Cicada On An Oak Leaf

The cicadas that were expected in four years have arrived early. Well, actually, they have been here in the ground. Now they cling to leaves, walk along the sidewalks and fly slowly with much more effort than the fattest bumblebee. They somehow make it up into the trees to sing in a high-pitched tone. Each brood of cicadas has its own creepy beauty. These have orange legs and opaque eyes and such lovely wings, like  little leaded glass windows touched with orange at the shoulders. A friend recently discovered some wings that she had saved from the last cicada visitation. Perhaps I will get over my revulsion and collect a few this year.

Pink Roses On a Picket Fence

I'm still in the midst of Rose-Enjoying Time. If you add a picket fence, it's my idea of garden perfection, even when the roses look like they are trying to escape. Soft against  hard,  straight lines contrasting with curves, all that upward movement rewarded by the explosion of leaves and blossoms reaching outwards in every direction. What's not to like?

Bottles of Paint

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There’s no telling what I'll find at my favorite shop. One day, after a meeting for mixed media afficionados, I came across this delightfully colorful composition back in the stock room. What an arresting interplay of circles, angles and straight lines! It's a good example of the power of repetition. A new shipment of Artistic Artifacts' fabric paints were waiting to be shelved. I've used this paint and especially like the twist-and-squeeze tops with no cap to lose. You can see them here http://www.artisticartifacts.com/category/pdit.htm 
Then you'd be ready to create your own colorful composition, either with the bottles or by using the paint inside them.

Red Roses and White Bricks

Suddenly all the roses are in bloom. I cannot resist stopping to smell every shrub and have been known to trespass---just a little---to get a better look at an especially alluring rose. This scene did not require such measures. Here at the front entrance, red, black and white, that reliably successful color scheme, imparts drama and crispness. The texture of the painted bricks and the graceful lines of the blossom-laden stems add a cozy welcoming feeling. Don't you wish this was your front door?  I sure do.