Geri

Duplicate? Nope. Two separate paintings each on a little 5"x 7" canvas. I rarely painting full-face portraits. There's just a tiny bit  whole lot of added stress and pressure to getting a face right. When painting a flower, no one knows or cares if a petal is off. When painting fruit, it's no bother if the apple is rounder or the pear is greener. When it's a loved one's face, however, the smallest detail has to be right. The process is fun through the point when there's a lovely blond girl, but then... I'll just widen the face a little... lower the brows... thin the lips... move the nostrils... fix the color of the cheeks... add shadow under the hair... change the shape of those teeth... and on and on until it's just time to call it.

If I rarely paint portraits, why this one?  I've had two mentors in my life... One for painting and one for writing... and both are named Cheri. I'd never say no to either.  Cheri asked me to paint her special friend as a gift for the friend's daughters, and of course, I said, "What size and when do you need them?"

My reference photo...

A snapshot of Geri & Cheri taken 50 years ago. 

💙💙💙Helen, thank you once again for taking on the challenge of a memory painting…this one of a special friend x 2. You’ve managed to paint a memorial to a boat, beaches, granddaughters, a beloved dog, and hanging flowers in vases.
Thank you for painting my memories. - Cheri💙💙💙

Original Oil Paintings on 5"x 7" Wrapped Canvas

SOLD

Snow Day

What is it about a face?

Our eyes are automatically drawn to eyes.  Even the infants I take care of in our church nursery each week look directly into my eyes.  Why is that? There are plenty of other interesting things to look at!

It's the same way with a painting.   As I worked on this one, I was pleased all along the way.  I loved being able to create the cold wintry feeling of the sky.  I loved the line snowy evergreens and the scruffy bushes in front of them.  I loved how the house and its drive set down in the background - important yet blending in. I loved the shape of the pond.  I loved the colors  in the snow that keep it from being a flat white.  I loved the wrinkles in the clothes, the little one's hat, his hands, and his attitude... but if the momma's face wasn't right, none of the other things mattered.  

I tried to believe all that other stuff was important. I signed it and went to bed thinking it would be fine; but for some reason I didn't clean up my paint palette.  I guess I knew... if I didn't love the 2-3 square inches of canvas with eyes, nose, mouth, cheeks, teeth, eyebrows, chin... none of the rest mattered. 

So... armed with a tiny brush, a Coke, and some determination, I turned the painting upside down (so I would focus on shapes and colors instead of "face") and gave it one more hour. 

Every feature was in the right place... so what was it?  The tiniest stroke off the nose, the least highlight on the chin, barely a stroke on the edge of the smile, a faint lightening of the eyelid, slight shading on the cheek,  The difference is so slight... and so important... 

Now... I love the face...

As a side note... I've loved that pretty face since I first met her when she was a bright-eyed 9-year old in my class.  

[SOLD}

Hand in Hand II

Is it cheating to paint from a painting?

If I'm copying my own work it can't really be plagiarism, can it?  It probably is cheating, but I've done it a few times.  I feel like I'm not supposed to like it, but I really do.  All the struggles, frustrations, and  trial & errors happen in the original original.  The second one's kind relaxing.

I absolutely loved the first "Hand in Hand," and I was thrilled when I was asked to do it again and give the girls blonde hair.

[SOLD}

Tiffany Twisted

What do you hear?

If you're from my generation, I just bet you hear the Eagles singing...
"On a dark desert highway,
Cool wind in my hair,
Warm smell of colitas,
Rising up through the air..."
She was my "Hotel California" girl from the beginning - although she's probably too young to have any idea what that's all about.

This portrait is different from my norm, but what fun to do something so different!   The young man who asked me to do it, gave me artistic license with the photograph to do what I wanted.  Yea! I knew that it was her in all her elegance and mystery that was what I wanted to capture.  She had to be confident and regal to pull off that stunning dress.  

It was a pretty complicated painting, so there are so many details that I want to write about! It was a series of struggles that I had to figure out!

