giveaway, new website and a concert

7" X 10" mixed media journal page

In the morning when the moon is at it's rest,
you will see me at the time I love the best
watching rainbows play on sunlight;
pools of water iced from cold night,in the morning.
'Tis the morning of my life.

In the daytime I will meet you as before.
You will find me waiting by the ocean floor,
building castles in the shifting sands
in a world that no one understands,
In the morning.
'Tis the morning of my life
-barry gibb (1966 excerpt of In the Morning)

This song, In the Morning, is so lovely. It's sung here by David Gray. I can't say enough about this singer/songwriter. His new album "Draw the Line" is terrific. Nemesis is a great cut off the album. He even does a duet with Annie Lennox! Why the lovefest with David Gray? Well..... I was sitting around last Thursday listening to his new album when I decided to visit his website to see what he had going on. He's on tour and going to Chicago tomorrow and now.... so am I. I've wanted to see him perform for a long time....Chi-Town here I come!!

In case you haven't noticed..... I have a new website! Yes.... i'm so excited! manondoyle.com!! Please let me know if it's too slow because I have the option to change hosts! Don't really know what I'm talking about but it sure sounds great! Check my site out if you can spare a minute. You can even access it using the top tab buttons on my blog.


love your life
6" x 6" mixed media painting

GIVEAWAY

I've decided to give one of my readers this little painting above. If you leave a comment I'll draw a name on Sunday Funday!! It can be any kind of comment... funny, smart, nice..... I know many of you so... try to be nice....lol!

fill your heart with art and great music!!

-manon

sunday funday

7" x 10" mixed media journal page

The funniest girl I ever knew
had hair as orange as Halloween
The bluest eyes that saw right through
all the b.s. in everything
She was an artist from the start
and she always sang from the bottom of her heart
And though her road was so long
she finally made her way back home
yeah she finally made her way back home

-shawn mullins, "home"

I'm busy working on a few things all at once but still had a little time for journaling. All the colors in this journal page screamed autumn to me so I had to add the leaves. I think this is the first redhead that I paint..... thought I'd branch out a little today. ; )



A couple of months ago Judy Mackey saw the picture of my feet while I was on vacation in Arizona. She emailed me and asked if she could paint the photo I took. I was more than happy to have her paint it ...lol! A few days ago she unveiled her masterpiece that is pictured above! Wow!! My feet are now famous!! Judy told me that she's already had requests for more.
Mona Lisa had her smile.... Manon has her feet....lol!
Please visit Judy's site!! She is an incredible talent! I'm always in awe of her work!

Congrats to another great artist, Christy Dekoning, for winning a little mixed media mosaic heart that I made for Craft for Health! It'll be coming to Canada soon girlfriend!!

fill your heart with art

-manon

video on how to add texture to a painting

Ok.... so this still of me sucks....lol! Seriously .... this is a video on texture. I did notice that the painting in the beginning is terribly lit.... it looks so much better in person. Sorry about the crackle paste debacle! The stuff really needs to be on a stable surface. I think I made this a little long but stick with me and you'll get how to add texture to your painting!!
Another thing...... let the molding paste dry all the way before you start painting!!

fill your heart with art

-manon

evening

evening
12' X 12" mixed media painting with mosaic on birch

New like smoky mornin'
Cool like heaven glow
Meet me on the mountain
I've got no place to go

I like my daylight to be silver
I like my night skies to be blue
Blue as you

Instellar rainbow
On its cosmic wheel
Rollin' where the wind blows
Never standin' still

I like my daylight to be silver
I like my night skies to be blue
Blue as you

- shawn mullins, "blue as you"





