teapot and zinnias

This was a fun painting for me. This was a still  life set up of zinnias  from my garden and a very old teapot placed on a tablecloth. It was done in oil on masonite. Hope you like it as much as I do.

pansies

Getting ready for winter and cold temperatures by planting pansies. I will be painting more pansies this winter. I love these little flowers as they remind me of my 7th grade teacher. When my mother and I would walk by her home she usually was outside tending to her pansies. She told me that the pansies were like "little faces." She was a wonderful teacher and encouraged me in my art work.One day in class she  discovered I liked to draw  On this day she was reading a story to us. During this time I would usually  doodle with my pencil. As she walked by my desk she caught me drawing. She apparently never noticed me doing this before. She said to me, " Are you paying attention?" "Yes Mam", I replied. She looked at the paper closely and then said ?Okay." Never again did she question what I was doing but from then on she would ask me to draw certain things for projects she was working on.

Update

It hs been well over a month since I posted on my blog. I have had a lot of distractions with family illness and life has been stressful.Everyone seems to be doing much better and maybe I can get back to focusing on my art. Hopefully this will be a new beginning with lots of art work to show.

At this time I am preparing for Christmas Fest  an art sale at the Bedford Library this Saturday, November 8. I will have  small paintings from the 30 day challenge,note cards of my work, and the children's books I illustrated, and other original paintings. If you are in he area on Saturday, hope to see you there..

Ginger beer bottle

Day 30 I am about 4 and 1/2 hours away rom the 30th day of this challenge. Today I painted 2 paintings so I thought I would post the last day. I am early but that is okay. This is a ginger beer bottle made of stoneware. I like stoneware and pottery of all kinds. I have several of these bottles that were dug up in New Orleans. My cousin was a bottle collector and he gave them to me. Now that I have completed the 30 day painting challenge I feel successful. It was quite a discipline. I do believe I have learned a lot pushing myself to hurry along to get paintings complete. Beside completing 30 paintings in 30 days I had fun! Now I think I am going to rest and think about a painting I can work on that may take me a week or so. So you may not see me tomorrow on this blog. But do keep looking.

telephone

Day 22  -  Although I finished the painting yesterday I didn"t get to post last night. I found this telephone in our garage. I find a lot of interesting things in the garage.
when did we start collecting phones?  I remember this type of  telephone in our home. It had a dial and remember one that didn't have a dial. When  you picked up the phone to make a call the operator would say "number please." I remember this because I had an Aunt who was a telephone operator and sometime she would be the operator working.when I wanted to call someone and I recognized her voice. This painting is acrylic on canvas and is size 10" X 8".
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Cleo and Stain glass Window

Day 21   Cleo the cat was my daughter Cheryl's cat. She was beautiful  and graceful. The stain glass window I bought at an antique store, The Attic near the bayou in Houma, Louisiana. The day I purchased the window I sold a painting and I hurried over to the Attic. It was getting close to their closing time and I was anxious to see if the window was still there as it was in a one day sale. That was probably 40 years ago and I have always loved the window and enjoy it every day. The canvas is 10" X 8" and painted  in acrylic on canvas.

pansies

Day 18    Time to buy and plant pansies. These were very  easy to paint and it is a small canvas. 5" X 7"I got a late start last night and when I finished too tired to post. So I decided to post tonight when I will be posting Day 19.

Roberta

Day 17    This is a pencil sketch of my childhood rocker and doll. When she arrived under the Christmas tree she had a little tag hanging from her hand reading "Roberta."So I always referred to her as my Roberta doll. The chair is painted white and is wicker. When I was given the rocker I do not remember. I must have been really young at the time I received it but it was always a favorite of mine..I cherish them as pleasant memories of my childhood. Pencil on paper

Pitcher and Rose

Day 16     So I am over half way to the finish of the 30 day challenge. It is a little difficult finding time to paint due to illness in the family which slowly getting better. I paint mostly  in the evening when I can relax and think of other other things rather than those complicating our lives.This painting is size 10" X 8" and is painted with acrylics.  

garden flowers

Day 15   Again I smeared various colors of paints on the canvas to see what I could find. You may not have found what I found but I saw a garden of flowers. I chose not to emphasize them and instead left some to the imagination. There is another thing in the painting  that I will not reveal, although I think it is obvious.The painting is in acrylic size 8" X 8"

Bells, Bells

Day 14  I have a lot of bells. I do not collect bells but they seem to collect me. I do like bells. I love the sound of bells. If I were a bell I'd go ding dong ding dong ding. Is that a familiar song? So tomorrow will be day 15. That will be half of the 30 days challenge. I am a bit surprised that so far I am meeting this challenge. I am not happy with some of my work but I am learning a lot through this discipline. This painting is acrylic on canvas size 10" X 8".

birds of a feather

Day 13 of the 30/30 day challenge So I was looking around for a subject to paint for this 30 day painting challenge. Coming up with an idea to do a new painting each day gets a little beyond me. Well I decided to smear different colors of paint on the canvas and see what I can find. Lo and behold there were 2 birds in the paint. So I pulled them out of the paint and placed them on a tree limb. Then I decided I need another bird and sure enough thete is another. This was so much fun. This painting  is in acrylic size 8" X 8 ".

