MAPLE syrup REsurrection ...

REsurrection ... REbirth ... REincarnation ... REawakening ...

What better way to REvive and REsuscitate EVERY spring ...
than to be BURRIED in a cemetary where
the REvitalized-by-the-warmer-temperature MAPLE trees are TAPPED
and their SAP boiled into SYRUP ...

NEWER version of ME as an ARTIST ....

I am becoming a NEW version of the ARTIST I used to BE ... 

2017 has given ME plenty of TIME to reflect on this ... And the art WORLD is changing FAST and is NOT what it USED to be even just 5 years ago ... It seems to ME that, like in ANY other fields, you have to work MUCH harder and creater MUCH more to be able to ADD a handful of spare change to your wallet at the END of the week ... 

This morning, I found my OLD logo dating BACK years ago when I worked FULL-time as an ILLUSTRATOR ... And it is giving ME tons of ideas for a MAJOR spring RENEWAL ... And for ALL of YOU asking IF I still PAINT on canvas or just SCULPT clay now ? I will be creating in BOTH mediums and even OTHERS during the YEAR and see WHERE this leads ME ... 

Heading OFF to visit my PAPA with my MAMAN now ! I told here she better BRACE herself before looking at HIS face ... He looks like he hit a BRICK wall head FIRST ...

DROOOOOOOOOLING time ...

This is my FAVORITE drooling time of the YEAR ...

Trying to CONTROL myself here ... Just too many TEMPTING seed and poultry CATALOGS ... I feel like KID browing through the SEARS toys catalog BEFORE Christmas ...

But I MUST keep in mind that I can NOT grow EVERY single kind of tomatoes, hot peppers, morning glories OR zinnias UNLESS we TRANSFORM our place into a BOTANICAL garden ...

And I can NOT incubate a DOZEN eggs of each CHICKEN breed UNLESS I open a public petting ZOO ...

TODAY was a GOOD day soaked in ORANGE juice ...

Today ENDED like it STARTED ... Soaked in ORANGE JUICE with a BIG smile ... Just like a HAPPY day SHOULD ... 

TODAY, my PAPA came out of his SEDATION and for the FIRST time since THURSDAY's accident, BREATHED without the HELP of a machine ... He RECOGNIZED me, talked and asked tons of QUESTIONS as to WHY he was HOSPITALIZED ... I even made him LAUGH ... 

TODAY was a GOOD day ...

Do YOU believe in MIRACLES ?

Do YOU believe in MIRACLES ? 
Do YOU think like ME that OPTIMISM acts as a VERY powerful 
heavy-duty DARK thoughts, GLOOMY mood and NEGATIVE feelings CLEANER ? 

GRRRREAT news ! The doctor removed the INTUBATION and my PAPA is breathing WELL and all by HIMSELF ! This was our SECOND biggest worry, the FIRST being that we were scared his HEART would stop during the SURGERY while he was SEDATED ... 

We could NOT be HAPPIER ! The ordeal is STILL not over but he is on the ROAD to RECOVERY ! 

The SUN is SHINING, the maple SAP is DRIPPING in the PAILS and look WHO came OUT of hibernation to CELEBRATE this JOYFUL day with US ! SPIKY the PORCUPINE ! He is BACK ! 

YAY !

FOR SALE ! Little DOG in STRIPED sweater with Blue Bird CLAY SCULPTURE !

WHO let the DOG out ? Who, who, WHO ? I did ! 

I needed to CHEER up today and had SOME free time between HOSPITAL visits ... And NOTHING brightens up a cloudy HEART better than PAINTING with bright COLORS ! 

I am so HAPPY with how this little clay DOGGIE turned out ... He is house BROKEN, very GENTLE and does NOT bite ... He measures 10 in. high from tip of EARS to TOES and 7.5 in. from tip of TONGUE to BUTT ... He LOVES to wear STRIPED sweaters and ADORES little birds ... 

And he is up for ADOPTION in my SHOP ! 

Now, WHAT should we NAME him ? Or HER ?