• The background - How could I diminish everything that was going on - windows, tapestries, columns, curtains - that just weren't important.  I alluded to those things but fuzzed them out of focus.  Just to keep harmony, I used the green, reddish-brown, gold, and purple (that I shaded with) from the foreground in the background.
• The floor - How could I show the beauty of the hardwood without bringing attention to it?  I simply painted it perfectly then brushed it (almost) out.
• The counter or pew or whatever that thing was - How could I use it to show the depth of the space without making it interesting enough to look at?  I did the same thing.  I painted it perfectly then blotted it, getting fuzzier and darker as it went back.  
• The rail - Well, that wasn't really how that looked, but I had to have something substantial so that her hand wouldn't be just hanging in space.  It ended up helping with the depth anyway.
• The skirt - Wow!  It took a while to figure out what it was.  Scales? tiles?  I decided they were like piano keys.  I had to redo them after the first time.  I realized that every one was exactly alike, perfectly in rows - boring and without life.  You can't see it, but I put the greens and purples (that I shaded the green with) to add life to the black of the keys.  I don't know how, but it worked.
• The sash - I would have said that green is the color I'm most comfortable using; however, I learned that the greens of landscapes and leaves and backgrounds is not the same as that on a satin cloth.  There are three different tries underneath what you see in the final painting.  I tried to highlight with yellows and to shade with dark green - neither was right.  Eventually, white for the highlights and purple for the shades worked.
• The black shirt - I think that must have been some kind of suede or velvet.  It had some neat sparkles... I gave up on those... Used my "artistic license" to decide they weren't important.  (That way I didn't have to admit, I just couldn't get it right.)
• Her arms and hands - Ugh... just don't zoom in. I finally had to tell myself to let it go... I did consider putting another green sash over them!  Seriously, try not to look too closely.
• Jewelry, candelabra, and collar-thingy - I got to use silver!  I've rarely had the opportunity to open that tube.  In the end, I had to cover most of it with white, black, and blue.  But, I know that the silver is under there!
• Flames - I think they might be too yellow.  I need to decide that and decide if I need to go back and mute them a little.
• Her face - I put off doing the face until the very end.  It was so small, I couldn't imagine I'd ever get it right.  To my surprise, it came together quite nicely.  I don't know if it's the "spittin' image" of the young lady, but I'm not sure that matters in the grand scheme of the whole here.  Once I could sit back and say, "...such a lovely face, such a lovely face..." it was time to add the green tattoos.  That was hard to do!  I felt like the time I had to put mud on the side of the beautiful red truck on "She Said YES!" (Go have a look at that one.) But, the beauty of those is that they detracted from any mistakes I might have made on her face.
• Her hair - It was fine.  Then at the last minute - after I'd already signed my name, I went back and put some green in her hair!  Yeah!  (That will teach someone to give me freedom to use that artistic license!
• The name - Well, if you totally got it on the first paragraph, then you'll get it on the title.  If not, then the name's just as mysterious to you as the lady herself.

[SOLD]

Brothers

How big is a millimeter?

A millimeter is practically nothing if you're painting a sunflower or barn.
But it's the difference between fear and adoration if you're painting a baby.

Oh, what a sweet image this is!  I was thrilled when I was commissioned to paint it.  I couldn't wait to get started.  As a general rule, I avoid faces - eyes, noses, ears... ugh... - As a rule of thumb, I choose images that tell the story from the back or the side.  I thought that was just a niche that worked for me.  But, I think that if I'm completely honest, I'm just too lazy to deal with the stress of getting it right on facial features!  I was immediately drawn to the story that was told with these two boys... I told myself that they technically were profiles... sort of... 

So, I drew it up and began.  The background was so cool.  I think it was some kind of barn with the paint peeling.   I loved figuring out how to make it work.  The shirts were a wonderful brilliant blue and came together fairly easily.  The little boy's hair was easy and looked good on the first time around.  

This was a fun painting.  I had Pandora singing my favorite country songs and off I went with confidence on the little faces. 

(I want to stop insert another issue here... I decided to try a new flesh tone recipe on this portrait.  It said "great for children's skin tones."  The recipe was Veridian Green, Light Red, Naples Yellow, and White.  I think I don't know what "Light Red" is because I had a really hard time with this from beginning to end of the project.  It kept giving me purplish tones - didn't want to look like I was painting bruised kids! - Or maybe if I didn't think it was fun to buy old tubes of paint cheap on Ebay, I'd have similar paint brands that worked better together... hmmm...)

Back to the good music and confidence... The faces came together so smoothly!  I basically did them in one sitting... Then I got up and had a look at my canvas... I had a terrified baby looking up at a very effeminate young boy.  There was no other way to describe it,  How did that happen!  I thought I'd painted exactly what was on the photograph!  (See... here's the expression - terrified!)

I cleaned my brushes and quit for a few days.  When I returned, it was time for careful measurement.  How did I think it could have been right in the first place?  The back of his little head needed a half inch shaved off and to be flattened on top. His ear was too round.  And his eye was about 3 millimeters too high.  Ok... more background, less head... good. Skinny up the ear... good. Paint a new eye just a little - is it even worth it? - lower... blend... oh my... three millimeters changed his scared expression in to a happy one.  He looks like he adores his big brother!  I bet he does.

