Kitty Cat Christmas

My kitty cat is Paul.  Several years ago I painted a picture of him as a surpise for my husband at Christmas.  This is acrylics,  I rarely painted at that time.  I had fun painting him sitting on a gold glittered throne with a big gold chain around his neck,  cause he is our little prince!
 I was really just having fun.  You have to admit this is fun, it rather suprised my husband!

Well, today, just a few days before Christmas, I painted another Christmas picture of Paul.

This time it was watercolors, no glitter, no gold chain.  But like the earlier painting, this was fun. 

The fun is no longer just nonsense, but real satisfaction after many, many hours of painting. 

 

 Yes, I think Paul is getting better looking!

 

Country Kid

I grew up a county kid.   And my world was full of kids!  The fifth of six children, we had lots of kids at our house.  But that wasn't the extent of kids, the pasture was usually full of them too.  Goats, we always had goats.  I can remember a box full of baby goats in the kitchen on a cold night many times.  This picture of kids and kids was taken out by the barn.  I am still mad that I didn't make the picture!  My sister Nadine, brother Ralph and neighbor girl, Rosemary are pictured here, the year would have been 1959 I think. 

 

Well, I did learn to milk a goat but I never liked it.  Those goats had sharp hooves, and stomped them around too much for my comfort.  But I guess as a true country kid at heart, I will always be fond of goats, just as I am of sheep and the rest of the farm animals.  I painted a wooly sheep recently, we had those too.  It just had to happen, a nanny goat found her way in.  This nanny is very calm and patient looking, as I recall goats rarely got in a hurry.  Lots of standing and eating, looking around.  Not much stress in a goat's life and this gal, no kidding, looks pretty laid back.

 

This painting is available in my Etsy shop

https://www.etsy.com/listing/173353304/animal-print-animal-painting-goat

 

Thank you for sharing this little slice of my life

Betty

 

 

 

EWE just never know

Ok, that is a cheesy title.  Well,  I am still a bit giddy from painting this sheep.  It's cold outside you know, white snow covering the ground, working at staying warm...a wooly sheep just came to mind.  As I said, you just never know, but it is always good!

 

This painting is available in my Etsy shop

 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/172678081/animal-print-animal-painting-sheep

 

 

Thanks for sharing this little slice of my life

Betty

Seagulls and snow drifts

Well, well, well, the weather man was right this time!  Yes, we got snow.  It is beautiful here at Lake Benton.  So beautiful in fact that it was a "snow day'! 

  No where to go, no work today.  Perfect day to paint!  Oh what a fun bird came along today.

 

He is tall, just like the snow piled up outside.  But unlike the snow, he makes me feel warm.

 

Snow is for sale on my Etsy site as well as prints of him.

 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/172066234/original-bird-painting-bird-art-seagull

 

Thank you for sharing this little slice of my life

Betty 

 

 

Let it be

"Let it be" it worked pretty good for the Beatles and now it is working for me.  I have had a calm come over me with my painting.  Letting the watercolors work in their own amazing way.    

Meet  "Let it be"

and  " On one"

 

Originals and prints for sale in my Etsy shop

 

thanks for sharing this little slice of my life

Betty

 

 

Calling for answers

When bad things happen to good people I always think WHY?  Sometimes there just doesn't seem to be any answers.   I have a friend who's partner, a beautiful young woman, is fighting breast cancer.  Not a little struggle, but a full blown battle.  I expect they have many questions yet unanswered.  As they face each day unsure what the next day may bring, my heart aches for them.  My watercolor of the vintage telephone is my plea for answers for them. 

The watercolor will be in the silent auction at a fundraiser to help with expenses. 

 

Prints are available in my Etsy shop with all proceeds going to the fund.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/170714617

 

 

Betty

Friends old and new

Well, watercolor paintings are really just pieces of paper with paint on them.  But, when you start with a blank piece of paper and just an idea of what you want on the paper, it's kind of like seeing someone you haven't met yet.  Then with lines on the paper, paint on the palette and water in the glass you wet that brush and it's hello, nice to meet you.  Then bit by bit you become more familiar with this new acquaintance.  A bit of blue, and you see something you like in them.  A mix of red and orange and oooooh, they are soooo nice.  The more time spent, the better you get to know them, and before it's over they are your true friend.  Someone you can really relate to.  Someone you feel like you know inside and out.  The painting becomes your friend.  "Against the wind" and I became the best of friends.  I knew just how he felt, and he liked me too!   That's him.

