King of Mice Studios' Blog

I'm sharing this latest piece while still on vacation. A little unusual, in that it was begun in Pennsylvania, and finished in South Carolina...


As an animal lover, I've always been drawn to Saint Francis, and it was such a blessing to paint him. The "Brother Sun" and "Sister Moon" at the base of either side is taken from one of his canticles. He's quite large, measuring 21" x 22 1/2". Painted in acrylics on solid pine, with a clear acrylic varnish.

He's $375 on a first-come basis, plus shipping, which will depend on location. I can send him off as soon as I return to Pennsylvania, at the end of the month. Email me at carolee@kingofmice.com with questions or to purchase. :) UPDATE ~ SOLD.

I'm having a wonderful time here in the Charleston area, and we're off to Savannah and St Augustine next!

Until next time,
~ Carolee

...And I'm having a fabulous time, despite some rather serious glitches (which you can read about here)...

I'm writing this from my friend Ann's beach house on Sullivan's Island, S.C. - and I must say I could get used to this, hehe. :)

More sightseeing today, followed by local seafood for dinner, and I'm trying to squeeze a little painting in as well. St Francis of Assisi is nearly completed, and as soon as I learn to edit photos on a MAC, I'll share them here and on Facebook.

In the meantime, I'm wishing everyone a restful and relaxing weekend!

Back again soon...
~ Carolee

It's finally here! We leave bright and early tomorrow morning, and will be blogging along the way, both here and on the Road Dust and Wanderlust blog (assuming I can learn to use a different laptop and photo program, haha)...

The Mice President will handle print sales while I'm away so please be patient with him.

And assuming I can figure out that photo program, there may even be a couple of new pieces painted as we travel. :)

Until next time...
♥ Carolee

Just popping in quickly to share that the first four prints in the monthly Moon Goddess series are now up for grabs in my Etsy shop. :)

It was such a blessing to paint these, and I'm very excited about sending them out into the world as prints!

Until next time,
♥ Carolee

Did you see the supermoon last night? It was pretty spectacular, although during the time it was supposed to "peak" (just after 11:30 here) we had too much cloud cover here to see anything but a vague glow in the sky. Disappointing, but still energizing just to step outside and bathe in the brightness.

There's something so magical and otherworldly about the full moon, something directing our thoughts to the mystical. You can feel it's energy. With this in mind, I began painting a series of Full Moon Goddesses in January. The idea was to choose a Goddess appropriate to the symbolism of each full moon. Some are Greek, some Celtic, and some may be Roman or Norse.

The first in the series was Artemis, the Greek Goddess of the hunt, for January's full wolf moon...


Next was Chione, also Greek, for February's full snow moon...


March's Goddess was The Morrigan, Celtic goddess of battle and strife, who shapeshifts into a crow - perfect for the full crow moon...


April's full pink moon was Eostre, the Goddess of rebirth and fertility, and namesake of the Christian Easter celebration...


And the most recent, actually painted as the full flower supermoon rose in the sky, the Welsh Goddess Blodeuwedd (pronounced bluh-die-weth), magically made from flowers, whose totem is an owl...


It's been quite the journey painting these women, and quite the education. I'm reading as much as I can, but also realizing I've only scratched the surface. My friend Lunaea very kindly recommended some books on Goddesses, and they're next on the Barnes and Noble list. ;)

The originals in the series - 13 in all, counting the blue moon - are already spoken for, but there's been so much interest on facebook, I'm offering prints. The first four in the series (Artemis through Eostre) will be available in my Etsy shop within a few days. At this point, I've only ordered half a dozen of each, as I wanted something easily manageable before I leave for an extended road trip on the 13th. Those of you following my art page on facebook (link on the right hand sidebar) will see a heads-up posted there as soon as they're listed.

Next up is a a piece for this month's PFATT Marketplace, honoring St Francis of Assisi, and all our animal friends.

In the meantime, things are a bit crazy here as I prepare for the trip to Key West (details here)...I'll be doing a bit of art as we travel, but in watercolor and colored pencil, which will be a fun change...

Thanks as always for your interest in my work, and for your kind comments. :)

Back soon!
♥ Carolee

Just popping in to share the latest piece, a bentwood treasure box featuring a beautiful black cat set against the full moon...


It's up for grabs on Etsy now. :)

♥ Carolee

Oh yeah, and John too. ;)

All work and no play makes Carolee a slightly crazed girl...at least I think that's that what John sensed when he suggested an afternoon away from the studio. We considered the city (Philadelphia), the Chesapeake Bay, and Bucks County, but in the end -considering gas prices and the usual dog walking dilemma - settled on staying close to home. So off we headed to the quaint little town of Lititz, just about twenty minutes away...


It's been awhile since we wandered around the downtown area, and we found quite a few new shops and cafes. One of my favorites was Zest, filled with gourmet kitchen goodies...


and This Place...


