Such beautiful creatures!

Things are ramping up around here!

Chris has built 10 more 6 x 24s, so I'll be stretching tomorrow.

He's making noises about enough lumber for 2- 24 x 24s too.

We will have enough art to hang the world hopefully.

I also need to go buy more varnish as I am almost out, again!

I pray I can find a project for the kids to do with the empty plastic cans that the varnish comes in.

I did a really cute one for valentines with Senior citizens a few years back.

It'll come to me, I'm sure.

I just need to count how many I have on hand.

That's for another day.

Our Elder momma dog seems to be okay.

The vet was happy with what he saw, so he's giving her another week to heal.

She will go in next week to get her teeth cleaned.

Having to bandage a wiggly dachshund is no fun.

We have a cream we're putting on her wound and I want it bandaged.

She will also have to sleep separately as it seems the puppies are licking her frequently.

Good news though, it doesn't look like cancer!

Now, if she would just sleep all night and quit waking the littles up!

No, I am not putting her in bed with us, so don't even ask.

The dachshunds are bed hogs, that kick when you push them over.

Frida used to beg to get into bed during thunderstorms, but she would hug my legs all night long.

Dachshunds are hot natured little critters.

Consequently, that makes me hot too!

Chris listed my old Flourish mesh for sale.

God decided otherwise.

I got a message from the festival if I knew where to purchase mesh sides.

I said as a matter of fact I have some for sale.

Long and the short of this story.

The festival is buying my old sides to use in the children's art tent.

God wink!

So many paintings, such little time left.

I'm having a ball painting!

29 days until the set up for the Annual National Shrimp Festival in beautiful Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Such beautiful creatures, Acrylic on canvas, 12 x 24

Day 71 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025

 

A magnificent octopus

Magnificent indeed!

If you have Disney, I highly recommend the program "Secrets of the Octopus".

It is a fascinating look into the world of Cephalopods.

I've watched them twice and will probably watch them again.

I had a book recommended to me while painting the mural in Pensacola.

"Remarkably Bright Creatures" is a good read and well written.

I enjoyed the storyline, and the ending was well done.

I can recommend it as well.

Today found me with my new hearing aids coming in.

My jury is out on that one.

While I do hear better, there is a lot of extra noise even with the volume turned down low.

I will have to schedule an appointment with their audiologist to see if I am doing something incorrectly.

Plastic bags are excruciatingly loud.

The feedback from my own voice sounds like I'm in a box.

Sigh, i just want to hear better without spending thousands.

Chris has built 10 more of the 6 x 24 stretcher bars.

I will be stretching them tomorrow, then painting them white in preparation for painting.

Ideas on what to paint on them anyone?

A magnificent octopus, Acrylic on canvas, 6 x 24 inches

Day 70 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025

 

Happy birthday Neel a year later!

Happy birthday Neel a year later!

Somehow I just could not wrap my head around the Lego octopus last year that Neel wanted.

I found photos of two of them, and this is the one he picked.

It was extremely complicated.

I sure pray he likes it!

 

Behind the scenes happening here.

Because I have new equipment, my husband and partner in art, 

Chris wanted to try loading the van today.

It's better to do this in advance because we both get kind of nervous closer to shows.

He had thought about it a lot and was contemplating building something 

because that is what he does best!

I've even bought him a t-shirt that says, "Yup, I can build that."

This year we have the new black flourish walls that we have now split into two bags.

Framework for sta-bars (a stabilization system that helps a tent in windy conditions.)

Framework for the tops of the tents to hold the walls.

Two frameworks for French wall system that involves both five- and seven-foot walls.

The French door is an opening to the back of the tent, 

but doesn't allow you to see through the back.

I have a pet peeve about seeing through a tent to the back.

Sometimes you see the back of another artist's tent, or an artist sleeping, or reading instead of interacting.

To me it's just sloppy looking.

We also carry two tents, in case of a storm taking out one during a show.

We've had to use an extra tent when mine was broken at the Fairhope Arts and Crafts a few years back.

Fortunately, we were home and could easily take down the broken one and replace it.

We just had to do it in the middle of the night!

This year, once again I have a double tent at the National Shrimp Festival in Gulf shores.

