Many artists have found their “fit’ and become well known for a particular type of painting – portraits, animals, landscapes etc. Me, I paint what appeals to me at the moment. I try to challenge myself by trying subjects that I haven’t yet painted, hoping one of these days to find my perfect “fit”. I have shied away from painting flowers, don’t know why but I have, and so I took a deep breath and chose a reference photo I took this summer at the Denver Arboretum. It’s of a water lily and my … [Read more...]
Vacationing with the Birds
My husband and I love to drive to our vacation spots and when we do we bring along many of the comforts we enjoy at home – like nice wine, sharp knives and my own personal pillow. Preferring accommodations with a kitchen is another of our special needs. This way we can enjoy a cup of morning tea and watch the day light up while still in the comfort of our pajamas. We also like a nice beach … and we like it all to ourselves. That’s why we are hooked on South Padre Island in late September. … [Read more...]
Hallet’s Peak in Estes Park, CO
“Hiking is like Sex. You think you can do a lot until you get into it.” ~ unknown I enjoy a good hike – well, that is, when it’s over and I’m safely ensconced in a hot tub with a glass of wine in my hand mentally going over all the fantastic views and adventures of the day. Many times I’ve been enticed into an all day excursion by these simple words “it’s mostly a flat walk” only to find that half the day is spent trudging uphill, with me huffing and puffing like an overheated dog. This … [Read more...]
Buttermere Beauty
“It’s better to be a lion for a day than a sheep all your life” ~ Elizabeth Kenny Visiting my English friends and tromping through the English countryside are two of my very favorite things to do. If you are familiar with the English countryside you will know that it is peppered with sheep. This lovely lady lives near Lake Buttermere in the Lake District and curiously watched us as we walked through her meadow. The red dye on her back is a marker. Some say the farmers mark their sheep with … [Read more...]
Painting a Clown in Pastel
These are progress photos of a pastel painting I did using pastel mat for the first time. I must admit it took a long time to get out of the “ugly” phase but pastel mat does hold a tremendous amount of pastel. I’m not sure I’m a great fan but I would be willing to try this surface again. … [Read more...]
Clowns
“There are two types of people in this world. People who hate clowns…and clowns.” from The Pendragon Adventure How many of you think that clowns are creepy? Most people I know think that, however, I never thought about it very much. I remember the days when my grandmother would take us grandkids to the Shriners’ circus and the clowns would be busy passing out gifts and popcorn balls to all the children. I suppose I was too busy looking at the goodies being passed out as I never really … [Read more...]
A Self-Portrait With Character
You will regret that cell-phone self-portrait in the bathroom mirror one day” ~ unknown quote Every so often I need to break out of the routine and do something different and a self-portrait was just the thing. I wanted to be loose, draw it free hand, make it fun and with a bit of character while trying not to make myself a Marilyn Monroe lookalike (which I have accused of, well, never). I began the drawing with a gray green hard pastel on grayish sanded paper and blocked in some color. … [Read more...]
Dabbling
When I work alone, it can be like dabbling with a canvas. Maybe you paint over bits, and it starts to form its own life and lead you off in a direction. It becomes an intuitive, subconscious process.” ~ Lindsey Buckingham With so many pastel products available it’s almost impossible to choose a standard combination of pastel stick and surface with which to work. Each paper’s surface is different and holds pastel in its own unique way. At the last meeting of the Pastel Society of Southeast … [Read more...]
Front Page News
WOW! I was front page news in Fort Bend County this week. Seventeen artist members of The Art League of Fort Bend joined with AccessHealth to put together an art exhibit in the newly and beautifully remodeled AccessHealth building in Richmond, TX. The well attended opening reception, with local dignitaries and the invited public, was a lot of fun with wine and hors d’oeuvres served. The exhibit showcases fifty fabulous paintings, of which I contributed one watercolor and two pastels. The … [Read more...]
Horns and More
Down she came, 1,500 pounds of longhorn beef with a speckled red hide, 4 feet of horns and a majestically glowering look in her red-rimmed eyes. ~ Wayne King Art shows can be held in the most interesting of places. Two of my pastel paintings were juried into a National Society of Artist show held at the Butler Longhorn Museum in League City, Texas. There are many things “Longhorn” in Texas and it’s pretty common place to see restaurants, hotels, bars and roads named Longhorn something or … [Read more...]
