Teenage Dreams

Not quite done with this painting, but since Ive been on a hiatus i figured i would go ahead and make a post.  Ive had this thought in my head for some time now about how little girls spend their time playing with dolls and dresses and then out of no where its all about cell phones and ipods.  The average 14 year old girl is so enamored by social networking that i cant help but think.....was this the way we were when we were 14?  Sure life circled around what boy was the cutest, and what jeans we were going to wear that day, but i don't quite remember being THAT social!  The masters painted young women reading books, playing croquet, standing by the mirror, so i guess its our job to paint young women with what defines our era, but how many painting can one do of an iPhone!  

I'm not sure if i will work the painting much more.  If you notice i left the hair undone somewhat around her neck.  I am always drawn to "the mark",  that mark that is put down in a hurry and has energy.  For me it has so much more emotion and content than a certain stroke that is reworked over and over again until it is just right!   But I'm slowing learning that with watercolors you just cant work it till that point, mainly because it will become a BIG MESS!  Oh the joys of learning a new medium!!  

5X5 Gala Fundraiser for CAE

Five inches by Five inches!!!!!  Yes, i thought i was crazy when i said yes to the Center for Art & Education when they asked if i wanted to donate a 5X5 painting to their annual Gala!!!  But then i received the painting and thought.....wow thats a small canvas!  What am i going to do on that format.....and a square at that!  But i couldnt think of a better way to donate my time and energy than creating a small painting for such a great center.  If you are unaware of the daily painters movement this is what a lot of artist are doing these days.  Small canvas with dynamic images!  I have a few daily painters blogs that i follow here on my blog.....check em out!  Also, if you are in the area of Van Buren how about buying some tickets to the Gala!!!!!  There will be some great artist featured during there gala...and a great dinner.

Jump!

Everything Horse and Hound is opening this Friday in Fayetteville Arkansas.  So, for all my friends in the area, all my equine art will exclusively be shown at this new wonderful store.  If your not in the area, no worries just email me and ill let Katy the store owner know that you would like to purchase a piece of equine art.  Please feel free to check out Katy's website by clicking on the link above or here.  

This piece took some hours of work! Whew, a big sigh of I'm glad i worked through this one!!!!  The image is 14 x 20, one of the biggest Ive done in watercolor so far.  Watercolor is extremely unforgiving and i thought multiple times of quiting!  If your an artist visiting my blog let me tell you watercolors will definitely make you think in background, foreground relationships! Learning how to push and pull with water is almost mind boggling.  So yet another accomplishment with watercolors, although i think the next equine piece will be in oil! Sorry all my watercolorists hopefuls out there, i need a break!!!!! 

Jump

watercolor on arches rives

14 x 20

$295

print available

Summer Time

While working on some equine art i had to take a break and go somewhere warm!  So i created a sunny day by the pool where the sun warms your back and the water beckons your company.  Oh how i wish i was there in this painting at the moment.  Basking in the heat of day and letting my mind go lazy.  An artist creates and lets the viewer know that there is more to the story, that there are more pages to be turned.  My hope is that I'm taking you there at this moment.  This moment in which your mind wonders off to create your own sunny day, your own summer time!

Summer Time

watercolor on cold press

9 x 12

$75

print $20

Sneak Peek!

Well, all the snow we had in January and February has "forced" the school district to add on some Saturdays for school days.  I woke up this morning thinking.....ugh....Ive got to get up on a Saturday and get the kids ready for school!  BUT.....i have actually enjoyed my Saturday without the kids being underfoot!  I have been able to paint all morning!!!!!   So, without further udo here is a big shout out.......YEAH FOR SATURDAY SCHOOL!!!!!!

March 2011 Featured Show

When i painted this piece two months ago i had no intention of entering it in anything.  In fact i fell in love with the painting and had hoped to place it on my walls somewhere.  But then i saw a Mardi Gras inspired exhibition in my state and decided that she must be in that show.  I sent in an image hoping she would be accepted and sure enough she will have her opening debut this Saturday in Hot Springs, AR.  The exhibition is at the Fine Arts Center of Hot Springs and will be showing the month of March.  Reception is from 5 - 9 during their monthly gallery walk.  I, unfortunately, will not be attending because of the horrid snow days that we acquired hence the kids have Saturday school!  So, if anyone is in the area or lives in Hot Springs the center is putting on a very exception show, with me included, go look for yourself!!!!!!  Happy Madri Gras everyone!

