going to throw it all in here now! Out of date and all! :)

I did manage to sneak away to the OC Fair this summer. I wish I had seen these guys coming in time to get my camera out instead of trying to play catch up. There was a parade of these characters drumming up interest for their act. I missed it, too! I'll bet it was good!

I always hit the arts and crafts to see what everyone has created . . .

the fine arts (no photography here :( - except of the lights above!), the products area,

the animal barns and garden areas . . . oh, and maybe a quick run by the wine tasting area . . . just for . . . uh . . . research purposes.

And, I did get my garden in . . .

Moon and Stars Watermelon

My Moon and Stars watermelon . . . here is one of the babies in the early stages. I only got a couple and neither one of them turned out well. All over the garden I had problems this year. I guess I need to be a better gardener and make sure I water as needed . . . . . and not just on the weekends! :(

Charentais Melons

My Charentais cantaloupes fared a bit better, but still . . .

Black Pear Tomatoes

My Black Pear tomatoes did do pretty well. My first year with them. They were very tasty! I made sure to save some seed for next year!

Bird House Gourds

My first attempt at the bird's nest gourds didn't do so well either. They all rotted or molded. *sigh*

My strawberries did ok, though! Still, not a big crop, but they have escaped and are growing up all around the patio, so maybe next year!

Pineapples

I was so excited the pineapple tops took off and I had 4 plants growing off this top and 2 off the other one. They were looking really, really good . . . and then . . they died. I do not know what I did wrong on this one.

Teddy Bear Sunflower babies

Star Gazer Lillies

Dragon Fruit

On the plus side . . . my flowers did fairly well! The teddy bear sunflowers needed more room, so less in a pot, but they were really cute anyway! And I ended up with 2 dragon fruits this year as opposed to the 1 I got the previous 2 years! I doubled my crop! ;)

Next year I have to get more serious with my poor garden and feed and water it better!

I also tried to do some carpenter duty. I should have known better. Trust me. I won't get hired to do any carpentry work any time soon. (Another career path down the drain for me! ;) It seemed like it should have been so easy. Just two little boards with a couple of supports and something across the front to keep pictures from sliding off. I have a small drill, a small jig saw, some chisels left over from my print-making class years ago, a hammer, screwdrivers, sand paper, screws and nails. That is the extent of equipment at my disposal. Sadly, I am not expert with any of them. Perhaps I should be taking classes! LOL!

But, then there were the strips up the wall to cover the paneling joins to take into consideration. I had to get creative with how to scrape out spots on the planks to go over them and still lay flat against the wall. It's not pretty, but they do go over those spots on the wall. And, you don't really notice that part, so I guess it's ok!

I also knew I would be wanting to put up lights and possibly other small electrical types of things there. So, extension cords would have to be able to feed up through them as well. Cut-outs would be needed. I always worry there won't be enough room for the ends to feed through so, believe me, there are very large cut-outs. But, the extension cords do fit! ;) Note to self . . . never, never, never ever again weave the strings of light in and out of the trim. Never. Hours. Simply, hours! I'm a little slow . . . you think I would have figured that out while putting them up. I should have stopped as soon as it got a bit tedious! :) Hee hee hee!

Please do not look toooooo closely at my lame attempt to make these shelves for my living room. Ok, you will actually have to keep one eye closed and squint real hard with the other one to try to miss the wonky supports. And even then, they stand out pretty blatantly. But, the shelves are at least level on the wall, even if the supports are not exactly as vertical as they should be! They may not look it in these pics . . . but, they are level! That's one thing going for them!

The fact that the supports are not straight is driving me crazy, but I am doing my best to just ignore them. I do not want to have to try to pull it all down and try to get them straight. But, they may drive me to do that at some point in the future, cuz' I really can't stand it.

I also do not have them quite finished. There is still a lot of touching up that needs to be done and I have some decorative scroll elements to glue on the flats against the wall. Not to mention needing to cover up the screws on them as well! They are just basically two 1X4's; one flat against the wall, the other, the "shelf", is supported by square decorative architectural elements and a decorative railing across the front.

But, I am going to like them, I think. The wall studs are not positioned in places I want to hang things, so I thought if I put up shelves that go across the entire wall I can slide pictures around as needed on them and wouldn't have to put any other holes in the walls. And, so far, they have looked nice with seasonal decorations on them. Later, I will put up other pictures.

I definitely had fun with the decorations and can't wait until it is more finished. But, I will also have to get better lighting so these pictures come out a little better. Even on a sunny day, this is a wall that, for photos, is light-challenged even though the room is relatively bright!

