Friday, July 31, 2015

Dreamer - Part 1

Even dogs like to feel fancy. I don't know about bows, painted nails and such, but I do know that when I put a bandana around Hazel's neck she clearly releases her inner cowgirl and struts her stuff. So this week she's got her pink outfit on. I'm thinking a sporty red for next week.


I started on a new painting. I've been exploring all things flowers and loving it!

I started with an abstract background, fully
planning on painting over much of it.
I laid in the basic shape of a woman
wearing a floral headband.
I added color to a lot of the elements.
I added texture to her hair and added another layer to
her face, neck, shoulders, and dress.
I added another layer of paint and
added highlights to the flowers.
I also added ribbons.
She still needs tons of work. Her chin isn't big enough and I want to work on her flesh tones. I also want to do more with her hair.

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

I'm running a big sale on my paintings through the end of August. Almost everything in my gallery is 60% off. I'm only keeping my most current work (paintings on page 1) at the listed prices. If there's something you'd like, please let me know by message or comment so I can manually adjust the price. Thanks!!! http://www.dailypaintworks.com/artists/kali-parsons-3935/artwork

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Poppies - Part 2

My little guy reported that there was a mouse in our bathroom in the middle of the night. There's only one way that could have happened. Our cat, Tommy, must've brought it in. Here's how it apparently went...and happily, I slept through the entire thing.

• My little guy saw the mouse.
• My little guy ran to get a dog bowl to catch it in. (We need to talk mouse catching strategy with the kid.)
• My little guy's friend started squealing and jumping around.
• The little mouse ran into the living room and they lost track of it.


So I figure one of two things happened after that.

• The little mouse is still hiding somewhere in the house.
• Tommy ate the little mouse.


Time will tell...


And I finished my poppy painting. Here's the finished painting and the last few stages are below.

"Poppies"

I started working on the glass vase.
I've always been in awe of those who
can paint glass. I'm super happy with my first effort! 

I added some white flowers and added a
little orange to the poppies.

I added a little more orange to the poppies,
added some purple to the background,
and worked on the wall and the table.
All that was left to do was even out the red
line behind the vase and paint the edges
of the canvas black.
Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

I'm running a big sale on my paintings through the end of August. Almost everything in my gallery is 60% off. I'm only keeping my most current work (paintings on page 1) at the listed prices. If there's something you'd like, please let me know by message or comment so I can manually adjust the price. Thanks!!! http://www.dailypaintworks.com/artists/kali-parsons-3935/artwork

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Poppies - Part 1

So my little guy gets bored sometimes. And sometimes his boredom spills right on over to me. We were driving around and he had nothing better to do, so he started looking through the console thing between the front seats. He found a chip clip. He put it in my hair. He found a big hair clip from my long hair days. He put it in my hair. He found a microscopic teeny tiny clip. Yup, in my hair. And then he found a butterfly barrette. Snap! It was clipped holding a swirl of hair. The kid was getting creative. And all I could think about was that I totally had it coming. Karma had caught up with me. I very clearly remember being bored one day as a child, taking a clothespin over to my sleeping grandfather, and clipping it on his nose. He woke up with a HUGE snort.


I started a new painting. Here are the first few stages.

I started with a blue background.

I used red to start laying in some of the color/shape.

I went in with a darker color in darker areas.

I began adding some basic color and shape.
Now you can tell I'm doing flowers in a vase.
Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

I'm running a big sale on my paintings through the end of August. Almost everything in my gallery is 60% off. I'm only keeping my most current work (paintings on page 1) at the listed prices. If there's something you'd like, please let me know by message or comment so I can manually adjust the price. Thanks!!! http://www.dailypaintworks.com/artists/kali-parsons-3935/artwork

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Wonder and Dread - Part 2

Yesterday I did something I hadn't done before. I stood in front of a group of about sixty folks and talked for hours. I'm an introvert to my very core, but I had SUCH A GREAT TIME! I co-presented with a lovely teacher friend of mine and we shared information a wonderful group of special ed teachers. Most of you already know, but in case you don't, I'm a special ed teacher. I work with three and four-year-olds with disabilities and I love it.

And crazy me, I've already let the powers that be know that I want to present again. Yes, good times were had.


I finished my painting of my big guy when he was a little guy. He and his girlfriend gave me two big thumbs up. OK, they didn't actually do that because that would be goofy, but they said that they like it a lot.

"Wonder and Dread"

It's funny. I kept looking at the painting and looking at the painting.
The nose was absolutely, positively in the wrong spot.
So off it went! I love working with acrylics!

