Well, I am a teacher now. . .

I miss creating artwork!  I have spent the past two years earning my teaching certificate back and getting a job in the classroom.  I have worked harder than I ever have before!  I am now a full time English teacher at a local high school.  I love teaching English, but art remains my passion.  I have grand plans for my summer vacation that include paints and colored pencils and lots of time fueling this passion.  Wish me luck!

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?