New Mini Paintings! Football Spirit Topiaries!

7.25 x 2.75 acrylic on wood $26 each
will paint to match YOUR team colors

Think ahead! Football season is almost upon us with fall just around the corner. These will make great hostess gifts or gifts for that friend who just can't get enough of her/his team! Each is signed, numbered, and dated in their own series. Here you see Decatur High School, Austin High School, Alabama, and Auburn. Also, a fall pumpkin topiary to get you in the mood for fall!

Email me if you are interested in placing an order.

Canvas and Conversation at Memi's Pottery

June 30th - Slice of Cake 11x14 $35
July 7th - Tomato 16x20 $40
July 14th - Watermelon Wedge 16x20 $40
July 21st - Lobster Dinner 16x20 $40

Adult PAINT-A-LONG classes from 6 - 9pm
Bring your own beverage (whatever helps you get your creative juices flowin')
No painting experience necessary! Make this your next GREAT Girls Night Out! Round up your best gals and sign up now! Class size limited to 12. Payment holds your spot. Call or e-mail Bonnie or Memi's Pottery to sign up. (Or respond to the Facebook event if you want!)

Also, check out Memi's Blog for a photo of the Canvas and Conversation class by Rickie Higgins.
www.MemiPottery.blogspot.com

Munz's Place: YouTube - Our Judeo-Christian Nation

Munz's Place: YouTube - Our Judeo-Christian Nation

Bonnie Hurst Paintings: Adult Paint-a-long at Memi's Thursday, March 26th from 7 until 9

Going to paint the floral THIS FRIDAY from 6 until 9. Check out the picture in a previous blog below!

Bonnie Hurst Paintings: Adult Paint-a-long at Memi's Thursday, March 26th from 7 until 9

We will paint at Memi's again. Please call me (256-303-4843), e-mail me BonnieHurst@charter.net , or go by Memi's to sign up. There is limited available space and it will fill on a first come first serve basis. Payment will hold your spot! It is $40 and all supplies included. Just bring your beverage of choice!

Private parties available for 6 or more.

Commission Building

I painted two versions for the client to choose from - on two different sizes as well. This is my last commission for awhile. I am excited to begin the summer with my kids! I will take next week to get my house and studio in order and then I will be painting again!

Carnegie Butterfly

This is the metal butterfly I painted for the Carnegie Visual Art's "Arts-a-Flutter". The butterfly was purchased by parents of the 5th Grade Class at Eastwood Elementary School in honor of the 5th Grade Class and in memory of Alison Drake, a treasured classmate that was lost to illness during their third grade year. It can be seen on the corner of Gordon Drive and 8th St. for those of you in Decatur City. I am honored to have been asked to participate in this event!

The field trips represented are: The Princess Theater, Montgomery Capitol, Wetlands Edge, Huntsville Train Depot, Botanical Gardens, Tate Farms, White Farms, a day at the Pointe Mallard Baseball field playing baseball, and Space Camp. No, not every field trip made the cut! Design over content this time! I hope you enjoy!

Mini Paintings

$22 each 4x4 or 3x4

Check these out! Mini-Paintings complete with a twisted wire hanger! I had a blast making these. They are quick and it allows me to fit painting into my day without being overwhelmed! They are $22 each. Let me know if you want one! More of these to come!

Commission -DONE, I think........

I have worked on this commission since way before Christmas. I have reworked it many times. I think I finally have a good likeness of each child. Of course, if I hang onto it much longer, I am sure I will rework it again, and again, and again! Anyway, Lisa-let me know what you think. I am sure you are way past ready to have this back!

Adult Paint-a-long at Memi's Thursday, March 26th from 7 until 9

12x24 canvas

Come and paint this floral with me at Memi's on the 26th! I provide all the materials and walk you through it stroke by stroke. You bring a beverage of your choice and a friend or two! 12 spots available so call me or e-mail me soon to hold your place! Cost is $40 per person.
256-303-4843

TEEN Paint-a-long At Memi's Pottery on Friday Night!

11x14 Canvas

Teen Paint-a-long Friday Night the 20th of March at Memi's Pottery on Bank Street in Decatur, AL. I have room for 12! Cost is $30 per person. All materials provided. Please call me to reserve your spot - 256-303-4843

Have a teen girls night out with all your friends for the last Friday of Spring Break and paint a funky shoe to hang in your room!