I've had issues with these mixed media paintings!! How do I protect them? Sounds easy? No way...... I've lost sleep over this...lol! My good friend and fellow artist, Lynne Hoppe, suggested that I brush some gel medium over them when I was done but my only problem with that is I often use marking pencils, which are not waterproof, so brushing over them will take them off. My whole issue seems to be the oil pastels that I'm using because they never truly dry and I need dry! What to do? What to do? I decided to take this painting down to the local art store and pick their brains. I ended up walking out with a fixative spray for oil pastels.... only problem is that it's glossy.... yikes. I don't even know if I like glossy. I'm going to find out.... lol! The plus is that the glass is already shiny so now the painting will match that glass..... omg!

fill your heart with art

-manon

fly

The winds have welcomed you with softness,
The sun has greeted you with it's warm hands,
You have flown so high and so well,
That God has joined you in laughter,
And set you back gently into
The loving arms of Mother Earth.

— Anon, known as 'The Balloonists Prayer,' believed to have been adapted from an old Irish sailors' prayer.



Sometimes I don't have anything to say...lol! Today is one of those days so I'm going to talk about something totally random. During my last trip to Arizona I noticed that I'd lost some weight...... I know, I know..... what a problem to have..... but seriously..... my jeans were falling off. I'm a really healthy eater and I workout quite a bit so I knew I had to figure out how to get some lbs back on. Enter my new found obsession....... cheddar Sun Chips! Omg..... these things should be illegal...... what the &*&)(%%$%! I'm a salt girl so these crunchy, sodium filled, little crinkly chips catapulted me into hog heaven. When I returned home I had gained three Sun Chip pounds so I decided that would be enough...... not. As I strolled the aisles of Sam's Club the other day those nasty little chips were staring at me. Wow..... my eyes grew big and I started salivating.... they were calling out to me....."buy me, buy me!" You can't purchase one bag over there .... you have to buy two..... bonus.....so out I walked with my addiction in hand. I will eventually have to give them up but not yet! hee, hee

Btw..... I checked the nutritional content and they do have 18g of whole grain goodness.... lol!



I always rag on my daughter, Alex, not to feed Otis scraps but every time he hears the chip bag he wants one. He loves them just as much as I do!!

fill your heart with art

-manon

shine

12" x 24" mixed media painting with glass mosaic

And true love it is a rock
Smoothed over by a stream
And no tickin of a clock
Truly measures what that means
Truly measures what that means

And this thing called our time
I heard a brilliant woman say
She said "you know it's crazy
How I want to try to capture mine"
I think I love this woman's way
I think I love this woman

The way she shimmers
The way she shines
The way she radiates
The way she lives
The way she loves
The way she never hates

-shawn mullins "shimmer"



The above work is another attempt at adding glass mosaic to one of my paintings. All the greenish gold you see is glass smalti. Please feel free to let me know what you think. It's really hard to see the glass but it sparkles in person.

I love using musician's lyrics. I love music!! The singer/songwriters are my favorite but I honestly listen to everything..... even country! : ) When I paint my Ipod is always plugged in and I'm usually singing at the top of my lungs... lol..... I even do that in the car and I look like a total idiot. I was thinking about all the corny songs that I like today ..... and that list is long. Here's a few....lol....... don't laugh at me because I know you all have a few of these........

"Babe" by Styx..... I was thirteen and at the roller skating rink when I first heard this...... gotta love it!

"I'm all out of Love" by Air Supply.... lol..... "I'm lyin alone with my head on the phone.... thinking of you till it hurts....lol"

"Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler......"turn around.... every now and then i get a little bit lonely and you're never comin round.... turn around" ....... ya...... I'm getting a little crazy!

"Dancing Queen" by ABBA.... come on? who doesn't like this one?

"Take it on the Run" by REO Speedwagon...... ok..... I'm aging myself now..... I hope my kid doesn't read this!

Go on and add to my list. I've got so many more...lol!



My incredibly talented friend, Ces, made this beautiful drawing of me today! Wow! She is my dear sisterfriend who is so generous with me and others. I so value her friendship. Ces is an amazing painter and illustrator...... please visit her blog! Thanks Ces!!

