LAST FLIGHT

They are stoking up on nectar from every member of the aster and wild daisy family. Warming their wings in the sun they seek the same things we seek. Eating, having fun & spending time with others of your kind to sleep and to drink! When I walk out of the sun into the flickering shadows by the creek the air softens into cool. Butterflys do not follow - they prefer the bright meadows and the edges of woodlands where the wildflowers gather. Everyone that is leaving heads South before the frost. Somehow when you know something is for the last time, it makes every second of it etched in crystalline glass. You know you want to hold onto every moment and the memory of every moment , to go back to and gaze into at will.
Always too soon it seems, the time is here
it is now and they must fly!!

THE GOLDEN LIGHT OF EARLY SEPTEMBER

Changes are evident as the growth season slows. Yellow leaves swirl to the ground to be reabsorbed into the system. The fullness of the breezes & the gentler rays of the sun feel on the skin like the change of another season. Autumn lillys fade & even the blueberry bushes have a few red leaves. This is the time to revisit familiar & well loved summer haunts for a swim or a stretch out in the sun. The golden rays of the dancing sumbeams over the ridge in the morning is made possible by the cast of rising mist. As the sun rises the pure golden color is reflected on trees & ground.
This image, my first sawblade, is a 30 inch diameter with still sharp blades. It was painted for the Finderburke family, who have a collection of lillys. Every mountain artist needs to paint at least one sawblade! The model for this is the respectable Autumn Lilly which is almost similiar to the Hosta Lilly. Watch out for the dance of the yellow wildflowers going on in every mountain valley, meadow & hillside>>>>>>>>>>>>>

CLAIRE'S RED HEART

Red defines passion and glitz portrays enthuiasm! The message is clear: your creations begin within!
FOR CLAIRE; with happy 2nd & 3rd grade memories of our times together making art.
Detail of this art quilt includes silver charm, nylon star fabric, red velvet, overdyed fabric & sequins. Lettering at top and bottom (not shown) says; Heal Yourself - - - Heal the Planet.
I am showing this October at Mountain Perk Coffeehouse in Hiawassee. Dates & party times to be announced later! I'll have a few favorites from the Fruit Show, plus prints and art quilts.
All for Peace & Love>> Jule

BREAKFAST WITH BIRDIE

We go to the field in the morning as light streams over the ridge & dewdrops flash points of light ahead of us. I recall the magic, mystery & wonder I felt so often as a child. 'You just knew" that anything was possible and that adventure was not only HERE NOW and was always up ahead as well!! Summer breezes continue the dance through my house with me. The pond awaits the next entry splash. Last evening I watched bats soaring thru the front yard as twilight deepened. Their sonar locating many pounds of skeeters as they swooped faster than Air Force fighter pilots! The Full Moon makes shadows as the night creatures begin their songs. I hope you are noticing the wonder & mystery in your life. Remember this is part of your own nature; your very own divinity & joy. Heron Watercolor: in private collection of Charles Sibley. Part of the Lake Series card designs which is available at stores & gallerys listed. Prints available as well.
Peace & love>>> Julie

SHINE ON SUMMER

Hooray for the red, white & blue! The sun rises over the ridge this season to wild azealeas, day lillies, sourwood blossoms & lots of juicy berrys. Waves reaching the shore with quiet lapping sounds are part of the landscape this season as well. Fireflys move through the evening trees and birdie wakes to sing at dawn. Butterflys are still chasing each other with great delight and pure abandon. The rhythms & cycles of the land, sky and water are a continual feast this season. Vision, touch, & smell - it all dances with the summer breezes, which bring it all home.
"The Radish" is a batik & art quilt reminding us of Nature's perfect design in creating. This perfect radish was grown in a friend's garden & she brought it to me herself. I was so charmed by the heart in place that I did a drawing to paint from later. This can be seen at Burton Gallery and is priced at $1500. I hope you are enjoying the fruits with your lovely sky picture of summer!

SPRING EVOLVES

Like a good novel that you slip into so completely that it surrounds, spring scents & colors dance on breezes all around. Fills my house & my senses with the joy of all that is new in the vast woodland in this part of the valley. Nodding flowers, rising mists & the shimmer of sunbeams invite us to dance & wonder. We picked bouquets of wild roses & azaleas for the kitchen table. Amid this splendor, I get to glory in my latest accomplishment. I am now a featured artist at Burton Gallery & Emporium, which was named by Southern Living as "one of the best gallerys in the state." The hand-colored silkscreen "Follow" is on display there along with 2 art quilts,other prints & a batik. The center panel on this silkscreen is printed on historic mountain fabric. It's actually old feedsack material. The stars are relief printed & appliqued. Price is $195. Gallery phone & other info is listed on left side column. Visit this wonderful galley when you are over by Lake Burton! We hope you too feel all the excitement of spring scents & sights.....................

GLORY & SPRING

Birds sing just before the dawn. After a long season of rest, hibernation, cold & fallow time, the land is supercharged with life. I find it amazing how fast a green dot on the top of some dirt turns into a bud, a stalk, many leaves & then a fully formed large plant. Every year I watch this & it fills me with wonder. Yesterday we walked up to the top of a nearby mountain. The bigger picture from there shows the new green color to the top of some peaks, fields greening & soaring birds. In that expanse one can see the transformation & life brought by the change in energy flow. Very much like, it seems to me, the seasons in our own lifetimes; if viewed from a 'big picture' vantage point.

This new image of the chickadee in a tree with vintage lace flowers is from card series #9 (like the dream!). I am very pleased to announce a new partnership with my friends at Mountain Graphics in Hiawassee: Cindy, Alex, their son Tommy & Betty Dog are now handling direct distrubution of my card line. They are the customer service reps in the U.S., drop shipping anywhere in the country,M-F / 9-5. I am designing a brochure & later we will have magnets & journals available of all images. I'm grateful for these inspiring images I'v been given, & for my friends, family, fans & collectors that all love them!