"To put the world right in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right."...Confucious

It seems like time has been flying by lately, but I am still trying to design and paint. Growing up I had the luxury of having numerous family gatherings to go to. It seemed we always had a reason to gather, a holiday, birthday, out-of-town relative visiting, something to draw us together. As we all get older the family spreads itself more thin and these times get fewer. I came home last week after going to a wedding shower for my cousin and started thinking about how important family values and traditions are. I suppose you could say I realized a family is the color red....at least mine is! A primary hue, one of the core colors for over half the color wheel...a building block to start. Red is a dominant, dramatic warm hue. Red empowers the soul to achieve goals and desires. Red also represents fire...emotional fires. Yes, my family tree is predominately red! Overall it is a picnic red, a summer picnic at the lake, a fun-filled picnic of family and food! This is where my design started.

I have had a few inquiries about the dress/tunic style and I think most of you would like it. It gracefully flows down the body, just slightly curving or hugging the body. A fluid movement of color sliding down over your hips, and a look that is a seductive dress or a very cute longer length over those popular skinny jeans! I chose the warm shades of red, orange and yellow to blend down the silk. The colors mingled beautifully, rather a delicious remembrance of a summer picnic menu or the poppies blooming in the nearby field heading to the lake. Take a Summer Picnic....$85