little joe

I have run out of titles for pears. I think "little joe" works. This is painted on a 5 x 5" gallery wrap canvas.

sticking together

Trying to return to normalcy after a scary and heart breaking couple of days. My state of Alabama has had over 200 people killed in the outbreak of tornados that passed through April 27. I was in south Alabama watching the mile wide tornado heading toward Tuscaloosa on TV. I have lived in Tuscaloosa off and on for eighteen years of my life so I knew it was headed right toward where my son and many people live. The path of the tornado missed my son's ramshackle rental house by a block. A very frightening three hours that I could not get in touch with him. He is okay but so many others aren't. The tornados hit fairly impoverished areas in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham. They need your prayers and support. Don't mean to just single out Alabama. So many other states were affected.

This is painted on a 6 x 12" canvas.

open water

Think I overworked this a bit. Took this photo at my parents home in North Carolina this past winter. The lake was 90% frozen so there was a cluster of birds in the open water. There were beautiful colors and reflections on the ice/water. This is painted on an 8 x 10" canvas.

dorothy

This week's daily paintworks challenge. Linda Popple sent in a photo of this girl in NYC and we are to work from it. Pretty simple. It will be fun to watch what different artists do with it. I did not have a lot of time to paint today so I kept it pretty simple. The girl is looking at her cell phone in the photo so I changed it to a book. I also edited out a purse between her legs.

Happy Easter!

one day

This painting is based on three photographs I took last weekend in New Orleans. There were a group of musicians on Royal street and the little boy was part of it. I think he was just there for the cute factor. He was holding the trumpet upside down most of the time. I think? You musicians may correct me. He looks a little older in my rendition of him. He was still wearing diapers. The background is just a loose interpretation of a building I saw. This is a large painting for me. It is painted on an 18 x 36" gallery wrap canvas.

purple pair

This was a good break from doing figurative pieces this week. This is my submission for the color challenge from Daily Paintworks. I chose to work with a complimentary palette. This is painted on a 5 x 7" linen canvas.

testing the waters

I am posting this picture as an incentive for folks to support me in a 60 mile walk I am doing for breast cancer awareness. I am doing the Susan G Komen walk in Boston in July and I need to raise $2300.00. Every bit of the money will go to breast cancer research and local breast cancer awareness programs. All donors who contribute $20.00 or more toward my fundraising goal will have a chance to win this painting. Please feel free to donate even if you don't like the painting. You can put it in your garden to keep birds away. After two weeks have passed, I will announce the winner. Think of all of your friends and family members who have been affected by this disease and help out the cause. Donate at Susan G Komen. Thanks!

This is an 8 x 10" and is framed in a champagne colored, plein air frame.

Update:My husband drew the winner of the painting this morning. Congratulations Johnny. Thank you all for your donations!! Going to such a great cause.

last, but not least

The final sibling in the Sam's family. I really struggle with faces. I know it should not be harder but it is to me. This is a fairly close resemblance.

This and the others are painted on 8 x 10" panels. "Ta da" and "curls" are the other two siblings.

a little swagger

Took the reference photo for this painting this weekend in New Orleans. One of the first things I do when I return from trips is to enter my photos on to my computer. Always so exciting.

It was a beautiful and cool weekend in New Orleans. Got to share the sights and FOOD with my husband and two of my sons. I have said it before but New Orleans has breath taking sights. The architectural details on the homes and buildings is incredible. Beautiful place to visit.

I painted this on a 6 x 12" cradled panel.

spring

I guess I am in my cow period. I saw this beauty in a field of high grass and flowers. Love spring with all the new leaves, flowers and green grass. Sorry about you folks who are still having winter. Won't be long now.
I am headed to New Orleans to visit with my son so I bet I will return with new ideas. Maybe no more cows for a bit.
I painted this cow on an 11 x 14" linen canvas. It is very cloudy out today so I am not sure this photo does the painting justice.sold

