The Earth we Share

We need joy as we need air.

We need love as we need water.

We need each other as we need the earth we share.

- Maya Angelou

"The Earth we Share"

Acrylic and Ink

Original available here for $15.

5.5"x5.5" on a wood leftover from a friend's woodworking project.

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.

Burst of Color

"Color is the place where our brain and the universe meet."

-Paul Klee

I had so much fun creating this...it's entirely finger painted. 

Original available here for $75.

15"x13"x.5" on found wood leftover from a friend's woodworking project.

Prints available on request.

(Printed image may be slightly cropped for printing purposes.) 

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.

Teddy Bear

And this happened...and it made me ever so happy.

I went shopping first thing this morning and as I was heading toward the dairy section to pick up some yogurt there was this guy. This most amazing guy. He was wearing pajamas, a T-shirt, and flip flops, and was pushing around a kid-size shopping cart. And this guy was not petite! I loved that he went shopping just the way he did.

Made me think I should bring my teddy bear shopping with me next time. Might just make someone's day like he made mine.

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!

Behind

I had the oddest dream last night. I was a back seat driver. Now outside of my dreams, this is actually a bit of a reality...just ask my husband. I twitch, grab the elbow rest, and I "helpfully" offer suggestions.

But while I was a backseat driver in my dream, it was nothing like real life. I was, literally, backseat driving. As in I was the backseat of a car, all alone, yet I was in control of the driving of the vehicle. And I must say that it's a very odd thing sitting in the backseat of a car whilst controlling its every move. But that strangeness isn't what stuck with me. No. It was the odd wondering about how on earth I was managing to reach the pedals from the back seat with my short legs.

And I've been pondering that all day long.

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've Been Warned

It's not every day when you get two warnings for the same thing. I was at the grocery store and on impulse I picked up a small bottle of pepper sauce. I couldn't help it. I do so love spicy food and it was ever so inviting.


Grocery checkout guy: "Is this for you?"

Me: "Yes."

Grocery guy: "It's really, really hot. Be careful."

Me: "OK, thanks."

Grocery bagger guy who hadn't heard the checkout guy: "Is this for you?"

Me: "Sure is."

Bagger guy: "It's unbelievably hot. Use it super sparingly."

Me: "Wow, this stuff comes with two warnings."


Guess I'd better heed their advice...maybe.

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!

So, Why did the Chicken Cross the Road?

We've had chicken problems lately. Escaping chickens, that is.

More times than not, lately, I've arrived home to find several of our chickens hanging out in the front yard. This means they got over the fence in their chicken run and then over another fence to the front yard. While it's all fun and games for my chickens, this chicken mama was starting to fear for their safety...especially when the little guy and I were leaving on an errand and had to stop a bit down from our house because one of our chickens was, yes, crossing the road. So after breaking quite a sweat rounding her back home, completing our errand, and getting home only to find chickens out again, I decided we had to do something.

On the scene came google and "chicken wing clipping". After I sorted through a number of articles on cooking chickens, I found what I was looking for. And twenty minutes later our birds with the flight risk each had a lovely one-sided trim. Take that, girls!


So, if you're wondering why the chicken crossed the road...well, it's just like the joke always ended...to get to the other side.


P.S. While this painting is of Phyllis, she is one of two chickens who did not receive the trim. My favorite girl would never want to run far from home.

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!

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!

Cat Woman

Sometimes I'm a nag. Well, a lot of the time if you ask my family. Tonight my nagginess was aimed at my little guy.


Me: "I need you to go close the chickens in the coop and take care of both of our neighbors' cats."

Little guy: "In a minute."

Me: "Bawk, bawk, bawk, meow, meow."

Little guy: "You're annoying."

Me: "BAWK, BAWK, BAWK, MEOW, MEOW!"


And he went out to close the chickens in their coop.


Me: "Meow, meow."

Little guy: "Stop it, mom."

