Peacock

What does a peacock say?

"HELP! HELP!"  It scares the bejeezies out of you if you aren't expecting it.  You'll think someone is in real trouble, then you'll see a peacock strutting around.

I have the funniest peacock story... 

It makes me smile just thinking about it.

I have the cutest little project that is fun to do in my classroom each year at Thanksgiving. It starts with Readers' Digests.  The kids fold the first page a certain way then repeat that fold for every page after that. We spray paint that part brown and it becomes the turkey's body.  Next they create a big pretty tail to glue on the back and stick a head in between the pages.  It makes an adorable Thanksgiving Turkey.  

That's not the funny part.

A few of years ago I had a little girl whose family didn't celebrate holidays.  I wanted to have the kids do the project, but I didn't want to leave that student out, so... I had the bright idea to buy a can of blue spray paint!  I didn't want her to miss out or necessarily stand out as different, so I offered the option to the class... assuming a kid or two would join in with the alternative... 

"Guys, we're going to decorate our end of the hall for the special visitors who are coming next week. (I don't remember who or why... I  think it was the superintendent and some special team from somewhere.) You can make a Thanksgiving Turkey for our display then you can take yours home; it will be a great decoration for your holiday table.  Or, if you want to be able to display yours all year, you can make a November Peacock.  You'll make it just the same, but we'll paint the body bright blue and use blue for the tail feathers."  

Like I said, I assumed I'd have 20 or so turkeys for our display and a handful of peacocks to brighten the room.

Hmmm... nope... 

I had about 20 bright blue peacocks and a handful of turkeys. Those kids were so proud of them.  I have a memory of one of the kids explaining that these were November Peacocks and that group of dignified visitors smiling and nodding as if that was supposed to make perfect sense but they didn't quite get it.

I could just laugh out loud right now.

Original Oil Painting on 12"x 16" Wrapped Canvas
[SOLD]

:) My Classroom Door :)

I know, I know...
It's not art, but I love, Love, LOVE my classroom door!

It's supposed to be decorated with a winter theme.
Can you tell that I DID follow the rules? 
Look really closely at the book titles...
I've never been one to break rules, but I sure do seem to enjoy bending them. :)

I love the room behind this door.  
I've got the best job in the world.  
I get to read and write with 10 year olds all day. 
Lucky me.

Butterscotch the Cow

Do cows these days get names?

In books cows always have sweet appropriate cow names names... Flossy, Bessie, Elsie...

But, my dad called them #34 or #22 or #51... or whatever number was hanging from the yellow tags in their ears.  I think they only got a name if they were a problem, and then they got a Biblical name, not necessarily a compliment... I remember him referring to one cow as Jezebel because she was mean and hateful.  I remember another that had pink-eye so bad that Dad called him Blind Bartimaeus... I'm pretty sure that any cow that ended up with a name ended up at the sale barn pretty quickly.

There was one gentle "name" that I do remember.  As he'd walk through the cows to feed them or count them, he'd softly call, "Suk.. Suk.. Sukie... Suk.. Suk.. Sukie..."  I think it was meant to calm  and comfort them.

That kind of makes me want to change this little guy's name to Sukie. :)

(I'm trying to remember, but I think the cow in Little House in the Big Woods was named Sukie.  If it's a name good enough for Pa Ingalls, it must be a good cow name. Does anyone remember if that's was it?  The cow that Ma thought she was slapping on the winter night when it was actually a bear in the cow pen?)

Thanks to Vaughn Skinner for capturing this 

photograph and letting me put it on canvas.

Original Oil Painting on 12"x 12" Wrapped Canvas
[SOLD]

Whimsical Santa II

Can you "super-size" that?

Sure!

I'm not sure whether the person who requested this is a little behind in being ready for last Christmas season or really ahead for next Christmas season. :)  Either way, he was fun to paint - both times!

The first little Whimsical Santa is still waiting for a home.  

Contact me if you're interested in hanging him on your wall. 

[SOLD]
Acrylic Painting on 10"x 20" Wrapped Canvas

Little Treasure

How do those colors & shapes, lights & darks, actually become something recognizable?

I love watching it happen...

The process still amazes me.

Mix a color palatte that has lights, mediums, and darks.

 Just get the shapes in the right place.

Squint and find the shadowed places first.

Squint again to find the lightest places.

Blend, tap, touch, brush, add, remove, fuzz...

Don't stress when it's in the "ugly" stage.  All paintings, like all kids have to go through it.

 Be brave with new strokes that have to cover what's already right.

