Moss Whispers

I’ve always thought that acorns would be the best currency! At least in these economic times! The reason this little stove is named ‘the queen’s stove’ is because that is the name carved on this actual little stove that is down at The Hillock. Not sure who the queen really is in this story, or even if she ever will show up. No matter. She makes a mean acorn stew!

Posting before midnight is not happening! It’s hard to just let myself stop, go through all the screen shots and rig’a’m’roll to post before that ‘pumpkin transformational moment’ ruled by the clock, and not the paintbrush or the word! I will persist and beat this clock! And for now, I will accept my own timing and begin with NEW RESOLVE once again! Thank goodness for ‘another day’ and another ‘go at it’!

One challenge on this one was the text! I kept rewriting it, changing the order of the the text, and even which pages where certain text would live…even to the last midnight minute! so here goes page 10….for now!

From now on, the drawings/paintings might take me two days instead of one! Lots more detail coming up!  Since these scenes are actual places at The Hillock down in the meadow, they are very fresh in my mind and I find it hard to leave some of the details out! When I later go back and try writing this in prose, it’ll be interesting how it goes!

I spent a good part of today working on drawings of two places, The Writer’s House and Preena’s Spa. Here are photos of ‘the real places’ but the paintings aren’t finished yet. More tomorrow!

They’ve finally made it to the Potter’s Tree! So the search  for the lost shoe has begun for Slab and Martha Julia Agnes Adele! Now we’ll get to go around The Hillock with them on their search. Today was an intense day of working on text and this painting. Need to go get a few more painting supplies as they are running out! I’m realizing that for me to keep up this posting pace I really need to work from morning ’til night! I do love it, though! I guess since learning to read for children is such a reciprocal process of learning from both reading and writing, that learning to paint, draw, and write at the same time could be that way for me! I had to post it in a small form because it looks distorted when it’s big.

So Martha Julia Agnes Adele

Helps Slap pull his load unusually well.

“Here’s my home at Potter’s Tree.”

“Let’s plan our route and have some tea.”

I’m realizing so many things I want to learn. I want to learn how to make my characters look like they are talking, and be able to have them move more freely on the page to express themselves, not just their poses but also their mouths, fingers, and facial expressions! And I want the rhyme to let loose of me a little bit! We’ll see!

“I’m Slab, the potter of this Hillock Town.”

“I search for clay underneath the ground.”

“What brings you here to our mountain peak?”

“Have you lost your way? “What is it you seek?”

“I lost my shoe and stubbed my toe.”

“Surely I’ll find it before I go.

“For I am Martha Julia Agnes Adele.”

“Shoes and adventures I find quite well.”

I’ve been away for a few days on my OWN adventure! Left my hiking boots (which I don’t  always tie quite well!) at home. And stepped back in time to go to my 45th High School Reunion! Takes a lot for me to break away from projects and push through any leftover teenage issues to go, but it was so wonderful! And also spent time with my 93 year-wise mom and 96 year-wise dad. A precious weekend! I wish one of my high school friends, who’s an amazing artist, lived nearby and  could ‘coach me’ on getting my paintings to express what’s really in my head! I also may go back after I finish this and rewrite it also in prose….Books take years to grow, just like children! Though years go by in a blink of an eye these days!

She spies someone trudging up the road,

A funny old many with a heavy load.

“I’m Martha Julia Agnes Adele,

“Please sit a while and rest a spell.”

There’s so much to write about and the day is already over! I want to share all I’m learning and yet first I want to integrate it into my writing/painting. Not quite enough hours in the days, but I guess that’s the best way to grow patience! I really want to break away from this rhyme a bit, but that will take time for me to retrain parts of my brain! So for now, I’m posting what’s been written, knowing that it all will be so ready for tweaks and rewrites, and changes in the paintings. So for now, even I will need to let the inaction be okay for now.

This is the PebbleStoneStreet close to where Martha Julia Agnes Adele loses her shoe and soon will meet up with Slab, the Potter. Been writing all day, but not ready to split it up into the next pages yet. It may take a couple pages worth before she actually meets up with him! Whew! A little more work on the drawing scale, as well, before I can paint them! Hope the leaves don’t fall before she gets going on her adventure and hopefully finds her shoe! “Sleep well, Everyone,” says Martha Julia Agnes Adele!