"Diary of a Madd Weekly Painter"

Plein Air Painting

2011-09-29T19:28:00.003-04:00

Hey Friends, I'll start this post with my Favorite Little Man above, Mr .Nic, such a happy boy.
Excited about SpongeBob and wearing Elmo Slippers! He loves to sing and dance too !
Today I finally got to meet up with friends for some Plein Air Painting !! Last week was too rainy. I just joined up with this group of crazy women and I love it already.
They weren't interested in painting the landscapes ! They were experimenting with new ways of slinging and pouring paint on unstretched canvas. I painted 2 small pieces and they are pretty bad. I didn't even think to photograph them for you. I've wanted to seriously knuckle down and paint from life for a long time BUT It's HARD !!! Maybe to hard for me but I'm not giving up after just one go. I used acrylics and it might be easier w/ oils 'cuz acrylics dry so o oooo fast.
Can you see the canvas' laying on the ground? Now they will pick out an area of the canvas and stretch it and then paint on top. Can't wait to try it myself but I need to order in some supplies.
This group is trying to find a name and several are on the marque, but not firm yet.

And I forgot to post about the reception held at Second Helpings last Sat. morning, to thank the artists that painted the table tops for their new cafe. I'll post some photos soon.

Happy Trails !

Hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains

2011-09-08T19:24:00.006-04:00

Hey Friends, I'm posting a few photos from the hike I took Tuesday. It rained the entire day, so I was hiking under an umbrella. I'm sure the critters thought I was the oddest hiker they'd ever seen. The photo above is of one of the prettiest spots in the whole ravine or maybe it would qualify as a canyon ?!
And this photo of the lake is at the lowest spot. Look at that color and I didn't alter it in Photoshop at all. There is a lot of sulfur in this area of Virginia so I'm guessing that's the reason for such a beautiful shade of aquamarine.
And this photo was taken from the very top of the tallest peak. Doesn't look so high but it is. And it took a while for this TuTu to get up there.
This was taken from the same spot, opposite direction. Foggy! These Blue Ridge Mtns. are beautiful. Hoping to get some paintings started soon. I'm thinking I might do some of the compositional work from the photos and go back to this spot to do the actual painting. Just wondering if my colors might be a little truer. Oh, this last shot is 2 photos merged but I don't know how to clean it up.

Getting out there with nature is one of the best things you can do for yourself. If you're alone you won't have to worry about if the other person is tired, bored, hungry, etc. But if someone wants to tag along, you just might inspire them to keep walking too.

Happy Trails.

Commission Work

2011-08-25T09:28:00.004-04:00

Hey Friends, Yesterday I had my favorite little man for 4-5 hours. The photo above is Nic in the swing and I'm laying on the ground clicking away. I was after reference photos for my swing paintings! He was pretty entertained by me laying on ground. He is such a sweetheart.
I thought I'd show you what I've been working on for a while. I haven't painted with oils for a long time so I'm pretty slow. I'm catching up now, I think. The photo above is the initial block in. Already I'm not happy with it. Everything is in a line. And even though that's pretty much how it is in real life - it doesn't make for a good composition. S0000-0-0-0-------
Here I've painted out the arbor bench and made the pond bigger. This seems to give more of an aerial perspective. So now I"ll put the bench back in, lower in picture plane and rotate it to the right. There will be 2 children and a dog in here also. And the pond doesn't look exactly like this, but I wanted to see inside so the beautiful Koi and plants show up better. The lady that commissioned this painting has worked real hard to landscape her yard and it is beautiful. Hope I can do it justice.
Happy Trails.

Gallery 108's 10th Anniversary Party !! !! !! !!

2011-08-21T22:00:00.006-04:00

Hey Friends, Just wanted all of you to see the crowd and the good company we enjoyed at Gallery 108's Tenth Anniversary Party today in the Downtown Historic Market District of Downtown Roanoke, Va. Wish you could have been there.

Ten years for any business is nothing to take lightly. All of these artists have worked VERY hard to keep this gallery thriving for the past 2/3 years.

Not only because of the "economy" but also all of the renovations being done to this little district. Mainly the Historic Market Building itself, which is right across the one lane street and next to the gallery. ALL of these little streets have been blocked by construction. Few people made the journey through all that debris to get to the gallery.

Now the Market Bldg. is about to open again and the streets are clear and clean !!!!! So maybe things will get back to normal. Maybe they will even get better - Now I like that thought !

And just so ya know (in case you run into this fella above) He wanted to see my "Release Forms" for using his image on my blog ! You have to be on your toes around some people.

So - I'm just praying that I'll be ready when the business picks up. Yikes! I'm not fooling anybody - I've never been ready for anything !

Happy Trails.

Tenth Year Anniversay Celebration at Gallery 108

2011-08-13T10:16:00.011-04:00

Hey Friends, Some photos I took Wednesday at the Gallery 108 in downtown Roanoke, Va. The shot above is the left window. Notice the face with the 3-D glasses?!
This is the window on the right. I always have a hard time taking a decent photo of these windows. Didn't even try the big main window. Some time I'd like to go by there at night and see what would happen with all the glare and such.
Here is the main stage upstairs with the main or majority of the 3-D images hanging. It's probably hard to see but at the top of photo is a little sign that says"It's a new dimension". This show is about looking at art with the glasses you normally would be wearing at a movie !! It's pretty cool. With the glasses on certain colors will appear to be floating or hovering out from their place on the painting. Mainly the HOT colors and it seems exaggerated with the use of Thalo Blue and green. Hope some of you can make it to the show. The big celebration party is Sunday August 21, 2011 4:30 to 7 pm by invitation only and only because wine will be served.
Some city law says when a spirit is served you must know their name or age or something. So if ya want to come, zip me an email and I'll put your name on the list.
AND - TA Dah - My favorite little Man in the world - The handsome Mr. Nic !!! Trying to master the 3-D glasses so he can critique the new works !! His fav was the big red heart floating on the sea.
And now he is ready to play hide & seek !!! Have you ever seen such a cutie pie !!!
Happy Trails !!

Morning Walks

2011-08-06T09:33:00.005-04:00

Hey Friends, Love my morning walks !!! Every morning some Doves are perched on wires. In the very same spot. Usually two, sometimes three. I try every morning to get a photo. This one isn't too bad. One day all 3 will line up just right, just for a photo.

Much further into WildWood Road, I came across this beautiful scene. A dry creek bed. The stones here in Salem, Va. are gorgeous ! BUT then................................

When I looked directly down (I'm standing on a little stone bridge) at a small puddle of water, that seems to be churning !!! I'm thinking must be a spring making the water move !

UH - Uwwwww.......Yukkie............YUK.............YUK.............Sorry folks .... I can't stand SNAKES!

I know they're good for something, but I still can't stand the thoughts of them. And I hate to look at "em. Can you see it in the upper right??

I'll post something a little more pleasant next time. Have a great weekend.

Happy Trails.

Wabbit

2011-07-30T10:15:00.004-04:00

Hey Friends, I'm posting this, mainly, for Lillie. We went for our walk to the pond and I told her I saw a little brown wabbit nearly every morning sitting beside the pond. So as we are walking, she is praying,( with eyes closed and still walking) that the bunny will be there. I believe she thought she would be able to catch it. As expected, there was no bunny. This was an evening walk and I see the wabbit on my morning walk.

I explained, the wabbit had gone home. It has to be real careful about getting home before it gets dark so the coyotes and foxes can't find him. That made sense to her and she was glad the wabbit was safe.

SO o o o o o. Lillie !!!! Here is that silly Wabbit !!! I saw him this morning .....I Love You.

Happy Trails.

New Books !!!!!!!

2011-07-23T11:02:00.004-04:00

Hey Friends, A quick post to let you know I'm still hanging on. Doing well inspite of the 100 degrees that keeps hanging on too. Still walking, early in the mornings. Still loving it !
I just bought the two books pictured above, from Mr. Schmid's "Stove Prarie Press" site.
Fan-tab-ulous !!! Love their work. A tiny bit disappointed in Ms. Guzik's book. It is so minimally (is that a word?) illustrated. And I know she has painted a bazillion pictures so they could have included more. As it is there is one pictured on one page, nothing on the backside of the page except titles,etc.
Of course Mr. Schmids is big in size (love that) and lots of paintings pictured (love that) and it cost 3 times as much as Nancy's.
So the point is they could have done more with her book for a little more money.
Blah Blah - Like I know anything about making money or paintings.

Hope every last one of you are having great summers ! School will be back soon.
Happy Trails.

Are you a Walker?

2011-07-11T09:55:00.004-04:00

Hey Friends, I've been walking every day for about 5 weeks maybe. This morning the Family of deer were out and about. First Mom crossed the road. Then .................

This baby came busting through. It looked scared. I guess Mom was too far away. Then ........

This baby came ambling out. Seemed pretty unconcerned that Mom was so far ahead of him. These critters are so pretty. But they are little monsters in the garden.

I walk about a mile. That's about all I can take. The heart and or lungs don't seem to be much better than when I started. I will not give up 'cuz I know it takes forever to change anything !!

Speaking of change, I've been wanting to join DPW for a long time. I keep sitting on that fence. Not getting any younger so I better do it NOW! Right after a shower and a full day of shoe selling. No rest for the wicked.

Happy Trails

New Art Works at Gallery 108

2011-07-09T10:13:00.008-04:00

Hey Friends, I know I didn't post these last night, as promised, But my sister was here when I got home from the REAL job and we had to visit. So-o-o-o the photo above is an Art Card made by the one and only creative Mary Ann Meador (she is featured in the last post also). The verbage is a fortune cookie promise and it says " You will always get what you want through your charm and personality"...... How cool is that? There were several more in the basket.

The painting above was created by Susan Egbert just recently. She and artsy-fartsy friends were plein air painting at a B&B in Montgomery county called MAISON BELIVEAU. Go ahead and google that. It's a beautiful place and they grow a lot of lavender, I was told. She used water soluable oils for this piece and if you could see it in person you would love the textures.