So, when trying to load in our usual way there was difficulty in putting everything equipment wise into the van.

We stepped back, and made a platform using the outer tents to 

hold up the plywood base we placed on top.

Chris cut the plywood, routered the edges, and cut handles to make it easier to handle.

I didn't get a photo of this, however.

We also have two tubs of walls and roofs, a small tub for curtains, a bag for lights, chairs, step stool, ladder and table. 

We will have to remove the art to get to the equipment underneath.

This is unfortunate, if there is rain.

We have to set up the tent before we can put art in place.

We both looked at it, and about 2 hours later I asked if it would be hard to add legs to the platform.

He shook his head and said get out of my head!

He said, "I was just thinking about that."

I asked him when and he said on the way here to get gas.

I said that's funny, I was thinking about it on the way here.

We've been married a long time, (almost 47 years)

One of us thinks something and the other one says it.

It's a little uncanny at times.

Anyway, he's going to add legs so the ladder, chair, and table will fit underneath.

Probably the cooler, small box for curtains, fans, cord, and lights as well.

Also, my show box that has a lot of little stuff we use at shows.

It's a lot of equipment!

The van will be packed to the absolute maximum for sure!

We will drop the trailer at the campground, then drive a short distance to the show.

The campground is about a quarter mile away from the event, so we ride bikes back and forth.

This way, I don't have to worry about where to put the van.

The rest of the fall shows we'll lose the French wall and a lot of the poles for that system.

That will probably be at least two bags of stuff gone into storage until spring.

We will switch to the three10-foot walls for the rest of the shows.

Even at Peter Anderson, I use three walls placing them so people can access the tent from 

both sides of the street.

Each show is different and presents its own challenges.

Happy birthday Neel! Acrylic on canvas, 6x6 inches

Day 69 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025

Great blues, a map, an ice cream, and an astronaut!

Two great blues today!

I didn't post yesterday because I was just tired and went to bed.

The day started at 3 am when one of the dogs woke up everyone in the house.

Once awake, I usually cannot go back to sleep, so it threw my whole day off.

I was just worn out all day and couldn't catch up, even with a nap!

Anyway, it was a long day made even longer by Art Walk in downtown Friday night.

I stood by my space and talked for two hours straight to people looking at my work in its new space.

It was fun, but so tiring.

It's like when I'm at a show, the show must go on, but I may have had a bad night.

We go out to the show, and I smile and chat like I'm fresh as a daisy.

This is sometimes with a heat index of 122 degrees and the sweat running down my back to the point I wonder if my pants will look like I've had an accident in them.

Or the extreme other direction, bitter cold.

I was shivering so bad one show that one of my collectors bought me a hot coffee to warm up.

Be kind to us out at the shows please.

Not necessarily with a hot or cold drink but understand we may have a bad night the night before.

Both these beautiful birds are at the Hello Gallery in downtown Fairhope.

18 S. Section St.

Unfortunately, I have not been a good Yaya.

Each year I want to do a painting on the grandchildren's birthdays.

The ice cream is from Dahlias third birthday, painted today.

She got a unicorn this year!

This is Neels fourth birthday painting.

He had a fascination with maps at the time.

Come to think of it, he still collects maps when he goes anywhere!

This is his seventh birthday painting.

I was just too tired yesterday to complete it on his birthday!

He is so smart and can tell you so much about the planets, rockets and space!

So much for today. 

Tomorrow, I work on Neel's sixth birthday painting.

A Lego octopus!

Great Blue II, Round and rectangle, Acrylic on wood, 24 inches and 12 x 30

Days 67 & 68 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025

 

Great Blue I

I am really bummed that Hobby Lobby won't be selling these rounds anymore.

They have been a staple in my shows for several years now.

I thank God for a husband that can actually make these now using his router and 3/4-inch plywood.

Maybe not as inexpensive as the Hobby Lobby pieces but cost effective, nevertheless.

This one is another of my revisits to a sepia that did not sell.

I love the beauty of color added to the sepias.

Today was interesting to say the least.

I managed to paint in the morning after my Bible study and messages sent.

Chris was up at the church working while I was in the studio.

I had an appointment for our 17-year-old mama dachshund at 3pm.

Chris came home; we went to lunch and grabbed a quick nap before the afternoon tasks.

