Mysterious Woman #music and #art

This week’s art prompt is “Mysterious/Dark”.  Last year, I sketched a smokin’ hot dame for the A to Z Challenge which certainly falls into the dark category which got me to thinking about using another sultry red head for my mysterious subject.  I call this piece “Hiding”.

Hiding

 

My original illustration lacks a shadowy presence.  I failed to get the shading just right which I blame partly on lack of experience and not taking time to do a little Internet research.  I decided to duplicate my sketch and play with Procreate adjustments.  I altered the color curve levels in my drawing giving it that shadowy effect I wanted.  Yep, I cheated a wee bit but it’s still creating.  The end result was I got the right touch of mystery for my artwork.

What or who does my blue-eye firecracker see to make her not want her presence be known?

A poetry moment….

“Hiding” by ©2021 Cathy Kennedy

Hiding in the shadows
Ice blue eyes shocked frozen
A silent gasp
No sound made
Shocked frozen
Feet like lead
She couldn’t escape
Shivering
Praying inwardly
She’s not found

 

I will add my poem to the second illustration to place on my A Poet I Am Not page.

 

 

Mysterious Woman ~Christine Lavin

This week’s Thankful Thursday   I am thankful for the great success I had last weekend making green chile enchiladas.  The weekend before I made enchiladas with red enchilada sauce which didn’t turn out too shabby but I wanted to give it another try and since I had lot of the Green Chile sauce left from when I made Elvis Green Chile Fried Chicken I decided to use it this time.  Man, am I ever glad!  DH said these were among his top 10 favorite enchiladas.  I am very thankful to have the time to experiment in the kitchen.  This is one positive thing that’s come out of the pandemic. 😉  Keep an eye out for the recipe.  I promise to share it as soon as I get it typed up.  I’m thankful that I’m slowly but surely getting back into the exercise groove.  It’s so hard to get back in step with old habits but exercising is a good habit to have unlike many habits that aren’t.

 

 

 

I’m winding things up today with Kat’s Writing Workshop.  Writing was my first passion. I hope to revive this dormant side of me before it becomes a lost art altogether. This week I’m inspired to write a list of 5 things that I miss about being a kid.

  1. Worry.  I knew of struggles as a kid but real worries? Nope,  I didn’t have those.  
  2. Responsibilities.  More directly, responsibilities to others.  As a parent and a wife I have responsibilities 24/7 for the rest of my natural life.  I had responsibilities as a kid but it was in the form of doing chores and while I know that helped alleviate my mother’s burdens it seems now somehow different.
  3. Sleep.  When I was a kid, I’d fall fast asleep the second my head hit the pillow and I’d sleep deeply throughout the night. Gone are those days!
  4. My grandparents.  There’s nothing like spending time with grandparents.  Their home was filled with unconditional love, a refuge.  Their arms of love for warm hugs and smiles on their faces.  Their prayers that gave me reassurance that everything would be okay.   Grandparents are old.  You know they won’t live forever but when they are gone the heartache that comes is one that won’t soon go away if ever.  That’s when I realized I should’ve held onto every moment more closely for those were precious times.
  5. My brother.   I miss that we didn’t get to spend much time after I became an absorbed teen who thought of boyfriends or the world coming to an end to pay attention to a little brother.  When we were younger we were best friends.  We shared bunk beds and played games at bedtime till one of us fell asleep.  That was such fun.  Most of my memories of my brother are from my childhood.  I got married at 17 and move out of state with DH.  Time, distance, interests separated us from our youth.  Just as I felt things were turning around in his life, tragedy robbed me of my little brother.  I keep his picture on my refrigerator so I see him daily and sometimes I still hear his voice in my head.  I don’t want to forget ever.

 

I want to pitch Eugi’s weekly gig for creative writers, especially those who dabble in poetry.  Click on the button below to visit her site for the word prompt and if you’re inspired don’t forget to share a link back on her site in comments to your place.  She’s an awesome friend!

