Friday, April 29, 2011

Wedding Chapel

What's a good boost to an artist's confidence?

This  is the very first painting I ever sold.   When I first started taking art lessons (4 years ago), I was so excited and amazed that my humble attempts actually looked like what they were supposed to be!  I'd go to class every Monday night then take my (wet) painting to school Tuesday morning to show my friends.  "Look what I did now! Can you tell it's a tree?"
I'd painted a tree, a cup, a flower, an owl, a guitar, a child... Then a friend asked me how much I'd charge to paint the chapel where her daughter got married.... gasp!... really?... (Could that be a real, live commission?!)   I was nervous and so wanted her to be pleased... 
She was.
By the way, and if you're wondering... I made about $1.15 per hour on that job... Yikes!  Good thing I kept my teaching job!

Monday, April 25, 2011

:( Spring Rains

Enough!!!
Stop!!


We're like Ma & Pa Ingalls trying to "save the farm!"










Sunday, April 24, 2011

:) Spring Rains

April Showers... 
Bring May Flowers...


... and they make the view from my back porch alive again!


I think this is why green is my favorite color.


Happy Easter.
He is risen!
He is risen indeed!

Friday, April 22, 2011

Tiger Swallowtail on Violets

How do you know when spring has really arrived?

There are lots of hints that spring is on the way.  The air gets warmer, the rain falls more often, and the wind blows harder.   Birds chirp louder.  The first colors appear - yellow and purple -Daffodils, jonquils, hyacinths, violets, irises.
Then finally, a butterfly appears!  It's spring!


To purchase this little painting, click Tiger Swallowtail on Violets.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Teacup

What are some symbols of elegance?


A ballerina...
A single rose...
A crystal vase...
A Siamese cat...
A China teacup...


I painted this little teacup for an Atelier Studio challenge.  Visit the site to see the varied styles that artists used to paint from the same image - all the same, yet all different.


Visit a cozy Etsy treasury (collection of related art pieces and vintage items) called Coffee with Mother or another called Time for Tea.  Then enjoy a whimsical treasury called T is for Tea.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

:) Puppy

I know...
It isn't a new painting...
But it is the reason I don't have a new painting!

Our new little family member...
Olivia Lucille...
AKA Livvie Lou

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Barn by the Pond

What gives an old barn such personality?


What a perfect setting! A charming old barn beside a little pond with mountains in the background... I can just imagine the days when there were calves in the barnyard, hay in the loft, ducks in the pond, and a mule or two in the stables.

On the way home from a spring hike through the Ozark Mountains near the Buffalo River, we stopped many times to take photos of great farm scenes. Maybe we'll return. I'd like to see this scene in summer and in the fall.


This painting was fortunate to be featured in a couple of Etsy treasuries (collection of art pieces and vintage items) called Spring in the Barnyard or  Home on the Range.  Click and enjoy a celebration of farm life.

[SOLD]
Original Oil Painting on 10"x 20" Wrapped Canvas