NYC's High Line...the colors of land and sea...luminous in the afternoon light ~

I always enjoy but so rarely have a contribution to +#Window Wednesday but, I've got "Many Windows" covered;) Lovely to take part this week ~

And a few more:  http://shellartistree.blogspot.com/2012/06/captivated-by-light-color-line-nycs.html 

#windowwednesday  +Jules Falk Hunter +Jason Kowing +J.J. Bentley +Cheryl Cooper +Simon Davis-Oakley 

I simply could not love this more ~


http://pinterest.com/pin/204491639302597983/

Photo by Léon Bakst of Isadora Duncan
Warm thanks to +sandra lee for floating this beauty my way:) xo

Love to all who add to my every day ~   

So thrilled my art and collections will be represented at this incredible show... #LicensingExpo   2013 ~ 

Deep within the garden of her heart.... ~

New work from my new studio....paint flows and I am grateful.  
 
More on my blog:  http://shellartistree.blogspot.com/2012/06/deep-within-garden-of-her-heart.html

The Beginning of Things...

Sometimes starts with less thinking and more feeling....It will all unfold as it should.

Original Watercolor ©2012 Michelle Rummel
www.shellrummel.com

You’ll never truly know what lies within layers,
Unless you’re willing to get your hands dirty.
Dig Deeper….
It’s all yours to discover.


© Michelle "Shell" Rummel

Because of you, in gardens of blossoming
Flowers I ache from the perfumes of spring ~ Pablo Neruda

She went translucent in the rain...

Like The Tide ~

I take a breath and like the tide I miss so much, try to let the water pull me where it wants to go. Little direction, just dip the brush in water, then paint, then... let my hand dance as it wishes.

Soft....The light, the way the grass sways in the wind... and my mood... ~

Aubergine, olive, apricot and just a touch of turquoise....

In honor of our new community...The very first figurative piece I ever painted, New Terrain, ...still, among my favorites ~ 

Thank you, +Maude McDonald for the invite. Happy to jump in as I can ~ 

For those interested.... here is the link to my Posterous art blog where I first posted New Terrain a little over two years ago...There, I share a few words about the inspiration behind this painting ~ http://shellartistree.posterous.com/new-terrain 
 

New Terrain ~ Original Watercolor © Michelle Rummel  
www.shellrummel.com

She sits on my studio desk...basking in the morning sun. She bloomed beautiful for almost 3 months before blossoms fell. Awaiting the returning bloom of the most glorious orchid in the world... :)

#floralfriday graciously curated by +Tamara Pruessner

SURTEX 2013 ~ Imagine the Possibility! 

My art, on its way:) Fingers crossed, for a successful show in NYC ~

More on my blog:  http://shellartistree.blogspot.com/2013/05/surtex-2013-imagine-possibility.html

Catching my breath... A whirlwind visit  #surtex  2013 ~

How about some art...it's been a while;)

An abstract study...playing with paint, ink and line.


#abstractartmonday sponsored by +Marilyn Fenn +Charles Lupica

Visit my website to see more of my work www.shellrummel.com

First day of school which means my first morning alone in months....Hard to explain the feeling, but it's a lot like JOY! ;) 

My happy dance begins, as we roll into September ~ 

Lovely day, all ~

In Good Company...~

Shell capturing +Matt Dickerson contemplating Rothko... at National Gallery of Art, Washington DC.

#silhouettesonThursday Graciously sponsored by +Siddharth Pandit

She caught my eye as I ran by....who knew that blossoms dance?

Lovely to have one to contribute this week for 
#floralfriday  graciously curated by +Tamara Pruessner 

More, on my blog: http://shellartistree.blogspot.com/2012/08/garden-party-inspiration.html

Whole Hearted... ~

#FallFriday Curated by +Karin Nelson & +Stephonie Ogden

#wordlessonwednesday  

The colors of my morning... ~ 

More on my blog: http://shellartistree.blogspot.com/2012/07/instagram-fun.html

#WIP #watercolors  #Instagram

Sweet morning and a lovely day, all ~

Captivated by Light, Color, Line.... 


To read more about my time at NYC's High Line, please visit my blog: 
http://shellartistree.blogspot.com/2012/06/captivated-by-light-color-line-nycs.html

#windowwednesday   curated by +Jules Falk Hunter +Simon Kitcher  +Jason Kowing +Cheryl Cooper +J.J. Bentley 
#NYC   #highline  

Let's get inside out of this weather....