A girl and her horse

There is just something about a girl and her horse.  A bond that will forever be etched in stone.  This is Dylan and Paige.  A definite force to be reckoned with.  And a relationship that will stand the test of time.  With valentines day just around the corner one thinks of romance and love that exists between a man and a woman, a mother and child, etc.  But so often in life we forget about those relationships that we have with the four legged creations in our lives.  The love we have for beautiful creatures such as our pets, and in Paige's case.....our horse!!

Ive been experimenting with watercolors here lately and have had some ups and downs.  What Ive come to realize is that when i work with horses that the medium comes easy for me.  I started to wonder why, why is it when i paint a scene of just a person or dog that i struggle.  Ive come to a conclusion of an earlier aspect.  When i was young i would sit and draw horses allllllll dayyyyy looooong!!! This is not an exaggeration, ask my mother!  So, what Ive thought is that all those days of training my hand to coordinate with my eyes(unbeknown est to me) has come back to me, like a blast from the past! A dear friend of mine said yesterday that "Perhaps art is seeing the obvious in such a new light that the old becomes new" L'Engle.   How true this is for me at the moment!

Dylan and Paige
9 x 12
NFS
print $35

Create

Its snowing again outside today.  My kiddos and i have been stuck in the house since Tuesday! I have been working on a watercolor painting but decided to take a break today and do something fun.  So i came up with an idea to add on to my sit and reflect series,  and what better word to choose than create.  I love, love this high backed chair.  I feel like you could hide away in there with a good book and no one would ever find you! Well, i hope all is well during this snow storm and maybe you can find a chair like this one, sit and create!

Create

7 x 11

watercolor on arches 

$75

print $15

Dress me in red

Unfortunately i have no wise words to go into this blog.  I think I'm in a winter blah state of mind.  I wish spring would arrive and kiss me on the cheeks with its sunny days and warm breezes!! I am definitely not a winter girl, i like the first snow of the year, but after that i want my 70 degree weather and flip flops!

Dress me in red
8 x10
NFS
prints $25

Here I Am

Life can be tricky.  You have dreams, expectations, carefully laid out plans, and somewhere along the way they get lost in all the mess of just living! When i finished college i thought my art career would begin.  Like a red carpet laid out before me, or better yet, follow the yellow brick road to all that awaits.  What they don't tell you is that its damn hard being an artist.  All i have ever wanted to do in life is paint, create and sell my work.  I didn't choose an art degree because i thought it would be fun to sit and draw and paint, i choose an art degree because i wanted to take my talent to the next level.  I wanted to learn how to create a work of art that people would want in their homes, galleries, and businesses.  So after i finished college i went out and did just that, Nope!  I taught.  I taught art class to wee little ones and my art, my creating, was pushed to the wayside.  I'm sure you are wondering when all this babbling is going to come to some conclusion, or maybe even end!  Well, your out of luck!  This is just the beginning, the beginning of a series of fulfilling my dreams.  This is the start of my sit and reflect series.  This first painting i wanted to start with the word FULFILL.


Fulfill: to carry out order; to satisfy something

Im done putting off tomorrow what i can fulfill today.  I have been contemplating what my power word was going to be this year.  I even had another painting, that i mulled over for days, with the word create.  I knew it was not right because i could not post it here and share it with you because i knew deep down that was not the word i wanted.  Fulfill means taking action on a promise to yourself. Words are powerful when we put them into action.  This is just what i am doing!

Here I Am

11 x 14

oil on panel

$195

Print $25 

Precious Nitro

Today was a snow day!  No school, no work, so i decided that since it really wasn't my day in the studio i would "play" instead of work!  So i decided to tackle the watercolors again and do that portrait of our dog that i have been putting on the back burner.  Again, i don't quite know what I'm doing when i choose to dabble in watercolors, but like any artist i stick both feet in anyways.  I decided that i would do a quick painting and  then leave it alone, but the more i sit here and look at it the more i find "wrong" with it!  Don't be surprised if i repost this one!!!!!

