welcome home

This is the entry gate to a couple's home. It was done by an artist and is just fantastic! The flowers that you see are actually blown glass. It is an amazing piece of artwork. What a way to enter your driveway!

fill your heart with art

-manon

another beauty

Another beautiful sunset! Can one ever get sick of these? I don't think so. I tried to capture my profile with my camera while looking at the sky. I know, I know.......stick to the art.

I tried to get some Christmas shopping done today but I bought more for myself than anyone else. One gift for another.....two for me. Geez...this is fun.

fill your heart with art

-manon

update on Sydney

I've burnt the wood, painted the undercoats, and now I'm ready to start painting Sydney. The background was a little more time consuming than I expected and I have blisters on my fingers to prove it. I think she looks great and I'll be ready to go when I get back from AZ next week.

fill your heart with art

-manon

Thanksgiving

I think the turkey I bought for Thanksgiving was a little too big. Yes.......it was 30 pounds. Just a little large for eight people but Alex thinks she can handle it in this pic. There is so much meat in my fridge it's crazy. The funny thing is that I don't eat meat. Yep.....the rest of the family is stuck with the bird.

I've been working on Sydney. I'll post some pictures tomorrow. I'm leaving for another week in AZ on Tuesday so I'll be posting from there.

fill your heart with art

-manon

sydney

This is Sydney, the new pet portrait I will be working on for Shelby and Bruce. This is a Christmas gift for Shelby's parents. Sydney is two years old and she is beautiful. I will post pictures as I progress with the piece.

happy thanksgiving!

fil your heart with art

-manon

Greasewood Flat

This is Regina on the left and Mary Monica on the right. They are my family members that I met at on of my favorite places in AZ last night. Greasewood Flat is a must see if you're in the Scottsdale area. It is an outdoor bar with country music. Picnic tables and fire pits are lined up everywhere. You order your food and they call out a number on a speaker system when it's ready. Last night there were about 60 Harley's in the parking lot. Fun times! It's a great place for people watching and it was packed last night. Awesome place to get your two step going!!

fill your heart with art

-manon

art show in AZ

This past Friday The Work of Artists Gallery in AZ had an open house. This is me pictured in front of some of my work. The big mirror made it here in on piece, as you can see. It was nice to put faces to names! I got to meet Vicki Reed, (I hope I have the correct spelling), an artist whose art I greatly admire. It was a very nice show!

fill your heart with art

-manon

kicking back in AZ

Today I decided that I wanted to go horseback riding. My relatives weren't to crazy about the idea in fear that I would hurt myself. Once they saw the horse, they felt better. They actually couldn't believe that someone my age would attempt this feat. No problem!! I believe that my family now understands why I'm an artist.Heeee haw!!!

fill your hear with art

-manon

inspired in the Southwest

This is a painting I did for my crib in AZ. You probably can tell by now that I definitly love the Southwest. The colors and the scenery inspire a lot of the artwork that I do. My favorite artist is Georgia O'keeffe. She had a tremendous love of the Southwest and lived in New Mexico later in her life. Here's a quote from her that I love.

"I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way -- things I had no words for."-georgia o'keeffe

fill your heart with art

-manon

dinner with the fam

We all bonded together in AZ today. Fun times. I haven't done any art for days ........I'm working on a comedy routine instead, (so my mother says). Life has become laughter and drink, (not a bad thing). It's good to relax a little before the ton of art I have ahead of me. I've got to go.....the relatives are calling....yay!

fill you heart with art

-manon

awesome sunset

Arizona has some of the most spectacular sunsets I have ever seen. Tonight was no exception. Some of the best ones are when there are clouds in the sky because the colors of the sunset are reflected in the clouds. I love to watch the sunset. Sunrises are also beautiful but it's a little harder to catch them.

