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!

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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.)

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Almost Home

What's this story behind this?

I always want to know the story.  A painting without a story is... well, for me it's just missing a crucial element.

Making up a story can be just as good as knowing the real story though.
So... what do you think?

A.  Little Tucker wandered across the field to see if his favorite neighbor had made any of his favorite cookies lately.  She had, and he got one.  But then she had to walk him home to face his worried mother.

B. Little Tucker couldn't wait to try out his brand new camouflage boots.  Aunt Victoria took him on a hike across the field to see if they really did make his feet disappear in the grass.

C.Little Tucker and his mom took a carrot or an apple into the pasture every morning when they went to pet Grandpa's horse.

Which one do you think it is?

Last weekend I got to visit my daughter and son-in-law, and they took me to the Smithsonian National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.  I loved it!   (at least I loved 3/4 of it.... I can get enough of the other 1/4, art from the 13th-16th century, in a hurry.)
I caught my self asking questions about the story behind the paintings..  "What were these people thinking?  Why would the artist choose to paint this scene?  Who do you suppose these people were?  (Yes, I realize that I could probably Google the answers to some of these questions, take an art history class, or read an art book.  But, we kind of enjoyed making up the stories.

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 "Japanese Footbridge" - Monet
Do you think Mr. Monet walked across that bridge every day?  
Did he plant those waterlilies just so he could paint them?
Did they just show up one year and surprise everybody, so they called up their friend Claude to come over and bring a canvas and some brushes?

"Girl with a Watering Can" - Renoir
Who was this little girl?  
Do you think she was hot in those long sleeves and that lace?
How did she know Mr. Renoir?
Did Pierre-Auguste put snacks in that little watering can to bribe her to keep still?

"Lake Luceren" - Bierstadt
Was this scene just part of Mr. Bierdstadt's neighborhood?
Did he have to wait for the season and weather to be just right?
How did Albert manage a canvas that big?

"Green Plums" -  Decker
What's a green plum?
Did Mr. Decker pick these from his own tree?
Are you sure, Joseph, that they aren't just apples?
(By the way... I loved this simple painting more than any other in the museum...)

"Banks of the Seine, Vétheuil - Monet
Sorry, Mr. Monet... Your painting is lovely, but not nearly as lovely as the young lady in purple standing with me... :)





So... if you really want to know which is the real story behind "Almost Home".... It's "B" 

Bluebird on a Twig

How does one become a bird watcher?

I'd like to watch my birds, but they are the most aggravating things!  They will not be still!
Don't misunderstand; I love my birds.  I love their tweets and chirps and caws and whistles.  I love their flashes of color in the trees.
But, I would love them even more if they'd just be still and let me take their picture every once in a while.  
I have a hummingbird feeder - well, those guys don't even count, they never be still for anyone.  I also hung three bird feeders in the trees around my back deck.  The seeds disappear, so I know they're coming around.  I even see them sitting there having a snack - but just for a second.  If I pick up my camera, they're off within seconds.  And, if heaven forbid, I open the door to come out...!  You'd think I'm mean to them or something!  
Anyway, here are a few of my flighty little neighbors.

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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.  

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Yellow Bowl of Tomatoes

Who picked those lovely tomatoes?

I love the artistic composition of this piece.  I love the perfect tomatoes, the twist of the vine, the shadows and highlights, the shape of the bowl.  The artist in me thinks it's just beautiful.

The farmer in me, however, says, "I don't know who did pick them, but I do know who didn't."  I am quite certain that a farmer didn't pick them.  How can I be so sure?  First of all, a real farmer wouldn't have destroyed the vines by pulling the leaves and stems off.  And, if a stem or leaf had broken, she would have pulled it off in the garden, not brought it in the house.  Second, a real farmer wouldn't have let her tomatoes stay on the vine until they were that ripe.  An orangy-colored tomato can ripen just fine on the window sill and avoid the dangers of cut worms, sun blisters, or the skin splitting after a rain.  Third a real farmer would have put her harvest of tomatoes in a big ole' well-used bucket to bring in and wash, not an impractical fancy little bowl.


Now, I'm going back to that artist side of my self... I love this still life...
I've painted this Bowl of Tomatoes before, so it fell into place easily with familiar brush strokes.  I loved the first one, and I think I may love the second one even more.  I'm going to enjoy it on my own wall while it dries and before it's shipped off to its permanent home.

