Flow

Those who flow as life flows

know they need no other force. 

-Lao Tzu

"Flow"

The drips flow off the sides...and I signed it on the side, too.

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.

Her Soul Wept

"Her Soul Wept"

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.

Please click the links below to share my blog.
I'd love to hear from you...feel free to leave me a comment.

"She is Stardust" Part 6

Our little cat, Tommy, has taken to hanging out in our basket of cloth napkins when he naps...which is a lot. I saw that Michael's had baskets on sale so I dashed over and bought a couple of them figuring that our big cat, Pug, would want one, too. I purchased two rectangular baskets that were bigger than our napkin basket, and I set them on the table with a soft towel in each and waited.

Pug was the first to check them out and soon he was snoozing. Tommy, on the other hand, thought I'd brought in something made of pure evil and he'd have absolutely nothing to do with it.

We kept putting Tommy in a basket and scratching and petting him just like he likes, but as soon as we stopped he'd waste no time getting outa the basket.

I even tried lining the new basket with napkins thinking that would work. But, no.

So now our napkins live in a big basket and we've officially given Tommy the smaller, formerly napkin holding, basket.


I finished working on this painting. I was so close to being finished last night, I just ran out of time. Here it is.

"She is Stardust"

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.

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"She is Stardust" Part 5

I don't do resolutions. I figure if I want to change a behavior or adopt a new one that that very day is the perfect time to start. So when I'm asked what my resolutions are, which I always am, I come up blank. But today when I was visiting my mom she came up with a new way of asking generally the same thing. "Do you have any big plans for next year?" Or something like that, anyway. I was super excited to say that I am about to start a year long online art class. There will be fifty-two lessons by a number of amazing artist teachers. Each Monday a new class will be released. I'm so looking forward to sharing my creations.


I continued working on this piece. It was a super busy day and I've got plans this evening so I had to stop before I completely finished. I'm on the cusp of being done.

Happy New Year, everyone! And thank you for joining me on my art journey! More fun and whimsy to come!

I painted another layer of black on the background.

I added some white highlights on her right
side. I also added a halo to the stars. I realized
that with the addition of the stars on her right
I needed to change which side of her face was
in shadow so I worked on that as well.

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.

"She is Stardust" Part 4

Today in the car...


Little guy: "You never hang up your phone at the end of a conversation."

Me: "I know, I just set my phone down."

Little guy: "Sometimes I listen for a while."

Me: "Is it interesting?"

Little guy: "No, you're boring."



I continued working on this painting.

I painted her pupils and sketched
stars in the sky behind her.

I painted her top. I think it will need further
work and additional details for sure.

I chose pink for her hair. I like the way
the background shows through.

I painted a first layer on the background.

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.

"She is Stardust" Part 3

It's finally been cold here. Pretty nice after it being near 80º last week. So what did we decide to do when it was super chilly last night? Go out for ice cream, of course. The guys went traditional, going chocolate and vanilla, but me, I went for the delicious vegan lemon coconut. Mmmmmmm!!! Anyway, while I was sitting there minding my own business whilst downing my ice cream, my little guy went hoodie digging. And since I was layered and since I love hoodies, the kid was in luck. Snip, snap...I was wearing one beanie and three hoods.

Cozy!


I continued working on this painting today.

I painted another layer on her face and neck.

I painted a darker layer.

I added highlights and redrew
all of her features and outlines.

I painted her irises and lips. I used
a bit of the lip color on her cheek.

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.

"She is Stardust" Part 2

Animal magnetism...yeah, this girl's got it. And my powers have gotten even stronger with this cold snap. Here's how my night's sleep goes. I wake up covered in critters. Literally covered. Hazel is on my legs, Pug is on my chest, and Tommy is half on and half off of my hip. I can barely move. But I manage to wiggle free and the critters briefly stand, and as soon as I've turned onto my other side...SNAP! My animal magnetism kicks in and they're stuck on top of me again.

It's very annoying...but I love it!

I continue working on this painting. 

I used watery yellow to paint over the
background. I'm not sure if it'll stay that way,
likely not. I love layering!

