sometimes, it's not just about babies; sometimes I can squeeze a little art in, too.

Today, my kids are at my Mom's house. Soooo, taking advantage of the time, I decided to clean out the laundry room. A catchall for whatever I don't know what to do with, or stuff I want to put out of sight quickly, it's a disaster area. Dan will be over the moon happy when he gets home, except, oops, I am distracted now.

In a pile of art related stuff on top of the dryer, I came across this drawing. I remember when I drew it, how I was inspired by botanical drawings of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and how disappointed I was by the result of my own efforts. Well maybe it shows how out of practice I am, because now I really like it . Of course, sometimes perspective and distance are everything. In fact, I always look at my artwork in the mirror, to check for balance and mistakes, because in the midst of creating something, I can get too close to really see. There's something about the way a mirror reverses things that brings certain things to light. There is also something about it that lies, too, so I have to be careful.

Regardless, all this to say that after some time and distance, I have changed my mind about this piece, and I enjoy it now. It is also making me happy that I have this other piece, and somehow they seem related to me.

Part of it, I think, is the fact that this is an arts and crafts tile, in a gorgeous mission frame, and I was inspired in my drawing by a master of the arts and crafts movement. And then there's the obvious color relationships, and the three blossoms, and the fact that they are very similar in size. And also the diagonal composition which leaves a bit of an open space in the bottom left corner. Yes, I am an analytical genius, I know.

Dan gave me this tile for Christmas, and it is making me sad that the subtleties of color and texture in the glaze are kind of lost in this photo, and you can't really appreciate it's luminosity and depth. Sometimes it amazes me just how well my husband knows me. Just to be able to pick the perfect thing. The colors, the dangling freesia, I couldn't stop looking at it when I first opened it up. I love it, and I think I shall hang them together.