TO DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING AND MAKE LOADS OF MONEY AT IT!
No, seriously, since I shared in an earlier Daily Prompt about having several careers — which have given me much pleasure for the majority of my adult life — I don’t see any need to make any new plans now. But I couldn’t resist posting on today’s prompt — plus it gave me an opportunity to focus on one of my favorite bird paintings: This little birdie who is doing absolutely nothing but singing his heart out.
As we near the close of Native American Heritage Month, I decided to share a poem I wrote last year that focuses on the heartache and loss that came to so many of the American Indian tribes at the hands of greedy people and government agencies. This particular poem emphasizes the history of the Cherokee people because they are part of my personal heritage. But we want to remember that every tribe was affected negatively — even in heart-breaking ways — and unfortunately, all the prejudice and ill-treatment has not completely disappeared yet.
Original watercolor by Sandra Pavloff Conner
THE PASSING
Today the old chief passed, Enwreathed by potent memories Of battles fierce, of freedoms lost, Of smoking pipe with enemies Who swore to keep the peace treaties But quickly spurned such promises When greed for lands gained upper hand. Today the old chief passed And hastened to his ancestors, To mountains, valleys, fertile plains, Sparkling rivers, fields of grain, Miles and miles of vast domain Where Cherokee live free again, Never again to be betrayed. The old chief passed today.
All of my regular readers know how much I LOVE the Smoky Mountains. And recently I created a design using one of my watercolors of the Smokies. That design is available now on several different products from my art shop, so I thought you might enjoy seeing some samples. If you love the Smokies as much as I do, you can find these products and lots more — and make a purchase — at this link: Art-by-Ahyoka/Redubble.
I’ve been thinking about making more of my artwork available for purchase, so have been checking out various venues, both online and on the streets. At this point, I’ve decided to stick primarily with an online shop, because some of the people who have expressed interest in my work would not be in a position to visit any local stores or art shops. After researching several online sites that assist with making art available on multiple products, and also handle the shipping, I decided to open a shop on Redbubble.
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Most of you have been so encouraging about my art over the past 3 years that I thought you might like to know the new shop is now open for business. There are scores of items available with my artwork on them — laptop and phone cases, caps, clothing items, clocks, throw pillows, tote bags, coasters, journals, shower curtains, greeting cards and art prints — just to name a few. I am including a few pictures in this post — a small sample of products. I’ll also be continuing to add more artwork over the next few weeks.
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You can find the new shop at this link:Â Art-by-Ahyoka
Hope you come over and check it out. Also, if you click on the little heart at the top right corner of any designs you like, it makes me look good. 🙂
This piece was done in watercolor, acrylics, and ink. The scanned picture doesn’t do it justice, but I was very happy with the original. It was a lot of fun to paint.