Mighty Marlin

I really enjoy painting these big game fish.

Several years ago, I was commissioned to paint Miss Dulari's big catch.

It was to honor a member of the Mobile Big Game Fishing club that had passed away.

It was the cover of their book for that year.

The guy in charge bought the original and got a half sized Giclee' 

for the family of the man that had passed away.

It was one of the best commissions I had gotten at the time.

Today I don't know if I'd let it out of my studio!

I've grown so much as an artist as well.

Soon this pandemic will be over and we will all start 

back into the headlong rush of the world and large.

At least some of us may do that, I for one have enjoyed the slow down and reflection time this disease has afforded us.

Although I do miss shopping for the pure enjoyment of shopping, 

and movies in the theater, I really miss seeing movies in the theater.

Mighty Marlin, Acrylic on hardibord, 10 x 10 inches

Day 33 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2020

More Mahi-mahi

I am really enjoying this series.

It has been a long day of concentrating on the book I'm illustrating.

This weekend will be dedicated to it as well.

Although, there may some pool time in there somewhere.

The hardi bord has been fun so far, and there are still several to go.

These will be appropriate for outdoor hanging or could go into a bathroom easily.

Hardi bord is a concrete based material made to mimic the look of wood.

Insects don't like it, it's easy to paint, and it's does not burn easily.

I am looking forward to working on a project that has been thrown my way.

It is a baby now, but must be completed and approved rather quickly.

While I cannot go into detail yet, it may be a smash hit.

I would very much appreciate prayers thrown my way.

The great part about it is, I did not pursue it, but it is pursuing me!

I just LOVE it when people talk about me and my art!

More Mahi-mahi, acrylic on hardi bord, 10 x 10 inches

Day 19 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2020

Tentacles, tentacles everywhere!

This  made for an interesting day!

It also made for a long one too!

Quite large in fact, 2 ft x 5 ft , actually a little bigger.

I am really in the groove for shows now, let the sepias begin!

I started the day with my usual bible readings, and a good breakfast provided by my husband.

Chris and our son Jere' went to our local restaurant, Waffle House 

to get breakfast and brought home something for me.

I am so blessed by a husband that thinks about me when he is out.

I then headed to my women's bible study at the pier.

I was the leader today for Really Bad Girls of the bible.

My chapter was number 3 and was about the adulterous woman.

Jesus was represented by an art professor no less!

I pray my "teaching" was understandable and provoking them to dig further into God's word.

We then walked about 2 1/2 miles.

I have managed to let a head cold into my body.

It's not real bad, but I sure hope I can fight it off enough to get well by next weekend.

Next weekend...

This time next week we will be finished with day one of the Jubilee Festival.

I pray it is at least as good as last years show.

Tentacles, tentacles everywhere! Acrylic on canvas, 2 ft x 5 ft

Day 82 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2019

Sea below

Yet another poured background is the basis for this piece.

I am praying they will be successful when we start actually doing shows.

This one was the main painting poured, with several smaller ones coming from the excess paint.

I am trying to be a good steward of my supplies, so I don't want to let any paint go to waste.

Consequently, I have a lot of backgrounds poured already.

Small and large some in between.

The studio is filled with them and shadowboxes!

I can barely move in my space to work.

Today's piece, "Sea Below" is a testimony to my favorite animal, the sea turtle.

See the Sea Below the beauty.

We need to take care of our seas, they provide a lot of oxygen, and tons of food.

Unfortunately, our seas have become a place of toxic wastes.

Runoff from fields going into streams, causing algae blooms that kill the animals that live within.

Excess garbage, that is carelessly tossed, ending up in our oceans.

The amount of plastic in our seas is staggering, almost incomprehensible in it's sheer volume.

We are using more plastic than ever. 

BTW, every single piece of plastic ever produced is still on our planet in one form or another!

8 million pieces of plastic end up in our oceans every single day.

Take that in folks!

Two thirds of it comes from land based sources.

Litter dropped in cities, industry spills, badly managed garbage sites or flushed down the toilet.

The rest is fishing gear or containers washed overboard from ships.

What plastic that is not floating is resting on the bottom.

Microscopic particles are finding their way into our food chain.

1 in 3 fish caught for human consumption now contain plastic.

Kinda sobering to me.

I teach kids about plastic recycling and making art from refuse instead of simply tossing it.

My precious husband is also becoming more recycle conscious.

I have started small, refusing straws as much as possible.

There are about 390 million straws used in the US every day.

The next step for us, will be refusing foam food containers as they will never degrade.

I plan to start bringing my own containers when we go out to eat.

I have also started using Norwex products, in an effort to make a chemical free home.

Small steps now, becoming larger steps later may begin to turn the "tide".

Eco friendly containers may become Christmas presents this year as well.

Sea Below, Acrylic on canvas, 16 x 20 inches

Day 75 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2019

Geez! The weekend got away from me!

