Final Approach!

18x24 acrylic painting

Literally finished this 20 minutes ago and will get it framed later today. This is totally different theme and style from what I usually do, it just kept popping up in my head so I gave in to it. This style was much faster to paint of course except for the black lines. Yesterday I painted, got that all important haircut, purchased a canopy (got the salesperson to take off $30), purchased S hooks and curtain hooks, plastic poultry "wire", son made a form for me, have business cards/holder out, notebook/pen ready, ropped off 5 paintings to be framed (are ready!) finished the university snowmen and sketched a Santa hat for color pencil.
8x10 graphite and color pencil
I already have a possible five snow piece orders. Going to paint on my 8x8 painting, frame some drawings here, pick up framed pieces, get my tablecloth and set up the canopy and table this evening at the festival!

4x5 graphite and color pencil

I am beginning to get a bit nervous and excited.

8x10 graphite and color pencil

Hoping to get all of it completed and get a half decent night of sleep since I have stayed up the past two night past 1:00 drawing. Would be nice to get to a place where I feel able to take a break and catch up leaving comments.

Panefully, Furiously Working...

Sorry for not getting around to everyone's sites yet...hopefully will during a break later on. I am working away on this 18x24 painting right now. Yet to do, finish the 8x8 paingting, four small color pencil pieces, create two more larger color pencil pieces, finish a zentangle (would like to have another), endless framing, pick up my frames, canopy, display supplies, signs, tablecloth, keeping the washing machine humming so as not to get behind.....and importantly a HAIRCUT tomorrow!!!!!!! Yeah, no problem. Did I mention VolleyGirl is ill and out of classes today, a mom's gotta pamper still......

Snow People Get Personal

7x9 graphite and color pencil on bristol

My niece's family is the subject of this snow family that will serve as an example of how I can personalize snowmen for orders to be taken at the street festival this Saturday or anytime. (Wow, that sentence was a mouthful!) The color isn't completely true in this photo, there is no blue on it at all but you get the idea. Will tweak the "Lego" buttons on the left snowman a bit and check for other places that may need it, might add a very light blue background. Can you figure out each one's interests? Before reading further, see if you can.

Starting from the left, little 5 yr. old "Eli" loves swords, Legos, "Link" from the Legend of Zelda (hat) and pizza with black olives. His dad is a big Vanderbilt University fan, my niece is all about books, cooking and gardening. Finally, 6 yr. old "Finn" loves robots, Super Mario Kart (hat and wii remote), soccer and basketball.

Above is the black/white 8x8 painting in progress, this is the finished background. I am a little further along now. Started an 18x24 painting yesterday afternoon in one of my many moments of insanity. It is a pretty simple design and probably won't be that impressive to most but it is something that continued appearing in my mind (that right there is a red flag!). Thinking it would be fast to paint and I wanted a larger painting for Saturday. Actually, it's off to a good start.....will save it for tomorrow! Again, I can't express the encouragement your kind comments give this uncertain artist, especially after going to the art show on the mountain the other weekend. Nervous about setting up among the other artists. Later, the painting (and the washer) beckons!!!!

"I'm a pepper, you're a pepper, wouldn't you like to..."

8x10 acrylic on canvas board

Finished this painting in record time for me, completing both the tomato and this one in a week. I paint at a snail's pace but those new brushes I purchased after finishing the landscape have already been helpful. Presently I am working on an 8x8 in shades of black and white that I started during the ballgame Saturday. Also, working on a color pencil of my niece's family in snowmen to be my sample to take orders for personalized snow people at the street festival. Thanks to each of you that stops by and leaves a comment, it is a great source of encouragement for me. Your precious time is appreciated.

The pulled pork was a hit....awesome, another recipe to add to the list!!!! First time I had made it....there are a couple of picky eaters here. If anyone would like the super easy recipe, let me know! Busy week, much more to do!