Sorry I had to include this - I LOVE IT! I can't write at all, can't even make some words rhyem (can't spell either) so why am I always drawn to stuff with words. I think I'm really secretly depressed and look for the uplifting stuff. It was created again by Mary Ann. can you tell I like her work? Also she is the president of the League of Roanoke Artists and works hard at this job.

I meant to load these last 2 photos vice versa. These were created by Suzanne Sellers another super creative woman. She is a teacher at a nearby school and sorry I can't remember the small stuff. I think she makes a lot of her papers but she also buys some. But look how she uses them!

These are just gorgeous in person. And they are right up my alley in terms of fantasy or make believe. At one time they were close friends of Tinkerbell.

So you guys get on down to the market. Shop around Gallery 108 and then go over to the farmers market and get some tasty stuff for dinner. You won't be disappointed.

Happy Trails

A Day at Gallery 108

2011-07-07T22:51:00.010-04:00

Hey Friends, It was my turn to MAN the desk at Gallery 108 yesterday. It was a good day! For the lovlies that don't know, Gallery 108 is in downtown Roanoke, Virginia, on the market and the market building that has been in a very long state of renovation - IS almost ready to open!!! Just a few more weeks to go - Yay!
One of the artist in this co-op is Miki Overcast. And she stopped by with her beautiful (handsome) son named Joshua. Somehow He did as I asked, when I told him to kiss his Mom.

This is a closer view of a painting by Bonnie Mason. She works mainly with oils. Beautiful!

This is a closer view of a Mary Ann Meador. She works in all media and they are joyous depections of everything she sees.

Mary Ann and Bonnie are the featured artist this month. The show is called "More than Places" This is just a glimpse. Hope some of you can stop by for this show and some artists had some new work that is really NICE. I'll try to remember to post those tomorrow.

These photos are of the windows and they are usually difficult to get a decent shot of. the beautiful assemblages above are hand crafted by Heather Brush. I have not met her yet and hope to soon. Love the "Shiney Moon" piece and there is a tree made of Domino's.

And the other window has Linda Overstreet's lovely quilted work. I apologize for the sorry photo Linda. Her book covers and journals and hand bags are wonderful gifts for anyone. Think of the book covers on a Bible ! And girls love journals.

Check back to see some new works that I'm especially fond of. As for myself, today I put base colors on a lot of small canvas' and wooden panels. I think the panels are MDF boards. Will be my first try on this surface. Should be just like masonite.

Happy Trails

Fourth of July - Half of 2011 left!

2011-07-02T10:59:00.002-04:00

Hey Friends, It's July 2nd ! Exactly one month since my last post. What a PUTZ. I've been busy traveling the world and taking photos to paint my memories from ! In my dreams.

I don't have an excuse for being absent except "the dog ate my photos". No, seriously, I feel like I may be OK now. I think my paint mojo may be back any moment now. I sure hope so. Also hoping I'm a better painter and everyone LOVES my new work and they are all fighting to buy it. Because I have a ton of medical bills to pay now. Boo Hoo, you say, poor little artist. Get a real job? I have one and still can't afford insurance.

Enough already. The photos were taken at 2nd Helpings Gallery. This is the outdoor cafe. Artists are painting whatever they want on the tables. The bottom photo is my table. I painted it Tuesday before going to work at the real job.

For all you lovlies that don't know Roanoke, Va. I painted the Mill Mountain Star. A local land mark you can't possibly miss. It's especially captivating if you can fly into Roanoke at night. That's my interpretation here. It's been a 100 years since I flew into Roanoke at night and saw the STAR, but I still remember it. (I think!)

If you make it into Roanoke visit the Rescue Mission's Recycle store, the Art Gallery and the wonderful cafe. The food is fab. 540-491-9405 - Call them for directions.

HAVE A WONDERFUL FOURTH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Trails.

Roanoke's Famous Taubman Sidewalk Art Show

2011-06-02T23:18:00.003-04:00

Hey Friends, I'm busy getting my ducks in a row for the BIG show this weekend!!!
The 53rd Annual Taubman Sidewalk Art Show on the streets of downtown Roanoke, Va. happens this weekend. YES, this weekend - June 4 & 5 - Sat & Sun !! Yippee !!
Now make plans to be there. And help support the arts and maybe an artist, too.

That beautiful little face you see up there is just gracing my blog, has nothing to do with the Sidewalk show. I just wanted you to smile.

Stop and say Howdy, I'll be in a tent beside Billy's Ritz old rest.
Happy Trails

Happy Memorial Day

2011-05-27T02:11:00.003-04:00

Hey Friends, Haven't been here for a couple of weeks. I've had a health issue I've been dealing with. I won't get into trying to explain, but I'm positive I'll be just fine and life will go on for a bit longer.

I haven't painted too much lately. The swim suits above mostly. I have been getting ready for the annual Roanoke Sidewalk Art Festival, No. 53 !! June 4th & 5th. Hope some of you can make it this year. There is always a boat load of beautiful paintings and sculpture to enjoy.

This has been such a rainy spring. Maybe we can get by with just one dry weekend !! Have a wonderful Memorial Weekend.

Happy Trails

Sponge Work

2011-05-10T15:18:00.002-04:00

Hey Friends, I was wondering - Does painting with a sponge count as REAL art? Some people use their fingers, some use a stick, some even use drips or a spoon. So I think it's OK to use anything you want, not just a brush.
I have such a hard time getting a soft edge with acrylics. So I thought of giving a sponge a try. I like it. These clouds look softer than anything I've produced so far.
This is my favorite hill. It's behind our house and I usually have some animals out there. But I was more interested in the clouds this time. The forest is casting a nice shadow there on the right.
We are supposed to have more storms this evening. That would be a good time to catch some drama in the sky. I will probably be at work by then and miss the whole show. And I'm pretty certain Mom wouldn't like to be out there taking photos for me.

Got another great idea for another series from a sweet woman that works at the Little Gallery at Smith Mountain Lake ! Love series !! Last week I delivered new work to the gallery, so if you're in that area of Virginia, stop at the Little Gallery-it's a lovely place with a boat load of great art and jewelry and sculpture. And then go fishing.

Happy Trails

New Ideas !!

2011-04-30T14:36:00.005-04:00

Hey Friends, I know it's a bit odd - me posting twice in one week but........I had a couple of ideas (yeah-that's odd too!) and was wondering what others thought.

Yeah, I'll probably do this anyway 'cuz I'm a bit hardheaded. I thought of 2 new series for paintings. First is the "Good Dog" series. My daughter had to put her dog "Ebony" asleep last week and then I saw a collar with GOOD DOG cross stitched on it and Boing a tiny lightbulb came on. So the Dalmation mix above is the first, testing the waters, so to speak.

I like it a lot and I've already painted my daughters dog too. It's not dry or I would have scanned it, to show you. I can see the fun coming up !

The second idea I thought I might call "BEACH BUTTS" or is that too crude? A friend gave me a couple photos of her boys from their last beach trip. I like the way it turned out. I have a hard time painting loose so it really stokes the old fire when I accomplish loose brush work. I ran out of the studio so I wouldn't keep fiddling with it. I drive myself crazy being such a noodler.

I can already picture a couple of paintings with babies I know.

So tell me what you think and have a wonderful weekend.

Happy Trails.

Farm Visit Today

2011-04-28T17:34:00.007-04:00

Hey Friends, Hope you are well today. I have emailed a lady in Alabama, twice today. Messages did not get through. I'll try again tomorrow but I doubt if there will be any change in the power situation. Hoping she is alright.

Meanwhile, my GranPrincess and I have had another wonderful day here in the Mountains of SW Virginia. Tornados don't happen here very often. A bad one 2 weeks ago in Pulaski.

My Princess and I have been outside most of the day. We visited our neighbor with the crazy farm, I mean Exotic ! Got a lot of good photo's to paint from. Above is a bunny the Princess chased around for 30 minutes. Kids are persistent. I haven't painted him yet.

Here is a shot of the Peacocks, male & female. Very quiet today. Beautiful. I'll give 'em another go at some point.

AND they have Pigeons ! Didn't know they were around until today. There is a lovely pale with some lavendar touches that would be fun to paint.

And here are some ducks the farmer called "Indian Running Ducks" ?!? I think he said that. They are really prettier than my photo.

Of course you know he has chickens. A neighbor dog killed 6 of his hens. BAD DOG. He bought more and keeps his gate closed now. Always something.
And last but the Best - Look at this beauty. Can't remember what it's called. Can't wait to paint this guy. Look at the red feathers in the tail. Gorgeous bird. His mate is brown. Wouldn't it be nice if they had babies.

Also found out today he's got a Koi pond ! All the rain has made it murky so will have to wait to take photo's.

I'm so sorry for all the folks in the south . Praying for you.

Happy Trails.

New Work at Gallery 108

2011-04-21T20:46:00.003-04:00

Hey Friends, It has been a busy spring for me, how about you? Did you get that lawn mower started? I did (after my sweet little brother worked on it). What would we do without him?

A couple weeks ago I changed out the art work I had hanging at Gallery 108 in downtown Roanoke, which is in SW Va. in a valley that seems to hold all the pollen in place. As windy as it has been for weeks, you would think some would blow away. We've even had several tornados in the area. Pulaski was hit pretty hard. Sometimes I ramble, sorry.

Anyway the photo above is what I hung at Gallery 108. Lots of color - my fav. Color then light is what inspires me to paint. I love to start a painting on a base color. My choice is usually what ever color would be the compliment of the subject I'm going to paint or RED, which ever opens first. I have found burnt orange by Liquitex to be rich and bold.

I'm hoping blogspot has magically fixed the problem with the paragraphs I had last post.

Happy Trails.