SHARING the BEAUTY of a winter SUNSET on the lake ...

My PAPA is stable and doing pretty well considering what he went THROUGH Thursday ... NO dammage to his BRAIN and the BLEEDING has finally stopped ... 

Tonite, they will remove the INTUBATION that helps him breathe to see how he manages by HIMSELF ... He is still MIDLY sedated so he doesn't feel PAIN and to prevent him from PANICKING and trying to remove his NOSE bandage ... 

Since he is in INTENSIVE care, I can NOT be by his side FULL-TIME and must limit my visits to 10 minutes each TWICE a day ... 

THANK you so MUCH once again for CARING about him ... It warms my HEART ... 

I just drove back by the LAKE and, right HERE right NOW, all this BEAUTY is just too MUCH for one person to ENJOY ... I had to SHARE it with YOU ...

A CRISPY wave FERN and a FIERCE African WARRIOR for my PAPA ...

This morning, during my 10-minutes-ONLY-allowed visit with my PAPA in intensive care, I brought HIM a pair of GOOD juju AMULETS ... 

A little fierce AFRICAN warrior figurine that has been FOLLOWING me EVERYWHERE since 1984 to ward OFF the BAD stuff and PROTECT ... and a NEWLY purchased CRISPY WAVE fern, scientifically proven to EFFECTIVELY convert CO2 into OXYGEN and remove HARMFUL particles from the air ... 

My PAPA is still SEDATED but slowly WAKING up, he is now breathing with the HELP of the respirator and he responded QUICKLY to simple questions by BLINKING his eyes an HOUR ago ... He looks TERRIBLE but his condition is IMPROVING ... 

Thank YOU once again for ALL the good vibes, prayers AND healing thoughts YOU sent his way ... IF you have ANY left to spare, we will TAKE them with all our HEART ... 

He is NOT out of the WOODS yet, but at least he is following the RIGHT path to RECOVERY ...

HOLDING on to my GOOD LUCK charms ...

GOOD news ! 

THANKS to all the good vibes, prayers AND healing thoughts YOU sent his way and because he is a FIGHTER, my PAPA's old HEART survived the SEDATION required for the URGENT cautherization of his NOSE hemoragy and the PROCEDURE itself ... 

He is STILL sedated right now and PEACEFUL ... Hi face twice as BIG as normal, he looks like a BEATEN up boxer after the LAST round ... Later today, once he has AWAKEN, the doctor will REMOVE the intubation apparatus and see if he can BREATHE by himself ... 

Driving to the HOSPITAL right now to be by HIS side when they DO ... Wearing my GOOD LUCK charms on a STRING around my neck ... On my HEART under my t-shirt ... 

Thank YOU all SO MUCH for holding my HAND and my BACK ... Your SUPPORT means the world to ME ... 

Ok ... Time to GO ...

My PAPA and I need a BIG hug ...

I need a BIG hug tonite my friends and as MANY good vibes, prayers AND healing thoughts you can SPARE ... 

This morning, my 82 year-old PAPA stumbled on a carpet, fell face FIRST on the corner of a table and broke his NOSE ... My dad takes anti-coagulant medicine and we rode the AMBULANCE in a pool of BLOOD ... 

We arrived at the HOSPITAL at 10 this morning and by 4 p.m. the doctors could still NOT stop the emoragy ... SO MUCH blood ... NO antidote for his blood-thinning medication ... He started weezing ... BLOOD was filling his LUNGS ... 

My DAD has a tired HEART and SEDATION is a HUGE risk ... But to try to SAVE his LIFE, tonite I said YES to a RISKY surgery ... The decision was NOT hard to make ... Either we CHANCE it or he DROWNS overnight ... 

He is going through the PROCEDURE as we SPEAK ... I could NOT stay by his SIDE ... But I made sure to say GOODBYE just in case LUCK is not on our side ... 

Deep down INSIDE, I think he will MAKE it ...

BONJOUR early PRINTEMPS !

BONJOUR printemps ! 

