Cigar boxes, Mops projects, Ghost crabs and shells

The LAST of the boxes! 

This week has been an exercise in how much can you get done! 

Artwalk and painting while talking with potential collectors.

Trips to buy supplies for classes, more trips for supplies after adding students. Housework,(what is that anyway?). Labor Day weekend fun. Designing a logo while on the road. Swimming pool driving me crazy because I can't seem to get the chemicals correct and the water clear! In the middle of all this, I am trying to paint and blog, then the internet is down, or flaky at best!

Ah such is my crazy artist life here at the Raccoon Retreat Studio in Fairhope, Alabama!

The show season is rapidly, rapidly approaching. This makes sleep difficult at best, because all I can think about is catching up on blogging, painting, and designing.

The LAST of the boxes! takes care of 3 paintings, numbers 33, 34, &35 of the 100 paintings

Shells

These are simple paintings, simply done. 6 x 6 canvases

Paintings 36 & 37 of the 100 paintings

Ghost crabs I, II, III, & IV

Two of these are 6 x 6 canvas, two are 4 x 6 Canvas

All four are just plain fun! These little guys are constantly skittering away from us while we are walking for the turtles. Some of them are no bigger than a quarter, and so pale you cannot distinguish them from the sand. Others are so large that the birds chase them, hoping for a tasty meal!

Paintings 38 through 41 of the 100 paintings, all acrylic on canvas

Paintings just for fun!

My church has a Mothers of Preschoolers group. The leader,asked me to create decorations for the tables using this years theme. They are simple and fun, painted on blocks of wood so they can stand. All of them are painted on both sides.

What I would have given to have had such support from other moms when our children were small. I was a mentor for a time and really enjoyed it, the moms want to know how the children were raised in gentler times. I cannot imagine having a baby in this turbulent time we live in!

I would have loved being told to do this when a young mother! This years theme for the group is similar to others, just embrace the mess, and the craziness that is the preschool age. 

Love your little ones, they grow up so fast!

Paintings 42 through 48 of the 100 paintings, acrylic on wood.

A Whale of a tail

Bonding Box

Whales box

Today's entries are studies in simplicity. Both are Cigar boxes (I'm almost finished with them!)

The top one is a mother whale pushing her baby to the surface after birth for that first breath of air. The others were just for fun!

Bonding and Whales, Acrylic on Cigar boxes, Paintings 30 & 31 of the 100 days

Tarpon and another box?

"Tarpon!"

One of my bucket list goals is to go big game fishing one day. I remember my father spear fishing while diving in the Philippines. Once, he got a Lapu Lapu that was so big, we never could have eaten it all! I stood by and watched as everyone from the neighborhood got large "steaks" cut from the body and tail section. We got steaks too, and my mother happily ran them into the house to cook. Even afterward, we put lots into the freezer and gave away the rest to our houseboy and girl for their families.

This is obviously not that kind of fish! Just the beginning of a big game series over the next few days.

Tarpon was fun to paint, with lots of scales (did I say fun?). I have a headache from the tension caused by such intense painting. Looking forward to the series though, these are fish I have had requested many times before, but never got around to painting them! Wahoo, cobia, Mahi Mahi, Greater Amberjack and more are on the easel in the next few days!

Octopus box

While I was at the easel, I painted an octopus for fun. Yet another cigar box too!

The cigar boxes are fun to paint on, but I dread the initial cleaning, sanding and base coating of them!

"Tarpon!" 12 x 36 , Octopus 8x8 box, Both Acrylic , paintings 19 & 20 for the 100 days.

We can't control the wind........

"Pelican box"

There are things in our lives we simply cannot control. The people that God chooses to allow in our lives are sometimes there not for uplifting, but for tearing us down. Tearing us down, so we can uplift others in with our own painful experiences.

I have experienced painful times in my life, but have only recently realized that God's hand was on and with me always. He protected me from further harming myself while dealing with my past. 

Once I realized this protection, 

I then had the opening of my mind to the reality that God is my father. 

He allows us biological parents while on this earth, but they are not my true family. 

God is my father , Jesus is my brother, and the Holy Spirit is that part of God that he gives to us. He wants only the best for all of us, he sees all that we do, and cares so much for us that the human mind cannot wrap around the love he has for all of us. I have always been a Christian, but only in the past few years began actually reading, studying, and listening to the bible. It's a rich heritage of family for all of us as followers of Christ, God's precious son.

The things I pray about and listen to in the stillness that is my studio! 

Every brushstroke is lifted up in prayer, for the people God has put into my life, for the world around me, and too many things to mention here.

Know in your heart of hearts dear reader if you have gotten this far, that I pray for you too! 

Not that I become famous, or rich, but that you will find the peace that surpasses all understanding. 

The peace that only Jesus can bring to all.

He is standing at the door of your life, knocking to come in. 

Won't you open the door of your heart and allow him to take your burdens and give you peace!

Mahi I & Mahi II boxes

Blue Heron box

This completes today and yesterdays postings. 

Thanks to my internet provider, I could not post last night.

Mahi I & II, Pelican, Blue Heron, Acrylic on wood, Paintings 15, 16 ,17 &18 of the 100 Days

This is the 57th and 58th day of the 100 Days~100 Paintings

Clownfish Trio

Clownfish I

More cigar box beauties on the way!

This one measures about 5 x 6 and has a slide top. I really enjoy quick paintings on these boxes. They challenge me to make quick decisions and stop "dithering" around in the paint!

Clownfish II

Again so fun to paint! This one has a slide top and measures about 5 x 5.

Clownfish III

This one is on a slide top box as well. It measure about 5 x 5.