I did make a nice T-Day dinner for myself and a couple of pies. Here are some photos of the apple pie prep and final output. I was having a bit of trouble with the crust, so ended up just using some tiny cutters at a feeble attempt to say Happy Thanksgiving! I ended up with just a Happy T Day! Though in truth, it looks more like Happy T OAY ;)

I also managed to get away to the Getty to catch the Cyrus Cylinder before it left. Barely. I got there the very last day it was there along with many, many, many other people with the same idea! Who knew there would be a line to get in to see it! It was very difficult to get pictures without all of the other people in there as well! Also, it was dark and no flash photography or tripods allowed. So, please excuse the quality of these photos. My poor little camera did the best it could! I am hoping one of these days next year Santa brings me a new, fancy-schmancy camera. ;)

I am not sure why, but ancient glass just completely fascinates me. I don't know if I am more amazed they knew how to make it so very long ago and that they created such beautiful objects or that such fragile things survived so long or both.

I am working to get a lot done around here. Why are our "to do" lists so very long? ;) It has all taken quite a bit of my time, but I am definitely making progress and am hopeful I am getting things more under control and will be able to get back to posting on a bit more regular basis and get back to doing more artwork! No promises!

I appreciate everyone who has stopped by this past year to visit and say hi. There have been a few people who have disappeared from their blogs also and I'm hoping you are all still there and I hear from you again! I have missed your posts! I may not have been able to keep up with doing posts, but I have been visiting the rest of you and enjoying all the lovely things everyone has been posting this past year!

I hope you have had a good year and are looking forward to a great 2014. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone! ! !

Happy Mother's Day! :)

noreply@blogger.com (Willow's Quiet Corner) — Sun, 12 May 2013 00:48:00 -0700

Morning Glories

Happy Mother's Day to my mom and to all the other moms out there!

Iris

Here are a few flowers to help brighten your day!

Rose

I hope you put your feet up and rest and do whatever you feel like doing today. No working, no laundry, no cleaning, etc.

Peony

Get someone to pamper you for the day! Fetch your drinks, fan you while feeding you peeled grapes or bonbons, make your lunch (or at least take you out for one! :)

Rose

Hit a few yard sales to see what else you might be missing and didn't know you needed. ;)

Columbine

At the very least, have a wonderful day! Happy Mother's Day, I love ya, mommy! ! ! From your little angel! :)

Desert Sunset Guardian Angel

Happy Valentine's Day! ! !

noreply@blogger.com (Willow's Quiet Corner) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 23:02:00 -0800

I hope everyone has a lovely day! Be kind to your valentine! Remember to let them know how you feel about them!

If you don't have a valentine, be extra kind to yourself.

(Heck, be extra kind to yourself even if you do have a valentine! ;)

Treat yourself to flowers . . . or splurge on a really great chocolate . . .

Or just allow yourself to do the things you want to do, rather than the things you should do today!

As for myself . . . I think I am going to make some heart-shaped cookies and eat as many as I want! ;)

Happy New Year! ! !

noreply@blogger.com (Willow's Quiet Corner) — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 23:28:00 -0800

Peonies at Butchart Gardens, Victoria, Vancouver Island, Canada

Sorry I have been MIA for so long! :) I had several things I had planned on posting about, but . . . well, life happens! I may still try to get some of those posts done, even though some of the events were wayyyyy back in August!

Flowers at Butchart Gardens, Victoria, Vancouver Island, Canada

Anyway, this post is to say . . . I am still here! And to thank every one of you who has hung in there with me this past year! I truly appreciate all your support and just really, really love reading all your sweet comments . . . otherwise, it is just a bit boring talking to oneself! ;) . . . so . . . THANK YOU!

Sunset over Laguna Beach, California

I think we can safely and happily say good-bye to 2012 with all the tragedies we have watched unfold. Let the sun set on the year.

Sandcastle Contest in Hueneme Beach in Port Hueneme, California

Let's watch the sun rise and say hello to the hope that 2013 brings us all more peace and prosperity.

Footbridge in Butchart Gardens, Victoria, Vancouver Island, Canada

Where ever your path may lead you . . .

Bacchus figure (or Satyr?) at the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, California

I hope your days are merry . . .

Piano at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, California

and full of music.

Redwood Sorrel in the Redwoods - Northern California

And may luck follow you every step of the way . . .

Ride at the Orange County Fair in Costa Mesa, California

Remember to make every moment a celebration . . .

Peonies at Butchart Gardens, Victoria, Vancouver Island, Canada

I hope you'll stick around and join me for another year! Happy New Year, everyone! :)

Double Rainbow over Oak Glen, California
(though the 2nd one is so faint it is very difficult to see it! :)