This Just Doesn't Seem to be My Day

Just got done scraping the second of the two paintings I started today. I was up early and started painting but was unhappy so I scraped it and wiped it down with mineral spirits and started this one on another canvas and as you can see...scrape...scrape...

Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.

Blogger's Block, Nancy and Stuff like that!

This morning I sent my art pal Nancy Medina a quick email telling her I had Blogger's Block and hadn't written my blog in a week. She was kind enough to give me a kick in the butt (imagine that! she says I boss her around!!) and then emailed this photo of my painting display at Dutch Art Gallery in Dallas and told me to blog about it! She went to drop off her paintings at the Gallery and saw that my paintings were on the wall and took the time to photograph it for me.
I'm so excited that my paintings are displayed with a "featured artist" sign under it!! Makes me feel important!! YAY!



On Sunday I stopped by the Dallas Arboretum to visit Nancy at the Artscape Art Fair. The weather was just perfect for the Artscape the flowers at the Arboretum wer magnificent. I'm sure she was inspired by all the blooms there. Here she is standing in front of her beautiful demo painting.

Thank you, Nancy!!

Painting at Book Carriage Book Store

What a beautiful painting day at the Book Carriage Bookstore and Coffee Shop. The owners, Larry and Angie opened this beautiful bookstore five months ago. They both appreciate art and have a loft area where they display art from local artists. A few of my paintings are displayed there currently. This weekend was a little "art fair" on the patio where some of the local artists gathered to paint together.

"Larry's Village

8 x 10 inches, Oil on Board, Palette knife

I got to bring out my favorite travel EasyL easle for the the event...I really need to use it more often so that I don't forget to bring all the supplies I might need. This time I forgot to pack a lighter yellow...I only had Cad Yellow Medium and Yellow Ochre! It was little windy but the temperatures were in the high '70's which made the paint dry faster than I could paint.

"Quiet Times"

10 x 8 inches, Oil on Board, Palette Knife

Are We Alone

"Are We Alone"

6 x 6 inches, Oil on board

Click Here to place bid.

Do you see the little widget to the right side of my blog page that says "Feed Hungry Animals"?

I clicked on the cat this morning and the trivia question "In four years of work, Bootsie the cat made $75,000.00 doing what?" OMG! Bootsie painted and earned $75,000.00.

This is another little forest painting with the same colors as yesterday's painting. I liked how the magenta next to the bright pale yellow-greens of Spring.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

"Spring Visits"

6 x 6 inches, Oil on Board, painted with palette knife

Click here to place bid.

Every morning I look out across the treetops (my house is situated on top of a hill and the hill slopes behind the house slopes away) and see the bright Spring green canopies happening on some of the trees as they peek among the dry looking brown branches. I have a house wren bringing bits of branches and leaves into the garage looking for a place to make their nests. At night the cayotes yip their mating calls. Spring is visiting. I like this Season. It just feels so postive and engergetic. Enjoy the fresh green of Spring today - Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Heavenly

"Heavenly"

6 x 6 inches, Oil on Board

Click here to place bid.

Making lemonade out of lemons. That's what this painting is about. Have you dropped a slice of buttered toast on the floor? It always lands on the buttered side - no 3 second rule there - the butter picks up every dust bunny on the floor. Well that happened to me with this painting - I dropped it - face down onto my painting chair. I'll have to recover the seat of the chair - right now I've got a towl on it. I scraped the paint off and started over. Sometimes starting over is a good thing. Starting over can be the lemonade one makes out of lemons.

Hoping you're all having a good weekend!

Beaches, Dunes, Sand and Surf

"Moment I Treasure"

12 x 12 x 3/4" Oil on stretched canvas

SOLD

Coincidence? Timing? Kismet? Telepathy? I don't know. But the other day I was thinking that I'd like to do another seascape painting. I've been so fortunate that I've lived close to a body of water for most my life. Even now, as I live in the center of the United States, my house sits atop a hill that overlooks Lake Grapevine and I can walk down the slope and get to the water's edge.
I don't swim, and I haven't gone swimming for many many years but I like looking at the water.
Ok I digress, so I was thinking of painting a seascape when I receive an email from a someone who'd bought a seascape painting from me last year asking if I might be painting one soon because he'd like to have a pair of them. This is somewhat like a painting I'd done a while back called "Summer of '42" which he liked but on a square canvas.