Btw...... my hair looks pretty cute in that drawing..... and I love the earrings ..... oh .... just noticed the tube of paint and paintbrush! It's awesome!

A Happy Thanksgiving to all my family and friends in Canada!!

fill your heart with art and music

-manon

lots of stuff on de blug

7" x 10" mixed media journal page

When you pray, rather let your heart be without words than your words without heart.
-john bunyan

After my last post I got a call. I knew it was coming and I sensed who was on the other line. My mother.....yikes.
I'm going to tell you about our conversation but I want you to first picture a feisty French Canadian woman with a heavy French accent..... kinda of like Celine Dion. I will try to write like the way she speaks and I'm sure when she reads this I'll be getting another call...lol

"hello"

"allo Manon?"

"Hey mum..... what's up?"

"I just wanted to tell u dat I read your blug yesderday"

"did you like the painting?"

"well..... I wanted to know if u tought u needed a terapeest?"

"hahahaha ..... no I really don't believe that I need a therapist ..... my art is my therapy!"

"oh.... your fadder and I are worreed about u because deese women u are painting look deepressed"

" well... I think you are reading too much into them"

"ok.... but do u tink u can make a appy gurl next time?..... u are appy so de gurl should be more appy"

"sure mum.... I'll do my best"

"Ok..... we love u babe"

"love you both and thanks for the lovely conversation...lol"

note to self..... keep de familee away from de blug.....lol


Some news for you!! Please pop by Craft for Health. I'm a guest blogger today and if you leave a comment over there you could win a small mixed media mosaic heart that I did.... yay!

In other news..... October 15th will be the day that the "Party Animals Auction" will start. It will begin at 12:00 pm and 100% of the proceeds will go to Bernie Berlin's A Place to Bark animal rescue. If you search the words "party animal auction" on that day everything should come up! It is a great cause to be involved in so bid on some artwork if you can!!



fill your heart with art

-manon

today

7" x 10" mixed media journal page

I'm sitting down by the highway
Down by that highway side
Everybody's going somewhere
Riding just as fast as they can ride
I guess they've got a lot to do
Before they can rest assured
Their lives are justified
Pray to God for me baby
He can let me slide

'Cause I've been up and down this highway
Far as my eyes can see
No matter how fast I run
I can never seem to get away from me
No matter where I am
I can't help feeling I'm just a day away
From where I want to be
Now I'm running home baby
Like a river to the sea

-jackson browne, "your bright baby blues"

His acoustic version of this song is fabulous. Check it out if you have a minute.

fill your heart with art

-manon

bar harbor

First you jump off the cliff and you build wings on the way down.
-ray bradbury



So...... I thought I'd give you a little update on my whereabouts ..... I'm in Bar Harbor, Maine..... visiting with my cousin, Natalie.
We've had a lot of fun hiking in Acadia National Park, walking to Bar Island, and checking out all the sites. On our way back from hiking on Thursday we stopped at a mountain climbing store and I just couldn't help myself ...... I walked in. Yes, I decided to sign myself up for a four hour rock climbing class....lol.

What the &^@$^$*& was I thinking? When the instructor and I arrived at the location on Friday afternoon it was lovely out and the ocean was right in front of me. The picture above is what I was looking at...... so incredibly beautiful until ...... I decided to look over the cliff and then my heart sank to my feet. This was not a bunny cliff! I had to laugh because I was freaked out but there I was and I was going to jump off that cliff!



Rappelling down was very cool..... then what? You've got to come up sister! I didn't want to be the one who was hoisted up by an instructor so I did it myself.....yay!



I had a couple from Ithica, N.Y. cheer for me on the second climb. My knees and elbows are all bruised up but I'm already thinking about doing it again next year! Ya.... right...lol!



This is my cousin, Natalie, and I hiking up Gorham trail. We had a blast.

I leave here Sunday morning. I've had a great time!!

fill your heart with art and adventure

-manon