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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

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Whimsical Christmas

Are you a rule follower or a rule breaker?

Isn't this a fun tree!
It is far from my usual style of painting, but it's curly and colorful and kind of Whoville-ish.  I think Dr. Suess might approve.
I'd like to say that it's my version of modern art where each color and curve and dot and streak has a deeper meaning and represents something important.  But, it doesn't... that I know of...

As for the question above...
I'd have to say I'm a rule bender.  I might bend and twist that rule into a pretzel, but I generally don't break it.  Although my teaching partner and I came pretty close on this one.  That fine group of people represents my school.  I get to teach kids with them everyday.  
But my partner and I, the one I share 50 kids with all day everyday, were kind off to the side  from where the teacher was and had a different idea of what color of paint we wanted to use.  Can you pick us out of the crowd?

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N*0*E*L

Have you ever missed something important in the fine print?

I saw these square canvases on e-Bay!  There were 12 of them, and they were just a little over a dollar each.  What a deal! Free shipping too!  Well, I just pushed that "buy" button.  ...Then they arrived... 4"x4"... guess I should have noticed that the size wasn't mentioned.  I felt pretty silly, but I really couldn't be too mad at the seller.  They hadn't lied; I should have paid more attention to the lack of information.    So, I had these 12 tiny canvases... What to do... A little ribbon, some hot glue, an old buckle, mixed in with a little creativity. Ta-Da! I love it!

Autumn Leaves & Nuts

Is it too late to celebrate fall?

After finishing a couple of baby portraits, I was ready to paint something easy; people tend not to mind if a leaf is off by 2-3 millimeters like they do if it's a baby's eye or nostril or lip.  

We absolutely had the most gorgeous back yard this autumn.  People would literally stop and take pictures of it.  I picked up every leaf and nut in this painting right outside my back door.  There were so many different kinds, and they were such brilliant colors!  I hadn't really intended on making a painting of them, but when I laid them out on the table...

So, I know that the time for being inspired by autumn has passed; we're all eating left over turkey and decorating for Christmas. But, it was a beautiful autumn this year.

I was lucky to get to see this every day as I pulled into our driveway....


...and this as I stepped out our back door.  (It's a hickory tree.  When the nuts are ready, you can hear the squirrels eating them and tossing down the shells.  The ground is covered with hickory shells before they're finished.  I don't think they store any of them for winter.)




Original Oil Painting on 6"x 24" Canvas.
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Faye's Baby

What's fun about painting portraits?

There's a very long list of what's frustrating about painting portraits.  The first being that people don't expect to receive a painting of a cute baby, they expect it to look like THEIR cute baby.  That last phase of editing can be excruciating for me.  When I realized that I needed to scrape the paint off this little one's eyes and paint them a few millimeters lower, I wanted to cry.  But... it that's just part of the process.
(I think next I'll paint some nice autumn leaves... no one minds if a leaf vein is just a little off or a shape is just a little skewed when it's a leaf!)

But, back to the original question...What's the most fun? There's always a "Oh, there you are!" moment for me.  I'm just working along with colors, shapes, tones, and shades when all of a sudden... It's a little one with a personality looking back at me!  I love that moment!  Sometimes it happens when I put the little fleck of white sparkle in the eye.  Sometimes it's when the dimple is finally right or the highlight on the end of the nose is put on.  I usually have a "Well, hello there!" moment right then.

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Peek-a-boo Pine Trees

How do you do it?

I get asked that question pretty often.  It seems like, "I just paint what I see" isn't enough of an answer.  And neither is "I just put the colors and shapes where they go" isn't enough either.  


Sometimes I take pictures that show every step of the process.  I like watching the image form then come to life.

I say this with love... most paintings are like most kids... they have to go through their ugly stages.

Original Oil Painting on 12"x 16" Wrapped Canvas

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:) Custom House Ornament

What goes on your Christmas tree?

We started a tradition when we were first married of buying one special Christmas ornament each year to represent our year.  We have:
First Christmas Together
Baby Girl's First Christmas
Baby Boy's First Christmas
A Disney ornament
A cruise ship ornament
One from Mount Rushmore
One from Yellowstone
Another from Yosemite
... and one for all of our 27 Christmases as a family.

