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.

Joyful

Layers upon layers upon layers. This was a wonderful revisiting of the whimsical style I first fell in love with. Such joy!

 Click here to view my gallery 

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

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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 Rae Missigman).

Finding my Bliss

I confess, this one was selfie inspired. I printed the photo I took, adhered it to my canvas, let it dry, then rewet it and took off all the paper...just the ink was left behind. Then I went all fun, wild, and graffiti crazy. Such a blast!

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

"Finding my Bliss"

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.

Collaboration

My husband and I have collaborated on creative things before. Our big and little guys are our most fabulous collaborations, of course. And then we remodeled our kitchen almost entirely on our own. But for the first time in my four-and-a-half years of painting he and I collaborated on a piece. I'd paint a bit, then he'd paint a bit, then I'd do it again, and on and on. It was super fun and we were pretty fearless about painting over and adding to each other's work. I ended up signing it as I did the last layer, but seriously, I should chase down his signature as well.

This painting is part of a year-long online art class (instructor Annie Hammon). The instructions were to have a child work with you, but I used Dave. It's OK, he's a total kid at heart.

"Collaboration"

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.

Undercover

I've been surrounded by the common cold lately. The kids have had it and Dave has had it. So far, I've managed to avoid the cooties. My secret? Wash my hands about a thousand times a day and sleep completely under the covers.

Little guy: "Better not dutch over yourself, mom."

My kid...always looking out for 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!

Three Times the Love

So here was the little guy's plan for tonight.


5:30 - Workout at the gym with mom.

6:30 - Go shopping a the thrift store.

7:00 - Go back to the gym for a second workout.

8:00 - Go to Target.

8:30 - Go back to the gym for, yes, a third workout.


Now while the kid gets major points for both working out with his mom (me) and for wanting to go thrifting, I'm choosing to be a total spoil sport and here is the plan that I say I'm willing to do.


6:30 - Go shopping at the thrift store.

7:30 - Workout at the gym with mom.


Little guy: "OK, I think a light workout is good tonight."


An hour workout is a "light" workout. Being 48 is so different than being 16.

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!

Love...

My dog...well, she's simply the best!

My family has this obsession with trying to scare me. They get great joy out of it and I've blogged about it many times. Well, the other day Hazel was sitting near me being all super cute and stuff. Unbeknownst to me, Dave was circling behind me deviously preparing to scare the daylights outa me. But Hazel, my hero, was totally on to his mischief and she let out a teeny tiny warning growl.

Ha! Foiled again, Dave!

Puppy love....


This was a commissioned piece and will be a wedding gift for someone. I'm beyond honored!

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!

Love and Wisdom

My big guy turned twenty yesterday. It was a rather lovely pairing having my first born's birthday occur on Mother's Day. I'm usually not one to go in for celebrating that holiday, but celebrating the birth of my kid...well, that's the best way to celebrate being a mother.

And I celebrate all that he has been, all that he is, and all that he will be. Love you, kiddo!


This was a special request from my open studio tour over the weekend. Hoooooo knew that owls were so popular?

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!

Houses of Love

I make mom threats. It's true. And a lot of them are empty. You know how it goes. And here is one of my biggest ones.


Me: "You need to put all your clean clothes in drawers, not on the floor or in a pile on top of the chest, or I'm going to stop doing your laundry!!!"


And their clean clothes just kept right on not being in their drawers and I kept right on cleaning 'em.


But something has happened lately. My big guy has started doing all of his own laundry. And it's not like he's just throwing it in the washer and leaving it there (instead of not in his drawers) for days on end. Nope, he's staying on top of it, switching it to the dryer, and then taking it to his room. It's awesome!

Now just when I'm starting to think, "Hey, responsible wonderful kid, stay a while longer," he's getting set to move out.

And the words, "I'm not going to come home to do my laundry because I'll have machines in my apartment," make me just a bit misty.

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

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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.

 

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How do you spell "Happy"?

There have been a rash of chess game requests at my house lately.

OK, to be totally honest, I don't like playing chess. I know how to play, I've known since I was a kid, but when I tune into my feelings...well, the inner me says, "uh-uh". I'm much more of a Scrabble girl. Now that game makes me feel good (almost every time).

But even though I made it perfectly clear to my family that I don't like the game, each of them managed to convince me to play them. So I did, under duress.

I played the big guy...I won.

Then I played Dave...I won.

Lastly the little guy...you got it, I won.


But this chess-winnin' girl just wanted to play Scrabble.


Me: "Will you play Scrabble with me?"

Little guy: "Sure."


And we played. And he won his first game ever against one of his parents. And I was so happy!

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

 

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Up All Night

I'm am so not a night owl.

But the Austin allergies have forced their hand and brought out my inner night owl. Well, at least my inner sneezing-all-night owl.