Me: "MEOW, MEOW!"

Little guy: "You are really annoying."


Annoying, perhaps. Effective, absolutely.

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!

Peaceful

Peaceful...that sums up how I've felt throughout this holiday season.

We've had our years of the big decorated tree in the corner of the living room, the abundance of gifts underneath, the staying up way past my bedtime to do Santa duties, the being woken by wee ones mere hours after I'd finally gone to sleep, and the blissful exhaustion that all of that was.


But now that our kids are big (16 and 19) the holidays are delightfully easy going and low key. We had no tree, only lights thumb tacked to the walls in a delightfully whimsical way. We purchased absolutely no gifts for one another (just transferred money to the kids' bank accounts). We all went to bed when our own beds called to us. The teenagers slept till close till noon. And we were all well rested.

I treasure both experiences, but I gotta give peaceful the win.

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!

Thankful

I want to take a moment to thank all of you for accompanying me on my creating/blogging journey.  It's been three-and-a-half years of absolute bliss for me and I plan to continue well into the future. To celebrate my gratitude I'm going to have a HUGE sale on my art.  Everything on my DailyPaintworks site will be 50% off through the month of December.  There's no way for me to mark everything down on the site or to provide a discount code, so just contact me via DailyPaintworks or on this blog site and let me know which one you'd like and I'll alter the price.

Thank you, thank you!

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!

Entrepreneurial Spirit

So the little guy and his friend have been selling drinks and other stuff in our front yard during the Austin City Limits Music Festival.  They've been making money in the way that you'd expect...but a little while ago my kiddo came in carrying a banana peel.


Little guy:  "Someone paid me a dollar to throw this in our trash."

Me:  "Groovy!"

Little guy:  "Do we have any more ice?"

Me:  "Just what's in the freezer."

Little guy:  "Good!  Someone wants to buy ice so they can make a margarita."


Loving these little entrepreneurs!!

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!

Cookie Love

I've always rather liked rewards.  You know, simple stuff like crossing things off of a "to do" list, the few coins I find in the washing machine after doing a load of the family's laundry, and hugs.  Hugs are always good.  But lately the main reward I've been wanting is cookies.

Yes, I'm Kali...and I've got a problem.  A cookie problem.

It seems whenever I eat my lunch or dinner, my tastebuds collaborate with my brain and they all say, "We deserve a cookie!"

So do I indulge them with a fabulous chocolate chip cookie?

Do I present them with a whimsically decorated sugar cookie?

Do I give them a meticulously criss-crossed peanut butter cookie?

Nope, nope, nope!


No...because they're stuck with me they get an amazing gluten free ginger snap cookie...or five.

And they are SO happy!

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 sent my Inner Goth Chick Packing

Remember last week when the kid got his mohawk and I went all goth with black fingernail polish and all?  (Read all about it here.)  Well, I'd actually only planned on going goth for a day or so...but when I looked for fingernail polish remover, it was nowhere to be found.  So since it was a late night discovery and I wasn't about to go shopping right then, I just painted over my already chipped nails and went to bed. 

The next morning I realized that right after school I needed to race down to a workshop I was attending.  So off I went, black fingernails and all, to where I got to meet and then spend three wonderful days with about thirty of the most phenomenal women (and one dude) I've ever had the pleasure of knowing.

Did I go around explaining my nails?  Nah.

Did anyone ask about them?  Nope.

Did my inner goth chick have the best time ever?  Absolutely!!


P.S. Last night I removed the black fingernail polish and sent my inner goth chick packing...but I think it's safe to assume she'll be back...often.

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!

Fuel up Fail

I like to think that embarrassingly goofy stuff like this happens to most people...at least some of the time.  But deep down I'm pretty sure it only happens to me. 