Never underestimate a quick nap!

I had talked to Chris about taking mama dog to the vet for her yearly exam 

I also wanted the vet to look at a sore on her side that was a small cut. 

Much to my alarm when I checked on her, the cut had opened to the size of a nickel.

I called the vet, and they said to bring her right away.

He was concerned too and took a slide and pressed it against the wound.

He also found a small tumor under her foot which was causing her to limp.

She's been limping, but we checked and nothing was apparent.

We thought maybe she had pulled something.

The slide showed a lot of white cells in the wound when stained.

Doctor prescribed antibiotics and a spray to treat the two spots.

Cone of shame too!

Fortunately, we have a blow-up collar which should keep her from licking the areas.

Separating her from the puppies in the kennel.

She's not going to be happy at all.

We're giving it a few days to check again.

She has an appointment on Tuesday at 8am.

Possible surgery to remove both areas.

Praying it just goes away and it's not cancer.

After we got home and her settled in, I went to the gallery to rehang my wall.

Much to my surprise, my space has moved to the back wall behind the check-out area.

A very nice space indeed!

The rehang, checking in, and marking all ten pieces I brought in took almost an hour and a half.

I did take 6 of the new dimensional works to the gallery as well.

I have enough to spare from the shows and am looking forward to Artwalk.

Which by the way, is tomorrow night!

Great Blue I, Acrylic on wood, 24 inches round

Day 66 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025

 

Nose to nose

 "Nose to nose"

Manatees are always an interesting creature to paint.

So big and so graceful as long as they're in the water.

Not so graceful out of the water.

Sea cows or chubby mermaids, take your nickname.

They are called sea cows because of their slow-moving nature and constant grazing.

I'm not sure where chubby mermaids came from!

We were fortunate enough to have them come up to feed on romaine lettuce that was placed in feeders while we were kayaking in Florida.

It was a mother and baby, and we felt honored to see them.

Closer to the Shrimp Festival I go.

Each day is an exercise in either frustration, or fun.

Come to think of it, most days are like that.

It all depends on how you view your world around you.

God does that sometimes, placing speedbumps that slow us down to a less frantic pace of life.

When we slow down, we see the beauty created around us.

We can enjoy the world God has placed at our feet.

We can become what God wants us to be in His plan.

We see the creator in our mundane everyday existence.

One day closer to the National Shrimp Festival and four other shows.

I am getting excited!

Nose to nose, Acrylic on shadowbox canvas, 12 x 24

Day 65 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025

 

Beauty in the Caretta caretta

Caretta caretta or loggerhead sea turtle, whichever you prefer.

I love the scientific name of this turtle.

I am beginning to find my pace in the 100 days.

Working hard to create every day.

Sometimes the paintings are easy to set up and paint, and sometimes they hurt my head!

Each day is a new adventure in paint!

I am still amazed that I get to create and even make money while doing it.

I truly believe the saying: Do what you love, and you'll never work a day in your life!

Finding what to paint can be a challenge though.

Some years Turtles are more popular; others it's the octopuses.

I've also painted manatees, alligators, pelicans, sharks, herons, 

seahorses, manta rays, and so much more!

Then, just when I think I have it all figured out, the rules change.

The neutral paintings have not slowed down even after 10 years.

I started the Sepia series when people would comment that the colors 

I would use might not go on their wall.

I prayed and the answer I got was go neutral.

To go from strong color to neutral was a stretch.

When they first started, they were browner.

Like a sepia toned photograph.

I purchased unfinished wood frames I bought from Michaels, 

hand painting them to match the sepia paint.

Then, a few years back, I mixed the sepia color bluer, and it's been that way ever since.

Anyway, today was a full day.

Helping others and then hitting the studio after getting blackberries, blueberries, and onions into the freezer.

Tomorrow, we bag them!

Beauty in the Caretta caretta, Acrylic on canvas, 24 x 24

Day 64 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025

 

Great Blue and a turtle!

I have told you all before, I am not above revisiting paintings in an effort to salvage them.

This is one of those pieces.

It is painted on one of the wood framed sign blanks from Hobby Lobby.

I am very pleased with how it turned out.

He only needs varnish and a companion.