 Step back and look at it with fresh eyes, or take a picture of it and look at it on the screen, or hold it up to a mirror.  Change whatever draws your eyes first.

My spot.

[SOLD]

Thanks to Rebecca Marinoni, photographer, 

for capturing this image and 

for granting permission to paint it.

It Is Well With My Soul

What are your comfort words?

I love this phrase.  It comes to me in moments when I need to take a deep breath. It is a reminder that in the grand scheme of life... it is well... it is well... it is well with my soul. 

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
                                       -Horatio Spafford

It was a special day for us... 

"Powell Sisters." 

We welcomed our new sister.

With presents, 

lunch, 

fun, 

20 questions/100 answers.

Welcome, Kittie.
     We look forward to sharing this memory and many more to come.
          Love,
               Karen, Sheila, Karen, & Helen

What are your comfort words?

Original Acrylic Painting on 16"x 20" Wrapped Canvas 

[SOLD]

• 
  

Red VW Bug

What does your car say about you?


So... this is mine... 
What do you think?  
...Surprised?  ...No?








When I was a teenager, my best friend Sheila had a candy-apple red VW... the old kind.  Oh, my goodness we had some times in that car!

When my own kids each became drivers (meaning I no longer had the job of carting them around) I purchased this little mid-life crisis car.  And, it's what I've been toodling around in ever since.  I love my little salsa-red bug with daisies in the dash vase.

So, what do you drive?And, what does that say about you?

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Eenie Meenie Tippa Teenie

Well, Southern Gal, Nita, & Anonymous (although I know who you are. :) I think your odds are pretty good!
Here we go with my favorite selection poem!!!

Eenie Meenie

Tippa Teenie
Oooh La

Bippa Deenie

Oochie Coochie

Comma Goochie

Out... Pops... YOU!

And the winner is... Anonymous a.k.a Tina, you silly one. Love you!
Renee, I always look forward to seeing what you and yours are up to when I see one of your posts pop up in my feed!
Nita, Your knitting work and felting work for your patterns is beautiful and your poetry is lovely. I'm so glad you're also enjoying the Joyous Chaos Blog. I read every single post from beginning to end... and didn't paint a stroke during those days!
BUT... 
...I finished a painting tonight! ... kind of a self-portrait... hmmm... look for it tomorrow!

Maybe I'll do a giveaway again one of these days.

H

! ! ! Giveaway ! ! ! #1

I haven't been painting at all during this Christmas break. Why?  

• Well, first because my kids were home, and we just did a lot of sitting beside the fireplace and poking the logs. 
• And, second because I've been glued to my computer reading my new favorite blog... reading every entry from the beginning.  It's called A Joyful Chaos, and it's an absolute delight!  
• I feel like I'm getting to know a new friend and catching up on her whole life...
• It's like reading an Amish version of Laura Ingalls' Little House series... 
• It makes me think about my own shelf of journals and all the little snips of life I've recorded over the years.
• It reminds me of the truth... "everyone has a story to tell..."

Anyway, I've decided to borrow an idea from her and have a giveaway.

I have these cute little note cards made to give as a thank you gifts to send with any painting that is purchased.  I sometimes have extras made.  
Would you like to have a few?

For your chance to win all you have to do is leave a comment describing a favorite painting, print, photo, or poster you have on a wall in your home or in your memory.

Sharing this post on your Facebook or blog then letting me know you did will earn you a second entry. :)


I will be choosing the winner on Saturday, January 3. 

I look forward to your comments.  (Maybe I'll get some new ideas for what to paint next!!) 


**I picked these cards for this giveaway because A Joyful Chaos makes me think of simple pleasures... a  beloved Raggedy Ann doll... a stack of journals filled with memories... an old barn in winter... :)

Tank

Would you paint a brown and white boy cow for me?
Would you paint our Hereford show bull, Tank?

I recently discovered that these two questions are NOT the same.

Say hello to Tank!

Isn't he gorgeous!













So, here's how I learned this lesson.

My friend, Sarah, teaches 4th grade down the hall, and she's a city girl.  
My friend, Charla, teaches ESL down the other hall, and she's a farm girl. 

A few weeks ago, Sarah asked, "Hey, would you paint a brown boy cow for me?  I want to give it to my dad for Christmas."  
She found a reference photo, and I whipped it out.  It was fun and easy.  When I brought it to school to give it to her, I showed it to Charla.

That's when I got the other question.  Charla knows cows; she and her husband have a farm, and cattle are a big part of their lives.  She asked if I'd paint one of their bulls to give her husband for their anniversary.  She told me all about their bull, Tank... He came from Denver... he used to have a nose ring... he's gentle... 
She planned to go home and take some pictures that night when they went out to feed.

