THE THREE MUSES

Having recently enjoyed a couple of weeks on the Greek island of Kos where the landscape is dotted with the most beautiful blue and white houses and little churches I was inspired to choose BLUE and WHITE as my theme for the Three Muses this week.

Credit to NBK at E-scape to E-scrap and to SharingTubes.

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TAKE A WORD

HER NAME WAS RUBY

MAINLY BLACK AND WHITE is Marie's theme this week at Take a Word and there is nothing I like more than creating art in the pure, clean and refreshing tones of black and white ... unless it's black and white with a 'splodge' of red! 

Credits : Well, Modigliani, of course!

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THE THREE MUSES

BEDTIME STORIES

Marie has chosen BOOKS as our theme this week for the Three Muses and this is what came to mind!

Credit to MartaVanEck for the light show, SharingTubes for the moon and PingImg.com for the book.

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TAKE A WORD

HELP!

Marie has chosen SEA LIFE as our  theme for this week at Take a Word and that reminded me of something I saw whilst on holiday in Greece last week ... honestly.

It was for all the world like watching the hand that lifted Excalibur out of the Lake at Avalon ... only the hand in question here was actually rising out of the Aegean Sea and brandishing a bottle.  At first I thought it might be a drunken sailor with his tot of rum but then I realised there was a message inside  the bottle.  I couldn't be certain, from so far away, but I think the message read H E L P!

Credit to EenasCreations and Pixabay.com.

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THE THREE MUSES

LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS

Picture yourself in a boat on a river


With tangerine trees and marmalade skies


Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly


A girl with kaleidoscope eyes

Cellophane flowers of yellow and green


Towering over your head


Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes


And she's gone

Follow her down to a bridge by a fountain


Where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies


Everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers


That grow so incredibly high

Newspaper taxis appear on the shore


Waiting to take you away


Climb in the back with your head in the clouds


And you're gone

Lucy in the sky with diamonds


Lucy in the sky with diamonds

I had some fun with this one people, almost imagined I was on the same 'trip' as Lennon and McCartney! 

Credits - mostly free brushes from a number of sources.  (Why don't artists label them so we can give credit where it's due?).  Also SharingTubes and MartaVanEck.   The newspaper taxis and rocking horse people are my own.

NOTE : I will be away from home (holidaying in Greece - hee hee) for a couple of weeks from tomorrow so won't be able to comment on your lovely work until I get home.  Back on 15 July.

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TAKE A WORD

Marie has asked for HOT COLOURS this week at TAKE A WORD and that reminded me of the strange dream I had a week last Tuesday night.   There I was dancing the Swan Lake and the audience were applauding my beautiful light touch and lovely moves when I was rudely awakened by some strange noise from outside.  I got up to look out of my window and could hardly believe what I saw.  There it was, a dirigible floating (almost silently) across the sky, and there were people in it taking in the wonders of the scene below which I think was somewhere in Africa.  There were animals and people and those strange flat topped trees they have in Africa and it looked very very hot indeed.  I can't be sure but if I had to guess I'd say it looked for all the world like a steampunk safari!

Credit to SharingTubes for the setting sun, whilst the trees, animals, people and dandilion clocks are brushes.  The background is my own.


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THE THREE MUSES

Bev has called for APPLES as the theme for this week at the Three Muses and that reminded me of the apples I spied a week last Tuesday.  On first glance they looked shiny and healthy enough, but on closer inspection I'm sure I saw a caterpillar sitting there as bold as brass ... smoking.  Imagine!

Credit to NicolaYoung, FinecraftedDesigns and Pixabay.com.

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TAKE A WORD

We have DANCER as our word for inspiration this week at Take a Word and here is my interpretation.

Credit: SharingTubes, JoesSistah and Anoident (free to use at Flickr).

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THE THREE MUSES

Our challenge this week at the Three Muses is to create art containing fish and that's when I remembered what I saw a week last Tuesday.  Just as I opened the curtains to a new day something caught my eye, and I know you'll find it hard to believe, but there was a lady sailing a beautiful silver fish with green fins across the sky.  I stared at her for a while transfixed and she seemed to look my way for an instant too before she continued serenely on her way.

Credits to Frank-1956 for the birds, Pixabay for the fish, NumbBumm for the clouds, me for the background textures layered and blended,  and the lady, well she began her life elsewhere!

