Dani and My Billy

I was commissioned to paint a precious girl and her wonderful uncle. It is always such an honor to capture a special moment in time. I'm reminded of the photography my mom did throughout my childhood. The slogan for her business was "Memorable moments make meaningful keepsakes". I think that pretty much sums it up.

"Dani and My Billy"

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

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Skeptical Dave - Part 2

Our little cat, Tommy, has apparently adopted a catch and release policy. OK, so "adopted" is a strong word for it. "Forced into it" is more like it. Yesterday morning he ran in the cat door with a bird in his mouth. He ran straight in the bathroom and I was right behind him. He jumped into the bathtub and dropped the bird as I picked him up. He was not amused. I closed the bird in the bathroom, took Tommy outside, and then locked the cat door so he couldn't get back in. It took me about fifteen minutes to convince that bird to fly out the bathroom window. Whew!

I went to let Tommy back in and he immediately ran in with a different bird. I grabbed him again, he released again, and out Tommy went. This time a bird was flying all around our living room. Dave reminded me that we have a bird net in the back yard. I didn't have any luck catching it, but Dave finally did...with his bare hands! He has another super power to add to his list!

Pretty sure we need to bell that darn cat!


Now on to my finished painting. I'm happy to report that Dave likes it! He was even willing to pose with it...see the photo at the bottom.

"Skeptical Dave"

I added color to his face and a lot of details.

I changed the skin tone

I darkened the ski cap.

Current, real, older Skeptical Dave with
years old, painted, younger Skeptical Dave.

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.

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

I'm running a big sale on my paintings through the end of August. Almost everything in my gallery is 60% off. I'm only keeping my most current work (paintings on page 1) at the listed prices. If there's something you'd like, please let me know by message or comment so I can manually adjust the price. Thanks!!! http://www.dailypaintworks.com/artists/kali-parsons-3935/artwork

Skeptical Dave - Part 1

We all have super powers of some sort. My husband's? Well, among many other super powers he is able to raise one eyebrow at a time. This is something that I absolutely cannot do so I have always been in awe of his mad eyebrow skills. About six or so years ago this amazing super power was captured and I recently came across the image. And of course I had to paint it!

Now while I am in awe of his wonder brows, I'm also just the tiniest bit put off by them as well. Why? Because when he does it while he's looking at me he's communicating great skepticism of anything I might be talking about. Somehow I need to convince him that my super power is always being right. Yeah, that's the ticket!

Here's what I got done today.

I painted my canvas black and then
did a basic sketch with white.

I added some color. Now this, my friends,
is definitely an "ugly" stage. Sorry, Dave!

I began adding some details..eyes, shadows, hair.

Pretty sure Dave will have that same look when he sees what I've done so far. 

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.

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

I'm running a big sale on my paintings through the end of August. Almost everything in my gallery is 60% off. I'm only keeping my most current work (paintings on page 1) at the listed prices. If there's something you'd like, please let me know by message or comment so I can manually adjust the price. Thanks!!! http://www.dailypaintworks.com/artists/kali-parsons-3935/artwork

Duet - Part 2

So apparently I managed to be so caught up in my painting that I completely forgot to take pictures of the final stages. Ah, well.

Painting this one reminded me of the wonderful charm of adult/child duets. I loved playing duets with my own children, whether we were using piano, french horn, trumpet, guitar, or voice. There's just something so warm and wonderful about it. And I remember my brother and I as children playing duets with our parents as well. I wonder if I can still get my boys (now 16 and 20) to sing along with me while I play "Rainbow Connection" on the piano. 

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.

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

Duet - Part 1

My brother's family was in town recently and while they were here I snapped a photo of my brother and his daughter playing a duet on the piano. They were rockin' "Heart and Soul" and "Chopsticks". It was an absolutely precious moment. And somehow I've had a run of painting folks from behind. It's like I'm able to sneak up and capture a moment in time, totally on the sly, and sneak away leaving them none the wiser and unaffected by my presence.

I started with just the background.
Piano color at the bottom, wall color at the top.

I sketched in the elements of the scene.

I painted the elements white so I could add color.
I also darkened the wall color.

I moved the girl over because I wanted them touching.
I began adding color.

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.

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!

Same as it Ever Was

I was at the store the other day.


Cutie checker lady: "I love your hair!"

Me: "Oh, thanks. I just roll out of bed and settle for whatever it decides to do that day."

Adorable bagger dude: "I've had the same haircut since I was a kid."


And I absolutely believe him! He had the cutest little boy haircut on a man EVER!

Same as it ever was awesomeness....

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!

The Other Side

My right wrist has been hurting for a while so I figured I'd make lemons out of lemonade and take on a personal challenge. I decided to do a series of paintings with my left hand. I've done it before, though not for this reason. This is one of my prior lefty pieces and here is another. Interesting to me how sweet and childlike those pieces are...and how this one is so not.

I wonder what opposite hand creations reveal about us over time.


Look for more lefty pieces this week.

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!

No Shave November Fail

I've been actively participating in No Shave November.  Actually, now that I think about it, it's not an active thing at all.  Rather, I should say that I've been passively participating in No Shave November.  And things were going quite swimmingly until....


Me: "Those few long hairs on your face are getting pretty long, kid." Turns out that sixteen year old boys get random long hairs while all the other hairs just stay short, sweet, and delightfully prepubescent. 

Little guy: "You can trim them if you want," he said as he played a game on his phone.

Me: "OK."  And I did.

Little guy: "Wow, mom, serious No Shave November fail."

Me: "Ack! Why didn't you remind me?!?!"

Little guy: "I'm just joking, mom. You're the only one in the family doing the No Shave November thing."


Yeah, but gosh, somehow I feel like I just blew it.

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

 

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From Bad to Worse

I picked up the kid after a long sweaty game of football last night.  And I tell you what...the smell of his uniform that was filled with his sweat and the sweat of every other teenager on the field that he'd happened to bump into...Bad.

Yup, all the windows went down.

And then the amazingly strong smell of some poor rotting animal filled the car...Worse.


Serious olfactory overload.

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!

Texting Snafu

Sometimes texting your mom goes terribly wrong...


Little guy's text:  "When we go to California you should get me a sex was sh*t." (The "*" is my doing to keep this blog post Rated PG.)

Then, a second later:  "Shirt"

Me:  "Surf's up, typo man."


And my kid learned just how valuable the letter "r" is.  The shirt purchase is still up for debate.

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

 

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I Fell for It

My little guy was playing music for me in the car as is our routine.  I groove on it.  Then the non-radio version lyrics get to me (I'm old, you see), I turn it off with my steering wheel stereo controller, he turns it back on, lather, rinse, repeat. 


Me:  "I'm not a fan of that one."

Little guy:  "That's because it's 'up dog'."

Me:  "What's 'up dog'?"

Little guy:  "I can't believe you actually fell for it and said, 'What's up, dog?'"

Me:  "Ugh."

 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!

The Kid Makes me Wonder if Honesty is the Best Policy

The kid is always asking me why I talk to strangers.

Well, today the answer was, "Because you farted in the elevator, and it was really potent, and I thought that lady deserved to know what she was getting into."

And what did that lady stranger say?  "I'll be fine."


Can't say I didn't warn her.

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!

Me...Happy!

Sometimes I'm reminded of what a simple creature I am.  What did it take me to get super excited last night?  Well, I'll tell ya. 

Last night I was all set to floss my teeth when I realized that I didn't have to.  They'd already been flossed at the dentist's office.

And I was elated!!!


Yup, keepin' it (and me) simple.

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!