Textured Tree Painting

24x48 Acrylic

This one is almost finished. I cannot tell you how may times I have changed the colors. I will be adding some more depth with black and I will post it when I am satisfied it is finished! I posted about this idea when I was struck with it sometime last year. I am hoping to to complete an entire series of these. The tree is sculpted with modeling paste and then painted. I love the way the texture picks up the paint.

New Paint-a-longs at Memi's Pottery - like sips-n-strokes!

Yes, finally! More paint-a-longs! I had so much fun at the first one! I can hardly wait to doit again! Stay tuned for times and dates and e-mail me if you are interested in attending so I can be sure to get you the information!

Painting of Wine Glasses

Acrylic on Board $110

availble at Willis Gray Gallery

Yellow Lab in Colored Pencil Painting

8x8 Colored Pencil on Bristol Board NFS

I have really enjoyed working with the colored pencil and the paint on different projects - but all in the same day! This is our sweet lab Chester. I gave this colored pencil painting and the pastel of our cocker spaniel, Spike, to my husband for Valentines day! If you go back far enough in the blog, you can see the first painting I did of Chester in acrylic.

Please contact me if you are interested in comissioning a pet portrait of your own!

Chair

Acrylic on Board $90

Available at Willis Gray Gallery

Being an Artist Mom

I am an Artist Mom. However, during the holidays I am only 10% artist and 90% mom. The artist in me is trying to recover from this two month hiatus! So, now that. . .

• the kids rooms have been cleaned out and all of the new toys have found a home
• the laundry is caught up
• the Christmas decorations are down and packed (though not exactly back in the attic)
• I have finished 16 yearbook pages for the kids school and turned them in
• gone to a beautiful wedding of a close friend
• and started that dreadful new year's resolution diet thing. . .

I AM READY TO CREATE AGAIN!

(By the way, if you were to get a Christmas card from me this year the pics above would have been on it. If you didn't get one, don't feel left out - I never quite got around to that this year!)

Fun at Paint! Party at Memi's

A few spots open tonite for Paint! at Memi's!

There are a few spots open for tonite's paint party featuring "Morning, Noon, and Night" paintings. These will be 3 small paintings on artist board. Please call to reserve your spot! Bonnie 303-4843! Hope to see you there!

Paint! Funky Christmas Party at Memi's

Paint one of these - your choice - on Friday November 28th from 6:30 until 9:00. There are only 12 spots available so reserve yours today! You can call me - Bonnie- 303.4843 or Memi's 466.4099. All supplies included. You will be painting on a 12x24 canvas. Cost is $40. These paintings feature some metalic paint and funky Christmas designs. Come and have fun!

Paint! Birthday Party

This was so much fun! The birthday girl came over to my house the day before and we worked out the

design so she could help me teach her friends how to paint the fairy/angel. It is
always a blessing to me to

see the creativity of children
first hand. They interpret things so differently than
adults and are NEVER afraid to try things out!

This was a talented group of artists! I hope I will be leading more Paint! birthday parties soon!

Paint with Me at Memi's!

Morning, Noon, and Night

Come and Paint the above 3 (8x8) paintings with me!

Friday November 21st

6:30 until 9:00

at Memi's Pottery on Bank Street

$40 - all supplies included

Adults only

bring your favorite beverage

class size is limited to 12

payment holds your place!

I am very excited about leading paint-a-longs at Memi's! I have 4 more dates scheduled - one for teens - and I will post about those soon! Look forward to seeing you! Come and Paint! with me!

Memi's Pottery

Memi's is located on Bank Street in Decatur. They offer just about whatever you can think of in the way of pottery to paint. I have had a great time making things for gifts or for my home. My kids LOVE going to the pottery classes where they have created some unique pieces that I love to show off around the house. Check out their blog http://www.memipottery.blogspot.com/ and visit them TONIGHT for Decatur's downtown Christmas Open House.

Spike the cocker spaniel

This is Spike our cocker spaniel puppy. After using the colored pencils, I moved on to use a set of pastel pencils. I ended up having to go in with some pastel sticks to achieve the darks. It looks like Spike! He is a beautiful puppy. It also didn't take near as long as the colored pencil piece.