You say "tomato", I say "to-mah-to"

Saturday!!!!! I put a pork butt (pardon me) in the crock pot before bed and later today we will have pulled pork sandwiches. Making vinegar slaw and baked beans in a couple of hours, need to come up with a dessert for the gang...hmmmm. Great ballgame today, Alabama vs. Arkansas.......roll tide! Hope to start another painting, lucky if I finish it by next Saturday though. I finished this 8x10 acrylic tomato this week and will post it's companion...the green pepper.... next, finished it yesterday. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

'Tis the Season To Prepare for the Season

Preparing Christmas pieces for the street festival in color pencil. The snowman is roughly 8x6. I plan to do a couple of more with our most popular college team attire on and also offer customized snow families.

I like doing the ornaments, will probably do a couple of more, simpler though and some of the old fashion Christmas string lights as well. This one is 8x10. Also hope to get a scarecrow or two and maybe a pumpkin or two, neither very large. No, it hasn't put me in the Christmas mood!

Monte Sano Art Show

Last Saturday I trekked to Monte Sano mountain for the annual art show, about a 30 minute drive away.

Lot's of painting. Creative hardware.

Artful accessories.

Paintings and paintings.

Have a developed homing system for the bulldog art.

You know there were opportunities for beautiful tree/sky shots but I did refrain myself.

Nature nestling art.

Ahhhhh, the scenic overlook off the side.

I loved the whole view of it all just as much as the art.

Here is the outdoor amphitheater.

I was a bit surprised at how much acrylic painting was there, how little watercolor and did not recall seeing any graphite, color pencil or ink drawings.

This man has been in Huntsville for years and years. He had a bit of drawing and was available for personal cartooning which he was doing here. He is offering a class at the local art league.
This place is a state park. There is also a museum that has many different buildings, an old church, log cabins, demonstrations of cooking, blacksmith, etc. from past centuries. Went there as a little girl in school and with my kids on class trips. In the early 1900s there was a very swanky hotel built on the mountain as an escape from the heat, it is long gone.

Funny, I had just noticed the full body, or heavy body paint at Michael's just days before and this artist did all his work in it. Quite sculptured and thick, can't really tell here. Many of his paintings were large and on wood. I can't fathom how much paint he goes through. I just may have to give it a try sometime.

Many pets brought their people.

Colorful yard art here.

Building located near the scenic overlook.

Loved the red in these paintings.

Precious shot of the mom and little girl.....there in the background, a painting of a naked child on the shoulder of a naked man........isn't that sweet. ;-D
Walking away, more yard art was in the throes of a deal.

Photo taken on way down the mountain.

Taken while waiting to pull out on the main highway leading up the mountain. Glad I went, always fun to see the varied and beautiful art, also needed to check out some methods of displaying art pieces for my own display. I do leave thinking "why did I sign up for this, I'm gonna look so inadequate" but I did and there is still plenty to do!

Head iin the Clouds

Finally finished this 16x20 acrylic painting. Lots of fussing went along while doing these trees.....definitely getting some new brushes asap!!!!! I love clouds, snapping photos of them to the nauseation of my family at time.....my favorite is trees against the skyline, so I will probably be doing more. Below is one I did a couple of years ago taken in almost the same spot during the fall.

16x20 acrylic

Dogs on Thursday!

Here you go, me, doing what I do best! This is a mild snore, for those of you familiar with my kind, you know this. This morning, I insisted upon laying on the quilt, jumping upon it as it lay folded on the footstool. Mom made an attempt to get me off........and finally succeeded but put it on the couch for me where I lay snuggled and snoring. Hope all of my friends are snuggly as the weather begins to cool off, especially Snuffles, Emma, Luna, Buddy, Dizzy, Penney, Tonka, Hope, Trixie, Bella, Zoe, Chief, Sophie, Snickers and continued healing to Annie!!!!

Fruits of My Labor

Finished this 8x10 acrylic painting just before the painting I am working on now. I have been committed, uh, er, that was supposed to be I have committed to participate in our local street festival Oct. 1st and am furiously working on more pieces. My painting is slow and would like to have one or two more in addition to pencil, color pencil and some ink work. This strawberry is a companion piece to the banana painting below. May try to do another pair, haven't decided what yet. Tomato and lettuce? Green and red grapes? Peppers? We'll see.

