Dimples & Dragonflies Studio & Gallery LLC

"Come Unto Me" Sculptural Visions By "Angela Johnson"

2012-05-16T14:34:00.002-04:00

Friends, This Video Is 6 Minutes Of Some Of The Most Endearing Moments Spent With Sculpture Artist: Angela Johnson.

Love & Sunshine To You All,

Terri

"Tool Time"

2012-05-08T11:20:00.001-04:00

Over The Weekend My Honeypie Finished My New Workbench. Of Course My Patio Looked Like A Scene Out Of Sanford & Son During The Process..But It Was Way Too Hot Here In Georgia To Work In An Enclosed Workspace.

After Hours Of Sunshine & Hard Work She Was Finally Rolled Into The Studio. There I Painted And Stained Her And Added A Two Paneled Florescent Lighting Fixture. Thought I'd Share Her With Y'all Before She Gets All Funky Like The Rest Of Her Sister Tables Throughout My Working Space.

Do I Have A Sweet Honeypie Or What?

"My Moody Gypsy" Portrait By Artist Terri Smith

2012-04-26T12:28:00.000-04:00

16X20 Oil On Canvas & Board

Hi Friends ~ Trying Slowly To Return To The Easel. I'm Guessing I Haven't Put Oil To Canvas Since My Last Commission Piece Completed Somewhere Back In November.

Hmm..Not My Best Work..And After Seeing Her Posted Here I'm Thinking She'll Probably Remain Part Of My Own Collection. (You Fellow Artists Know What I'm Talkin' Bout..The Pieces We Aren't Really Satisfied With But Love Anyway Just Because We've Put Ourselves Into Them. Those We Never Show Anyone But Keep Stashed In A Closet Somewhere.)

As I Continue To Look At Her, I'm Thinking If I Don't Snap Out Of This Dark Place I've Suddenly Found Myself In And Tend To My Business ~ I Might Just Lose My Brush Stroke All Together. Funny How Stepping Back From Something Lessens Your Abilities When Returning To It.

Here's Hoping You All Have A Glorious Weekend Ahead!

Love & Sunshine,

Terri

Post Script: She Definitely Bares No Resemblance To My Normal Happier-Faced Compositions, Does She? I'm Thinking This Particular Subject Came From That Place My Husband Has Now Started Calling "That Moody Place Deep Inside You," and Today I'm Starting To Agree ~ Maybe He's Right.

Steven Curtis Chapman - FAITHFUL

2012-04-20T11:14:00.001-04:00

"Powerful Expressions"

2012-04-19T14:04:00.005-04:00

"Mama's Secret Weapon"

One Of The Very First Gifts I Ever Remember "Specifically" Receiving From My Mama, Was A Beautiful White Leather Bible. It Was My Birthday And There Was A Lot Of Excitement And Noise Going On Around Us. I Remember Mama Nudging Me, Looking Very Determined To Hand Me Her Special Gift Before I Could Reach For Any Of The Others Placed Nearby. She Never Said A Word. She Simply Slid The Brightly Wrapped Package Into My Hands, And That Was That.

I Was So Proud Of That Thing ~ Carrying It Most Everywhere I Went Early On. The Words "Holy Bible" Were Etched In Gold Across The Front And The Outer Pages Were Lined In It As Well. I Truly Loved That Book. Not Just Because It Was God's Precious Word, But Because My Mama Had Given It To Me.

This Morning As I Opened That Same Aged And Worn Book ~ A Card Fell Out Onto The Breakfast Table. Over Time I've Placed All Sorts Of Things Inside To Mark Certain Verses, But I Was Puzzled As I Lifted This Card To Open It. I Sincerely Don't Remember Ever Having Seen It Before.

As I Read The Words Inside, I Felt A Familiar Feeling. That Same Sweet Nudge From My Childhood. My Mama Was Suddenly Speaking So Clearly ~ Using The Same Book She Had Used When Saying Not A Word.

I Heard You Mama. Thank You For The Gift Of God's Word So Long Ago. Thank You For Yours' Today.