Ahh, to use colored pencils again!

Years ago, my passion was pencil - colored pencil, pencil pencil, pen & ink, you name it. Since I have had children, I have lost a good bit of the patience needed for this medium as well as any chunk of time more than say about 15 minutes to devote to any one thing at a time. Recently, I had such a longing just to "color" again that I purchased a bristol board pad of paper and set to work. I left it in my kitchen and got it drawn out in a couple of days. I then enjoyed working on it off and on for over a week. A little bit here and there. I am generally pleased with my first attempt at colored pencil in over 15 years. There is of course a smudge that will not go away on the side of the piece - hazard of working with my sweet 4 year old sitting next to me, coloring herself. I haven't quite given up on trying to get rid of it. I also haven't resigned myself to the fact that the blue sky may have to get bigger. Ahhhh, such is the life of an Artist Mom!

New Paintings!

These are two that I painted on my lake weekend. They will both be going up to Willis Gray Gallery for the holiday season. I hope you enjoy!

Kenley Collins of Project Runway

Acrylic on Board

Okay, so yes, I LOVE Project Runway on Bravo. I fell in love with Kenley Collins style this season and was inspired to paint some of her runway show dresses. There were some decent still shots on Bravo so it was easy to have the computer as my reference. I have always been inspired by most anything retro and to have the retro with a more modern twist was refreshing to see! Kenley may have been a bit defensive, but I found her confidence refreshing. I have always wanted to dress like a rockabilly and never had the guts. I have to admire that in a girl! I hope she would be pleased to see my painting and not appalled. I am sure it doesn't give her work justice! (p.s there are two more in this series. Of course, if you have followed this blog at all you have to know that I am trying not to give a timeline as to when a work will be done because it never seems to happen the way I plan!)

Just another word about the painting. I enjoyed this subject more than any in recent history. I also left the texture off this time. Like last post, let me know what you think!

Pepper Family

Acrylic on Board $150

I really enjoyed this one. It is a bit more controlled than I have been painting. I kept the texture underneath. I also enjoyed painting with the yellow much more than I thought I would. I have generally avoided this because of its translucent properties and it is easy to corrupt with other colors. Fear conquered. Let me know what you think!

Fall

I cannot believe it is the fall time of year again so soon! It seems like summer was JUST here! I am taking another quick girls trip to the lakehouse this weekend where I hope to paint. So, maybe I will have something to post come Monday! Also, the Pensacola Arts Festival is coming up in November and I am looking forward to heading down for that again also! Fall is full of so many fun, but time consuming events that take away from my all ready slim painting time. Fall Festivals, my oldest is turning 11 ( I can't believe he has gotten this old this fast!), pumpkin patch trips, weekend lake trip, Halloween, Pensacola Arts Fest, and the beginning of hunting season (this means my sweet man will be off in the woods from time to time) Somehow through all of this I will find the time to paint - or at least begin some paintings. I am so excited about having my work in a gallery that I want to paint more and more and more. Anyway - have a great fall!!!!

Willis Gray Gallery

My art is now available at Willis Gray Gallery in Decatur, Alabama. I am thrilled to have my work in this gallery and if you are in the area I encourage you to stop in and take a peek at the amazing artwork they have to offer!

Blair Osmer Photography

Check this out! This is my very talented cousin's flickr page with some of his great photos. If you have a minute take a look!

www.flickr.com/photos/blairosmer

Chocolate covered pear

8x8 Acrylic on Board $85

Please contact Willis Gray Gallery if you are interested in this piece.

256-355-7616

The past couple of weeks have been very frustrating regarding carving out the time to spend in the studio. We had an issue in our attic with rodents. The little creatures had been run out of their homes in the woods when the brush was trimmed up at the nearby campsite. Needless to say my husband and I have spent a good deal of time cleaning out the attic (the entrance of which is located in my studio). My studio was filled with Christmas, Easter, Halloween, and misc. boxes while they were being cleaned or thrown away. The interlopers are gone and all the boxes are back in the attic. Much more organized than before. There'a a plus.