Earl Grey and More

This is Earl Grey. I did two versions of him. His mom said she liked the way he looks when his ears flap and when he's ready to eat.

My friend Sheila Tajima has started a new blog called Art for Animals where artists who paint for animal causes can post their projects. Please read about it here.

Thank you Sheila for the naming me as a receipient of your Keepsake. I don't know if I can name just two to give the keepsake to; I appreciate all who take time to check out my blog. So I'll copy James Parker's lovely poem here:

I had some folks come visit, my humble little blog
And leave a thoughtful comment, 'bout the painting I had logged.

I don't know how to tell them, or even where to start,

Of the wondrous gift they gave me, bringing joy to my heart

Some days are dark and lonely...I feel that life's a bore

But those simple words of kindness, have brought sunshine to my door.

Texas Bluebonnets

We're finally getting the rain we need so badly here in North Texas. Yesterday while I was doing just a bit of gardening I noticed that the bluebonnets that grow just outside my front gate is starting to poke out of the ground. The very first bud!!

So here's another palette knife painting of bluebonnets.

"Bluebonnets in a Field"

6 x 6 inches, Oil on Board

SOLD

Three Sunflowers

"Three Sunflowers"

6 x 6 inches, Oil on Raymar Board, painted with palette knife

SOLD

I've been playing with the palette knife lately. This past Saturday at Tony Saladino's Art Critique session he asked everyone the benefit of painting with the palette knife. Someone mentioned that it was a whole lot easier to clean up because you didn't need to carry around turps. I AGREE!!

Of course he was going for a different answer - that painting with the palette allows you to paint loosely, which is a style I really like. I like the broad thick impressionistic strokes and the way the colors mix right on the painting. And the texture of the finished painting and the thick paints.

Dogs Leave Their Footprints in Your Heart

This footprint belongs to Mickie, a friendly over-grown black lab who visits our house daily and plays with the Pointer Sisters. Dogs are pack animals and like to hang out with other dogs and people, I think. I really need to do a painting of this fellow because he is so cute and loveable. But last week he was sleeping in our house so peacefully all I see are these big paws! So I got on my belly to take a photo of his monster paws and painted this, just for the fun of it.

Red For Romance

"Red For Romance"

12 x 12 x 3/4 inches, Oil/Palette knife on canvas

SOLD

I had dinner with friends last evening. I was wearing Ralph Lauren's perfume "Romance". I love the stuff! When Lanette gave me a hug good-bye she made a big sniffing sound and said "You smell good" which gave me the idea for the title of this latest painting. I love perfumes that make me feel romantic!

Bluebonnets Are Around the Corner

"Bluebonnets"

6 x 6 inches, Oil on Board

SOLD

I can hardly wait for Spring and the bluebonnets! What a fun day this Friday has been.
Nancy Medina and I had a girls' drive out to The Dutch Art Gallery in Dallas where she is currently a featured artist. Just this past week I was exchanging emails with a Dallas Artist, Laurie Justice Pace, excited to have found a new friend and even more exctied that Laurie also exhibits at the The Dutch Art Gallery! I got to see her artwork in person.

All Dogs Go To Heaven

I painted a neighbor's dog named "Peanut". She often visited our house and on occassion would come inside for a treat. She was a shy dog who always had that "is it really OK to be here?" look whenever she'd come to visit and play with my pointer sisters.

We were invited to visit our neighbors on Monday and I was planning on taking my painting as a surprise gift. And then just before we visited, I received a phone call saying that Peanut passed that day. She was hit by a car presumeably but no one ever stopped to say they had. They found her badly hurt, rushed Peanut to the vet but it was too late to save her. Yesterday I received a note from the little boy to whom Peanut belonged thanking me for the painting. I'm sure Peanut is in heaven as I do believe, all dogs go to heaven.

Kindness of Strangers

"You Bring Sunshine"

14 x 14 x 3/4 inches, Oil on Canvas

Palette knife

Everyday we live our lives amongs friends and strangers.

And as we blog we make new virtual friends out of strangers who visit our blogs or whom we visit.

Thank you all for leaving me comments and thank you for sending me personal emails. I am so inspired and motivated by it all. I enjoy the friendship and kindness you've given me.

Hope you have a lovely day!

Red Profusion

I started this somewhat abstract painting in January but hadn't put in the finishing touches till just a few days ago. It's RED....

"Red Profusion"

14 x 14 x 3/4 inches, Oil on Canvas

$200.00 + s/h