The Chocolate Cafe.

 OMG.

We stopped in for a decadent drink, John opting for hot cocoa (we're talking 70% pure cacao here, as the very gracious and helpful proprietor explained) and a "Chocolate Strawberry Lush" for me - surprisingly healthy and low cal, made of the same dark chocolate, half a dozen fresh pureed strawberries, and seltzer - basically like a liquid chocolate covered strawberry.

Lots of tempting treats to take away too, but we were fairly restrained (with difficulty, hehe).


Suffice to say if  you're ever in Lancaster County, this place is a must.

You're welcome. ;)

Another new and wonderful shop was called simply "Haven", and it was. I wish I could share a link, but the store is that new, I can't seem to find one...glass Witch's balls, wonderful beaded jewelry and windchimes, crystals and stones...just beautiful.

We also noticed Aaron's Books moved from Broad Street to Main Street, and while we've been meaning to visit for awhile now (I seem to remember they used to be the meeting place for local SCA members, which has always intrigued me), time was pressing, so we headed off to catch a late afternoon showing of "Mirror Mirror"...

Definitely not traditional, a little hokey, but still fun, and the visuals were great. I mean, Snow White, castles, magic spells - what's not to love?


An altogether perfect afternoon.

Tomorrow, it's back to work - refreshed, restored, and inspired by fairy tale magic.

(Thank you, John!)

♥ Carolee

Of course!

Halloween year 'round, teehee!!

Just popping in to share the very first Halloween clock of 2012, super whimsical...

 I just love polka dots, don't you? And moons and stars, and black cats and mice...

There are two other clocks in progress, but they'll be going with me to the Ghoultide Gathering in October. The one shown here is now up for grabs on Etsy.

Okay, back to the studio for me - between Etsy, commissions and preparation for the show, my head is spinning...

Back very soon!
♥ Carolee

Letter writing, *sigh*...

A lost art, some believe - but then, so are many other old-world things I love; tatting, hand embroidery, baking bread without a machine....Sometimes shortcuts aren't such an improvement after all. Sometimes doing things the old fashioned way brings more satisfaction, more warmth.

A cup of tea, a fountain pen, a piece or two of beautiful stationery and tales to share with a dear friend...what could be better, or more heartfelt?

As much as I love writing letters (which admittedly I don't do nearly enough), I love receiving them even more...sitting down in a comfy chair, aforementioned cup of tea within reach, sunlight or lamplight, savoring every word, every bit of news. And wanting to write back immediately, although it doesn't always work out that way. ;)

I've been thinking a lot about letter writing this week as I painted "The Witch's Letters", a combination lap desk/stationery box, whose drawer will contain a crescent moon stamp and several shades of blue and purple sealing wax...

The drawer's interior is decoupaged with beautiful French script paper and stamps...

What a blessing it was to paint this piece, and I'm happy to say it's already found a good home.

I read recently that many schools are actually dropping penmanship for their curriculum! I know I sound very old here, but how perfectly awful! Can you imagine? The possibility that we're just a generation or two away from old fashioned writing becoming a thing of the past...It makes me sad for those children growing up without knowing the joy of having a penpal, or receiving their first hand written love letter.

I know I can't be alone in this - please tell me that some of you still write letters, still enjoy written correspondence? I do hope so....

Finally, I suppose there's a certain irony in railing against technology while using a computer, and please don't get me wrong - I do love the computer, and it has it's own blessings. I just think it needn't be one or the other.

I'll leave you with Emily Posts guide to writing longer letters, circa 1922. ;)

Until next time,
♥ Carolee

Rising and setting, waxing and waning, emergence and harvest....

While my own spiritual path has been fairly traditional, I also find myself drawn to the cycles of Mother Earth, and find a certain harmony and balance when I make the effort to live in tune with each season. The Wheel turns, the cycle repeats year after year, and we all become part of the ebb and flow - birth, growth, maturity, and eventually death - and rebirth, as the cycle begins again.

I had the opportunity to reflect on the wheel- and the pagan festivals and celebrations therein - this past week as I completed a commission for a very special collector...

As we experienced the transition here in southeastern Pennsylvania from winter to a very early spring, this piece was such a blessing to paint, and inspired me to do a bit of reading about the Old holidays. Fascinating stuff, and serves to confirm what I've believed for a very long time - that there's ultimately more which unites us than divides us.

Can one observe Christian holidays as well as Pagan? Can one love both God and Goddess? Personally, I don't see why not (and please, if you disagree, do so respectfully and without prosyletizing - I'm not into being scolded).

If nothing else, it's a question that deserves further exploration, further reading, and perhaps a little prayer and meditation. I do know that when I try to work with the natural rhythm of the Earth, rather than against it - or oblivious to it - I feel calmer, and more balanced.

And that has to be a good thing.

Until next time, wishing you all the blessings of this beautiful season,
♥ Carolee