Cattle Waiting Patiently

Pretty little heifers... just waiting...

I always think cows look so patient.

What do you suppose these little cows are waiting for? Or are they just curious about the guy taking their picture.  My friend Glen snapped their photo and posted it on Facebook.  When I saw it, I stopped scrolling and knew I wanted to put them on canvas.

My dad was the high school agriculture teacher in my hometown.  I remember hanging around his classroom when I was a kid. There was a big wall hanging showing all the breeds of cows, kind of like how other classrooms would have world maps.  I would look at all those different kinds of cows and wish he'd bring home a blonde one or a spotted one or a white one or an Oreo striped one the next time he went to the sale barn.

But, no. We only had boring old black angus cattle. Sometimes we'd have some hereford or some black baldies, but never one of what I thought were fancy cows.

I thought these five pretty little blond cows were just fancy enough for a painting.

My Weekly-ish Painting Challenge this week was "Cattle," so that worked out perfectly.

Original Oil Painting on 10"x 20" Wrapped Canvas

Click Cattle Waiting Patiently if you'd like to purchase this painting.

Colorful Row of Irises

When do you know you have too many irises? Never!

I just adore a flower that doesn't ask me to do anything for it.  They just come back prettier and thicker every year.

I just Original Palette Knife Oil Painting on 6"x 12" Wrapped Canvas

[SOLD]

Meyer Creek

 

Meyer Creek played a vital part in the lives of my mother and her family.  They used it for bathing and laundry washing. They kept their gardens and animals watered from it.  Meyer Creek was a constant in their lives.  When I helped my aunt create her autobiography, she gave it the title, The Tallents of Meyer Creek.

There were so many stories revolving around Meyer Creek... well, a whole book full of them.

I'll write about MY memories of Meyer Creek.

I was #20 out of 21 cousins. A visit to Grandma & Grandpa's house in summer meant walking to the swimming hole in Meyer Creek.  The aunts and uncles would give us towels, tell us to be careful, and send us on our way. Once we got there, the older cousins would first throw rocks at the snakes that would always be sunning themselves on the big gray rocks.  Once the snakes had slithered off the rocks, we'd have the all clear. (Now... seriously... think about that for a minute... Where did those snakes go? Into the water probably?  Into the cracks of the rocks maybe? Hmmm... ) It was time to try to wade in. I say "try" because the water was sooooo cold.  On the hottest summer day, lips would be blue, teeth would be chattering, and limbs would be shivering.  The big boy cousins would get in and splash around.  The big girl cousins would spread their towels out on the low-water bridge to lay out.  (Of course they'd squeal and have to jump up whenever a car would come.) The other little cousins and I would wade up to our ankles or knees then probably think it would be more fun to go and play on the big rocks. (Totally safe since the snakes could no longer be seen.)

So... why did I decide this was a good time to paint this one?

Well... 

When cleaning up after our OLLI class, (Click HERE if to see that.) I scraped all of the students' left over paint onto a couple plates.  Hmmm... what to do with all those greens and blues... 

There's still plenty left.  I may have to do a whole series using only the left overs on these palettes.

Original Oil Painting on 11"x 14" Wrapped Canvas

[SOLD]

Sunset Over Lake Hamilton

Original Oil Painting on 30"x 40" Wrapped Canvas

[SOLD]

Original Oil Painting on 9"x 12" Wrapped Canvas

[SOLD]

Original Oil Painting on 9"x 12" Wrapped Canvas

Click Sunset over Lake Hamilton if you'd like to purchase this painting.

Autumn Buck & Doe

When we go for walks down our road, we're greeted by our forest friends. They stop what they're doing and stare at us until one of them gives the signal (that sounds like a sneeze).  Then up go their tails and away they go into the trees.

We see them every single day, so they know us. That doesn't mean they trust us.  That's okay.  They need to be wary of people.

I do wish I could take some good photos of them, but I've decided that good wildlife photographers have an abundance of patience.  I'm more of a, "Well, hello there!"  📸*point...snap* then keep walking kind of girl.