Antheriums

Day 12   I  have painted antheriums  several times and Once again I chose to paint them in acrylic on a small 8" X 8" canvas.. My daughter Cheryl chose this flower for her wedding,maybe 25 years ago.  We had so many left over that I was able to sketch and paint them several times.They last a long time  in water. I think they  are a lovely beautiful flower.

Coffee Anyone?

Day 11   I saw this cute little coffee grinder in an antique store many years ago. Never having seen one and not knowing what it was I learned somethings new. My parents always bought their ground  coffee in a package from the A & P store down the street. But because it was so cute I had to have it.

pansies in a cup

Day 10  Wow only 20 paintings left in the 30/30 day challenge. If I have at lease 2 hours of painting time in the evening I will be able to meet the 30 day challenge. This is acrylic on canvas size 8" X 8".

Zinnias

Day 9 Zinnias This is a small 7" x 5 " painting on canvas. This is a very quick simple sketch that I did of the zinnias in my backyard garden. I planned it to be completed very fast and sketchy. Let us see it is day 9 which means there are only 21 days of the 30/30 day challenge.left. Yea!

Carousel Horse

Day 8  Did you ever sing "I love to catch brass rings on the merry go round.\?" Well I never did catch the brass ring because I was too frightened to reach out that far. I was just a little girl clinging to the horse as it moved up and down. Loved the music. We had some very old beautiful carousels  in  New Orleans as I grew up. There were several  carousels that I remember. Audubon Park, City Park and Pontchatrain  Beach all had carousels plus other amusement rides. When mother bought groceries at the local supermarket we were given free tickets for rides at the park. And there was not a charge for the entrance to the parks. Goodness that must have been a long time ago.  Great summer and week end fun!

Elliott Ness telephone

Day 7 of my 30 paintings a day for 30 days challenge.The illness in my family is improving. The danger is not over but I can relax a little more  and paint in the evenings. This painting is a smaller version of a larger original. The large painting has collage added. Yhis size is 10" X 8" and painted with acrylics.

sunflowers again

Day 6 of the 30/30 challenge. This is a smaller version of the original, The original has collage worked in but has been omitted here. This size is 10" x 8"

turnips

I do blieve this is my 5 th day of posting. I painted this yesterday but didn't get it on the blog. We have had illness in the family and I am struggling to meet this challenge. Not going to give up yet as things are improving.

Patsy with Pansies

This is Day 4 photo of painting in the 30 day challenge. I am getting a little stressed and maybe hurrying my paintings along and this one seems a little sketchy. Lots of things going on in my life. I am busy with daily chores and family life. Tomorrow should be better. Excuses, excuses

gate and hollyhocks

So far so good. This is day 3 of the 30 day challenge in which I am participating. . I am trying to paint 30 paintings in 30 days and post the photos on Leslie Byrd Saeta's blog. There are now 1001 artists who have accepted this 30 day challenge. I know it is going to be difficult but I know it will also be a growing time for me. Beside the skill I may acquire it should also be a time of disciplining. I will be painting small canvases and thinking of subjects to paint quickly This painting is a smaller version of an original I painted back in the 80's. The original was 18" x 24" and this one is 8" x 8" and has been painted in acrylics.

white iris 3

This is day 2 of the 30 day chalenge. I painted this iris growing in a different direcion. It is 8" X 8" acrylic on canvas. I am painting in acrylic as it dries faster and I can rework the paint more than in oils. For years I have painted in oils so I am enjoying this new experience.

White Iris 2

I neglected to post this yesterday. This is day 1 of a 30 day challenge created by an artist Leslie Saeta. This is a small paiting of Acrylic on canvas, size 8" X 8". The challenge is to paint a painting a day for 30 days. This will be tough to do as there are a lot of  distractions, family and home to care for. But I am going to try as it should improve my skills and be fun fingind subjects to paint.

Sun flowers in a Blue Vase

Today I received the note cards I ordered of this painting. Color Simulation Services is the company I use. These guys do a beautiful job. Email is a great way to communicate with friends and family but I like to on special occasions  send a pretty note card with my message.

magnolias

Look what I found in our attic, It is an old painting and it is covered with dirt and grime in the fabric.The
 left side of the painting is dark And the leaves are not as colorful as they should be.  Now I have to figure out how to clean it. I painted about 8 paintings of magnolias when I lived in Louisiana as magnolias  are the state flower. It seems I just have to think magnolias and I can smell their lovely scent.

