Hope

My hope for girls and women of all ages...that they may fulfill their dreams, find happiness, soar to the highest heights, and shine ever so brightly...and that they may do so feeling they can trust in this world of ours.

"Hope"

Original available here for $85.

16"x12" on watercolor paper

Prints available on request.

(Printed image may be slightly cropped for printing purposes.)

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.

Please click the links below to share my blog.

I Believe

I believe...

in love

in peace

in friendship

in compassion

in equality

in kindness

...and I believe her.

"I Believe"

Original available here for $55.

16"x12" on watercolor paper

Prints available on request.

(Printed image may be slightly cropped for printing purposes.)

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.

Please click the links below to share my blog.

The Wisdom of Frida

"Perhaps the butterfly is proof that you can go

through a great deal of darkness yet

become something beautiful." 

-Unknown

Through October 20th I will be donating 50% of my original art sales to the Citizens' Climate Lobby (CCL), Texas 21 Chapter. More information may be found here. Let's make the climate great again!

"The Wisdom of Frida"

Miniature easel included in the price of the painting.

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.

Please click the links below to share my blog.

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

Welcoming

My kid, he's so creative. 

Little guy: "Make me food." Seriously, I did teach him how to ask nicely when he was a really little guy.

Me: "Make your own food." I put my earbuds in and continued listening to a podcast I'd started earlier.

Well, that little guy of mine picked up my phone and basically lead me by my earbud cable "leash" to the refrigerator. 

He gets points for creativity, but I have to say that he bombed on the mom making him something to eat part and he went ahead and nuked himself some queso.

This painting is part of the class I'm taking. The dragonfly (or maybe it's a butterfly, you decide) is leaving behind things/feelings/etc. that I'm letting go of and the sun is filled with what I want 2016 to be welcoming in. Most of the writing is illegible. That's by design. 

I love doing zentangles, though I rarely do them. Such a wonderful process, all of it! 

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

"Welcoming"

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.

Butterfly Kisses

Continuing my Phyllis, the wonder chicken, theme...

I imagine while I'm not home that butterflies by the gazillions stop by for the privilege and bliss of hanging out on my girl's head plume and giving her some love. It's fabulous up there. Soft, comfy, gets ya where you're going...but Phyllis, while quite kind to her peeps (get it?) and us, has her share of barbaric traits as well. It's simply part of being a chicken. If you're little and wander by you're fair game for good eatin'. So while these lovely butterflies think they're completing Phyllis' fabulous look, my girl is likely licking her chops in sweet anticipation.

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!

Our Amazing Coffee Community

This morning I opened the dishwasher and made a gruesome discovery.

Yes, Dave's French press had broken sometime during the night. Knowing that this tragedy simply couldn't go unmarked, I sketched out a quick tombstone and took a photo to comemerate the sad occasion. I then posted the photo on facebook. I expected a "like" or two, but the outpouring of support left me in awe of just how amazing the coffee community is.

Dave was offered condolences, he was provided with suggestions for a new one, and someone was even willing to give him a spare they had. But what truly touched my heart is that a lovely neighbor offered to loan us theirs right away so Dave could deal with what truly was an emergency situation.

Somehow Dave managed to gather his wits about him and get himself to the coffee shop this morning and then go to the store to purchase a better, more amazing and awesome French press. And while the French press he'd so loved just yesterday lay broken and discarded in the trash can, he made the most amazing cup of coffee ever.


R.I.P. old French press...you were loved.

And this is how I "broke" the news to Dave about his beloved French press.

Am I an awesome wife or what?!?!

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!

Driven by Distraction

We seem to constantly be nagging our little guy. 


Us:  "Do your homework!"

Little guy:  "As soon as this episode is over."


Us:  "Clean your room!"

Little guy:  "After I get back from playing basketball."


Us:  "It's your turn to empty the dishwasher."

Little guy:  "I'm about to take a shower."