Another Great Blue in the works, facing in the opposite direction so they can be a pair.

I love painting the herons.

This is also from a photo I took several years ago while on vacation in Orange Beach.

I took my grandson home to Saraland after a weekend with Yaya and Yoyo.

I brought him home as our daughter was working hard to get her bedroom 

together after painting this weekend.

I then stayed and helped her with going through bags and boxes.

I came home with eyeshadow palettes, lip gloss, and bronzer, as well as hand cream.

She also gave me a red jacket.

Hmmm. 

She said I know you don't typically wear red, but it is a cute jacket.

I took the things after two hours with her and we got a lot done.

I also brought home a taboret she has had forever, still in the box.

I unboxed it at their house and put it in the car.

Came home, ate a late lunch, took a little nap.

Headed to the studio, for a few stolen moments.

Then the dogs wanted their ride, and I needed a break.

I put together the taboret, photographed it, and put it on marketplace.

Hopefully it will sell, as it probably won't work in my studio.

We ate leftovers for dinner, and I again headed to creating.

I'm thankful for leftovers, it makes for a quick dinner and clean up!

I also managed to paint this little guy today too!

He is a small part (about five inches) of a 24 by 24 shadowbox.

I'm trying to find my groove in painting the shadowboxes again.

It will take a bit of thinking as their set ups are so very different from the new dimensional rounds.

This piece will have three turtles on it eventually.

I may try to paint the colored heron as well tomorrow.

I'm needing to change out my space at the gallery downtown before Artwalk this Friday as well.

So, lots of paint slinging tomorrow!

Goodnight from the Raccoon Retreat Studio in beautiful Fairhope, Alabama

Great Blue and a turtle, Acrylic on wood and canvas, heron 15 x 30

Day 63 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025

 

Mermaid reflections

"Mermaid reflections"

I wonder what is going through her mind about this funny looking thing from the wreck.

I'm sure like "The little mermaid" there are lots of things in her stash of collectibles.

A little caveat.

Our "African son" asked me about mermaids.

It seems that people there think they are real spirits that are not very nice.

No son, they are fantasy here not real.

Curiously strange.

This is the last of the rounds for a while.

I have 11 more to paint, awaiting my brushes.

I will probably paint them in between Mattie Kelly and Peter Anderson.

Peter Anderson has sent out booth numbers and I am 656.

I asked to please be placed back near the Government Street Grocery.

The booth should also be near our wonderful parking. 

We park Friday night, and don't move even to load out or in.

I am so grateful for the spot we stay in during this show.

I asked to be moved because we were across from a popular place and people were constantly cutting through our booth to get to the restaurant.

We were also cut off from people seeing us because of the line from the restaurant.

So, we'll see how it goes this year!

This mermaid was fun to design and paint.

It was also incredibly hard to cut out.

Thankfully Chris is willing to help out frequently.

His band saw has a really thin blade he discovered while cleaning, so he's able to get pretty intricate.

There are still some things I would cut differently, but I am grateful for the extra hands and help.

I also had to use my Dremel on the dolphins recently as there were two spots that weren't removed.

The Dremel is the same one I used to make ornament push molds carved into wood.

We make a wonderful team.

I am so glad God placed us together as man and wife.

So, now I have to check my inventory here at the house and come up with a plan of what to paint.

There are several shadowboxes lined up and ready to go.

I am also going to make at least one 5-piece turtles for the far wall.

I'm really looking forward to the new booth set up with black walls.

The white backgrounds will really pop off of them.

I just pray the booth won't be too dark inside.

I may have to invest in some serious lighting that's easy to transport, not too fragile, and able to run off my battery pack.

That sound like a tall order to me, although I'm all in as far as investing in myself and my business.

The next order of business is a website other than this blog.

The blog has increased my presence on the web but has not increased my sales.

I just need to stop long enough to build it and post photos.

I had a website before, when I had oodles of time to build it through a company.

I was happy with it, but it was taken down by the company when my debit card wasn't able to pay.

I also wasn't able to simply reinstate the website.

So much work lost, and now I have to carve out time to build another one!

So much to do, so little time on my hands as of late!

To God be the glory though, because I usually get it all done!