Hollyhocks and gate

Love the Santa Fe adobe buildings and the wonderful interesting gates. Here I added hollyhocks, a familiar flower seen around the area.

Taos Church

Once again I am posting a painting I did of a  New Mexico scene. Georgia  O'Keefe painted the back of this Church and I don't think I or anyone else could paint it better, i love her painting of this Church from the back. So I decided to paint it from the entrance or front. It is oil on canvas size 24 X 18"

blue bonnets in clay pot

Blue bonnets are the state flower of Texas. Paintings of blue bonnets are usually of fields of the flower. It is an amzing sight to see. I chose to plant some in a clay pot and paint a still life of the subject.

Storm over Santa Fe

This is a memory picture of our visit to Santa Fe. We returned  to our hotel after  an  afternoon of site seeing.When I left the car the wind was blowing so strong I wondered if I could stand against it.The rain was coming down so hard I was getting drenched.As  I arrived at the door  I pulled on the door and it would not open. A man came along and he was pulling at the door. Then my husband came after parking the car and all three of us could not get in and we were getting soaked by the rain. The people inside the building came to the door and tried to help. Eventually the door opened and we were in safely, but drenched with rain water. I love Santa Fe. It is one of my very favorite cities along with Taos, New Mexico. The architecture, mountains, landscapes  and culture,  so  beautiful.  

girl with sunflowers

Girl with Sunflowers oil and acrylic on canvas size 10" x 8"

Holly Hocks and pueblo home in Taos, New Mexico

I love the area around Taos and Santa Fe, New Mexico. This is a recent painting I painted of my favorite scenes. Hopefully I will soon  be doing more.

yellow flowers

Wow I was able to paint today after not being able to focus on my art for a few months. There were a lot of distractions and no matter how much I prepared myself for painting my attempts did not please me. So I decided to start by doing simple small paintings and happily I completed this one today. I explained my problem to my writer husband  and he was very understanding. It is so good to have a friend and my husband is my best friend, who is so supportive.. He allowed me to speak about my problem and helped me understand that it is normal to react this way. Anyway I intend to get back on  track and produce at least 2 small ones  a week until I can move on to larger ones again.

Rusty's 4th of July Celebration

Have you met my muse Rusty? Rusty was a real kitty who influenced my art work as I observed his anti=social and ill=tempered behavior. He has been known to hiss, growl and swipe  a paw at strangers  He will appear on my blog  often, especially on holidays and at festivals. . He has inspired several paintings and note cards.In this painting Rusty the cat celebrates his independent behavior, knowing he is among the "We the People" who explode with patriotism at the very sight of the Stars and Stripes. .Happy Independence Day, the 4th of July.

they are blooming

they are blooming
I love the roses that bloom in my garden. These were painted outdoors when they were blooming profusely.

Cynthia's shoes

I called this Cynthia's shoes because I did a series of my daughters shoes. I went into her closet and selected a few shoes to take home to paint. These shoes had a cluster of stones attached over the toe section. I had been collecting fake diamonds from greeting cards, old necklaces to recycle on a painting. I knew I could fit them in somewhere and when I saw these shoes I knew exactly where the stones would fit. Cynthia  has a lot of fun shoes and although I painted 5 of them I may have to go into her closet again and see what's new..

sketching in the mall

Sometimes I like to take my sketch book with me and sketch people in restaurants, parks, etc. I am a little uncomfortable doing this as people will come up to me to see what I am doing. I don't exactly like to sketch them in detail but it is mostly their  activity that I am sketching.  Once on the plaza in Taos, New Mexico I saw an older couple seated on a bench and they were eating ice cream. Behind them  was a statute and I thought this would be an interesting sketch. Well no matter how I tried to hide my sketchbook they suspected what I was doing.I thought they would think I was writing a letter.  The lady came over and asked to see the sketch. I did show it to her although I had hoped she would understand I was not trying to draw them in detail. She seemed to appreciate my effort. The sketch above was in the mall.I just roam around the mall looking for something that would interest me.  I loved this  store window and the figures standing in it. I loved their trendy clothes. I did several other sketches of figures and their clothing thinking this might be a great painting with maybe a young woman standing outside the store looking in the window.

