People don’t understand why I doodle and place so much importance on it. It is a passion. It is how I express myself. Being intuitive you work with the universe in many ways and this is one of the greatest ways for me of expressing myself in mind, body and soul. When I doodle I am focused and when everything comes together, my artwork is done very quickly. This is also how I write poetry. A couple of my books were done in marathon time and then were complete. I never devalue what I am meant to do even if others don’t think that it is important. It is valuable and important to me or I wouldn’t spend time and energy on it and wake up passionate to draw once again. I delight in waiting for a flow of energy to engulf me to draw. I hope that something this powerful becomes a part of your life and perhaps provides you with a career or a hobby or just excites you enough to get your out of bed every morning. Art Therapy is used as a tool to help those in grief and those going through life threatening situations. Artists aren’t sick – they have found their true calling…..Gail
Watermelon & Birds Rug Hooking
I belong to a group of Rug Hookers, Memories In Wool and I worked on this rug hooking and finished it in the summer. We often sit and hook in Pinafore Park or at the Elgin County Museum where our group is attached to. A kind lady donated wool and some patterns to our group. As I have a watermelon collection I picked the one of the watermelon. In my own style I redesigned the pattern adding birds, flowers and a border and pulled out the wool that had already been hooked as it would be difficult to match it. Here is the finished product and it hangs up north at the cottage with my extensive watermelon collection.
“They wouldn’t let your father out of Heaven to visit you”, so says Millie.
“THEY WOULDN’T LET YOUR FATHER OUT OF HEAVEN TO VISIT YOU”, SO SAYS MILLIE.
By Gail McNaughton, February 12, 2007
“They wouldn’t let your father out of Heaven to visit you”, so says Millie.
But he did come,
With a puff of cigarette smoke,
To the kitchen,
Where I am at home,
In the middle of household congestion.
He was hungry for company,
And knew,
That I’d smell his presence,
For I was used to spices and scents.
When I am one with the universe,
I am calm,
And our vibrational levels,
Almost collide,
But my dense emotions,
Are stirred in the soup pot,
With the potatoes and carrots,
And Dad only identifies with,
The steam essence of,
Who I am,
And not my shape and form,
Only my spirit.
It is enough for me,
Because my Dad’s presence,
In cigarette smoke,
Is all that I’ve ever known,
Since his death,
And it comforts me.
One day our two worlds,
Will mesh,
And I’ll see my Father,
Face to face.
He can always leave from Heaven,
For God makes all things possible,
For believers.
One day my Mother,
Will know the truth,
That God wants us to be one,
In spirit and form,
And to always be present,
With our loved ones.
Scary Sally – Happy Halloween
Scary Sally Doodle Art
Good Morning To All and Happy Halloween. The story below has nothing to do with the Doodle Art. Please pass my Halloween contribution on to your friends and family. I don’t usually draw Scary Sally but felt inspired to have a few laughs and see what I could come up with. I think that she is having a bad makeup and hair day and someone needs to help her dress but isn’t that what Halloween is all about – trick or treat, scary things and candy?
Cheers,
Gail
The Great Pumpkin Angel
Heavenly angels give these children a Halloween treat.
By Joan Sanchez, Norwalk, California
October is usually a happy time for me—my grandchildren, Daniel and Carly, get all excited about Halloween. They spend weeks beforehand discussing their costumes and dreaming of all that candy.
More than anything else, though, they love pumpkins. And not just any pumpkins. They wanted the ones grown by their great-aunt Margaret. What would my grandkids do this first Hallloween after she died?
I liked to joke that my sister Margaret had a soft spot for those kids—the compost pile in her backyard. That’s where the pumpkins grew. And she and the kids tended to them, slipping an upside-down pie pan under each one so it wouldn’t rot sitting on the ground.
Whenever I picked up my grandchildren and took them to visit Margaret, they’d barely say hello before bursting out into the yard to see what was going on in their “pumpkin patch.” They harvested them and used the big ones for carving into jack-o’-lanterns.
I didn’t know why or how pumpkins grew in a compost heap, of all places. Margaret never planted seeds. Maybe she’d thrown an old pumpkin out there one year. She had a green thumb, though. She could have dug a hole, dropped in a worm and ended up growing a rose bush. I envied her gardening skills. If only I had inherited Margaret’s abilities after she passed away.
Next day I went to visit the kids. I can help them with their costumes, I thought. That’ll be something, at least. “Hi!” I said, opening the door.
As soon as I walked in they said the quickest hello before shouting, “Grandma! Grandma! Come and see!”
“See what?”
“Just come!” they said, grabbing my hands and dragging me with them. We went outside. There, right on the side of the house, were half-a-dozen pumpkins. All plump and orange, with vines trailing everywhere. Growing in a spot where nothing had ever been planted.
I said, “You know what Aunt Margaret would do if she were here…” We all raced to the kitchen to get some pie pans. The biggest and best got turned into jack-o’-lanterns. The rest decorated the front porch. And they lasted for months, an autumn-long reminder for my two little pumpkin patch kids.
Poppies & The Red Canoe
Poppies & The Red Canoe. Poppies grow by the shoreline as beautiful as in Flanders Fields.
Surprise It’s Me Doodle Art
Surprise It’s Me
This sunflower is flourishing with Mommy Millie Bear in disguise, even at the end of the season when most are fading away and their heads are drooping and their seeds falling out, Mommy Millie Bear is steadfast, perhaps because Halloween is approaching. With the rain the sunflowers begin to get mushy and their large stocks have to be dug out with a shovel with some muscle attached. My Mom, Millie, was a real prankster so this is dedicated to her as she is personified as a doodle character. She is so happy pretending to be a flower and thinks that she is pulling the wool over our eyes. My Mom hated plants in the house and flowers that she had to tend to but she has manifested herself in the garden of her followers playing a trick and that’s just like her.