Nitro
9 x 12
not for sale

Silent Auction Piece

So i told a friend i would donate a painting for their silent auction.  When i found out that it was a banquet celebrating 2010s achievements for the Northwest Arkansas Hunter Jumper Association, i thought to myself; do i have a horse painting? Even though i drew horses practically every day when i was a little girl, i had drew none since i had "grown" up into an actual artist!  I thought how sad is that, i use to be really good at drawing horses, not to toot my own horn. Furthermore i love horses! There was one problem though, i had no oil paintings of horses, and three days to produce the work that i knew would not be dry in time for the banquet! So, i thought i could just do a drawing or charcoal and then i looked at the watercolors i had purchased at Christmas!  Of course i did not look at them with anticipation and joy, because i am an oil painter, not a watercolorist! My goodness i sounded like Michelangelo when he said "i am a sculptor, not a painter".  Sorry, i had a random left field thought at the moment.  As you can see above i tackled it anyway, and through some very meticulous brush strokes and thoughtful placement i achieved my goal.  Now you have to consider that this is only my second watercolor that i have done in my whole life, so please go lightly!  And for all my watercolor artist friends out there, you guys are my new hero's!

I was told that the painting went for 150 dollars, which is wonderful to me because i was also told that the signed Bobby Petrino football was last viewed at 125!

Thanks for coming by everyone and i will try to have a painting up tomorrow of my new series called sit and reflect.  Which in a tormenting way i am soulfully trying to incorporate words into my paintings!!!

Sitting Tall
8.5 x 11
prints $25

Laissez les Bon Temps Roulez!!!!

Let the Good Times Roll!!  Growing up in Louisiana i was groomed on mudbugs(yes this is one word), everything hot and spicy, and madi gras! Yes, i come from Louisiana were you didn't realize that mardi gras was not a national holiday until you left the state.  Growing up in a small town we didn't make it to the big easy but almost every town in the great state of the boot celebrates with beads(no flashing required), great food, and crazy parades!

I am totally mesmerized by this woman.  I have no idea who she is, since i googled 30's burlesque woman and found a black and white photo of her with no caption.  I truly believe that if every woman could hold this much sex appeal with just one gaze, we would rule the world.  Now you all know its true, i mean I'm a straight woman who loves her man dearly, but when i finished this painting i couldn't quite take my eyes off of her!  So, my hope is that you cant either!!!!!

Laissez les Bon Temps Roulez
11 x 14
$295 original
$35 print

Happy New Year!

A new painting for the new year!  It seemed like yesterday the beginning of 2010 had started!  Golly how it flies by and before you know it another year has come and gone!  Wouldn't we all love to go back to the years of our childhood when time was so irrelevant.  Back when the choice of which beautiful ball room dress i would adorn my barbie in was the dilemma of the day!  Back when time moved so slowly!  Maybe that's why i love painting.  Well, i know i have a talent but when the paint meets the canvas something happens.  Its almost as if i am transported in a time machine back to the years of my childhood!  I know this to be true because when i start my journey i look up after a while and think how it must only be a  certain time of the day,  but in actuality time has flown by and left me in my peaceful "zone".  Hopefully when you come here to my site you will view these painting and get a feel of the same!  Happy New Year everyone!

Holly Go Lightly
11 x 14
oil on panel
$195 original
$25 print

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Here in North West Arkansas we only received a few flurries, so i have to think of the movie we watched this week, White Christmas!!!!!  It was so beautiful and enchanting i just had to share.  Kudos to all who woke up to white blankets of snow.  Why is it that the dream of a white Christmas never goes away! Even at 36 years of age i awoke to the hope of the white stuff on the ground!!!

Well, since i was a brave heart and battled the crowds yesterday i totally forgot to post the winner of the painting.  So, without further ado, from a random drawing heartland Honda is the big winner!!!!!! Jrod and Tina may email with preference to where to send the painting!!!

Winner!!!!Heartland Honda you will receive an email!!!


Since it is Christmas i am offering prints of the painting to everyone else who would like one....just email me with addresses and ill get an 8 x 10 print in the mail!!


Merry Christmas everyone!!!