Raindrops in my morning...Lovely, still ~ 

Devotchka - Exhaustible

Soft...

Dance like no one's watching
Because they're probably not. And if they are, assume it is with best and human intentions...The way bodies move genuinely to beats is, after all, gorgeous and affecting....
Dance until you're sweating and beads of perspiration remind you of life's best things, down your back like a brook of blessings...


So much to love, here... 

 
Thank you KJ, for this beautiful share ~

What Lies Beneath The Surface... ~


#AbstractArtMonday Graciously curated by +Esther Hardman

Well, if you could see my face, the smile that is mine, you'd see what pride looks like...~ 

My fabric collection, Alchemy, launched this week and is now en route to stores across the US. Here, a few more pics & words on my blog, if you care to look:) 
http://shellartistree.blogspot.com/2012/09/alchemy-has-arrived.html


 

If I recall correctly, this painting was among the first where I had the feeling I was, perhaps, onto something. I remember an extraordinarily rich comment thread that encouraged me to keep exploring the depths. 
_____________________________________________________________
September 15, 2009

Fingertip Breakthrough ~

Slowly resurfacing….
Clarity comes.
A cautious comfort with the beautiful chaos that surrounds me….not so scary really, when you look it in the eye.  
Reaching up, breaking through...I’m…here… and I’m barely breathing, again.
Kiss my fingertips?

Fingertip Breakthrough
Ink & watercolor
©MichelleRummel

Blow a little breeze on my face...

Lovely day, all ~

Snowy Morning...quiet and still ~

I'm Shell...~
It's always wonderful to see some familiar faces when stepping into the room for the first time;)  Happy to finally be here...gratitude to +Maude McDonald for the kind invite...thank you:) I am painter and a designer specializing in art licensing for the home decor industry. I love watercolors and I often use ink as well. I am well known for my paintings of trees and abstracted land and seascapes but interested lately, in discovering ways of abstracting the human form. I look forward to sharing a little bit of my figurative work here...    Below is a slightly closer shot from a painting that I posted today for #firstfridayartwalk  titled, Hand in Hand ~

We are all just fine here.... A tense night with gusty winds/rain but thankfully it seems my beautiful trees are still standing (haven't fully assessed, but from window, all looks ok) Roof still leaking, but we'll deal with that once the rain stops. Power off/on all through late night but is holding now...sure I just jinxed it cause that's how it works;) Thank you to all for your messages through the day/night...we appreciated your concern. Promise, we are fine:) We got lucky here compared to NY and NJ...tons of family/friends up that way...I think of them.

"I wanted to create a new form of art, an art completely irrelevant to the usual theories, an art giving to the soul and the senses at the same time complete delight, where reality and dream, light and sound, movement and rhythm form an exciting unity …" ~ Loie Fuller ( 1862-1928) 


More on my blog: http://shellartistree.blogspot.com/2012/10/inspiration-loie-fuller.html

Not minding (kind of enjoying) the raindrops....  

It's a splash in puddles kind of morning...Wishing the same for you. Lovely day, all ~ 

(It is #toeringtuesday  ...right?? ;) 

Letting the brush dance along the page...More loose brushwork from my day of painting/play... 

See/read more on my blog:
http://shellartistree.blogspot.com/2012/06/giving-you-all-i-can-feel-paint-flows.html

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Serene, I fold my hands and wait..... ~ 


Words that resonate and a photograph from +Andy Lee  that makes me ache for the sea.  

Reshared text:
Waiting.

Serene, I fold my hands and wait,

Nor care for wind, nor tide, nor sea;
I rave no more 'gainst time or fate,
For lo! my own shall come to me.


The waters know their own and draw
The brook that springs in yonder height;
So flows the good with equal law
Unto the soul of pure delight.


The stars come nightly to the sky;
The tidal wave unto the sea;
Nor time, nor space, nor deep, nor high,

Can keep my own away from me. 

John Burroughs
#minimalmonday  | +Olivier Du Tré 
#moodymonday  | +Philip Daly +Carole Buckwalter 
#monochromemonday  | +Charles Lupica +Hans Berendsen +Jerry Johnson +Steve Barge +nurcan azaz +Manuel Votta 
#bwfineart  | +Joel Tjintjelaar 
#mirrormonday  | +Gemma Costa +Elizabeth Edwards 
#pembrokeshire   #walesuk   #photography  

Testing, testing....