Today, for instance:

I pulled into a gas station to fill up my car.  I was down to a quarter of a tank so I was being super responsible and all.  I popped my gas cap cover, took my gas cap off, did all the credit card stuff, put the pump thing in, and started fueling.  Of course instantly I used that little stopper thing that keeps it pumping without you having to hold it the whole time.  And then I cleaned my back windows.  A little while later I heard a click, I pulled out the pump thingie, returned it to its dock, put my gas cap on, closed the cover, and got in my car and took off.

I gave it a bit of time for my gas gauge to rise to full as it always takes just a bit of time...and nothin'!  It didn't budge past the original quarter full. 

So when I got to the grocery store I pulled out my phone and checked my bank balance.  No charge from the gas station.

I must've never really gotten it fueling, though I went through all the motions. 

So this kind of thing happens to all of you, too, right?

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!

Does this make me a bad mom?

I cleaned the little guy's room this afternoon unbeknownst to him while he was at football practice.  Earlier today I also finished watching the last season of "Breaking Bad".  And now I'm wondering if it makes me a terrible mom to have had this thought run through my head.

 "I wish my kid's room was as tidy as Walter and Jesse's meth lab."

Course I felt like I needed a gas mask on while I was working on it, so at least he had that part right.

P.S. The kid thanked me when he saw it.  I even got a hug.  I've officially regained my "good mom" status.

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!

Celebrate Love!

I painted this for an amazing and beautiful woman I'm ever so grateful to call my friend.  She just married her long time partner and as I thought of my friend and the love she has for life, for others, for this amazing woman with whom she shares her life and love,  this piece welled up in me and landed on a canvas.  This is a celebration of who she is and how she lives life each day...with passion, kindness, empathy, appreciation, humor, strength, humility, contemplation, compassion, generosity, enthusiasm, gusto, fortitude, and love.

Celebrate love...celebrate life!!

Click here to view my gallery

 

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

Come on in...the Water's Fine

And this is why I should always bring a friend for my kid when we go swimming.


Me:  "Is it cold?"

Little guy:  "It's fine, mom.  You'll get used to it."


I go down one step.  It's not even close to being fine.


Me:  "It is cold."

Little guy:  "You're a wimp."


I go down one more step.


Little guy:  "Jump in, mom."

Me:  "I know, I really should."


He gets out of the pool and checks his phone.


Me:  "Did you get a call?"

Little guy:  "Nope."


AND HE PUSHES ME IN!!!!


Me:  "Oh, this is nice!"

Little guy:  "You're welcome."

Click here to purchase this piece.

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

In Need of a Manual

So I found a shirt on the side of the road.  A bunch of shirts, actually.  And I've been wearing them off and on for a while now.  All but one, that is. 

Now, I like the shirt.  At least I think I like the shirt.  But really I can't quite figure it out.  I think I know which is the neck hole and which is the waist hole...but truth be told, I'm not 100% sure.  So it sits in my drawer waiting for some stroke of genius to come over me.

I'm pretty sure the shirt must have originally come with a manual.


Suggestions and wisdom are welcome.

This is part of my Hallway Project.

Click here to check out my gallery.

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

A Perfect Storm Leads to a Perfect Lamp

You know how you can have something in your house for years, and this something just kind of bugs you every time you see it?  Well, I had something, well, many somethings, but today I tackled and fixed one of those somethings.

You see, there's this lamp that sits atop my desk.  It's pretty.  It's also utterly and completely boring.  Several years ago I even took it to a friend's house for a day of do-it-yourself projects but never got to it.  So it continued sitting pretty and being boring week after week after week.  Until today, when the perfect storm occurred.

Perfect storm ingredients:
- a day off for Memorial Day
- a literal storm outside keeping me inside
- a chance viewing of a blog I love
- having everything I needed right here

So I pulled my very boring white lamp shade off and painted flowers all over it.  Then I took the base and stem of the lamp and polka dotted the heck out of it.

And guess what!  I love my totally not boring lamp!


...and so does David!

Click here to check out my gallery.

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