I lay down a layer of skin tone on her face
and neck. I also further defined the lines
of the figure.

I lay down a darker layer on her face and
neck. I also redrew her features and
painted the whites of her eyes.
She's starting to come to life!

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.

"She is Stardust" Part 1

I had a totally different plan for an art project today. Here's what I'd planned on doing. I'd bought a cute canvas bag and I had every intention of going all crazy and painting. After staring at it seemingly endlessly last night I decided that I'd dye it light gray and then paint it with white and black. But this morning as I was stirring it in the dye filled sink I started loving the color it was becoming. This sort of thing happens to me all the time. I fall in love with backgrounds and have the hardest time painting over them. But, hey, a gray handbag...yay! So I'll love it for a while and when it lets me know it's ready for a facelift I'll get right on it.


So for now, I started in on this painting.

I had leftover paint from painting my apron
so I used it to lay down a background.
Waste not want not, after all.

I sketched out the beginnings of a figure.

I decided that I didn't want her to have a raised
arm so I erased it. I also added hair.

I painted a layer of white where her skin is
so that I'll be able to start laying down color.

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.

A Little Drippy

I got my hair cut today. It was awesome as always, but today there was an added bonus. I was in a chair by the front window of the salon and I tell you what, I was pretty much on exhibition. You know, like a fish in a fish bowl. Totally aware of this, I caught my reflection in the mirror, all drowned rat looking from my shampooing and oh, so pale from lack of sun exposure, and went, "Sigh...."

And then I was turned in the chair toward the window. A fella kindly gave me a thumbs up and several folks waved as they strolled by. I felt like I should've done a trick, a flip, jazz hands, something, but the kind folks of Austin had to settle for stationary, drippy, pasty me.

Love my super friendly and accepting town.

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

 

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Black and Blue Dreams

About two weeks ago I slammed my pointer in the door.  OK, slammed is likely an exaggeration.  Firmly closed it on my finger is more accurate.  In any case, I saw some serious stars.  But what's wacky is this.  For about a microsecond I indulged in what can only be called a pity party.  But after that, I actually got excited.  Yes, excited. 

I was super excited that maybe, just maybe, I'd finally have one of those black and blue fingernail bruises that all the cool construction workers have.  Yeah, I dunno...I'm weird like that.

I watched and waited, waited and watched, and watched and waited some more all the way till the next day.  And only a faint white line appeared.  What?!?!  All that pain and all I got was a faint white line?

Jeepers.

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!

Skort Love

I love skorts.  I've been a fan for a long time...even though it wasn't until my adulthood that I finally got some.  And what makes me love the so much is the "just in case" factor. 

One of my clearest memories from my childhood is when I had a Bluebird meeting at my house when I was in first or second grade.  We were all playing in my backyard on my swing set/jungle gym.  I, likely wanting to show off a bit, stood atop the structure and took a great leap.  Back then I was apt to jump off of most anything, a trait I've lost as I've aged.  Our roof was my favorite...and, by the way, holding an umbrella whilst jumping off of a one story building does not, in fact, slow you down even one little bit.  Anyway, I jumped off of the jungle gym and somehow my skirt's hem caught on a bolt.  And there I swung, back and forth, back and forth, will my ruffly panties in full view of all my friends.  Had I been wearing a skort...sigh, perhaps my life would have been totally different from then on....

Anyway, when I was in college I discovered skorts and I was officially in love.  And now, as a teacher, they're my "go to" option. 

But something happened over the weekend that full on hammered it home for me just how rockin' skorts are.  The kid and I had parked in a parking garage and were walking down an external stairway.  There was a building adjacent to the garage and the wind whipped through like some kind of crazy.  Anyway, my skirt flew all the way up and flattened itself against my stomach.  But since I had those awesome built in shorts on underneath, the day was saved.  And there were about a dozen people that saw the whole thing.

Thankfully no one, including myself, had to be traumatized by the event.  Skort love...you betcha!

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!

Locked Out

It's a funny thing when something you've taught your children to do comes around and bites ya.

