For the Love of Frida

I'm on a deliciously fun adventure with cartooning and happily Frida popped into my head. This is my fourth, and decidedly most whimsical, painting of Frida. It's most definitely not my last painting of her. She's holding her beloved paintbrushes.

"For the Love of Frida"

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.

And I'm considering putting her on t-shirts...let me know if you're interested.

mock up

 

  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.

My Heart Swells

It was like old times today.

When my kids were little we'd all load up in my car, or on our bicycles, and head up to the neighborhood elementary school. I worked there as a teacher and they learned there as students. It was an awesome one-stop-shopping experience. And then my big guy moved on to middle and high school, and then my little guy did the same, and then I was left at the elementary school all alone (not counting all of the students and staff that remained, of course).

But today my big guy was subbing for the woman I work with and my little guy was there volunteering for track and field...there we all were under one big roof again!

My day was made!

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!

Fabulously Adorable

On my birthday earlier this week we went out to eat for dinner. It was fabulous family fun. But the fun was not limited to our table. Nope. Because all of a sudden a straw wrapper flew through the air and hit my kid in the neck. All four of us turned to look where it had come from and there was this fabulously adorable curly-haired chick. She caught our gaze and put her head on the table.

Me: "Don't worry about it, I've totally done the same thing before."

She raised her head and smiled in relief. And then she giggled with her equally adorable boyfriend who had obviously been the target of that errant straw wrapper.

Young love...as delicious as the enchiladas I ate that night.

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!

Fuzzy Flitting

We love all of our chickens. We really do. They're adorable, they give us eggs, they eat bugs...they're awesome. Well, all but one of them lays eggs, anyway. One chicken, our sweet Fuzzy, does not.

Fuzzy is our little Silkie. She's smaller than the other chickens. She lay one egg...one!...several months ago. Her little beak is crooked and the top doesn't line up with the bottom. Her feathers came in all scraggly and that little one can't even consider trying to fly. And with all that she's decidedly our  most adorable chicken by far.

I sat in the chicken yard taking in Fuzzy and all her cute glory. I started to sketch her and she flitted here and flitted there. That girl flitted everywhere.

So I present Fuzzy, fabulously flitting of course!

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!

Teddy Bear

And this happened...and it made me ever so happy.

I went shopping first thing this morning and as I was heading toward the dairy section to pick up some yogurt there was this guy. This most amazing guy. He was wearing pajamas, a T-shirt, and flip flops, and was pushing around a kid-size shopping cart. And this guy was not petite! I loved that he went shopping just the way he did.

Made me think I should bring my teddy bear shopping with me next time. Might just make someone's day like he made mine.

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!

I've Been Warned

It's not every day when you get two warnings for the same thing. I was at the grocery store and on impulse I picked up a small bottle of pepper sauce. I couldn't help it. I do so love spicy food and it was ever so inviting.


Grocery checkout guy: "Is this for you?"

Me: "Yes."

Grocery guy: "It's really, really hot. Be careful."

Me: "OK, thanks."

Grocery bagger guy who hadn't heard the checkout guy: "Is this for you?"

Me: "Sure is."

Bagger guy: "It's unbelievably hot. Use it super sparingly."

Me: "Wow, this stuff comes with two warnings."


Guess I'd better heed their advice...maybe.

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!

So, Why did the Chicken Cross the Road?

We've had chicken problems lately. Escaping chickens, that is.

More times than not, lately, I've arrived home to find several of our chickens hanging out in the front yard. This means they got over the fence in their chicken run and then over another fence to the front yard. While it's all fun and games for my chickens, this chicken mama was starting to fear for their safety...especially when the little guy and I were leaving on an errand and had to stop a bit down from our house because one of our chickens was, yes, crossing the road. So after breaking quite a sweat rounding her back home, completing our errand, and getting home only to find chickens out again, I decided we had to do something.

On the scene came google and "chicken wing clipping". After I sorted through a number of articles on cooking chickens, I found what I was looking for. And twenty minutes later our birds with the flight risk each had a lovely one-sided trim. Take that, girls!