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TAKE A WORD

It's BEAUTY this week at Take a Word which could have been a tricky one.  However,  just as I was giving this some serious thought the decision was taken out of my hands as this little lady had already decided who was the most beautiful of them all!  Who am I to argue.

The raven haired beauty is courtesy of the public domain, though she did get a bit of a makeover from me.  The mirror was labelled on Google free for re-use and the background is a number of  my own textures layered and blended.

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THE THREE MUSES

 

For the MALE of the species challenge at the Three Muses my interpretation of Franz Hellens painted beautifully by Modigliani and then 'played with' by me!

Also for the MALE of the species meet great Uncle Bob who ran away to sea when he was nine.  Nothing was heard of him for almost 60 years until he returned one day covered in spots.

Credit to SharingTubes, HiddenVintage, the PublicDomain and Mr Modigliani.

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TAKE A WORD

It's TIME PIECE this week at Take a Word and this is my interpretation.

Credit to SharingTubes and RubyBlossom.

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THE THREE MUSES

It's CIRCUS time at the Three Muses this week.  Drum roll please ....... roll up, roll up ...

Credit to Imagekid.com and  HoneyDesigns for the background textures,  GraphicsFairy for the Elephant and acrobat.  The clowns are in the PublicDomain and the font is 'Circus'.

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TAKE A WORD

A RIGHT ROYAL STEAMPUNK NECKLACE

We have STEAMPUNK as our word for inspiration this week at TAKE A WORD and that made me think about making something different for a change.   So here is my take on STEAMPUNK jewellery ... a necklace fit for a queen!

Credit to Bluesse at DeviantArt for the steampunk bits and pieces, the gold chains I found and adapted from the interwebby, and Queenie's hat is my own.

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THE THREE MUSES

THE WEDDING FEAST

WEDDINGS is our theme this week at the Three Muses and that made me think of poor Miss Havisham and her Great Expectation of a wedding!

Credit in the main to Imgpngs.com, and Moonglowlilly (DA),  though one or two elements were found on the interwebby as well.  The mirror was one from our hotel in Italy which just goes to show there is no end from where inspiration might be drawn.  Hee Hee.

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TAKE A WORD

 

We have HOME SWEET HOME as our theme at Take A Word this week and that made me think of the different types of home we saw on our recent trip to Italy.  Mostly tall, three or four storey apartment buildings with exits directly onto the narrow streets or pavements below.  No garden, though sometimes a window box or two.  Or washing drying in the sun.

Almost every building had at least a couple of windows on the upper storeys where washing was hanging from open windows.

Fantastic photo opportunities!

One such street in Como with the washing in context.

Credits : my own photos with a spot of processing on my IPad in Pixlr.

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THE THREE MUSES

WHEELS

In true Taluula style here is my melting bicycle.    Ta Dah!

Credit in the main to SharingTubes and the PublicDomain.

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TAKE A WORD

UNDER A TURQUOISE SKY
 
It's TURQUOISE at Take a Word this week and that reminded me of a week last Tuesday when out for a little stroll just before dark I came across these two chatting quietly under the tree of reminiscing.  The only tree to bear turquoise roses!

'Evening' they said as I passed.  'Evening' I replied.

Credit to (SharingTubes), NumbBumm and of course,  a little help from Modigliani.

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THE THREE MUSES

I LIKE MINE FRIED

Bev has asked for CHICKENS this week at the Three Muses and this is what came to mind.  Mmmm!

Credit to HoneyDesigns and PixelMusic, oh and the delicious fried chicken was from the interwebby.

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TAKE A WORD

Mothers hold their children's hands for a while

But their hearts forever.

MOTHER AND CHILD

As a tribute to Mothers everywhere and the celebration of Mother's Day in many parts of the world this week we have Mother and Child as our theme at Take a Word.

There is a painting by Gustav Klimt called The Three Ages of Woman and a section of it known as Mother and Child has become very popular in its own right.  It's my most favourite painting ever and for 20 years a copy has been hanging on a wall at home, so I'm sure it will remain my favourite for a long time to come.

So here's my tribute to mothers everywhere.  (Sorry Gustav)

Credits : obviously Gustav Klimt has a major part to play in this but the remainder ie the textures are from my own stash .. a rain spotted window, some crumpled bed linen (before I made the bed) and a decrepit wall surface from my trip to Italy.  The hand written letter is from the Public Domain and the quote was unattributed.

