Purple Onion

This is is a painting of a big purple onion...

(Just a description in case you wondered.)

LOL!

Sometimes as I walk through a museum and read about the deep meanings of paintings, I wonder if all great works of art have to have a "deep meaning." Can a painting not just be a really good painting?  Does it have to mean something more?

My Weekly-ish Challenge this week was pretty specific. "Purple Onion Done From Life on a 6"x 6" Canvas."  Wow... really specific... not much room for interpretation!

How can I describe how I feel about painting from life without using such a strong word as hate?  But, I do follow rules, and I even had Ron take a picture of me following the rules as proof for my partner.  She and I do laugh so much when we talk each week-ish to reveal our paintings.

First I did a warm up "purple onion from life on 6"x 6" just to see if I could!

Original Oil Painting on 6"x 6" Wrapped Canvas

Click "Purple Onion" if you'd like to have it for yourself.  You can attach your own deep meaning. 

Puppy Love

What can I say about this sweet painting...

pretty girl... sweet pup... precious together... gentle expressions... relaxed pose... a captured moment perfect for a painting.

How lucky am I that I got to be the one to put it on canvas!

I hope the little girl recognized herself and is pleased.

I wonder if the pup will recognize himself!

I know the grandmother and pup mom loves it. 😊

I love it too!😊😊

 

I could not settle on a shirt color that didn't take away from her pretty face!

Original Oil Painting on 12"x 12" Wrapped Canvas

[SOLD]

Three Pink Tulips

I told my nephew and his wife that I'd paint anything they wanted for their baby's nursery.    She sent a few photos of what she wanted... three big pink tulips to go above the crib.

I do love getting the chance to smear paint with a palette knife!

A few days later, he sent me a photo of the painting in its new home.  

Now, can't you just imagine all the lovely pink things that will come next... blankets and stuffed animals and a rocking chair and books and... a sweet baby girl.

Original Palette Knife Oil Painting on 24"x 36" Wrapped Canvas

[GIFT]

I Like... (August 2026)

I like having an air conditioned house during these long days!
So does Buff.

I like watching Lola She Is A Showgirl teach her
7 little ones how to grow up and be good hens.

She's a tiny little bantam, and they're regular sized chickens.  They'll all be bigger than her in a few short. That red teenager hen in the top right is her daughter, the sole survivor or the raccoon fiasco earlier in the year.  

I like the 3-days of family time we have each year.

I like laughing at him.  
Have you seen the videos of cats on concrete pavers?
Hilarious... and true!

I like having a garden.  It slows down in August,
but there are still vegetables to harvest every day or two.

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..

1. I know it's the end of summer when...  The end of summer always started when we left our family reunion at Lake Ouachita and headed home in the first days of August.  It would be time to start thinking of school, setting up my classroom, and getting back to routine.  However, I haven't taught for a decade, so I guess I need to get over that!  August has been so hot and dry, and there's no rain of drop in temperature in sight. The end of summer will be the first morning that feels crisp, a little chill. The end of summer will be when there are few red and yellow leaves. The end of summer will be when the chickens stop molting and start to lay eggs again

2. what has been the highlight of your week? We're getting new flooring!!! That's also the low.  It means we've had to move everything... every... thing... We've been kind of banished to live in the art for a few days. There are worse places to be stuck though!!!

3.imagine you won the lottery, what are your first three purchases? Oh, let's see... I don't need much. Maybe I'd buy a great vacation or two.

4. Prioritize your favorite here, one two three  Books 1st. TV 2nd. Movies 3rd.

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 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