Adorned with Love

I have clear teenage memories of hugging a cow at the base of the Alps and having an incredible connection and being filled with so much love. I imagine that were I a cow who got to live out my days blissfully eating grass and laying around under a big shade tree that I would be incredibly honored to have my skull painted when I no longer roamed the Earth.

"Adorned with Love"

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My original paintings are available in my online gallery.

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

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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!

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

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Funny? Hmmmmmmm...

I'm constantly forgetting what I said.  Such is the case from last night.  I cracked what I was convinced was a really funny joke.  But my audience did not share my enthusiasm.  Decidedly did not.


Little guy:  "That's worse than a bad joke...that's a dad joke."


Wow.  That is bad. 

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A Little Morning Pleasure and Pain

I got up early this morning and staggered out to the living room...it's how I roll at 6:00 AM on a Saturday.  Hazel, my sweet dog and one of my best friends ever, zoomed by me with great gusto.  And then she proceeded to wag her tail with such happiness and vigor in celebration of the brand new day...only thing was, my right leg was in the path of her happy vigorous tail and as a result of her pure bliss I'm now sporting two bright red tail-shaped welts.

Ah, pleasure and pain...but I do so love that girl's enthusiasm!

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The Journey

I save critters.  A lot of them.  Everything from ants to cockroaches (yes, but only a few) to baby squirrels, to baby possums, to cats and dogs.  I'm a bit of an Ellie Mae Clampett.  I like that about me.

The other day when I was driving through Zilker Park I spied a turtle on the side of the road.  I had a few thoughts go through my head, and they went like this:


"Oh, little turtle, don't try to cross the street."

"Oh, gee, if I stop I'll be super late to where I'm going."

"You're going to hate yourself if you don't go back."

"OK, OK, I'm looping around."


All that dialogue took about ten seconds and I was to the spot where I could loop around.  And I did.  I pulled past the turtle, got out of my car, and walked back to where it was...exactly where I'd seen it.  I was hopeful as I approached, but as I got to it it was clear that it had already been mortally wounded, long before I'd first passed.

As it was positioned just a foot or so off of the road I decided that being right near the road while cars zoomed past while baking in the heat was just too awful.  I picked this beautiful creature up and carried it down to a quiet spot near some water.  It was already dead so perhaps there was no point, but I told the red slider what a lovely creature it was and wished it well on its journey. 

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