65 degrees F and SUNNY February 21st ! 
Doors AND windows wide OPEN ... 
Snow MELTING as FAST as ICE cream on a HOT summer day ... 

8 o'clock this morning I sat right there on the back deck 
BAREFOOT and in PAJAMAS with the FIVE cats to sip my COFFEE ... 

You can call ME credulous, NAIVE and gullible ... TODAY, it REALLY feels like WINTER is over ... But of course, YOU know ME by now ... 

I am the QUEEN of OPTIMISM ... 
The BIG boss of the BELIEVE club !

A PAIR of spring-is-almost-here SURPRISES !

After spending a LOOOOOONG day at the HOSPITAL with my PAPA for tests and MORE tests, I came back HOME at sunset to a pair of BIG it's-almost-spring SURPRISES ... 

For the FIRST time in THREE months, the weather was WARM enough to let the door of the COOP open for the GIRLZ and ... The SAP in the trees is RUNNING ! It's MAPLE-syrup making TIME again ! 

YAY !

WEIRD pickles ...

WHY ?

Seven YEARS ago today, I PICKLED this little DOLL I had gotten at a THRIFT store ... WHY ? I just placed her in a STERILIZED glass jar filled with BOILED water and SCREWED the lid on ... WHY ? NO alcohol, formol, vinegar OR salt was added to the liquid ...

84 MONTHS later, it is PERFECTLY conserved ... NO mold, discoloration or decomposition ...

Yeah but WHY ?

An old FRIEND of mine visited my STUDIO today and was quite PERPLEXED by this canned SPECIMEN ... She asked me WHY I did it ? And I replied ...

This little doll was DEAD and she would have eventually ROTTED and turned BAD ... SO I decided to PRESERVE her ... And she was just a PERFECT addition to my CABINET of CURIOSITIES ...

My new CHICKEN secretary ...

I have been very BUZZY lately working NON-STOP on commissioned PAINTINGS, print ORDERS and clay SCULPTURES lately ... 

SO I am VERY thankful for my new SECRETARY who can reply to MESSAGES, type one HUNDRED pecks a minute and knows HOW to prepare a PEFECT cup of COFFEE ...

TODAY is all about PLAYING with my TOYS ...

Today, I will be A GOOD girl and play with my TOYS quietly between paint brush strokes and clay modeling ... 

I have been collecting tiny trinkets for a LONG time now, filling jars and JARS with them ... 16 of THEM ! The details and colors of these little objects CHARM me ... 

NOW time has come to DO something BIG with them ... 
a ONE-of-a-KIND twisted and funky ART creation !

HAPPY new YEAR of the DOG !

WOOF ! WOOF ! 

Will it be a GOOD dog or a BAD dog year ? Today is the FIRST day of the Year of the DOG ... A YEAR that offers OPPORTUNITIES aplenty for people who follow their HEART, embrace POSITIVITY and are devoted to their GOALS ... A year of social AWARENESS and ACTION ... A PROSPER year if you work HARD, communicate WELL with others and do NOT live in the PAST... A year of kindness, loyalty AND faithfulness ... 

To START this year on the right PAW, I created this little playful clay MUTT overnight ... I just LOVE how he turned out ... 

HAPPY Year of the DOG to you my friends ! 

Now, let's ALL wag our TAIL together and HOWL !

HAPPY premature SPRING day to YOU !

YEARS ago, we DECLARED February 15 as OUR official SPRING day ...

Already, the SUN is warmer, the DAYS longer, the GREEN plants are growing NEW leaves and there is a little SOMETHING in the air that doesn't LIE, a little voice WHISPERING coming from the FROZEN ground ...

TODAY was VERY mild and the snow was melting VERY fast ... To celebrate this JOYFUL day, Bibitte took me for a LONG walk UP on the mountain ... A CAT walk ...

Happy SPRING day to YOU !

LOVE is ALL we NEED ...

LOVE is ALL we need ...


Happy LOVE day to ALL of YOU !

Becoming FRIDA Kahlo ... in CLAY ...

