Healing 2

"I go to nature to soothed, healed, and have my senses put in order."

-John Burroughs

"Healing 2"

Mixed Media

$125

48"x30" on canvas

My original paintings are available in my online gallery.

  I welcome commissions.

Please click the links below to share my blog.

The Owl and the Moon

Friends may be found in the most unlikely places. Look behind you. They might be right there.

"The Owl and the Moon"

Original available here for $45.

12"x12" on a previously used canvas.

Edges painted and ready to hang. 

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.

Be an Owl

Being human is exhausting. So be an owl.

Saw that quote today...made me smile. I used to draw a version of this fella all the time years ago. So nice to see him again!

"Be an Owl"

Acrylic and Charcoal

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.

Tree of Life 2

"Storms make trees take deeper roots."

Dolly Parton

"Tree of Life 2"

Through September 15, I will be donating 50% of all of my original art sales to the those affected by Hurricane Harvey. Here is the link to my online gallery. 

 https://www.dailypaintworks.com/Artists/kali-parsons-3935

Click on "Available" to see my available work. If you're in Austin leave a comment if you'd like to purchase something...there's no need for you to pay the shipping costs if you can pick it up at my place. Thank you for supporting my fundraising efforts!!! 

 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.

Tree of Life 1

I was inspired by someone very dear to me to create a Tree of Life piece. This tiny piece is the first in what I hope will be a series. I'm adding a "1" to the title to further ensure that there will be more to come.

I am loving creating tiny pieces alongside the larger pieces I'm doing. I can't say enough about how amazing it is as an artist to complete a piece. While I am totally a process person, blissfully enjoying the journey of creating, coming to completion is icing on a delicious cake. Completion means I get to send the piece onto its next home AND I get to start another piece. Such fun!

"Tree of Life 1"

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.

Winter 2

I heard the most delightful thing last night! My son's wonderful girlfriend told me that she can't buy reproduced art any more. Ever since she met me and now has a number of my original paintings she simply can't go back to mass produced art. I love that!


I painted this as a delightful warm-up. It's a companion piece to "Winter" and I've given this one to the same beautiful person who bought the first one. Giving my art away is one of my favorite things.

"Winter 2"

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

Wren - Part 2

We've been having to do some minor wound care on our little cat, Tommy. He seems to have gotten into a bit of a scuffle and came away with some tiny head wounds. And it turns out that taking care of a cat's wounds is a multi person job. 

Step 1: Wrap the cat in a towel burrito style.

Step 2: One person hold the wrapped cat while another person tends to the wounds.

Step 3: Rewrap cat in towel after they escape half way through the wound care.

Step 4: Finish caring for the wounds.

Step 5: Release the cat and hope that they still consider us their friend.

The jury is still out on that friend part.


And I finished this painting. I can only hope I did this lovely and amazing girl justice. Here's the completed piece and below are some steps leading up to completion.

"Wren"

I started working on some color and details.

I added white to her eyes, blue to her shirt,
and highlights in her hair.

I added more highlights to her skin.

I raised her hairline and added more to her hair
and started "repairing" the background I'd covered.

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

Wren - Part 1

I found out something a bit disturbing about our chickens. The thing is, I find it really easy to think of our girls as vegetarians. I'm not exactly sure why, but that's just my go to assumption. Crazy because I've seen them eat all kinds of bugs as well as a whole mouse and a rat they had their way with. But still I think, "My chickens are veg heads...just like their mama." 

But when the guys made steak and there was just a bit left over we decided to see what the chickens would think of it. I figured they'd snub their sweet little vegetarian noses at it, but no. One chicken would get a bit of meat and take off running. Then all the chickens would take off running after her. It was like a wild, manic chicken parade. A really fast one. It was the best show I've seen in a long time. 

Next time there's steak around here there will also be some videotaping.

Now to my painting. I was commissioned to paint a portrait of a lovely girl. I'm forever honored by these requests and I absolutely love doing them. Here's the beginning steps of this one...lovely "Wren".

I started by creating the background, trees and some sky.

I added two more shades of green for the trees.

