Happy Thanksgiving!

My days are filled with children and grandchildren...and I'm so thankful! Family is what Thanksgiving is all about for me. I pray that you and yours have a happy one!

Brooke's painting of Daisy

"Daisy" by Brooke Piceno
24"x24" acrylic on gessoed panel

I am so proud! This painting was done today by my granddaughter, Brooke. She turns 10 on Thanksgiving Day, so her birthday present from me was her first set of professional paints, brushes and panels. I did a lot of pointing and helped her with color mixing, but she did the drawing and painting... and a superb job she did!!! I was so pleased that she had the patience to stick with it through the instructions on layers of painting. She is very talented and loves, loves, loves dogs... especially Daisy, my other granddaughter's German Shepherd.

" TAG.... You're It !!! "

We artists seem to never tire of games with each other. It's one of the wonderful things about the on-line artist community. I have been tagged by super artist Kari Tirrell.
Here are the rules:

1. Place a link to the person that tagged you
2. List seven unusual things about yourself
3. Tag (and link to) seven other artists at the end of your post, and post on their blogs to let them know they’ve been tagged.

The hardest part is thinking of stuff about myself. I think this is a common problem with artists and why we have difficulty marketing ourselves sometimes. We tend to want our art to speak for us as we look down while shuffling the toe of our collective shoe and say "Aw, shucks!" Problem is... search engines can't see pictures, so we have to use words that don't come easy for a lot of us.
Here goes:

1. I've always drawn. Drawing comes so naturally to me that I fear I discount its' value as an art form by itself. Some of my first drawings were found by my mother on the under-surfaces of tables and chairs. She'd told me not to draw on the walls but she said nothing about the furniture!
2. I envy GOOD abstract painters.
3. I have a weakness for images of Pegasus although I don't care for unicorns or other fairy-type images.
4. I can finish a dream even after I'm awake as long as have never opened my eyes.
5. In dreams I can be an animal and see my surroundings from their viewpoint, such as running through the woods as a fox, seeing through the fox's eyes. How is that possible?
6. Sometimes I "fall in love" with a certain stage of an unfinished painting and have difficulty finishing it for fear of screwing it up.
7. I have a life size concrete statue of a male angel with stained glass wings that I have needed to complete for 2 years! I was within a few handfuls of concrete to finish the hood on the robe when I ran out of the right kind of sand to mix it. Two days later I bought more sand but have never done it. Why? Weird.

OK, I've tagged seven more artists and challenged them to fess up some little known facts about themselves. They are: Kip Decker, Harlan, Debbie Anderson, Celia Henigman,
Joe Callahan, Lee Billings, Jackie Ivey-Weaver

Bunn Road

Just a note to let y'all know that I have been painting... not on canvas, but on walls and trim! We bought a little house on Bunn Road to renovate/rent out and its' progress has been S-L-O-O-O-W, especially with me taking time off to complete 30 new works for the last show. So hang in there with me... I shall return to the easel!

Also, thanks for your many prayers concerning my sister-in-law, Robin. She's still a very sick puppy, but we've had encouraging news that her type of cancer usually responds well to chemotherapy. Please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Integration Curbside

"Integration Curbside"
14"x22" acrylic on gessoed panel

This painting definitely had a mind of its own! It started out as a traditional representational painting and turned into pure symbolism. I guess we have all been affected by the recent political scene with history being made as Obama becomes our first African-American President-Elect. As I was laying in the base color of purple, it occurred to me that shadows do not care what color the skin, the religion, the political party or any other personal attribute. Shadows are indiscriminate. Then the pavement striping reminded me of our flag. If you mix the colors of our flag or the colors of our two major political parties, you get purple... so the symbolism continues. This painting represents that the sun is rising on a nation that has reached a new milestone in reflecting the people that make up our population.

Note that these are observations... I'm a Ron Paul supporter, myself.

Please check out the 'different strokes' link to see all the other interpretations of the photo reference that Karin gave us this week. What a great learning tool this is!

What's up

What's up? Just taking a breather and catching up with family after the art reception last Thursday. My grandson, Joseph, and I went on a photo outing Friday and took some cool pictures of fall leaves, a bamboo forest, hay bales and the animals at Dauset Trails Nature Center. That evening my sister, Pam, and I did a quick tour through the Music Hall of Fame and then visited with artists Sam Zellner, Doug Fromm & others at The Arts Exchange during First Friday in downtown Macon before catching a late supper and 'sister time' conversation.

