Peanut Butter & Crackers

Earlier this week I was looking over my to-do list where nothing looked very appealing. Let's see... Clean up the kitchen...  Switch out seasonal clothes in the closet... Vacuum the carpet... or other equally entertaining jobs on the list.  So, what's the best thing to do in that situation? Well, make a snack to give you energy to get to all those important jobs, of course!  Or, you could take a picture of that snack, head up to the painting room, and move the items on that day's to-do list to the next day.

My friend Sandra of mmmquilts  calls this a DrEAMi! project when you Drop Everything And Make It! 

Funny how these unplanned projects are sometimes more fun and even better than the well planned ones.

Original Oil Painting on 6"x 8" Wrapped Canvas

Click Peanut Butter & Crackers if you'd like to purchase this little painting.

Red Barn at Autumn Sunrise

It's usually cool blues, greens, and purples that give a calming, peaceful tone, but I wanted to try to create that with warm reds, yellows, and oranges. 

I think it does bring a soothing moment, but only a moment... because if it's a farm, there are jobs to start taking care of as soon as that sun comes up.

Original Oil Painting on 11"x 14" Wrapped Canvas

[SOLD]

A Rainbow Worth Stopping For

You're driving down the road or highway when suddenly you pull onto the shoulder or roadside and slam on the brakes... 

How many reasons can you think of that would cause that scenario?

(Someone's carsick... you have a flat tire... there's an funeral procession...  your check engine light comes on... you're lost... you hit something... there are blue lights in the rear view mirror...) 

No, no, those are all negative  . How many positive reasons can you think of that would cause you to stop on the side of the road? None?

I have one.

Seeing a gorgeous rainbow that fills the sky is worth stopping the car just to get a better look.

That's what happened with this one.  A few years ago I was on the way home from my parents' house when I came around the corner and this beautiful rainbow stretched across the sky in front of me.

If you look closely, you'll see the rainbow's reflection in the cow pond.  You can also see a bit of the reflection in the windshield of my car in the bottom corner or the photo.

Original Oil Painting on 9"x 12" Wrapped Canvas

Click A Rainbow if you'd like to purchase this painting.

Under the Billowing Clouds

Sometimes I really miss having an art teacher. I want to keep learning new ways to be a better painter. Although not the same as having my favorite art teacher / friend close by, YouTube can be a good substitute. Before YouTube, however, there were these fabulous how-to-paint books.  I've collected a few of them from flea markets and eBay over the years.

Can you see the price tag in the top right corner?
Woolworth $2.95. 

I flipped through the pages of this one looking for a lesson on painting some nice fluffy, happy, summer clouds. 

I decided to follow the paint recipes presented as as exactly as I could.  This painting used only 2 blues, 2 yellows, black, white, and a brown (for the house).

French ultramarine, cerulean, lemon yellow, Naples yellow, ivory black, titanium white, burnt umber.

The biggest lesson for me with this one was that lemon yellow + ivory black make the loveliest greens.  Who knew!!

Here's a look at the painting before I found "happy" in the clouds.  They were pretty angry looking for a while.

The Inspiration Image of Sara's beautiful stormy clouds on this month's Inspiration Collaboration is what sent me on the search for a lesson on painting clouds.

Oil Painting on Wrapped Canvas, 12"x 16"

If you'd like to purchase this painting, click Under Billowing Clouds.

Fall Chicks

Just a few chick-pics to make you smile.

I had a couple of broody hens that just would not give up.  In the end, I gave in to them and got them some babies. (Or, maybe I should say that Ron gave in to me... and let me get them some babies.)

From two different farmers, we got some day-old chicks, waited until after dark, then slipped them under their new mamas. We had happy chick families the next morning!

These two are Ameraucanas,
so I'm hoping for blue eggs one day!  

(Look closely, you'll see them.)
The other farmer said these three were a day old,
Hmph... They got fluffy pretty quickly.

That farmer also said these were Easter Eggers,
but I'm not completely convinced.  We'll see.

Dolly's such a good mama hen.
These tiny littles blend in with the ground.  I have to be careful!

I just love seeing a yard full of colorful chickens.

Better Half

Buff showed up at our backdoor one freezing night last winter.  We gave him shelter in the garage for the night, then of course you know what happened... He made himself at home.

On one side, he's sweet and hilarious. He purrs loudly and cuddles in laps.

On the other, he's aggravating and annoying. He opens drawers and unrolls toilet paper! 

We love him, so I decided that his portrait should only show his better half!

I painted Buff's portrait in response to Sara's October Inspiration Image Purrfect Companion.

Original Oil Painting 5"x 7" Wrapped Canvas
[SOLD]

Painting Together in COVID-19 Times

Just look at those happy faces in that group photo!

Ok... so you can't see their faces, but you know they're smiling with pride under those masks!

And... it's not a group photo, but it's a COVID-19 safe group photo!

My painting partner Julie and I were scheduled to teach this class of amazing senior citizens in March. Well, we know what happened in March.  It was postponed until May when we assumed the coronavirus would be over. Well, that didn't happen, so it was postponed again.  This week we finally got to do it... COVID-19 style... Big open room, masks, extra distancing, separate tables, all supplies out ahead of time... 

We were a bit nervous about how it could go, but do you know what? We modeled, encouraged, explained, and encouraged again. And, you know what else?  The students watched, tried, learned, laughed, and ended up with beautiful paintings!

In many ways students in their 60s and 70s are so different from those 9-10 year old students Julie and I taught for so many years. (ha ha) In other ways, they're just the same. They want the teacher to stop talking so they can do it for themselves!  They want to be sure they're doing it right.  They need encouragement.  They are so proud when they've finished.  What a pleasure to get to be a teacher... but glad it's 2 days a semester instead of 72!

1st
Prepare and
make examples.

2nd
Give everyone an "Artistic License"
and make sure they know they can use it! 

3rd
Explain 
Lots of "how" and a little "why."

4th
Model
So they can watch what they're going to do.

5th
Stop talking and let the magic begin! 

Inspiration Collaboration - October 2020

 Four new images have been chosen to inspire you to create art of your own.  Click HERE to read the thoughts behind each one.

It's easy to be a part.  Click HERE for instructions.  We look forward to seeing what you create!