I have also had the pleasure of watching my boys play baseball every weeknight but Wed. the past couple of weeks. In order to do this homework must be done in the short time between school and ball. What then was I doing while my boys were at school? Catching up the laundry. I am determined to figure this studio time out and stick to it. Stay tuned! Any ideas on juggling family obligations, housework, mommy and wife stuff, with studio time?

Choclate Cake

8x8 Acrylic on Board $85

If you are interested in this piece please contact Willis Gray Gallery

256-355-7616

I enjoyed painting this, though I am not sure I captured it quite the way I wanted. I am struggling with the smooth texture of the icing and the way the light reflects off of it. I love the plate. Overall, I am pleased!

Red Shoe

8x8 Acrylic on Board $85

If you are interested in this piece please contact Willis Gray Gallery

25-355-7616

I am having to create the time to spend in the studio these days. Being an Artist Mom is wonderful and frustrating. I am so blessed to be able to pursue my art. I am also blessed with my family to run - it is hard to carve out the time to spend immersed in my art.

I have spent the past year knowing that I want to have my art as my career. I have wanted so badly just to take that want and run with it and be successful. I am finding the patience now to slow down and concentrate on the art I want to create. It is hard to market a body of work I haven't fully created yet!

So, I am working in the studio for four days each week now that everyone has returned to school. I am also going to continue teaching the art classes I started this summer. I will have students once a week for an hour. I am very privelaged to spend time with these talented girls. They are a huge motivation for me!

So, here we go. Hopefully you will be seeing my blog updated more often as I work in my studio more often. I look forward to finding more Artist Moms on the web to see how they manage their time.

Commission

Acrylic on Canvas SOLD

Rosie #2

Acrylic on Board $125

If you are interested in this piece please contact Willis Gray Gallery

256-355-7616

This is the second portrait of Rosie doing her second favorite thing - hunting down the squirrels in our back yard. Our backyard was wildlife free while Rosie (who is now Zoe) was around!

Rosie #1

Acrylic on Board $125

If you are interested in this piece please contact Willis Gray Gallery

256-355-7616

This is the sweet dog we fostered for a few weeks. She is a German Shorthaired Pointer and has gone to live in Tennessee with a wonderful family. She had a really hard time learning how to be a pet (she was found as a stray) and her favorite place to be was on our couch.

Catch

A friend took several photos at my eldest sons baseball games and this is one of them. It is of the coach's son playing catcher. This team plays its first game in city tournament tonight! Wish us luck! Also, I have started two more from this team - both pitching pics. I am not sure when I will get to finish them. I am beginning art classes with 3 wonderful girls tomorrow and so my time will be filled with planning for my time with them for a while!

Max the dog and his boy - revised

I worked on the face some more - not a good photo, I know. My camera has gone wonky and is not focusing where I want it to. Anyway, I am much happier with it. It is interesting to me how differently I see my work on the computer screen than right in front of me. Its like its someone else's and I can be more objective.

Max the dog and his boy

This is my nephew and his dog, Max. Enjoy!

Fruit

acrylic on 9 8x8x1 canvases $540

If you are interested in this painting please contact Willis Gray Gallery

256-355-7616

I am very excited that summer has finally arrived! My children are home from school and with the excpetion of some lingering baseball games, I am free to set my own schedule! This means I am free to be in my studio again! I am also excited to have finished this one. I have been working on it ever so slowly for months now. I posted apple # 1 months ago.

"Shades" accepted for exhibition

The Carnegie Visual Arts Center in Decatur, Alabama has accepted this piece to exhibit and be juried as a part of their Embracing Art VI. It will be on display from May 16th until June 14th at the Carnegie. This was my first attempt at entering my art into anything and I am thrilled to have this piece accepted!

New Orleans Street Band

Yes, finally I can post another painting! I enjoyed painting this one - lots of detail. The canvas is missing the usual texture. I missed it, I really love the effect the texture has on the finished painting.

Alyson B. Stanfield, Artbizcoach.com

Recently, Alyson answered a question I had for her regarding what constitutes a "show" of paintings. I am grateful for her answer. If you get a moment, visit her site. It has been an inspiration to follow and keep me on track with my goals! She also posted one of my paintings on her blog - Buffalo#2.

www.artbizcoach.com

www.artbizblog.com

Also look for her new book I'd Rather Be In The Studio! - which you can find on her site or at www.idratherbeinthestudio.com

Thanks Alyson!