Saturday was busy with my grandaughter Karleen's baptism, church potluck and afternoon football games. Sunday my dad and Pam came out for lunch and visiting until mid-afternoon, then it's time to prepare for the upcoming week again. I did manage to sketch out the basics for a new painting that night, which I refined yesterday morning before delivering paintings to Macon Arts and the fox stone to Celia Henigman.

Celia owns ATG Studio, a fabulous stained glass creation/restoration business, with attached Gallery 51, Forsyth's best-kept secret art gallery. You walk through the double red doors of a plain Jane old brick textile mill building and BAM!... you are in SoHo! She has taken in new artwork for winter and rearranged... it is a definite must see!!!

The only downer was the news that my sister-in-law is ill and may have cancer. My husband took a day off Monday while she underwent tests to try to wrap his mind around the possibility that his younger sister could be dealing with such a horrid thing. I cleaned up half of our garden plot and planted collard & cabbage sets that I bought three weeks ago. Digging in dirt is my greatest stress reliever! We still don't have definitive news about the results of her tests. We ask for your prayers for Robin, please.

Reception at Forsyth Frame Shop

Many thanks to all who attended my reception last evening at Forsyth Frame Shop & Art Supply. Your enthusiastic support means so much to me! I took the camera to get pictures, but folks started coming in before we even got the refreshments out and the time simply got away from me. So I went back today and snapped a few of the set-up... minus a couple of items, but that's GREAT! It was so nice to see old friends, reconnect with some artists that I haven't seen for a while and meet some new folks that I hope will become familiar faces.
The response really made all the work of the last 9 weeks worthwhile!

Georgia Red

"Georgia Red"
Monroe County Art Alliance Gallery

30"x40" acrylic on deep wrapped canvas

Please see description of painting in yesterday's post below

Always Wary - companion stone to Georgia Red

"Always Wary"...SOLD
10.5"x21"x1.75" acrylic on blue shalimar stone
included with painting

First I painted "Always Wary", a piece in my 'Spirit in Stone' series. These stones are painted exactly as they are found in nature... no chipping or shaping of any kind. I incorporate the shape and texture of the stone into the painted image. Then I got the idea to make a companion painting to go with the stone. "Georgia Red" is a large painting of three red fox kits with their parents. Mama fox, the same one depicted in the stone, is now trying to catch a little nap outside the den while Papa takes over guard duty. The name of this painting is as much a reference to the red clay Georgia soil as it is reference to the species of fox. The deep woods scene with bright filtered light is very much like the woods behind my house where both red and gray foxes roam.

Work in progress

It's been almost a week since I've posted... boy, how time flies! I've been getting ready for this Thursday's Artist Reception at Forsyth Frame Shop & Art Supply. The show is all set up except for a empty spot on the wall that is reserved for this large 30"x40" fox painting that I'm working on. As you can see, it's still very much a work in progress! I thought it would be finished by now, but I've had some major changes take place in it along the way. There are still some design elements that need attention and it's been hard to stay focused. I'm hoping to post the finished piece by the end of today... tomorrow morning at least. Wish me luck! And plan on coming to the show!

Waiting

"Waiting"...SOLD
16"x20" acrylic on canvas

This docked shrimp boat on Jekyll Island off the coast of Georgia was so still and peaceful and seemed to just be waiting... waiting for her owners to rest and return... waiting for her nets to be dipped into the ocean... waiting for her engines to break the silence of... waiting.

Update: This painting was chosen as "Art of the Day" on EBSQ's website for Wednesday Nov.4th. It was e-mailed to 11,229 AOTD subscribers! Wow... talk about exposure!

Exploded View

"Exploded View"
8"x24" acrylic on visual edge canvas

"Exploded View" is the name of this gorgeous thoroughbred racehorse that I had the privilege of working with for about a year. I was helping a close friend, Gayle Rawlins, whose duty it was to caretake the mares and foals on a small thoroughbred farm near my home. The fun part was handling the foals and getting them to trust people and have good 'ground manners'. The day pictured above was bittersweet... it was time to send "Exploded View", a two-year-old colt, to South Carolina to the training stables. Gayle and I had polished him until he 'was plum shiny' so that he would make a good impression. He knew something was up when the big transport trailer came to pick him up. He could hear and smell the other horses already loaded in the trailer from other farms. His days of growing up and playing were to be replaced by learning the ropes at the track. And we had three new foals to follow in his footsteps.