I painted the basic shape of her head and shoulders.

First I added a tree. Then I started working
on some shading and her hair.
David said, "That's scary!" Yes, my paintings
always go through their not so pretty phases.
This is definitely one such phase.
I've learned to trust that it will get better.

I redid her eyes in a new location and added more
detail and just the first bits of color.

I'm still a long way from creating something as lovely as this girl is. I'll keep working on it!

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

Grandson with Rainbrella - Rebooted - Part 2

Happy to report that I've had a crazy bug free day...so far. But my precious chicken, Phyllis, did go a tad crazy. We had our grill out in the middle of our deck because Dave and the little guy grilled steaks last night. (Not me, of course. I had mushrooms.) Phyllis had what she thought was a great idea and jumped right in the grill. I'm sure it looked like a lovely perch and all, but the girl and I need to have a serious talk about what constitutes a good idea and what does not.

Here's the completed "Grandson with Rainbrella " (rebooted). Below are the final few stages before I finished. It was just as much fun to paint this time as it was before!

"Grandson with Rainbrella"

After the background was pretty much finished
I sketched out the boy and his "rainbrella" and began painting.

I filled in the rest of him.

I added details to his clothing, hair, and the "rainbrella".

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

Grandson with Rainbrella - Rebooted - Part 1

Apparently I need to work some bugs out of my system. Yesterday with my bee passenger, whom I really didn't have a problem with aside from the potential stinging. And then today with a most unwelcome passenger on my person...my body...my hair and then neck, to be precise. I was in the kitchen loading the dishwasher when I felt something. It could have been a bit of hair tickling my neck, but no, I only have longish hair in the front. I reached up to the back of my head, gently touched my hair, and felt the broad smoothness that could only be a big cockroach. It, in response, ran down my neck and then flew to the ground as I frantically swatted and said a few very rude things. <shudder> I'd like a bug-free day tomorrow, thank you very much.

And now on to my painting. If you think the beginning of this painting looks familiar, you're absolutely right! I painted a version of it a couple of months ago. And now I'm painting another version of it for a different family member of this precious little guy. I love that they both wanted one!

So lovely revisiting this image. And this time I get to share my painting steps. Funny thing, I'm painting it in a different order than I did the first time.

I started with the background...
sky, fence, greenery.

I roughed in the shape of the tree with the
leftover paint on my palette. I added some
tree shapes further back and some darker
elements in the front.

I added clouds, gave the tree more appropriate
colors, and added some texture and detail
go the greenery.

I added more foliage elements.

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!

Family Tree

I've got posters all around my classroom (I teach three and four-year-olds with disabilities). For the most part they're the mass produced type, the ones you'd see in any preschool program. I decided my classroom was due for a creativity facelift, so I've started painting my own posters (each about 5.5 feet tall) that will go on cupboard doors. I have a number of them that I want to create. Here's the first...it's a "Family Tree"...a spot where each of the students will have a family photo.

Here are some of my ideas.

I drew it out and started painting the trunk.

I painted the leaves green and added a hole in the tree.
I thought a critter needed to call that tree its home.

I thought an owl would be just perfect!

And he's sleeping because school is during the daytime.

I'll have one of my students write the words "Family Tree" to go at the top.

  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!

Little Blue

If this painting looks familiar, there's a really good reason why.

When the rains caused flooding in Texas recently, a sweet little guy lost everything in his room when the water took over his house. One of those things was one of my paintings. So this is my redo. Little Blue is back and ready to sing!

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!

Grandson with Rainbrella

Note: I changed the title of this piece because I'd forgotten the cutest name for an umbrella that this child had come up with. Love!

Previous title was "Sun Shower"

...or, rather, grandson shower.

A dear friend sent me a photo of his adorable grandson standing in the yard holding an umbrella and asked if I'd be willing to paint it. What an honor it is to be trusted with friends' precious memories!

