The Pond

 “I want to be the pebble in the pond that creates the ripple for change.” -Tim Cook

"The Pond"

8"x10" on canvas board

Acrylic

Please visit my online gallery.

Little by Little we Meet in the Middle

"Little by little we meet in the middle."

- anonymous

"Little by Little we Meet int he Middle"

Note: the gold bits are metallic paint and they sparkle.

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.

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

And then There's Joy

After feeling more focused and serious with my art yesterday, it was so much fun to release my inner child and go all in with whimsy today.

"And then There's Joy"

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.  

This painting is part of a year-long online art class (instructor Wyanne Thompson).

"Daddy's Girl"

Today marks a transition to a new way of blogging for a year. I'm starting a year-long class and will be creating approximately one painting per week. For a while now I've been posting the stages of my paintings and I've absolutely loved doing that, but this year I'll just be sharing my completed pieces. This means I'll be posting about once a week. Rest assured that I'll still be painting every single day.

I've already started in on my first lesson with this class and hope to share my finished painting in the next few days.


So...here is the last painting with all its stages that I'll be posting for a while. I was commissioned to paint this sweet picture of a father and daughter whom I adore. What an absolute honor it was. Here's the finished piece and a number of stages below.

"Daddy's Girl"

 

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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.

Wren - Part 2

We've been having to do some minor wound care on our little cat, Tommy. He seems to have gotten into a bit of a scuffle and came away with some tiny head wounds. And it turns out that taking care of a cat's wounds is a multi person job. 

Step 1: Wrap the cat in a towel burrito style.

Step 2: One person hold the wrapped cat while another person tends to the wounds.

Step 3: Rewrap cat in towel after they escape half way through the wound care.

Step 4: Finish caring for the wounds.

Step 5: Release the cat and hope that they still consider us their friend.

The jury is still out on that friend part.


And I finished this painting. I can only hope I did this lovely and amazing girl justice. Here's the completed piece and below are some steps leading up to completion.

"Wren"

I started working on some color and details.

I added white to her eyes, blue to her shirt,
and highlights in her hair.

I added more highlights to her skin.

I raised her hairline and added more to her hair
and started "repairing" the background I'd covered.

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

Wren - Part 1

I found out something a bit disturbing about our chickens. The thing is, I find it really easy to think of our girls as vegetarians. I'm not exactly sure why, but that's just my go to assumption. Crazy because I've seen them eat all kinds of bugs as well as a whole mouse and a rat they had their way with. But still I think, "My chickens are veg heads...just like their mama." 

But when the guys made steak and there was just a bit left over we decided to see what the chickens would think of it. I figured they'd snub their sweet little vegetarian noses at it, but no. One chicken would get a bit of meat and take off running. Then all the chickens would take off running after her. It was like a wild, manic chicken parade. A really fast one. It was the best show I've seen in a long time. 

Next time there's steak around here there will also be some videotaping.

Now to my painting. I was commissioned to paint a portrait of a lovely girl. I'm forever honored by these requests and I absolutely love doing them. Here's the beginning steps of this one...lovely "Wren".

I started by creating the background, trees and some sky.

I added two more shades of green for the trees.

I painted the basic shape of her head and shoulders.

First I added a tree. Then I started working
on some shading and her hair.
David said, "That's scary!" Yes, my paintings
always go through their not so pretty phases.
This is definitely one such phase.
I've learned to trust that it will get better.

I redid her eyes in a new location and added more
detail and just the first bits of color.

I'm still a long way from creating something as lovely as this girl is. I'll keep working on it!

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

The Fall

It's funny what we remember.

I have such clear memories of an event that happened when I was in elementary school. I was eating my tray lunch in the cafeteria. I wanted to drink some of my milk, so I picked it up and gave the container a shake, as was my routine. Only thing is, I had already shaken it and opened it, so milk went everywhere. Particularly on the little girl sitting next to me. I was mortified. She was mortified. Gosh, I've never, ever forgotten it and have actually felt bad for that little girl from time to time.

So when I was sitting in the cafeteria at the school where I work and one of my students picked up their milk, gave it a little shake, and chocolate milk splattered all over me, I was startled and then so, so happy. My student looked at me wide-eyed waiting for my reaction.


Me: "Would you mind getting me a napkin?" I said as I smiled.


He did. And I wiped my hair and my shirt and the table and said, "I know that was an accident." And he returned my smile.


My milk karma is officially clean. I feel so much better!

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!

Keeping Close

My sweet old lady dog, Scout...

I took her to the vet today for a bit of blood work to make sure she could continue taking her incontinence meds (old lady dog problems). As we sat in the waiting room, she to my left looking away, she kept scooching backward, inch by inch. I found myself moving to the next chair down the line three times as she scooch, scooch, scooched.

My precious girl, keeping close to her mama. Love....

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

 

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Got Wind?

Sometimes things are not as they appear...or smell.


Dave and I went on a romantic date to the grocery store. Here's how the next few hours went.


We got in the car.

Dave: "Did you fart?"

Me: "No."


We got home and put the food we'd bought in the fridge.

Dave: "Did you fart?"

Me: "No!"


I got the broccoli out and put it in the steamer.

Dave: "Did you fart?"

Me: "No!!!"


And then we noticed that the broccoli was rather mushy and a bit on the liquidy side in the bag...and totally smelled like the worst fart ever.


Um...thanks for the romantic scapegoating, darlin'. Good thing I know that Dave totally loves his vegetables.

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!

