Mystic Stitch - Rose Garden

We are in the middle of a California heat wave and I am not doing much of anything.  All my machines are quiet.  It is simply too hot to start any of them.

So, I decided this would be a good time to work on many of the counted cross stitch pieces I have started, go through all my fabric scraps and scour my library for some small projects to start and hopefully complete. 

I stopped in the Gallery to pick up my check for a couple items that sold.  Most of the items that sell are "gifty" type items.  I think those type items appeal to the residents....a nice, inexpensive item for a birthday, anniversary, baby shower.  So, I think the gallery is in an evolutionary process, going from showcasing the more expensive "art" items that one would find in a larger metropolitan area artist gallery, to the upper end craft items that are a little smaller and within the economic means of the area residents.

Back to my projects.  Several years ago I found the Mystic Stitch website and downloaded one of the free designs, Rose Garden.  The artwork was provided by Blakeslee Fine Art.  Although the artist was not named, I believe the painting was done by Sarah Blakeslee.  I found a few images of her art on the Internet and those images were similar in style to the counted cross stitch adaptation.  If anyone knows something different, please leave a comment.

Rose Garden

When I first started stitching the design, the colors were very muted and I became disinterested in working on it.  It languished for several years until I brought it out this Spring and placed it in my rotation of projects to complete.  Now that the I see the entire project, the colors emerge from the fog.  It is a nice piece to add to my collection.