So today when I was driving him home from football practice and he commenced picking his toenails and pretending to flick them at me...I yelled because, well, obvious!


Me:  "Don't do that in my car!  Do it when we get home and use a toenail clipper instead of ripping them off!"

Little guy:  "Hey," he said as he continued picking at his toenails.  "At least I'm not putting off doing it."


The kid had a point...but I still told him I wasn't going to make him food for a week if he kept doing it.

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!

A Quick Change

I had a long list of "never do"s today...that I did.

- wear ironed clothes
- make-up on
- hair held in place with hairspray
- addition of one bobbypin

I'm usually wrinkled, pale, and out-of-control frizzy.  But since I had an audition I decided to put my best professional foot forward.  Just as I was leaving I went to my little guy's room to say, "Bye."


Little guy:  just staring at me, saying nothing.

Me:  "Do I look like myself?"

Little guy:  "ish"


And off I went.  And then I came back.  And within five minutes of getting home I was my wrinkled, pale, out-of-control frizzy...and very happy...self.

Click here to purchase this piece.

 

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

Sweet Dreams

I've been taking a wonderful year-long online class, Dancing with your Dreams. I completed this piece just this afternoon and soon it will find its home over our bed.

It's layer upon delightful layer...colors, symbols, fun, whimsy, and love. 

Ooh, and it's my biggest canvas to date, 24" x 30", not counting our hallway, of course. Hmmmm...I don't know if bigger is better, but it sure is fun!  Come on by and visit me and my paintings!!

Sweet dreams!

Click here to view my gallery.

50% off of everything in my Daily Paintworks shop through the end of the month.  
Email me the one(s) you want and I'll adjust the price.  Thanks!!!  kalilparsons@gmail.com
 

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

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!

Click here to purchase this painting.

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

Kid's Got Mad Skills

The little guy and I went to the Austin Mini Maker Faire today.  It was SO MUCH FUN!  And I swear it was set up to show off my kid's mad skills (or at least his ability to pick up a mad skill at a moment's notice).

The first thing we just had to do was juggle.  We were shown how to do it and the kid started juggling within about a minute.  I struggled and struggled and finally got it.  And after repeating my success a few times my skills completely vanished.

The second thing we had to do were hula hoops.  The kid picked one up and was able to instantly do a trick I'd taught him back when I was taking lessons.  I gingerly tried a bit of hula hooping, had moderate success and set it down.  After all, hula hoops tend to give me blood clots (true story). 

The third thing we he had to do were unicycles.  He jumped right on one and took off.  There was no talking mom in to this one.  No way.  Not unless I had full protective gear and an even lower deductible on my health insurance.

Oh, and my mom's car went to the Faire, too.  She's now the proud owner of a fabulous art car...painted right there!

Good times were had!

Click here to purchase this painting.

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

Hey, Good Lookin'

We all want confident children, right?  And we want them aware of their strengths and to feel generally pretty great about themselves, right?

Well, the other night I was in the kitchen with Dave and our little guy.


Me:  "Our kid is so much better looking than either of us."  This is a perfectly OK thing for me to say as a mom of my beautiful kid.

My kid:  "Yeah."  Hmmmmm...while it's perfectly OK for him to respond in this way, I'm thinking perhaps it could have been said with just a bit of a pause to reflect upon the genetic goo he received.


You know, something like, "I'm just so lucky that both of my parents are soooo good lookin'."  A white lie like that is perfectly fine in my book.

Click here to purchase this painting.

I've got ya where I want ya, and now I'm gonna...

...well, basically kidnap me.  I actually get kidnapped regularly.  It's awesome only because my husband is my kidnapper.

Here's how it goes.


Me:  "Hey, wanna go to Costco with me?"

Dave:  "OK."


And then an hour later I've gone with him on a work thing and then find myself at a coffee shop in a part of town I rarely, if ever, get to.  (Note:  Costco has not yet occurred.)   And aside from all the taxidermied animal carcasses around, it's a pretty cool coffee shop.

