Sunflower Swallowtail

Where do you get your painting inspiration?

I love to paint what I love, and I love what I see around my own home.  I grew a row of sunflowers at the back of my garden last year.  They were gorgeous.  One day this little butterfly danced, flitted, and posed as long as I was willing to take pictures.  So, I had 30 photos... all nearly the same... to choose from.  I loved this one because the little butterfly opened up and showed off his beautiful wings.

So what will be next?

This is what I saw from my porch yesterday...

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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?

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March's Flowers

How do you know it's springtime?

It's always a surprise to see spots of bright yellow showing off after the winter's gray.

Who doesn't love daffodils!

And, then there's the forsythia!  

It's as if each month has its assigned colors... March has yellow with daffodils, jonquils, and forsythia.

April gets white and pink with the dogwood trees and the redbuds.

May is purple with irises of all shades.

June gets orange with day lilies and tiger lilies.

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Winter Cardinal

What sight makes you stop and take a moment to enjoy?

... a rainbow...
... a clear night sky filled with stars...
... the orange sky as the sun sets...
... a full moon...
... red cardinal on a winter day...

Enjoy an Etsy treasury (collection of related art pieces) that celebrates all kinds of birds.  Click Birdsong.

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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!

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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.  

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Orange Lily Trio

How's the best way to spend a snow day?

When I went to bed last night, I expected to wake up to a blanket of snow and a day off... but alas... the roads were clear, the buses ran, and the kids came to school.

Anyway, I had a plan for how I'd spend my snow day.  I had planned to paint something bright and summery like these lilies that grew beside my house last June.

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Bluebird

What triggers your memory from way back?

As I was painting this little bird, I kept thinking of a piece of song my dad used to sing to me in the mornings.  I haven't heard it in decades, and I can't even remember the tune!
All the same, it's a snip of a memory that makes me smile. 

Birdie with a yellow bill,
Hopped upon my window sill,
Winked a shiny eye and said,
"Aren't you ashamed, you sleepy head?"

I may have to go back and add a little more yellow into this little birdie's bill!

Original Oil Painting on 6"x 8" Canvas.
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Slice of Cantaloupe

How do you paint silver?

It seems that silver isn't any color.  It's just reflections of the colors around it.  How odd... I have a tube of  paint called silver, but I don't think I've ever given it a squeeze.  

I found a recipe for silver (white, burnt umber, & black) in an old painting book called Leon Franks on Techniques that's proven to be valuable several times.  It tickles me that the book clearly says on the cover that the price was $1.00, and in the back it requests 15 cents for shipping.  I couldn't find a copyright date anywhere, but it's nice that some things stand the test of time.  And by the way, I checked Amazon.  You can purchase this exact $1.00 book for about $20.00 + $5.00 shipping.

I'm thankful that I have books (and the internet) to help me figure out painting problems, but I miss my art teacher so much since she moved to a different state.  I need a new painting partner... (insert sad face here)

I painted this to submit to the art challenge site Paint and Draw Together.  I always enjoy seeing the varied styles of artists.

Enjoy an Etsy treasury (collection of related art pieces and vintage items) celebrating Cantaloupe and Cornflower Blue.  

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Lemons II

Which tubes of paint have to be replaced most often? 

I paint with greens more than any other color.  It isn't really intentional.  I just paint what I know and what I love.  I like to paint things that look natural... landscapes, flowers where they're growing outside, kids engaged in something that holds their attention (often outside).  So that leads to using lots of greens.

I love green.  It's my favorite color, but sometimes I notice those other beautiful paint tubes that don't get squeezed often enough.  That's actually the reason I chose to paint these lemons.  I wanted to play with the yellow color family.  Blue is actually my least favorite color, (I know, I know... most people love blue best!) but it seemed like the perfect complementary color for my lemons.

Click Lemons, Lemons to visit an Etsy treasury (collection of related art pieces and vintage items) featuring lots of Lemons.

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Hey Cow!

How do you get a cow's attention?