I am still here!

My trip to New Orleans was wonderful. My return home - not so much. Tom and I must have inhaled the flu bug when we boarded the plane and were both sick from Sun - Wed. of last week. Needless to say duties of mom and housewife have been in serious catch-up mode from the trip and the illness! I did start a painting today of one of the street bands in New Orleans. It is larger than usual so look for it next week! I also have almost completed my abstract tree - look for it soon as well!

Ballet Recital

8x16 Acrylic on Canvas

I painted this of my beautiful niece last night at Wine and Paint With Carole Foret. I had a wonderful time and met some fun ladies! Some of whom I hope were encouraged to begin painting! The image I used for this painting is from my niece's ballet recital in Beijing last year. The yellow was a challenge for me - especially since I only brought yellow cad light (lemony color). I had to mix some darker yellows for the darks in the costume - but I like how the red looks and I think it helps the background. I still need to finish her hands, but that will have to wait until next week! This is my last post until Monday! Off to NOLA!

From my sketchbook. . .

Yes, another guitar lesson. This is a sketch of my daughter at about one - once again at the beach. She is looking down playing with her toes in the picture. I enjoyed trying to get the angle of her face and her cleft chin also posed a bit of a challenge from the angle. I have really enjoyed having this 30 minutes of uninterrupted quiet drawing time.

Tonight I am going to Carole Foret's studio to "Wine and Paint" with her. I am very excited to get to spend some time with the wonderful woman as well as meet new artists too! Tomorrow will be the last post for the week. I am going to New Orleans for the weekend and need to get ready. I am hoping to come up with tons of reference photos and sketches. But, we will see. I am not very practiced at sketching from life, so this should be a wonderful learning experience!

Portrait #2

11x14 Acrylic on Canvas

Another one of my dear friends lent me a photo of her sweet daughter to practice my portrait skills on. I am happy with the painting over all, but not really satisfied that I captured this littlel girl as she truely is! It is still not exactly her. It's close, but not quite. Ah well, this is why I practice, practice, practice!

Portrait

12x12 Acrylic

I am working on improving my portrait skills. When I work on portraits I have to concentrate on relationship of shapes more so than on other types of paintings. This sweet little girl belongs to one of my closet friends. I am thankful to her for letting me practice on her child! This painting greatly resembles her, but is not really her. Not yet, anyway. I am putting it away for today because I have looked so closely at it I can no longer see it correctly! I am so thankful for art! It really is a passion!

Finished Buffalo #3

Acrylic on 24x48x1 canvas $590
If you are interested in this painting please contact Willis Gray Gallery

256-355-7616

Buffalo #3 is currently enjoying a proud spot in my living room I enjoyed working on this one as the "leader"as my daughter calls him proved to be challenging with more detail. I included a photo with a flash so you can see the reflective gold.

Buffalo # 2

Acrylic on 20x30x1 canvas SOLD

If you are interested in this painting please contact Willis Gray Gallery

256-355-7616

This is supposed to be a triptych. I am having a difficult time arranging buffalo for the other two panels. So, he and his faithful follower may be the lone buffalo for the final buffalo #3. He is still missing his gold highlights - hopefully to come today (if all goes well!) and I will post this one and the finished buffalo # 2 later today. I am anxious to get to this abstract tree I have had stuck in my head for weeks. . .

From my sketch book

Another Monday, another guitar lesson, another sketch! This is of my husband and daughter at the beach a couple of years ago.

Playing in the Surf

10x16 Acrylic on Canvas

This is a precious little boy! He found such joy in being at the beach and playing in the surf. This is one of the paintings I completed this weekend at the lake. I really had fun working on it.

Weekend at the cabin with the girls!

Lisa with a good book. (Above)

A view from the front porch. (Below)

Above - CeeCee (embarassed by the sweater I am sure, but it was COLD!) And our easels set up in front of the picture window for light.

We had a wonderful, relaxing time this weekend at my family cabin on Lake Guntersville. This year there were four of us to make the trip (two of our usual crew couldn't make it). We spent our time relaxing, reading, watching movies, and for 2 of us - painting! I was able to complete one painting and almost complete another one. Pics of those will be in my following post!

