Good Mornin' Glory!

How do you decide what to paint?

I get asked that question a lot. Well, if someone commissions me to paint something, that's one way.  If my little painting group is painting something, I do that with them.  When I come across an image that I absolutely love, I put a picture of it in a folder called "Possibilities" on my computer.  Sometimes, I go to that folder and shop around for something I still love.  

So, why did I do this one?  ...because I needed a break from the stress of painting humans. ...because green and purple are my favorite colors ... because it's odd and different.

I wanted to experiment with the loose type of painting that I see artists using... thick blotchy paint... smears of color scraped on with a palette knife... 
...yeah... so that didn't work out for me, did it...

Click Good Mornin' Glory! if you'd like to purchase this painting.

Mr. & Mrs. Cardinal

How long does it take to get rusty?

I haven't been able to paint for a while; sometimes life just gets in the way. Once things slowed down, I found myself putting off getting back to it.  When I finally sat down in front of a canvas, it was hard... hard to get it right.

I suppose painting is no different than any other skill; you have to practice to stay in shape.

We have the most wonderful cardinals that splash their red color onto the dreary, wintry landscape behind our house.  They flit and play and watch closely for me to come around with my camera so that they can quickly fly away!  

One day I was determined to be still long enough to capture them in a few photos.  I really wanted to get the male and female together - preferably on a pretty branch posed perfectly, but this was a close as they would get to that.   

I'd originally thought it would be neat to paint them on a tall thin canvas like they actually were, but it looked odd.  Also I decided to use my license, my artistic license, to give a little more color and a little less twigs to their background.  

Summer Sunflowers

Why plant sunflowers?

My dad planted two long rows of sunflowers last summer.  He thought he'd harvest them for the birds.  

They were absolutely gorgeous, and his plan worked.. sort of.  He didn't have to have to worry about doing the work of cutting them down and drying them to save the seeds.  The birds decided to save him the trouble.  They helped themselves to the seeds before he ever got around to harvesting them. 

The thing I loved about painting this was that I never opened a tube of green paint.  I had a huge blob of blue paint left over from the little boys shirt in the last painting.  And I had another huge blob of yellow that I'd squirted out to use up an old tube to use for the flowers.  I mixed those two and a little ochre to make all the greens.  (I love using things up!)

I had the hardest time with the actual petals.  I just haven't had that much practice with yellows to know just what to do without some trial and error.  Actually, I was pretty heavy on the "error" side for a while.  Each petal looked like a banana; they were all just too pretty.  It's hard for me to add that muddy, shady color that has to be there.

Who doesn't love sunflowers!  I love them!

[SOLD]

Black Angus

What are you thinking as you look into my eyes?

One of my earliest memories is being told to "stand in the fence opening and don't let any cows get through" as my parents and brothers were trying to run the cows through the chute beside the barn. I suppose they were giving them medicine, putting in ear tags, or checking them for pink eye.  I have a vivid memory of a cow standing right in front of me and staring me right in the eyes.  She was easily ten times bigger than me so I cried, "It's looking at me!" and Momma came running.  "Well, of course she's staring at you.  She can't help it because you're so pretty.  Now here's a big stick; whack her if she comes back over here." That seems so funny and farmer-like to me now - sweet then practical all in one breath.  I do believe that was when I learned to enjoy looking into a cow's eyes.  Hmmm... she thinks I'm pretty...
And, isn't this a pretty little Angus heifer!  She's got her hair all spiked on top and swirled in the front...long fluttery eyelashes and wispy long ear hairs...

She lives on the farm land where I grew up.  I took a picture of her when I went back for a class reunion.  

[SOLD]

How Now, Brown Cow?

What Next?

According to the Urban Dictionary, that's what How Now Brown Cow means...  Well, it's one of the meanings listed.  It has taken on several meanings:

• getting turned downed down flat by the opposite sex... "You got how now brown cowed by her!"
• a really pretty girl... "Look at that how now brown cow coming!"
• another way to ask what's up... "Hey, how now brown cow, dude!"
• there's no more beer... During Prohibition, the wooden keg was called a brown cow.  When it was empty they asked what they should do next... "How now brown cow?

Those are the silliest things I've ever heard!  I thought it was just a phrase to teach the open ow vowel sound, and of course, the appropriate greeting when meeting a brown cow.

This little brown cow lives on the land that belonged to my family when I was a kid.  When I went home for my 30-year class reunion, we went to have a look at our old house, field, and pond.  This cow was just as interested in me as I was in her;  She even stopped chewing her lunch to stare for a minute.

Enjoy an Etsy treasury (collection of related art pieces and vintage items) called How Now Brown Cow - just click!