Several years ago a friend told me about a silly game her family would play when driving down rural roads.  The rules are simple.  When you get near a cow, you roll down the window and yell, "Hey, Cow!"  If the cow looks at you, you get a point.  (Perhaps I should mention here that this friend is one of the most creative people I know.  She's also a teacher of gifted and talented students.... and this was the game she came up with... sigh...)  But the funny thing is, my husband and I have gotten a kick out of playing it ever since!  Yes... two grown people - even without kids in the car - will slow down and yell, "Hey, Cow!" then laugh hysterically whenever the cow looks.

This little heifer lived in a field beside the bed and breakfast near Pigeon Forge, Tennessee where we spent part of our Christmas vacation this year.  When we'd return home each day, she'd be there by the fence. Even though it was cold and frosty, we'd slow down, roll down the window, and yell, "Hey, Cow!"  
...She's looking right at me, so I guess I get a point, don't I... Yea!

We took many photographs of the Smoky Mountain scenery and wildlife, but this little cow got to be the first put on the canvas.

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Animas Forks

What makes an image special?

I love an image that tells a story and makes me wonder... a picture that really is worth a thousand words.

At a recent family gathering, I was looking through a book of my cousin's vacation photos when I turned the page and discovered this image.  
It stopped me, and the questions began...
Who lived here?
How did they make their livings?
Why did they leave?
Did they know how beautiful their land was?  
Was their life hard here?

He told me it was a ghost town near Silverton, Colorado called  Animas Forks.

Then more questions...
Were there families and children running between these cabins?
Were there just rough miners with picks and shovels?
How did they manage in the winters?
Was it ever lovely and charming when the people still lived there?

I knew from the first second I saw the "story," I wanted to put it on canvas.  

Visit an Etsy treasury (collection of related art pieces and vintage items) celebrating the beautiful sky blue colors at Sky Blue Weather.

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Bowl of Tomatoes

What is it about some paintings that make you want to keep looking and looking?

I wish I really, really knew the answer to that so that I'd make sure to do it again and again.  
I read what master painters and artists I admire say... 
"It's about lost edges..." 
"It's in the harmony of color..." 
"It's the drama of the point where the darkest dark meets the lightest light..."
"It's the pleasing placement of subjects - always an odd number..."
"It's a movement created by lines..."
"It's the highlights and shadows..."
"It's the texture of the paint..."

I do believe all those things, and I do try to keep them all in mind as I paint.  But, I suppose I'm too much of a beginner to the world of art to comprehend why some paintings work and some don't quite work.
I can't speak for anyone but myself, but I love this painting.  I finished it yesterday, and I just can't quit looking at it.  Yes, I'm going to offer it for sale on Etsy, but I'm going to enjoy it on my own wall every day until someone decides to give it a permanent home.  

Visit a  lovely Etsy treasury (collection of related art pieces and vintage items) that includes "Bowl of Tomatoes" called March into Life!

"Bowl of Tomatoes" was done as a submission to the Paint and Draw Together January Challenge.  Each entry was done from the same reference photo image.  I love to scroll through and see how every painting is exactly the same... yet each is completely unique and different from the others.

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:) A Very Merry Christmas

Just what I wanted!  
...a hand-crafted stained glass.




...family together for dinner.
...to surprise my husband.
...my son joining us from the other side of the world.

Snow Cardinal II

Shouldn't things be easier the second time around?


That wasn't the case for me and this painting.  I'd actually painted this little guy before, (Click "Snow Cardinal" to see the first version.)  but it sold.  Usually I'm thrilled when paintings sell, but I really missed this one.  I decided I'd whip out another one just like the first; however, I ran into all kinds of frustrations - problems with the colors in the background, issues with the snow on the branches, headaches with the balls hanging from the tree... one thing after another.  I had to put it aside and almost gave up several times.  I was about ready to scrape the whole thing off when I received my Tip of the Week video from Daniel Edmondson: the title was "Don't Scrape Off Your Paintings."  Perfect timing... As it turns out, the whole thing wasn't a mess, just a few parts.  I'm not sure he's perfect, but I'm glad to have him back on the wall - at least until someone buys him for their own wall.  