Happy Tuesday everyone!!!
8x10 acrylic

Remembering....

Remembering that terrible day ten years ago today, those that lost their lives and their loved ones left behind. My own little tributes is the flag hanging outside the front door and this photo taken from the top of one of the towers along with the ticket. Didn't even know I had them until a while later looking through photos, had to give it a little place of it's own.

Happy birthday to my brother today! (Peewee's dad, from previous post)

SkyWatch Friday

Amazingly, I have not snapped any sky photos in awhile, been somewhat of a house hermit. However, indulge me while I share this 16x20 painting I started this week. I am working off a photo I took a couple of years ago. They sky is pretty much finished, working on the landscape now. I'm sure you can see some real beautiful skies at http://www.skyley.blogspot.com/ .
HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

Dogs On Thursday

A demonstration of some of my favorite moments - ultimate comfort and peace. One of us was watching an NFL pre-season game on TV.....

Thanks alot mom.....had a rythmic, pleasurable sleep going on this morning until that flashing light disrupted it. Now that I'm awake for a few brief seconds, let me wish continued healing and love to dearest Annie from her surgery and hello to all my friends out there: Snickers, Emma, Luna, Buddy, Dizzy, Penney, Tonka, Hope, Trixie, Bella, Zoe, Chief, Sophie and Snickers!!!!

Working on the problem of leaving a comment that some have been having, thanks for stopping by!

Labor Day Weekend Birthday Cake

BigBoy's birthday was this past Friday but we didn't officially celebrate until last night. I baked him his favorite Cinnamon Pull-Apart cake on Friday. Saturday I baked the dome for the decorated portion of his cake and froze it, they decorate easier that way. He requested a Limeade Cake with Strawberry Filling,which is a Paula Deen reacipe. Her recipe actually had raspberry filling, but we didn't care for that flavor when I first baked it. Here are the first two layers with the strawberry filling.

Frosted with a cream cheese and lime icing that is delish! It is a very dense and heavy cake.

Yes, my boy turned 23 but he has always loved cartoons, Disney as a kid, drawing them all the time, then went into doing his own dog cartoons, and the last few years it's Marvel characters. He asked for a Buzz Lightyear on his cake, hasn't had a decorated one since I did Apollo's image on one a couple of years ago. This was the third weekend in a row I've had a decorated cake to get ready......think I'm ready for a break! Standing on my feet so many hours does in my back but he really liked it. fun.

He likes his coffee mugs and I like to look for them at Ross, TJMaxx and Marshall's so he had quite the collection given to him for his birthday.
All the movies that they have made recently with Marvel charachers, he sees them all and has been drawing the characters lately in color pencil just for fun. He is really taking to having finished college and started his new job the first of August, doing free lance work also but likes time in the evening to draw for for fun now.

Hey, rather see him wear Marvell images than beer advertisements!

Dogs on Thursday

Meet Peewee (and my brother). Peewee is going on 19 years old now. He's pretty much blind and deaf now but able to go to the door to go outside to do his business. Often he needs a little help finding his way back to the door but he always gets the help he needs. He was named for a dog my grandparents had when we were kids cause he resembled him so much. He has ran up the mountain many a time, running ahead of my brother on the four-wheeler, then he got to ride up. Now, it's a little to tough a trip for him. My brother has said that this is one smart dog. I'm glad he's still with us and ran across this photo yesterday and just thought I would share. Have a cake to do for BigBoy's birthday this weekend, see other cakes I've baked this summer in my previous post. Yes, Apollo is fine, just sleeping.......see?

Love and get well wishes to Annie!!!! See you next week Snickers, Emma, Luna, Buddy, Dizzy, Penney, Tonka, Hope, Trixie, Bella, Zoe, Chief, Sophie and Snickers!!!!