 

I found this mysterious woman (updated link) online.  Originally, when I wrote this it seemed interesting that the unknown woman photographed with a number of Hollywood celebrities but in fixing the link I discovered that there’s no mystery.  I’m unsure why it wasn’t too clear before. Oh well…it was fun! I’m heading over to Rain’s Garden to browse through the gallery of artistry and you’re welcome to follow along.  Before I scoot off, tomorrow is DH’s off Friday so I owon’t be around in Blogosphere but I’ll be back with two entries on Monday: my 3rd BoTB showdown and then Monday’s Music Moves Me.  I hope you’ll cast your vote for your favorite artist and then hit the dance floor with me. Monday’s music theme is National Baked Alaska Day (4M Theme page).   Have a good weekend! X💋X💋, Cathy

A little humor to round things out for the week. 😉

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48 comments

  1. That just breaks my heart about your brother. I’m glad you have wonderful childhood memories to hold onto, a lot of siblings are not as close as that when they are kids. Sounds like you two had a special bond!

  3. So many talents … your Hiding Lady turned out perfect and your poetry too. You certainly are blossoming in the midst of our pandemic. It is a wonderful thing that good can come from such scary realities. I always listen to your music as I read through your writings … so relaxing and beautiful. I feel your loss of your brother. I, too, lost my sister at a young age and have missed her. Like you, we were close as kids ,but as I got older we went our separate ways. Always in touch , but from a distance … then she was gone and I not only mourned her loss, but the loss of all the times we didn’t share together. My goodness, you sure touched some emotions today. Stay safe, Cathy … and I will look forward to your next post.

    Andrea @ From the Sol

      1. One thing you can do is when you leave a comment on any WordPress site, add your blog URL to the form or you can even drop it straight into your comment. 😉

    2. Andrea,

      We all know loss, don’t we? It’s difficult but it makes the moments we had with our loved ones all the more precious. One day, I will see my brother again. Thank you for you lovely words. I like that you said I was blossoming in the midst of this pandemic. I feel in many ways I have done just that.

  4. What a great post Cathy! I love your “Hiding” both the illustration and the poem! I think you did a great job with her! The shading definitely brings depth, well done! You’re doing so great with your art!! 🙂 That Mystery Belgian lady…who the heck is she????????? LOL…I tried so hard to see if these were altered photos, they seem legit!!! 🙂 Maybe a producer’s mama? 🙂 Congrats on the enchiladas!!! 🙂 And I’m so sorry about life robbing you of your brother. Keep him in your thoughts, I’m sure he is with you always! xx

    1. Rain,

      The mystery lady probably has some ties somewhere and is able to get her picture made with the celebs. The photo editing provided some excellent shading. It helped me with my vision of what I wanted to do and inspired me know how to tackle the job myself better next time. 🙂

  5. Cathy, your mysterious woman sketch is fabulous and I love your poem! Enchiladas are one of my favorites and look forward to your recipe! I love that last picture and thank you so much for the mention! I truly appreciate it! 🌞😘

    1. Eugenia,

      I’m happy to know you enjoyed my art and poem. Thanks! Every time we go to a Mexican restaurant DH always orders beef enchiladas. Many times over the years, we’d get take out from our favorite Mexican restaurant to bring home. It’s more comfy and cozy to eat at home. Then when the pandemic hit I got creative exploring how to make new things. I’m so glad that I did because I’ve learned how to do it and we’re both very delighted with the end results – good food! I’ll try to get the recipe up asap!

      1. I always enjoy your posts, Cathy. You know, another plus by making your meals at home, you know what you are eating and that it’s safe. Rock on!

  6. Your mysterious woman is amazing, Cathy. I love her. The poem goes well with her moody feel, too. That last one was hilarious. I’ve known men like that. Never have to worry because I always get the last word with my cats!

