Nothing is ever just Black and White

I started this piece by closing my eyes and doodling on a canvas with charcoal. When I opened my eyes I saw so many things in those lines and squiggles. I took a photo and posted it on facebook positioned four different ways (see below) and I was delighted to see that my friends saw many things in the doodle as well. What fun!

I decided I liked this positioning best.

"Nothing is ever just Black and White"

8"x8"

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.

Be a Warrior

"There is nothing more beautiful than a warrior woman standing in her power, courage, and confidence. From this place of strength, she is capable of loving the world in a way that transforms pain into promise...and hell into heaven."
-Debbie Ford

"Be a Warrior"

12"x12"

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.

Tree of Life 2

"Storms make trees take deeper roots."

Dolly Parton

"Tree of Life 2"

Through September 15, I will be donating 50% of all of my original art sales to the those affected by Hurricane Harvey. Here is the link to my online gallery. 

 https://www.dailypaintworks.com/Artists/kali-parsons-3935

Click on "Available" to see my available work. If you're in Austin leave a comment if you'd like to purchase something...there's no need for you to pay the shipping costs if you can pick it up at my place. Thank you for supporting my fundraising efforts!!! 

 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.

Tree of Life 1

I was inspired by someone very dear to me to create a Tree of Life piece. This tiny piece is the first in what I hope will be a series. I'm adding a "1" to the title to further ensure that there will be more to come.

I am loving creating tiny pieces alongside the larger pieces I'm doing. I can't say enough about how amazing it is as an artist to complete a piece. While I am totally a process person, blissfully enjoying the journey of creating, coming to completion is icing on a delicious cake. Completion means I get to send the piece onto its next home AND I get to start another piece. Such fun!

"Tree of Life 1"

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.

Paths Connected

Looking at this piece I thought of a dear friend of mine. I just put it in an envelope and this morning it will begin its journey her way. I'm so grateful that our paths connected many years ago. What a wonderful gift friendship is.

This was sketched with my eyes closed and then later I added some thickness to some lines and then I added watercolor.

"Paths Connected"

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.

Jaz

I had a bit of an artistic block during this painting. It was on my easel for about two weeks. I stared at her many different times on different days and found myself walking away...until one day when it all seemed to start coming together. Love when that happens.

And a wonderful friend and fellow artist called her "Jaz" as I had reflected that I hadn't been feeling very jazzed during my block. Love that name dearly!

"Jaz"

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.

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

For...

I painted this for someone very dear to me.
It's infused with much love and well wishes.

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.

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

Empathy Feather

I love painting feathers. When I first started on this art adventure almost five years ago, flowers and feathers were my "go to" subject. And while I'd taken a whimsical approach to many of my flowers, I hadn't gone there with feathers. Love, love, love getting my whimsy on!

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.

 

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

 

Validation of Good Parenting

Know how I know I've done a good job being a parent?  Well, I'll tell ya. 


My little guy was in the kitchen singing the awesome tune from the "Star Wars" cantina scene...over and over again. 

Clearly he's been exposed to the most important things in life.


If I drag out all my old action figures I be he'd be willing to recreate the scene with me...gonna go get 'em now!

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!

Twin Sisters

This afternoon we took Hazel, our big dog, to meet her sister.  They hadn't seen each other since they were about two months old.  And there's a pretty darn cool, small world story behind all of this.

Dave, as is his style with new family dogs, showed up one evening with the cutest ball of black fur ever (and to be totally honest here, we had talked about getting another dog at some point, just not when).  I was instantly in love, of course, and proceeded to take tons of photos of this sweet little one and put them on facebook.  Not long after that, a friend from high school was posting very similar photos of her new puppy, and she sent me a message wondering where we had gotten ours.

And sure 'nuf, her mother-in-law and my husband had gotten puppies from the exact same litter and those dogs ended up in our homes.

So today my little guy and I drove out to her place to get the girls together.  And they were instant best friends.  Who knows if they remembered each other or not, but they were gleeful to be in each other's presence.

LOVE this small world!!

Click here to purchase this piece.

 

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

Rockin' Old Lady

I saw the cutest thing ever today.

I was driving through my parents' neighborhood today and there was an old woman walking on the sidewalk.  She was shuffling along in what looked like the classic old lady SAS shoes.  Her white socks were scrunched at her ankles.  Her long tiered baggy jean skirt swayed just a bit to and just a bit fro.  Her floral blouse was rockin' every color of the rainbow.  And her vest hugged her rounded sides.


Me:  "Aw, check her out.  She's slow, but she keeps on truckin'."

Little guy as we passed her:  "She's slow because she's texting, mom."

Me:  "Wow!  She walks faster than I do when I'm texting."


So, rock on technologically awesome little old lady!!  Rock on!

Click here to purchase this piece.

 

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

Matchy Matchy

This morning the little guy and I were in line at the grocery store.  We were behind a friendly guy.  A really friendly guy.  The kind of guy that goes on ahead and yammers it up with the customers behind him.  My kind of guy!