But this year with our son's return from Tibet and my daughter's move to Maryland, we just didn't take a trip or vacation... We just enjoyed home... So, as the end of the year approached, we didn't have an ornament.
... Until now...
This fantastic little Custom House Ornament represents our year perfectly.  The artist, (who just happens to be the mother of my "Blow on It!" girl and my "Hello, Butterfly!" boy) used a photograph of our own house to create this tiny little work of art.  Visit her Etsy shop at Inspired Traditions and enjoy seeing her Jesse Tree ornaments, Easter Resurrection ornaments, or purchase your own little house ornament. 

Candy Corn

 Which holiday has the best candy?

• Christmas has candy canes.
• Easter has marshmallow peeps.
• Valentine's Day has chocolate hearts.
• Halloween has nearly everything.
• And Thanksgiving, really the whole season of Autumn has... candy corn!  Yum!  (Do you think it can count as part of the daily required vegetable group since it is corn?)

I made a confession about my embarrassing habit when I get a heart-shaped box of  Valentine chocolates in the post of a painting called Love and Kisses Reflected. 

Now I have another confession...it's about candy corn, and I love candy corn... up til now only my family has known this... I only eat the orange and yellow parts and toss the white tip away, or even worse... I toss the white tip back in the bag!  

Why?  Well, my kids say it just because I'm weird that way.  Somehow I got the message when I was a little kid that the white tip is just pure sugar... Yeah... I know... so is the yellow and orange part...  Hmmm.... Maybe candy corn therapy is in order for me.

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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!

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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.

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Hey, Hey... Hay! Again?

 Do you like reruns?

There's just something comforting about watching certain movies again, reading special books again, or going to the same favorite spot again.

If we catch When Harry Met Sally, Apollo 13, or It's a Wonderful Life on television, the channel flicking stops.  We just have to stop what we're doing and watch it again.  

One of the best parts of being a teacher is getting to read some fantastic books again and again every year.  Books like Dear Mr. Henshaw, Number the Stars, and Where the Red Fern Grows never get old!

So... What does that have to do with this little painting?  Well, I just love this little heifer!  It makes me smile to see her hanging on my wall, but she keeps selling!  I guess it's my fault for listing her for sale, but she's kind of fun to paint anyway.




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:) Jesse Tree Tree

What's your favorite Christmas ornament?

I answered that a while back when I said it was a Nativity Scene that my own little ones made for me in their 4-year-old Sunday school class many years ago.  I can't change that answer, but now I have a new favorite Christmas tree and ornaments!

First I got these gorgeous hand crafted Jesse Tree ornaments as a gift from my niece - each one is a work of art in itself.  Then, of course, I needed the perfect way to display them.  So, I put a bug in my brother's ear about a little wooden tree that would be perfect, but seemed to be awfully complicated to make.  Well, that was just the challenge he needed to get some wood, screws, wooden balls, and paint to make it happen. (I was counting on that!)

Here's my brother and dad drawing up the plan.

You can purchase both these ornaments and a little wooden  tree to hang them on at Inspired Traditions.

Red Barn at Harvest Time

Who wouldn't want to go to a party here?

We could pick a pumpkin for the jack-o-lantern carving... There might be a wheelbarrow race down the path... Maybe there's a haunted house in the loft... And, I bet there's a tub of apples for bobbing inside...

Yeah, I know the barn's probably a little too red, the pumpkins are a little too orange, and the sky's just too yellow... But, I love it.  I want to go there!

Super Hero Symbols

What's the difference between oils and acrylics?

This was only the second time I'd used acrylics and the first time I'd really spent time trying to learn to use them.
     Here's what I liked:
          The paint tubes were cheaper.
          The paint dried quickly so I could put another color right over the first.
          The flat one dimensional color was just right for this project.
          The clean up was just with water and some soap.
     Here's what I didn't like:
          The smell of the paint.
          The paint dried quickly, so I had to keep adding water to keep it moving on the canvas.
          The paint went on one color then dried a different shade.
          I felt like I wasted paint as I kept adding to try to mix the colors.
          I didn't feel like the paint and the brush worked together - if that makes sense.

These will decorate the wall of a little guy who'll be arriving soon.  I hope that he likes them.

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