First BlueBird of 2011

2011-03-31T23:02:00.005-04:00

Hey Friends, It has been cold and drizzly here in SW Virginia for days. No, for months ! I am way past ready for some spring like weather. So one way to keep your sanity is to pretend. Learned about this pretend stuff from my GrandDaughter while we play with Barbie Dolls. Adults have a tendency to forget about pretend and play. Barbie has a dozen friends to pretend with so it is good practice. Anyway, I was pretending like I saw this first BlueBird of 2011. It flew straight into my studio and sat on this silk tree limb for a couple of hours. Long enough for me to get a pretty good likeness and a couple of photos. Then she pulled out her hankie and said excuse me, I must be home before midnight ! I certainly enjoyed her visit and can't wait to tell Lillie. Happy Trails. ps-I have tried 3 times to make this post in paragraphs as I usually do. But it won't happen so I'm sorry it is so difficult to read . No relief for the eyes.

the Raven and Japan

2011-03-21T15:22:00.003-04:00

Hey Friends, OK, here is my beautiful Raven and one messy small greenish blob. I'm always surprised how quick and easy these guys are to paint. Kinda like cows. I like the yellow background. I was shootin' for happy. Makes me happy!

Now this one is a happy painting too. I'm going to list it in the Daily Paintworks challenge. ALL the funds raised will go to help out in Japan. Isn't it wonderful they figured out how to set this up so quickly? David Marine is his name so go check out the site and buy something !!

Now what do ya think of this painting? You supposed to paint something that reminds you of home. These are the mountains here in SW Virginia and the Roanoke River. I painted it as if I were in the top of a very tall tree, looking over Greenhill Park, because that park is close to home. Obviously the rest is a good dream.

Happy Trails.

the Raven and the Frogs

2011-03-20T10:37:00.003-04:00

Hey Friends, A change in scedules at work gives me this oppurtunity to post here on my blog.

Coming home two nights ago there were lots of frogs on the road. They do this every year, I just don't remember it being so early-March! It had been an usually warm day so the road was still warm at 10 pm. I always drive real slow so I don't smash them but SOME people don't care. So the next morning I'm able to see the dead frogs and a couple of Ravens cleaning up the mess. I got a few photos.

So I scratched one of the beauties out on this 11x14. I just scanned the bird not the entire canvas. I'm thinking I want the background to be mostly yellow. Yellow is a happy color and you know these guys were really happy to find an easy, free breakfast. Yuck !

What would we do without the scavengers though. Have a beautiful Sunday.

Happy Trails.

Peacock Insecurity

2011-03-17T21:45:00.003-04:00

Hey Friends, Well, I've looked at this Peacock for a couple of weeks and STILL can't decide if I like it. Hate it when I'm so wishy-washy. I like it when you can say YES or UGH.

The birds body looks a bit like "milt".? I think that's the way to spell it. Milt is the chunk of stuff in a newborn foals mouth to prevent fluids from reaching the lungs.

Otherwise It is a bright,colorful statement. And yeah, I went ahead and listed it on Etsy.

Happy Trails.

UPS

2011-03-10T21:07:00.004-05:00

Hey Friends, I've been really busy with the paints this week ! I don't know how many I've done or started. The busy bee's above and the fancy Dragon Fly below. I enjoyed painting the beads.

A lovely lady in Australia bought a painting from my Etsy store. So I pack it up the usual way and take it to the P.O. and the way I had it packed would have cost $35.00. So I brought it home and repacked. On my way back to the P.O. I decided to stop at the UPS store and see what their fee might be. After measuring and weighing, he said $169.64 !! $169.64.

I started laughing and he did too. This pkg. was ><>

I went on to the P.O. and mailed it for $15.00. Just thought you might enjoy that scenario.

Now I'm off to Etsy to list a painting or two.

Happy Trails.

Art by Night @ Gallery 108, Roanoke, Va.

2011-03-03T19:31:00.007-05:00

Hey Friends, Thinking you may like a glimpse of what has happened today on the Roanoke City Market. Not a whole lot until Art by Night started.

The featured artist is Martha Rhoades ! She has a beautiful show hung until the end of March.

I have shots of the work as a whole but you can't see much. So I'm showing the details of two pieces. Lots of texture with mixed media playing a big part.

There are two spot lights showing up here that I can't get rid of. I think it's titled "Gold Rush". Lots of texture with gold leaf. They are all gorgeous.

And some humor in the windows. See the construction cone? That's all you can really notice in downtown Roanoke right now.

I love this window. I think the celebration is starting early. How about that Queen?

Happy Trails.

String Gel

2011-02-27T20:43:00.005-05:00

Hey Friends, A little information about the painting above. 8" x 10" gallery wrapped canvas.

I used string gel along the bottom. Sorta gives it a vegetative look, don't you think? It makes me think of frog eggs. Frogs lay these long, stringy things.

This is what it looked like with the under painting finished. I like the look this rusty, burnt orange paint gives the finished piece. Kinda earthy. I have Liquitex string gel. If you haven't tried it yet, have patience. I used a straw first time and actually sucked the stuff up into the straw, thinking it would drizzle out more evenly. No, don't do it.

It just sat there - in the straw. Just use a stick or tooth pick. Have a wet brush handy to clean off the blobs, if you don't like them. Otherwise just dip the stick and drizzle anywhere you want texture or make a pattern. Like a plaid or flowers. Have fun.

Happy Trails.

Glass Beads Cont'd.

2011-02-24T20:49:00.003-05:00

Hey Friends, So I'm back with the glass beads. Now I think you'll be able to see them a bit better. The image above is the finished piece-Duh...

I meant to load these in reverse order. But ya know my tendency to forget the proper way to do any thing. Dang - I've got so much paint on them you can't see like I was hoping.

Sorry, next time I use the glass beads I'll get better close ups before painting. I'm just itching to paint a Flamingo. Birds, Bees, Flamingos - All of these should tide me over 'til spring arrives or Daylight Savings Time starts. Which ever comes first.! ! !

Happy Trails.

My Efforts Today

2011-02-23T22:46:00.006-05:00

Hey Friends, A couple bits to show for my 11 hour day. Actually, I spent most of my day on another Peacock ! But I've got to hide her for a few days to see if she's as homely as I think she is right now. Whew, why do I torture myself with such hard, picky subjects? I suppose I just like testing myself every now and again.
The raven above is from yesterdays efforts. Not much time spent in the studio yesterday, so I kept it simple. I like simple. And you can't usually screw up such a beautiful, simple bird too badly.

This (above) is an under painting I thought you might like to glance at. I scanned at 72 dpi but I should have done it at about 200 so you could see the glass beads a little better. I used a palette knife to apply the glass beads at the bottom, in a sort of flower shape. It's pretty thick.

Then painted on an under coat of Acra Gold.

Can you see a faint line sketch in the smaller image? I'm going to make this a bee and flower painting. How common you say. But I really ENJOY painting Bee's.

Maybe I'll be able to show you this finished tomorrow.

Happy Trails and Happy Dreams

My Sugar Babes

2011-02-18T00:14:00.004-05:00

Hey Friends, A little late but wanted you to see my SweetHearts. Above is my only granddaughter and her Love Letter Necklace. I got the Letter from Holly's Etsy shop.

And here is my only grandson, Professor Nic, with his patched up mag glass, looking for a binky.

Had a good day painting. Finished 3 small, 2 I started on Tuesday. I'll post them tomorrow 'cuz it is 12:30 here in the East and I've had a long day.

Happy Trails !

New Farm Animal

2011-02-15T22:28:00.003-05:00

Hey Friends, Yep, I got 'er done. This is the Peacock I started last week. It's on a canvas panel and painted with acrylics. I used some of Golden's crackle paste in the corners.

Our closest neighbor has an exotic farm and I have taken photos of most of his critters for reference when painting. I say exotic 'cuz they don't have the usual farm animals. A couple years ago another neighbor told me they were getting a giraffe ! Haven't seen one yet so I guess it was just a rumor. AND their noisy peacock isn't this pretty. It's pretty raggedy.

Now I think I shall add Peacock No.1 to my Etsy shop instead of taking it to the Gallery.

Happy Trails.

Jumpers

2011-02-08T22:02:00.002-05:00

Hey Friends, This is the piece I started last week. Maybe I should have taken a before shot, but it wasn't very pretty. I was trying to make it look like a lake. But the water was just too dark. Now it looks more tropical than I intended.
This has been painted from memory. I'm sure that's why I had trouble. I think memory paintings take a lot of practice. And I don't have time for that, that's why I normally use photos.
AND painting people from memory is really tuff. I think the little guy on the left reminds me of SOROLLA's "Sad Inheritance". Mind you I said Reminds. If I were 1/10th as good at painting as Sorolla I would probably be wealthy !

I have not finished the Peacock ! Maybe Thursday. Please comment/critique - It always helps.

Happy Trails.

Art by Night

2011-02-03T21:08:00.004-05:00

Hey Friends, Just a quick little peek-see. Showing you a window at Gallery 108 with Valentine crafts on display.

Most are mine. The painting in the dark frame is by Martha Lalka and the heart necklaces are by someone I can't remember(Bad TuTu).

I had to take this photo at an angle because the flash made a glare. They are not under glass. I especially like the foamy waves coming in around the birds feet.

And this is my smaller works under the big birds. This part is for you Hallie. I've been showing everyone's wall at the Gallery except mine. So there it is.

It's still pretty cold here but we had about 45 souls brave the weather and visit our Gallery108 tonight. We enjoyed all the chatter if nothing else.

Happy Trails.

Painted Today

2011-02-02T18:50:00.002-05:00

Hey Friends, The 10x10 above was done for a friend to give her mother. The puppy in the swing with her Mom died recently and her Mom really loved the big fella. So it's kinda like she is taking the pup up to heaven on a swing to show him how beautiful it is there and not to be afraid. See the dog looking at her and listening to her every word.

And the one above (which I didn't crop correctly) is just a piece I was playing with. I've always considered myself a colorist but thought I'd really push the colors while I was playing.

A title is always a pickle for me. How about "Red Shoes" or "Granny's Lap Blanket" or "Reading in Gran's Sunroom".

I also started 2 more ! One of a Peacock and another of children on a lake.

Thanks for taking a peek.

Happy Trails.

300 Years Ago

2011-01-26T18:22:00.005-05:00

Hey Friends, I've been meaning to show you a few of my "Western" or "Native American" paintings. I decided to name this series 300 Years Ago because by my calculations this era would have been >< that far back. I have a little American Indian blood in me so maybe that's why I'm so compelled to do these.