We had friends come down this weekend with their baby girl!

Paintings done for the past three days, just not posted!

We went to the zoo, the beach, the splash pad at the park, and Mr Gene's Beans.

All in all a fun weekend helping the young ones relax some. 

The tiny house was a hit again too!

Here ya go!

The poured backgrounds continue with this one.

I loved punching up the highlights so the seahorse would show up against the background.

My best friends daughter also came into the studio, fascinated with the poured paint!

So we dove in and created for her to take her beach pieces home. 

Lots of paint, so I have several canvases to paint on as well.

I pray you're not tired of the backgrounds, I promise there will be some with some beautiful blues soon!

I must also get on the shadowboxes as they are the best sellers.

19 of them await my brushes sooner rather than later!

My wonderful husband also spotted me some money up front to be able to purchase canvases on sale for Labor Day. The pricing was really good, the selection not so much!

It's a good thing that I still have a very good supply on hand of the larger ones...

You see, my husband calls me a hoarder of canvas.

He says I have too many on hand, but when they're on sale for 70% off and I have money....

He knew today I am tapped out of funds, before my next show at the end of this month in Daphne, Al.

If I am a hoarder, he's an enabler!

I love him so much, I think I'll keep him!

I had a great time with the ghost crabs as well.

Or are they sand crabs?

I don't know, I just know I don't like them running across my feet at 5:30 am  while looking for turtles!

I am scared I am going to step on and crush one of the little guys one day.

They run faster than the sandpipers!

Fun to watch, and even more to paint!

Anyway, the day is winding down, I am still praying for the people affected by hurricane Dorian.

The Bahamas have been hammered for over a day now!

Fortunately the USA seems to be going to be spared a direct hit on the East coast.

At least not as a Category 5.

I can only imagine the Bahamas right now.

The things I think about in my studio, praying for others with each brush stroke.

Seahorse, Ghost I, Ghost II, Acrylic on canvas, 4x4 inches

Days 61, 62, & 63 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2019

Elephants and fish?

WHAT a crazy week this has been!

Mind you I'm not complaining, just still shaking my head over the things 

that have occurred this week!

God has shown up in a big way multiple times!

First, last weekend was a huge surprise to my bank account because 

I did so well at the Jubilee festival.

Second, I shipped a painting that was ordered while I was in India to Georgia for a birthday gift!

Shout out to Develyn!

Thirdly, I went to church on Wednesday, and wrote my check for my tithe and donation to Buy a Brick foundation. I had not even put the check in the box before I received back a quarter of what I was donating from a painting sale. 

Fourth, Painting arrived in Georgia, I got sweet message from the her cousin 

inquiring about two other crab paintings. I shipped them today to North Carolina.

Hey London!

This sweet lady is also considering a third painting.

Fifth, As you can see from the above photo and the two Fish paintings, I am finally able to reveal that my artwork has been chosen for the backsplash at the main restaurant at Gulf state park convention center and hotel in Gulf Shores, Al. (Two years in the making!)

I have retained the print rights and people are already inquiring about prints!

Gulf Fish I

Gulf Fish II

Finally you see this big guy here!

Are you seeing double? 

Perhaps.

I painted the elephant again with the trunk and body reversed because I wanted it to go with the giraffe and zebra. However, this one may be sold as well!

As I said, NOT complaining!

I guess what I AM saying is you can't outgive God!

I am infinitely blessed, beyond all measure!

Elephant reversed, acrylic on canvas, 12 x 24

Day 96 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2018 

Sailfish

A special request from a little boy who turned five today!

Our Grandson to be exact. His request when I asked him what painting he wanted for his birthday.

"I want a swordfish! With a big fin!" I countered, "Do you mean a sailfish?"

"Yes please"

So here we go, a sailfish.

I have had the opportunity to paint these gorgeous fish many times over the years. This one though, is special. Every year, on our grandsons birthday I paint something for him. I painted a crab the day he was born, each year since has been something different. He has a gecko, a lion, a pelican, a sea turtle, and now a sailfish. This is the biggest one yet for him. When he moves out of his parents home, he will have a collection all his own, all in sepia.

Until then, they hang in my studio.

Today also found Chris and myself sweating outside while painting the frames for the new booth set up. Mercy, they seemed never ending. We though they would take only a partial can of spray paint apiece, but turns out they each needed about a can and a half! They look great and we are both anticipating the set up in the booth for a new booth shot. Meanwhile, I am redesigning the straps to hold them in place. This entails ripping apart, stitching back together and adding a new strip of velcro. I want them to be easy to remove from the booth and since the buckles are difficult to find, I am hoping velcro will work at least temporarily.

Ah the artists life!

The never ending wild ride of creativity that God gives to us!

Sailfish, 18 x 24canvas, Acrylic

Day 42 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2018

Another Octopus

Things have really been hopping here in Fairhope!