I get ready for bed...I'm fine.

I fall asleep...I'm fine.

1:00 a.m. rolls around...AAAAA-CHOOOOO!

1:30...AAAAA-CHOOOOO! AAAAA-CHOOOOO! AAAAA-CHOOOOO! AAAAA-CHOOOOO! AAAAA-CHOOOOO! AAAAA-CHOOOOO! AAAAA-CHOOOOO! AAAAA-CHOOOOO!

2:00...AAAAA-CHOOOOO! AAAAA-CHOOOOO! AAAAA-CHOOOOO!

2:01...Dave says, "Blow your nose."

2:02...PBBBBBB! (That's the sound of my nose being blown.)

2:03...Me, "Whew, thanks."

2:30...AAAAA-CHOOOOO! AAAAA-CHOOOOO! AAAAA-CHOOOOO! AAAAA-CHOOOOO! AAAAA-CHOOOOO!

3:00...AAAAA-CHOOOOO! AAAAA-CHOOOOO! AAAAA-CHOOOOO!

4:00...AAAAA-CHOOOOO! AAAAA-CHOOOOO! AAAAA-CHOOOOO! AAAAA-CHOOOOO!

5:30..."beep, beep, beep, beep" goes my alarm.


And this sneezing-all-night owl wishes for the luxury of all day sleep that nocturnal animals are given. PBBBBBB!

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!

Bandanna Love

Bandannas.

They might not play a huge role in your home, but at the Parsons' house...they're superstars.

How many ways can we use a bandanna? Well, here's ten just off the top of my head.


1. as a cloth napkin
2. to blow a nose
3. outfits for our dogs
4. a tool to attempt to control my hair
5. a mask when we're working with sawdust, etc.
6. a spill sopper upper
7. a potholder when doubled up
8. a dust cloth
9. something to "whip" your brother with

and our dogs' favorite...
10. a chew toy


Bandannas...I highly recommend them.

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!

Love...

We've been doing a lot of clearing out lately. And in the process of clearing things out it became clear that some things were definitely not on the "clear out" list.


Little guy: "What the heck is this?"

Dave: "It's a typewriter."


And the "antique" from the 80s was carefully placed upon a high shelf where it will live out its life as an unused, yet loved and appreciated part of our past.

 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!

Love and Light

We've got lovely family joining us for the next couple of days, and for the first time in years we don't have a tree to decorate. I didn't even drag our porch plant in and put lights on it like I usually do. My inner voice just kept shouting...

"No tree, no tree, no tree!"

So "no tree" it is. Instead, this year I just tacked strings of colorful lights up, down, and all around on our living room walls.


Perfection!

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!

Up

My little guy, who is now sixteen, is growing up.


The last two days have been spent totally cleaning his bedroom. He got rid of so many things...basically an entire childhood's worth.

- almost all of the trophies he's won.
- his well loved and worn out Scooby and Shaggy.
- so, so, so many candy and other food wrappers.
- the DVDs he watched countless times.
- a small baseball glove and other sports equipment.
- the poster of "Uranus" he made in elementary school...still can't say "Uranus" without giggling.
- and one very shriveled apple core.


But thankfully the little kid is still in there because these happily remain.

- a big bin of Legos.
- a bin of Star Wars action figures (from my childhood).
- a poster with every imaginable super hero.


So glad he still embraces the little guy within.

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!

Surrounded by Love

Last weekend I attended a reception at a gallery where some of my art is on display. It was incredibly wonderful. The most delightful folks were there...other artists (my mom among them) and folks that appreciated art (my husband among them). It was positively blissful to be in a space filled with such a love for art.

Honored, humbled, and deeply grateful....

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!

Tangled with Me

It finally happened.

One of my family members paid the price for scaring me. The thing is, my family loves to scare me.  They do it all the time. Hiding in the closet and jumping out at me...standing in the shower and yelling when I enter the dark bathroom...and standing right behind or beside me just waiting, waiting, to be noticed.

Well, poor Dave did the last of those just a couple nights ago, and I'd like to think he's lived to regret it. You see, it turns out that if someone comes up beside me while I've got my headphones on and I'm watching something scary on Netflix, and they just stand there super close waiting to be noticed, well, when I notice them I scream and start slapping them something silly.

Not my fault. I accept no responsibility. Though I do feel a bit guilty for the red hand print I left on him. But just a little bit.

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 Wee Little Bit of Home Improvement...Kali Style

Because drawing, painting, and glittering flowers by day isn't enough for me (I've been doing this, here...check it out!), and because my family is super cool about me turning parts of our house into a canvas...well, I painted a door in our hallway.

I keep threatening offering to paint my teenage boys' doors, too, but thus far they've turned me down. Ya, I don't get it either.

While I'm not selling this door, you might be able to talk me into painting one of your doors.

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!