When I was little I always hoped Roy Rogers and Dale Evans would come riding over the horizon to adopt me and take me back West with them. I can remember those day dreams very vividly. Lord knows what would have happened if I had actually seen them coming. I'll bet it would've been close to a heart attack!

Anyway, I have thought that I must be the only person in Virginia that likes this subject matter and that is proabably still true BUT when I came home from working at Gallery 108 this evening, a lady in Minnesota had purchased the painting above !!! That gave me such a thrill, to know that someone else appreciated my sentiments on this subject.

So now that I feel braver I am going to list the others in my Etsy shop.

Happy Trails to You , Sue

ALL THE COWS ARE HOME NOW . . . .

2011-01-16T22:10:00.007-05:00

Hey Friends, No big news around here just yet ! But I thought you might enjoy seeing my cows again. I finally listed all of them in my Etsy shop. Take a gander - HERE.

For sometime I've been contemplating opening a 2nd shop on Etsy. Just to see if anyone would appreciate my "other side". My grandbabes are motivating me to do this. I hate being on the fence about anything, so I need to get on with it-one way or the other.

Hoping you all had a pleasant weekend. I did.

Happy Trails, Sue

Getting in the Groove.....

2011-01-09T21:04:00.005-05:00

Hey Friends, I AM getting back into the groove of blogging. I still want you to meet all of the artists involved with Gallery 108 in downtown Roanoke. Above is Susan Lockwood, a photographer from Blacksburg, Va. She does a lot of traveling to get her photos. She has a lot of stuff for the RailRoad groupies too.

The photo above is for Mary Anne Meador, who works in all media and is especially good with pastels. She teaches workshops and is president of the LRA (League of Roanoke Artists). Bonnie Mason sharing a display panel with Mary Anne, is an amazing artist. She works with oils in a traditional style, also plein-air. Her subject matter is calm and restful.

Margaret Dubois is the artist above. She works with oil pastels but her claim to fame is ENAMELS! Now that is a hot mess. She has about 15 layers of this powder pigment and clear glazes to fire in a kiln. I mean each layer has to be fired. And the tiny images are just beautiful. Wish I had taken some close ups but the glass reflections probably would have made it useless anyway.

The next "Art by Night" is Feb.3rd, 5-9pm. So get out here and look for yourself. No

more stinking snow to worry about !

Happy Trails...

2011 ! ! ! ! !

2010-12-31T07:25:00.003-05:00

Hey Friends, Last day of 2010 ! ! Yay - I don't want to remember this year. I know 2011 is going to be a GOOD year so I want to wish you a "HAPPY NEW YEAR".

May it also be properous and healthy.

I haven't posted any new artwork for a while so thought you might like to see something I painted about a month ago. In spite of all the bad in 2010, I have been painting. A lot!

Best wishes to all. Happy Trails ! Sue

GALLERY 108 on Roanoke City Market

2010-09-08T11:25:00.009-04:00

Hey Friends, I worked at Gallery 108 this past Saturday and thought you might enjoy a few photos of the work showing there. Top photo is from Whitney Brock, our featured artist this month. She does more than just rocks. Her work includes landscapes and still life but this is a large impressive piece. I like her rocks a lot.
Here is the front view of a gorgeous bear by Gail Geer. I forgot to write down the type of stone. There are beautiful streaks of a pinkish-mauvish color in this stone.
The back view. Gail is the Best sculptor I have ever encountered and she sells like crazy!
The artist in this co-operative gallery take turns displaying in the windows. This window is Sheila Wiley's. She has a vibrant palette and makes a lot of Roanoke City scenes.
This window belongs to Linda Overstreet. She works with hand dyed fabric. Makes quilts, and wall hangings and bible/book covers and journals. I see a small purse in there also. Her stuff would make great gifts for almost anyone you can think of.

Gallery 108 is right beside the Roanoke City Market Bldg. which is being renovated starting yesterday. So streets next to the gallery will be closed and parking will be harder than ever! So friends try to get downtown and visit the gallery and help us stay alive until this mess is completed in May 2011(fingers are crossed). I know an amusement park would be more fun, but you need to buy gifts once in a while or re-decorate !

Maybe you would like to visit the Taubman Museum while there also.

Happy Trails !

WHERE HAVE I BEEN

2010-09-01T10:04:00.003-04:00

Hey Friends, I've been on vacation !! In the Bahama's !! Earl drove me away !!
NOT really . This has just been one of the worst years on my record book.
2010 will soon be over, still have to go through the dreaded winter though.

In the mean time, thought you might want to see a couple of Sweet Buns ! Of course there have been many wonderful times this year, these photos prove that. And I have managed to paint an hour or two nearly every day. I'll be posting some paintings soon.

Hope all of you, my friends, have been enjoying your summer. Sincerely.

Happy Trails !

Alla Prima by Richard Schmid

2010-04-18T18:22:00.003-04:00

Hey Friends, Thought you might like to know the book above "Alla Prima" is really worth reading. This is the third time I've read it and something new, just little tidbits, sinks into my hard head each time! Is it because I've painted more (experience?) or I'm in a different mood? or maybe because I wasn't reading in bed?
I injured the old knee again last night, almost made me cry, so I've been laying around reading and eating bon-bons, like a little queen. You guys have a great week painting!

Happy Trails.

Original 24x36 Painting

2010-04-15T21:11:00.002-04:00

Hey Friends, Not to much to talk about right now so I thought I'd show you a painting I did a few months ago. I have not shown it yet because I can't seem to get it just right in photo shop.
I think the image above is as good as it gets (for me). It's almost exactly the same as the painting. I never would have dreamed that I could finally do this sort of thing with photo shop. I believe the answer is that I lost my fear of computers. If I screw up I just shut the thing off, and come back later.
The yard work is killing me, how about you guys? I was exhausted just from trying to start the mower! But it's all done and I get to paint ALL day tomorrow!!!
Now go read this post from Luann Udell - It should clear up a few things for you.

Happy Trails.

WIN A BEAUTIFUL PAINTING

2010-04-09T23:25:00.004-04:00

Hey Friends, I like to visit the links left by people that comment on my blog. Some interesting stuff out there! The image above was painted by Roxanne "the Artist" !! She is a Texas artist and does lovely artwork and has a lovely blog.
Right now she is planning to give the above painting away!! Who wouldn't want that. All you have to do is visit her blog and follow the instructions. Everybody is giving away art but I like the way she is setting hers up. So go see Roxanne's Art Blog.

Happy Trails.

ART BY NIGHT at GALLERY 108

2010-04-01T16:52:00.006-04:00

Hey Friends, If you are in the area (Roanoke, Va.) come out for the Art by Night in downtown Roanoke in the market area. Some areas call it an Art Crawl but it means that the galleries all stay open 'til 9pm. Refreshments are served while you browse the new works and a featured artist. At Gallery 108 it is Revelle Hamilton. She has beautiful watercolors on display tonight.
This morning I changed my work. I had birds up but now my cows are hanging. I like all the bright colors! Maybe someone will fall in LOVE with my bovines.
Have a great weekend.

Happy Trails.

Cats and Quang Ho and Maria Pace Wynters

2010-03-18T20:16:00.005-04:00

Hey Friends, Just showing off a few of my cat paintings. Again I favor the black and white coats.

All three and a couple more are now listed in my Etsy shop. Cows are not there yet.

But the real reason I'm blogging tonight is - I was wondering if any of you have read the newest issue of SOUTHWEST ART (March). There is an interview of Quang Ho in his studio on page 60. In answer to one question, he said his recent show at Gallery 1261 was eclectic! That it looked like 10 different artists painted the works! ! ! Man, that made me feel so Good! To hear an internationally known, really big time, famous artist say that he didn't want to be pigeoned-hole, was a real eye-opener.

Of course, he didn't have that attitude to start with I bet. He had to build a reputation first. Anyway, now I don't feel so stupid or unprofessional, when my work seems to be all over the place (in style).

Also, wanted you to hear Maria Pace Wynters thoughts and feelings in a recent blogpost. She is brave in her statements and they reflect exactly how I feel. So click on her name and enjoy.

Happy Trails.

Original Cow Paintings - Last Two

2010-03-14T22:25:00.000-04:00

Hey Friends, These are the last of the cows. For now. Gotta move on. Love painting their little faces so I'm sure I'll be back with more. That brown fella (gal) above was a real odd looking cow. I tried to sweeten it up a bit.

Of course, this gal was more fun to paint. I just like the black and white. She might be the famous California Happy Cow from the commercials.

Now all I need to do is list them on Etsy. Sheeesh - that'll take hours! And I'm feeling the spring-forward daylight savings time thingy.

Do want to mention that I have a small show to be hung first of May at the famous Mill Mtn. Coffee Shop in the famous little town of Salem, Va.! More later. Have a grand week!

Happy Trails.

Original Paintings and a visit to Art Quiver

2010-03-06T07:22:00.003-05:00

Hey Friends, More Cows! I think I may be off this jag - for now. I have 2 more after these 2.

I'll post them later. Don't want to bore you too much on this fine start to the weekend.

A couple days ago I visited the studio of T. Lawson, whom my daughter models for real often. He has a beautiful studio, one most of us wish for! And I love, love his art work!!! His mind works totally different from mine. He's Pablo-ish. So I put a link here for you to easily check his work. His gallery is on Art Quiver. I've heard of this sight before. Don't think it's the route for me mostly because of the return policy. I can't see the advantage of that, can you?

Go look and tell me what you think. Have a great weekend.

Happy Trails.

Original Cow Paintings and Marie Fox

2010-02-24T21:16:00.003-05:00

Hey Friends, I forgot to take pictures at the party. I had my camera dangling on my wrist the whole time, too! So I thought I'd show you a couple more cows. Cows are funny creatures and interesting to paint. I'll list them in my etsy shop tomorrow, I think.

Also wanted to tell you about another interesting artist, Marie Fox. Found her blog last week and thought you might like her work as much as I do. Her full-figured models are fabulous! Click on here for her blog.

