MAD HATTER TEA PARTY

 Is the Mad Hatter right? Are we all "Mad" here? Well, look at the artwork we create!! Isn't there a certain madness in our method? I know how obsessed I have been since I first began creating digital art, and it seems that I cannot ever not think of anything else!! Ideas are always popping in my head daily, no matter where I am or what I am doing! It seems that the whole world can inspire me with just the ordinary in my day-to-day activities of my life! How about you? Feel the same? 

That is why I love creating art with a theme like Alice In Wonderland because there is no limit to how many different ways you can use your imagination to interpret how you see Wonderland and all of its quirky characters!

The History of Hatmakers and their Madness goes back to the 19th Century when in London, Hatmakers were forced to inhale harmful chemicals used in Hat Making, so that over time, slowly their brain cells were destroyed, thus creating madness! Hence came Lewis Carroll's flamboyant character, The Mad Hatter!! And don't you think the perfect character and companion for Alice as she navigates the upside-down world of Wonderland?

Another Note of Trivia...there is a neurological disorder called Alice In Wonderland Syndrome! People who suffer from this syndrome have a distorted visual perception of objects that are either smaller or larger or appear to be closer or further away than they really are! Interesting!

Put your Mad Hatter on and create some Tea Party artwork for this week's Theme! I have posted a few more free images just for you to download for inspiration! Can't wait to see what you will create!! 

Here are my Mad Hatter Creations!!

Digital art created from Pinterest, Pixabay, and Miriam's Digital Kit Scraps

"A" IS FOR ALICE

August is the month for Alice and all things of Wonderland! My favorite and I know this theme is your favorite too! From traditional, to eccentric, to abstract, let's create Alice this week as we want her to be! Fantastical, playful, and magical...anyway you see Alice, you can create your own little Wonderland with her in it!

I have posted a page for all of you who are Alice Fans that love to collect "All Things Alice"!!! Check it out and use what you want to create your one-of-a-kind Alice!! Have fun, as you well know, we are ALL MAD HERE!!!!

Here are all of my "Alice" Creations!

Welcome To Wonderland!!

Digital art created from Gecko Galz Digital Collage Sheets Go Ask Alice, Alice's Travels To Wonderland,  Haunted Harlequin Paper Pack, Miriam's Digital Kit Scraps, and Pinterest

CRAZY ARCHITECTURE

"What's that strange-looking building on top of the railroad tower at Chickamauga Dam?" reads the headline in the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

When I first moved to Chattanooga, I began working as a Caregiver for an In-Home Healthcare Company and was traveling from patient to patient every day. I had to cross the Chickamauga Bridge to get to most of my patients that I would be caring for in that part of the city. 

One day, as I was crossing the bridge, I looked over to my left and saw a house sitting on the railroad tower. I thought I was seeing things, hallucinating a house on a tower! On my way back home that evening, I crossed the bridge to go home, and there it was...the little, white house still sitting on the tower!! So unusual!!

Many questions entered my mind about the little house. I became obsessed with why the house was there and what its purpose was??? The abstract artist in me was so fascinated with the house and the surreal setting it was in. I had to find out the history of this place and why it was there! I also thought that it would be a cool theme for one of our challenges!!!! 

The simple answer is that it was the control house for the railroad bridge, named Tenbridge. It housed a control room where an operator could raise the bridge to allow tall boats to pass underneath it. 

So this is your challenge!! Using your imagination, create an odd, surreal place in your artwork where you would least likely see a building or a house! Go as "crazy" as you want. Really bring out the abstract notion of this challenge! I cannot wait to see what you will come up with!  

I want to apologize for my absence from the blog for the last 2 weeks.  I had to order a battery charger for my laptop and it took 2 weeks to get it in the mail. I was without a laptop this whole time!!! Ugghh!!!! I did not realize how much of my life is consumed by creating art until I did not have the means to create it with!!!! It's all good now, and everything is back in proper working order, thank goodness, so without any other unpredictable delays, we can return to the regular schedule. Thank you for your patience!!

 

Looking forward to August, I have something really special planned for the whole month!! A Hint..."A" is for Alice!!!! My most favorite story and characters to create art with!!! 

I know it is yours too!

Here are my Crazy Architecture Creations!!!

 

Digital art created from Honeycomb Digital Kit Ethereal Enigma, Itkupilli's Digital Kit Wooden Houses, Wikipedia, and Pixabay

GOTHIC CEMETARY STATUES

 

I love Old, Gothic Cemeteries with all the weather-stained statues standing around the moss-covered tombstones like Heavenly Guardians watching over the dead. 

I marvel at their carved features, so realistic that no matter where you stand, their eyes are looking at you. if you spoke, it is as if they could actually speak back to you. The sculpture of each tiny detail of their face, hands, and feet is fascinating, as well as every fold of their robe or gown, carved like real fabric. 

Fascinating, and yet, why are they so very creepy? Sometimes just standing near a statue is enough to send chills down your spine! I always feel both wonder and fear when I am standing in a cemetery and looking at a statue! Silly, but I fear them calling out to me or reaching out to touch me!! 

In the midst of all of the creepy feelings, I cannot forget to think about the artist and the immense talent it took to sculpt these statues with just a chisel and a rock! What great precision it must take to bring life to stone!

The Cimiteri Monumentale di Milano is located on the hillside of Stagliene of Genoa, in the district of Milano, Italy. It is one of the largest cemeteries in all of Europe. It is well known for its abundance of tombs and artistic monuments. The Oneto Family tomb houses one of my favorite statues, The Angel Monteverde, sculpted by Giulie Monteverde.

Look at those eyes!!!! 

I wonder how in the world the sculptor can make something this magnificent out of stone? The details of her face, her lips, but most especially, her eyes! Even the pupils...the definition!! How? To me, this is a great example of the human imagination and immense, creative talent...art! 

I am obsessed with her statuesque beauty and mesmerized by the details of her. She fills me with awe and yet chills me at the same time! I fear her. I cannot look at her for any length of time. So human and yet un-human!

Do you feel the same way? Show us in your artwork this week what you think about Gothic Cemetery Statues! Make them gloomy or set in a background of brilliance...it is all up to you! I can't wait to see what your Dark Imagination will guide you to create!

I also posted a page full of statues and backgrounds for you to use in your artwork! How will you bring your stone to life?

Here are my Gothic Statue Creations!

PECULIAR CHILDREN

 Remember when Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children was popular? 

There was a whole set of Peculiar Children books. Miss Peregrine's Children had a large array of psychic, magical powers. They could transform themselves into other things, float in the air, read your mind, tell the future, move objects, and vanish. They were very special and very different from other children. And very spooky!!!

I thought this would be a very good theme for us to try!! Create your own version of your Peculiar Children for this challenge! What special psychic powers do your children have? Show us in your artwork! Have fun this week with your children!!

I created a Page with Images for you to use in your artwork and I finally updated the Artist's Showcase for you!!  

Here are my Peculiar Children!

And of course, this one was just for fun!!

Can't wait to see what your Peculiar Children can do!!

Digital art created from Art House Whimsey Gothic Backgrounds, KateDreamPrint Digital Kit Dreamy Backgrounds, Pixabay, Miriam's Digital Kit Scraps, and Pinterest.