I redid his nose in the right spot. All that was
left was to add a bit of color to his hair.
Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

I'm running a big sale on my paintings through the end of August. Almost everything in my gallery is 60% off. I'm only keeping my most current work (paintings on page 1) at the listed prices. If there's something you'd like, please let me know by message or comment so I can manually adjust the price. Thanks!!! http://www.dailypaintworks.com/artists/kali-parsons-3935/artwork

Monday, July 27, 2015

Wonder and Dread - Part 1

When my big guy was little he was such a sponge. He'd open his eyes way beyond what seemed possible, and soak in everything. His look of wonder was truly something to behold. And the adorable thing is that while his eyes were full of wonder, the expression on his mouth was dread. I always thought that the speed with which things were entering his brain was just a tad more than his little self could fully absorb. He's still got those amazing big eyes today...and his mouth is much more likely to be a big grin.

I started by painting the basic outlines and eye shape.

I added some flesh tone.

I added some color. 
I've still got a lot to do on this. So much fun seeing this precious little face again!

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

I'm running a big sale on my paintings through the end of August. Almost everything in my gallery is 60% off. I'm only keeping my most current work (paintings on page 1) at the listed prices. If there's something you'd like, please let me know by message or comment so I can manually adjust the price. Thanks!!! http://www.dailypaintworks.com/artists/kali-parsons-3935/artwork

Sunday, July 26, 2015

With Child

I was contacted last month by a sweet friend I hadn't seen in over thirty years. He asked me to paint a portrait of his lovely wife as a birthday gift. I've been keeping the portrait under wraps blog-wise so I wouldn't spoil the surprise. Now that she's officially begun her next trip around the sun I'm sharing the painting. She's beautiful...I hope I did her justice.

And I am painting other things today, just not as much as I'd like. I've been getting my classroom ready so I can do a training for new special education teachers. Ninety percent of my creativity has been happily going in that direction. I'll post what the remaining ten percent has been up to tomorrow.

"With Child"
Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

I'm running a big sale on my paintings through the end of August. Almost everything in my gallery is 60% off. I'm only keeping my most current work (paintings on page 1) at the listed prices. If there's something you'd like, please let me know by message or comment so I can manually adjust the price. Thanks!!! http://www.dailypaintworks.com/artists/kali-parsons-3935/artwork

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Dreamy

Today's our 23rd anniversary. I completely forgot about it. Dave forgot about it. Facebook, however, reminded us. I'm quite sure we've forgotten way more anniversaries than we've remembered. Thankfully we're both on the same page about that.

I've been taking a lovely class called Flower Power. Here's the first painting from the class. I painted the flowers upside down and with my non-dominant hand. I think the colors are dreamy.

"Dreamy"
Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

I'm running a big sale on my paintings through the end of August. Almost everything in my gallery is 60% off. I'm only keeping my most current work (paintings on page 1) at the listed prices. If there's something you'd like, please let me know by message or comment so I can manually adjust the price. Thanks!!! http://www.dailypaintworks.com/artists/kali-parsons-3935/artwork

Friday, July 24, 2015

Skeptical Dave - Part 2

Our little cat, Tommy, has apparently adopted a catch and release policy. OK, so "adopted" is a strong word for it. "Forced into it" is more like it. Yesterday morning he ran in the cat door with a bird in his mouth. He ran straight in the bathroom and I was right behind him. He jumped into the bathtub and dropped the bird as I picked him up. He was not amused. I closed the bird in the bathroom, took Tommy outside, and then locked the cat door so he couldn't get back in. It took me about fifteen minutes to convince that bird to fly out the bathroom window. Whew!

I went to let Tommy back in and he immediately ran in with a different bird. I grabbed him again, he released again, and out Tommy went. This time a bird was flying all around our living room. Dave reminded me that we have a bird net in the back yard. I didn't have any luck catching it, but Dave finally did...with his bare hands! He has another super power to add to his list!

Pretty sure we need to bell that darn cat!


Now on to my finished painting. I'm happy to report that Dave likes it! He was even willing to pose with it...see the photo at the bottom.

"Skeptical Dave"

I added color to his face and a lot of details.

I changed the skin tone

I darkened the ski cap.

Current, real, older Skeptical Dave with
years old, painted, younger Skeptical Dave.
Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

I'm running a big sale on my paintings through the end of August. Almost everything in my gallery is 60% off. I'm only keeping my most current work (paintings on page 1) at the listed prices. If there's something you'd like, please let me know by message or comment so I can manually adjust the price. Thanks!!! http://www.dailypaintworks.com/artists/kali-parsons-3935/artwork

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Skeptical Dave - Part 1

We all have super powers of some sort. My husband's? Well, among many other super powers he is able to raise one eyebrow at a time. This is something that I absolutely cannot do so I have always been in awe of his mad eyebrow skills. About six or so years ago this amazing super power was captured and I recently came across the image. And of course I had to paint it!

