Wild ride today!

 

These days are running by so fast now!

I am just hanging on for the wild ride to the end of the 100 days by the

 beginning of the National Shrimp Festival next week.

I am very excited to be able to paint these miniatures framed by the 

drawers from vintage sewing machines.

The first set of 28 was because of a neighbor who wanted my husband Chris 

to take her machine base and make a table.

I asked her what she wanted to do with the drawers, and she just said get rid of them.

I didn't want to just throw them away.

Chris figured out how to cut them in thirds and they make perfect little shadowboxes.

The backings are thin wood panel from a recycled skateboard ramp.

Our son uses the machines to make steampunk lamps as well. 

They are recycled, fun to paint, and affordable too!

I also must apologize because the photos are not edited.

My phone is acting the fool these days, and my husband dropping it a few minutes ago doesn't help.

Anyway, tonight is 10 paintings total.

Not all painted in one day, but I can paint several in a day!

I love painting miniatures.

Enjoy the menagerie!

Here's looking at you!

Sandpipers central!

Octopus escaping!

Pelican Piling.

You can see my messy easel and some collected art too.

Seahorse with coral.

Notice this one has the lock mechanism still in the drawer.

They just are lovely to look at, and so fun to paint!

Wild Ride today! Acrylic on recycled wood, each about 5 x 15 inches

Days 70-79 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2023

 

Sandpiper

Today was rather "busy" in a myriad of ways.

I did laundry, painted canvases, went with Chris on a journey looking for a shop vacuum, ate lunch, then painted today's piece.

I then got in the pool with my sister in law for a long luxurious time

 of chatting, floating, and remembering.

My sister lives here now and we both love it so much!

We have had many discussions about Christ and being Christian.

She has enjoyed them too, deciding to be baptized again!

This has made me beyond joyous.

Chris and I then rode the dogs, don't ask it's every day!

Ate dinner of leftovers.

I then went to my studio, and Chris to his lathe.

We both got a lot done, and now I blog and call it a day!

Whew!

Sandpiper, Acrylic on hardibord, 10 x 10 inches

Day 22 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2020

Sandpiper, sandpiper

Today's painting is a beautiful blend of techniques.

This Ruddy turnstone was amazingly fun.

The poured backgrounds have been terrific this summer into fall and this one is no exception.

I really enjoy working until I can find the right animal to go on each piece.

I photographed this guy while on Coya Costa. (remember the ibis?)

This bird was almost aggressive in his begging techniques.

We were eating lunch when he landed right next to us.

We tossed him bits of bread and it came closer to us.

If I had been able, I could have touched him.

He was so close, I had to lean way back to photograph him multiple times.

So fun to paint too!

Sandpiper, sandpiper, Acrylic on Poured background canvas, 12 x 12

Day 98 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2019 

Are you a sandpiper?

Are you a Sandpiper?

Am I a Sandpiper?

Today was my last day for this year to walk the beautiful beach looking for a sea turtle nest.

You think about lots of things while walking a mile in the darkness just before dawn.

I was alone with my thoughts today as Chris was having a tooth pulled later this morning.

My thoughts wander a lot while walking.

This morning though I felt as if God was speaking to me about the beauty 

he provides in this world we live in and he created.

This morning it was sandpipers, seagulls, and Blue herons providing the background for my thoughts.

I was on the first leg of my one mile walk, and I had my sights focused on the sand above the wrack line, looking for sea turtle tracks. 

However, the sandpiper was just ahead of me, in my peripheral vision.

I glanced off and on at the little bird ahead of me, rushing with the edge of the water.

He occasionally poked his beak down, searching for the mussels that could become breakfast.

He passed up lots of little fish that were getting washed up along the shore.

In the meantime though he kept a wary eye on me, looking furtively back every few seconds.

His feet moving so fast, he rushed on ahead still looking back frequently.

He dipped his beak searching for a meal and I got too close for his comfort. 

The bird decided to change tactics and ran into the water toward me, 

then cutting past in a brown and white blur.

His feet were moving so fast, I could not even see them.

I snickered to myself, that he was so worried I was going to hurt, eat,

 or possibly kill him while he was rushing along.

That's when God spoke to me.

His human creation (us) are the sandpipers.

Stick with me here.

We rush along, searching for the next big thing.

We miss the little things he places in our lives every day.

Searching for the next big thing. 

We are constantly running along, instead of taking advantage of the  obvious.

Meanwhile, we are running, looking back to make sure that something doesn't catch us.

We run first in one direction, then the other trying to escape.

Sometimes we miss the big waves, or the tangled fishing line that the devil throws in our way.

We are constantly running, scared to death that life is going to catch us and throw us for a loop.

We are looking back at our past lives instead of focusing on the here and now.

We also forget about our future life, what we were created for.

But what if God is the one chasing us?

What if he is working so hard to catch you, but you won't stop.

We all think we can fix our lives, our past, our present, our future.