Sometimes friends can't stay around forever, and Against the wind moved on. 

I was really happy to see him go to a new home, I'm sure they love him, my old friend.

 

So, I have made a new friend.  We got to know each other rather quickly actually.  He is definitely his own person, but something about him reminds me of my old friend.  I like him quite a bit!

Prints of my new friend are available in my Etsy shop

https://www.etsy.com/listing/170085698/original-bird-painting-print-bird-art

 

Betty

 

Thanks for sharing this little slice of my life!

 

What a mess

 As an adult I rarely left my parents' home without some kind of gift.  On occasion maybe I just couldn't use another dozen eggs, or no, I probably wouldn't cook a deer roast.  They liked to give you something though, and I liked that.  This is a pastel that I painted probably in 2004.  The gift that day was a "mess of turnips".  I remember as they were being dug thinking "wow, those are beautiful, I've got to paint them" (I sure wasn't going to eat them).   The painting has hung on my kitchen wall
since then.   I like it more with each passing year.

 

 

I'm not sure if it is the colder weather (the turnips would need to be pulled before it frosts) or if I am feeling sentimental with the holidays coming up, but I wanted to paint the turnips again...kind of like going home again.

 

 

 Watercolors this time instead of pastels.

 

 

Purple on  a vegetable, that is just amazing to me.  This mess was indeed a beautiful gift.

 

 

Betty

 

Thanks for sharing this little slice of my life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's a dog's life

It's a dog's life.  What does that really mean?  I have to disagree with the free dictionary meaning that says "something that you say which means that life is hard and unpleasant".    Lucky dogs like Jessica's have a great life I am sure.  I figure as a rule they do pretty much what they want, are well loved and are very happy. 

Chief and Bella

As I continue to work with watercolors I like to try new subjects.   I had never painted a dog, so I thought I would do a little study of these two fine specimens. 

 

 

Chief

 

 

Bella

 

 

When I do something new it is great fun to see the results, I like these guys! 

Doing what I want to do, well loved, and very happy.

Hey! I'm living a dog's life!

 

Thanks for sharing this little slice of my life!

 

 

 

Lunch at the lake

I have lived on a lake for about two years here in Southern Illinois and have watched the blue herons with awe.  I think they are just magnificent.  I spotted one at the water's edge the other day and fortunately the binoculars were handy.  I was studying him when suddenly right before my eyes he made a swift move of his head into the water and came up with a good size fish!  I was impressed,  I couldn't believe how smoothly he caught it.  THEN... he moved the fish around in his beak til it was head first in his mouth and down it went!  One gulp!  It was a pretty big fish!   Before I got over the impressive act, he got another one, and again, one gulp and it was gone!  Ok, so I guess that is just the way blue herons eat, but it was pretty amazing to watch!  I knew right away I had to paint a heron having lunch at the lake.

Original has sold 

Prints available

https://www.etsy.com/listing/168705213

 

Betty

Thank you for sharing this little slice of my life!

E is for Eva's Elephant

 

Felt like playing, really playing with painting today.  Some past projects kept coming to mind.
 A while back I did a watercolor for a special new baby using jungle animals to make his initials,
 A. K. H. to fit into the jungle nursery theme.

I had done some really fun patterning on letters as well, using a fine micro pigment ink pen.  I can't find any pictures of those, one again, was for a new baby, Cooper.  Well, I thought about putting the two together.   Eva is a baby from down the road, so I thought I would do a test project for her.  Combining the patterned letter with a little animal watercolor turned out really sweet. 

This was soooooo much fun.  The fun thing about the patterning is it can go on FOREVER! 

 I was in a hurry, so I had to limit the fun swirls and dots and loops but if I had time I

could have mindlessly played for hours, and it pretty much just gets better and better. 

The little elephant was sweet I thought, soft and babyish. 

I had a great time in just my little world, projecting sweet dreams into a special piece

for a special little one 

 

Thinking I just might add a new line to my Etsy shop.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Thank you for sharing this little slice of my life!

Double lucky!