Let's see if G+ hashtags want to cooperate with me today ~

Retrospective #WIP   #Figurativeartfriday  +Maude McDonald +Melodie Douglas 

RESHARE:
Softly...
She floats~ 

I simply couldn't love this more ~ Such an honor, to inspire another... Beautiful work from +John Nandor      

Reshared text:
Descent

Inspired by my friend, +Shell Rummel

#bokehtuesday  by +Bob Baxley 
#leavesonthursday  by +Marilou Aballe +Anne Durand +Ray Bilcliff 

Lilacs in the rain....

Rain on my face but I don't mind. Drawn to them...delicate blossom, soft to the touch.  Always slow to bloom but I wait for it, ever patient, knowing they will reward. Their scent, like heaven. Spring has come. 

Another moment in time, remembering the saltwater serenade, and how everything shone silver in that light, even my skin.   
And this morning, that's enough to bring a quiet smile to the lips of this landlocked mermaid ~

In honor of #Waterscapeartwednesday  graciously curated by +Terrill Welch 
+Waterscape Art Wednesday     

(secretly adoring shyly
tiny winging darting floating
merry in the blossoming
always joyful selves are singing)
~E. E. Cummings 

#Floralfriday  by +Tamara Pruessner 

~ View more, on my blog: 
http://shellartistree.blogspot.com/2012/06/in-blossoming-inspiration.html#.T9IexrDLy8A

Taken last summer on the way to the beach....a long ride that begins near our nation's capital, packed freeways and endless noise... Once over that hellish bridge, you slowly wind your way through the sleepiest Delaware towns....and that's where I stumbled upon this old beauty. I am a car girl...grew up tagging along with Dad to car shows and I know a thing or two about appreciating the lines of an old car...even if it is a little rusty here and there...~    

And certainly just enough turquoise to qualify for #turquoisethursday   curated by +Tatiana Parmeeva 

I'm not a stranger to solitude... often preferring quiet. I tend to do my best work when I find space within the layers.  

Mary Chapin Carpenter - I Have A Need For Solitude (Studio)

_______________________________________
September 25, 2009

Who Needs Air ~
To my surprise, I believe I am beginning to breathe ... under here.


Original Ink and Watercolor
©MichelleRummel

Early morning seaside... everything shone silver as I waited for the sun ~   

#waterscapeartwednesday  curated by +Terrill Welch +Dane Clingan +Trisha Standard 

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. ~ Anaïs Nin

Blossom, beautiful....it's Friday;) 

+FloralFriday  #floralfriday  +Tamara Pruessner 

Fingertips trace contours
Every scar tells a story...
Comfortable, in my skin ~

#TreeTuesday

Surface Tension... ~

Drop, Settle, Freeze, Thaw…
Pendant Suspended / Delicate Balance / Resisting Gravity
…For now.

This photograph was taken almost a year ago...it is still one of my favorites.
#TreeTuesday
Curated by +Christina Lawrie

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It's that time of year again....
 

Reshared text:
Soft....The light, the way the grass sways in the wind... and my mood... ~

This, how today felt.... 

So grateful for the warm sun that added so much to my day ~
 

Mood ~

An Orchid Kind of Morning...

This, my beloved orchid of several years, is in bloom again...she always surprises me. One minute, looking rather lonely with her unassuming flowerless stalk, but then...overnight it seems, she is in brilliant bloom again. It takes my breath....and is a gift, each and every time. 

Bon Iver - Towers (Deluxe)

Ahhh...lovely Bolero... ~ This is so wonderful...

I am off to NYC for the biggest art show of my career so far... Feeling lovingly wrapped in kind words and well wishes from so many of you ~ I have the best friends...Thank you:)

And...Lovely day, all ~

She eases back
Balanced...
In the light of dusk


#WomenWednesday

Oceanscape Watercolor Collection
www.shellartistree.com

Finally settled into my new studio space. My staff and I begin work today after a very chaotic week off while I reorganized. ...Here, a few pics of the journey as it has unfolded so far.... ~

Whole Hearted~

#FallFriday
Curated by +Karin Nelson & +Alexander S. Kunz

Soul soothe... ~

And so it begins...

Lovely day all, and a wonderful holiday to all who celebrate ~  

I love ink.....