I am teaching classes for the Eastern Shore Art Center this week.  Chris and I are also working on projects for the church.

I am so happy the children seem to be having fun with the many projects we've completed this week.

Another Octopus is going to a bathroom up in Northern Alabama for a family member.

 It is painted on a fascinating triangular canvas that Michaels sold. 

Sad to say, they are no longer available.

It was interesting to paint to say the least!

 Another Octopus,  Acrylic on specialty canvas, 12 x 24

Day 11 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2017

Way too many days!

"Just Beachy"

Way too many days to post individually. Things have been hopping around here with paintings, commissions, and turtle hatchlings. (more on the turtles later!)

Just beachy is an oil painting made from leftover paint for a client. I don't paint in oil often, because I find I get nasal issues afterward. I love the feel of oils though, may be I'll paint them outside!

"Can we talk?"

Our crabs here on the gulf coast are beautiful and tasty! I am sure they would love to discuss themselves becoming dinner, but I'm too hungry!

 This piece is a four piece painting taking 4 days to paint of course!

It is on 4~12 x 12 canvases.

"Wagon"

While not a painting, this design is for our new Gypsy wagon camper we are building for an extended road trip next year after Chris retires. We have long discussed building another camper and this one will be a beauty when finished. This is the color scheme Chris wants, although I think I would rather have all white trim rather than the wood. The bottom is corrugated metal, with plywood sides and battens added for interest. My hope is the front door will have dachshund cutouts. Our windows will be hand built, with plexiglass instead of glass. I have worked hard on the inside design as well, but it is still a work in progress. The designs took several days to create with several revisions. We have already purchased our tub for the shower, and I found a beautiful copper bowl for our sink in the bath! More on the camper later.

The Commissions cannot be shown because they are another artists work. They were in a state of disrepair and the owners called the original artist to work on them. The artist declined, telling them they don't do that anymore. I got the works and spent several days to scrape off the faltering paint and finish. Then began careful wire brushing and enamel paint finish. The owners were very happy with their finished pieces and now proudly hung them back in their boat house. 

All told, several days of work, with very little to sell at shows! Kinda Scary considering it is less than 50 days until the National Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

One of my collectors has now called as well. He wants another Buddha painted in a couple of weeks so he can donate it to a temple in Mobile.

On top of it all, I received a call from a mural design I did a month ago. We are a go on the mural now, starting either today or Tuesday next week! The moral of this story is, be careful what you pray for, you may be given a lot! Not complaining though, this is just what I wanted, a happy art filled life here at the Raccoon Retreat Studio in beautiful Fairhope, Alabama!  

EEEEEEEK! 

"Just beachy" 12 x 24, Oil on canvas

"Can we talk?" 24 x 24, Acrylic on 4 canvases

"Wagon" Colored pencil on Cardstock design for camper 

Red Snapper

Our fishing season for Red Snapper is limited at best. I have never caught one, but I hear it is fun to hook em! It's on my bucket list of things to do, go big game fishing one day.

On a different note, classes are going well at the Eastern Shore Art Center. This is my last week of teaching there. This week is  The wonders of watercolors!

This piece is actually two paintings, cut and woven back together.

Red Bird, 9 x 12

Red Snapper, Acrylic on canvas, 12 x 36

Day 21 of the 100 days~100 paintings

Vintage Beach X

I  know I wrote a couple of days ago that the vintage series was done. 

Well................. I did this study today for a larger one later. The original suit was probably much lighter in color.

While researching the other suits and their origins, I came across this little suit. Called the Moonlight Buoy, it was introduced about 1945 or 1946 by I believe the Duchess Royal company. This suit caused quite a stir in it's day! It was also featured in a LIFE magazine article, but I have yet to locate it for conformation. What was all the hullabaloo about? The advertisement touted that the lightweight suit could float by using the cork buckle to attach the top and bottom together. Why? 

So the swimmer could swim Au Natural !

In the Moonlight no less! 

You would have to swim in the moonlight to find it, and hope your suit did not float away with the tide. Interesting to say the least that our grandmothers might have worn something like this!

Ah history...................

Vintage Beach X, Acrylic on wood 8x10 

Day 15 of the 100 days~100 paintings

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.

Ready to eat!

     One of my bucket list things to do is go deep sea fishing. I want to catch and release whatever the deep sea brings. I also want to photograph the other people fishing as well as their "catches". I am a firm believer in eating what I catch or when I was younger managed to shoot when hunting. Otherwise I love the thought of releasing these beautiful big game fish. A few years back I was asked to paint a cover for the Mobile Big Game Fishing Book. I had a great time executing, painting and seeing the piece to it's completion and eventual sale. I would also love doing another cover as the one I did was so much fun to paint!
Ready to Eat is 20 x 20 Acrylic on canvas. Day 81 of the 100 Days~100 Paintings