Key West Rooster

Have you ever been to Key West?


There are roosters just walking around.  They don't seem to belong to anyone, but no one seems to mind that they're there.


I painted this fella back when I was just beginning.  I think I just tried too hard to make him just right - perfect coloring, perfect feathers in place, perfect grass, perfect barn side behind... In truth... he was a scraggly guy scratching in the dirt beside a cinder block building...  
Now that I've kind of figured out who I am as a painter, I think I'd like the painting better if it told the truth!

Red Mushroom

What is the difference between a toadstool and a mushroom?


Maybe they're the same thing.  And, I doubt a toad ever really sits on one anyway.

There had been a lot of rain - actually a flood - during the season before our stay at Lake Ouachita. The ground was damp, and the air was muggy. But we made a fun discovery caused by these conditions. There were mushrooms everywhere in the woods by the lake. This one was one of my favorites. It looks like something has taken a bite out of it. At first I thought I'd paint it perfectly round, but I liked the missing chunk too much to leave it out... or I guess I should say... to put it back.



Original Oil Painting on 8"x 10" Wrapped Canvas
[SOLD]

Mr. & Mrs. Mallard

What was your first word?


For most babies it's "mama" and "dada."  For my daughter it was "quack!"  Who knows why!  She had a little yellow rubber duckie.  One day she held it and said a very deliberate "Quaaaaack!"  Then she never stopped talking.


My favorite part of this painting is the water.  I love the colors and the the movement.  My least favorite part is that the female seems to be standing on top of the water.  I wish I could get this painting back for a few minutes.  I'd fix that!  


I wonder if this pair has 8 little ducklings following along behind that just didn't make it onto the canvas.
Take the time to read Make Way for Ducklings!  What a great kids' book!

Apple Harvest

How important is the background?

     I think someone smarter or more artistic than me could answer this question with eloquence that would make perfect sense.  There would be words like harmony, value, contrast, and lost edges.
     I just know that I almost always make my backgrounds "too beautiful' to start with.   I used to take my what-I-thought-were-finished paintings to class, and my teacher would say, "The background is too beautiful."  It would make me sad because I'd love the background.  But, I'd  dutifully trust her and fuzz out, tone down, or blur the background.  Then immediately the focus or the important part would pop out, move forward, and take the center stage.
     This painting was an example of that.  I painted it as a challenge piece for Studio Atelier.  Other artists had submitted lovely versions of this image, but I just couldn't submit mine.  I loved the apples, the leaves, the reflection.  I couldn't figure out why I wasn't satisfied.  Something was not right.  When I showed my teacher, she said, "The background is too beautiful."  I took an orange wash, covered the lovely blue background, and... wow!  The apples popped into the forefront where they belonged.
Such a small trick.  Such a big difference.

[SOLD]


Click Apple Note Cards to be taken to the Etsy listing where these can be purchased.

:) Jesse Tree

What is a Jesse Tree ornament?

There's a brand new Etsy shop called Inspired Traditions.  

Have a look!  And learn about these beautifully crafted ornaments!

The Jesse Tree tradition began as a family tree for Jesus. It originates from Isaiah 1:1, which says, "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse". Jesse, the father of King David, is one of the patriarchs through whom Jesus' lineage is traced. This Jesse Tree ornament set can be used much like an advent calendar. Advent, meaning "coming", refers to the anticipation of the coming Christ. There is an ornament for each day in December through Christmas day that depicts a story from biblical history. For each symbol there are correlating Old Testament and New Testament scriptures. These stories give a "refresher" of the Bible as a whole, all the while reminding us of how the scriptures are all connected in the theme of God's grace. Some of the Old Testament symbols were chosen because a person in the story is in the lineage of Christ while others because Jesus himself referred to some part of the story. The New Testament symbols chosen have the prophecy scriptures referenced from the Old Testament. From the story of creation to the story of the wise men following a star, each symbol was chosen to help tell the story of God's plan to bring us back to himself through Jesus. The Jesse Tree displays the story of the coming Christ, carved out through history, by the sovereign hand of God.

What makes this Jesse Tree set unique is that every one of the 25 ornaments has both an Old Testament scripture reference and a New Testament reference. I made these for my family to teach my three children the true meaning of Christmas. Each day from December 1st to Christams Day, my kids place one of these ornaments on our tree after we have read to them the story behind the symbol. In the last month of the year, they get a reminder of a few of the stories they have learned throughout the year, in chronological order, and hear again how the Bible as a whole is connected through the grace of Jesus as we prepare to celebrate his birth.


If you'd like to purchase a set of Jesse Tree Ornaments, click the link to go to the Etsy listing.

:) Choosing a Reference Photo

How to decided.... How to choose?...


This little butterfly danced, flitted, and posed as long as I was willing to take pictures.  So, I have 30 photos... All nearly the same, but which ONE is the right ONE?

View from this Side

Is formal symmetry always a bad thing in art?


I am such a left brained, type A, logical thinking person.  I went into painting with no natural flare for art.  So much of what makes art aesthetically pleasing was (sometimes still is) so foreign to me.  I still have to remind my self... if one is on this side, put two on that side... don't put it right in the center... put an odd number of them rather than two or four...  Maybe that's why I've never referred to myself as an "artist."  I just say, "I paint."  


