Trees for Sale!

These gorgeous trees outside my window are for sale... Well, at least my painting is! Acrylics on 9x12 heavy cotton rag - $175.00. 

An Artist's Studio

I've always loved looking at artists' studios. Here's a little tour of a packed corner of my own. Let's see... what have we here? Let's start from the top left, just like the good English readers that we are.

Far left is my bulletin board.  It's always plastered, three-deep with stuff.  You see a license plate - that's an old plate I got in Cuba on one of my trips BEFORE the country was opened up to us.  That's another story altogether!

Above the plate you see a partial rainbow... that's what an artist does to conceal picture hanging-holes-that-went-awry! :)

My tiger painting, which I named Circus for all his great, wild colors.  Top right is a beauty I did of a nest with glowing eggs.  I named it 'Safe.'

Below that, a quick self-portrait with exaggerated features celebrating my new pair of gold hoops.  I try to do self portraits at least a couple a year... most of them are like this one, with maybe an hour or less of work invested. 

An experimental painting of pears which I love behind the lamp.

My rack o' finished, unfinished and drying paintings, mat board, etc.

In the foreground on the right side you see a green and blue, uh... cloth... uh... vine?  Whatever you want to call it, I've enjoyed it a lot.  It represents the time I was in charge of sets for Peter Pan.  This represents one of many huge vines we made to hang in the jungle on stage.  It also represents about 15 kids sitting in my living room putting them together.  Fun.

At the bottom, supplies and books of every sort that are in line for attention within about a two week period.  These piles continually vary.

Oh, and most important - the partial furry ball!  My beauty and companion, Calypso, on her 'bed,' a simple quilted circle.

Life is good.

Escargot, Anyone?

Well, this was a test run on a new app, but you might as well enjoy our little yummies as well.
Escargot, fresh mushrooms and onions drowning in... what else... butter.  Mmmmmmmm....

The Master Artist

This Christmas I painted and sold a lot of birds. A friend of mine sent me this photo - gorgeous, aren't they? Yep. I know a Master Artist. God.

Monet vs Bouguereau

This week I'm comparing Bouguereau's classical style with Monet's outdoor atmospheric work - that rebel - in my classes. Love them both. 

New Beginnings

Well, I rarely post an unfinished work, but here you have it in the new year! A nod to last year with a thankful eye, and a looking toward the freshly-opened new year with hope and gratefulness. 

The Good things in Life

I haven't posted in a while; pretty much feel like I've dropped off the edge of the earth into an unreal, clinical and slightly darkened, fuzzy world, into which I have been forced to establish my temporary home.

My parents are 90 and 94.  We've lived a long, good life together, full of adventure, and love and caring.  It's really difficult watching them get old and feeble, and we're continually stepping up their care as they say goodbye to things they've done all their lives.

My dad just got out of the hospital with pneumonia, and it was a long haul.

Spending five days in the hospital with my dad has really given me pause to contemplate the good things in life. What are they? Well, I still maintain that coffee, tea, garlic, butter and sugar are GOOD things! You have no idea how good this cup o' coffee Gary made our of my OWN mug tastes this morning after all that institutionalised coffee (yuck!)

But seriously, taking a walk with my husband. Chatting with my daughter. Losing yet another game of cards with Noah Johnson, asking Grant to help me with yet another computer problem, the preciousness of the many years we've enjoyed my parents, and most of all, Jesus, who gave us the freedom in Him to walk this life without fear. Thank you, Lord, for our family and for the many simple things in our lives that make us rich.

The good things in life.

Oh! And popcorn!