Now while I am in awe of his wonder brows, I'm also just the tiniest bit put off by them as well. Why? Because when he does it while he's looking at me he's communicating great skepticism of anything I might be talking about. Somehow I need to convince him that my super power is always being right. Yeah, that's the ticket!

Here's what I got done today.

I painted my canvas black and then
did a basic sketch with white.

I added some color. Now this, my friends,
is definitely an "ugly" stage. Sorry, Dave!

I began adding some details..eyes, shadows, hair.
Pretty sure Dave will have that same look when he sees what I've done so far. 

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

I'm running a big sale on my paintings through the end of August. Almost everything in my gallery is 60% off. I'm only keeping my most current work (paintings on page 1) at the listed prices. If there's something you'd like, please let me know by message or comment so I can manually adjust the price. Thanks!!! http://www.dailypaintworks.com/artists/kali-parsons-3935/artwork

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

To Infinity and Beyond

We love rockets! My little guy and his grandpa (my dad) have been building rockets for the past three years. They started with little ones no more than a foot tall and worked their way up to a big daddy rocket that is over ten feet tall. Since we love rockets so much, my dad likes to have some small rockets around so that the little kids can fly them, too. We print them out, cut on all sorts of dotted lines, glue them together, insert a motor and 3-2-1-BLASTOFF!

Recently he asked me to design the artwork for these special little rockets that are called qubits and I finally got around to doing it. You know how I love to use canvases as paint palettes, right? Well, this is an example of what I create using one of my palette canvases. My apologies for not taking any photos of my process...I spaced. (See what I did there?)

"To Infinity and Beyond"
Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

I'm running a big sale on my paintings through the end of August. Almost everything in my gallery is 60% off. I'm only keeping my most current work (paintings on page 1) at the listed prices. If there's something you'd like, please let me know by message or comment so I can manually adjust the price. Thanks!!! http://www.dailypaintworks.com/artists/kali-parsons-3935/artwork

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

The More I Paint - Part 2

OK, so bigger isn't necessarily better, but in this case it was really, really fun! And my girl, Phyllis (my wonder chicken), seemed to be on the same page. When I finished this painting I went outside to check on my feathered ladies and they all ran up to me...except Phyllis.

Me: "Phyllis! Phyllis!"

And then I saw her. She was perched atop the coop, her fabulous Phyllis Diller plume in full force, clearly feeling BIG.


I predict more big canvases for me and more top-of-the-coop time for Phyllis in our future.

"The More I Paint"
I added a female figure and covered more of the
painting with black and white. I added
more marks as well.

I wrote the Basquiat quote I'd been thinking of as I painted.
I painted three tulip shapes...I loved them so much when
I painted tulips before!

I continued adding marks all around the canvas
and began adding color to the tulips.

I added a few more marks, and more color
on the female figure and the tulips.
I love how it's keeping some of my other paintings
(and my painted lamp) company...until it goes on exhibit
next month, that is.
Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

I'm running a big sale on my paintings through the end of August. Almost everything in my gallery is 60% off. I'm only keeping my most current work (paintings on page 1) at the listed prices. If there's something you'd like, please let me know by message or comment so I can manually adjust the price. Thanks!!! http://www.dailypaintworks.com/artists/kali-parsons-3935/artwork

Monday, July 20, 2015

The More I Paint - Part 1

I was so in love with painting the tulips all graffiti and Basquiat style over the last couple of days that I simply had to use my 36x36 canvas to create something else with that wonderful inspiration. To make things even more fun, I used mostly my left hand to paint it. I love painting with my non-dominant hand. I find I let my critical eye take a big fat break and that is wonderful. The reason I chose to paint with my left hand is that I'm having some issues with my right arm, possibly issues that will turn out to have been the cause of the blood clot I had a few years back. I was scanned and I'm clot free, but we'll be exploring a new possible diagnosis in the next couple of days. In the meantime, yay for left handed painting!

I adore painting graffiti style! The bliss of the surface being temporary, changeable, redoable...such freedom! Jean-Michel Basquiat said, "The more I paint, the more I like everything." That rings so true for me. I really thought about those words as I painted.

Here's the first layer of color.
I started with my canvas on the table so I wouldn't be
having to raise my right arm to paint, but I realized
that I love painting vertically, so I soon decided that
I could just use my left hand and set the canvas upright.
Before I moved it vertical I added some basic
shapes and marks.
Yay, upright! I also realized that the drips would
work better if it were set up vertically rather than me
having to lift it each time to let the drips form.
I added additional marks and
created a flower out of the sun.
Nope, didn't like the flower after all and I added more drips
and painted over much of the heart.

36x36 is a lot of area to cover! We'll see what tomorrow brings....