Tennessee beauty

I feel so fortunate to have had relatives who lived on farms. I would hope for everyone that you would have some of this wonderful exposure. My grandfather raised chickens, cows and farmed crops on his land. I loved going to stay with my grandparents and can still remember the way my grandfather smelled. A bit like tractor oil and the soil. A good smell.My in laws live on a beautiful farm in eastern Tennessee with rolling hills and the Smokey mountains in the distance. My father in law died a little over a year ago and we have been very focused on helping my mother in law sell the farm. We finally got it sold and are now relieved but sad. My family has wonderful memories of "Clearview Acres". The cow in the painting grazed in the field across from their home. A nice, young family with lots of kids bought the farm and are looking forward to making it their home. I painted this on a 12 x 24" canvas using transparent red oxide, transparent earth oxide, transparent brown and titanium white.

curls

This is the second commission piece I am working on for a family from Mississippi. "Ta Da" was the oldest child that I painted last week. Have to admit that I struggled with "curls". Kathryn, the mom, said she wanted suggestions of her kids, not portraits. Best kind of patron. But...since there was the profile of her face I tried to make it similar. Twice. One scrub out. This is fairly close. Painted on an 8 x 10" panel. One more cute sibling to go.

enormous handsome heifer

Yes, you have seen this heifer before. The original 6" x 6" went home with someone last Saturday. I am participating in a three day show in Nashville in three weeks so I decided to paint him three feet by three feet. Can you imagine how big I would have to paint him if I was doing a show in Texas? Sold a lot of my cows so happy to get to paint some again. One of my favorite things to paint. I think I am finished with this guy. Will check him out with fresh eyes tomorrow.sold

what's for dinner?

This is a picture that I painted and posted a few months back. I am posting it again because of this weeks Daily Paintworks challenge. If you follow my blog you know I have a thing for chickens so I was so happy to see that this week is devoted to chickens. I want to paint Carol's photo of a chicken soon but thought I would post this one for now. I sold this one a while back but it is still one of my favorites. One reason is because my son, Ben, took the photo. He was in a rural area of China and said that the chickens would roam in and out of some homes. This one was going in for a snack.
Happy to report that yesterday's art show went very well. Got to meet and visit with so many people. This area is very supportive of local artists. Proud and hesitant to mention that I was awarded "best of show" which is a huge honor because there were lots of deserving artists. I knew it was going to be a good show when a couple bought one of my favorite quirky paintings of square dancers before the show officially opened. I love it when people buy funky paintings. And... my not so funky paintings too.sold

big boy

Made a little time for painting today. This is a beautiful dog that I photographed at the Fairhope art show. Lots of dogs there. We saw so many dogs in strollers. I won't say any more about that. hmmm....
I painted this on a 12 x 12" gallery wrap canvas.
I am setting up this afternoon for the Mountain Brook Art Association show. There are around eighty artists participating. It is held on the Crestline Elementary school field and the hours are 10-5. Come see me if you get a chance.SOLD

ta da

This is a commission piece. I met this cute couple at the Fairhope show and they bought "banjo boy". She really liked my kids on the beach but wanted to see if I could paint from some of her photos. This is number one. It was a great photo to work from because of his body language and lots of strong light. This is painted on an 8 x 10" amperstand panel. Great way to start the day!

handsome heifer

I know I said I was not going to paint another cow. I lied.
I am getting ready for a one day art show next Saturday. The Mountain Brook art association is having it's 30th annual Spring art show. Eighty or so artists are participating. There will be no kettle corn there so bring your own . My machine and corn cob hat have not arrived yet.
I hope Mt Brookians like cows. This one is painted on a 6 x 6" cradled panel.ssold

looking back

Have enjoyed painting these cows. Have some more great pictures but need to try to work my way through a commission piece today. This is painted on a 6 x 6" cradled panel.sold

starsky and hutch

We had a bit of sunshine yesterday after several days of rain or gloom so I headed out of the city with my camera. Drove for a while before I found a beautiful field of cattle. These two calves were hanging pretty close. Got some great pictures to work from. Loved the markings on the dark calf. More to come!

I painted this on a 12 x 12" gallery wrap canvas. I think the rough texture of the canvas added to the character of this piece.