I tossed a poem to the sea... ~

This is exceptional....a great set list mixed with some nice footage/words from Pat ~ I'm joyfully painting to it and am happy to share with you... Lovely day, all ~

cc  +miguel taveira   +Chuck Cuyjet  +james kalin 

~ Thanks to +Scott Baxter for floating it my way~    

It's beautiful when it snows....Woke to just a dusting.

Lovely day, all ~ 

Turquoise, Fuchsia...touch of Tangerine ~  

Oh, how I miss handwritten letters.....

And this one, even more special, because it was S.W.A. K. from Grandma, who is 92 years old :))

Soft

And I say
(La la, hey hey)
When I'm in your light...

Lovely day, all :)  ~

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You are the line connecting the stars...~

Beautiful words from my dear friend, +Detlef Cordes

Reshared text:
I see you in my dream like a signpost. I switch on the light: you are gone.
I see you in my dream like someone I come home to. I put on my glasses: you are gone.
The branches of trees gently moved by a breeze are your hand waving "hello, come here!".
I find your smile in a cloud and your voice in the rain.
You are up in the sky where I see endless blue only.
You are the line connecting the stars.
I see you in my dream like a signpost. I switch on the light: you are gone.

Forever drawn to the fluid grace of nature... ~ 


A few more images on my blog: http://shellartistree.blogspot.com/2012/07/so-much-beauty.html

....Take what you conceal and breathe out through your bones....but speak to my ear in the softest of tones...~

Early morning here and noting +Kershaw Rustomji 's theme, letting it inspire and taking it in a slightly different direction, following the music with one of my favorite Cory Chisel songs...enjoy all, it's a melancholy beauty.

Mood... :) ~

Beautiful, the beginning of things.....

Are you making it count? :)



~ Thanks to my great friend, Mike H. for making sure I saw this...~

Mindful ~ by Mary Oliver

Every day
I see or hear
something
that more or less

kills me
with delight,
that leaves me
like a needle

in the haystack
of light.
It was what I was born for -
to look, to listen,

to lose myself
inside this soft world -
to instruct myself
over and over

in joy,
and acclamation.
Nor am I talking
about the exceptional,

the fearful, the dreadful,
the very extravagant -
but of the ordinary,
the common, the very drab,

the daily presentations.
Oh, good scholar,
I say to myself,
how can you help

but grow wise
with such teachings
as these -
the untrimmable light

of the world,
the ocean's shine,
the prayers that are made
out of grass?


http://shellartistree.blogspot.com/2012/06/it-was-what-i-was-born-for-to-look-to.html

Whenever I feel the need to fly, I watch this.... Posted on my sadly neglected Posterous Art Blog [too many blogs, too little time], the wonder of this video still brings a smile to my face ~

Lovely day, all ~   

Too lovely not to share...~

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Love this:)  Wonderful detail...~ 

Fantastic share, via +Diniz Chico 

Reshared text:
... Brilliant and Creative ... Music sheets brought to life by drawings by russian illustrateur "People Too" ...
http://www.behance.net/gallery/Etude-6/727592

Inspired

Drawing
from deep within...
Understanding
Breath is everything…
Believing
That you will catch me.

#WomenWednesday

Ink and Watercolor Collection by Shell Rummel

Back from my journey...It was wonderful and I have many stories (words/images) to share...and I will, as the days unfold...
But, now, it's time to rest...~

My first figurative landscape....aptly named, New Terrain ~ I found a certain ease here, in the way the water flowed along her contours and melted into form.


Watercolor © Michelle "Shell" Rummel

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Oh, Some images.....


Thank you for this moving share, +Monica C ~

Reshared text:
Is this the place where everything is forgiven?
--GC

The Winds of Chance ~


And with a delicate grace you let go…
Fall away from limb,
Lithe, languid
Hush….
Floating on breath,
Free falling fearlessly.
Have faith….
The winds of chance will carry you along.


View the post on my art blog: http://bit.ly/9Pe0lv

Sometimes, all you need is a nap in the sun with your old pup by your side...~

The Limitless Well of Her Soul

A soul well inspires, best of the heart depth brought high, to be so savored… ~Sean Vessey

My deepest thanks to +Sean Vessey for his beautiful words and for shining a sweet light and a layer of clarity onto this painting which has sat for some time, darkly haunting me….Now, she feels beautifully illuminated.

The full post can be viewed on my posterous art blog: http://shellartistree.posterous.com/the-limitless-well-of-her-soul

I want to feel...
The flush of Crimson
The rush of Wasabi
The brush paint me Peridot.
Bathe me in light ~ Infuse me with color ~ Saturate my cells
So I can feel warm, again.