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

I'm running a big sale on my paintings through the end of August. Almost everything in my gallery is 60% off. I'm only keeping my most current work (paintings on page 1) at the listed prices. If there's something you'd like, please let me know by message or comment so I can manually adjust the price. Thanks!!! http://www.dailypaintworks.com/artists/kali-parsons-3935/artwork

Sunday, July 19, 2015

A Trio of Tulips - Part 2

This morning I had to come to a full stop in my car while a teenage squirrel figured out what it was going to do. It was in the middle of the road crouched over a horse apple, embracing it with its front legs and jaws locked on it. And it was not going to scamper off without its enormous prize. Nope. No way. So of course I stopped. And that little squirrel slowly but surely picked the horse apple up by tilting its head waaaaaaay back, and did the funniest waddle to the side of the road. You go, little squirrel! Bon appétit!


I finished my trio of tulips. I loved doing it so much that I'm going to do another one. A much bigger one! I picked up a 36"x36" canvas and will start on it tomorrow. Here is the finished painting and then a few stages leading up to it.

"A Trio of Tulips"

I went over the lines of the tulips and added some
white marks.

I added more color to the tulips and made even more
white marks. I love how I can still see just the tiniest
bits of the paint from how the canvas was
when I started on this.
Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

I'm running a big sale on my paintings through the end of August. Almost everything in my gallery is 60% off. I'm only keeping my most current work (paintings on page 1) at the listed prices. If there's something you'd like, please let me know by message or comment so I can manually adjust the price. Thanks!!! http://www.dailypaintworks.com/artists/kali-parsons-3935/artwork

Saturday, July 18, 2015

A Trio of Tulips - Part 1

I was at a beautiful baby shower this morning for an amazing friend. As each person entered they were able to write on individual little cut-out onesies a few words of advice and then hang them with mini clothespins on a clothesline. My first thought? "All the good advice is already taken!" But then I remembered one of my greatest treasures. When my kids started talking I started keeping a journal of the adorable things they said and did. For years I jotted little lovelies in there, always noting the date. I stopped writing things in there once they were "big" and, frankly, less adorable (though no less lovable, of course). And you know what? We, as a family, take that journal out several times a year and we're reminded of what we'd forgotten...and we laugh...and we love.

So, yes, my advice to her was to create a journal of lovelies.


And I'm taking a mini-class on the art of Jean-Michel Basquiat and I started creating a piece inspired by him. On his version out of a very similar shape he created a face. Me? Well I saw a flower...and I went with that. This shows up in the third picture below.

I've had a painted canvas sitting around for a while
that I never got around to doing anything with
...so I decided to paint over it.
I just painted to my heart's delight!
I started painting the shape that was on Jean-Michel Basquiat's
piece. Do you see the ear on the left side of it?
I got rid of that ear, painted two more tulips,
and sprayed water over it to create drips.
It's so much fun painting in a way that is more loose than what I've been doing lately. While it's loose, it's still done with intention. Really excited to see how this one ends up tomorrow.

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

I'm running a big sale on my paintings through the end of August. Almost everything in my gallery is 60% off. I'm only keeping my most current work (paintings on page 1) at the listed prices. If there's something you'd like, please let me know by message or comment so I can manually adjust the price. Thanks!!! http://www.dailypaintworks.com/artists/kali-parsons-3935/artwork

Friday, July 17, 2015

Embracing my Inner Klimt - Part 2

Sometimes I'm quite sure the poop gods are smiling down on me.

Here's how I know...a few days ago when I was walking our dog, Hazel, in the neighborhood, I saw something in the gutter. It was covered with leaves and a bit of caked mud, but that didn't stop me from picking it up. Well, it was one of those doggie poop bag holders that you clip onto their collar. Cool! I'd always wanted one but I was too cheap to buy one and I just ended up using bread bags and such stuffed into this zipper pouch thing Dave had gotten at a conference.

Well, this morning as Hazel and I were walking around Town Lake I saw something on the side of the trail, covered with leaves and a bit of dirt. It was a brand new roll of poop bags! It still had a sticker on it holding the roll together. I picked it up, tucked it into my new-to-me poop bag holder and kept walking.

I felt prepared for anything! And what did Hazel not do on our walk? Poop. This marks the first time I've every been disappointed in that happening.


And I finished my Klimt inspired piece. What fun! And how amazingly sparkly! Here's the completed piece and the last few stages below it.

"Embracing my Inner Klimt"

I added more swirls.

And more swirls! I also added more details to the blanket.

I took this picture to show just how much it sparkled
in different spots. I love sparkles...and in some
circles I'm actually known as the "Sparkle Fairy".
True story.
Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

I'm running a big sale on my paintings through the end of August. Almost everything in my gallery is 60% off. I'm only keeping my most current work (paintings on page 1) at the listed prices. If there's something you'd like, please let me know by message or comment so I can manually adjust the price. Thanks!!! http://www.dailypaintworks.com/artists/kali-parsons-3935/artwork