I grew up thinking buckeyes brought you luck.  My Dad always carried one in his pocket.  I thought they were magic.  Simple everyday things were special as a child, and I guess they still are now as an adult.  My little buckeye tree really suffered last year during the hot dry summer here in Southern Illinois.  It lost lots of leaves, and I was afraid it might die.  But it didn't, lucky.  This year the little tree has produced an abundant harvest of buckeyes. 

Now, buckeyes don't have any real value as far as I know.  But in the appreciation of the simple things in life, what a windfall!  I pick them up everyday, and have been delighted by the "doubles".  Lots and lots of pairs of buckeyes in the same shell.  I don't think I have every seen that before.

         And I do feel lucky...when I am painting with watercolors I am feeling VERY lucky.

 

This painting is available in my Etsy shop

https://www.etsy.com/listing/167096943/original-watercolor-nature-painting 

 

Thank you for joining me in this little slice of my life!

 

Watercolor Camp

I was lucky enough to get a full weekend of Watercolor Camp!  I met Spencer Meagher, an accomplished artist at the Rend Lake Art and Wine Festival in September where he was selling his art.  I was with Jack Russell Fish Company selling fish sandwiches.  I've got to admit, I was the painter instead of the fish fryer in my daydreams that weekend!  Anyway, I got acquainted with Spencer and he told me about the workshop coming up that he was teaching.  The workshop was a great experience for me, I learned some good watercolor techniques and made some good friends. 

Spencer's work can be seen at http://www.spencermeagher.com
He paints beautiful involved pieces with rich washes of watercolor.  I learned how to add depth to a painting through the washes and use of light against dark.  I worked on a small piece using the techniques when I got home.  I had started the pepper, but it was lacking.

After working again on the pepper, which was painted from a photo taken by my friend Di

who does amazing photography (and I have a stash of her photos waiting to be painted!)

I was much happier with "last pepper"

Thank you Spencer for sharing your expertise at Watercolor Camp!

 

Check out the next workshop from

Southern Illinois Art Workshop, Inc.

 

"Last pepper" and prints are available in my Etsy shop

https://www.etsy.com/listing/166224519/kitchen-art-original-watercolor-painting 

 

 

 

 

 

Eggs for breakfast

I fixed eggs for breakfast.  Maybe it was the morning light that made the shells so appealing, or maybe it was the carton which is a favorite color of mine, aqua.  Whatever it was, it caught my attention, I liked the empty shells better than the nice scrambled eggs actually!  I wanted to paint!

 
Very limited palette here, turquoise light and my favorite ultramarine blue and burnt sienna for the grays.  Several washes of the aqua color on nice heavy 300lb Arches paper and some touches of gray.  And I had eggs again!

 

I thank you for joining me for this little slice of my life!

Betty

Against the wind

Against the wind"

I love to paint with watercolors. My journey began about 18 months ago. I signed up for a 3 day watercolor workshop with the very successful watercolor artist Carol Carter of St. Louis. Having never worked with watercolors, I thought I might learn how to begin to use them in the 3 days. Little did I know the room would be full of accomplished artists! Yikes, did I feel out of place! Sitting behind me was Amy Woods Szymczyk of St. Louis who paints beautiful watercolor florals. Check out her work at http://AmyWoodsWatercolors.com
Carrie Waller was at the table behind me as well, she just won first prize in Daniel Smith's 11th annual competition!  http://carriewallerfineart.com

 

 

THIS, folks, was my painting that I did in the workshop. If you are familiar with Amy or Carrie"s work you can just imagine how uncomfortable I was.

I certainly felt like I was running against the wind!

BUT, despite my feelings of inadequacy, it was a great workshop and was the beginning of a new chapter in my life. I have enjoyed many many hours of painting and studying on my own since then.

 

This is one of my recent paintings. "Against the Wind" I took photos at the sailboat marina near my home in Southern Illinois and have painted many birds from those photos. This little guy was really hunkered down against the wind, and his tail feathers were blowing around. Sweet, soft grays against a soft aqua background makes this painting very calming. It is a favorite of mine, a little looser than some of my watercolors, but not as loose as I am striving for. He is available for purchase in my Etsy shop https://www.etsy.com/listing/162122609/watercolor-painting-bird-art-seagull
ORIGINAL SOLD


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