Donkeys & Daisies (a.k.a. Ba-donk-a-donkeys)

 

My Weekly-ish Challenge was "Baby Farm Animals."  I knew from the beginning I'd paint a little donkey.  This baby looks big, but baby donkeys really are big. My dad had a couple of donkeys for a while, LeRoy & Marguerite. We didn't even know that fat Marguerite was expecting, but on my Mom's 80th birthday she went outside and there was a big baby donkey standing beside Marguerite.

LeRoy & Marguerite

Being "finished" with a painting means signing it, taking a good photo of it, and giving it a name... oh, and writing a blog post about it.

Ron is can be a good helper with the naming part if I get stuck.  

A few years ago, I painted this donkey and got stuck on a name...

ME: What should I call this new donkey?

RON: How about Don Quixote?

ME: (caught off guard with that response and dying laughing) 

RON: How would you spell that? Donkey Hoatey!!! 

ME: (still laughing)

ME: I've never read that, have you?  Google it. Make sure it's not some awful character.

ME: (a day later... still laughing)

So... I was stuck again and asked...

ME: What should I call this new donkey baby & momma painting?

RON: How about Ba-donk-a-donkeys? 

ME: (again, caught off guard with that new response and dying laughing)

RON: That works.

ME: (still laughing)

ME: I better check with Google for the exact meaning...Turns out it's slang for a big ole'  bootie which has another name which is the synonym for donkey... soooo....

ME: (a day later... still laughing and cringing a little bit over whether it's completely appropriate)

 

Original Oil Painting on 12"x 12" Wrapped Canvas

Click Donkeys & Daisies if you want to purchase this painting.

Willowing Arts: A Year of Magic & Fairy Tales (June)

It's not a typo.  I know it's the middle of August and I'm just finishing June lessons.  Good thing I don't get docked points for late assignments!

What's my favorite thing about these mixed media lessons? I love that every project is so different. I love being able to "fix" things in the next layer. I love using things you'd never know were art tools. 

But the thing that's been the biggest surprise and pleasure has been how my drawing skills have improved. I used to do anything to avoid drawing. Now, I kind of like it!  Who knew!

A big thanks to all the teachers of Willowing Arts!

Watercolor, Paint Pen, Acrylic Ink, Colored Pencils

Watercolor, Collage Images & Music, Penned Quotes

Watercolor, Inks, Acrylics

Watercolor, salt, craft paint, toothpick, pen

Craft paint, pens, straw to blow ink

Watercolor, craft paint, printed napkin, pens, colored pencil, torn paper

Collage paper, stickers, colored pencil, pen

In the Country (x4)

This is a special one... or four...

I embroidered this scene when I was probably 12-13 years old. 

Then, it sat folded in my cedar chest for 50 years... half a century. 

A while ago I decided to take everything out of my cedar chest and just see what all was in there.  What a fun afternoon of memories that was! 

One of the items was this little piece of embroidered fabric. It was about 99% finished, so I'm guessing I ran out of yarn in the kit it came from. (I doubt you can even tell the three tiny places where the yarn is new.)

I just really wanted to finish it and then honor it in some way.   I could turn it into a pillow, frame it... (Or, I could text a blog-friend and ask for ideas... that's you Wendy!)

I decided to simply recreate it... as an oil painting.

That was nice. I was pleased that I'd honored a childhood work of art with a new work of art.

For some reason, however, I couldn't be satisfied that I was finished with this project.

Why not a watercolor?

Nice... a tryptich.

I really don't know why, but I didn't share a post about it.  Did I just not feel like it was complete?

Then my "Weekly-ish Challenge" partner and I drew these cards:

😉

Perfect!!!!!!!

I'd TRAVEL back in time to a lovely place in the country.

I'd use a RAINBOW of colors to bring the scene to life.

And DO IT AGAIN.. and RECREATE IT IN A DIFFERENT WAY was exactly what I'd do.

Collage papers, scrapbooking papers, Posca pens... #4 of the series.

My Pre-teen self would have been so proud to know this... Actually, I remember my 13-year-old self... She'd probably have rolled here eyes and asked, "Why?"

Original Embroidered  Scene on 11"x 14 Fabric Panel

Original Oil Painting on 11"x 14" Wrapped Canvas

Original Watercolor Painting on 12"x 16 Art Paper

Original Collage on 12"x 16" Art Paper

Here is where I always either write [SOLD] or put the link if you'd like to purchase the painting.  This is the problem... I'm just not sure I want to divide this set up.  I kind of like having them all four together for now.

Here's the link to My Etsy Shop.  There might be something else there you'd like!

Lake Ouachita - 37th Year

What a great bunch of folks!

I don't have a photo from every year, but this quick video shows most of them.

It's fun to see how the family grows and changes, how kids grow up and new kids come along.

I Like... (July 2026)

Thank you to Leeanne of Not Afraid of Color for reminding me to notice things I like. Click on HER BLOG to see what positive things others like.   

I like bringing a bucket full of beautiful.
(I forgot to post June's harvests last month!)

I like sharing from my garden.

I like the sunflower that randomly grew right in the middle of my garden.
(I haven't planted any sunflowers in 5-6 years. 
I guess the seed patiently waited under a stepping stone until this year.)

I like seeing tomatoes turn red.  
They're by my kitchen window waiting their turn.
(If they completely ripen on the vine, the squirrels, deer, birds, and bugs help themselves.)

No matter how delicious, there's a limit to how many two people can eat fresh.