So about that brother... what was making him look so girly?  Again, I did some measuring.  His ear was too far back - again only 3-4 millimeters and it was tilted just a little - maybe only 3-4 degrees.  His nose was a little long - like only 2 millimeters. Wipe off the ear, build a new one and grow some new hair around it... touch a little more sweater under the nose... change the shape of the lip ever so slightly... and oh... it's a happy big brother looking down at his sweet baby brother.

(Thanks to Renae Burt Photography for permission to use her photograph.)

[SOLD]

So Sweet

How does it feel to give a painting to someone?

First, there's excitement followed by a tiny bit of insecurity.  "She's going to be so happy... I hope...  She's going to love it... I hope...  She's going to cry or squeal or gasp or be speechless... I hope!..."  

Next, I suppose I try to cover that insecurity by being nonchalant.  I think I might even avoid being right there when she actually sees it for the first time.

Then, there's relief when she loves it. 

Finally, I feel such joy and satisfaction knowing that the colors and shapes I put onto a canvas have made someone smile and that it's going to be loved.

FYI... that sweet little one is a grand-student.  Do you know what that means?  His momma there was once a sweet little ten year old in my fourth grade class!

Original Oil Painting on Wrapped Canvas

[GIFT]

Apple of My Eye

Where did that phrase come from?

Here's your figurative language lesson for the day... "The apple of my eye" is an old phrase - used by Shakespeare in Midsummer Night's Dream and in the Old Testament of the Bible.  The apple was the most widely common spherical shape.  It was used as a symbol to refer to the pupil of the eye which was important yet vulnerable and in need of protection, the eyelid.  It is thought that the object or person would would be looked upon with such love and devotion that the entire pupil would be filled with the image so that there was no room to see anything else.  

"Apple of My Eye" - definition - Exceedingly precious .... I believe that's a pretty good phrase to describe this little one.  

One day maybe we'll put a hat on this sweetie and paint her again like her momma in Vacation Hat or her gramma in Wedding Hat.

One of my favorite books is Dictionary of Word Origins: A History of the Words, Expressions, and Cliches We Use by Jordan Almond.  Yeah... I know, I'm kind of weird, but I think learning the history and origins of figurative language is pretty interesting to learn about... :)

[SOLD]

Annabelle & Her Kitty

What do you suppose they're looking at?

I love it when an in image leads me to wonder, ask a question, then use my imagination... 
However you choose to make the story go, it begins with a little girl and her kitty watching... watching...

[SOLD]

Hey, Hey... Hay!

What kind of cow is this?

That's what I called to ask my dad yesterday.  Now, I know that my dad has been a farmer for 86 years and was an agriculture teacher for 20 years; so what made me think I'd just get a short answer...

ME: Hey, Dad.  What's the breed of cow that has a black body and ears but a white face?  I thought I remember you calling them a black baldy, but I Googled it.  There doesn't seem to be a breed named that.

DAD: Yeah, that's a black baldy.  It's not an actual pure breed, but that's what farmers call it.  The black baldy is a cross breed between an Angus and a Hereford.  They do that to get the best of both breeds.  It's best in the first generation cross.  See, if you can get 900 pounds of beef from the Angus and 900 pounds of beef from the Hereford, you might get a calf that would go up to 1,000 pounds.  The male gene has the dominate black hair, and the female gene has the dominate white face.  So, the bull would have been an Angus, and the mama cow would have been a red Hereford... good hybrid... gentle like the Hereford, strong like the Angus... other breeds are done the same way... and on and on...

Anyway, you get the point... once a farmer/teacher, always a farmer/teacher...

So... how about my curious little black baldy! Isn't she a pretty little heifer!

This little painting was fortunate to be part of an Etsy treasury (collection of related art pieces and vintage items) called Bold.  Click to have a look.

The Playroom

When is finished... finished?

I hadn't painted a child in a while, and I couldn't wait to start this little one.  It was one of those images that I knew as soon as I saw it, that I wanted to put the story on canvas.  

At first it came together quickly, and I even signed me name once it made me smile.  But, for some reason, I'm having a hard time calling it finished.