If you click over to Inspiration Collaboration and look at Sara's Inspiration Image Winter Wonderland, you'll understand exactly why I had to paint my deer friends this month.

Original Oil Painting on 6"x 8" Wrapped Canvas
Click Autumn Buck & Doe if you'd like to own this little painting.

Autumn in Northwest Arkansas

 

Lake Catherine Lodge

My friend Sarah asked me to paint her family's special lake house.  Sarah was one of my grade-level teaching partners.  They were so over-the-top good to me during my last weeks and days.  I told each of them that I'd do a painting for them whenever they found an image they wanted me to do.  That was two years ago.  Last week I got a message from Sarah. She had the picture she wanted.  So, I got to work.

There's always some pressure when working on a commissioned piece, a little anxiety until I know the person receiving it is pleased. She was. 

"The Lake Catherine Lodge was built by my granddaddy back in the 60s on Entergy Power Plant land. It's a special place where all my family gathers each year. I remember swimming off the dock with my cousins and staying up late talking when we were just kids. Now our kids are doing the same thing. The painting is perfect and will be a great memory my family cherishes for many years."

It was a pleasure to work on this one because I love painting images that have a story and that I have a connection to.  She gave me the story, the family memories tied to it.  As for my connection... Well, just one lake over from Lake Catherine is Lake Ouachita where my own family has almost the same memories, and it even looks so similar! I was painting her story and my own at the same time. The first time we went, our daughter was a toddler and we were expecting our son.  This year will be our 29th year, and this time we'll have a little granddaughter and grandson with us... Full circle...
Click back and have a look at Lake Ouachita 2017

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

Buffalo River

"America's First National River: Established in 1972, Buffalo National River flows freely for 135 miles and is one of the few remaining undammed rivers in the lower 48 states. Once you arrive, prepare to journey from running rapids to quiet pools while surrounded by massive bluffs as you cruise through the Ozark Mountains down to the White River." Those are the words from the National Park Service.

"This is my happy place, the place I love to be." Those are the words my friend used when he showed me the image on his phone and told me he wanted me to paint it.

This gives you a little perspective about its size.

Original Oil Painting on 24"x 48" Wrapped Canvas
[SOLD]

Dickson Street II

It seems like I haven't posted a new painting in a long time, but I have been painting! A lot... Really!
It's just that this last one felt like 25 little paintings that just happened to be all on one big canvas!  
10 cars...15 buildings... and all the stuff that goes with each one of those. 

I love to do a great big complicated piece every once in a while.  
It's just that it stays in the ugly stage for such a long time!  First it's just a great big bunch of colorful blobs. Slowly each blob takes shape then becomes a car or building or tree or sign. Finally the canvas is covered, and it looks like what it's supposed to be... except wonky and wrong.  
The writer in me knows that the rough draft and major revisions are finished, so it's time to edit.
Ugh... shape up the perspective here... fix the shape of this... make that look like it's further back... straighten those... add some shadowing... make that flatter... rounder... redder... darker... thicker... lighter... thinner... change that whole section... get rid of those... liven this up... tone that down... wipe this off... change the shape of that
Then one day... I sit back and look for the next glaring problem that needs to be fixed.  I search each little part... step away and look back at the whole... and  finally... my furrowed brow relaxes... and is replaced by a smile. 
That's when I find the thin brush with long bristles and move the the bottom corner of the canvas for one last thing...

Ahhhh....

How about a few fun facts about this painting:

I wanted to show how big it is.

* I painted a similar version of this a couple of years ago for my friend Melanie.
*This one is for my friend Mona.  The red Mustang at the center is hers.
* I asked her, When you think of me to you think of me in the red VW I had for 10 years or in the green one that I have now. The red VW bug about halfway down the line is mine.  
* Her husband's red truck at the far end of the line of cars has actually appeared in another painting.
* They're big Razorback fans, so "Go Hogs."  I like that better than a big Budweiser sign anyway.
* Finally, there needed to be something put on the signs on the fronts of the buildings, so why not the names of her grandchildren. I hope they each like their buildings!

Original Oil Painting on 24"x 36" Canvas
[SOLD]