A big thank you to Lisa, Britt, and Michelle for making these weekends so special! I love your company and look forward to this trip again soon!

Buffalo # 2 Almost done. . .

I have actually changed his face 2 or 3 times since I took this photo last night! The main idea in this one is for the buffalo in front to represent a leader and the ones in the back his followers. I guess that is self explanatory, just thought I would say it anyway! This buffalo painting WILL be done today! I am ready to start the buffalo #3.

You know I realized today that I always very optimistically say that I will be getting to this or that in the next few days when in reality it seems to take weeks. My mind sure moves faster than my time to paint will allow! Ahhh, such is the life!

I am going to the lake with girls this weekend and I am taking my painting supplies. I hope that I can get some paintings accomplished while having some good social time with some of my very best friends! We take this trip annually and I truely look forward to it from the moment it ends to the moment it begins again!

Shades

This is my sweet daughter at almost 2. She loves sunglasses - and loves showing them off! This was a "See my glasses?" pose. I think I got the perspective of looking down on her pretty well. This was a fun angle to work from. Painted from a photo.

From my sketchbook. . .

This is a sketch of one of my boys looking at the critters he caught and detained in a sandbucket. It is so cold and wintery I am longing for the beach. I did this sketch from a photo while I waited for my oldest son to get out of his guitar lesson. I am trying to find more little nooks of time to practice my drawing skills. I think this will greatly enhance my paintings!

Apple Study #1

Acrylic on Canvas 8x8 (1 of 9)

I am doing 9 apple studies to make up one painting on 9 individual canvases. This is the first of those! I will be paintings these as a warm up to larger pieces I am working on or to vent frustration over those same larger pieces!

You know how you come to that point in a painting where you are stuck, frustrated, and wonder how you are going to pull it off? Well, I am getting to the point where I realize that if I just pull away for awhile and come back to it, I can see my work with a fresh eye and push on through it. What a wonderful revelation this has been! I now have 4 different projects going on and I am moving between them. When I get to that stuck place in one, I move to another and so forth.

I am thrilled with my newly organized studio! I will have to take pics and post them before it gets too lived in!

Work in Progress - Buffalo #2

24x48

This is a new buffalo painting that I am working on. I also have another buffalo painting in the works, but not yet started. Look for it in the next few days - after this one is done, of course!

Portrait of the PJ

This is another painting from the pictures my husband brought back from his fishing trip to Panama. This is the boat he and his friends stayed on. It really is a beautiful boat!

I am still here!

I apologize for the lack of posts over the past couple of months! The holidays really cut into my creative time! I am spending the month of January organizing myself and my studio. My studio was once the kids playroom and needs alot of TLC to make it a place I don't mind working in. Last year I worked in my dining room and found this a bit much to clean up at a moments notice!


I will post pics of my newly updated studio as soon as I am finished with it! Also, I have 3 painting projects going on and I will share these as they are completed!


Have a happy new year!

Apple Picking

11x 14 (?) Commission

This was commissioned by a very dear family friend as a gift for her son. I enjoyed working on it - and actually did two other paintings from the series of photos she gave me. I will post them as soon as I am finished with them!

Christmas has come and gone and I am anxious to get back into the studio! If only Christmas decorations could pack themselves away. . . .

Greater Gulf Coast Arts Festival - Pensacola, FL

I hate that I have not had time to paint much in the past month. Too many fall festivals and also my oldest's 10th birthday to celebrate have hindered my creative time! I did, however, dedicate alot of thought to my art. I took my 3 kids and headed to see my dear friend in Pace, FL. We went to the Arts Festival and had a wonderful time. It was so inspiring to see so many talented artists in one area. They also had a wonderful children's area.

I have started 2 paintings from my husband's Panama trip. I will post them as soon as they are done!

Panama Marlin Fishing

Acrylic 12x12 Canvas $125

This is my husband on his recent marlin fishing trip in Panama, South America. He and his friends had a phenomenal time - the fishing down there is incredible! Look for more paintings of their trip soon!

Buffalo

Acrylic 24x48 Canvas SOLD

This is the monster I worked on today. It is not quite done, their feet need work and so do their faces. Overall, I am pleased with the classic composition. I also enjoyed using some metallic paint in this one in the highlights. A friend of mine has some extraordinary artwork in her house and some of her favorite pieces have metallics in them. After a visit at her house I was inspired to incorporate some metallic paint into this painting.

