Flower of the Sun

When will warm weather come?

We had 13 snow days this winter!  And, that doesn't count the weekend wintry days!  It doesn't count the number of inside recesses we had due to cold or rainy weather either.

I'm ready for some summery days and thought painting something summery might help.

My dad grew this sunflower.  He grew two or three rows of them.  He thought he'd make his own bird food.  Well, he did... but it didn't work out like he thought.  Once the seeds in the middle of the flowers matured, the birds helped themselves.

Click Flower of the Sun if you'd like to purchase this little painting.

:) Happy 50th to Me!

A selfie in the Tetons!

The Cat and His Boy

Who's got your back?

What a sweet and peaceful image of a comfortable friendship!  I think that Cody THE Cat has got his friend T.J.'s back here.  

As I was thinking of a just-right title for this painting, I kept coming back to the friendship and the fact that the cat seemed to be responsible for, watching over, protecting the little one.  It reminded me of Nana the big Newfoundland dog who was the children's nursemaid in Peter Pan.  Then I thought of the fifth book from The Chronicles of Narnia, The Horse and His Boy.  It fits. This cat does not seem to believe he belongs to the boy; in this cat's mind, the boy is his.

Cody THE Cat showed up at my sister's family's farm and pretty much took on the role as overseer of all who come and go there.

I'm kind of a fan of every inch of this canvas.  

I was worried about getting enough depth in the background, so I started at the back and worked my way forward.  It's always a little scary (and exciting as I get more confident in my own abilities that it will work) to put a line of trees on top of a perfectly beautiful sky.  Then again, to set bigger more detailed trees down right on top what's already a lovely line of autumn trees and bushes.  Then again, again, to put that dark shadowy line at the base of what was a really nice background. Whew!

When I tackled the water, I took the opposite approach.  I started at the front or bottom and moved back or up.  I created nice water with the ripples and movement.... sigh...  it takes a deep breath and some confidence to put brown lines and smudges of golds and rusts and greens in the water.  Then once the color is there, to rake it back and forth to make it look ripply takes an even deeper breath and a self reminder that it can be completely painted over and redone when / if it gets completely ruined. When it worked out, I thought I'd feel relief, but I felt more disbelief... Whew! 

One step at a time... adding sticks and weeds... tedious... then a pole... bright red... and straight across my pretty ripples... excruciating!  
Who says painting is relaxing?  And, what are they painting anyway?

The next challenge was in color.  T.J.'s shirt was actually blue, the same blue as the pond.  And Cody THE Cat was practically camouflaged as he was the same color as the leaves!  I took a few liberties there (a.k.a. cheated).  I didn't think either would mind.

How odd that the easiest part of this painting was the little fella at the center of it all.

[GIFT]

Cardinal in Winter

Did you just make that up?

I don't usually make things up in my paintings.  I pretty much paint what I see.  Whenever I start making things up, it usually leads to trouble - shadows don't match, proportions are off, colors don't agree... I'm rarely successful  with painting from my mind.

I finished this little bird once.  It looked just like the photograph... and it looked awful, just wrong... as if I'd made something up.

The snow on the branch was so thick that it looked fake.  The blank space around the little cardinal looked unfinished.  The angle of the limb didn't make any sense. The little guy had his eyes closed. His back feathers looked drab. So... I took a completely finished and dry painting and started making things up.  
- I gave him a little slit of an eye.
- I grew a few little background twigs in front of and behind him.
- I scraped off a couple of inches of show.
- I skinnied up the main branch.
- I added some purple to his dark feathers on top.

Then I signed my name.

It's been a harsh winter here in Northwest Arkansas.  We've had some beautiful snows.

Click "Cardinal in Winter" to purchase this little painting.

Mama Cow

What just happened?

Surprise!  
A baby!  
She has a brand new baby!
So sweet!
She hadn't even had time to lick the little thing all over yet.

I wish I could say she was happy to show off her little calf, smile her little bovine smile to show her pride in the little thing.

But the truth is, I think she was down right annoyed that I was staring, coming too close, clicking pictures.

I just couldn't help it.  You don't get to see a newborn too often.

[SOLD]

:) Happy Art-Birthday to Me

It's been seven years...
I took my first art lesson seven years ago.
I kept painting.
Eventually I called myself a painter.
I kept painting.
Finally I call myself an artist.

:)
Here's to those first "Summer Trees."

What Rhymes with Orange?

What rhymes with orange?

Nothing!

Some words are annoying; they refuse to rhyme!
It shouldn't be allowed; it should be a crime!

Roses are red, violets are purple...
... hmmm
Roses are red, lilies are orange...
...nothin'
Roses are red, bells are silver...
...uhhh
Roses are red, a poem has rhythm...
...nope...
Roses are red, of course, what else...
... but
Roses are red, a ring is a circle...
... uh
Roses are red, like beautiful music...
... un-uh
Roses are red, like the heart of a woman...
... really
Roses are red, I'll smile for a month...
... still no
Roses are red, so don't cause chaos...
... forget it

Roses are red, violets are blue,
Words that rhyme are the ones I'll stick to.