I'm an auto locker by nature.  It's just who I am.  When I get home I lock the door.  When I get out of my car I lock my doors.  And I've spent many years training my family (not auto lockers by nature) to lock doors. 

Well, what's been happening a lot lately is we'll be outside with the chickens and one of my family members will go in before I'm ready to leave.  So when I am ready to go in, I'm utterly and completely locked out of my house...because, darn it, those guys of mine have truly internalized my locking lessons.

Do I complain?  Nope...but I do bang on the door loudly.

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!

Downward Flow

OK, heads up, this blog post is kind of nasty.  Not inappropriate nasty or anything like that.  Just nasty.  That's all.

The little guy and I were at the store today.  I happened to see a display of those amazing little pies they used to sell in the 70s.  The ones with the pastry outside and the awesome chocolate pudding ones were my favorite.  And there was one right there.

Being the great, health conscious mom I am, I insisted that I get one for my kid.  He didn't argue with me.

Once in the car he tore the package open, took a bite and said, "Hmmmm, there wasn't any chocolate in that bite.

Me:  "Take another bite.  You're gonna love it!"  And he bit it.

Little guy:  "This is not good mom."

Me:  "What?!?!"  I looked at the pudding insides of that tasty treat and I swear it must've been on that shelf since the 70s.

He rolled down his window and spit the chewed up bite out.  Now, my kid is amazing at so many things.  He's an amazing athlete, can ride a unicycle like it's nothin', can design and shoot spectacular rockets, but the kid cannot spit any distance to save his life.  So...yup...that chewed up bite went straight down instead of forward and landed on my car door...and proceeded to ever so slowly ooze its way down, down, down.

Me:  "That's going to be really disgusting if it flies off of my car and hits another one."

Little guy beaming:  "They'll just think it was a really big bird."

I love how he can take something that tasted horrible and make it something positive in his eyes.

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More Psychic than I Wanna Be

I'm pretty close to my kids.  No doubt.  Many, many years of mostly relationship building stuff and here we are.  But sometimes we're just a little too close.  As in psychically close.

The big guy was heading out to meet someone about some potential work.  I was in the kitchen when he came to the bar to talk to me.  I looked at him as he sat on a stool.


Me:  "You look nice."

Big guy:  "You can only see a little of me, mom."  Ya, it's hard to give the guy a compliment.

Me:  "Well, from what I do see, you look nice.  Except you better zip up your fly."


Now, could I see anything on him below his chest?  Nope.

Was his fly indeed open?  Yup.

Did we get just a tad freaked out?  You bet.

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My Old Dog Rocks!

Feeling great love for our old lady, Scout.  Ya know, if someone came up to me, seemingly randomly, and pried my mouth open and shoved a pill down my throat and then acted like I should be just fine with it, well, they'd have another thing coming.

But Scout?  She just looks up at me with love and adoration in her eye (she only has one good one left).  "Mama loves me!"

And she's right.

Sweetest old dog ever.

Click here to purchase this painting.

Missing one of Life's Little Pleasures

Life is filled with a myriad of wonderful things, big and small.  You know, like the sun setting, or a flock of birds taking off in unison and swooping overhead.  Stuff like that.  I get my fill, I really do.

...but I've noticed lately that I am missing one of my small simple pleasures.  Something used to avail itself about once a month, perhaps more, sometimes at home, sometimes not.  I'm missing bubble wrap.  I've said it.  Yes, this ridiculously over-the-top veggie eating, recycling junky of a chick misses one of the most wasteful things out there...bubble wrap.  I don't care if it's the big kind or the small kind.  I simply enjoy singling out one bubble and giving it a good hard squeeze till it emits that most satisfying sound, "POP!"

I don't know where the old bubble wrap has gone.  I'm sure it's gone the way of the dinosaur in some effort to save trees, which is awesome, of course.  From what I can tell it's been replaced by big bags of air (not nearly so satisfying to pop) or this weird deceptive bubblish wrap that lets you squeeze one cell...but the air just moves to another, denying the squeezer of the pleasurable "POP!"

Sigh....

OK, complaint registered.

Now accepting donations of vintage bubble wrap.

Click here to purchase this painting.