MIA (for a month)

After posting so regularly many of you may wonder what happened to me. ( I often wonder that myself).  My husband I were hired to paint the bedroom and playroom of three little girls ages 4-9.  The bedroom room is huge- approximately 29′ by about 22′.  The playroom is also big but I never took the time to measure.  The girls’ playhouse cottage bunk bed has three full size mattresses in it to give you some idea of the scale. The ceiling is vaulted and goes up about 12-14 feet on the high side.  Well enough writing.  On to the pictures.

A dresser will go in the middle of this wall

Skylandialon (Watercolor Painting)

“Skylandialon” 13″ x 13″ watercolor

The people of Skylandialon had once lived on the ground but that was a long time ago. Longer than anyone could remember they had lived in the clouds with the birds and other flying creatures. In their scrolls there were tales of the mighty wizards that had been employed by the king to find a way to raise the royal city up high into the air. The wizards had found a way to do just that. It was done for two reasons; the first being most important, was to live as the birds did. And second it was to protect the city from any encroachment from outside forces. Both were achieved and Skylandialon enjoyed a peace and prosperity for millennia. Though other kingdoms sent spies and hatched plots to take over the kingdom, the magic that had been woven was so strong that none succeeded. For the wizards had wisely fueled the spells with the power of contentment and love. They had instructed the king and his people that so long as the citizens of Skylandialon were treated well and had the freedom and support to create any kind of life that they wanted, the city would remain floating and protected. The wizards also knew in their infinite wisdom that there would be those who would be unhappy no matter what they were given, and so the magic only depended upon the majority being content. The king was therefore always obligated to be a caretaker instead of a power hungry despot.

The drawing the painting is based upon

“Skylandialon” 12″ x 9″ graphite.

Copyright 2013 All rights reserved Ann Gates Fiser

Bath Tub Serenade

Petrius P Pandymon was unusual even for a citizen of Annaria. He was wealthy, and to be sure the wealthy can assume the title of eccentric rather than buck-ass crazy, but Petrius was beyond the pale. He started living in a tree after falling in love with the dryad. Liliah, to whom the tree belonged. And being so very rich meant that he could have the tree outfitted with all of the modern conveniences that Anarians are so very fond of. In spite of the fact that he loved the Dryad so very dearly, she finally had enough of Petrius’s attentions and forsook her tree to go and live with her cousin, a lake sprite, who assured Liliah that lake dryads were allowed to drown their lovers when they grew tired of them. As for Petrius he loved living in the tree so much that he never again ventured out of it, not even for the Empress. I believe that she even visited him a few times, but being as it hurt her neck to crank it upwards to talk to him, and that it was beneath her dignity to climb up in a tree, she declined any future visits.

This is the original pencil sketch that the painting was based upon.

Copyright 2013 All rights reserved Ann Gates Fiser

“Euphemism”

Sketch for the Day-

eu·phe·mism [yoo-fuh-miz-uhm] 
noun
1. the substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt.
2.the expression so substituted: “To pass away” is a euphemism for “to die.”

EX. Baby butterflies are born from a caterpillar blowing bubbles from a hooka…..

I decided to add to the list of Euphemisms for baby making- the stork, the cabbage patch, the birds and the bees, etc.  Add a fascination with the caterpillar from “Alice in Wonderland” and you have this sketch.  The caterpillar was the most magical character to me and the one that really made me realize Alice had really stepped through the looking glass.

“Euphemism” 9″ x 12″ graphite

“Skylandialon”

Sketch of the Day-

The sky people of Skylandialon loved the creatures of the sea and earth so much that designed their machines to honor and remember them.

Other than a love for hot air balloons and heavy ornamentation- I’m not sure where this one came from. 

“Skylandialon” 12″ x 9″ graphite.