[SOLD]

Lime Slices

Do you Pinterest?

I'm not addicted, but I look around every so often.  You never know what tip you might come across!  

One of my favorite Pinterest  posts was for "lime cubes." I bought a bag of limes at Sam's (so you know it was a huge bag 'cause everything from Sam's comes in huge quantities). These limes were gorgeous so I took a bunch of pictures of them. ("Splash of Lime" was the first painting to come from this bag.) Next, I cut them and squeezed all the juice into ice trays. Now, when I want a little lime flavor, I just add a lime cube!  Thanks Pinterest!  

[SOLD]

Red Barn & Wheelbarrow in Winter II

Do you like re-runs?

I do... IF... it's something I loved the first time around. 
If it's an episode of  Big Bang Theory or Andy Griffith or The Cosby Show, it doesn't matter how many times I've seen it; I'm happy to watch it again.
There are a few movies that I can watch again and again like When Harry Met Sally or It's a Wonderful Life or The Grinch; it doesn't matter if I have half the lines memorized.


So, that thought brings me to this painting...

... a re-run.

But, I loved it the first time, and I love it again - this time on a smaller canvas.
When my little Tuesday evening painting group wanted to paint a red barn, I gave it another go along with them.

I have to say, however, that between the painting of snow and the snow that has caused us to miss 8 snow days of school already this winter, I'm ready to paint something warmer! :) 

Original Oil Painting on 12"x 16" Wrapped Canvas
Click "Red Barn & Wheelbarrow in Winter" if you'd like to purchase this painting.

Splash of Lime

What did you have in mind?

This is not what I had in mind... I bought a bag of limes, and when I dumped them into a bowl, I thought they were gorgeous.  I set up some for still life references and took a bunch of photographs.  One was just a few slices on my cutting board... scatter of circles I decided to do first.

Once finished it was flat, the stripes of the cutting board that you could see made no sense.  So, I decided a nice light cool blue would make the limes pop; it looked like some giant lime balloons floating through the sky. I almost never paint with blue, and I had a blob of it on my palette that had been just sitting there for a while.  It seemed like a good choice.  Nope... nothing; I added some white in one corner and some dark blue in the other.  At that point, the limes popped, but it made no sense at all.  
Then...
I picked it up by the darker "side" so show it to my husband. Odd, I didn't paint it vertically, but it made me smile... Ok, so weird, but imagined the sugar-plum dream from The Nutcracker and the line "while visions of sugar-limes danced in their heads" from Twas the Night Before Christmas. Hmmmm....interesting... I took it by the lighter "side" and thought of Jimmy Buffet looking for his lost shaker of salt... kind of dreamy, made my mouth water for something sour.  Who knew... I love it!


Wonder how it all started?  Yeah, it came a long way...

[SOLD}

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.

We'll Just Have Salad III

Is this deja vu?

No, I didn't accidentally post these gals again.  The ladies are back for yet another encore!  There must be something about those patient eyes that make people want to look again and again.  (You can read what I wrote the other times by clicking We'll Just Have Salad and then We'll Just Have Salad II.)

You would think I'd have this down by the third time, but nope... still had challenges to work through, especially with the black cow.  I miss having a teacher who can just say, "Use cerulean blue instead of white," or "Try moving her eye sparkle to the other side," or "Look at the sides of her nose again," or "Maybe a white eyelash with an upward twist."  Sometimes I miss painting with you each week so much, Cheri!

So, anyway...
Look at the difference a few tiny changes makes!
Isn't she friendlier now!

[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}

Bryan's Beach Babies

How many characters do you see in the story, and what do you imagine about each one?

The big brother is kind of taking charge of this sand project.  He's in the middle of things, holding the shell to form it just right, maybe even protecting his creation from the little one.  He's obedient to wear the crisp white shirt, yet his free spirit shows through his braided bracelets and shaggy hair.

The sweet little one sits up straight to be just as big as everybody else.  She's got on her ruffly dress, so she knows she's pretty today.  Because she's feels fancy, she's not quite sure she wants to be in on the sand pile.  But, she doesn't want to miss out on being a part of whatever the big kids are doing!

Then there's the lovely sister who's pulling sand up and trying to help build the pile.   Her tank top and shorts are right for the beach; however, she's girly enough to make sure she's got her necklace and earrings, and she's just sassy enough to put on her favorite headband - no matter what color it is!

The kids are great, but the character that I love is the fourth one... the wind.  It may not be visible, but what would this image be without it! The wind drives the story! As it whips the hair and ribbons, it brings life to the story!  The wind is the springboard of imagination! It's the wind that lets my mind wander to where this story takes place, to what these children are feeling, to how loud their voices must be, to the pinprick feel of sand that blows into their skin... 