Be still and listen for him, he will talk to you.

His son Jesus (your brother!) is right next to you, pleading for you to just stop and give God the time of day.

We were all created for a purpose, to love and serve God in whatever capacity he chooses to give us.

Give him the time out of your day.

To Pray.

To Walk with him.

To listen.

To learn.

Are you a sandpiper?

I'm pray I am not!

I constantly listen for him to speak to me.

Are you a sandpiper? Acrylic on poured background, 4x12 inches

Day 59 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2019

Crabs and a Willet!

 "Blue Man, Blue"

This painting is a departure from my normal sepia toned 12 x 12 canvases. I get requests from collectors for specific spots in their homes. Sometimes large, sometimes small, the special requests are always a treat to complete! 

Did you know you can tell a male crab from a female by their claws? Boys are blue, Girls are red. More specifically, they are mentioned to have "painted" their claws much like a woman would paint her nails. I found this out while researching blue crabs, same information located on several websites of a scientific nature. I have not tested this theory out on my own, but have asked several folks to check and get back with me! 

Nobody ever has contacted me about it.

 I am still curious, is it true?

"Blue Man, Blue" 12 x 12 Acrylic on canvas, Painting 5 of the 100 Days

"It takes Two to Tango"

This painting came about as we were walking for turtles a few weeks back. Another day on the beautiful, crowded, Orange Beach. We also had one of our Pastors from church with us because he wanted to walk the beach at dawn. It was a gorgeous morning, we walk before the sun rises completely so we can beat the tourists trampling possible nesting sites. This particular morning, we did not find a nest, we did find thousands of shells and shell pieces. 

We also came across these two in their dance of possible death. Ghost crabs are a favorite of mine to watch with their frantic running about, trying to avoid being stepped on by the giants walking in their midst. They range in size from an inch to much larger, maybe 5 inches across with their legs. This little guy was wary of the bird watching him, and we stopped to watch this dance unfolding before us. They traded quick moves, each one sizing up the other. They moved quickly up toward the wrack line, then onto the sandy beach. There are dozens of holes that belong to these little creatures, and if you are quiet you may actually see one cleaning his home. They are also territorial, defending themselves from the other locals. These two however , were nowhere near this little guys hole! He kept trying to get back to his spot of beach to no avail. The Willet kept pushing him further and further from his home, with the crab frantically going from moving in a defensive posture, to just plan giving it his all. The bird made a few attempts to stab this little guy, but he always danced out of the way. Finally, the crab got far enough away that when the bird glanced in another direction he shot down a convenient escape hole.

I am certain that another battle ensued underneath the sand, after he popped into another crab's domain. I guess the crab choose the lesser of two evils, one above, the other below. We did not see him resurface, so we can only assume that he finally got away when the Willet vacated the beach head he had established.

"It takes Two to Tango" 15 x 30 Acrylic on canvas, Painting 6 of the 100 Days

High Stepper

          "High Stepper" is one of several shorebirds paintings I have created over the months and years. This one is in Oil on Canvas and is 12 x 24. I love to paint both water and birds that live on the coast!
Painting in Oil and a painting a day presents many challenges, not the least of which is where to place your hand while painting details wet into wet!
"High Stepper" Oil on Canvas 12 x 24 Day 47 of the 100 Days ~100 Paintings.

Just Sitting by the Bay

         This little painting was also a joy to create in watercolor. I enjoy it very much when students ask me to demonstrate small pieces like these to show techniques they can use. Using the same "tricks" as Go Away! this painting uses washes, glazes, spattering, layering. Miniatures are always fun to paint, although the brushes can be a bit small to handle!
 
         Just Sitting by the Bay, watercolor, 3 x 5 inches

Weeks Worth of Paintings!

     Needless to say, this week has been a busy one! I am still painting in the studio with a passion to create strong within me! The problem is getting to the blog and posting! Anyway, I am now teaching three, and possibly four days a week now in various venues. I am having a great time, with my favorite being the  Painting a day class at the Eastern Shore Art Center. I am surprised that the class has actually grown from 6 to 9 students! I am so honored that though they are struggling to keep up with my frantic pace, the women joining me in this class are having a good time. All are saying this is what I need, to quit fiddling around!
"Sepia Pelican" 12 x 12 acrylic on canvas day 74 of the 100 days

     This painting was started in the paintinga day class and finished that afternoon in my studio. I will be happy to see what my students came up with during their "homework"
"Beach Pathway" 24 x 30 (the students painted a 16 x 20) Acrylic on canvas. Day 75

     Heron my Heron is another one of  the paintings based on photographs taken while on vacation in Perdido key, Fl. This guy is definitely the king of the pilings at the pier!
"Heron my Heron" 12 x 24 Acrylic on Canvas Day 76 of the 100 days

     This little guy is from Coya Costa and is one of my most popular sepias as well!
"Sepia Ruddy" 12 x 12 acrylic on canvas Day 77 of the 100 days

     The Big Beautiful Blue is just that, a Blue Heron. These birds are so interesting to paint!
"Big Beautiful Blue" 12 x 12 Acrylic on canvas day 78 of the 100 days

     This blue crab is one of many to leave my easel over the past few weeks and months. I am so grateful that people are still purchasing my works, while allowing me to call myself a professional artist!
"She Crab" 13 x 20 deep edge custom canvas, acrylic day 79 of the 100 days

     Last but not least, a miniature! This nautilus is more green in the background than it looks!
"Nautilus" 4 x 4 deep edge, acrylic on canvas day 80 of the 100 days

Ruddy! and Piper!