Have a great weekend.sold

easter cow

Cows are more fun to paint than bunnies. Painted this cow on a 5 x 5" gallery wrap canvas.sold

snack time

Cows are almost as much fun as pears to paint. Painted this on a 5 x 5" gallery wrap canvas.sold

Ash

Ash belongs to my good friend's Lynn and Spin. I painted their other dog Stubby a couple of weeks ago. Spin repayed me for that by running over my mailbox. Mr. Perfect did something wrong. So glad we have something on him now. He is still pretty perfect.

Ash is a great example of why people love labs. He is loving, loyal, handsome and playful. He would fetch toys out of the water all day long. Hip replacement has not slowed him down too much.

Isn't this a great pose? He was waiting on the deck for us to come outside and play.

This is painted on a 16 x 20" gallery wrap canvas.

dehydrated onions

Remember about a month ago I posted smelly onions? I said that my studio smelled of onions because I had held on to the onions for too long. Well, I never threw them away. Just look at the lovely foilage that is sprouting. I think they are dehydrated because I do not smell them anymore. That, or I have become immune to the smell. I have a bowl full of lovely yellow and purple onions with trees growing out of them.

So nice to paint today. Have been too busy this week. Excited to have some time this weekend.

Got to meet a sweet artist today. Suzanne Stewart from Austin, TX was in town and came by to visit. I forgot to ask her if my studio smelled like onions.

This is painted on a 9 x 12" linen panel.

perfect fit

Only had an hour to paint today. So much going on. Got unpacked after my art show in Fairhope. Sold a good many paintings at the show but still have lots for my next three shows between now and the end of May. Love my new tent. A trim line tent that I bought from the Flourish company based in Arkansas. Now I need to buy a kettle corn popper to attract people to my tent. I was making fun of people buying the corn but I bought some every day. Good stuff.

Headed to a friends lake home for the day. Hope to get some good pictures.

a walk in the park

This is my submission for the daily paintworks Japan challenge. All of the proceeds from this painting will go to the Japanese Red Cross. You can bid on the painting at the DPO site. The theme was "home". I painted this painting a few months ago using a photo my son took in China. Am sure many folks would consider their local park as part of their home. This is painted on an 8 x 10" linen canvas and the bid starts at $125.00. There are many beautiful paintings on the site. Together we can give a little relief to the grief in Japan.SOLD

mo, larry and curly

A big thank you to my friends Lynn and Mary for helping me during this show. I informed them before the show that I had a snazzy, new tent that they would be helping me put up. I"thought" I knew how to erect the tent but could not have been out of there before midnight without the help of photographer Robert Jones. He gave us the nickname of the blog title. We entertained the artists around us with our fumbling. Brought back memories to other artists who had been through the same thing.
This show has been incredibly crowded..... with people buying kettle corn. 80 % of the crowd walks past the tents like they are on their way to an Elvis concert. The other folks have been so much fun to visit and discuss art with. I have met some wonderful artists and patrons. So fun having my friends and family with me.
Another huge highlight was meeting my blog friend,

Elizabeth Blaylock. Got to see her beautiful work in person and she even fed me home made quiche. Bought a wonderful painting from her that I can't wait to find a special place for.
Sunny days and temps in the upper 70's are making for a great time. Also fun seeing friends from different places at this show.

greetings from fairhope

these two

I feel like this is kind of a puzzle. I painted it and I still am not sure which parts belong to each dog. I took this photo of my friend's two imperial shih tzus. I laughed my way through most of this painting because of the eyes. Max is the one on the left of the painting. He is only a year old and is still very frisky and gets into a little trouble. Sophie is on the right and she is three but acts like she should be in the old dog's home. Max has a puppy cut so that you can see his eyes and Sophie's eyes are mostly covered by her hair. I love it when dogs are too lazy to lift their heads when you are talking to them but they will follow you with their eyes. My Tucker has that mastered. It does take a lot of energy for them to lift their heads.

I painted this on an 8 x 10" panel. Just for fun and a friend.

all that

This is a demo rooster I painted when I went to Moulton, Alabama a couple of weeks ago. It is painted a little looser than I normally paint. The participants in the class were newbys to the paint world so I tried to keep it simple. They were there to have fun with the painting process, not learn to be painters. It was a kick off to a chicken and egg festival. Yippee! This is a small town in Alabama but the festival has gotten fairly large. They have some great folks running the festival and working to make it bigger and more special. Shout out to Vicky and Detra. This is a pretty involved volunteer job. Detra contacted artists from all over the states to send in paintings that had to do with roosters or chickens. They received art work from four states and got some incredible paintings. Durn it. I thought my rooster would be a shoo in for the prize money.