Happy Trails.

Original Paintings

2010-02-21T10:22:00.000-05:00

Hey Friends, Cows! Now I know why I see so many paintings of cows. They are so easy and quick to paint! I mentioned in a post that I was shoveling snow and then painting for an hour or so, alternating the activity, trying not to hurt the old back. So I ended up painting 7 cows! They are 8"x8" so you know they came along pretty fast anyway.

I put 3 on this post so you could see how I tighten up as time goes by. The green one should have been the last one. Notice the first cow is pretty loose. The red one is fairly loose but the green one is pretty tight! Why do I do that? Don't have a clue. But it is something I need to pay attention to.

I also painted about 4 of birds, 3 of cats, a couple landscapes, and 3 Wabbits! I do love to paint! Now I must varnish and put on the backings and hangers.

This evening Gallery 108 (downtown Roanoke) is hosting a little party so the new members and original members can meet. I know this will be a good time. I'll post photos later.

Happy Trails.

Weekly Busy Work ! !

2010-02-07T09:07:00.000-05:00

Hey Friends, Just thought I'd show you what I've been busy doing the last few days. Seems to be a weekly exercise this winter. This is at the top of the driveway.

This is about the same spot and I'm just starting to shovel a path for my car tires. Thats all I want to do but of course I'll have to take out some of the depth. My car is low to the ground and the last snow took out the muffler! Sounds like a motorcycle now!!

Showing the bottom sharp turn. The little cedar is really flexible. Every snow bends her over to the ground. This snow is HEAVY & WET and the cedar top was stuck in the ice.

This view is just past the sharp turn. If you look real hard, you'll see the little creek or spring that we have to cross the first time. You have to cross it again a little further up.

Anyway, snow is pretty but I hate it. I would or will shovel for an hour or so, go back in, warm up and paint for an hour or two, then go shovel for another hour. The calvary (my brothers) will be here Sunday to dig me out, Bless their little hearts!

I've missed two days at my REAL job and I'm hoping my boss will see this post. I don't think they really believe it's this bad.

Next post I'll show you a couple shots from the Art by Night @ Gallery 108 that took place Thursday the 4th. I had a good time.

Happy Trails.

ORIGINAL PAINTING NEEDS CRITIQUE

2010-01-31T17:34:00.003-05:00

Hey Friends, I'm seeking some Honest opinions about my painting above, which I so very creatively titled "He Loves Me". I positively love it! I'm borrowing from Robert Burridge and Maria Pace Wynters. Borrowing!! Not copying I hope. I'm not going to say why I like it, until I hear some others thoughts. Much appreciated!

Just thought I'd throw this one in 'cuz she's so cute! No critique needed, Right?!?

Hope all are having a wonderful Sunday. My brothers came to my rescue and shoveled a path to escape this dang gone SNOW!

Happy Trails.

Original Art Finished and Found

2010-01-27T12:00:00.000-05:00

Hey Friends, I have gotten several small pieces finished up. Let's see what you have done! The painting above is on Masa Rice Paper attached to mat board using acrylics. Lots of water and medium used to make it look like watercolor. I think I'm finished. The image doesn't look as bright or saturated as the original.

This painting I found in a box with several others. I'm famous for packing a box really well (using all the space) and then FORGETTING ABOUT IT. Usually when I come across these boxes again, I have at some point in time searched for these paintings, I slap myself again and again saying "How many times have I told you not to do this!?"

This is also painted on Masa paper. I've been in love with rice paper, specifically Masa for a long time. Vera Dickerson, a local artist and instructor, introduced this paper during a workshop.

Some more art blogs that might be of interest to you are BRUSH-PAPER-WATER. This is Chris Beck's blog and she is always introducing us to some interesting work. Her post today is about Katherine Cartwright. Go look and enjoy your Wednesday!

Happy Trails.

SOLD

2010-01-20T18:47:00.003-05:00

Hey Friends, Just thought I would tell you the painting above sold today.! I'm a member of the League of Roanoke Artists and we have several spaces to showcase our work. One space is in the lobby of Lewis Gale Hospital. I have sold several pieces there but it is always a thrill to have some one plunk down their money for something I created!!! Thank you.
Happy Trails!

INTERESTING BLOGS

2010-01-17T20:40:00.000-05:00

Hey Friends, Just a quick note to tell you about a couple of interesting blogs I've come across. Interesting to me because I'm a fan of the arts. Even better is when an artist has a sense of humor. I recently came across Dreama Tolle Perry (she is on That Daily Painters site). Click it and scroll down to the part about her book. And then there is Maria Pace Wynters (also on That D P site). I loved her post about the veil.
AND I found out this morning, Dreama T.P. is holding some Workshops! ! ! I want to take 1 or 2! Her workshops aren't that far from me! I haven't taken a workshop in the last 100 years! so I'm really excited. Can't wait. So I'm going to email her for some details!!!!!

Happy Trails

MY LOVES, GALLERY 108, NEW PAINTING

2010-01-14T20:09:00.006-05:00

Hey Friends, I finally got this photo from my daughter (the one in the middle). I've been nagging her since Christmas. She had it put on a mug for me. I love it! Look at how much my granbabes have grown!!! Just wanted to share a little of my personal life.

Above is the new gallery I am in now ! It is a co-op gallery and I'm like 1/7th of a member or something like that. I'm really HAPPY about this. Always wanted a gallery in downtown Roanoke. It is right across the street from the new Taubman Museum, so stop in soon!

Here is a link to Gallery 108. They haven't gotten me on the site yet because I need to make a CD for them to download from. Yeah, more computer work that I hate doing.

And the image above is one of about four I painted at the same time. The others are real dogs, this one is the least ugly. I think I'm falling out of love with acrylics. Blending, soft edges are not easy to start with and then add the dry air of 12 degrees and it's frustrating. I also don't like the canvas panels I have right now - too grainy! I prefer to work on gessoed masonite but I can't afford to buy them and it's a Major deal to get the table saw out of the shed to cut my own. Poor Sue, I could whine for hours but it's not really my best talent.

I only know I've got to get busy and get better. I've got shows coming up ! ! !

Hope you guys are having a wonderful 2010 so far!

Happy Trails.

END OF AN ERA? and Snow Painting

2010-01-06T08:58:00.003-05:00

Hey Friends, A bit of sad news . See the van above? I love that van. I've had her for 10 years and we have been to a lot of pretty locations. I sold her yesterday. I feel all teary eyed and sad. How can an adult woman be so attached to a machine? She has been sitting here in the yard for the last 3 years, driven just enough to keep her systems in shape. Still paying for insurance and taxes, etc. on her. I think she went to a happy place. Grace Baptist Chuch in Dublin bought her. A small church with about 20 kids to haul around. Maybe it represents some part of my life that is over now.

I knocked this one out in a short amount of time last night. This is the top of our driveway. You keep sliding on down to the left (steep) and make a hairpin turn to the right over a spring, then bear to the right over another spring! ! And its all covered (at the moment) with about 1" of ice and several inches of snow! Yes, snow is beautiful until you start shoveling.

The weather man says we may get some more tomorrow.

Vans hate snow.

Happy Trails in 2010!!

Snow in the East

2009-12-19T19:25:00.000-05:00

Hey Friends, We-e-e-l-l-l-l---, I've done it again ! ! ! I'm the worst blogger on planet earth. I'm amazed how time is flying. I'm amazed it's been over a month since I blogged or even visited here. Like all of you, I'm so busy being busy or maybe being busy fretting about every little thing ! !

I have been really busy painting too! The Gift of Art show and sale has come and gone. I've been delivering small pieces to galleries and hanging works in a rotating gallery for the League of Roanoke Artists.

Now we have to contend with over a foot of snow !! I live off the main path (compared to most people) in the mountains of SW Va. Our driveway is a winding, little gravel path that goes up a very steep little cliff. So you know I'll be a few days getting out of here.

And the photo above is a real yardstick, stuck in real snow, in the front yard ! ! !

Hope all of you are safe and warm.

Happy Trails.

FLOYD ARTISTS ASSOC.

2009-10-01T21:39:00.004-04:00

Hey Friends, A quick note to let you know my daughter, Jessi and I went to the Floyd Artist Assoc. in downtown Floyd, Va. today. It was a beautiful drive and in case you haven't been on Rt. 221 that takes you to Floyd, it is a very curvy little road, a bit narrow in spots, therefore I didn't take any photos of this beautiful countryside to show you. I will try when I go back to pick up. This assoc. is housed in a very nice little building but the signage is very small so you are going to have to hunt for it. Then go across the street to the Country Store and you will find almost anything you want!
Happy Trails

INTERESTING BLOGS

2009-09-29T18:45:00.004-04:00

Hey Friends, I wanted to pass along a couple of blogs I was reading earlier today BUT who wants to look at a blog post without an image? I prefer beautiful images and all I could come up with is THIS!! His Great Granny is holding him and he's hungry and not too keen on binkys.

Anyway - I was reading Carol Marine's blog and she had a link to an artist called Sharon Williams, who lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I think she's fantastic and thought you might agree.

Another blog I subscribe to is Casey Klahn's. He won an award at the Sausalito Art Fair and then makes a post to tell us Wanna Be's how to Paint for a First Place or a Best in Show. Very much worth your reading time. That's it tonight.
Happy Trails.

Third Place in Acrylics !

2009-09-27T18:26:00.003-04:00

Hey Friends, Just wanted to toot my own horn a bit. Today the LRA had their annual awards reception at the Jefferson Center. Ted Batt, curator for the Lynchburg Fine Arts Center, was the juror. Nearly everything he choose was contemporary, or edgy, or experimental. Not much on realism, it seemed to me. So after looking at all the award winners, I'm a little surprised he choose one of mine. If I hadn't used the Masa Paper and all the imprinting, texture techniques, I doubt he would have noticed mine.
The Heron is rendered very realistically but the fun part was adding the rice paper and building up all the textures. A lot of contemplation.
Now I wish I had taken the time to photograph all the winners. There was some really good work in this show. I always enjoy their company.
I think the LRA will post some photos so check them out in the next week or so.
And it was confirmed the "Gift of Art" will happen on Dec. 5th at the Jefferson Center.
Happy Trails.

