Oldham Arts on City Place (Lagrange, Kentucky) Art Show (INDOORS)

I will be displaying this new oil painting (as well as others) at the Oldham Arts on City Place INDOOR art show, November 14 and 15, 2015. See below the picture for the link, for directions and more information about the artists' works for sale. You can also visit my website at the following:
Anne Milligan Art

Oldham Arts on City Place

Gardening to the heartbeat of the Muses

As an artist, I keep the elements of design in the forefront of most of my work in the world, no matter what it might be at the time. That includes gardening. Here in Louisville, Kentucky, my husband and I have been working on a series of native plants rain gardens in our yards for the past 6 years. Never have I enjoyed a design project as much as this one! "Gardening to the heartbeat of the muses" is how I describe the magical experience of working "WITH" the natural world. In every garden I've created over the years, I've sought to follow the lines and movement of the space as it already exists. If there's a crack in the patio, where I'm creating a patio container garden, I'll sometimes follow the crack and use it as a border in the space. In this rain gardens/dry prairie plants project in Kentucky, we've planted over 50 varieties of Kentucky native plant species. They know what to do better than we do, if we'll just give them their most natural environment of sun, shade, moist or dry soil. Along the pathways, I've painted child-level posts that a muse might like. "Monarch Way", "Bee Crossing Bridge", "Hummingbird Station" are some of the posts. Our little neighbor who is now 2 and 1/2 can easily lead others around to the stations via those posts.  While I'm sure any adult can find their way around the gardens, this just adds a wee little bit of the wonder of the muse to the garden experience! My "serious artist" work still has some of the magic of the muse, but is definitely better work than these. You can find my work, including prints, on my website: Anne Milligan Art and at Fine Art America

IN CELEBRATION OF INNOCENCE

So there's a little girl, not yet three years old, who visits our Kentucky Native Plants rain and dry prairie gardens here in Louisville. I've been entranced with how she relates to earthy things when she is here. She can find Monarch Butterfly caterpillars faster than any adults, she loves planting seeds, and she is a master at ringing the wind chimes!!! This is no stereotypical angel either. I mean, this Taurus girl has SPUNK!! She's an angel in tennis shoes and has a bit of the Trickster just to keep things interesting. I decided to paint her into one of my oil paintings in the summer of 2015. While the original painting is in the private collection of her parents, prints are available for purchase. In all of my works of art, and in my LIFE, I celebrate innocence, LIGHT, pure energy, and the wonder of being alive. I have no problem being naieve. I want to see the light in the world. I choose NOT to embrace darkness in my work nor in my life. I've learned that whatever we focus on the most BECOMES us. I choose the light. I choose to be happy and to be grateful for each precious moment we have to be here. And I choose love whenever I can. Hopefully, that shines through in this work. There are so many   in the world who seek to bring newness and beauty into the world and I am honored to be among them at this time in history. You can purchase prints of "A Garden Muse" on my website at this link: AnneMilliganArt.com
You can also purchase this image on a variety of other things such specialty papers, matted and framed prints, throw pillows, etc., at Fine Art America

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Art Festival of Louisville

It was pretty awesome to be in the Howard Alan Events show this past weekend, June 20-21 here in Louisville, Kentucky. "Art Festival of Louisville" took place in the Paddocks area of east Louisville in a very well designed shopping center. Here is a photo of my booth display.
Visit my website for a look at my artwork