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THE THREE MUSES

Our theme at the Three Muses this week is FAMOUS.   My choice of famous would be John Lennon, former Beatle, published author, all round complex chap, and the man who wrote and performed, Woman,  one of my all time favourite songs.  Tah dah!

Credits : the textures are created from a number of my own photos and Mr Lennon was in the PublicDomain.

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TAKE A WORD

THERE'S A SPIDER!

We have PLANTS and INSECTS as our theme at Take a Word this week and this is what happened next!

Credit to  CAJ at SharingTubes for the plants and the insect, the background is a blend of free to use textures from Flickr,  and, of course,  I had a little bit of help from Mucha.

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THE THREE MUSES

STAMP PEOPLE come in all shapes and sizes and me thinks this one is just right for my entry across at the Three Muses this week.

Credit to NumbBumm, ScappingCop and the Public Domain.

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TAKE A WORD

MABEL'S NEW COAT

This week we have FAMILY ALBUM as our theme at Take a Word and that reminded me of the lovely photo I have of Mabel.  She's wearing her new Astrakhan coat and looks a million dollars.  We still have those pink fabric roses she was wearing on her hat that day.

Credit to SharingTubes, Sailor and Lula, NumbBumm and BethRimmer.

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TAKE A WORD

It's LETTERS at Take a Word this week, and mine are CIAO ITALY, which gave me the perfect opportunity to send you mail from Italy!  Well, we're not technically there yet, but come Wednesday Mr Ann and me will be flying out to Lake Como for a week of seeing the sites.   Cameras at the ready!  Yay!!!!

Credits to RubyBlossom and the PublicDomain.  Font : WiseRabbit.

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DIGITALMANIA CATCH UP

INSPIRED BY THE WORK OF CHRISTINE PELOQUIN

TAKING INSPIRATION FROM THE WORK OF KEVIN SLOAN

INSPIRED BY THE WORK OF PAM CARRIKER

 A little bit of catch up of work created for the DIGITALMANIA challenges across at Flickr.

Credits and the work of other artists can be found by clicking HERE

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THE THREE MUSES

Bev has chosen STONE ANGEL as our theme at the Three Muses this week and that made me think of the stone angel I occasionally see kneeling quietly atop one of the buildings near my house.

Credit to Pixabay.com and SharingTubes.

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TAKE A WORD

KILLING TIME

Our word for inspiration at Take a Word this week is NUMBERS and that made me think of time ... and at the risk of repeating myself the 'bleeping' time it's taking for Spring to arrive!  :D

Credit mostly to PngImg.com where I'm finding lots of inspirational bits and pieces, some (altered and blended) from my own stash and the remainder is in the Public Domain.

Thank you for looking.

THE THREE MUSES

Nobody heard him, the dead man,

But still he lay moaning:

I was much further out than you thought

And not waving but drowning.

Poor chap, he always loved larking

And now he's dead

It must have been too cold for him his heart gave way,

They said.

Oh, no no no, it was too cold always

(Still the dead one lay moaning)

I was much too far out all my life

And not waving but drowning.

Stevie Smith

1902 - 1971

One of my most favourite poems ..... ever!

Credits to ShadowHouseCreations, RubyBlossom and IreneAlexeeva (for textures I layered and blended), NumbBumm for the clouds whilst the remainder are from the public domain.

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TAKE A WORD

IN TWO MINDS

It's BLUE and WHITE at Take a Word this week and  that reminded me of these two little sailor girls who always seem to be in two minds!

Credit : background (layered and blended) RubyBlossom, the raindrops were running down my window a couple of weeks ago, whilst the sailor girls (digitally painted by me) I found in the public domain.

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THE THREE MUSES

EGG ON YOUR FACE

EGG is the theme this week for the Three Muses challenge and that reminded me of the strange incident that happened a week last Tuesday.   One minute 'him in doors' was clearing up the garden in readiness for Spring and the next he was up to his eyes in egg!    Answers on a postcard if you work out how this could have happened!

Credit to Graphicsfuel.com for the egg, to Pngimg.com for the bird and spoon, the hands are courtesy of Bluesse, the backgrounds (blended) are LizWest (flickr), and the tree was Googled.