Now meet... Not-Tank.
I had the best time painting him.
It was pretty simple and didn't take long.

Oh, sigh... 
He was a great cow... but he wasn't Tank..
His eyes were too big...
His fur was too smooth...
His face was too skinny...
His nose was too long...
His ear was to pointy...
His chest was too wide...

It's not nearly as fun to edit and revise, but in the end it's worth it.
I love the finished Tank!

[SOLD]

Big Papa

Why do cows all face in the same direction when they're grazing?

It's so weird, but they do.  We always comment on it, so I Googled it... Oh, my goodness... there are all sorts of theories about it... and all kinds of scientific research going on around it....  Really?  It's that important to know?

Anyway, this guy looks like he might be wondering why he has to face the same direction as all the others... maybe he's about to buck the system face a different way!

[SOLD]

Water Lily

What can you teach us about your painting style?

I follow a challenge blog called Paint and Draw Together. Each month she posts a new reference photo and invites artists to... well... paint and draw together... and occasionally I participate in her challenges.  I love seeing the varied artists' styles.  Every painting exactly the same... yet every painting is completely different.

This month marked the 50th challenge. (Congratulations to Lela and to every artist who's contributed!) She asked artists to not only submit the image of their final product, but to share photos taken throughout the process.  I loved the image, and I love sharing about the process of painting that I find so fascinating.  So, of course, I chose to participate!  

Picture 1

After drawing in the main lines, (as I've gladly admitted before, yes, I cheat with a sheet of carbon paper) I blocked in the main colors

Picture 2

Next I tried to add a little life to the big flat surfaces of color.  Some yellows and purples livened up the leaves. I added all kinds of streaks paint from colors left over on my palette to the vines... hoping they'd start looking right... they didn't.

Picture 3

After the bold background colors dried a day or two, it was time to block in the flower.  I planned to use alizarin red and white, but I used diaxozine purple for the shaded areas.  It seems to work best for me if get those areas in first and darker than I know they should be.  


Picture 4

* Blend with new white... the petals look like mud...

* Add the middle... the yellows and oranges smear...

* Experiment again with those vines... what a mess...

* Try to make the spots look intentional instead of like I dropped dark paint blobs on the leaves...add some yellowish greens and purple-greens around the leaf holes.... hmmm...

* And this is the point where it happens... It always happens... It's the ugly stage... I wonder if I should give up, if I have the right to call myself an artist, if this one just isn't meant to be...

Then with fresh eyes and one more try, it comes together.  Although it's happened dozens and dozens of times, I'm always surprised... and I smile then sign my name in the bottom corner.

 Original Oil Painting on 6"x 8" Wrapped Canvas
[SOLD]

:) ZipLineArt

Something exciting for WordWeaverArt today...

Go visit ZiplineArt !  It's a wonderful brand new site.  Go have a look!  While you're looking around there, click on "Artists" and guess whose name you'll see?  Yep!  Right there on top, "Artist Helen Eaton." Now that's just exciting on many levels!

I am so proud for the owner of ZiplineArt.  I'm honored that he wanted to use three of my images to begin his art selling venture.

The thing that stops and humbles me is to see my name right there listed as "Artist Helen Eaton."  You see, I never thought of myself as  artistic or artistically talented; I simply took lessons and learned skills. My painting improved with practice. I feel like I use the math/logic side of my brain rather then the artistic side, so I was careful for so many years to say, "I do oil painting," or "I'm a painter."  That may not make sense to anyone else, but it's kind of emotional for me to see that word "Artist" beside my name... I like it... and I need to own it... I AM an artist... no matter which side of the brain gets the workout...

:)Thanks ZiplineArt!

Click Kalaloch if you're interested in purchasing this painting or prints of it.

See the original post at "Kalaloch."

To purchase prints or the original of this painting, click Raggedy Ann. 


See the original post at "Raggedy Ann."

And clicking Canoe in the Smokies  here will take you to the site where prints or the original of this painting are available.

See the original post at "Canoe in the Smokies"

Three Silly Goats Gruff II

Did you miss them?  

They're BAAAAAaaaaack!

I loved the short time that Gladys, Gabby, and Percy hung on my wall the first time!  What a treat to have them back for a while!

My relationship with these guys began the first time I saw their photograph on a blog that I follow.

I had the best time painting them.  They practically talked to me while I was working on them.  Then they just made me laugh when they hung on my wall.  But, alas... someone bought them... 