PS-Went straight from work-thats why I LOOK like a nurse.

THE SKECHERS ARE HERE ! ! ! !

2009-09-26T23:29:00.003-04:00

Hey Friends, A quick note, you may find interesting. This is what I did this morning as soon as I got to my REAL job. Christine modeled the NEW "Skecher Shape Up" shoes so I could show what everyone has been clamoring for the past 2 months. They claim to improve a lot of stuff, like your posture and cellulite and back, etc. I don't know but I can say they feel really good! They are extra cush-y and you can rock while standing. They are extra ugly but because they feel so good, you can ignore the ugly.

I also thought you might like to know what I'm doing when I'm not painting. I work for "SUPER SHOES" here in Roanoke, Va. A GREAT place to work, if ya gotta. Great co-workers and the BEST manager in the chain. AND I must say our customers are as good as they get! I have met a lot of characters, that I really like, on my job.

So, there you have it. My life in a nutshell.

Happy Trails.

I FINISHED IT!!?

2009-09-24T20:37:00.005-04:00

Hey Friends, Well, I finally made up my mind. I added the blue stripes to the tablecloth!
I think it added the missing something. Scroll down, peek at the last image of this, and tell me what you think. It is not varnished yet so I COULD change it.
I've been real busy last couple days, doing miniatures for the Christmas show on Dec. 5th. It's called the "Gift of Art"! Get it? This year it will take place at the Jefferson Center, downtown area of Roanoke, Va. I will be showing small paintings and miniatures. Stuff people can afford to give as gifts.
BTW-I got an email tonight from the LRA telling me I won an award in the annual SHOWCASE of ART! No, they didn't tell me which award. I should find out Sunday. The awards ceremony is 2-4 Sunday, Sept. 27th at the Jefferson Center. Hope you can be there.
Happy Trails.

Lamp Shade

2009-09-22T20:57:00.004-04:00

Hey Friends, I told Kathleen Krucoff last week I would show her a lamp shade I made using Masa Rice Paper. Thought you might like to see it also.
A few years ago I ordered some Waxed Rice Paper just out of curiosity. Once I had it, just couldn't figure out how to use it in my art because it wouldn't stick to any surface using acrylic matte medium. So when I was redecorating a bedroom, I couldn't find a lamp shade for a floor lamp I had. Ta-Dah! I crumpled the waxy Masa, as usual. Spread it on some plastic and dumped liquid acrylics on it. When dry, I cut the shape out and glued with hot glue to the frame and added the beads, etc.

Here is the close up of the texture. It is an illusion because the paper is very smooth and flat. I love this paper! I've always wanted to wallpaper a small space with it. Can you imagine that?

Happy Trails.

PAINTING ON MASA RICE PAPER-Am I finished?

2009-09-18T08:51:00.003-04:00

Hey Friends, Added details mostly. Dosen't seem finished to me. My brain keeps wanting to add color to the table cloth. Blue or yellow? I love blue and white stripes. Is that the answer? I'll wait to see if anyone has an opinion. Be back tonight!
Happy Trails.

Painting in Progress on Masa Rice Paper

2009-09-16T21:47:00.007-04:00

Hey Friends, Decided to run with this post about the Masa Paper I showed in the previous post. In the image above I lightly indicated with blue watercolor pencil where the blossoms and vase go.

This image I started adding the darker areas and the first pass on the flowers.

Here is a close-up of the vase area. Do you see the batik-E texture still showing ?

Another layer of the darker color in the background and worked on the glass vase. Added the shadows from the flowers.

Another close-up of the vase area. I'll continue to post the layers of paint as I add them. I'm sure you have already gathered that I'm using the acrylics like watercolors. Keeping them as transparent as possible so the beautiful rice paper can shine.

Happy Trails.

MASA RICE PAPER-What's underneath

2009-09-14T20:23:00.003-04:00

Hey Friends, Just a little random tidbit of interest - maybe. I scanned the above canvas which has Masa Rice Paper on it so you could see what the paper looks like before Painting on it. I had to make 2 scans and photomerge them in Photoshop. Too big for my scanner in one pass. Since it's too big the canvas doesn't lay flat on the glass and you wind up w/ that shadow on the left. Now maybe you've heard how much I hate Vista on this new computer, therefore I will not do any more experimenting until it's gone. Meaning, I won't take a crack at fixing that shadow.
The Masa paper has a wonderful batik-e look that I really enjoy painting on. You should get a sheet and PLAY! Daniel Smith Art Supplies sells it by the roll or sheets.
Also wanted you to see this paper before painting on it because I just finished a couple small paintings that started w/ this paper and I totally ruined them. The paper was wasted!!
I'll post them next time.
Happy Trails.

DESIGN STYLE GUIDE TREASURY

2009-09-12T21:26:00.005-04:00

Hey Friends, I did it!!!! I goggled "how to make screen shot" and it gave me some directions for doing this in Vista. (I hate Vista) After doing screen shots about 7 times and saving in Paint, then cropping and rotating and photo-merging in Photoshop - the shot above is what I came up with. Whew. What a hassle. Still don't know how to get a full article in one screen shot. Kathy Reed, over at Design Style Guide, included my painting Monday Laundry in her treasury. I've had my paintings included in several treasuries but I've never been able to show you until now. Thank you, Kathy! Now I shall ask Google how to screen shot a full article and see if its do able in Vista.
Happy Trails.

FRIENDSHIP Original Painted Collage 6x6

2009-09-07T19:25:00.004-04:00

Hey Friends, Hope you are having a Great Labor-Free Day! My work place closed early so I had the time to post this little girl on Etsy. I included a close up of the bottom edge so you could see the mini-dragonflies. It's just a thick layer of acrylic gel with the impressions of dragonfly and the actual DF embedded.
Have a wonderful week!
Happy Trails.

LA Series #3 Original Alla Prima Painting

2009-09-06T19:15:00.004-04:00

Hey Friends, I just added this to my Etsy Shop. This is the third in the LA series. Soon I'll have to start an NR series!! After the handsome fella in the post below.

This is a close up of the model looking for stones to skip across the brook/creek/stream?

Happy Trails.

Sept.4,2009 NEW GRANDSON

2009-09-04T20:02:00.005-04:00

Hey Friends, Big news of the Day/Year!!! NICOLAS IS HERE!!! He is healthy and beautiful. He weighed in at 8 and a half lbs. and 19"long. He seems to be a content baby also.

And here is his very Happy Sister. She couldn't wait for him to arrive so she could hold him!

Needless to say it's been an extra busy year for everyone. Now that Nicky is here and Jessi is home maybe things will quiet down for a while. I've got a small solo show coming up first of Oct. and I've got stuff to do!!!!

Happy Trails.

Original Painting of Raven-Details

2009-08-20T23:58:00.000-04:00

Hey Friends, I think this post may turn out to be pretty funny. You know how you have a choice of putting your photos in the middle or on the left or right? Well, I've seen others put the image on the side and the verbage on the other side. Thought I'd give it a go. I clicked the left and you see what I got!! It's always a mystery how I do these things. I'll try to work around this.

Theimage above is just acrylic splattered with alcohol and then more acrylic layered on, transparent acrylic. And more alcohol. If the acrylic is somewhat dry, you get the tiny marks. Then in the corner I laid down a pink layer and swirled a comb through it.

The image on the left above is the limb the Raven is sitting on. Painted thinly or transparently. It has a watercolor look. The orange dots were placed with the brush handle. Obviously the other is the Raven's tail.

The images above are details of the beautiful birds features. The background was painted in blocks. Taped off, then paint was dripped and rolled with a brayer and alcohol, etc. in layers. I'm not doing so well with getting this verbage where I want it. HA! My daughter still needs to fix this thing. I'd love for it to be done before that Baby Boy arrives!!! Hint Hint!

I realize I didn't post the full image but I dare not go back and try to add something else. I'll just do that next time. It's more fun trying to put this puzzle together anyway.

Happy Trails.

RAVEN Original Painting Details

2009-08-20T23:55:00.006-04:00

Hey Friends, I have a friend, Kelli, who lives in Alaska! She was curious about a couple of mypaintings, so I thought I would show her a few close ups. I thought maybe you would like to see also. This is a contemporary twist on the famous Raven. Ravens are so smart and good looking.

In this close up, you can see one section of the Real Gold Leaf and the Ravens tail feathers.

This close up shows a stamp I hand made from a sheet of foam. I like to make my own stamps.

Here is the famous nosy face.

This section just shows the effect you get by dragging things through the paint. Here I used a comb type thingy for decorating cakes! This style or technique is one of my very most favorite ways to create.

Tomorrow I will post another Raven, but right now I must get going to see my daughter in the hospital and take her some PB&J sandwiches.

Happy Trails!

HOSPITALS AND DOCTORS

2009-08-16T09:48:00.002-04:00

Hey Friends, Just a quick note to tell you my youngest daughter has had a major relapse! She has been in the hospital since Aug.4th and needless to say we've been there too. Hopefully not many of youknow what a giant pain all this is. It is hard for doctors to figure out what the problem might be especially in the gastro tract.
Thanks to my friends for your encouraging comments and hope to have time soon to reply and maybe post another colorful painting.
Now I'm off to the hospital.
Happy Trails.

Expressionism or Impressionism?

2009-08-01T22:54:00.003-04:00

Hey Friends, Got a new painting to show you. Actually this is only the top half (it's 24x8) cuz I don't yet know enough about Photoshop to correct the color difference where the two scans meet! I know, I shouldn't tell the world what a Dolt I am but as Popeye says " I yam what I yam." My newer ones are even more colorful. Going through a stage, which I've done before. I've been reading William Herring's book " A Horse of a different Color" for about the 12th time. Maybe that is why I'm going nuts with the color. He is an artist from Texas and this book is illustrated in black & white drawings so I'm not sure where the color fits in.
Happy Trails.

