Beach Babes

"Beach Babes"

8" x 16" acrylic on gessoed masonite

... or maybe I should have titled it "Pamela's" because it depicts my sister, Pam, with her namesake grandchild, Pamela, playing in the surf on Tybee Island, Georgia. Pam inherited the gorgeous shock of prematurely white hair from our mother.  Me, I just got the old standard salt & pepper. This painting is a little thank you gift to Pam for all the encouragement and support she gives me.  Thanks, Sis!

Tootsie, Too

 

"Tootsie, Too"

11" x 14" acrylic on gallery-wrapped canvas

This one took a little longer to complete than I thought it would (isn't that always the case?)  I really enjoyed playing with this one... maybe that's why it took longer.  I could almost put myself in the place of Tootsie as she sits in bright sunlight yet she's reflected back to herself because it's too darn cold to go outside!  I yearn for spring to come.  Yesterday two of my grandchildren helped me plant broccoli and collard plants and today I picked some forsythia branches to force them to bloom inside.  My mood is so weather-affected that I know my family is wishing for warmer weather, too!

$235USD plus $9.95 S/H

Three Gulls

"Three Gulls"

8" x 8" x 1.5" acrylic on gallery-wrap canvas

Which way to go?  Any which way the bread crumbs fall!  I always remember to take some bread to the beach just to watch the antics of these brazen birds.

$125 USD plus $6.95 S/H

Back Home

The trip was rejuvenating!   I reconnected with some old friends and made some new ones... what could possibly be any better than that?!  Our first stop was in Darien, GA, known for it's fishing fleet.  I'm always awestruck by the massive oaks and Spanish moss on the coast.  Pictures just can't capture the grandeur of their spreading canopy and the graceful drape of moss hanging in lengths of ten feet or more in places.  Unfortunately, it was so unseasonably windy and cold that I didn't even go on the pier or the beach at our next stop on St. Simons Island... I'm getting soft and you snowbirds will laugh at me for sure.  Savannah's City Market was the next day's stop and we really enjoyed going through the artists' studios.  Pam and I had delicious food everywhere we went and some incredible muscadine white & red wine at Shannon Vineyard's Tasting Room across from Paula Dean's 'Lady &Sons' one block off the main City Market.  With the weather so cold and it being mid-week, we had no crowds or massive traffic to deal with, so it was very relaxing.  The restaurants didn't even mind if we lingered.  We were able to spend time talking with the artists and writers.... and we took lots of pictures.  I'm sure some will show up as paintings in April's solo show in Macon and the Darien show I'm doing in July.  Glad to be back home again but I'm looking forward to our next outing, too!

 

Some much-needed 'Sister Time'

This upcoming week will be spent with my sister, Pam, and I've been counting down the days!  I'll be combining some art business with it, but my main focus is 'refilling the well', as Julia Cameron says in her book "The Artist's Way".  Yesterday and today I've been varnishing and framing several paintings that will be going with me.  I've also been making a few digital prints and preparing those for the bin at Glynn Art Gallery on St. Simons Island, GA, where we'll be spending a night or two.  I'm excited about seeing an artist friend, Linda Tucker, in Darien and checking out the space where she and I will be having shows in July, August and September of this year.  Check out our special blog page if you live or vacation anywhere in the vicinity for a special interactive show that we are doing.  You might just want to get involved, as it's a lot of fun and a very good way to possibly get a personalized painting at a real bargain!  Details are on the link.
So, until next weekend, y'all hold down the fort and pray I don't have to drive through snow to get to the beach!

SNOW!

 

We rarely get snow in middle Georgia.  When we do it's usually wet and slushy and mixed with dangerous ice.  This snow was the fluffy kind and was unfortunately gone almost as soon as the sun came out.  This shot of my clothesline shows the 2.25" that fell and almost 2" diameter 'rope' of snow that encased the lines.  I've never seen that before, so it was a real treat to get out and take pictures.  Tootsie, our youngest cat, enjoyed the outing, too.  Our older cats were very content to curl up on the bed or sofa!

"Stripes" revisited

We all have them... paintings that need revisiting.  I liked parts of this painting.  I think I just got exasperated with the little girl's face, had a deadline looming for a show and just chickened out and put a generic face on it.  Never happy with it...at all!  So, yesterday I painted out the face & hair and went at it again.  Here's the result... a face that actually looks like the little girl, even with the hugely exaggerated colors.  It's believable, whereas the other simply was not.  Learning all the time!  I'll show you the after and then the before.  Tell me what you think.  Do I need to revisit yet again?