Leddy's Boot Store in Stockyards

My muse is giving me trouble. I haven't seen my muse around for a month or so so that is why I have not been posting. my art work. I never have trouble finding a subject to paint. In facet there are 4 paintings I have started and can't seem to finish. We have had some illness in our family and my concentration has been with the children. So all is settled down now but it will take a while for me to direct my thoughts on my art work. I tried to work today but nothing came out to my satisfaction. I suppose these things happen. Well I have been thinking about my blog and thought I would just post something from the past. This is a scene from the days I painted in a studio in the historic stockyards, Ft. Worth Texas. This was about 10 years ago.So keep on looking for my new art work and one of these day I may surprise you with a new painting.

playing the flute

I am currently working on this painting. I have not seen this subject. It  is from my imagination. At this time I seem to be interested in painting young girls in various activities,As the mother of two daughters I suppose they are my inspiration.  This work is being done in oil and acrylics with heavy texture. I did not plan the painting in advance. I just add and subtract  until I see something that pleases me.

cactus and wrens

The cactus plants will soon bloom here in Texas. I painted this a few years ago. The bloosomes are lovely and fragile, almost transparent looking. There are cactus plants in a park nearby and when I see the blooms I will be out there sketching them again. I included 2 wrens because they are always coming to the patio outside my studio door. I like to watch them go in and out of my ferns and hanging  baskets looking for insects.

Madonna and child

The bottom painting is one I reworked. over the top painting. The top painting was probably completed in the 80's and is rather dark. She is an artist mother with her books and brushes carrying her art bag over her shoulder. Layering more paint on top of her I changed the painting into a lighter painting and made it a little more whimsical with animals and birds. It was  just a fun thing I enjoyed doing.

Hosanna!!!

When ever I feel  happy about something or have a special event to celebrate I post my little bird. He is my little bird that sings happiness. Here he wishes you a happy palm Sunday. "Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest."

Paint Brushes

The wild flowers are blooming along the Texas Highways. The state flower, the blue bonnet is the dominate flower at this time. Occasionally  among the bluebonnets you can see the paint brush flowers.  They are a beautiful contrast, orange against the blue. I have been watching for the paint brush as it is a favorite of mine but apparently the mowing machines  have eliminated a lot of them. Years ago I did sketches of the paint brush and have included one of them here. I broke the sketches down into sections of the flower. I always want to see up close, to hold  the flower I am painting.This is just a colored pencil drawing from an old  sketch book.  

Venerable 3

This painting is titled "Venerable 3, which is the 3rd in a series of paintings. . The spiral dominating all 3 canvases is made of beads. The beads came from the New Orleans Mardi Gras. In early March I was there during the Mardi Gras carnival. I brought the beads back with me dreaming of paintings that I would include them as part of.a painting.  As  I was attaching  beads to a canvas  I thought of Venerable Bede, therefore giving the painting that title. Don't know Venerable Bede? Google the name you will find it interesting. Strange name for a painting? Well I had to come up with something to title it. .

Venerable 2

I have been having fun playing with texture and color. I just layer and layer color untill I see something I like. This is the second canvas called venerable. I will have to explain the title maybe in another post sometime. This is an acrylic mixed media painting on gallery wrapped canvas At this time I am intrigued with the colors  turquois and azu nickel. Several of my previous paintings were done in these colors.

blue iris

I have been working on a series of abstract paintings and today I chose to paint a familiar subject.
I needed to get away from the abstract for awhile  Irises grow in my garden  and I have painted them so many times in oil paints and acrylics I guess you could say I can paint them with my eyes closed as I have studied them closely. Tomorrow I   intend  to get back to painting the abstracts. 2014 has been a good year for me to paint. So far I have been able to paint 3 or 4 days in the week. I try to do a little bit every day. An hour of 2 in the evenings on the off days. But to paint all day as I sometimes do is a dream come true.

Spring flowers

Spring flowers are a little slow in blooming  this year. Years ago I painted these that were growing on our deck outdoors. There was an area where I could plant bulbs and seeds among rocks that I had placed around because I love rocks. These bloomed among the rocks and I sat down on the deck and painted them as I saw them. I like to paint flowers the way they  grow instead of in a vase. But sometimes I will paint them as a still life. Painting this way perhaps goes back to the time of early art classes. My teacher insisted that whatever we painted we had to observe. She did not let us use  copies of photographs or magazine pictures. We could use our own sketch of a subject.

spiraling

Having fun today painting with the painting knife. Color here and maybe more over there. Layering and layering looking for just the right color combinations and design. Thick juicy  paint with lots of texture.  A little collage with several layers of colors, turquois,, burnt sienna, aztec  gold. Just playing watching the colors combine. So here it is and I may still eventually pick at it again.

Elliot Ness telephone painting

My Elliot Ness telephone painting won 2nd place at Trinity Art Guild in their Winter Challenge juried   show. This is acrylic / Collage on gallery wrap canvas. Size 14" X 11". Very thankful

Rusty goes to the Mardi Gras

So here we are again with my muse following me around. Rusty joined me in my home town to have fun at the Mardi Gras celebration. We know that Rusty is an anti-social creature but for some reason he got into the spirit of the festivities. He cast aside his attitude of hissing and clawing at people and attended the fancy balls and raised a paw to catch doubloons and beads at the parades of glittering floats and the music of marching bands.