So we yammered on and on...and then I noticed something.  That friendly guy had on the exact same pair of shoes I'd bought for my little guy two days ago and my little guy was wearing them.  And that guy had on a gray shirt, just like my little guy had on.


Me:  "Hey, you guys are matchy matchy today!"

Friendly guy:  "Well, look at that."

Little guy:  "Oh, yeah."

Friendly guy:  "We called each other this morning."


And then the friendly guy left.


Little guy:  "Wow, he was sure friendly."

 Click here to purchase this piece.

 

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

Baubles and Beads

This past week my special education team has had a fabulous fundraiser.  Every year we collect a ton of donated used jewelry and then sell it for hardly anything and kiddos can purchase a little something for their moms (or anyone else) on Mother's Day.  I say "a little something" but it's often a BIG something.  I will forever be in awe of what kids think will be absolutely beautiful on their moms.

What did my own children buy for me at this same sale many years ago?  Well, my little guy thought anything with magnetic clasps were the absolute coolest, so I received a number of those.  My big guy was all about the ocean...clam shell earrings, puka shell necklaces.  And I absolutely loved them all.

And I'm betting come Sunday a lot of moms in the neighborhood will be sporting some fabulous "new" bling.  I love it!

Click here to purchase this painting.

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

False Alarm

You know that moment when you hear your kid moaning and groaning in the other room and you get up and dash in there worried that something is terribly wrong...

...and it turns out he's just watching videos of men being hit accidentally or on purpose in that spot where men really, really don't like to be hit?


Well, I do.  And I think my fifteen-year-old will be hearing some version of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" as a bedtime story tonight.

 Click here to check out my gallery.

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

Doodling with Daddy

Dave and I were out having dinner at a coffee shop/restaurant kind of place.  And while he and I debated whether Darth Vader did or did not say, "Luke, I am your father" (he did of course, Dave thought he said "I am not your father"...um, no, I was right), at the next table over there was a bespectacled little girl about six years old sitting at a table with her dad...and they were both doodling...and talking...and doodling.

It was pure delight!

Click here to purchase this painting.

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

Side Dish Delight

I figure folks must think my kids have the worst diet ever.  The thing is, every time I'm asked to bring a "side dish" to a potluck, I bring cookies.  What does my kid have to say about this?


Little guy:  "Yeah, they probably wonder...but I like your cooking."


Kid tested.

Kid approved.

Click here to purchase this painting.

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

P.S.  Just a reminder...all of my original paintings are 50% off to celebrate my 1000 paintings in 1000 days! Through 4/21 (my birthday)!  Message me the ones you'd like and I'll adjust the price (I can't do a blanket markdown on the site, unfortunately). Thanks!!! http://www.dailypaintworks.com/Artists/kali-parsons-3935

Out of the Night

Seriously, I've managed to pack two symbolic events into about five hours.

Dave and I woke up at 2:00 AM to see the beauty that is a blood moon.  It was amazing...but sleepy girl that I was, I got up, saw it, and crawled right back into bed.  Dave, trooper that he is, stayed up taking seriously amazing photos, all the while freezing his buns off.  So of course, as soon as he got back into bed he snuggled up to me.  That was great.  Then put his sub-zero feet on me.  That was not so great.

And then before I knew it, my alarm went off and it was time to get up for real.  I did my morning stumble around routine and began to cook my breakfast.  And lo and behold, the first egg I cracked had a double yolk.

I dare not go on too much of a symbolism quest as one never knows what will be found.  But to my eyes and mouth, I saw something amazing and beautiful and I tasted something quite delicious.

Click here to purchase this painting.

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

For the Love of Fun

I've been all sorts of moms over the years.  A soccer mom (yes, I did have a minivan at the time).  A football mom.  A track mom.  A wrestling mom.  But I have to say that my favorite thus far is being a rocket mom.  And it's a very good thing that it's my favorite as it's the only one that isn't defined by seasons or years.  It's not even defined by something as simple as a match or a game, by quarters or halves, or anything.  It's the activity that goes on and on and on.  And it has.  For years now.  And it is SO MUCH FUN!

So you know how they're always saying it's not, but it turns out it really is rocket science.  Fun, that is.

Click here to purchase this painting.

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

Weirdness

Anonymous child of mine:  "Why are you being so weird?"

Me:  "What do you mean?  I'm always weird."

Anonymous child of mine:  "No you're not.  Dad is."


I'm not sure if I'm proud or if I feel I've been dethroned.

Click here to purchase this painting.

The Wait

Me:  "Oh, yay...just in time for the red light," I proclaimed, rather sarcastically, as we approached one of those intersections whose light sequence has you waiting for about five minutes if you get there at just the right time.

Little guy:  "'Yay'?"


And then the scrappiest little grackel flew in front of my car, landed on the crosswalk, and proceeded to walk all the way across the street.  On the crosswalk!


Me:  "That was the coolest thing ever!"

Little guy:  "That was awesome!"


And we just sat there in awe, smiling broadly, looking at the most charming little bird ever.


So, yes, YAY!

Click here to purchase this painting.

Thanks for "liking" my blog posts!!