Self-Portrait in Black & White (Painting #750!!!)

When I did those first few paintings back in 2007

it never entered my thoughts that I'd do a hundred of them. 

Now here I am in 2025, still painting, still loving the process, still striving to improve.

I've done 750 original paintings.

I've sold nearly 500 of those.

I've gifted about 100.

I've got around 20 that I'll keep.

I've got another 100 that are waiting for their forever home.

How about that... It seems like I should say it's a dream come true. Only, I never even dreamed that I'd become a fairly prolific and proficient painter! I never imagined I'd call myself an artist.  But... I think I can.

I am an artist.

I am grateful that art is a part of who I am.

I am grateful for all the friends I've made because of it.

I am grateful that I'll begin working on 751... (just as soon as I clean up the most recent mess I've made in my art room.)

Original Oil Painting on 8"x 10" Canvas Board

NFS... Ha ha... unless someone out there wants to own a black and white portrait of me! 

A Girl & Her Cat

Why did I decide to paint Buff & me in our usual spot?

Here's the story...

My friend Cheri and I have been doing a Weekly-ish Challenge for 5 years. We started early on in the Pandemic. The rules are very strict... HA! are more like a gentle guide. We take turns choosing a word, phrase, or topic. We each use that as inspiration to do a painting then "meet" back for a good long phone call to chat and reveal our works via text photos.

After our hundredth challenge we changed the rules for the hundredth time just a bit.

This little box of cards entered the game.

The first time, we drew these cards, and I did this...

The next time, we drew these, and I did this...

This time we drew these three...
followed the directions for the last card and
turned over the first one to the opposite side.

Was there any question as to what I would paint?

So, I was to do a girl and cat with those colors in "my style."

The question was whether I even knew what my style was any more.

First I did a mixed media piece.  It was fun, a style I've been playing in. 

I could be done.  

But, my heart is with oils;  I should do it in "my style" not a borrowed style.

Ha ha... you can tell by my different glasses

styles that these photos are taken over the years.

Painting a portrait doesn't come easily or naturally to me.  I guess I'm more mathematical minded than artistic minded. Once I get it "finished." I do some tricks to make me revise and edit. One is to look at the painting in the mirror.  It's amazing how the mistakes jump out.  Another is to take a photo and look at the painting on the phone or computer screen.  More mistakes make themselves known.  Finally, I resort to geometry.

That's when I see that... oh, my nose is way bigger than I thought... oh, my mouth is way thinner than I thought... oh, my hair needs to be growing out of my head not just glued on around the forehead... oh, my neck is way wider... let's just leave that... artistic license/artist's vanity...

And... sometimes if I'm not available...

Original Oil Painting on 7"x 9" Canvas Board

NFS

Paint-iversary - 16 Years since that first painting - Square/Squiggle Self Portrait-ish

Years ago there was a teachers' professional development activity which involved a personality test.

We were told to imagine a circle... then a triangle... then a squiggle... then a square.  

After a time, we were instructed to focus on the one that we most naturally related to.

Then they had each group stand up in turn.

*** So many squiggles hopped up, laughing and talking about irrelevant things, pointing at friends both sitting and standing.

*** Quite a few triangles scattered across the auditorium stood up. They were working out the rules and checking out the others, making sure it was all being done correctly.
*** Lots of circles took their turn to stand. They were hugging and making sure everyone was happy, walking across aisles to greet other circles and smiling at non-circle friends.

*** Then it was time for the squares... and the weirdest, most uncomfortable thing happened. There was only a smattering of us across the room... like the superintendent, some principals, me... (Of course the circles were cooing that it was alright, the squiggles thought it was hilarious, and the triangles were working out whether it had been done right.) The few of us stood up, looked around, then sat back down.

Okay, so the point of personality tests is supposed to be that you see the value in every type, that we need all kinds, that there are positives for every one.

It doesn't matter which "test" is given - (I'm the lion in the lion-otter-golden retriever- beaver one.  I'm red in the blue-red-green-yellow one.  I'm the pointed lipstick in the lipstick one.) - I suppose we are who we are.

Not long after that, I started painting. On February 22, 2007 I painted a tree.  I couldn't believe I'd done it!  It looked like a tree!  I was so proud.

To say that art has changed my life is not and understatement.  It's simply the truth.

I know that I'll always be that "square" or "lion" or "red" or "pointy lipstick" girl.  I've tried to embrace that.  (The world needs a few of us or things would never get done!) But, I think art has caused some of those corners to round, brought some value to the squiggly.

On this 16th anniversary and my 650th painting, perhaps a self-portrait-ish painting could celebrate that.

Part of the idea for my painting came from the Willowing Arts Class I'm taking on-line this year.  The teacher (Tamara LaPorte) guided through the painting of this lovely blue haired fairy.

