Behold Him

Peacocks are not only beautiful, they symbolize awakening, integrity, and incorruptibility...things many are seeking these days. They are reputed to make us feel better when we gaze upon them. In Hinduism they are symbolic of kindness, compassion, and good luck. In Asian spirituality they are symbolic of good will and kind heartedness. In Christianity they symbolize the church and the holiness that the church represents.

"Behold Him"

Note: the edges are cropped...the entire bird is part of the canvas.

My original paintings are available in my online gallery.

I obtained some information for this post from this website: http://www.whats-your-sign.com/peacock-symbolism.html

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She was her Own Best Friend - Part 4

This evening has been spent helping my little guy revise school writing assignments. He'd write a bit. I'd nag him to keep going. He'd get hungry. I'd nag him to get back to work when he finished. He'd get tired and need a rest. I'd give him a ten minute break and nag him to get back to it. He'd say, "Oh, look at the kitty." And I would and then I'd say, "Aaaaah, you distracted me from nagging you!"

Anyway, while all this was going on I managed to finish my painting and he got a lot of work done. I feel like quite the multitasker...able to nag, help revise, and paint...all at the same time!


Here's my finished painting. Below it are a few of the final stages.

"She was her Own Best Friend"

I drew her nose and mouth...
a bunch of times. This was
one of the attempts.

I had panted her mouth, but it was
way too small. Then in a rush before
I left for school I made her mouth
a tad bigger. I know, she looks
like a toddler did her make-up for her.

I refined her mouth and I
also decided that she needed
to be holding some flowers.
I forgot to take pictures after this
because I was so involved with
helping with homework tonight.

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

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She was her Own Best Friend - Part 3

Dave and I took Hazel for a walk to the coffee shop tonight. On the way there we passed a delightfully intense dog walking with a big frisbee in its mouth. That dog had a job and was rockin' it. 

Hazel? Well...Dave and I decided that she had a job, too. Her job is being cute. And she was definitely rockin' it!

I continued working on this painting in my very limited time (I was at the coffee shop after all). I just got a wee bit of work done.

I added more white to the background.
And on an impulse I decided to paint
an approximation of her face.
Not sure why this sort of thing
has been necessary for me during
the last few paintings, but
I go with whatever my process
seems to be asking for. I suspect
that I just need to identify with
my paintings in the middle of
the process...but who knows....

I worked on her eyes, the only
part of what I'd done that I really liked.
Then I painted over her nose and
mouth. This also seems to be
a big part of my process. It works for
me. I also decided to widen her arms a bit.

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

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She was her Own Best Friend - Part 2

I had to confess something to my husband the other day. He's preparing to photograph some amazing dolls and he hoped I could help with that.


Dave: "Do you have any dolls?"

Me: "Um, I have this small Pooh Bear from when I was little."


He went into our spare room where I have managed to start keeping a bunch of my art supplies...and one of my troll dolls. He brought it out.


Dave: "I wish that it was bigger."

Me:  "Well..." and I lead him to our room, pulled a bin out from under the bed, extracted a bag from said bin, and revealed my collection of thirty-seven Troll Dolls. Yes, I've been collecting them for many, many years, some since I was a child.

Dave: "This one is perfect!" He beamed as he held up my diver Troll.


Whew! Guess I dodged the "being called a weirdo" bullet!



I continued working on this painting. I love how she's coming along and I think I actually want a dress like hers. I know I for sure want hair like hers.

I sketched my drawing.
I know it's hard to see.

I went over the pencil with
white paint and then started painting
some flesh tomes.

I began painting white over
the background and I started
painting her hair pink. I
also continued painting
layers on her face, neck
and arms.

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.

She was her Own Best Friend - Part 1

After my surgery I took two weeks off from driving...but I'm back in the saddle again. My first mission? Taking the little guy somewhere he needed to go.


Little guy: "I didn't think you could drive any more like a little old lady than you did before."

Me: "I'm being cautious."

Little guy: "Yeah, but before you were an eighty-year-old lady driving. Now you're over a hundred."


Not that he kept complaining, of course. My little guy is smart enough to know that a one-hundred-year-old lady drives faster than his walking speed.



I started working on a new painting. I've had a 36x12 canvas just crying out to be painted. Every time I saw it I visualized a tall female figure on it. Well...here goes!

I started by painting a random
blue/green background.

I released my inner Jackson
Pollock and splatter painted a bit.

I added some flowers
for whimsy's sake.

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
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