[SOLD]

Pair of Pears

How does the last harvest of the year make you feel?

The freezer is full.  There are no more empty jars on the shelves.  School has started, and the busy fall schedule returns.  It's a little sad to put the garden to bed for the winter, but it's kind of a relief too.  

Our last harvest this year came from the little pear tree.  What a great surprise!  Every branch was loaded, and thanks to Dad's lye soap spray, they were all bug free. 

I'm not sure how to save pears - I don't like pear preserves; I don't think you can freeze them, make pies out of them, or can them - But, they're delicious! Sooooo... I've had fresh pears... no... really... lots of fresh pears... every... single... day... 

Remind me in January of the fresh pears that had a perfect combination of sweet/tart and crunchy/soft.  

Remind me next week to appreciate that I have a few left and that I need to enjoy them.

My sweet Momma loves to come sit on the porch to watch when we go out to harvest.  She always gets the first bite of whatever we pick.

[SOLD]

Kiwi

Do you remember your first kiwi?

I do.  I didn't even know that kiwi existed until I was an adult!  My students were eating lunch in the classroom, and I noticed a student with an odd fuzzy brown fruit.  He took a bite and the inside was green.  Honest to goodness, I'd never seen one before that.  Not long after that discovered them in the produce section  and had my first taste.  Yum!  

I painted this kiwi for the February challenge on the Paint and Draw Together site.  I love seeing scrolling through to see all the varied artistic styles - and to think that they all began with the same reference image!

[SOLD]

Iris

When did it "click?"

I started painting in February of 2007.  

First my teacher guided me through the painting of a Summer Tree.  (I loved it!) 
Then I tried the again, but this time it was an Autumn Tree. (I thought of myself as Monet!)
My next lesson was to paint a white cup. (It was the hardest thing ever and looked like a blob!)
That was followed by a White Daisy. (How were all those colors inside the white!)
My fifth and sixth paintings were of an owl that lives in my backyard. (They didn't turn out like I'd envisioned they would... Ok, they were awful... I haven't had the nerve to post them.)

Then it happened...
On my seventh painting, something clicked.  I put those colors and shapes on the canvas, blended them together, and stood back amazed.  Those colors and shapes looked like an iris!  
I'd made one petal appear to be behind the other.  I'd made another petal appear to be turning back.  I'd managed to create some depth!  

The other day, I wondered what ever happened to this painting.  My daughter said she'd taken it.  It hangs in her house now.  What an honor; I couldn't be more pleased.  

[SOLD]

Carpenter's Hands

Are some subjects too hard to paint?


I'd heard that it's extremely hard to paint those you love the most.  It stops being just an image to convey and becomes an emotional process.  I've found that to be true. I'd wanted to paint my parents, and I searched for the right reference photograph. But, with each one I chose, I'd get a little choked up.  It's hard to look objectively at images that bring so many emotions to the surface.  
So, I gave up... sort of...
This a "portrait" of my dad.  This image probably tells more about him than any picture of his face would show.
I also painted one of my  Mother's Hands.  I think these tell my parents' stories as well as any traditional portrait.  
There was still a bit of that emotion during this process.  I didn't want to over emphasize age spots, wrinkles, and wear and tear of the decades; however, I did want to honor the years of their lives and be true to realism. 


I believe I succeeded with these two "portraits." 

Red Barns

Why are barns red?


Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever seen a blue one, a yellow one, an orange one, or a green one.  The new metal-sided ones don't count - only the ones that a cow or a pig would be proud to call home.


They're just so... jolly!


Then... Why, oh why did I decide to Google that question to learn the "real" reason? 

One source said that farmers mixed rust with an oil mixture because rust is a poison to moss and mold. Ok... it's certainly not a romanitic or fanciful reason, but it makes sense.
Another source said that farmers mixed blood from their slaughters with the oil. Oh, no... can we just agree to forget that we read that?

I'd like to think that maybe farmers discovered that cows are soothed by the color red... oh, wait... Doesn't red make bulls mad?
Maybe farmers want to make their workplace beautiful... No... Every farmer I know is much too practical for that...


Whatever the reason, I love coming across a red barn, especially when it's obvious that it's had a life filled with animals, equipment, hay, and farmers.


 Hooray for the red barn!

Cherries

Yum!

A cherry is one of my very favorite fruits. I have almost no self control when there's a bowl of cherries in the house. Well... a bowl of cherries just doesn't last very long in my house.

This little painting was done through a challenge for Rookie Painter.  I love the concept of this site - an image is presented then artists are invited to share their art based on that image. It's so interesting to see the diversity in style. I felt proud like a little kid to see mine posted right alongside the artists' pieces.

[SOLD]