Tam also guided us through a wonderful playing-with-supplies exercise before beginning the blue haired girl.  

I have to admit that the "square" in me came out on this one.  The idea was to simply enjoy playing with paint and shapes and color.  (Such a squiggle thing to do.)  I know I missed the point with more of an okay- let's-get-this-done attitude. Ha ha ha

My word for the weekly-ish art challenge, by the way, was "Squares."  I'm pretty sure my work took a completely different direction than my partner expected!

Original Acrylic Painting on 11"x 14" Wrapped Canvas

[NFS at this time]

Self Portrait, Gram-E (Painting #600)

I think a self portrait should tell something about the artist.

So...This tells you something important about me.

There's nothing more special than holding a grandbaby close.

I painted my first self portrait for Painting #500.  Somewhere around Painting #575 I started fretting about needing to do another one at #600. What reference photo would I choose? That's a tough choice... until I came across the right one.

Original Oil Painting on 6"x 6" Gallery Wrapped Canvas

[NFS]

:) Good bye Red Beetle & Self Portraits

I've never painted a real self portrait, but I've done a couple of pseudo-self portraits that I've loved.

One is what I use for my little Word Weaver Icon.

You can read about how this one came about in a post from a post in  July of 2013 called "Sisters."

This happy little drawing pretty much still sums me up.  I'm wearing my favorite color, green.  I've got a smile.  My hair is an ever silvering brown, which I think is just fine... thank you very much!  And, I'm wearing my dangly, squigly power earrings.  (You can read about those earrings in a post called "We'll Just have Salad.")

This is me with my sisters... The five of us went on a sister cruise,
and we each had a canvas beach bag with this painted on them.

Ha ha ha... It just occurred to me that maybe I've done a third.  When I painted "Welcome Home Retreat," I mentioned that each cow had the personality of one of us sisters.

The other pseudo-self portrait was a fuzzed out version of me in my beloved red bug.  

I loved that little bug!  It was a part of me... who I was... the girl with the red bug.  I got it after both of my kids had cars of their own.  So, I never had to share it.  (Actually, when my son was 18, he once described it this way. "Whenever you come out of a store, just look for the most embarrassing car in the parking lot.  That's my mom's car.) I tootled around in that little car for 9 years, and it was still basically in perfect condition.

... I have to sigh a little bit... 

So many changes in my life these days... (one of which is that huge change of retirement in... 85 more school days... 😜😜😜...)                                                                                                             It's just silly how choked up I got at watching my little red bug with the daisies in the vase drive away.

But... ah ha... there's a shiny new GREEN bug in the driveway now!

Red VW Bug

What does your car say about you?


So... this is mine... 
What do you think?  
...Surprised?  ...No?








When I was a teenager, my best friend Sheila had a candy-apple red VW... the old kind.  Oh, my goodness we had some times in that car!

When my own kids each became drivers (meaning I no longer had the job of carting them around) I purchased this little mid-life crisis car.  And, it's what I've been toodling around in ever since.  I love my little salsa-red bug with daisies in the dash vase.

So, what do you drive?And, what does that say about you?

[SOLD]

:) Sisters

Hi, My name is Helen. 

I paint what you see in Word Weaver Art’s blog.

I’ve heard that at some point every artist should paint a self-portrait, so here’s mine.  This is me.  It’s pretty accurate.  I’m short, I have brown hair that’s turning gray, and I’m embracing that! I hope to always have a smile on my face.  And, finally, I’ve got on silver dangly earrings.  Last year when I bought a pair of squiggly silver earrings made by my friend Tana, I said, “These are not who am, but they are who I want to be.”  

Now I think they ARE who I am!

These are my sisters:

Sheila’s my oldest sister.  She’s the family historian through her scrapbooks. She’s dressed in her favorite color purple, and like her dress, she’s pretty organized, but she's a little squiggly!

Marcia is married to my oldest brother.  She’s a family musician who sings and plays piano and flute.  She’s dressed in her favorite color blue, and like her dress, she’s kind of polka-dotted! (She makes everyone feel special!)

Karen's my middle sister.  She’s a family entertainer who can put a party together and cook just the right thing.  She’s dressed in a bright orange, and like her dress, she’s all-the-way squiggly! 

Karen Lynne is married to my middle brother.  She’s another family musician who sings and plays piano.  She’s dressed in a red color that looks great on her, and like her dress, she’s striped.  (She likes lists and organization like me!)

Then there’s me at the end.  I'm dressed in my favorite color green, and like my dress, I'm solid. (What you see is what you get!)

And, next week we're doing something we've never done before... a week together... just the five of us!

Caribbean, here we come!  

If you're in my town, go visit Tana for a pair of your own silver dangly earrings!