Finished it today! I am happy with the end result - which is not that different from where it was in the original photo.

UPDATE: I donated this one to the Decatur General Hosital Foundation Gala. It sold at auction and now has a wonderful home with the Sheltons! I hope they love it!

Apples

Acrylic 8x16 Canvas SOLD

I painted this today. I was so excited to finally get to paint again! It has been way too long! when I get behind in my housework, I REALLY get behind! Finally , I am mostly caught up so I painted today! Look for more over the next week or so. My husband has just returned from a fishing trip in Panama South America. Can't wait to get to those images!

I Got One!

Acrylic 11x14 Canvas SOLD

Due to circumstances beyond my control, I have not been able to paint for a week. Today, however, I let everything else go and enjoyed the beautiful day.

This is my darling niece when she was around 3. It makes me smile! You can see her proud struggle carrying that huge pumpkin! Once again, I enjoyed the texture of the sand and medium on the canvas.

the FINISHED murals

Pickin' Pumpkins

Acrylic on Canvas 11x14 $125

I enjoyed painting this scene of my father and my younger son looking for the perfect pumpkin. I painted on texture, once again, and found the texture to be exciting and frustrating all at the same time. Look for more pumpkin patch scenes on paper over the next couple of weeks. I will be trying to work something out for a larger painting.

Pumpkin Topiary

Acrylic on Canvas 12x24 $185 SOLD

I am really enjoying trying out new textures and new subjects on the texture. I am also in the mood for fall (as if the subject of the next couple of posts should show!) Enjoy!

Skim Boarding

Acrylic 12x24 on canvas $250

I embraced my tendancy toward minimalism and used alot of what I learned at the workshop this weekend and painted this. This is my sweet son looking for the perfect skim with his skim board. I really love the texture!

Claire told me about how she uses sand in her paintings so I went out to the kids sandbox and scooped some into an empty parmesan container and voila! I have texture! Thanks Claire!

Photos from the Workshop

Carole Foret & Claire Kayser Destination Workshop

Acrylic on Canvas

I had a wonderful time this weekend at a Destination Workshop with twin artists Carole Foret and Claire Kayser (to see their fabulous work check out their websites and blogs - links to the left) Two of my good friends and I headed to Jackson, TN for this great workshop at the Art Under a Hot Tin Roof Gallery. I learned a ton! To sum it up:

1. The JOY of a filbert brush.

2.Toning

3. Scumbling

4. I CAN mix the paint on the canvas

5. Accentuate the dark and light highlights

6. Texture the canvas first

7. MISTAKES ARE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR TEXTURE

8. Pallet knives are a great tool for texture

Their next one is in Rosemary Beach, FL. I highly recommend it as a fun girls weekend with some great women - as well as the opportunity to learn from these wonderful artists!

Lobster Feast

Acrylic on Canvas 20x40 $450

I painted this to hang in my kitchen. I wanted somthing whimsical to hang over an antique buffet we have. My kitchen is painted a gray purple and I think this fits in really well!
If you want it for your kitchen, however, I am sure I could let it go!

Haunting Face of Need

Watercolor 20x24

If you haven't noticed, I haven't been able to paint this week! It has really stressed me out! But, it has been for a good reason. I have been getting myself ready (and my family ready for me to be gone) to go to a painting workshop out of town this weekend with two of my closest friends! We are going to Jackson, TN to Art on a Hot Tin Roof to attend a workshop led by Carole Foret and her sister Claire Kayser. I am very excited! It will be the first painting workshop I have attended. I am hoping to come home inspired and full of ideas!

This watercolor is one I did years ago. This woman was in a magazine with an article about the poverty in her area. Her face really haunted me, so I painted it, several times. There are thousands more like her out there that we turn a blind eye to everyday.

Murals

These are murals I am working on for my niece and nephew. Both are shown in progress. They are on floor canvas and measure about 4 feet by 3.5 feet. They have been really fun to work on! I am happy to take commissions for murals on canvas, such as these. They are $550.

