A very special painting project!

A very special painting project!

Once in a while, you get a very special request to do a very special painting. Recently, I got such a request!

A customer of mine, Rita Smith, asked me if I'd paint a picture of her beloved poodle, "Muffie", who had recently passed away. She had a special Longenberger basket that she had had for years, wanting to paint a picture on it and it occured to her, Why not paint Muffie!

Like all of our animals, they are so near and dear to our hearts and Muffie was no exception! Rita was full of stories of Muffie; her accomplishments like sitting, shaking hands, rolling over and speaking to you. She loved to be brushed and I would well imagine, she was Rita and her husbands' baby!

In a way, it was a daunting task. I wanted to make Muffie come to life on her basket... a sweet memory of a sweet poodle.And so, here is the finished project. Rita was quite happy with her basket when she came to pick it up.

I have come to believe that our eyes take a picture while our hearts make a memory!

Susan Thompson

Art from the Heart

http://artfromtheheartbysusan.com/

A Rose is a Rose

I come to the garden alone;

While the dew is still on the roses;

And the voice I hear,

Falling on my ear;

The Son of God discloses....

And He walks with me and He talks with me,

And He tells me I am His own...

And the joy we share as we tarry there,

None other, has ever, known.....

This was my grandmothers' favorite song and when I hear it, I always think of her!

In life, she loved her garden and her birds. Roses were her favorite!

I remember when I was growing up of watching her toil in her garden. The smell of her home was always filled with vases of fresh, cut flowers; these childhood smells that seem to linger through life, long after the days of youth have passed.

Grandma was also a talented painter. Flowers and birds meandered about on her painted trays and reverse paintings on glass.

My first "painting" at about the age of 8, was a paint by number, of a vase of roses. She was so proud of that painting and promptly displayed it by her bedside. It wasn't until after her death, when I took the painting down, that I realized that of all the beautiful artwork that lavished the rooms of her home, that my painting was the first painting she saw every morning when she awoke!

She was my mentor. At about the age of 10, she taught and painted with me, my first, reverse painting on glass of a rose.

Years have passed by now, and from time to time and in the most unlikely of places, the smell of roses encompasses me. It's my sweet grandma... I just know it is!

It's her, reassuring me, that she's closer than I realize!

These roses I painted, are always memories of you, Grandma, and the happy times we shared!

Until we meet in His garden.....

Love and miss you always!

Susan

Wedding decor for Laura

Spring is the awakening of winters' sleep! From birds feathering their nests to flowers, bursting with the colors of life! Yes, indeed; my favorite time of the year! No wonder that most brides' choice of her wedding, is spring or summer. The myriad of colors that spring and summer emulate, are captured in these seasonal weddings.

Several years ago, my daughter, Laura, asked me to decorate for her wedding. This was my first venture into totally decorating from the pagoda that they were married under, to the pews, reception tables, wedding card and guest book table and to wherever my imagination led.....AND I HAVE A VIVID IMAGINATION!

My vivid imagination, filled up a travel trailer that made it's way across the state of Virginia to where her wedding was to be in Richmond.Floral arrangements, bows, netting, vases, flowers by the box full, pedastels, a guilded birdcage, Laura's great grandmother's wedding dress, and pretty much everything else in my house, minus the toilets, was packed and brought.

The color theme was crimson and what a wonderful wedding it was!

After this wedding, two other daughters remained.I gave my other daughters, Stephanie and Meredith, two choices;

1. I will decorate for your wedding but the color must be crimson. Pretty much what you see here at Laura's wedding, will pop up at YOUR wedding!

2. I will be more than glad to pay for a ladder with a bow on it!

All joking aside, I must say, that minus the rise in blood pressure to get ALL these decorations made, I just REALLY enoyed it!

As an inspiration of Laura's wedding, here are a few of wedding decor items that I'm offering.

Piece of advice for the Bride and Groom...

Groom: When your new wife asks you to jump, ALWAYS SAY.... How high?

Brides: Never say no..... say ...MAYBE...!

For pictures of previous works and contact information, I invite you to visit my website at http://ArtFromTheHeartBySusan.com

To browse my online store, I invite you to visit http://ArtFromTheHeartBySue.etsy.com