    1. Mimi,

      Thanks for your sweet compliments. Your Sweetie is just too taken by you giving the illusion that he’s not listening but he’s really just mesmerized by you. 🙂

  11. Our Human says green chili enchiladas are delicious although we felines are a bit skeptical about any food that is green,
    Purrs & Head Bonks,
    Alberto

    1. Alberto,

      Your Human is right green chili enchiladas are quite delicious. They might be a little spicy for your delicate palate, so you may not like the taste. 🙂

    1. Timmy Tomcat, I’m happy your dad got a chuckle out of the funny meme. Men get a bad rap for not listening but I tell you this, my DH is an excellent listener and he can recite back what I said to him better than I can. lol

  16. I am laughing so hard at that last picture because that is my hubby and me. With his ADHD I can’t even get 2 words out before he interrupts. Your painting is very well done and makes me think of a film noir where she is ready to go onstage but sees her long lost lover from years ago. She made sure to cover her tracks but he found her. She is not all bad, just a little. Love the poem too. I have worried most of my life. My mom said I worry about things 5 yrs ahead. I try to not do this but it is a part of my psyche. I have had to shoulder responsibilities when I was young because it was expected and, later, out of necessity. I can sleep now but I have restless sleeps where i move around, talk, mumble and have screamed in my sleep. I have had some pretty wonky dreams with the most recent involving larger black spiders everywhere. I loved my Oma and Opa especially my Oma who was so strong for her 4’8″ frame. Opa wasn’t the nicest to her but she didn’t care. She lost 2 sons in the war, one on her lap when he was a year old only. She had no idea where my mom was or her other son and my Opa was taken out of the home and placed in a concentration camp. No matter what, she made sure Christmas was special and had a gift for each person. I loved her to bits. I didn’t know my dad’s parents because my grandpa died in 1956 and my grandmom dies in 1919 when my dad was only 6. My brother is one I love and all I truly have left but it was not an easy time with him. He is sweet but can be easily led and has shunned me in the past due to his former wives(3) but now he seems good and I am happy for him.

    1. Birgit,

      My late mother-in-law was a worrier despite her strong faith in God. I think some people are wired that way and no matter what they will be. Your grandparents really saw some difficult, dark days. I just can’t imagine living like that and yet many of grand or great grandparents had horrible hardships placed in their lives but despite all of the difficulties they turned out to be good people. What a difference we see in the generations of recent years who have been given an easy life. Truly sad. Anyway, thanks for sharing just how special your grandmother made things for the family despite financial limitations. I’m also glad things are going well between you and your brother. That’s horrible about his other wives. They should be ashamed of themselves but I believe people like that will get what’s coming to them one day.

  17. Very mysterious woman- great drawing! Great answers- especially the last one- we never know what will happen in the future. Reminds me to cherish now! Cheers and have a great day cooking more enchiladas!

    1. Kathe,

      Ahh, thanks! We certainly do not know what the future will bring and the Bible tells us we aren’t promise tomorrow. It pays to have our spiritual life in order. Thankfully, my brother did.

  19. Love both your sketches and the poem is perfect.

    Love your list of 5 things. Especially the last one.

    Now I’m hungry for enchiladas. I’m coming over.

    Have a fabulous day, Cathy. Love and hugs. ♥

  21. Cathy. Your artistic ability is very obvious to me. Perhaps as someone with no ability to create, I have the ability to recognise the opposite? If you don’t mind, I actually prefer the first hiding lady! You words about grandparents really struck home. We are so missing the more regular input that we have to our five. Now our time with them is depleted due to the evils of the virus in causing damage that will become apparent later, when numbers become less important.So sorry to read about your brother. It is right that you do not want to ever forget.

    Your Elvis chilli sounds good. Rocking and rolling even?

    1. That’s very sweet of you to say. We each have our own way to create as inspired. It’s a shame kids don’t understand the value of grandparents until it’s too late. I was blessed to live near mine and spent a great deal of time with them until I married and moved away. I couldn’t agree with you more about the evils of this virus. I think the real danger is the separation from those we cherish and perhaps that’s one of the purposes of its design. Obviously, everyone who’s exposed to it do not contract it but one never knows if they are a susceptible target. I pray this nightmare ends soon. Incidentally, do you have a blog? There isn’t one linked to your gravatar profile. Thanks for joining me and making me apart of your day.

  22. Your sketch is darn cool and she is a mystery lady. The enchiladas sure do sound good and those were all good answers too. Thanks for joining our Thankful Thursday Blog Hop!

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