From my dragon to yours

holidragondragon / dragons [ drag-uhnz]
noun

are cruel; bring good fortune; are the stuff of legend; are born of pre-scientific conjecture; are endangered; protect the gods; hide from man; are heart balms in stuffed lizards; are vicious plastic forms on gaming boards; have multiple heads; are purple singers with green polka dots; eat humans; protect mankind; have wings whether invisible or not; don’t do transactional relationships; are powerful cinematic stars; are shy; are pure of heart; have Sir Sean Connery’s voice; have honor; have the name Draco, Lachrymose or Puff; carry your fire.

Though their remarkable eyes are permanently shut, each vivid bright eye (they have two, they have twenty) follows you through a transparent scale. Your dragon always sees you even when you are alone in the world.


From my dragon to yours,

Merry Holidays to you and your loved ones

Be safe, be well, enjoy some flaming rum punch and never stop embracing your fire…

(image above – Holly Dragon makes an appearance every Christmas)

My Sister Grace

Screen Shot 2022-07-29 at 8.32.08 AMI have five extraordinary siblings out there in the world. For the last several years, my sister Grace has been photographing and collecting the journeys and the stories of other artists in the fine art world through her Pandora’s BoxX Project.

“The portraits of Pandora’s BoxX Project are visual documents representing womxn’s presence and impact throughout the arc of social and cultural change within the past six decades.” — Grace Roselli

Grace was recently interviewed by Karline Moeller of Art Frankly to share her own creative journey’s past, present and future. (Interview link here)
Interviewer, Karline Moeller, is the co-founder of Art Frankly: a platform for the international art world.

Grace’s artwork can be found in private collections in the US and Europe. Beyond her artistic talent, is an exceptionally dedicated and driven woman whose passion and commitment to the fine art world are nothing short of admirable.

Thank you for stopping by,
AnnMarie:)

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Sharing My Mask With You

So very honored to have my acrylic portrait, RED, included in, Shards, Glass Mountain’s online magazine.
Click text to visit this amazing journal!
Click image to go directly to, RED
I hope you are managing through these difficult days❤️

Inaugural Issue of Ailment – Chronicles of Illness Narratives

During these months of such uncertainty, creative expression is a beautiful release. It is an honor to have my poetry and art included in this gorgeous, thoughtful, inaugural issue of Ailment – Chronicles of Illness Narratives.(clicking here or on image also will take you to Ailment’s First Issue)
I hope you, your loved ones, and all people you know are managing the days and staying safe❤️

I sketched the three drawings that accompany my poems when visiting with my beautiful mother at the nursing home. These last few weeks have been difficult not visiting with her, but days when she manages to answer the phone we get to chat a little. The nursing home allows families to drop items off. I go once a week and drop off crullers, comics, and family photos with love notes. My mother is my touchstone. Since suffering her massive stroke, over two years now, she still never complains. She manages small smiles. I selfishly miss that glorious smile of hers, the one I so often brag about-her god-given movie star grin.❤️xo

thank you

if you want to check out Ailment’s website click here

Bessie’s Echo

While my darling daughter was checking out my ‘Published Writing and Art’ page, she informed me that many of the links no longer connected to the published pieces. In an effort to correct this, I went through the entire list and connected each piece to its corresponding blog page, as well as re-linking to the journal or site where each was published. This is the one that got away. It was published back in 2017, by ‘Miracles Magazine’ (A generous friend who still works for the magazine had asked me to submit work). I’m re-posting my poem, ‘Bessie’s Echo,’ so the link can be updated. Thank you.

 

Bessie’s Echo

in the distance
faceless proclamations bounce back and forth between the rush of cars

years ago
would’ve been herds of cattle trotting for lunch bells ‘cross the road

perched on
a yellow Adirondack chair on my front porch, I drink flavored seltzer from a tumbler pretending it’s Dom

spotted bovine hooves
only echos now     like dairy farmers spirits loading Bessie’s milk on old Erie railroad cars

bound for the city
retired clanks and clatters float toward the bright sun that once fed fat cows golden grass

little birds
with bright yellow bellies flit by my front porch saying their good nights

or goodbyes

cows

cropped portion of a sketch drawn about ten years ago, someday I must redo this little sketch, the dang eyes are lopsided!

Peppermint Pigs, Not Pickles

Peppermint PigsI still remember about two decades ago being amazed that a Christmas enthusiast such as myself had never heard of Peppermint Pigs—hard-candy peppermint (pig-shaped of course) broken into sharable pieces for good luck in the new year. I also recall learning about the Christmas Pickle, but due to studio ventilation issues at the time, I opted for pig models over vinegar.😉

I enjoyed creating this piece a few years back for my talented friend, DS Levy. ‘Twas my first crack at a peppermint family🎄 click to check out DS Levy’s creative mind!

unused card

“Winter Wonderland” by Terry Redlin

This image sits on the shelf of my bedroom closet where I see it every morning and remember…

Other than this greeting card, I was unaware of Mr Redlin’s expansive body of work or that- “During the 1990s he was frequently named “America’s most popular artist” in annual gallery surveys conducted by U.S. Art magazine.”

Today while writing this homage, I was moved to write Mr. Redlin to thank him. I learned he passed away in 2016.