The truck was still working as of this afternoon.Yay! I spent the morning at Work of Artists Gallery fixing a mosaic that someone dropped. I have a show there on Friday night so I'll try to get some pics.

fill your heart with art

-manon

rough start

I arrived at the house in AZ only to discover that my truck battery was completely dead. I was fortunate enough that my neighbor, Mike Simms, was home to give the truck a jolt. My parents and I then high tailed it over to the Ford dealership. Fun times at the dealership for an hour and a half. The truck got a new battery and I thought things were going to improve. Wrong! I noticed, after I had long gone that my radio wasn't working. Yep....I turned my little behind around and headed back to Ford. After getting new fuses we were back on our merry way. I thought I may have to beat my truck but the better idea was to have my dad, Fred, run me over.

fill your heart with art

-manon

four missions

These are the missions that I painted for my entryway about nine years ago. Each painting is 40" x 40" and is cradled Clayboard that I ordered to size. I used acrylics for all four. It's interesting to see how much better my paintings are now. There are definitely a few things that I would have done differently. I've had a couple of people interested in purchasing them but I don't know what I'd put there to replace them.

I'll be posting from AZ for the next week providing nothing goes wrong with my computer! See you out West!

fill your heart with art

-manon

the other manon doyle

A couple of years ago I was teaching mosaic classes at Glass Axis when the receptionist told me she had received a strange message. The lady who left a message for me had found me on the Glass Axis website. The way she found me is that she had googled her own name. Yes.....another Manon Doyle. My first name is not that common so this was pretty strange. Anyway, I called her and the other Manon lives in New Mexico and is also an artist. Can you believe it? Manon paints beautiful pieces and last year she sent me a painting for Christmas. The funny thing is that the painting she sent me is of a church. When you walk in my house I have four huge paintings I have done of mission churches, (I'll post them on Sunday). This whole experience was surreal.

I'm leaving for AZ on Monday with my mom, dad, aunt and uncle. Yes... I will feel like a 16 year old again. Yay! I will post when I'm out West.

fill your heart with art

-manon

cutie patootie

I just looooove my dog. He's like my little baby. I think my love of dogs is why I like to do the pet portraits. I didn't get my first dog until 10 years ago. That was PowWow, (I'll post his picture at a later date) and he made me an instant dog lover. Otis has been my feistiest dog yet. Anything he can do to mess with my head he'll do. He keeps me on my toes.....that's for sure. I think he looks pretty hilarious in this shot.

Update........no tables yet. I hope to see them before the year is through. I've been painting on an easel at my work bench in my studio. Forget doing any mosaics in there. I need those tables Bob!!! Just a little frustration on my part.

fill your heart with art

-manon

little star

I love these little 8"x 8" pieces. Unfortunately, the picture seems a little blurred. I've tried different lighting with my camera but I can't seem to get these little suckers focused. These paintings are fun because I get instant gratification which is sometimes hard with the other work I do. Here's the quote........

"If I could reach up and hold a star for every time you've made me smile, the entire evening sky
would be in the palm of my hand."

I know......pretty sappy but I'm a sap.

fill your heart with art

-manon

quotes from the heart

I've been waiting on information that I need to start three new pet portraits for clients. In the mean time, I've got some 8"x 8" pieces of birch wood that I thought I'd wood burn a small quote and picture on. I do have another theme mosaic I have to get done but I wanted to change it up a little today. I did the underpainting for three of these little pieces today. Actually....I finished the one that I've posted here. Here's the quote.

"For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart.
"It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul." -judy garland

Most of these little works have a quote about the heart. I guess I'm a sentimental fool.

fill your heart with art

-manon

late fall

I missed taking a picture of the trees at the peak of the season. Some of the trees are still pretty but the colors aren't as vibrant as they were two weeks ago. Fall is winding down in Ohio; making way for the cold. Ugh! I know...I know.. being from Canada, I should embrace the cold weather. The truth is I really don't! I'd rather have the warm sun beating down on me than the feel of cold hands and feet for four months. I do like the first snow when everything is pretty and glistening. Winter goes down hill from there. I guess I need to learn to embrace it but after all these years I find it hard.For now I'll enjoy late fall and try not to think of what's ahead.

fill your heart with art

-manon

best dressed

Here's my vote for best costume on Halloween night. I think this was the funniest and most creative I've seen in awhile. With just a little imagination you can come up with a great idea.

Heard from my wood guy, Bob, today. I guess he has not even started my tables. Ugh! I'm just going to go ahead and meet with some clients next week at the studio. I have easels so I can pretty much do the paintings of the pets. Bugging Bob for the next week is going to be my part time job. He's going to love me so much by the time I'm done with him. Watch out Bobbo.....an impatient artist is on your tail!

fill your heart with art

-manon