While I leave my bubble frequently in my mind and spirit, I tend to not be much of an adventurer in real life.  So I'm super thankful for my husband who forces me out.

Click here to purchase this painting.

Mothering

I get on myself a lot for my mothering skills...go to bed thinking of all the ways I've surely done damage to my kids and how much therapy they'll need as adults and all that.  But every once in a while I get a little reminder that maybe, just maybe, I'm doing an OK job of this...that my kids will survive the dumb luck of being born to me and all my failings.


Me:  "I love you, babe!"

Little guy:  "I know.  I love me, too!"


And perhaps if I hold on to this I'll go to bed tonight and rest well in the knowledge that maybe, just maybe, my kids will turn out OK.

Click here to purchase this painting.

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The Wonder Skort

It might seem like such a small thing, or at the minimum something that you'd say, "Duh!" to, but somehow I managed to forget about them.  Yup, I'm talking about the incredible invention...the skort.  I've had a scant few over the years, all of which were of that unprofessional length, for sure.  Well, except for that profession.  Anyway, I just received not one, but two skorts in the mail.  And day one of wearing was nothing short of life changing.

You see, the thing is it's all about my wonderful and amazing job.  As you know, I work with three- and four-year olds with disabilities.  I'm sitting on the floor, crawling a bit from here to there, helping kiddos move about, and falling somewhere on campus at least once a year because that's just how I roll...literally.

Anyway, I've been skirt phobic as I just know something awkward might happen and now that I'm reunited with skorts (professional length, thank you very much), my life is officially changed.  And I'm quite certain that now the world is a safer place for both my coworkers and students.

...that's a collective sigh of relief you just heard, I'm sure!

Click here to purchase this painting.

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Butterfly Bliss and Cricket Crunch

Yesterday we hung out with butterflies.  TONS of them.  Hundreds upon hundreds, I'm sure.  Big ones, little ones, colorful ones, "drab" ones, fast ones, slow ones...I swear there's a missing Dr. Seuss book about this place, it's crying out for kiddo poetry.

...perhaps that's to be my next task.

Anyway, it was fabulous.  And even my fourteen-year-old little guy was totally into it...taking photos, wishing they'd land on him, begging butterflies to open their beautiful wings, strike a pose, and say, "Cheese!"

It was a wonder-filled time, and as we walked out of the what must have been a five story terrarium, the little guy happened upon a vending machine.  And as he's always hungry, he asked for money.  And as he soon saw that it was flavored crickets in the machine, he got even more excited.  And down the hatch they went.

$2
6 crickets (a tidy 1.4 grams)
sour cream and onion flavoring
9 calories


Little guy:  "I'm still hungry, mom."

Click here to purchase this painting.

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Gas on the Plane

I had the occasion to fly recently.  Super early wake up for a super early security process for a super early flight...that was delayed one hour and fifteen minutes.

And then I was super sleepy as was pretty much everyone else on the plane.  And many of them were actually sleeping.  Mouths agape, head lolled in a way that I just knew they'd wake up in pain, and I was filled with sleepy dreams envy!

Now, not that I didn't try to go to sleep myself.  I did.  "Try," that is...not "go".  I snuggled with my sweater, I adjusted my head and body just so, I pretended I was floating on clouds (not a stretch), and then anxiety hit.  Not the anxiety about safety and what not.  Nope.  The anxiety about gas.  Yes, putting it out there publically...I'm fart-phobic.

You see, I've been told that on occasion I cut the cheese, step on a frog, pass a bit of gas, when I'm sleeping.  Now, honestly, I could give a hoot when I'm at home amongst those I love and adore, but the last thing I want to see is the awkward "You are nasty!" look from the fella in the seat beside me when I wake up.

Yup, this girl stayed awake...with her eyes shut.

This painting/gift card available for purchase at:  Psychedelic Butterfly

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