"Love"

"Some people care too much. I think it's called love."

-Winnie the Pooh

"Love"

Acrylic

Original available here for $20.

9"x3" on an upcycled canvas

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.

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Quick Sketch, Van Gogh Style

I've painted portraits of both of my children. Then this happened.


Little guy: "I think the one of me is better."

Me: "You do? Why?"

Little guy: "You had better material to work with."


Well, good to know my sweet kiddo's ego is intact.


As part of the art class I'm taking I did a sketch...Van Gogh style. I used ink which, it turns out, is most unforgiving. I'm so used to being able to just paint over something I don't like, so I had to just relax my way through this and accept anything I didn't care for. In spite of that I really, really enjoyed doing it. And check out all those patterns I was talking about in yesterday's blog! Love it!

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.

Pattern Bliss

I'm taking a painting class that has the students diving into the styles of some of the greatest artists of all time. We're starting with Vincent Van Gogh. I've forever loved his work and have really enjoyed looking super closely at his paintings. The patterns in them are mesmerizing. Today I both looked at his work and reproduced some of the patterns found in them. First with pen and then with a brush and india ink.

I adore patterns. I take great comfort in them. Makes me think of an awesome striped shirt I bought when I was in Salzburg as a teen...all glorious with its white, turquoise, and black pattern. Wish I still had it.

Van Gogh-esque Patterns

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.

My Heart Swells

I took my beautiful sister-in-law and my amazing niece and nephew to the airport today. Sniff...sniff....

As we drove my sister-in-law asked them what the high and low points of the trip were.


High point for my amazing nephew: "Playing with everyone."

Low point: "I don't think there was a low point."


High point for my amazing niece: "The ornament making party."

Low point: "Right now."


My heart swells with love and affection for them...till this summer, my sweets.

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!

And Sometimes I Draw with my Left Hand

I never know when it's coming, but when it does, it bubbles to the surface so fast, so furious, that all I can do is...well...switch hands.

And what happens for me is that it's like an instant access to my inner child.  Letting go of expectations, embracing the whimsy, doing something purely for the fun of it.

Bliss!

Click here to purchase this painting.

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

"Fun-knee!"

The elbow gets all the glory, attention...and pity.  We bonk it, we grab it and wince, and for some reason title the event with the word "funny".  Ya, it's so not.

Well this morning I found out that I have an additional "funny" spot.

I was all set to go work out and all that was left was putting on my shoes.  I picked a shoe up, raised my left leg, and WHAM!!!  My knee quite solidly hit the underside of our kitchen table.  I grabbed it.  I winced.  And I titled it, "fun-knee".


And then I looked at the shoe I was holding, and it was for my right foot, not my left.  Funny!

Click here to purchase this painting.

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

To Twerk or Not to Twerk

OK, so picture this (or not)...the kid and I in the car. Music is playing.  The beat is awesome.  I make a really bad attempt at twerking in my seat.  No small task seated, particularly for someone with no twerking ability even when she's upright.


My kid:  "Stop dancing."

Me:  "I'm twerking."

My kid:  "That's not twerking."

Me:  "You don't even know.  You can't twerk."

My kid:  "I can twerk, mom."

Me:  "Show me."

My kid:  "No"

Me:  "Teach me."

My kid:  "Twerking is an inappropriate thing to teach your mom.  And besides, no."

Me:  "Then teach me an appropriate mom/son dance."

My kid:  "Back to the 'besides, no,' mom."


With all the complaining he does I really figured he'd want to help me improve.

Click here to purchase this painting.

The Rebellious Name Game

I was a bit of a rebel many years ago.  I acted out.  My parents and teachers weren't amused.

Anyway, as part of that rebellion I was absolutely determined to keep my last name should I ever marry.  And at the age of twenty-five I did just that.

Now, some twenty-two years later for some reason I feel compelled to take my husband's name.  What makes the entire thing ridiculous is that my maiden name is exactly the same as my husband's last name.  So, yup, I'm Kali Parsons Parsons.

Seriously, I don't know how to reconcile all of this.  Ideas?


P.S. Don't call me "Mrs." Parsons...I'm still rebelling against that.  It's "Ms." Parsons, thank you very much. 

Click here to purchase this painting.

The Big Switch-a-Roo

I absolutely love my children's art work.  I have tons and tons of it.  Now I was picky about the art work I kept from school to avoid having to rent storage space to hold it all.  My basic rule was that if any part of it was created by a copy machine, I allowed myself to toss it in the recycling bin.

Anyway, I've got several of their awesome ceramic works around the house.  Some decorative, some useful.  The other day I was admiring one that must have been from around first or second grade.  I turned it in my hands, the texture familiar to my mommy fingers.  I tipped it over so I could read the bottom to remember which of my kids had created it...and, clearly on the bottom it said, "Antonio".  Now this would have been fine and dandy had it been one of my kids' names, but that is not the case.

So am I going to pursue finding "Antonio"?  Likely not.  Do I wonder if Antonio's mom has my kid's work?  I kind of do.  Am I going to keep it?  You bet...I've grown to love the darn thing. 

Antonio, wherever you are, this mama loves your work!

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Biggest Kitten Perk Thus Far

OK, so yes, there's all the amazing snuggles.  There's the hilarity of the "battles" with the dogs.  There's the general peskiness of the little cat literally jumping on the big cat...and running away as fast as he can, of course.  He ain't no dummy.

But what is awesome, amazing, and all around fabulous is that our kitten LOVES to kill cockroaches.  Now, I know, I know, I'm the one that rescues beetles and spiders from our home as my family rolls their collective eyes, but cockroaches happen to be on my "OK to kill" shortlist.

So here's what our kitten does.  He spies a cockroach (unfortunately a regular occurrence 'round these parts), he stalks it, he pounces, he grabs it in his mouth, he drops it, he bats it, and then the whole process starts again...until the cockroach manages an escape or meets its maker.

Aside from our kitten's sometimes funky insect breath...he's perfect!

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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!

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A Fishy Tale

I'm thinking I'm getting older...or more paranoid...certainly more neurotic.

You see, I've developed a couple of phobias over the past two months of riding my bike on the trails. (I love summer!!)

1. I am terrified of runners' loogies.  You know, like when they just spontaneously send one flying no matter that a sweet little bicyclist is coming from behind...right in the path of said loogie.  Ew!

2.  I am petrified of crazy monkey hand talkers.  And I can say that because I am one (see my blog post about my own hand talking).  As I pass people walking and talking I'm just certain that one of them is going to throw an arm out, surely telling their friend, "The fish was this big," and whack me in the face giving me a black eye or a bloody nose.  Seriously, it could happen!

Course I have to say how much I love that my imagination goes into overdrive on these deliciously long summer rides of mine....

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Thanks for "liking" my blog posts!!