Dedicating THIS week to finishing a BUNCH of commissioned PAINTINGS and shipping late ORDERS while squeezing some SCULPTING in between ...  I FINALLY had a FULL day of work in my STUDIO without interruptions TODAY and it feels WONDERFUL ! 

As you can SEE, FRIDA has bigger BREASTS now and is coming ALIVE slowly but surely ... I just can't BELIEVE how fearless I am with CLAY and how MUCH I have LEARNED about it in a few WEEKS ... 

My tender-half and parents are doing GREAT, so is my husky dog NIKITA, my SPAWN is having a EXCITING time in SWITZERLAND and I think SPRING is ALMOST on its way ! 

YAY ! 

I am FINALLY on a ROLL !

BREASTS problems ...

A bit past MIDNIGHT ... 
Just got back HOME ... 
An idea appeared in my HEAD ... 
Oven is turned ON ... 
Sketch book OPEN ... 
Now ... 

IF I could just shape FRIDA's breasts the SAME size ... 
I would be HAPPY ...

LOVE is in the AIR ...

The MAGIC of LOVE worked its CHARM once AGAIN ... 

The VALENTINE window decoration on the FRONT door FELL OFF during the night ... REVEALING a beautiful frosted CHERUB on the glass pane this morning ... 

Such a wonderful SURPRISE ... It SHOT an HAPPY arrow straight to my HEART ...

I LOVE my dear OLD dog Nikita ...

I took my 15-years old husky NIKITA to the vet Friday and my diagnosis was right ... She had a mild STROKE a few days ago ... 

She had gotten OLD so quickly ... She seemed to be loosing her EQUILIBRIUM and her head and body TILTED on one side ... She was also LESS responsive and VERY tired, refusing to EAT the food that she USUALLY adores ... 

So, we put her on THREE different medications for a WEEK to ameliorate her condition ... And already, she is responding VERY well and showing BIG signs of getting BETTER ... Her APPETITE is back and she can walk ... 

She hiked with me DOWN and UP the mountain this morning for 15 minutes and looked ALMOST normal ... but for the RIGHT EAR not as PERKY as the left one and BACK LEG not as STRONG ... 

But, she was SO happy and SMILED ... And I was SO happy and SMILED too ...

A HAPPY bouquet of plastic SPRING flowers ...

ARTISTS often ask EACH other about their FAVORITE tools ... 

Mine is an ASSORTMENT of colorful CLEAR brushes ... A pack of FIVE for a DOLLAR ... ALL different sizes AND tips ... SHORT, sturdy and made for CHILDREN ... but they fit PERFECTLY in an ADULT hand ... They are CHEAP, can TAKE a good BEAT and are SUPER resistant ... 

And a JAR of them on the SUNNY window sill in my STUDIO projects a beautiful STAINED-GLASS pattern on the WHITE wall ... and looks like A HAPPY bouquet of plastic SPRING flowers ..

FOR SALE ! Devil Angel CONJOINED heart TWINS clay SCULPTURE !

LOVE-MOI ...

Gaston and Rita are CONJOINED clay TWINS ... They share the same HEART ... but NOT the same BRAIN ... He has a DARK mind ... She has a GOOFY spirit ... Although they COMPLETE each other perfectly, DATING can be a PROBLEM ...

They are HOPING to be adopted for VALENTINE Day ... And of course, they REFUSE to be SEPARATED ...

The TWINS are 10.5 " tall from the tip of his HORN to the tip of the ARROW point and are READY to be mounted on a wall with a HOOK on their back

ADOPTION fee $135 plus shipping

LOVE-MOI !

Winter WONDERLAND ...

BONJOUR ! Office du Tourisme du QUÉBEC ... 
HOW may I help YOU ? 
You'd LIKE to know WHEN is the BEST time to TRAVEL to LA BELLE PROVINCE ? 
I say ... 

RIGHT here, RIGHT now ! 
THIS is what WINTER wonderland is ALL about ! 
THIS is where SNOW was created !

Getting OLDER ...