 
This little bird and his wife teased me during a snow day last winter.  Right outside my window they'd flit and fly.  They'd rest on a perch; then off they'd go.  Finally, just once, he sat still long enough for me to snap his picture!


Also visit a lovely Etsy treasury (collection of related art pieces)  celebrating winter called Winter Wonderland where this little cardinal got to be a part of the collection.

Pitcher and Pears

Where do I begin?

Well, in the case of still life paintings, this is where I began.  I learned... make that... I began to learn about soft edges and shadows.  It was also my first attempt at a metallic color... yeah, looks like I needed a little more practice at that; my pewter is a little (ok, a lot) purple-y.  I did learn about placing the objects in a pleasing way (overlapping, not straight on), but I hope my next lesson was to use the whole canvas - not just the middle!
I love looking back.  Right now I'm very discouraged with the painting I'm working on.  Seeing how I have grown as a painter reminds me that learning is hard!  Maybe looking back is the encouragement I need to move forward.

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Pink Daisies

What's in your backyard?

These pretty little things grow in my parents' yard.  I think they're called echinacea - pretty fancy name for a pink daisy. 


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Remember When

Do you remember when...?

That's a phrase that begins many conversations between family and friends.

This chimney sits along the road that goes between my two brothers' houses.  It just sits there in a little field all alone, but it's not lonely.  Imagine what this old chimney has seen.  I can imagine it kept  a family's cabin warm for years and years.  I can imagine the farmer who stacked the logs and built the fire.  I can imagine his wife who poked the logs and kept the fire going.  I can imagine the children doing homework in front of it.  I can imagine a cat curled up on the hearth.  I can imagine stockings hanging from the mantle year after year.  I can imagine... can you?

Click "Christmas Past"  to see this chimney at at Christmastime.

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Fuschia

What's your favorite color name?


Fuschia, chartreuse, magenta, azure, viridian, cerulean...


I painted this as a challenge for Artistic Sentiment.  Go see the varied artistic styles of this lovely little flower.

Original Oil Painting o 5"x7" Canvas Board
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First Christmas

When do you decorate for Christmas?

We do it the day after Thanksgiving, and it has become a tradition we love.   It seems like just the other day, we had a toddler bringing ornaments to put on the tree, and a baby helping to hang his special ornament. Now, one has a husband, and one is on the other side of the world.  Some parts of our event change over time; some stay exactly the same year after year.

• We usually have Chex mix.
• We put the nutcrackers all over the place, but the kids argue over who gets to put the ugly one on top of the refrigerator facing backwards.
• I put the stocking hangers that spell N.O.E.L on the mantle.  Then someone sneaky rearranges them to spell. L.E.O.N.
• We buy an ornament to represent something special from each year, and we have the same conversation as we put the each "special ball" on the tree. 
• "Awwww... here's mine from when I was born!"
•  "I want to hang the one from when I was born!"
• "Here's the first Disney one!  That year the castle was pink like a birthday cake!"
• "Remember that trip to Yosemite?  We need to go back."
• "Here's the Key West ball.  Remember those roosters?"
• "This one's from 1994, what were we doing then?"
• "Be careful with this Mount St. Helens one.  Do you think that's really ash on it?"
• Then we get to the ornaments the kids made.
•  "How come my Pokeman ornament on the toilet paper roll has to hang on the back of the tree again!"
• "Ohhhh.... Look how cute I was!"
• There was a moody teenager on the couch for several years in a row.  It was odd a couple of years ago, when we noticed everyone participating again.  (My husband volunteered to lay on the couch and play the moody teenager role - just to keep that tradition alive!)

Our tree is very beautiful - no nothing matches, and no it doesn't have a theme.  But, suits our family perfectly.  

I don't think we get to decide which traditions will stick.  I think they just sort of happen - then happen again, and again.

Thanks to Micah for letting me paint him as he put ornaments on the tree for the first time.  I wonder what will traditions will become important in his family...  

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