Post Script: Can Loved Ones Help HEAL Our Broken Hearts From The Other Side? I Believe They Can!

Luke 12:48

2012-04-12T13:25:00.000-04:00

"For Unto Whomsoever Much Is Given ~ Of Him Shall Be Much Required."

Friends, I've Been Struggling So Very Much These Days. This Was The First "Easter" Spent Without My Mama, And Memories Of Her Hit Me First Thing In The Morning And The Last Thing At Night. Dear Lord In Heaven, I Long For Her With All My Heart And Soul.

I Sincerely Thought "Thanksgiving" And "Christmas" Were Perhaps The Saddest Celebrations Since Her Passing ~ But As It Turns Out ~ Easter Was Somehow The Most Challenging.

Maybe It's Because "Jesus" Rose Again Following His Departure From This Earth. Maybe It's Because In Some Strange And Senseless Way, I've Kept Hoping I'm Living A Dream Right Now. That My Mama Would Miraculously Be Allowed To Walk Back Into My World. And In That Moment ~ Reach Out And Hug Me Like She Did Countless Times In Our Days Together.

But It's Not To Be. Not Today. Not Tomorrow. I Think For The First Time I'm Fully Realizing My Mama Will Not Rise Again...She Won't Be Coming Back.

I Need To Confess That I Know In The Deepest Parts Of My Spirit, That I've Been Blessed Beyond Imagination During My Time Here On Earth. Please Believe Me When I Tell You That I Fully Acknowledge That God Has Gifted Me With More Than I Ever Could Have Hoped For.

But Within The Gift Lies Also The Debt. I Was Reminded This Morning That When So Much Is Given, Much Is Expected.

I Love You

2012-04-07T17:49:00.000-04:00

To Look Upon His Suffering And Not Be Changed ~ Is Unthinkable.

I Love You Too Sweet Lord!

"Little Prince" Figurative Paperclay

2012-03-07T16:38:00.012-05:00

Seeing How Georgia's Temperatures Have Steadily Fallen Over The Course Of This Week, I Resorted To Using A Countertop Oven To Fully Dry This Newest Piece.

Wanting Something Different ~ I Decided To Glaze The Surface Following That With An Antiquing Technique. He Truly Looks Extraordinary In Person.

With Each New Figure, I Think I Gain A Lit'l More Confidence. Might Even Try Forming Arms Onto The Next Piece.

I Think I'm Happiest With The Facial Expression On This One. Maybe The Crown Too.

Hope Everyone's Having A Glorious Wednesday!

Sending Anyone Who Might Have Dropped By ~ Some Love & Sunshine,

Terri

"Born To Love Him"

2012-02-29T19:45:00.002-05:00

Still Experimenting With Figurative Paperclay.

I'm Still Learning ~ Still Adjusting To The Way Paperclay Reacts To Touch And Movement.

How Not To Expect One Thing When The Clay Tells Me Something Else.

And I Know It Sounds Odd, But While Molding And Pushing Each Shape Into Place I Gently Ask Each Figure To Show Me How They Want To Look.

I Promise Y'all I Hear Their Tiny Lit'l Voices With My Heart, Just Like When I Hear The Characters I Paint Onto Canvas. This New One Actually Told Me She'd Like This Particular Styled Headpiece.

Without A Plan Or Blueprint, The Headpiece Eventually Appeared. I Simply Moved The Clay Around And Stepped Back To See What Had Come Together.

I Will Be Soldering Her Onto A Lovely Crystal Candlestick. Of The Three Figures I've Created So Far, I Believe Her's Is The Sweetest Face Of All.

Sending Y'all Some Love And Sunshine,

Terri

Postscript: I'm Linking Today With Sweet Jennifer For Sneak Peek Friday ~ Friends, Drop Over And Take A Look At The Wonderful Work Offered By Some Of The Sweetest Artists In Blogland.

"Brookie Cookie Works With Clay" Figurative Paperclay On Lampstick

2012-02-24T11:34:00.004-05:00

Friends, I'd Like To Introduce You To My Precious 13 Yr Old Niece, Brooke. "Brookie Cookie" To Her Aunt TT.