Painting this reminded me of standing in my own yard growing up (partly because this friend of mine happens to live in the house I grew up in, though this image is not at that particular house). I'd throw my umbrella to the roof, climb the loquat tree in the front corner of the house, get on the roof, open that umbrella, and jump off. Over and over and over again. I very clearly remember thinking that the umbrella in no way slowed my eight foot descent.

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!

Twisted

Sometimes pure perfection happens.

I was in the laundry room, which just so happens to be a very tiny room, and my little guy showed up. "Twist and Shout" streamed out of his phone...and that precious kid of mine started to do the twist and sing loudly into a vacuum cleaner extension tube "microphone". Well, of course I had to join in! And the two of us twisted and shouted for the duration of that magnificent song.

Hanging in the laundry room has never been more fun!

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!

Feels Like Winter

I cut Hazel's hair a week or so ago. Hazel is our big awesome dog for those of you who don't know. Ever since her haircut she's been a little shivery at night as she sleeps at the foot of our bed. So being the nice doggy mom that I am, who also happened to be woken up by Hazel's quivery shivers, I got up, pulled her up to my spot, lay her head on my pillow, got myself in bed, snuggled up beside her and covered us both up.

And I must say that it was the most delightful, cuddly, shiver-free night's sleep ever!

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!

Things Happen at Night

Sometimes I think I miss out on stuff by sleeping at night.

I woke up this morning to find that every single plate and every single cup and mug that we own had been used. And while there were tons of forks left in the drawer, there was only one spoon. So I'm going with the assumption that a soft serve substance, spoon and plate-worthy something that induced great thirst was on the midnight menu.

This delicious mystery must be solved...stay tuned.

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!

Worth Stopping For

I was just looking out my window and a fella was riding his bike by one of my neighbor's houses. He stopped his bike, got off, walked to one of their lovely rose bushes, and took a deep sniff.

He has the right idea, my friends.


Oh, and much gratitude to my neighbors for creating such beauty!

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!

Into the Woods

My dad, my little guy, and I went to a quadcopter class today. The two of them know a lot as they fly one fairly often. I know just the teeniest tad as I usually just chauffeur them around to the flying locations, though I'd piloted briefly a couple of times.

Well, today before they let us fly they mentioned that they knew that most of us were just learning and crashes might happen. Oh, and that trees tend to not move out of the way if your quadcopter is heading right at them. Truth.

After all the safety and info talk I finally worked with an actual instructor who took me through the process of turning it on, calibrating the compass, getting it up in the air, doing a few jazzy things like making it fly in a circle shape, and then landing.

And while the woods were right there and I could tell that the quadcopter gods were seriously thinking of sending me into its depths, my instructor only had to say something once.


"Don't forget about the pole with the transformer you're heading towards!"


I didn't hit it, happily, and good times were had by all.

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 Fall

It's funny what we remember.

I have such clear memories of an event that happened when I was in elementary school. I was eating my tray lunch in the cafeteria. I wanted to drink some of my milk, so I picked it up and gave the container a shake, as was my routine. Only thing is, I had already shaken it and opened it, so milk went everywhere. Particularly on the little girl sitting next to me. I was mortified. She was mortified. Gosh, I've never, ever forgotten it and have actually felt bad for that little girl from time to time.

So when I was sitting in the cafeteria at the school where I work and one of my students picked up their milk, gave it a little shake, and chocolate milk splattered all over me, I was startled and then so, so happy. My student looked at me wide-eyed waiting for my reaction.


Me: "Would you mind getting me a napkin?" I said as I smiled.


He did. And I wiped my hair and my shirt and the table and said, "I know that was an accident." And he returned my smile.


My milk karma is officially clean. I feel so much better!

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!

Whimsical Roots

I did this interpretation of a tree with henna on my forearm. I particularly like the roots, all full of whimsy and personality, not unlike my genetic roots. Have you met my delightful family?

And now that you've seen my forearm, can you tell I've been working out? Nope? Oh, well. I have, ya know. Know how I can tell? When I'm at the gym I have to wait at the top of the stairs while the big muscle bound guys make their way up. I can't possibly fit on the stairway as they come up...I'm sure it's because I've bulked up so much from all those reps. Yup, it's me not 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!