NEW DELL COMPUTER

2009-07-31T23:50:00.003-04:00

Hey Friends, Good to be back! My computer died and I have a NEW Dell. Shiny black and Fast! I'm having trouble with this blogpost though. The pictures uploading fine but I can't click with the mouse to put that little blinky thing whereever I want to type! Exasparating.

This is a quik note to let you know I haven't died yet and what I've been doing besides painting (which I've done a lot of). The skys here in SW Va. have been gorgeous this summer and I've carried the camera around clicking as I drive!! The nighttime temps have been chilly too, good for sleeping but the tomatoes aren't happy. And of course following the little flying Angel around with the camera! She's a ham.

With the old computer, I could click between the photos and type, now I can't. And I always forget the photos upload in a backwards order.

Tomorrow I'll show some new paintings. My world has been pretty colorful!! hope yours has been too. Must be off to work.

Happy Trails.

2nd HELPINGS (formerly Art on a Mission)

2009-06-20T08:43:00.005-04:00

Hey Friends, A message for all the locals. Local to Roanoke/Salem area. I'm really happy to tell you the Rescue Mission has finally gotten their new space ready to open!!!!! Their gallery used to be in the Tanglewood Mall next to Penneys. They have been closed since March. Hopefully, you can read the postcard/invitation above to find their new home. This bldg. used to be Sears, a really long time ago. Not far from the intersection of Williamson Rd. and Orange Ave.(460) next to the Roa. Civic Center, which is right off I581. It is real easy to find and lots of parking-close by. It appears there will be live music! Hope you can be there. I'm busy getting some new work framed or ready for hanging. I always have to scan or photograph everything and thats such a chore. HAPPY FATHERS DAY to all you Dads.

Happy Trails!

ROANOKE SIDEWALK ART SHOW

2009-06-17T20:11:00.004-04:00

Hey Friends, Boy - was I shocked when I checked my blog this morning! I hadn't posted in a MONTH! It's hard to realize how fast days go by - how fast LIFE is going by!
Anyway, I've got a few pictures from the annual art show in downtown Roanoke, Va. Above is me, myself, and the love of my life-Lillie! She brought her mom to the show just to see her TuTu. The only thing that impressed her was a bag of rubber bands.

Here is a shot looking north at the famous Roanoke City Market Bldg. I had a great spot on this tiny street, almost in front of the now famous Taubman Museum!

Here is a shot looking south with the famous Hotel Roanoke in the background. A gorgeous old hotel you should visit next time you're in Roanoke.

The show this year was wonderful for me. The weather was heavenly and the crowd was large. I sold more artwork this year than in several previous years. Who would have ever guessed. I'm still not up to snuff on this here Internet thingy but I'm afraid it's all my fault. I honestly don't have the time to fumble with it enough to promote myself. My youngest daughter, my baby named Jessi (she's the one thats been so sick) is trying to help me out a bit, while looking for a job. She has some time on her hands at the moment, thank goodness.

I'm thinking about giving Bon Air (in Richmond) another try this fall. Maybe. A lady in my Va. group within Design Style Guide is from Richmond so I'll have to ask her.

I'll be back soon with some new artwork. I have been painting a lot which is a great thing, almost as good as eating ice cream.

Happy Trails.

FUN TO READ

2009-05-18T08:23:00.004-04:00

Hey Friends, I just wanted to post a couple of links I found on Casey Klahn's blog (the Colorist). The first is about writing better blogs, nothing earth shaking but worth reading. The second is just plain funny - about ALIENS. I'm sure we should all be making ourselves a hat.

Happy Trails.

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?

2009-05-15T18:22:00.003-04:00

Hey Friends, Boy - How time flys! Sorry to be absent so long. Since going to UVA with my sick baby and her Dad, I've been either baby-sitting my precious grand daughter or working in the yard. Not to mention taking the day off for Mothers Day to be with my girls. All this worry about my daughter has been a real blog killer. The only time I wasn't feeling stressed was when I was digging holes for trees. (and at my age and physical no-condition it was a job just to keep from passing out!!!) Now to finish this story - my daughter is going to be OK - I feel sure of it! She was finally able to get a prescription from Canada for her stomach (will be here soon) and the other issues are finally being addressed. The medical world is slower than any sloth you ever saw on TV. It's truly a wonder anyone makes it out of a hospital.
I've got one street festival to do on May 30 & 31, so I'll be busy for the next few days.
I notice several new followers on my blog, so I'm going to say Hi to them.
I'll be back soon!
Happy Trails.

Water Can with Flowers

2009-05-03T22:40:00.002-04:00

Hey Friends, Wanted to show you this painting I just finished. It's one of my fav's. I love watering cans and have several. I think they make a lovely container for a flower painting. What say you? I like the metal cans, even when they are rusty.

For the life of me I can't remember the name of the flower in the can. I know it doesn't matter, but it bugs me when I can't remember a detail. I'm thinking I want to paint this in a larger size. It would be ready for a local show first part of May. Do you think this would be a good gift for Mothers Day or a gardener's birthday? I had better get out to the studio and slap some paint around.

Happy Trails.

TREASURY REVISITED

2009-04-30T21:19:00.003-04:00

Hey Friends, Thought I would come back and show you what I learned today! My daughter, the computer master, was here today and showed me how to get this partial screen shot from Word into Photoshop, etc,etc. I believe to get a full screen shot I would have to do this twice-top&bottom and then do a photomerge. She is REALLY good with computers and understands what the artsy-fartsy types want or need. Check out her work at my website - http://www.suefurrow.com/. She did it all - you should see all that code behind each page, each photo.
PS: NO it is not clickable-maybe in time. My work is the lady bent over cutting flowers.

Happy Trails

TREASURIES!!!

2009-04-29T21:45:00.002-04:00

Hey Friends, Short note to tell you I have been lucky enough to be included in several Treasuries lately. Treasury on Etsy is a group of shops chosen by a person, a curator, and grouped into one screen shot so the world can see this curators favorites or maybe its a reflection of their taste. Anyway, I think it's an honor to be chosen. AND someday soon I hope to learn how I can post these treasuries on this blog. I did learn how to capture a screen shot and save it in my Word thingy. Just haven't figured out how to click it and upload to Blogger.

One treasury is here and one is here. And Kathleen and Mysticsilks also posted treasuries with my work in them but they have expired. So just click on their name to visit their Etsy Shop.

Happy Trails.

Gum Springs-the Glow of a Million Red Buds

2009-04-27T22:10:00.005-04:00

Hey Friends, A couple weeks ago I posted some photos I took on a short walk down our little country road along Gum Springs. I did finally get around to painting from them. At the time I was painting, the Red Bud trees were in full bloom. That's where the title came from. The little buds have fallen now and the little green leaves are emerging. In the photo below it is hard to visulize all the shades of green and the glow from a Bazillion Red Buds when the sun is setting. Just trust me - That's what it looks like

I painted another from the same area that I will post later. I only have 2 shows scheduled for this year, thus far. And it's a darn good thing 'cuz I'm not sure I'll be ready for these. The first is in a couple weeks and the second is the end of May. Boy, I better get with it.

Happy Trails.

JOSH'S PAINTINGS

2009-04-25T09:18:00.005-04:00

Hey Friends, Thought I would show you what I finished up about a week ago. Just got them back from being scanned and giclees made. I put the back covers and hanging wires on them today. Now they are ready to be delivered!

I made 3. This, of course, is the bumblebee and there is a dragonfly and a butterfly. These are for a boy named JOSH. For his room. He gets pretty excited about Bee's. Probably because of all the screaming and running and slapping that goes on when a Bee arrives.

At the bottom, within the hearts, are words. Words that I hope will inspire lots of actions, such as day dreams or hugs or kisses or kindness. I'm disappointed the words don't show up better. Maybe I will go back and try to blow them up some more. Maybe. Click on maybe if you want to see all 3 of them.

Happy Trails.

LITTLE BLACK BOOK

2009-04-24T13:10:00.006-04:00

Hey Friends, Thought I would show you one of my all time favorites. Why is it one of my favorites? I think mostly, it is the colors. Yeah, I'm a color freak. This one is bright, but soothing or calming. This feeling is the way most gardens/landscapes hit me. Maybe I'm a bit lazy but I love to sit in a garden or patio and just take it all in. The colors, the smells, the breeze, the sounds (birds,water,children,dogs,airplanes). If I'm left alone, reading fits in nicely. I ALWAYS want to take a nap outdoors too, but the bugs won't allow it. AND if you can imagine, someone comes along and fires up that big shiny grill and then the smells of burgers and tomatoes hit ya.

I painted this at my sisters house. I used her furniture, etc. but the colors are mine. This is the way I wanted her place to look. I listed it in my ETSY shop and DESIGN STYLE GUIDE.

Now I'm gonna call my sis and tell her to look at my blog. I'm hoping she will get the hint. This is the perfect day to invite me over for dinner!

Happy Trails.

WINDY DAY

2009-04-22T11:00:00.000-04:00

Hey Friends, I'm listing this painting in my Etsy. Again this is acrylic on MASA Rice Paper. I would love to know what you think of this technique or this effect. I'm crazy about it but I'm known to love stuff nobody else likes. BTW-this rice paper makes beautiful lamp shades.

Now I think I'll spend a few minutes figuring out how to post someone else's work here on my blog. It may never see the light of day but I really want to show you some of the work my Team members from Virginia do. I'm talking about Design Style Guide.

Happy Trails.

BEACH NO3

2009-04-17T19:30:00.000-04:00

Hey Friends, Artists know they should paint what they love, the things that really inspires them. So with that in mind, I painted another beach scene. Using the same photos I've used several times. In this painting I felt like adding some figures. Some humans enjoying the sun and water as much as I would, if I only had the time to go.

This is painted on masa rice paper with acrylics, one of my all time favorite techniques, which I learned from Vera Dickerson years ago. You can find 8x16 giclee/reproductions in my Etsy shop by clicking here.

Happy Trails.