I love this painting, but I think maybe I'm not supposed to.  It is, after all, quite symmetrical.  But, there's another reason I love this painting.  I used a palette knife for much of it.  I haven't used that technique much, and I don't know why.  I loved the effect... painterly...  I guess it scares me...  You take big globs of paint and smear... Yikes!  The thing is, I this is the style I loved before I began to paint on my own. Hmmm...
Maybe I should give it another try.

Cottage by the Sea

Doesn't this look like the perfect cottage for an artist to live in?

Or, maybe it could be the home of the heroine from a romance novel?

The idea for this painting began with a photograph taken by my niece.  This place as it looks in this painting doesn't really exist, but if it did, I'd love to spend a long weekend there!

"Cottage by the Sea" was my first attempt with taking huge liberties with the reference photo.  It had been the office of a bed and breakfast hotel.  I flipped or reversed it, took away the parking lot, big flag, and lawn chairs.  I planted a few trees and built a dirt road.  Finally, I sprinkled some flowers in just the right places.  

End the end, I was amazed at my own finished product.  Usually, I love the process and am simply pleased with the end result.  But, this time I also loved the finished painting.  My heart actually ached when I got notification from Etsy that the original sold.  But, I loved it so much that I had an image made.  A giclee reproduction hangs where the original had been.

Each time I look at "Cottage by the Sea," I think of Miss Rumphias, a wonderful children's book about a lady who sets out to make the world a more beautiful place by planting flowers wherever she goes.  I think Miss Rumphias would have liked to live in my little cottage.

[SOLD]

Original Oil Painting on 16"x 20" Wrapped Canvas

"Cottage by the Sea" can be purchased in several forms.
Contact me if you'd like to purchase this image as a giclee, a print, or note cards.

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!

Country Mailbox

How do you use your artistic license? 


Sometimes we drive down dirt roads just to see what we can find... you never know when the most mundane thing is just perfect... like this mailbox!  My husband pulled over, and I hopped out to snap a few pictures when, "Um, Honey... you might want to explain to that guy..."  He'd come around the house with a pretty unfriendly look on his face.  "Hi! I'm an artist, and you have a fabulous mailbox!  I'd love to paint it!"  How quickly his demeanor changed!  He was ready to tell me the history of how long it had been there, who put it there... 
Just goes to show you how important it is to carry that artistic license with you!


To enjoy an Etsy treasury (collection of art pieces and vintage items) celebrating Arkansas, click Missing Arkansas.

Taylor Kids

Will  you paint my child? 
And as you do, can you change the shirt color, put back the feet that the photo cut off, fix the messed up hair?


When I discovered I could make colors and shapes look like faces, friends became more interested in my paintings.  I got a little more accurate and a little faster with each one, so I began to think I could accept any challenge.


As it turns out, yes, it is possible to do all of those things.  I just shouldn't have tried to learn so many things all in one painting.  There is one more very important lesson I learned while working on this painting... painting three little faces is three times as hard or time consuming as painting one!  Imagine... how could I not have figured that out ahead of time!

Farmers' Market

What makes your town unique?

My town has many unique attributes to keep it "Funky," but one of our favorites is our Farmers' Market on the Square.  My husband and I go nearly every Saturday.  Sometimes we buy vegetables or flowers.  More often, however, we just walk around twice (once to look and once to buy) just to take in the flavor of our city...

... musicians (some good, some not so much...) with their cases open for dollars...

...fresh vegetables...

...politicians with smiles and bumper stickers to give away...

...bouquets of flowers...

...dogs (in red vests from the animal shelter) looking for new homes...

...fruit and berries...

...hippies with petitions to be signed...

...dyed wool (with pictures of the sheep it came from)...

...old acquaintances saying "How've y'all been?"...

...dried spices...

...painters...

...pottery...

...children in strollers, elderly people, picky chefs, nature lovers...

It's like a kaleidoscope - splashes of bright colors.

We love our Farmers' Market.

Vacation Hat

Isn't she lovely!

When I see this picture, I hear Stevie Wonder's voice singing "Isn't She Lovely!"  from 1976!  Need a reminder?  Click and listen... it will take you back a few decades...

I loved working on this piece.  It just seemed to fall into place.  The hardest part was the skin... I'd never had to paint so much of it!  The key was to keep it from looking flat.  (I laughed that I'd never spend so much time studying an armpit!)  I had the same situation with the beach behind her.  Although it was flat, I needed it to have dimension.

I also played with manipulating parts of the piece - like fixing her necklace that was twisted.  Also, the scene behind her is actually what was in front of her.  That worked out fine until... I realized that the scene reflected in her sunglasses was the beach... the scene that was now behind her... confusing?  Yeah... So...  I just fuzzed out the reflection and called it done!

And, isn't she lovely?  No, wonder... her mother is my "Wedding Hat" lady!

And just for fun... she's also the mother of my "Li'l Punkin'" guy!

:) Smoky Mountains

No, I didn't paint this week...
But... I took many photos that may become paintings!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Little Fella in a Big Fedora

How do colors and shapes come together to make eyes, nose, cheeks, chins, wrinkles, and folds? 

Here's how I do it - one step at a time.  The hardest part is having faith - knowing that the "ugly stage" is normal and necessary - believing that it will come back together in the end.