So, if you're wondering why the chicken crossed the road...well, it's just like the joke always ended...to get to the other side.


P.S. While this painting is of Phyllis, she is one of two chickens who did not receive the trim. My favorite girl would never want to run far from home.

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!

I Sigh...

The little guy and I are together in the car a lot. It's the nature of things when you are dependent on your mom for rides. Though to give full credit, the kiddo rides his bike tons of places. He and I often talk about how it will be when he starts driving. You know, things like how he'll likely share a car with me and have to go on errands for us from time to time and such. And he looks at me with full love and appreciation...and flicks a booger onto the car's carpet when a box of tissues and a tiny trash can were right there.


Me: "What are you doing?!?!"

Little guy: "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to."


This from the sweet kid who wants to share a car with me. I sigh...

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!

I Love my School

I was walking in the school where I work this morning when a child ran to me from behind and caught me in a hug. I turned around to see the most fabulous, bright, and sunshiny face looking up at me.


Me: "What do you have there?"

Kiddo: "A bunny."

Me: "What's its name?"

Kiddo: "I named it for you."


And another big hug.


BEST way to start the day!


Every year the school where I work has an amazing fundraiser. I always contribute a painting for the auction. Here is this year's. I love painting owls. Next to chickens they're my favorite animal to paint.

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!

I Only have Eyes for Worms

A shift has occurred in the chicken space continuum.

It used to be that I'd walk in our chicken yard and only Phyllis would come-a-runnin'. Well now Barry, Maury, and Ernie come-a-runnin', too.

"What happened?" you ask.

Well, I'll tell ya what happened.


I started lifting some of the pavers we have out in their yard and exposing the fabulous delicacy that earthworms are. I did this a few times over several days and now I'm officially the Worm Lady in their sweet little beady chicken eyes. I swear all they see is a big earthworm in tennies.


I'm good with that. I'm feeling' that chicken love.

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!

Phyllis Goes to School!

Phyllis is growing up. She went to school today for the first time ever. She put on her backpack, packed her lunch, and went to her classroom. OK, so she didn't exactly do all that, but she did go to school with me today. And Barry went to school with us, too.

I was Farmer Parsons today. I donned my overalls, put my hair in pigtails, gathered up Phyllis and Barry, and headed up to school. Barry was the first out of the carrier. She was wonderful, delightful, and a tad nervous. Phyllis came out next. And that girl calmly sat on my lap for close to thirty minutes while I talked about chickens and let more than thirty four-year-olds take turns petting her. She was in chicken heaven!

Pretty sure that when I get up in the morning Phyllis will be dressed and ready to go with 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!

Balance

I find the older I get, the less of it I seem to have.

The kiddo and I were at the gym again today and after he'd had me do a crazy challenging upper body workout, he wanted me to work on my core...and my arms a tad more...just for fun.

He wanted me to stand on this upside down half sphere thingie while doing arm work with dumbbells. Well, I could not manage to get on that thing no matter how hard I tried. So the kid gave me his shoulder and after a couple of tries I was able to stand on it as it wobbled fiercely. And then he handed me the dumbbells. I teetered. I tottered. But somehow I managed stay on board.

Little guy: "You did great, mom."

I love that kid!

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!

Helpful

While my kids are really quite helpful (they really, really are), they tend to take their time when it comes to getting them to start being helpful. Unless...


Me: "Will you please help bring the groceries in?"

Little guy: "I'm hungry, will you make me a sandwich?"

Me: "After you bring the groceries in."

Little guy: "I'm too hungry to help."

Me: "Everything to make a sandwich in out in the car."

Little guy: "I'll get the groceries!"


I love my helpful boys!

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 Fabulous Day

What a fabulous day! Let me tell you all about it....

The little guy and I went to a new gym today just to check it out. After our brief tour he went one way and I went another. I hit the treadmill and then when I was just sitting down to do my regular routine with the weight machines my little guy appeared.