While I'd Love To Say I Completed This Newest Clay Figure All By Myself ~ It Serves Best To Say That Sweet Brooke Put Some Serious Love Into Her As Well.

We Didn't Perform The Actual Bean Counting Exercise To Calculate How Long It Took Us, But Brooke Has Been Out Of School For The Past Three Days For Teacher's Conference Break, And Between Eating, Catching Up On Some Good Movies And Sleeping ~ We Played In The Studio.

Brooke Rolled And Formed The Clay ~ Chose Her Colors And Outfit Design ~ Selected Scraps Of Ribbon And Mohair For The Head Piece. And When The Actual Finished Figure Finally Came Together, We Both Agreed She Definitely Needed To Have A New Home At Brooke's.

Sometimes An Artist's Life Can Be Quite Isolating, And It Was Such A Nice Change Of Pace To Have Another Voice And Set Of Hands With Me This Week. It's Safe To Say That Brooke And I Have A Mutual Heart-Felt Perspective Towards Art. Although She Is Still Exploring What Vocation She'd Like To Have When She Grows Up, It Made My Heart Smile When She Told Me She Knows For Sure In Her Spare Time She'll Be Drawing, Painting ~ Creating With Her Hands In Some Way.

Have A Wonderful Weekend Everybody!

Sending You All Some Love & Sunshine!

Terri

"Rest On My Shoulder" Figurative Paperclay On Silverplate

2012-02-16T16:25:00.006-05:00

It's A Bit Like Being At A New Restaurant And Wanting To Try Everything On The Menu. Playing With Clay And Learning All The Do's And Don'ts Is Much The Same.

Initially I Created The Form For This Piece That Included Rabbit Ears. I'll Include A Photo To Show Y'all How In The End They Just Didn't Seem To Fit.

So I Carved Them Back And Added A Hat. I Suppose I Have A Thing For Hats. I Love To Put Them On My Women When Painting, And Guess They've Now Found Their Way Onto These New Clay Figures.

I Gave This Figure A Lit'l Tummy And Some Curvy Hips. I Almost Left Her Undressed..But Thought Better Of It. Besides, I Like Coming Up With Cute Outfits And Think This One Fits The Character Of This Piece Nicely.

So There You Have It. My Second Effort With Clay. I Needed Something New ~ And I'm Enjoying The Feel And The Progression This Media Is Connecting Me To.

Hope Everyone Has A Wonderful Weekend Ahead!

Sending You All A Lit'l Love & Georgia Sunshine,

Terri

Working With Paper Clay

2012-02-11T16:11:00.002-05:00

It's Not Uncommon For Artists To Struggle With Their Desire To Create. I've Had To Really Push Myself Lately To Pull Anything Joyous Out Of My Studio.

I Haven't Even Completed The Painting I Posted Back In January. Instead I Wanted To Try Something New. I've Never Worked With Clay Before So I Thought "Why Not?"

I Chose Paper Clay Just Because I Don't Have A Kiln And Read That This Particular Type Can "Air Dry" Within 24 Hours.

I Didn't Have The Faintest Idea On How To Work With This Stuff So I Pulled Out An Old Doll From My Stockpile To Use As A Reference.

I'm Not Completely Unhappy With My Very First Attempt ~ But Do Realize I Need A Lit'l More Practice.

Here's Hoping Everyone's Having A Great Weekend!

Sending You All Some Love & Sunshine,

Terri

"Sneak Peek Friday" Link Up With Sweet Jennifer

2012-01-14T00:15:00.000-05:00

Friends, This Is Definitely A Work Still In Progress But I've Been Missing Linking With My Sweet Friend Jennifer For Sneak Peek Friday..So I'm Here To Give Y'all A Peek At What I've Been Working On This Week.

There's Still Much To Do On This Composition, But So Far I'm Pleased With How It's Coming Together. Next Week Maybe I'll Have The Completed Piece To Show. This Photo Doesn't Reveal The Lit'l Girl's Pretty Dress Or The Longggg Legs of The Giraffe. Suppose I'll Just Have To Save That For Next Week. :))

Have A Glorious Weekend Everyone!