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TAKE A WORD

WAITING FOR SPRING

TULIP is our word for inspiration this week at Take a Word.   Here in the UK we have carpets of crocuses and snowdrops and even daffodils but it's still too early for tulips ... so come on Spring its time for you to come out and play.

Credit to CAJoline and GrannyArt for the bottles, flowers and 'Spring', the background is one of my own.

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DIGITALMANIA

Across at DIGITALMANIA this week our challenge is to take inspiration from the work of David Arms.  Here is my interpretation.

Credits to IconArchive and AllFreeDownloads.

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THE THREE MUSES

We have STRIPES as our theme at the Three Muses this week and somehow this happened!

I am pleased to say that every little bit of the above is from my personal stash or the public domain.

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TAKE A WORD

HAPPY ST PATRICK'S DAY

We have GREEN as our word for inspiration at Take a Word this week and that reminded me that it will also be St Patrick's Day very soon as well, so here's wishing you all a happy St Patrick's Day.

Credit to FinecraftedDesigns, Wikimedia Commons and the Public Domain.

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THE THREE MUSES

It's TURQUOISE AND RED at the Three Muses this week.  Here's what happened next!

Credits : NumbBumm and A Lost Gallery whilst the remainder is all from the Public Domain.

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TAKE A WORD

We are looking forward to SPRING at Take a Word this week and that made me think of Spring flowers and in particular Dandelions.   As soon as Spring starts and all through the Summer they spring up everywhere and like Triffids they advance across our gardens,  public greens and meadows in a never ending search for more.   First juicy yellow flowers and then white Dandelion clocks whose sole aim is to populate more of our earth.  And they seem almost indestructible  ... thank goodness!   Well, at least the bees (if they could talk) might say thank goodness for the sight and taste of a sweet and sustaining Dandelion feast!  :D

Credit  to Gustav Klimt and to the talented contributors of images to Pixabay (public domain).

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DIGITALMANIA

A couple of recent pieces created for the DIGITALMANIA challenge across at Flickr.   This week our challenge was MAIL ART and last week our inspiration came from SOFTLY SURREAL.    Credits are available on my Flickr page.

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THE THREE MUSES

It's the SKY'S THE LIMIT at the Three Muses this week.  Ta Dah!

Credit to NumbBumm, SharingTubes and RubyBlossom whilst the sailor girl, painted by me, was in the Public Domain.

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TAKE A WORD

ON REFLECTION .. A HAPPY ACCIDENT

We have FEATHERED FRIENDS as our word for inspiration this week at TAKE A WORD.  When I began to think about what direction I would take this I thought about combining text and birds which I tried several times without success.  Not wanting to start again totally I added and blended layers one at a time until the collage began to take shape.  I kept the original text layer (a copy of the Magna Carta to be precise) and softened it, then added a photo of tree branches reflected in a puddle of water I had taken a year or two ago  (I knew that photo was a keeper)  ... and that's when it began to take shape.  One or two more layers and a change or two to the birds and I was happy!!!

Credit : the birds and the text and several of the layers were all free to use, whilst the remainder were from my own stock.

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THE THREE MUSES

VINTAGE is required this week at the THREE MUSES and that made me think about young Tom whose favourite game was always to gallop his way to the winning post. 

Credit to SharingTubes, HiddenVintageStudio and RubyBlossom.

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TAKE A WORD

 SEWING SPRING

Marie wants sewing this week at Take a Word and I want Spring ... and then it came to me, whilst I wait for the real thing I can Sew my own Spring.  Hee hee!

Credit to Pillowgirl, Efie, NumbBumm and Rubyblossom whilst the 'wobbly' Big Ben is my own.

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DIGITALMANIA

Created for the Digitalmania challenge where this week we are taking inspiration from quotes, fonts and elements in the style of Alisa Holland.

Credit to Pixel Music.

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THE THREE MUSES

PLENTY MORE IN THE SEA

Strolling along the beach in Side (Turkey) enjoying the cooling effect of the surf on my feet I happened upon this man staring out to sea.   He was watching a small sailing boat.  I was watching him .. and I couldn't resist snapping the moment!  He was none the wiser so I forgave myself.

For the Three Muses challenge.

Credit to ... well me I suppose!  I gave it a bit of treatment in Paint FX on the IPad..   :D

Thank you for looking.