SISTERS ON A FROLIC

2009-04-16T22:59:00.005-04:00

Hey Friends, Here is the newest painting I've listed in Etsy. This is painted on Masa Rice paper with acrylics. This rice paper is a true joy to paint on! If you haven't given it a try, don't delay. It's my favorite. This paper can be preped in several different ways. My favorite is to crumple and stain with inks or liquid acrylics-gives it a batik-y effect.

I think you can depict any surface on this paper with realistic effects or fantasy. I believe the word is organic. Don't you think it lends it self well to capturing the beach sand and the ocean? I've done several portraits on Masa and loved the human characteristics it lends. The veins, the pores, the scars. and the wrinkles.

Happy Trails.

TREASURY!

2009-04-12T21:33:00.002-04:00

Hey Friends, Another post! Two in one day-wow. I was included in a treasury on Etsy. If I knew what I was doing, I could capture the treasury image and put it on this screen. Hey, don't be mean, I've learned a lot in this past year. Treasuries don't stay visible very long on Etsy, so click HERE now to see it.
Happy Trails.

A FAVORITE BLOG

2009-04-12T12:48:00.004-04:00

Hey Friends, Today I wanted to share one of my favorite blogs by an artist, Sue Smith. She talks about a lot of things special to me. It will take some time if you click on all the stuff she has linked in her side bar, but I found it all very interesting. Enjoy! Sorry I couldn't figure out how to add one of her paintings, so just click on her name.

Happy Trails.

HERONS - Fresh Water

2009-04-09T19:40:00.003-04:00

Hey Friends, I thought it was about time to show you a little art work. I'm finished whining for a little while. This piece was inspired by some photos I took on a street festival trip to Florida a few years ago. The herons came from the photos, the rest is pretty much memories of a greenhouse business that used to be in our area that sold aquatic plants. It is painted with acrylics on 300 lb. Arches watercolor paper. One of these days I would love to have a small water garden. Mostly to attract birds, not necessarily to have fish. I'd rather have the fish in an aquarium. I love the sounds of an aquarium.
I listed a couple of items on my page at Design Style Guide and now I need to figure out how to put their logo widget thingy on this blog.
The painting above is also in my Etsy shop. Now I must run out to the studio and varnish 3 pieces I recently finished for a loyal customer.
Happy Trails.

WHO'S THE CRAZY OLD LADY NOW?

2009-04-05T22:47:00.003-04:00

Hey Friends, LOL, I can't believe I fixed it!!! Well, If it hadn't been for the BLOG DOCTOR it would never be fixed. Thank You Doctor. It was an HTML thing. If you ever have a blog problem, go to Blogger Help Group. You can post questions there and someone (kinda spooky) will send you the answer. Til next time.
Happy Trails.

Test Run

2009-04-01T17:44:00.001-04:00

This is the geek running a test to see what the crazy old lady has done.

WHAT THE HECK?!

2009-04-01T11:11:00.004-04:00

Hey Friends, Obviously something is wrong here. Last night I had a lot of trouble posting the tidbit below. Blogger kept saying I had incorrect HTML. Well, I fooled with it for a while but the thoughts of the monster worm from China in the back of my mind kept getting bigger! So I shut her off. Now I'll have to call in the geek squad. Hopefully she can restore the missing stuff usually found on the right.
Happy Trails.

A BEAUTIFUL DAY

2009-03-31T21:36:00.009-04:00

Hey Friends, Yes, today was a beautiful day! This was the first day this year that felt like spring. My oldest daughter, Angie, came over with her first born - my precious grandbaby above. We spent hours outside and in the greenhouse. Angie was transplanting seedlings for her garden and the babe spent hours planting black-eyed peas and various bits of junk.

Here is a close up of a black-eyed pea. She kept hers together in a mini-greenhouse. Silly!

She did her work right out of the wheel barrell with a funny little bear on the chair singing - "Come and Get Your Love". Thankfully, her parents believe children should be allowed to play in the dirt and run outside. Some kids aren't allowed to get dirty or break a sweat. She will probably do more damage in the garden this year than the 200 deer that pass through.

OK - I wanted to show you what I posted in my Etsy shop last night, too tired to blog about it last night. And with the unlikely threat of Confikker hanging around tomorrow, I thought I'd do it now. This was painted with acrylics on 300lb. Arches watercolor paper. It's nice and bright, using the primary colors. It measures a 9 1/4" square with a 2" border.

Happy Trails.

PAPER LANTERNS

2009-03-25T22:17:00.001-04:00

Hey Friends, Continuing on with the studio clearance sale. Do you have a ton of stuff you'd like to get rid of? I guess if you're an artist you might have a lot of little stuff too. Or do you have big stuff? What do other artists do with the paintings that haven't sold? Granted I have not done any festival shows for the past 4 years (just here in my home town) so that must be the problem. In the past I've not had this much accumulation. Since I can't stop painting, I've got to do something with them. I do plan to donate some to a few local auctions. Anyway, if you want to take advantage of my obcession, I'm posting these in my Etsy shop.

This is Painted Photo Collage. Do you like the paper lanterns? I used to have a hard time finding them, now you can pick them up almost everywhere. Mix some paper lanterns with flowers and a darling little girl and a little imagination and you wind up with a sweet little painting! Click here to go to Etsy.

Happy Trails.

Dr. Wang

2009-03-25T11:06:00.003-04:00

Hey Friends, We made it back from UVA pretty late. We were all pretty tired from riding in a small car and sitting a lot in waiting rooms. Jessi was pretty much out of it or asleep the entire day. The only thing that happened was the doctor and his nurse took a lot of history notes and flipped through her medical records and viewed a CD of her CAT SCAN (is that spelled correctly?) Basically how he summed it up was, the Roanoke doctors had already performed the basic or obvious and easiest tests. Now Dr. Wang wants to dig a bit deeper. He drew blood and collected a urine sample for tests he said he will evaluate with other specialists. We go back on April 7 for a barium type test of her upper bowel. Shhheeewww, the best part of hospital waiting rooms is catching up on your reading. Next visit I'll be taking the book I bought from Alyson Stanfield - "I'd rather be in the Studio". Apparently this is going to be a long drawn out process, because Dr Wang doesn't have "A Magic Bullet"!!
Happy Trails

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA

2009-03-24T10:37:00.003-04:00

Hey Friends, We are off to UVA today! Jessi's consultation appt. is at 3:30. We are about 2 maybe 2 1/2 hours from this hospital learning/teaching center. I've always heard great things about this place. My sister takes her youngest adopted child here every 2 or 3 months so they can stay on top of her disease - HIV. It's totally under control or remission might be the word, because the people seem to know what they are doing. I'm hoping and praying they will figure out Jessi's problem quickly. I included the picture above of Jessi (on the right) and her sister, Angie (who will be having a baby in Sept) just so you can connect this face with my posts.

On a quick lighter note (this is supposed to be a blog about my art work) I did paint an hour this morning on a commission for 3 pieces with flowers and insects as the theme. I'll show them to you soon, I hope. Wish us luck.

Happy Trails

POND

2009-03-23T21:42:00.004-04:00

Hey Friends, This painting was done from some photos I took at the college my youngest daughter was attending. Maybe you have heard of it - Hollins College - here in the SW mountains of Virginia. She graduated this past May "08 so I'm guessing I painted it in 2007.
The sun was setting and casting long shadows. Everything was really green, with a few flowers blooming here and there. I gathered them all up into the foreground. It is one of the prettiest campus' you will ever see. I must find those photos and make some more! Click on this.
Happy Trails. BTW-it is 8"x 16".

A SINGLE ROSE

2009-03-19T19:17:00.006-04:00

Hey Friends, I'm back with more stuff I found while cleaning the studio. Boy! It's amazing how I can pack boxes. I've been told the way I can pack a refrigerator is amazing too. Anyway, this is a sweet, little gardener with a sweet poem that would make a great gift for Mothers Day or a gardeners birthday. And in case you didn't know, a similar Painted Photo Collage could be created just for you, using the photos you treasure. If you scroll down, way down, I have a tutorial about these collages if you prefer to give it a try! You can find this painting in my Etsy shop by clicking HERE.

Happy Trails.

A SHORT WALK

2009-03-18T22:17:00.004-04:00

Hey Friends, Today I took a short walk or a stroll just to be outside. I live in Salem, Va. next to a tiny stream of water called Gum Springs. This little spring is dry most of the year. When we are lucky enough to get rain, usually the spring, I love to walk around the area just to look at the water. The photo above is directly at the bottom of our gravel, muddy driveway. Pretty small at this point. In a couple of months the area to the left will be covered in day lillys. In another 2 weeks or so, there will be a bunch of May Apples, Dog Tooth Violets, Jack in the Pulpits and several other wildflowers along with daffodils and perennial geraniums springing up everywhere. This is the best time of the year.

In the photo above, I'm further down the stream and its getting a bit bigger. Can you see the moss growing on the big rock? This is a very rocky area and most of them have moss growing on them. Again the Dog Tooth Violets are sprouting already. I have painted these wildflowers many times and this little spring also.

Now I'm almost to the end of our little country road. This farmer made a dam to create this little pond. Gum Springs flows into it and out again and on for several miles to merge with the Roanoke River. Don't know why he wanted this pond, he has no horses or cows. He probably likes the ducks that visit. I took a bunch of photos that I plan to use as reference for paintings. So come back again to see what I've done with the paint. Have a wonderful weekend and get outside, life is much shorter than you realize.

Happy Trails.

NEW SYMPTOMS

2009-03-17T11:53:00.003-04:00

Hey Friends, My blog is suffering from my neglect but my youngest daughter is suffering also. Her newest symptom is jaundice. Her liver seems to be reacting to something, hopefully the new medicine she was taking for her stomach. Erythramyacin? (sp) seems to have helped a bit with the stomach muscles working but now this. She had bloodwork and a sonagram of the liver done yesterday. I have not heard the results yet. She looks so weak. I LOVE HER.
Maybe tonight I'll get my thoughts together and post some more of the work I found while cleaning the studio a few weeks ago. It's hard to believe but I found some more yesterday while I was searching for a painting that was sold on Etsy. Yes, thats right, a lady in Michigan bought a painting! It's an unusual event anymore!
Happy Trails.