A few minutes in the blenders then a few hours of waiting for the tomato water (future soup base) to sink and the tomato paste (future chili, spaghetti sauce, salsa base) to rise to the top.

I like cucumbers fresh. But there's a limit to how many two people can eat.
I've got a pretty easy pickle recipe for the days when there are lots of extras.

I like teaching an art project to middle school kids at our church.
You'll have to trust me that they're smiling behind their paintings.

I like playing with my pretty colorful harvests!

I like reading really good books.
(I also like reading junk books... but... we'll not go there.)

Thank you to Leeanne of Not Afraid of Color for reminding me to notice things I like. 

Click on HER BLOG to see what positive things others like..

Snow cone or ice cream cone? Ice cream! What flavors? I like to get chocolate almond or vanilla with Oreos or Heath bars mixed in.

When relaxing in summer, do you like a magazine? or novel? I pretty much have a novel going all the time.  I read on my Kindle or listen to audiobooks while I paint. What magazines do you like and what novels have you enjoyed this summer? (See above.)

What back-to-school supply would you like to have now as an adult?  Fresh new notebooks? markers? new crayons? fat pack of ruled paper? lunchbox? Tell us your favorite. I'm looking over this list and... well, I kind of have all of those things.  I LOVE school supplies.  I'll always have them. 

Did you look forward to starting school  (either elementary, junior high, senior high, or university?) Absolutely!  I loved it so much that I did it 47 times. (12 gradeschool through high school + 3 college + 32 as a teacher.)

Goldfish

When I say "goldfish," is this what you think of?

Or... 

...do you think of Goldfish... the snack that smiles back at you!

I do love a Goldfish snack cracker!

My Weekly-ish Challenge was "Fish." I went back and forth... so many options!

... a koi pond... ocean schools around coral reefs... sharks... dinner on a plate!

How about this one! That's me about 2-3. We had a lake on our land, and my grandpa would come up to set trot lines for catfish.  I don't think I was very happy about being right there with all those big fish!

Original Acrylic Painting on 12"x 12" Wrapped Canvas

Click Goldfish if you'd like to own this painting for your wall.

Strawberries in a Bowl III

 

You know what's missing from this picture?  

There needs to be another little bowl with a little pile of sugar!  

Lick... dip... bite... dip... bite... Mmmmmm...

If you love strawberries, enjoy a few extra for me.  

I discovered about 10 years ago that I've become allergic to strawberries.

⏳

Let's pause here for a moment of sadness.....

It's really sad... 

😞

So another moment of sadness...

⏳

This isn't the first time I've painted this bowl of strawberries.  The first time was about 11 years ago.  If you read THIS HAPPY POST, you'll see about the time I realized I was allergic... Maybe eating most of this huge pile of beautiful strawberries caused it!

The next time was just a few years ago with a group of seniors. You can tell FROM THIS POST when it was because everyone was wearing a mask. (How can that have been 3 years ago already!)

My friend Susan, a fellow life-long learner, has been wanting to give painting with oils a try, so we did the strawberry painting together.  It was her second oil painting.  I'd say "Success!"

Original Oil Painting on 7"x 9" Canvas Board

Hers, of course, is priceless.

However, mine will be available on Etsy. Click HERE if you'd like to purchase it.

Fireworks over the City

Each summer I get to spend some time doing art with the middle schoolers in our church during vacation Bible school week. What a great bunch of kids! I didn't let them show their faces in this photo so that I could share it, but you'll just have to trust me... they're smiling behind those canvases.

If you zoom in, you'll see what a great job each one of them did.

How did we accomplish these amazing works of art in just 4 short sessions.

Day 1 - sky... chip brush... light blue up to blue up to purple up to black

Day 2 - stars... toothpick... dip, touch, touch, touch, touch, touch, repeat

Day 2 - fireworks... cardboard square & half toilet paper roll... dip, touch, turn, touch, turn, repeat

Day 3 - city... chalk to draw rectangles & triangles (stencil if wanted)... black

Day 4 - coffee stir sticks... lighted windows... dip, dab, dip, dab, repeat

They also did a little side project using the sheet that they did their practice fireworks on.

Original Acrylic Paintings on 16"x 20" Wrapped Canvas

Beau & Eloise

I hope that each painting I do tells a story.  I think this one does.  They love each other, don't you think?  What a good boy!! He's being patient, but he's smiling! Even though her hair covers it, I can tell that Eloise has smile on her face too.

When my friend asked me to paint this, she sent me three photos and asked that I not tell her or show her anything in advance. She'd bring her granddaughter over to see where we paint each Thursday afternoon and surprise her with the painting.  

I didn't realize that the granddaughter didn't even know the painting was being done.  So, it was a complete surprise.  She walked up the stairs to my studio and spied it immediately.  "This looks like... wait... this is...how?... What is this?.. This is Beau & me!"

I have to say that it's such a satisfying thing for an artist to see such a reaction.

From my friend:

My youngest granddaughter, Eloise, came for a visit from Los Angeles.   As an early 17th birthday gift for her, I commissioned Helen to paint a memory of Beau's 1st birthday!  He's a California golden boy she shares with her mom, Tracy!  Thank you again, Helen, for a wonderful memory painting! 

Original Oil Painting on 9"x 12" Wrapped Canvas 

[SOLD]

497... 498... 499... and.....

499!!!
I've sold 499 paintings!
I'd love for YOU to be #500!!!
Let me know if one of these needs to be yours!

 https://www.etsy.com/shop/WordWeaverArt