Alabama Cow

"Alabama Cow" SOLD
4"x12"x1/2" acrylic on visual edge canvas

Karin said to have fun with these 'different stroke' images... so I did! A flat green background and lots of color give this bovine a whimsical feeling, yet the realistic drawing and brushwork prevent her from being cartoonish. I really like the feeling of the two treatments mixed together with this subject matter. M-M-Moo!

Little Blue Heron

"Little Blue Heron"
Art on the Avenue... SOLD
4"x12" acrylic on canvas

The whole family of herons and egrets is fascinating to me... their body movements, mannerisms, intensity and patience... then there are the many color variations! No wonder that bird watching is America's favorite sport.

Three Muscovies

"Three Muscovies"
8"x24"x3/4" acrylic on visual edge canvas

The reference photo for this painting was taken on the same day as the last three paintings posted here. It was such a clear, crisp day and the shadows were awesome. Ducks on water are always interesting subjects, but add that terrific shadow cast by a tree across them and you've got that extra depth and contrast that really makes them special!

Reserved Parking

"Reserved Parking"...SOLD
8"x24" acrylic on visual edge canvas

These seagulls had parked in the space next to my car. I think that they must have chosen the parking lot instead of the beach to help soak up some of the warmth radiating from the asphalt, as the reference photo was taken on the same chilly winter day that you saw in yesterday's beach painting. I can't help but chuckle when I see these birds with one leg tucked underneath because of my youngest nephew's comment to my sister. . ." Look, Mimi! Chicken on a stick!"

Forecast: Clear & Cool

"Forecast: Clear & Cool"
24"x36" oil on gessoed masonite

This is Panama City Beach on a very crisp, cool day in early winter looking down from the pier. The tide was low, leaving hard packed wet sand perfect for walking or hunting for shells. My goal was to capture the clarity of the air and the "temperature" of the beach at this time of year.

Jaguar

"Jaguar"

8"x24"x3/4" acrylic on visual edge canvas

I lucked up on a small exotic species zoo in Panama City one fall during one of my husband's business trips where I was able to tag along. I just had my Minolta 35mm and I'd already been to the beach, the pier, the shipyard... all the places you go with a camera. I only had twelve shots left, so I took all of them on the big cats. I've never been able to be so close to the cats at larger zoos. It was almost closing time, which must have been their feeding time, because they were all up and pacing close to the fences looking toward the center building.
There were two jaguars... this one and a black coloration. What impressed me most was the fact that, though not very large, these cats were extremely thick and muscular. I'd seen many images of the jaguar's lovely rosette coat but I was pleasantly surprised when this one showed me what beautiful patterning is on the underside. That contrast of black and white just POPS!

One Paw

"One Paw"
Art on the Avenue Gallery...SOLD
4"x12"x1/2" acrylic on visual edge canvas

One Paw, the raccoon, lives at Dauset Trails near my home in Georgia. All of the indigenous species animals at the Rehabilitation Center cannot be returned to the wild, usually because of injuries that would lessen their ability to survive. In One Paw's case, he lost an arm but none of his charm! At the Nature Center, children are taught to preserve habitats and wildlife and to respect the animal's wildness... no matter how cute they are.

Congress Avenue Bridge Bats

"Congress Avenue Bridge Bats"
9"x12" acrylic on canvasboard

EBSQ's Member's Choice Award

The Congress Avenue Bridge spanning Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin is the spring and summer home to some 750,000 Mexican free-tail bats with up to 1.5 million at the peak of the bat-watching season. It's the largest urban bat colony in North America. Each evening around sunset the Congress Avenue bats emerge like a black cloud from the crevices under the bridge. Covering the countryside in search of food, it is estimated that the bats consume from 10,000 to 30,000 pounds of insects. Giving birth in June or July, the bats and pups hang around til October when they head back south. Watching the nightly forays for food is a favorite evening activity, especially in late summer during Austin's Batfest.

This painting is my entry into ebsq's October Bat Show to raise awareness of truths about bats as opposed to myths. I chose to give the static elements crisp edges and hard colors in opposition to the moving bat's softer treatment, lending a friendlier feel to the often maligned little creature.