Terri

"Crystal Cross And Another Pickle Jar"

2012-01-10T14:06:00.002-05:00

This Is My Third And Final Pickle Jar Design For Awhile. Heading To My Easel Today To Begin A New Composition. Trying To Keep My Feet Moving Friends.

Love & Sunshine 2 U All,

Terri

"Fun With Soldering Again"

2012-01-08T12:12:00.001-05:00

Havin' Some Fun This Weekend With Soldering. Initially I Planned This Crown To Top Another Of My Santos Creations, But Ultimately (due to the large scale) Decided To Create A Cute (but somewhat primitive styled) Candle Holder.

Yes, The Vessel For The Intended Candle Is An Old Pickle Jar. How Fun Is It To Begin Working On Something And It Slowly Takes On The Form Of Something Else Altogether. Happy Mistakes, Right?

Have A Great Sunday Friends!

Terri

"Couldn't Sleep"

2012-01-07T04:12:00.001-05:00

It's 4 a.m. Here In Middle Georgia. I Haven't Been Sleeping Well Since My Mama Passed, So Tonight I Decided To Do Something Other Than Cry.

I Got Up And Painted. Yes, In My PJ's There I Stood In My Bare Feet In Front Of The Easel.

I'm A Lit'l Tired Now. Think I'll Give Sleep Another Try.

Have A Wonderful Weekend Everyone!

Sending Love & Sunshine 2 U All,

Terri

"A Day Of Remembrance"

2012-01-06T16:16:00.004-05:00

Still Working My Way Through Relocation. While Lifting And Sorting I'm Coming Across So Many Wonderful And Creative Things. One Of Which Is A Textural Portrait Painted By My Sweetest Friend In The Whole Wide World, "Kelly Berkey".

I'm Eventually Going To Have This Piece Framed, But For Now She'll Move "As Is" Into My New Studio. Primarily Because She Looks Fabulous Even Without A Frame! I Adore This Portrait ~ With All It Textural Qualities And Encourage Y'all To Explore More Of Kelly's Designs. She's Truly A Painter Extraordinaire And One Of The Kindest Spirits' You'll Ever Want To Know.

Friends, My Entire House Is Getting An Overhaul. My Canvas /Computer Room Is Next On List! The Clutter Has Bothered Me For Awhile Now..And Once I Sign Off On This Post, I'm Gettin' Busy.

Maybe I'll Be Able To Get Back To The Business Of Painting Soon. Sure Hope So.

Sending Much Love & Sunshine 2 U All,

Terri

P.S. Today When I Came Upon This Painting On Wood, It Gave Me Pause. I Really Favor Wood, And Have Decided To Concentrate On Using More Of It As A Substrate This Year.

"Hi Resolution - A New Year's Studio Meet And Greet"

2012-01-05T08:52:00.003-05:00

Woke Up This A.M. To Discover An Invitation To Attend This Wonderful Blog Hop...And Immediately Thought "Why Not?"

Last Year I Put Together A Short Introduction Page

In An Attempt To Welcome Newcomers Into My World. Click Onto The Highlighted Portion Above And You'll Hopefully Find Me.

Thank You Barbara For The Sweet Invitation. It Was An Absolute Pleasure Visiting All The Studio Sites Made Available This Morning.

Take A Moment To Experience The Joy Of The Following Artist's Studios:

Aaron Christensen - http://www.AaronChristensenArtLicensing.Blogspot.com

Beth Logan - http://artstuff.typepad.com

Brenda Pinnick - http://brendapinnick.typepad.com

J. Wecker-Frisch - http://joystudio.wordpress.com

Karen Embry - http://karenembrydesigns-artblog.blogspot.com

Paula Joerling - http://www.paulajoerling.com

Phyllis Dobbs - http://phyllisdobbs.info

Samantha Walker - http://www.samanthaleewalker.blogspot.com

Sharon Himes - http://chesapeakeartworks.com/sharonhimes/?p=353

Shelly Comiskey - http://shellycomiskeydesigns.blogspot.com

Sue Zipkin - http://suezipkin.typepad.com/blogging_with_dyslexia

Sending Much Love & Georgia Sunshine 2 U All,

Terri Smith

"Daunting But Necessary"

2012-01-04T18:35:00.001-05:00

During The Past Few Days I've Been Busy With The Daunting Task Of Packing Up My Mother's Belongings. Lovingly I Separated, Folded And Left Tear Stains On Beloved Possessions That Will Later Travel To Siblings And Friends.