From the very beginning, I started making changes -- not a good plan for a beginner like me... She was wearing a whitish shirt,holding a whitish,  with a white rocking chair, in front of a white wall, so I felt ok with adding some color there, but it became like the domino effect -- each change required another change.  
Her bow was red to match the pattern in her shirt, but now I had to change the bow to match the purple shirt.  The string of Mardi Gras beads were purple, but now I had to change them to keep from overdoing purple.  I changed the book to yellowish, but then it looked just like her hair.  At one point It was "finished" but looked plain like a JCPennys portrait, so I asked the little one's mom to take a picture of the chair with some of her favorite toys scattered around, and she did send several choices.  That presented the next obstacles that no one but a struggling painter would need to fret over.  Since the photos of the toys weren't taken at exactly the same time of day, the shadows were all wrong to match the existing shadows on the painting.  Then where to put them so they'd look scattered not placed. (Well, I knew right away where to place the ball - right in front of the rocker that I never could get to look right anyway!) Of course, her favorite ball just had to be purple - oh well, bluish would have to be close enough. Why didn't I plan this out before I started? I could have given her a pink shirt!  Finally in a bold act, I got out some green and bright orange and made that book into Go Dog Go!  That's just a favorite of mine.
At that point, it made me smile every time I looked at the painting.  I signed my name.
Then I showed her to a couple of people.  My daughter, who is usually very helpful and spot on with helping me find errors that need to be fixed said, "Something's not right about her eyes.  Why are they closed?"  They're not closed!  She's just looking down!  Then another relative asked, "Who's the little girl supposed to be?" Not good... if the question has to be asked, then something's not right...
So... when is finished finished? 
I loved the story this image presented... a little one surrounded by her things... it made me smile.
But now, I've tossed the canvas onto the table beside all of yesterday's mail and last week's bills... sigh... Do I go back and work on it?  Or, do I go back to the time when she just made me smile and let her hang on a wall?

[SOLD]

Soccer Boy

How do you recognize a masterpiece?


A few years ago, I donated a coupon for a portrait to my school's fall festival.  This little guy won!  For a dollar donation ticket, his dad got a portrait of his kindergartener.  A couple of years later, a second grade teacher in my school asked me if I'd painted him.  She said, "In reading group, we had the vocabulary word masterpiece.   I asked if anyone knew what that meant.  He answered.  'Mrs. Eaton painted me when I was little!  It's a masterpiece because my dad hung it in the living room.'"
Awww.... Sweet....
And now, that kid's in fourth grade and in my class.  I think he's pretty much a masterpiece!

I Am the Legacy!

Is a picture really worth a thousand words?

          I think this one is.  Just look at all this one says!
         A precious little girl is filled with joy, hope, and eagerness for things to come.  She's opened up and ready for whatever life has to offer.  Her shirt even has the words to tell the world that she's coming and she's got high expectations for the future.  And, could this be any more perfect... she's standing on what we in Arkansas consider hallowed grounds - the front lawn of Old Main, the building that represents learning, higher education, and the University of Arkansas.  The sun seems to be shining on her face as if  the University is saying, "Welcome!  We'll be ready for you when you get here!"
        So...Could the story get any better?  Yes!  The grandmother of this little one is the college professor who teaches young people  preparing to be teachers.... Perfect!

OK... maybe that wasn't a thousand words, but the image does say a lot!

Lesson learned through the process of painting this: 
          As I was finishing the painting, I was frustrated because it didn't tell the right story - I had a painting of a famous building with a little girl in front of it, not a little girl with a famous building behind her. 
         I called my painting mentor and explained my problem.  "Mix some ultramarine blue and a little white with a medium.  Cover the background with the wash."
          Wow!  it worked!  The building got back in its place in the background, and the little girl came forward to her spot as the star of this show!  
          How many more tricks are out there waiting for me to learn!?!

[SOLD]

Immigrant Girl

Isn't a face the hardest thing to paint?

The lesson I learned with my first portrait was not to look at it as a face.  It's not an eye, it's a shape and colors... It's not a nose, it's just shapes and colors.  It's not a mouth, it's onlly shapes and colors...

Then... you leave the room for a minute, come back, and voila... a face has appeared on the canvas!

"Immigrant Girl" was the very first painting I ever sold to someone I didn't know.

Bouguereau

Attempting this reproduction of a painting by the master Bouguereau was quite a challenge for me. My teacher wanted me to learn how to use the style which was used for the original. It was done in many layers. I fussed and whined the whole time. In the first stages, it was in black and white. I hated to admit it, but I loved it just like that. Then I was allowed to use only one color to mix with black and white - alizarin. (Ok, maybe I cheated a little with some umber in her hair a little something in her skin)

Mine is certainly a far cry from the original, but I actually like her very much.

Oil Painting on 9"x 12 Stretched Canvas
[SOLD]

In the Tree

I've always thought of this as my "Zacchaeus Painting" - after the little Sunday school song.

Zacchaeus was a wee little man,

And a wee little man was he.

He climbed up in a sycamore tree,

For the Lord he wanted to see.

My wee little man was quite proud of himself for climbing up in a tree - although I don't know if it was a sycamore!

I post this picture today because this little one is on my heart. You see, I blinked two or three times, and he grew up! This morning I got a message from him. Yea!

He's working with a team in partnership between Habitat for Humanity and the International Mission Board. They're building houses on an island in the Philippines as they share the love of the Lord.

He is still climbing to new heights, for the Lord he wants to see!