Old Trees

 Tribute to old trees. I loved hanging out in the high-to-me branches of the tree in my front yard, my favorite hangout when I was a kid. “So from my eyes the message lingers, old trees give charm and character.” Zoom in to see the quote embedded in the painting.

24"x20" on canvas

Media: acrylic and collage

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Where I Began

When I first started painting seven years ago my "go to" subject was flowers. All kinds of flowers. They brought me so much joy. And you know what? They still do.

"Where I Began"   
24"x20"

All works are copyrighted and all rights are reserved by the artist.
 

My original paintings are available in my online gallery.

Prints of many of my paintings are available in my Etsy shop. 

Let me know if you're interested in prints of my paintings.

  I welcome commissions.

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I'd love to hear from you...feel free to leave me a comment.

Don't lose hope, the fog will lift.

"Don't lose hope, the fog will lift"

-anonymous

"Don't lose hope, the fog will lift"

My original paintings are available in my online gallery.

Prints of many of my paintings are available in my Etsy shop. 

Let me know if you're interested in a print of this piece.

  I welcome commissions.

Please click the links below to share my blog.

I'd love to hear from you...feel free to leave me a comment.

We Love Austin

This was so much fun to create!! From choosing the collage pieces to the final splattering of paint...pure bliss!

Click here to view my gallery 
Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
Please click the links below to share my blog.
I'd love to hear from you...feel free to leave me a comment.

Stepping into Frida's Mind...Beauty, Strength, Pain, and Joy - Part 4

It was an incredible experience painting this. Part of the painting process was learning about Frida's life both before and after her accident. I think that with more than any other painting I've done I felt compelled to do her justice. To show her beauty, strength, pain, and joy. During the process of painting her I noticed that she started as a young Frida and with layer upon layer I embedded her life experiences. Makes me think of the lines and shadows on my own face and the stories they contain within them. I looked at my reflection this evening and honored my own experiences...the beauty, strength, pain, and joy.


Here is my finished piece. And, yes, I added to the name of this painting. It's a painter's prerogative.

"Stepping into Frida's Mind...Beauty, Strength, Pain, and Joy"

And here are the last few stages.

I decided that her lips needed a redo. They
were too close to her nose. I also did
some work on her right eye.

I redid her lips, added yellow to her dress,
and began working on the details of her ear.

I painted in the circle on her forehead. It's
a scene with a skull. Frida's painting is titled
"Thinking about Death".

I worked on the tones of her face
and lowered her chin.

Click here to view my gallery.

Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.

Please click the links below to share my blog.

Stepping into Frida's Mind - Part 3

I was sooooooo excited yesterday. I got a set of steak knives for FREE from a grocery story I shop at. (Ironic, I know, since I don't eat meat.) I've been collecting stamps every time I make a purchase and I finally had enough stamps in my booklet to trade them in for the knives. It reminded me of being in charge of sticking all those Green Stamps in the booklets when I was a kid. I think my parents were onto something making their kid lick all that nasty gum on the back of the stamps and making me feel ever so special at the same time.

Well, what I realized after I got home with my FREE knives is that said knives actually cost me $700 in groceries. I seriously earned those knives! And you know what? I'm already saving stickers again because I totally want some kitchen shears. And they'll only cost me $300 in groceries!

...ah, the sweet anticipation.....


I continued working on my Frida painting. To me she's looking like a young Frida. I need to work on her a bit to allow the truth of her pain and life experience to shine through. That will be an emotional process and I'm looking forward to it.

I painted her hair black and worked
 on her eyes and eyebrows. I also
darkened the shadow by her dress
and outlined her neck and shoulders.

I added a layer of skin color which lightened
the shadow by her shirt. I also gave her
eyes a bit of sparkle.

More darkening of her skin.

I did the first layer of paintin the leaves.

Click here to view my gallery.

Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.

Please click the links below to share my blog.

Stepping into Frida's Mind - Part 2

I've had new glasses for a couple of weeks now. And get this...not one person has noticed. I guess they're a lot like my old ones. When I was choosing them I suppose change must've seemed scary. Anyway, I took them in today to get them adjusted. They weren't being very kind to the top of my ears. The very nice glasses lady took them, sat down to work with them, and SNAP! Yup, they broke.


Me: "No problem. I can go all dork style and wear them with tape holding them together."


She didn't let me do that, of course, though the prospect had my inner geek a little excited, I must admit. She found another pair that my lenses fit in pretty well and off I went...more hip than dorky, unfortunately.


I continued working on this painting. I'm really enjoying the process with this one.