Little guy: "Come work out with me. I need a spotter."

Me: "Me? I'm too little to be your spotter."

Little guy: "Let's just try. Come on, let's go."


So with great reluctance, trepidation, and a considerable mumbling of protests, I followed.

And we did it. And it worked pretty well. I continued my undercurrent of negative commentary as he pushed and pushed and PUSHED me harder than I've been pushed in many years. And I was actually able to spot him effectively though he likely wasn't pushing himself as hard as he was pushing me...you know, for his safety and all.

So while he's promised me that my upper body will be really really sore in the morning, I'm super excited to go back tomorrow for the leg workout he's got in store for me.


Me: "I promise I won't gripe so much tomorrow."

Little guy: "Oh, you'll gripe. You'll have a lot to say about how sore you are." (Pretty darn sure he looked more than a little happy about this.)


I cannot wait!!! Really!

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!

Secret Admirer

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

I often see pigeons and small doves in the chicken yard. Now while they're likely there to take advantage of the plentiful feed, I have a suspicion that my girl, Phyllis, has a number of secret admirers. I mean, what's not to love? The girl is awesome!

I get it, wee little birds, I get 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!

My Phyllis

I hang out with my best girl, Phyllis, a lot. She's a fabulous Polish chicken for those of you who don't know. And while I hang out with her I can't help but imaging all of the adventures she has while I'm not at home. So...I decided to spend some time coming up with little things she might be up to and how she goofily spends her day.

And just to be difficult, I'm starting with a non-example. What I'm I quite sure that she's not doing while I'm at work?

Well, I'm quite sure she's not just sitting around watching flowers grow. Nope, that girl of mine is busy, busy, busy, of that there is no doubt.

Tune in for more!

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!

Looking the Other Way

My old cat, Pug, loves me. He really, really does. But since he's a cat with all the groovy cat characteristics, him sitting on the edge of the deck looking away from me while I sit at our umbrella table...well, I call that awesome together bonding time.

I'm absolutely positive that he feels the exact same way.

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 Backyard Whodunnit

We've had four eggs laid by our chicken(s). And it is fabulous! But the mystery of which chicken is laying them has been driving us a bit nuts. We knew that it couldn't have been Red. Her eggs are expected to be brown and the eggs we've been finding have been white. So that left Phyllis and Fuzzy as possible layers. Hmmmmmm....

But this afternoon the most amazing and wonderful thing EVER happened. I was outside in our chickens' yard giving them cottage cheese and grass. They were super duper happy, munching, munching, munching. All of a sudden one of them ran behind the air conditioner, faced the corner where two walls meet, and started doing very strange movements. Now I've seen my chickens do a lot of strange movements, but nothing like this, so of course I got myself in a good spot to watch.

And lo and behold, a couple of minutes later an egg popped out. A beautiful, perfect, and amazingly oval egg!


Me: "Phyllis! You are awesome! Thank you!"

Phyllis: "Whatever, I'm going back to eat some more."


And that amazing girl of mine scampered back to the food and I retrieved my prize.


Woo hoo! Mystery solved!

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!

That Chicken Look

I walked out to our chickens' yard holding a bowl of goodies. They eagerly ran up to me clearly expecting cottage cheese or at least some yummy seeds. So when I put the bowl of fresh organic green beans down for them they gave me the same look that my kids used to when I'd give them green beans.


Chickens: "Um, really? This is what we ran over here for?"


But being chickens they went ahead and ate it...unlike my kids.



I was looking at Juliet Crane's work on Pinterest and found myself inspired to take a left-handed stab at painting my chickens.

 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!

Rolling Roly Poly

Sometimes random thoughts...they just show up outa nowhere. Seriously, that's my only explanation for this.

I was just sitting here wondering what happens to a roly poly if it loses the functioning of some of its many, many legs. Well, I thought, of course it would need to have a wheel to replace the troublesome limbs.

And then it would be a rolling roly poly.

Ya, I dunno, I didn't get much sleep last night...but I must admit I'm rather in love with this little dude!

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!