A Day Late, or Two....

6x6 oil on panel To purchase click here $50

How it might looked framed, this is from the Randy Higbee collections, King of Frames

I have the kind of personality that I'm always a day late and a dollar short....I even drive my car far beyond when the low fuel warning light comes on, usually because I'm a dollar short, but sometimes, I just can't be bothered with stopping for gas, as my mind is on other things....one of these days I'm going to run out, like I did when my kids were little, in a snowstorm and we had to trudge to the gas station in a near blizzard....sigh....they never let me forget that.

Here's is Carol Marine's weekly challenge, Paint your Pumpkin. Of course I didn't get mine carved, so I used her photo reference. and I'm a day, actually 2 days late after Halloween....but I did however, get a photograph of my pumpkin with my studio kitty for a past challenge I need to catch up on, the Superstition Challenge. One would think that it would be easy to paint it the same time I painted the pumpkin challenge...but Nooo....not this sista, that would be thinking ahead! Lol, perhaps tomorrow, but I'm sure by then I'll be painting gas cans or something else :)

The sun shines.....and a Sunflower

The rain has finally stopped in Northwest Ohio and for 4 straight days we've had nothing but blue skies and sun! I've been busy in the yard getting the lawn and gardens ready so I haven't had much time to paint....I did finish another version of this weeks weekly challenge of Dreama's kitty cat, and a quick sunflower....Also, was one of 5 randomly selected blogs to be featured on Artists Helping Artists radio show today! http://artistshelpingartistsblog.blogspot.com/ I can't wait to hear any tips they may have for future blog success! To buy the kitty (6x6 oil on 3/8 inch panel) click here I'll be using the sunflower for a giveaway, stay tuned!

All caught up and Epiphany!

So I had an epiphany today after I finished this painting, part of the daily paitworks weekly challenge that I missed while I was away in NC, but thanks largely to Dreama for this challenge, and Carol Marine for all the the past challenges by jove I think I've got it!!!.....I've been in a serious painting rut of late, painting daily since January and I've been all over the place with style and subject matter, struggling to find one that suites me enough to just run with it. The only consistancy in my painting is when I complete the weekly challenge....so when I started this challenge, I thought back to my other paintings that I felt proudest of when I was finished and decided to tackle this one the same way....I used the knowledge from Carol's "One stroke per color" and the latest value challenge to tackle the Kitty, and I am pleased with this one! I think I have found the beginnings of a style, and can't wait to keep going with it, thanks so much Dreama and Carol, keep the challenges coming!!

Roosters, chickens, and hens oh my!

I am on a chicken kick this week, thanks to the Carol Marine challenge....I finished my 5th chicken painting today with one still on the easel...I am very happy with the last one I did, so maybe I'll stop painting chickens and move on to dogs....I have 3 commissions for 3 different families for their beloved pets, for some reason I keep putting it off. Commissions are not easy for me, it takes me much longer to paint them and I tend to overwork it....Hopefully these will go smoothly, I just need to bite the bullet and do it.

Tonight I have invited some local artists over to my home to discuss selling art online. I've been a longtime seller on the various sites and am willing to share my pros, cons, and knowledge of my experiences...hopefully it goes well, I'm not a good speaker in front of a group of my peers, and I'm not even sure what I'm going to say, but someday I would like to give painting workshops so this will be good practice....plus I need to come out of hibernation and start networking with real people, not just internet folks I want to get out there, so wish me luck!!

Weekends and Challenges

Most people look forward to the weekend to relax, catch up on housework, etc....but being a "stay at home mom/painter" , the weekends (esp at the tail end of winter) tend to get anxious for me. I have so many ideas in my head of things I want to paint or create, and weekends come much too soon. Weekends are "family" time and I need to learn the fine art of balance. I have 4 children, ages 12,16,17,18..... and It won't be long before I wake up and realize that they've grown up and moved on with their own lives....It's hard because they are at the age where they want to go out with friends but Mom's at the age wondering where did all the time go and how can I make it up? I have a feeling I will probably make it up by painting their childhood since I didn't have time to do so when they were young....For now, I look forward to "family movie night", summers on the boat, track meets, soccer games, new bunnies and kittens in the barn, band and choir concerts, driver's ed, proms, and upcoming graduations....(gulp, sob).....Painting everyday has truly helped me get through some of life's challenges....the loss of a dog, a friend with cancer, and now my kids leaving the nest......What does this have to do with Abraham Lincoln? Well, not a whole lot, except that it was this weeks Challenge on the Daily Paintworks site, and it reminded me of my favorite quote by him. I hope my kids think this about me someday.

"All that I am and hope to be, I owe to my mother"

~Abe Lincoln