Daisy Mae

12x12 Pencil on Paper NFS

I couldn't post CeeCee without posting DaisyMae. She died this past November of old age (15) and kidney failure. She was my constant companion through college, she was with me when I got married and had my children. I miss her dearly. I did this pencil sketch when she was young, 1996. I didn't take it out of the frame and you can see her collar hanging on the side.

Cee Cee

Acrylic 12x12 on Paper

This is my puppy, CeeCee. I got her for myself for my birthday this past February. I have been reluctant to paint her, afraid she would look like one huge ball of yarn. This really is a good representation of her. She is one big fur ball! My daughter loves to coordinate their ponytails - one or two, and what color the holder will be. CeeCee is constantly at my feet or in my lap. She is my first small dog. My husband thinks she is more like a cat - and there really are alot of similarities. (Like her favorite place to sleep is on the pillow over my head!)

The Brakefield Cabin

Acrylic 12x12 on Paper $120

This is the cabin where I spent many a summer weekend and spring break as a child! Now my kids have the opportunity to share in the same lovely experiences I did. My husband and I took the kids to the cabin to celebrate the last weekend of summer before school started. They fished, went swimming, for boat rides, and tubing. I sketched, read a new book (The Time Travellers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger) and painted this!

Hangin' On

Acrylic 8.5x11 on Paper $85

This one was fun! This is my husband holding a net holding a crab that he caught to show the kids during last summers trip to the beach.

Apple On Circles

Acrylic 12x12 on paper $60

This is another one I did on Friday. I just had fun with it! I think I will do some more of these this week! I am still working on "2 & 92". I really want this one to work so I am taking my time. When I get excited about a painting I sometimes rush because my brain is completing it faster than my hands can paint! I am so glad I found the DailyPainters.com website! It has truely been an inspiration to me! It has also given me the permission to paint on paper! I had always thought for a work to be taken seriously it had to be on canvas. I see now that is just not true! I have so much more freedom as an artist to paint on whatever I want!

Bullfrog

acrylic on paper 8.5x11 $75

I love this one! Last summer a bullfrog got into my neighbors garage. They were kind enough to come and get my boys when the giant frog was caught. I took a close up of it when my oldest had his turn to hold it. They released it into a nearby creek. I painted this one on Friday. This weekend I started a larger painting of my grandmother with my daughter. I will be working on it today! I hope Labor Day Weekend has been full of fun for everyone!

Pastel Jazz #3

Pastel on Canson Black Pastel Paper

Ok, so the Princess Ballerina #1 did not turn out as planned - again - even after spending all of my mothers morning out hours on it. So, I decided to post something I did a few years ago while doing various jazz studies for a commissioned painting. This is my favorite out of that series. I will be working on a new daily painting today.

I have decided only to post Monday - Thursday. My goal is 4 paintings a week. Maybe I should say 4 successful paintings a week. . . Who knows!

My Princess Ballerina #2

Acrylic 12x12 on Canvas Paper

My precious daughter took her first ballet class this summer - it was called "Princess Ballerina Camp". She LOVED it. A friend of mine captured a photo of her while she was in class and I have been working on painting it. I have finished all but her head - I just can't seem to make it look like her! The photo is a bit fuzzy. So, yesterday, after the 3 year old's birthday party and in the middle of clean up and laundry, I did this study of her head. I am hoping it will help me capture it much smaller on the full length I am working on! I am going to work on it today. Hopefully I can post it tomorrow!

The quick drying time of acrylics is a blessing and a curse - keeps works relatively safe from little fingers, but dries too quickly when I am easily distracted by the day to day. I can see every interruption in this one!

My quote for the week:
"You must be able to create in the middle of things, or else you will not create. You must learn to take whatever practical and psychological actions are necessary to combat the anticreating forces that surround you and live within you."
Eric Maisel from his book Coaching the Artist Within

Chester Dog

Acrylic on Canvas Paper 8x10 SOLD

I am trying to work out the style I most like to paint in. I am returning to painting after a few years off. . . I have gone from painting in oils to painting in acrylic (it is much more convenient to a busy life full of children!) I have realized over the course of the past few weeks that I cannot paint in the same way with acrylics as I did with oils. So, let the experimenting begin! Here is the painting I did yesterday of our faithful lab, Chester. It is about an 8x10 on canvas paper.