My HUSKY-dawg NIKITA is turning 15 in a couple of weeks and she is getting OLD ... 

Sleeping MORE, having a TOUGHER time standing up, seeing and hearing LESS, running NO more ... SLOWING down SLOWLY ... 

But still LOVING winter, COLD temperatures and SNOW ...

WIP ... Valentine DEVIL Angel HEART clay SCULPTURE

Working with CLAY makes me feel like a MAGICIAN ... 

Yesterday, I sculpted a HEART, a HORN and a pair of WINGS ... Today, I let my IMAGINATION run to my FINGERS and a creature with a PERSONALITY came ALIVE by enchantement ... 

It fascinates ME and makes me feel like a Play-Doh WIZARD, a plasticine SORCERER ... I am TOTALLY hooked ... Mesmerized by MODELING from scratch ... 

Fascinated by the LIMITLESS possibilities of 3-dimensional MAKING ...

Clay LOVE in PROGRESS ...

LOVE is in the air ...
And I am putting all my HEART into it ... 
Working with PASSION .. like the DEVIL ...

BLUER than BLUE ...

There is NOTHING prettier and bluer

than a sunny WINTER day after a SNOW storm

in Southern QUÉBEC ...

HOME is where the HEART is ...

We built our BELOVED house years ago in a REMOTE forest of deciduous trees on the flank of a mountain ... 

During SUMMER, our home stays FRESH and COOL, shaded by the MAPLE trees growing so CLOSE that the limbs touch the ROOF ... 

And come the COLDER months, the leaves fall off to let the LIGHT enter through the WINDOWS, making it BRIGHT and HAPPY, rain or shine, for the SECOND half of the year ...

I have a QUESTION for YOU ...

I have a QUESTION for ALL my ARTIST friends ! 

HOW do you reach your customers, fans AND art buyers when you offer NEW creations or have a SALE ? I post here on FB and on my FB ART page, on my BLOG, on PINTEREST and on INSTAGRAM ... YET, I reach ONLY about 25% of them and some are disappointed to have MISSED the opportunities to PURCHASE a new piece or take advantage of SPECIAL prices ... 

ANY advices ? I need your HELP ! ANY tricks ? 

And what about you ART buyers and collectors and fans ? How would you like to be NOTIFIED ? WHAT works or would work for YOU ?

NO matter WHAT, I'm a HAPPY groundhog !

Hair SPIKED, front teeth sticking OUT, I came out of my HOLE early this morning ... 

HURRIED through the front door to confront this SPECIAL day that decides WHETHER or NOT spring will be here EARLY this year ... YIKES !  I saw my SHADOW !  Instant PANIC mode ! 

I quickly CLOSED my eyes tight and walked BACK home like a BLIND winter creature feeling its way with HAND-KNITTED mittens ... ONCE inside, safe and warm, I stood UNSURE of what I had REALLY seen ... And decided I have a CHOICE here ... 

Shadow or NOT ... There will be 6 MORE weeks of winter ... MAYBE not ... Like a COLD that lasts 2 WEEKS if you TREAT it or 14 DAYS if you SUFFER through it ... 

Both ways, I am a HAPPY GROUNDHOG during winter ... SATISFIED and CONTENT in my COMFY lair ...

New FRIDA Kahlo La Luna ORIGINAL painting for SALE !

GUILTY or NOT ? 

While I was spending the DAY at my parents place to help them out, SOMEONE worked in MY studio, sat at MY table, used MY brushes and MY colors and painted a little 6" x 8" FRIDA La Luna canvas in MY very own style to commemorate yesterday's SUPER blue BLOOD moon ECLIPSE ... And the CULPRIT was just seated there innocently, WAITING for me ... 

Her name is Souris ... Souris the COPY CAT ! 

Ah ah ah ! 

This little painting is now AVAILABLE in my shop HERE ! 

P.S. PAPA is doing REAL good and is in a GREAT mood and MAMAN, who is SO thrifty, has already learned to do her STUFF with a cast on her good arm ...

www.mypinkturtle.com