Soft

Sun, sun, sun...here it comes....

In this unpredictable, chaotic world, I take great comfort in knowing that the dawn will always come...and with it, the return of the light.  

Happy Solstice and a lovely, peaceful day to all ~ 
 

Mood.... ~

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Hold me with care.... ~
 

Thanks for floating this loveliness my way +Xea Baudoin ~

Reshared text:
Flickr: Photography by Julien Fournio   http://goo.gl/afBAJ Picassa: http://goo.gl/kqxZW Psyché ranimée par le baiser de l'Amour, Antonio Canova (1793), Le Louvre, Paris 2010

It's that kind of morning... 

#TreeTuesday Curated by +Christina Lawrie


She was struck by lightning a little over a year ago and never fully recovered. Little by little, her bark began to peel away, her branches brittle...broken. Through each season, I watched her disintegrate before my eyes...

It happened so fast. All that once upon a time majesty became a shredded mound of wood chips within 60 minutes. I couldn't hold back the tears...

I wait now, for her sweet autumn rebirth.

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For those of us who understand the pull...the feel, of a stone in hand...

A tender, beautiful post by +james kalin ~

Reshared text:
teaching a stone to talk
for +Detlef Cordes +Shell Rummel +Suzanne Levine (and the rest of you that rock)

i found this small rock over ten years ago, on the north-eastern shore of lake tahoe. i was drawn to it because its shape speaks of its history, each step of formation and reformation. i keep it and love it because having it speaks of where our histories intersected. 

last week i was house-sitting for a couple who are family friends. the man was a colleague of my father, before i was even born. (i just learned a story that he was being mistakenly congratulated at the seminary for the birth of his son the day i was born--our family names rhyme.) she was off to illinois for the week, with the grandkids; he, sadly, has been confined by parkinsons and alzheimers (or just plain old, garden variety dementia?) to a nursing home for several years. so part of my responsibility during my stay was to check in on him each day. 

he has no mobility, and it's hard to say what he sees or hears or knows or can process. so while it's quite possible that none of this seeped in, i read to him. i read to him from annie dillard's book teaching a stone to talk. it's frustrating to imagine being completely trapped in one's body and mind, day in and day out for years on end, in the confines of some nursing home. it's frustrating to feel trapped in my body and mind, feeling the inner and outer judgement for lacking success, despite relative health and privilege and opportunity. and so i read to us.

"we are here to witness. there is nothing else to do with those mute materials we do not need. until larry teaches his stone to talk, until god changes his mind, or until the pagan gods slip back to their hilltop groves, all we can do with the whole inhuman array is watch it. we can stage our own act on the planet—build our cities on its plains, dam its rivers, plant its topsoils—but our meaningful activity scarcely covers the terrain. we do not use the songbirds, for instance. we do not eat many of them; we cannot befriend them; we cannot persuade them to eat more mosquitoes or plant fewer wee seeds. we can only witness them—whoever they are. if we were not here, they would be songbirds falling in the forest. if we were not here, material events like the passage of seasons would lack even the meager meanings we are able to muster for them. the show would play to an empty house, as do all those falling stars which fall in the daytime. that is why i take walks: to keep an eye on things. and that is why i went to the galapagos islands.”

and that is why i pick up rocks.

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For those of us who are part mermaid....

+Elena Kalis 's work is magic.... enjoy ~

Reshared text:

In studio...a glimpse of my haven ~

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Very happy to share this one:)
If you don't follow +Skinny Artist you should. Drew is a dear friend and very supportive of the artist community on twitter/fb and g+. For the past several years, he has generously and graciously put together a list of 21 Amazing Artists to Watch... He writes beautifully and his list is thoughtful and inspiring. I was honored to be listed in 2011 and so I know a little about how it feels to scroll through and see your name.... it is always lovely to be recognized by your peers.

Congratulations to all who made the list for 2012 and especially to my dear friends here on g+ ~ Well deserved...xo ~ +Walt Pascoe +Maude McDonald +Swarez Art +Sonia Bublaitis

Reshared text:
It's finally here! "21 Amazing Artists to Watch in 2012"

Every year it gets more and more difficult to put together this list because there are simply so many incredible artists out there who deserve to be recognized.

Please join me in recognizing and congratulating these 21 individuals for their creative awesomeness!

I hope you enjoy it :)