Just another day at the Raccoon Retreat Studio here in beautiful Fairhope, Alabama!

Mermaid reflections, Acrylic on wood, 20 inches

Day 62 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025

 

A Circled Cephalopod

Today was another day of joy for me.

I started the day in the studio, working on backgrounds for the last two circles.

Don't worry they're coming back in late October, because I still have 11 more to paint.

I'm going to use them as "fill ins" after the first three shows.

As usual, this one was fun to paint.

What was not fun was trying to paint after a restless night.

I finally gave up and got up at 4am this morning.

I got my Bible readings done, painted a bit, then headed off to a Baby shower.

The shower was fun, but I was hungry for lunch.

The shower had only fruit and dip that I could eat.

I have apparently become Gluten intolerant.

I don't have violent reactions as some do, but it's bad enough.

I have what amounts to an allergy attack, phlegm, and sinus drainage.

Sometimes up to 24 hours later!

It's just not worth the tastiness.

So, I ate a leftover salad from the refrigerator and headed back to the studio.

The studio was quiet except for the dachshund that followed me up here.

The tippy tapping of her claws is cute, but then I worry when I don't hear movement.

Quiet in a dachshund is like a quiet toddler.

You better be nervous and you better go look.

With dachshunds they're usually in a garbage can, stealing tissues to shred.

I worked for a couple of hours then decided it was time for a nap.

The dachshunds and I piled onto the couch under a blanket and dozed off.

I needed that nap!

It was time to go back to the studio and after an hour or so, it was time for the afternoon ride.

I then cooked dinner, took grandson for ice cream and headed back into the paint.

A good day.

Now hopefully it will be a good night!

A circled cephalopod, Acrylic on wood, 12 inches

Day 61 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025

 

Babies, babies everywhere!

Today's piece was after a long day.

My youngest brother was having surgery, so I drove to Mobile to sit with him and my sister in love at 6:15.

I spent the day waiting and chatting with her.

We talked a lot, prayed a lot, and even cried a little.

Then the doctor came out and said it was tough removing the knot as it was full of scar tissue.

We'll find out results later next week.

I finally got to see him again as he was being wheeled out from his outpatient surgery.

Surprisingly about 1 pm.

Too late to go home to Fairhope, too early to pick up grandson from school 

as he is spending the weekend with us.

So, I got lunch at Tazikis.

A lovely salad with chicken and fruit.

I then drove to my daughter's house, and she gave me a hair trim!

Yahoo no more bangs in my eyes!

I could hear my grandmother saying, "get those bangs out of your face!"

It's like when I get dirty fingernails or paint.

I have to clean them, or I'm nervous.

My dad would whip out a very sharp knife and dig the dirt out if I didn't do it.

This is why I have a nail brush by the sink, to scrub.

It's also why I don't care for the artist look of dirty clothes covered in paint at a show.

I just don't feel it presents yourself professionally.

So, I'm always neat, clean, and wearing pretty clothes at shows.

The drive home was interesting to say the least.

The traffic was unbelievable and it took over an hour and a half to get back to Fairhope.

Anyway, I came home to french fries and chicken nuggets that my husband heated up at my request.

I ate, then came upstairs to paint.

I painted these guys in between my grandson asking questions about the books

 I want to sell out of my studio.

I have quite the collection of books on drawing, painting, and references galore.

His research found some of my books are rare and somewhat valuable.

I told him he could have a cut in exchange for photographing, posting, and researching pricing.

We agreed to 20 percent of the profit after sale and shipping.

I have a very interested tweenager in the studio now!

Babies, babies everywhere!, Acrylic on wood, 12 inches

Day 60 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025

 

10 years later....

10 years ago, I was painting a mural in a hyperbaric chamber room.

I don't even know if it's still there.

It was an amazing under the sea theme with lots of fish, Dolphin, and corals.

It was so the people in the hyperbaric chamber could see the mural as they passed time.

This week found me a delightful "job" in Pensacola Beach Florida.

This couple found me at the Gulf Breeze show in the Spring.

They have been searching for an artist over a year to paint their mural.

They have a long tradition of murals in their homes, now both in New Orleans and Pensacola.

They have patiently waited through my show season, a visit from daughter and grandchildren, and a massive dinosaur build for our church VBS called Summer Surge.