I started working on some flesh tones. The
original painting seems to have a yellowish
tint to her skin so I'm leaning that direction,
but perhaps I went a bit too yellow. It's just the
first layer. I decided I didn't like her right eye
so I got rid of it. 

After reworking the right eye I decided that I
didn't like either eye. Off they went!

I redid the eyes and I think I'm getting closer,
though don't be surprised if they go again. I
worked a bit on her face,a shadow by her
shirt, the hairline behind her ear, and her eyebrows.

Click here to view my gallery.

Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.

Please click the links below to share my blog.

Stepping into Frida's Mind - Part 1

I'm the mom of a high school football player. As such I find myself watching a sport that I'd never in a million years intentionally lay eyes on. Mind you I only watch the game when he's on the field. And by watch, I mean peer through my fingers, wince, and cross my fingers and toes that he doesn't get hurt, all the while aware that I am utterly and completely clueless about any rules of the game.

I talked with my little guy after his last game.


Me: "I was watching you play and I realized that all of you on the field actually want to play."

Little guy: "Uh, yeah, mom."

Me: "Whenever I got on the field when I was a kid I spent my whole time hoping that the ball (or whatever) never, ever headed my way. You're not like that at all."

Little guy: "When were you on the field?"

Me: "In P.E. class."

Little guy: "That wasn't a choice, mom. Everyone on the football team is choosing to be there because we all want to play."

Me: "Oh...."


I think I get it, sort of. I guess it's like how I absolutely love creating art each and every day and my kid hated creating art in the art class he had to take at school. Choice is an awesome thing.


I started a new painting. In the class I'm taking we're now studying Frida Kahlo. I am so excited! I find her absolutely fascinating. Excited to make an attempt at stepping into her painting mind.

I quickly sketched "Thinking About Death".

I added more details and worked on lowering
her left eye so they'd be more even as they
were in the original painting.

I roughed in the background. I'm so excited
to start painting this!

Click here to view my gallery.

Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.

Please click the links below to share my blog.

Daisies 2 - Part 3

I feel like a dump truck. Ever since the battery was replaced in my Prius the back up beeping has returned. It's supposed to make the driver more aware that they're backing up, but really I think it just makes us enter the land of pretend that we're awesome hard hat wearing construction workers.

"Beep, beep, beep, beep...."

And while it's been fun for a few days, I'll be Googling how to turn that feature off...as soon as I manage to think of it at the right time, that is.

I finished the second in a series of daisy paintings. I'm super thankful for my friend who emailed me pics of these amazing flowers! Here's the finished painting and below are the last few stages.

"Daisies 2"

I added some watered down black to the
edges of the petals.

I worked on the shadow as well as some background
features and made the centers the flowers more yellow.

I added some highlights to the stems and worked
a bit more on the vase.

I couldn't resist adding some splatters. I
loved them so much on "Daisies1"!

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

Daisies 2 - Part 2

Our chickens dig tofu. I mean they really, really dig tofu. And corn, they dig that, too. Oh, and apples. I actually made a tofu/corn/apple salad for them the other day, and, by golly, those girls came a runnin' and gobbled it up like there was no tomorrow. And then yesterday morning I actually caught a cockroach and gave it to them. Do you know how much harder it is to catch a cockroach as opposed to just squashing it? "Much" is the answer. I'm beginning to suspect that my wonderful chickens are spoiled rotten.


I continued working on my "Daisies 2" painting. I'm going to resist putting happy faces on them even though they really oughta have 'em.

I added yellow centers to the flowers and worked
on the pitcher vase. I also added stems.

I added another layer to the petals and
added some texture/dimension to the background.

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

Daisies 2 - Part 1

Dave and I took down our painting/photo exhibit tonight. Some pieces sold and we bid them farewell, but the ones we are taking home...well, it's like welcoming home old friends. It's a good thing, too. While we did go ahead and hang some things in their absence, we never bothered to move nails so little paintings were left to be all lonely like in big spaces. Order will soon be restored. 

I started on a new painting this morning. It's my second in a daisy series I have planned. 

I started by roughly painting the background. 

I sketched in the basic shapes. 

I painted in the first layer of petals. 

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

She will Dance

I just completed this piece from the class I'm taking. It's based on a bronze statue of a Degas dancer. While I've always been a bit of a disaster as a dancer...be it ballet as a kid, bellydance as an adult (again, I apologize for the folks who paid admission to that one show I was in that actually cost money), to my uncoordinated efforts at Zumba...but this lady looks to me as though she totally owns the dance floor.

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!