I Cannot Begin To Express The Sorrow I Experienced While Completing This Last Bit Of Unfinished Business. I Remember Several Times During The Process ~ Stopping To Pray For The Strength To Continue.

It Was Always My Mother's Wish For Me That I Eventually Turn Her Room Into A Working Space For Myself, And As Much As It Seemed A Perfect Plan Upon Initial Discussion ~ It Was Terribly Difficult To Follow Through.

This Space Consists Of 850 Sq Feet And Once I'm Totally Moved In, I'll Definitely Have More Elbow Room. Still Have The Final Step Of Taking Mama's Bed Apart ~ I've Been Putting It Off Until The Very Last Moment. Friends, Please Pray For Me. I'm Trying So Hard To Recover. I Just Miss My Mama So Much.

Love2UAll,

Terri

"Consistently Awed But Winding Down After The Holidays"

2011-12-28T13:48:00.003-05:00

Hi Swwweeet Friends! I Pray Your Holiday Celebrations Were Everything You Dreamed They Would Be. As For Me..I Enjoyed Several Days Of Gift-Exchanging, Laughter And Love, And Not To Forget..FOOD. Lots And Lots Of FOOD.

My Husband Robert And I (along with our furry babies Sam & Samantha) Are Looking Forward To Bringing In A "Quiet" New Year's Eve!

Oh Yes While The Christmas Season Can Be Wonderfully Fun, Loud And Insistent, When All The Dishes Are Done I'm The Type That Needs To Find Little Moments Of Stillness And Beauty.

Please Know I'm Sending Each Of You A Big Southern Hug And Heartfelt Wishes For An Impassioned And Glorious New Year.

Love & Sunshine 2 U All!

Terri

"Soldering With Jason Crabb"

2011-12-14T15:40:00.003-05:00

Slowly Making My Way Back Into My Soldering Studio. Mercifully Jesus Sent Me Some New Music To Lift My Soul While Working. Country Gospel Is The Catagory I Feel "Jason Crabb" Falls Into. All I Know Is The Lyrics To His Song "Through The Fire" Were Somehow Waiting For Me.

"Whimsical Landscape"

2011-12-12T00:17:00.001-05:00

"Behind Picket Fences"

Trying To Make My Way Back To The Easel. In So Much As My Life Has Been Truly Complicated Of Late, I Decided To Choose Something Simple, But Pleasureable.

I've Always Loved Painting Lit'l Houses. This One Reminds Me Of Something You Might See In Key West. Mellow Colors With Plenty Of Sunshine.

This Piece Was Painted On Textured Canvas And Measures 30X30. Once It Dries I'm Thinking Of Placing It On The Wall Above My Bed. I Need Something Colorful And Cheery These Days And I'm Thinking This Just Might Bring Me Both.

"In The Arms Of The Angels"

2011-12-05T12:41:00.001-05:00

"So Unexpected"

2011-10-28T07:32:00.001-04:00

My Sweet Mama Is With Jesus Now. My Heart Has Never Known Such Sadness. I Will Miss Her All The Days Of My Life.

Brighter Days

2011-10-09T17:41:00.001-04:00

"Joyful Smiles At The Hospital With My Babysister, Raeanna"

Brighter Days Are Ahead! My Mama Was Released From ICU Last Night! She's Now Reportedly Making An Excellent Recovery ~ Given Her Age.

I Want To Extend My Heartfelt Appreciation To Each And Everyone Who Lifted Mama In Prayer During This Emotionally Stressful Time. Friends, I Sincerely Believe "Prayer" Is EVERYTHING GOOD And WONDERFUL That Brought My Mama Through It All!

I Love You All!

Terri