"To my mind, a picture should be something pleasant, cheerful, and pretty, yes pretty! There are too many unpleasant things in life as it is without creating still more of them."
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, French Artist (1841 - 1919)

Eli Loves Watermelon

Eli is a great kid.  He's one of my sister's grandchildren, which makes him my great-nephew.  He loves to swim in the summer time and here he is enjoying a slice of watermelon after a dip in the pool.  

Summertime,
And the livin' is easy
Fish are jumpin'
And the cotton is high

Oh, Your daddy's rich
And your mamma's good lookin'
So hush little baby
Don't you cry
Oil on canvas. 11x14 inches. 2015

Amish Boy

We lived a few hours drive from an Amish community in southeast Iowa - Kalona.  Once in a while we would drive through that part of the country past immaculate farms where the families lived without electricity or any modern machinery... including cars. It was not unusual to see horse-drawn buggies going down the road. I remember stopping at a farmhouse and buying a beautiful hand-made quilt from one of the Amish women. I admired their pure and simple way of life. They are a gentle, peaceful religious people who do not get involved in the ways of the world.  

Tis the gift to be simple
'Tis the gift to be free
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be
And when we find ourselves in the place just right
It will be in the valley of love and delight

When true simplicity is gained
To bow and to bend, we will not be ashamed
To turn, turn, will be our delight
'Til by turning, turning, we come round right.

Watercolor on archival paper. 11x14 inches. 2006.

"You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying overhead, but you can prevent them from building nests in your hair." ~ Chinese Proverb

Beverly and Her Grandson, Brad

 

This is a portrait of two people who are dear to my heart. I've been wanting to paint them for quite a while.  

Oil on canvas. 16 x 20 inches. 2015.

Spring has Sprung

This chair was rescued recently from a back room of the local St. Vincent de Paul thrift store.  It was being used by folks trying on used shoes and was in pretty rough condition although it was still sturdy.  I brought it home, cleaned it up and went to work giving it a major face lift.

I was inspired by the beautiful spring weather we have been having recently which brought to mind a cute little poem I learned as a child.

"Spring has sprung,

The grass is riz,

I wonder where the birdie is,

The birdie's place is on the wing,

Now isn't that a funny thing,

I always thought the wing was

On the birdie."

The poem was thought to be written by Ogden Nash, but now they think the author is unknown.  Anonymous.

The chair in it's original condition.

I donated the chair to the Safety Harbor Library Chairity event to help them raise money for the library. I am pleased and honored to be included in this opportunity to serve my community in this small way.

 

Swan chair

I accepted an invitation to paint a chair for our local library chairity auction to help fund some needed library projects. They issued a call to artists to paint a chair using whatever media they wanted in whatever style they chose.  Chairs were available at the library or we could pick up a chair at a yard sale or used furniture place.  I found this chair at St. Vincent de Paul's for $10.  It was sturdy and in good shape, not requiring any repairs. . .something I didn't want to have to deal with.

I sanded all the old varnish off the chair, wiped it down and put a couple primer coats on it.  While I was doing that I let the chair "speak" to me about what type of design and style might look nice on it.

It seemed a nature theme in a bit of an art nouveau style might work.  I wanted the legs to represent deep water using dark blues, the seat of the chair to be covered with lily pads (lighter shades of blue and greens), the spokes supporting the arms and back of the chair to represent plants growing up out of the water and finally the back with something that lives above the surface of the water.

 I really loved the heart shape cut out in the back of the chair and worked up a design using two swans flanked by some cat tails and saw grass. 

This is the first time I have ever painted a chair with some sort of design. I used to do a little refinishing of antiques for my mother who owned an antique shop with a friend of hers, but we mostly just stripped the wood of all the old varnish and layers of paint.  I really enjoyed the project and found it interesting to paint on a variety of curved surfaces.