Imagine my delight when I received this e-mail:

Helen,
     Hi! My name is Rebekah and my mom is Renee from the blog Southern Gal. My family (my husband and two little girls) are in the middle of a huge transition. It is our dream to have a little homestead of our own, but for right now that dream has to be put on hold. The three goats you painted so beautifully are mine, Gabby, Gladys, and Percy. Tomorrow Percy leaves us as we prepare for a temporary move into town. His "girls" will follow soon. I am quite emotional over this, not just because animals have a way of ripping your heart apart, but because of how him leaving causes the lifestyle change we are about to make to hit home. Over the next few years, David and I are planning to be very frugal  and saving money to buy land so we can build our own little homestead. But right now we have to leave behind our goats, chickens, bees, and garden.
     To get to the point, I want more than anything else I am planning for my new home to hang this painting of our three goats in a special place. I just feel like it would help us remember this sweet time with our very first farm animals and motivate us to realize our dream. I know the painting sold, but could you paint the goats again? You did an amazing job. We would cherish it forever. 

Now, what could I say? YES!
I hope Rebekah and her family have a big smile when they see "Three Silly Goats Gruff II" in person.

Original Oil Painting on 12"x 16" Wrapped Canvas
[SOLD]

Black Swallowtail on Pink Flower

How long did that take?

I get this question a lot, and I've gotten it a lot with this painting especially.  Maybe that's because it's over-sized. (16"x 20")
I don't really count up the hours; it might be depressing to realize how much/little I charge per hour. :)

Let me think through the stages.

• See a friend's photograph on Facebook and get permission to use it.
• Choose a canvas size and draw it up. (I am NOT a draw-er and totally admit to cheating on this step.  I put the canvas on my whiteboard at school and show the image from my computer to draw in the main lines.)
• 1st sitting - Paint in the dark spaces of the background then add the green shapes on top of that. Block in the black and pink areas.  (They basically look like blobs.)
• 2nd sitting - Try to make the greens look like blades of grass and leaves. Add dark greens, light greens.  Make long graceful strokes.  Blend.  Fail miserably... Looks like a mess... Wonder if I've forgotten how to paint... Remind myself that every painting -not unlike every child- goes through an ugly stage. Give up.
• 3rd sitting - Work on the butterfly.  Add buff to the black to create light, blue and orange to create life and reflection.  Layer on the yellows and oranges. It's a good start. Work on individual petals of the flower... without success.
• 4th sitting - Determine to make the grass and leaves pop.  Get brave with more greens, use a bigger brush, blur the hard lines between the background and the main character of the painting. Touch up the butterfly. Give it some legs and antenna. Try again on the flower petals and flower center.  Lay in the yellow (same cad yellow from the butterfly) center.
• 5th sitting - Background... looks good.  Butterfly... looks good. Flower... looks good. Painting... doesn't work... sigh... stand back... sigh... squint... deep breath.. okay... It looks like someone did a great background, cut out a great flower and butterfly then glued them onto the background.  There's no sense of harmony.  Sit down and get brave again.  Add black (which I rarely use straight) from the butterfly into the dark areas of the background.  Add red (alizarin) from the flower liberally into the darker edges of the leaves and grass blades and into the background.  Add green (from the grass) into the flower petals... which by the way was a disaster... Paint over the flower with straight alizarin and white covering the rose color completely... Almost there... but... remember purple! Purple is the most amazing superhero! How did I forget!  Add purple touches to the butterfly wings.  Add purple to the shaded parts of the flower.  Add purple to the shaded parts of the background. Sign my name in the bottom corner.

How long did that take you to paint that painting?  Probably around 10 hours. I'm faster than I used to be. :)

Fork in the Path

When there's a fork in the road, which one do you take?

Maybe Robert Frost's poem comes to your mind:

     "Two roads diverged in yellow wood..."

That's kind of perfect for this painting.

But, I keep thinking of another poem by Sam Walter Foss.

     "One day, through the primeval wood.

     A calf walked home, as good calves should;

     But made a trail all bent askew,

      A crooked trail, as all calves do.

It goes on to say that other animals then humans and finally a busy road followed that calf's crooked path instead of making their own straight paths.  I actually read part of that poem in my high school graduation speech way back in 1982.

If you follow this driveway and turn at the first fork, you'll end up at my house.  As soon as those autumn leaves fall, you'll be able to see it.  If you don't take that fork, you'll go around the pond and end up at our neighbor's house.  Watch out for our deer!

[SOLD]
Original Oil Painting on 12"16" Wrapped Canvas