 

 
 

Now for the way is used to be:

 

Paint America Top 100

 

Wow, I'm really excited about this one!  This sister competition to Paint the Parks is very competitive with a top purchase award of $7500.  I'm pleased to get in the Top 100.  The overall reception that this construction worker series has gotten is just amazing!

The Top 100 and Top 50 Mini's will now tour the United States for the next 12 months or so, starting with an exhibit and awards ceremony during Oklahoma City's Annual Art Festival April 23 & 24.  Wish I could be there, but I'll be excitedly setting up my Spring Solo Show at Art on the Avenue in Macon, Georgia that weekend.  Two other paintings from this series will be in that show.  Hope to see you at the reception Tuesday evening, 6-9 on April 27th!

Sunshine Award

My artist friend and fellow blogger, Lisa Riehl, has sent me a "Sunshine Award" for brightening her day with images and blurbs from this blog.

The rules for accepting this award are:

-Put the logo on your blog or within your post.

-Pass the award on to 12 other bloggers.

-Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

-Link to the person from whom you received this award.

 

This took a little time, but you know what.... I haven't stopped lately to tell these folks how much joy and inspiration I get from following their blogs, so I thought now was a pretty good time to do it.  They do bring me sunshine.

Thank you, Lisa, it means a lot coming from you as I love your work. If you hadn't already won this award, you would be one of the people I'd next pass it on to.

I am very happy to pass this award along to the following, so they can also share the love ...

 

1.   Kari Tirrell

2.   Cameron Hampton

3   .Jim Bortz

4.   Cindy Davis

5.   Edward Burton

6   .Sheila Tajima

7.   Jeff Hayes

8.   Maria K. Leysens

9.   Frank Ordaz

10. Suzanne Berry

11. Diana Marshall

12. The Art of Rescue

Imminent Flight

 

"Imminent Flight"

16" x 20" acrylic on canvas

I pushed and pulled this one back and forth until I got the lack of detail that I wanted to express the feeling of the scene... specifically the bright moonlight when things are seen almost mystically.  I did not want the viewer to get bogged down in minutia.  This can be tricky when dealing with wildlife painting.

Bunny Bath

 

"Bunny Bath"

8" x 10" acrylic on gessoed masonite

I did manage to finish this one tonight.  After being at the easel all afternoon on the owl painting, I settled into my recliner with a lapboard after supper and painted Rosie, our rabbit, taking a bath during a visit in the house.  Rosie thinks she is one of our cats... coming and going in the yard and coming when called only when she wants to... much like a cat.  Her favorite place to stretch out is the red sofa, but that's another painting.

Owl - WIP#2

 

I was really hoping to finish this one today, but I'm not quite there yet.  The picture is a little fuzzy, but it is a fairly soft piece anyway.  The lighting is bright moonlight in early evening.  I felt that the owl was too 'exposed' so I put a cedar branch in front and to the right just before I stopped for the day.  It definitely needs some refinement.  I'm not going for photorealism here...  but I do want to achieve depth and time of day.  The only thing that is really precise is the eye, working out in degrees of looseness from there.  My husband suggested the stars and they are just that... suggestions.

Owl - WIP

 

I knew when I took the picture of this cedar tree that I would one day put an owl in it. Donna Brown, photographer and wildlife enthusiast, took a great shot of a horned owl at a raptor center and allowed me to use it for reference.  I played with some thumbnail sketches last night, then decided it would look good in a 16x20 painting, so I toned the canvas to be ready to go this morning. This is as far as I got today.  Dabbled a bit on another larger painting that needed some corrective surgery.... you know, one of those that's been facing the wall for several weeks.  We all have them!

Soysauce - WIP4

 

And yet another layer on this 24"x30" oil on canvas..... patience.  Believe it or not, it's harder to get a soft, out-of-focus background to 'read' correctly than to render a tight, detailed one... at least, for me. 

School Days

 

"School Days"

8" x 8" x 1.5" acrylic on deep gallery-wrapped canvas

Another oldie-goldie prize from the toy box... the little yellow school bus with wooden base and wooden children (some with teeth marks from a puppy who has since died of old age!).  This fabulous no-batteries, low-noise favorite is pulled out every time the grand children come over.  I've had to rescue the little people from the vacuum cleaner many times.  

Many of my new paintings are going into my upcoming solo show, but I've decided to put this and yesterday's "Little Snoopy" up for sale here on the blog through PayPal... or just email me.

$125 USD plus $6.00 shipping