Asparagus Bunch...Oil painting

8x24....oil on canvas

This is a first time painting of asparagus.  I love it and plan to paint more.  My favorite part is the purple rubber band.  Not sure why, but it is.

On another note...As we pause to thank our veterans I have cause to think of another group of people that deserve our thanks...our often overlooked teachers!  I had the distinct pleasure of talking to my junior high school (to you young people, that's what we used to call middle school) art teacher a few minutes ago.

I think of her often and in teaching my recent workshop I realized that some of the art principles that I was teaching to others were little gems that I had picked up way back when in her class in the 70's.  I decided to look her up and tell her thank you for the impact that she had had on my life.  I'm glad I did.

So to all the teachers out there....whether your students are able to find you to thank you or not....remember that most likely there are scads of former students out there that think of you often.

So once again, Thank you Ms. Swager!

Crab-i-liscious....oil painting

16x20......original oil painting on canvas

I love this painting, and it is one of my first to feature a more realistic colored crab.  I was really digging my awesome colorations...and then my husband mentioned that once the crab is cooked...as it would be when you actually put it on a PLATE....they turn orange.  Oh, yeah, they do, don't they?  Oh well, lol.  I still like it.

Market Fresh...original oil painting of FISH

24x24 ....oil on canvas

This is my favorite of my new paintings this spring!  I love the colors and the unique-ness of the subject.  In person, this one has great depth and presence.  If it was a floral painting, I would say you can almost smell it, but with this one, well, you know......

Shrimps for Dinner....Oil Painting

I love this painting.  It is 16x20 oil on canvas and I just love it. 

It is New Orleans....it is summer....it is friends....it is eating and having fun....messy hands....hanging out and laughing...everything I like about the South.

I was talking to my daughter at a recent art festival and I said..."I just love how this painting turned out!"  I told her "I love the shrimp, and the wine glass, and the checked tablecloth!  and the corn, I LOVE the corn! and the olive oil bottle!" 

She said, " It sounds like you pretty much like everything about this painting!"

I said, "Well, the plate's ok"

Then I decided I really like it too!

Art in Hand Playing Cards...

A while ago I was contacted about a project called Art in Hand.  It is a unique set-up whereby many different artists are contacted and asked to produce art for one specicific card in a deck of playing cards.  The art is collected and an interesting deck of cards is produced with lots of different styles and types of art represented.  The first decks were produced featuring art of specific cities...Charlotte, Portland and Washington, D.C.  They had such success with the city projects that they decided to produce a nationwide deck featuring one artist from each of the 50 states, plus D.C. and 3 U.S. territories.   

One day I got an email asking me if I would like to be the artist to represent Mississippi.  It was so random and out of the blue and to this day I still don't know where they saw me (I am supposing it was this little ole blog) or how they chose me.  But after researching the city projects and seeing how well done they were and what a success they had been I decided to jump on in.  Even though the timing was less than ideal (there were grandbabies being born and lots of important stuff to do) I did enjoy participating.

You can view the entire deck (and even order one of your own) at the link above.  Just go to the USA Project on the home page and it will bring up the entire 54 cards.  I am the 9 of spades.  Your card was supposed to represent your state and your art.  I think mine does. 

Thanks for looking.

Fine Wines by commission....

Fine Wines.....24 x 30 .......Oil on Canvas.....Commission

This is a commission for a nice couple up in Tennessee.  They visited me at the Double Decker festival last year and then the wife contacted me later to do this painting for her husband as a surprise for his birthday.  She took photos of their favorite wines and sent them to me.  Then I combined them into this one composition and painted them for her.

What a sweet wife and what a great surprise!  

Workshop is in the "Success" column....

 Here is a photo of me with "my kids" as Carol Marine calls them.  These are the luscious ladies that took on the challenge to "let loose and let go" at my pallet knife workshop in Fairhope, AL.  The Eastern Shore Art Center was a wonderful place to have a workshop and the participants were awesome!  We had a great time and they tell me they learned a lot. 

We definitely learned more about getting "bold, loose, funky, chunky!"  And  they even got to meet my new grandbaby!  (Did I mention that I have a new grandbaby?)

This is the timed demo I did to illustrate the benefits of setting a timer to make you hurry up and make spontaneous decisions in order to loosen up.  Thank goodness this one was a success, because I sort of crashed and burned on the crab demo.

I want to thank all of the ladies that were so willing to do whatever came up and who made my first workshop a personal success.  I also want to thank those in my past that I drew inspriation from...Claudia Swager (my junior high art teacher),  Bob Tompkins, Carol Marine, and mostly Julie McCartney.  It was amazing, when I thought back to the tips and tricks that I use every day, to think back to the source of that information.  Thanks to all!  I will live to teach again, I hope!

Back from the hiatus....

Drennan Reed Malone

I know excuses are bad, but as excuses go, I think this one is pretty darn cute!  My newest grandchild was born in Feb. and he, as well as a thousand other things, are the reason I have not posted in a while.  But he is the cutest(and most important), so that's why his picture got featured.  Life is good!

I have been painting...commissions and work for my galleries and for the (quickly) upcoming spring outdoor shows.  Plus I taught a workshop in Fairhope, AL.  So over the next few days I hope to get caught up with the news and show some of the new stuff....some of it I just LOVE!!!!!

But for today, let's just realize that that little miracle you see if such a gift from God and should not have to share his post with any old paintings!

Extra Olives Please...Oil Painting

Extra Olives, Please.....10x20....oil.....(sold)

My family loves olives!  I have had great success painting them.  It's not a subject you see ordinarily, but they always get comments when I have them displayed.  That particular color of green is really hard to mix.  Maybe that's why you don't see them a lot.

Out Standing.....oil painting

12x24.....oil on canvas......SOLD

This is obviously a bird.  It is out standing by the water.  Need I say more?