The first day, (Monday) we arrived at their condo and settled in quickly.

I was incredibly happy to see a wonderful scaffold as promised, with rails!

I got to work on transferring the pattern to the wall.

Chris settled in to chatting with the owners, Cathy and Randy, while I listened in and occasionally added a bit to Chris's stories.

Orange peel texture is incredibly difficult to paint on because it's so bumpy.

Not to be daunted, I got the pattern on the wall cutting it into manageable strips of six feet by 1 foot.

It took a couple of hours to transfer the pattern I had drafted.

I then excitedly started painting the farthest legs on the right.

I worked a total of 6 hours the first day.

I then took Chris to Peg Leg Petes for a delicious meal.

On Tuesday, I pushed until I got all eight legs done!

It was an adventure all the way fighting with the orange peel texture that was 

becoming easier with each stroke.

This was my point of view most of the day.

I would hang my legs over the edge, leaning into the strokes following the patterning.

Laying on paint, scumbling paint, removing paint.

Just like on the smaller canvases, except on a grander scale.

At this point Cathy was already texting photos to friends and family.

She kept saying it was so much more than she expected.

This is my absolute favorite thing to hear from a client.

I stopped again about 4 pm because I was hungry.

We had a delicious dinner, cooked by me of spaghetti made with deer meat and a lovely salad.

We enjoyed each other's company until later in the evening 

after Chris and I went and got Ice cream on the boardwalk.

Wednesday found me working on the head and rest of the body.

We kept hearing the Blue Angels practicing, and I came down just in time to see a pass by and an incredible lift while barrel rolling high into the air.

What a thrill to watch.

I worked until lunch, then Chris and I went to a restaurant on the water for BBQ.

I told Cathy and Randy to please look for anything that bothered them on the octopus.

When we came back, I swung into action doing the final shading and touch ups.

Chris and I then joined the owners out for a relaxing dip in the sound.

Relaxing that is, until the fish started biting us.

Randy and Chris went in with Larry to take down the scaffolding.

I chose not to go in as there was a bit of a problem the first day just dropping the floor down to facilitate me walking back and forth while painting.

I was too nervous to watch it come down.

Chris had a part of the floor dropped on his head that first day.

It's always his head!

Lord!

Anyway, they took the scaffold down and we got showers while Cathy and Randy returned the equipment back to the store.

I realized I had not signed the piece, so Chris and I got out the ladder and I signed it in the bottom right curl of the leg.

We had dinner together again, eating the leftover spaghetti and a new salad.

The owners are very happy with their piece of art!

They are trying really hard to come up with a unique name.

We spent the evening relaxing, chatting, and finally going to bed.

I love it when collectors become friends!

We came home today, with them waving goodbye from under the condo after walking us to the car.

I almost didn't want to go home....a lot of work, but so relaxing.

I believe they went back home to New Orleans today too!

I came home, unloaded the car, unloaded the bags, greeted the dogs and then went into the studio.

Chris and I got lunch at Rouxsters in downtown Fairhope.

That was an adventure in itself, going around all the detours to get to the restaurant.

We had leftover chicken salad with a salad for dinner, using up all the chicken I made.

These guys were cut out, but not sanded, edges painted, mounted, then painting both the background and the dimensional dolphins.

It's been a long day, but a productive one!

I pray Cathy and Randy; our new friends made it home safely to New Orleans.

10 years of adventures here in Fairhope since the mural.

I've painted several since then both at church and another hyperbaric chamber.

Adventures!

Kind of has a nice ring to it!

Goodnight!

10 years later...., Acrylic on wall and wood, Octopus 6 x 12 feet, Dolphins 12 inches round

Days 56,57,58, & 59 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025

 

Muralist, muralist, where is the muralist?

So, when I first started as an artist, I did do murals before I really started doing shows.

It was a way to showcase my skills and make a little money.

I did this while I was working at Alabama Art supply as well.

By this time in my 'career' I was down to three days a week at the store, 

because we were slow at the time.

I really didn't need the income from the store, and it was nice to do something different.

The money at the time was decent and the work was fun.

I've also done a very large mural at the Abba Shrine Center that was 10x48 feet.