Older and Wiser

My Bunco group had its annual Holiday party last night. When we started about fourteen years ago, we were all young moms desperately eager to get together once a month and get our crazy on. We've all grown a lot since then and I think the changes are rather lovely.

The details will remain known only to us, Bunco rules are like Vegas rules in that way, but I will say that we're older, wiser, and ever so much more awesome. We sport our gray hair and our reading glasses like the sexy mamas we are. And we are proof positive that bigger, wider, and, yes, saggier is absolutely better.

I'm madly in love with my Bunco Babes!!

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!

Thankful

I want to take a moment to thank all of you for accompanying me on my creating/blogging journey.  It's been three-and-a-half years of absolute bliss for me and I plan to continue well into the future. To celebrate my gratitude I'm going to have a HUGE sale on my art.  Everything on my DailyPaintworks site will be 50% off through the month of December.  There's no way for me to mark everything down on the site or to provide a discount code, so just contact me via DailyPaintworks or on this blog site and let me know which one you'd like and I'll alter the price.

Thank you, thank you!

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!

Wisdom Love

After looking high and low for my gloves, on my winter shelf, in my winter chest, in my winter drawer...it was super cold this morning...it occurred to me that I had wisely thought at the end of last winter that I'd put my gloves in the glove compartment of my car so that it would be obvious to me where they were when I'd next need them.  Eureka!  Albeit a-significant-time's-worth-of-searching later.

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!

Dream Castle

What makes me wish I could dash away to my very own dream castle?

Mornings like this....


Me:  "What, honey?"

Little guy:  "That was my butt."

Me:  "I responded to your butt?  This is a new low for me."

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!

This is all I need....

I've realized something.  I really only wear about five outfits...ever!  And I have those five outfits with me on my trip.  They fit into my carry-on luggage with ease.  When I get home I'm quite sure I'll wash them and simply wear them all again.  Now to see if I can hold on to this revelation long enough to get rid of most of my clothes when I return home....  This will give me something to do while that washing machine is churning.

This is just a little painting I did when I was working on my personal symbols.

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!

Seeing Spots

I had to pick my kid up early today from his high school physical conditioning camp.  Nothing...nothing...could have prepared me for it.  Now, don't get me wrong.  It was a bunch of sweet high school kids, mostly boys, one even came up to me as I walked in to see if I needed anything and he immediately fetched my kiddo for me, but the smell.  The smell!

I hang out with chickens a lot.  They have a smell.  It's a farmy kind of smell and I actually rather like it...or at least I don't find it offensive.  We have dogs.  We love 'em, but they definitely get their funk on.  I hug them anyway, of course.

But the smell of fifty-ish kids using heavy weight equipment in an un-air conditioned environment that likely doesn't get much cleaning, in very tight quarters, well, I turned around and waited by my car. 

And I must've looked pale or something...I was definitely seeing spots.


Little guy:  "That smell hit ya like a haymaker, eh, mom?"

Me:  "If that means I got hit in the face by something really big and hard, yes."


And then we drove home, me sweaty after a long walk on the trail and my little guy who admitted that he'd not had a shower in two days.

Dave had no idea of the haymaker that was barrelling his way!


P.S. I still haven't added a layer to the larger piece I'm working on.  Perhaps tomorrow.

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Summertime!

OK, I'm feeling the life of luxury coming over me.  I just wrote my summer "to do" list and there are only six things on it!  Now, I didn't put anything on there that I'd normally do anyway, no, just the things that are out of the ordinary that I must take care of.  You know, things like my annual physical (sorry, TMI), getting my car inspected, and getting the kid a passport.  So my plan is to get all six things done by early July so I can settle in to my unscheduled life of hanging out at the pool, laundry, hikes, dishes, playing with friends, and housecleaning. 

Bliss....

I love summer....

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Country Girl

I do believe I've come to the conclusion that this city girl is actually a country girl...who happens to live in the city.  And that when you spend hours just being with your chickens and find the act of hanging the family's laundry on the clothesline to be truly pleasurable, the line between city and country has been crossed. 

...and now I'm feeling the urge to get a goat creeping in at the edges of my little country girl mind.

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A Chicken Painting

I had all kinds of fabulous plans for yesterday and today when I requested them off from work about a month ago.  But sometimes plans have a mind of their own...like this time.

My little guy had a stomach bug the first part of this week.  And just in time for my days off, you guessed it, I got it.

But did I mope?  Well, yes, a bit.  Did I complain?  Well, frankly, if this were happening to your body, you would, too.  Did I make the best of it?  You bet.

Turns out both painting and chicken watching are quite doable whilst one deals with "the crud".  And just look what happens when I combine these two activities?!?!

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And Sometimes I Draw with my Left Hand

I never know when it's coming, but when it does, it bubbles to the surface so fast, so furious, that all I can do is...well...switch hands.

And what happens for me is that it's like an instant access to my inner child.  Letting go of expectations, embracing the whimsy, doing something purely for the fun of it.

Bliss!

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

Negative Image

As a kid I spent a considerable amount of time in the darkroom with my mom.  It was cool, fascinating, patience testing, likely toxic, but mostly cool.  While my mom may have been working on something very particular and likely teaching me along the way, what I remember most is the coolness of the room when it was all dark except for the amber lights that barely illuminated the activity. 

I remember the smell.  The way the wall and floor felt different than when the lights were on.  I remember the silence broken by the swishing of water and my mother's voice counting seconds aloud.  And I remember so, so many black and white images of myself hanging on a line to dry.

Making negatives positive....

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