This is painted on a 12 x 12" gallery wrap canvas.

Hope to paint some this week but am getting organized and packed up for a big three day art show in Fairhope, AL this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. A show that had 250,000 people go through last year. Fairhope is in a beautiful area of south Alabama . It was designed as a Utopian Community in the 1890's. Supposed to be sunny weather and in the 70's so I am so excited . My first year for this show. Have friends and family going with me so what more could I ask?sold

waiting for a blessing

Took this shot in Charleston after Karin Jurick's workshop in Hilton Head. Decided to crop the photo down and try a Karin esque composition. I am still amazed at the way she can make odd croppings work. Love her!

This corgie was waiting to be blessed by an Episcopal priest. It was a Sunday and many churches have blessing of the animals day. Cropped out of the picture are two horses. This was a side street in Charleston. Not sure how the horses got there. The owners were dressed in their riding gear. I think they popped over from England with the Queen's corgie and horses. The corgie looks a little apprehensive to me.

I painted this on an 8 x 16" gallery wrap canvas.

Stubby

Stubby belongs to a couple that I have been friends with for a loooong time. Lynn and Spin( I know) have been friends with my husband and me from college days. Their friendship is one of those that has with stood the test of time. Love both of them and this is a gift for them. One dog down, one to go. Stubby is a VERY camera shy dog. I probably took 100 bad pictures of him. This one captures him pretty well even though he is looking away. I painted this on a 12 x 12" gallery wrap canvas.

Abe

This was an interesting Daily Paintwork challenge. Was not sure I would try it at first. Thought about it and decided to paint him using transparent red oxide, burnt sienna and tite white. I tried not to mix the white with any red so that I would not end up with any pinks. Used different strenghts of red oxide and b sienna to get the darks and mid tones.

He had such an interesting face. Lots of wear and tear. Can't imagine leading his country through what he did. He looked pretty good after going through that. I used mineral spirits to thin my paints and it left some drips here and there. I felt like leaving it under his eyes was very appropriate. Painted this on an 8 x 10" panel.

fenced in

I took photos of this cow on my way to the "rooster workshop" in Moulton. Passed a beautiful field of cattle and had to stop. Most of the cows paid no attention to me but this cow was really interested. He was a perfect model. Painted this on an 8 x 10" linen canvas.
I am at the beach for a couple of days . It is raining and kind of cold so very happy I brought my paints. If it clears up today I might try some plein air painting.

happy

Happy to announce that tomorrow is my one year blogging anniversary. Also happy with the way this painting turned out. Sad to announce that I tried to photograph my painting process while painting this set up and my pictures were pretty poor. It was a good learning experience and I promise I will give it another try soon. Time consuming. A big thank you to all those artists who have taken the time out to make a video of their process. I have a new appreciation for them.

I want to thank two artists who really helped get my blog going. The first is Qiang Huang who has been a major inspiration to me. I was fortunate to take his workshop a year ago and he taught and encouraged us to blog. I met Ann Rogers there and she became an instant friend and helped me with the technical challenges of starting a blog. She has been such a sweet supporter and introduced me to her blogging friends. I said three artists but I just thought of another....Jeff Mahorney. Unfortunately he has been missing in action for a few months now. He has highlighted a couple of my paintings along with many other fine artists on his blogsite art monkey. He is a great artist and Jeff if you are still breathing ,please start posting again. You are an inspiration to me and many others!

And.... a big thank you to those who visit my blog. Your interest and comments mean so much. I feel like your encouragement has helped my growth as a painter over the last year.I truly feel like I have many friends that I have never met.

I may or may not get to post tomorrow. I am headed to Moulton, Alabama to conduct a class in how I paint roosters. They have an annual "chicken and egg festival". I have a good friend who lives there and she signed me on. I picked out one of my rooster paintings and will "try" to lead them through my painting process.

This is painted on an 8 x 10"linen canvas.sold