It was impressive, and I think they still have it, although it may be covered by curtains.

Most of the time, people don't want murals.

They want canvas they can move if they leave the space.

This couple approached me at the Gulf Breeze show in late March.

I explained to them that I couldn't at the time, but perhaps later in the year.

They said they were patient and willing to wait because they feel that I am the artist they have been searching for.

As time passed, I became concerned about being on a ladder again.

I explained this to them, and they said they would get scaffolding.

I set it up for Late May.

May came and I was overwhelmed by coming home after shows, a massive yard sale, and our daughter and family coming in from India.

Then there were the Dinosaurs.....

I messaged these sweet people telling them it would be August before I could get there, and I would understand if they could not wait.

It took a couple of days, but they messaged me again telling me they thought I was the Artist they were looking for to do their mural.

I am so grateful God has given me this talent.

The mural is happening this week!

Chris is going with me to their condo, so in between painting, we get to walk the beach.

I pray everything goes well.

The photo above is the diagram sketch I sent for approval.

They said they love it.

This is a small part of the design.

Each blue square is a square foot, so you can see it's rather large.

At first, I thought I could project the image I had drawn onto paper.

The weather around here has been sketchy at best, so I didn't know if I would be able to take the paper outside to tack it to the fence for the projector to enlarge it.

In stepped the Holy Spirit.

He reminded me about gridding.

I made the paper I needed the correct size, then started transferring the image.

The thunderstorm raged outside as I was drawing last night.

Pretty easy actually.

Now getting it on the wall will be another story.

I will probably have to cut the pattern into strips, then transfer to the wall using graphite paper.

Lifes going to be interesting for the next few days!

BTW, there will not be a painting a day, just that day's painting progress.

Praying to get done by Thursday afternoon.

Headed to Gulf Breeze tomorrow morning!

Craver Mural, Pencil on paper, 6ft x 12ft

Day 55 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025

 

Just passing through!

I am amazed at these beautiful creatures.

I am also a little shocked at how few survive hatching.

They have many predators because they make a tasty snack.

Sharks, big fish, seagulls, and probably pelicans will eat them if given a chance.

I used to walk the beach for turtles at dawn.

We would look for a crawl, then try to find if there was a nest.

In 10 years of walking, I only found one crawl with Chris.

It was a false crawl, meaning the turtle came in and out without leaving a nest.

They can be disturbed as they are coming in, or something doesn't feel right.

We also found a nest one time, but the team on the other section claimed it as their person found it first.

The sections overlap somewhat.

Anyway a sea turtle nest averages about 100 babies in it.

With predators, plastic pollution, and boat accidents only one from each nest 

will typically make it to adulthood.

Adulthood and nesting age, about 35 years for a loggerhead.

Then they can lay eggs typically 4-5 nests per season.

They lay clutches typically every couple of weeks during the warmer part of the year.

I do remember a nest hatching during the National Shrimp Festival.

They usually finish laying nests around the end of August.

If you've never seen a boil in person, Google it.

A sea turtle boil is the most beautiful thing to watch.

It's called a boil, because they look like they're boiling up out of the sand.

They scramble over each other in a mad dash for the water, usually at night.

Night is when they hatch, usually during a moonlit night because they go towards the light.

We had a hatch try to go toward the condos one evening at sunset. 

We ended up holding beach towels along the route to corral them into the water.

We were also down at a concert when we got the alert that a nest was hatching.

We ran from the concert at the wharf, only to find we missed it!

I've also had a sea turtle peek at me while paddleboarding Mobile Bay.

Once, from a distance on a beautiful sunlit morning just under the pier.

The next time I was paddling several months later and actually had one come up right by the board.

It took a breath, then disappeared into the water.

I guess it was just curious.

I was thanking God for the encounter!

I'm also drafting the pattern for the octopus for the mural.

It is very hard to draft a ten foot x six foot pattern even in my studio!

I first had to tape paper together for the pattern.

Fortunately I was able to find bulletin board paper that is four feet wide.

So I'm drafting a ten foot octopus after drawing a grid on the paper!

Such is my artist life here at the Raccoon Retreat Studio in beautiful Fairhope, Alabama!

Just passing through!, Acrylic on wood, 12 inches

Day 54 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025