I almost painted this on a square canvas. At the very last minute, I decided against it... The square canvas left out the wind...  That sounds like an "artsy" thing to say, but it's true. (The square canvas told a completely different story - three kids with messy hair were making a pile... that's it... no imagination, no wondering, nothing to hear, nothing to feel...) Those few inches on either side showed where the wind was coming from, what it was carrying along, and where it was going.  

[SOLD}

Nutcracker Soldier

Who stands guard at Christmas?

At my house about 30 nutcrackers do.  I didn't set out to have a nutcracker collection, it just sort of happened.  When we were first married, my husband bought one that was on sale during a day when he got an extra discount where he worked.  The next year he bought another one, and he did it again the next year.  Once you have three of something, I think it's a collection.

After that, it really wasn't planned, we'd pick one up every year or so if we loved it and the price was right. So, we had six or seven of them. 

Then I took the "collection" to school for E.L.F. Workshop (Eaton's Lots'a Fun Workshop).  I thought it would make a good independent project for the kids to draw and work on while I was helping others with their bigger projects. Well... I guess that gave the kids the idea, so I ended up getting a couple at the Christmas party that year.  The next year I had eight or nine to take for models on E.L.F. Day... Again I opened another one or two at the Christmas party.  Then the next year... and the next year... and the next... 

So, my class will be having E.L.F. Workshop at the beginning of this week.  We'll be having a party at the end of this week. Hmmm... I wonder if I'll have any additions to my collection.

[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}

Frog Princess

Why do I avoid faces?

Is it because I love the story that can be told from the back or side as if you're looking in on the story?  That's an answer I've given.

I think, however, that's only a partial truth.  I think the more accurate reason is that faces are just plain hard!
The challenges that come with making a white canvas look like a specific person keep me humble, remind me that my skills are limited.

I "finished" this precious little girl a few days ago; however, I could tell from my husband's polite reaction, that it really wasn't finished. Because I was frustrated with her for not cooperating, I literally put her in the corner for a few days.

With fresh eyes and spirit, I put her back on the easel, turned her upside down, and went began the plastic surgery... cut off some hair, lengthened an eyebrow, lightened a cheek... fattened a lip, lowered a chin..... almost.  But she needed one more go... squared a chin, added some mascara, highlighted a nostril, deepened a crease...

There  comes a time to say, "I'm satisfied. I love her.  I love the story this image tells."  

This final stage is like editing - looking for what's wrong.
There are several strategies that I use to help me "see" better.

** Leave the room and come back.  When I imagine seeing it for the first time, I can be more objective.

** Ask a friend what they notice first.  Usually if something jumps out first, it's shouldn't be there.  

** Take a picture of it, and put it on the computer screen.  It's like a fresh view where things show up that I just wasn't seeing on the canvas.

**Look at it in the mirror.  Sure the reflection is backwards, but it's amazing what I notice that I didn't see before.

**Turn it upside down.  This takes the "person" out of it and just lets me concentrate on colors, lines, and shapes.

[SOLD]

:) JOY Elves

Merry Christmas!

I hope you're smiling.

:)

:) Winter - Painting with Words

Winter

Can you feel it?

Through scarf, hood, gloves, and coat,

Cold bites the skin, chills to the very bones.

Shiver… Huddle... Hurry...

Unwrap… Stand close to the flame… Sigh…

Can you smell it?

Gray and wispy, clinging in the air…

Not menacing, but comforting, cozy.

Rising from chimneys, then drifting down, fading...

To join the neighbor tending leaves.

Can you taste it?

Yellow candy corn replaced with red and white…

Peppermints, candy canes, chocolate kisses in holiday foil.

Tins of sage, promoted from the back…

The premier spice for the most special of meals.

Can you hear it?

No… It’s silent.  No chirping, tweeting, croaking…

Leaves rustle above, crunch underfoot.

“Silver Bells”... “Jingle Bells”... “Silent Night”

Same songs, many versions, over and over.

Can you see it?

Browns and grays, but for the rarest days of white.

The outside world is not dead, just asleep… resting.

But the inside sparkles, twinkles, shines.

Houses fill, hearts grow, faces glow.

Can you believe it?

Another season arrives.

Another year passes.

Endure it.

But also… embrace it.

Whimsical Santa

What's the lesson here?

Tip of the Day: Ya' gotta be brave with the gray if you want to appreciate the white....

I had another painting evening with my teacher friends.  As I was giving out paint dollops for the beard, one friend said, "I want the white, and I guess I'll take a tiny bit of gray, but I think I'll pass on the blue and brown." 
"Okay"
.... a while later... 
"Why does my beard and fur look so flat?" 

I never put my brush on another artist's canvas, but I asked permission, "Do you trust me? You're going to be shocked, but don't be mad."

I took a brush of gray and blue and made a big ole' swipe under his mustache and heard her gasp behind me.
"Now, turn around, walk back a few steps, and look again."
"Oh... my... goodness... It worked!"  

Yep, you have to have the drab to enjoy the bright...
... not sure whether that's a painting lesson or a life lesson.

Oil Painting on 6"x 12" Wrapped Canvas
[SOLD]