EBWN at The Business Sample Show on October 17, 2012
Linda Crawford, Aurora Rodrigues and Gail McNaughton at the EBWN table (The Business Sample Show)
The Business Sample Show was a huge success on October 17, 2012. The display at the EBWN sparkled with originality provided by Aurora Rodrigues, A+ Display and Gail McNaughton, Silpada Designs Jewellery. Linda Crawford, Belcrawf and Membership Co-ordinatoar, St. Thomas & District Chamber of Commerce looks on and gives us a “thumbs up” for creativity. Karen Moffatt, Better Than Flowers had her staff decorate the two draw baskets, one supplied by Karen and the other donated by Aniko Varpalotai & Cecilia Preyra, Lavender Lane Farms. Together they were worth from $350.00 to $400.00! Gifts were supplied by the EBWN membership for the baskets. Linda Stevenson, volunteer with Elgin Employment and Elgin Housing, Valerie Marchand, Curves, and Sharon Lechner, Reach For The Stars Empowerment, were volunteers at the booth. They talked up a storm to women interested in joining the EBWN. Thanks to all for their contributions.
The Flower Girl
I was thinking about all The Flower Girls in life – those that stand by others and support them. They are a breath of fresh air of encouragement to others. They support our efforts. They brighten up our lives. They stand in for us and remind us who we are when we forget. My flower girls are my friends and you are one of them.
Love Gail
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“Good morning to you!! I love the picture. ”
~ Frances Kana
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“Ahhh! That’s so nice. You made me smile…and I needed that.”
~ Kathy
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“Thanks Gail for once again bringing a smile to my lips and a hug to my heart. Your creative talent inspires me.”
~ Pamela Andersen
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“Thanks Gail.
Well you are one of the rays of hope in my life.
Some day you might do a piece of art that symbolizes rays of hope and dedicate it to yourself as a committed advocate.”
~ Cathy Grondin
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“This is absolutely gorgeous!!!!!!! You are soo talented, and an angel in disguise!!!!!”
~ Sue
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Happy Thanksgiving – Come To The Harvest
Come To The Harvest
By Gail McNaughton, September 4, 2012
Come to the harvest,
And stay with us forever.
Sit at our table,
And find comfort in friendship.
Be one in spirit,
As the bounty of what we grow,
Is shared by all.
The leaves gently falling,
Are a reminder that,
A season of Thanksgiving is upon us,
And that winter is just around the corner.
It is time for roast turkey, pumpkin pie,
Turnips, squash, potatoes and apples,
All sewn up it makes a wonderful harvest meal.
Our lives are bountiful,
And the markets filled with produce,
Remind us that we are rich,
With the rewards of our labour,
And our attention to the crops,
That we have nurtured,
With love in our hearts for the land,
And the people we serve.
It is our intention to feed our families, and communities,
And this is the mantra of the farmer,
And why we invest our time.
So come to the harvest,
And stay with us forever.
Sit at our table,
And find comfort in friendship.
Be one in spirit,
As the bounty of what we grow,
Is shared by all.
Truffles – Our Baby at 4 Months Of Age
Bob & Truffles In The Rose Garden At The Landing 2012
The Angel’s Wing & Mr. Moon
The Angel’s Wing & Mr. Moon
By Gail McNaughton, September 10, 2012
It was an early morning’s sky.
Not a cloud hanging around over my heart.
Mr. Moon though,
Was staring in wonderment,
At something across the lake.
An Angel had seemingly lost her wing in the sky.
It was left adrift floating like a cloud,
And anchored itself in the trees,
Breathing love into the forest.
The birds chirped in excitement.
Fish danced to the surface.
Everything was fired up with excitement.
I could see a fawn and doe drinking at the water’s edge,
Along the rugged shoreline of rocks and driftwood.
A voice was heard in the wind,
And the Angel rested our fears,
Telling us she had taken off one wing,
To dip it in the cottage environment,
To refresh rejuvenate and fluff up her wing.
It had been worn a long time and needed nourishment.
It bathed in the sunlight,
With Mr. Moon fading his night face into the cosmos.
The Angel’s wing sparkled with the forest magnetism energizing it.
It was a downy white feather shape electrified,
By the voltage of the firefly flashlights they wore,
And toad stool magic.
It was cleansed in the shimmering lake.
The sunshine blew a kiss and the rays engulfed the wing.
The Angel appeared walking calmly in the forest,
With racoons, red squirrels, chipmunks and mice at her side.
Behind them were a moose, bear, red fox and an eagle.
They stood in the presence of this special Angel,
As the forest Fairies attached her wing.
Then, she unhooked the other one,
So that it could also enjoy the spirit of nature.
It wasn’t long before a blanket of rain,
Washed off star dust from the wing,
And it was scrubbed,
With sand crystals, fine stones and moss.
It too sparkled and glowed,
And covered its care givers like an umbrella,
So they were kept dry.
Again the Angel appeared,
And the fireflies helped her,
Descend gracefully from the old oak tree.
The Fairies hooked up this wing,
Turned her around three times to have a proud stare,
And after good-byes on each side, she was gone.
It rained for the rest of the day,
So this became bath day for all.
The forest critters used an assortment of Angel feathers,
To tickle one another in playful fun,
While frolicking in the rain and lake.
Nightfall predictably came once again,
And Mr. Moon said good night to his forest friends,
And bid them a good night’s sleep.
All was well as the Angel watched over the forest and her friends,
Sharing her love with them all in their dreams.