 

 

Ruddy! Is the little bird that came to our beach at Cayo Costa last year. This is a much smaller version of the larger painting completed several days ago. It also has less sand and background. I try to have a variety of pieces and prices to offer at the shows, so my work is more affordable. I have collectors that range from waitresses and car mechanics to doctors and lawyers. I love to keep my work at a price point that allows me to create and still make a living doing this really fun thing called ART!

 

Ruddy! Acrylic on canvas 5 x 7~available at Southern Art & Framing in Mobile, Alabama

 

 

Piper! Is another of my smaller affordable pieces available for sale at Southern Art & Framing in Mobile, Alabama. I am so incredibly happy to be able to do something I love to do for a living! God has been very kind to me and I try to give back to the church whenever I can. This past week found me making no less than 4 almost life sized Football players and Cheerleaders for our kickoff for small groups on Sunday. I have become a rapid enough painter now that I can do large scale projects for others and still have time for my works for sale. I will also be teaching paintings based on scriptures starting next week on Monday. I am really looking forward to the class and seeing who shows up!

 

Piper! Acrylic on canvas 5 x 7~Day 67 of the 100 days

Shorebird

     I have a favorite painting that I did years ago when I first began that featured 6 sandpipers and beautiful pale water. I carted this painting around for the better part of three years before the right buyer came along. The story goes like this...................

     Most painters paint in uneven numbers, 1, 3, 5, etc. For some reason, I wanted to have 6 birds in this particular painting. It has 5 birds going in one direction and one towards the others. I love the painting and it is still one of my best selling prints, called "Sand, Surf, & Sandpipers" From the beginning, my husband wanted me to paint out one of the birds, and kept telling me on a regular basis that was why the painting did not sell. Featured at the National Shrimp Festival, the painting caught the eye of a woman that was married to a much older man. She loved the story about the painting, looked at me and said I want you to tell your husband something for me. I am going to buy this painting and the reason is my husband tells me stories about his children chasing the sandpipers along the beach. The main attraction to me is the 6 sandpipers. Why you ask? My husband has 6 children and it will mean the world to him! She not only bought that one, but another as well . So stick to your guns artists! Don't always follow the rules and stay in the box!

     Back to this little guy! Painted much larger than life, this bird is so much fun to paint! I am so excited to bring a painting a day to the Eastern Shore and will be teaching the discipline this fall at the Eastern Shore Art Center. I am really looking forward to it! Painted with a limited palette, color decisions are easier and quicker to make. The limited palette makes your paintings more cohesive as well, because they are simple to make similar if you are making a series such as these birds. The limited palette is also non~fugitive, meaning your paintings will never change!

Shorebird~12 x 24~Acrylic on canvas

The Beggar

     Last year, we took a trip for photos and references to the coast of Florida and the Keys. If you are not new to this blog, you may have seen this fellow before in one of my sepia paintings. Not in this pose of course but another. My husband is not real sure about this one, I guess because of the arresting stare down this bird possessed.

     This little fellow was quite the beggar and called Coya Costa home. Coya Costa is off the coast of Florida and you get to it from the Sandia Island area. It is a State park and is quite spectacular in it's beauty and pristine habitats for animals. You must go by boat to the island and stay the day. There are facilities there, but you must bring your own stuff to the beach area as it is far from the dock. I hope to stay there some day, there are primitive cabins and animals are allowed. I think it would be delightful to be cut off from the world for a few days, just to bask in the sun and admire the handiworks of our creator. Back to this little fellow.................

     We had been at the beach for some time with our fellow shell collectors and had settled down for a lunch that consisted of sandwiches and chips. There were several of these little birds wandering about, but this guy seemed to have overcome his fear of humans in order to get tasty morsels thrown from our sandwiches. Closer and closer he came, shooing off his flock mates, biting and running them in all directions. This little intimidator had done this before obviously! He came just close enough to get the tasty bits and run and fast as his little legs could carry him. The other birds would frantically run after him, hoping to get him to drop whatever he had managed to get. They would then squabble over what was dropped and somebody was always the victor. Eventually this guy realized that I wanted him closer and the others would have none of that game so they went off to better pickings. I slowly moved, and got the camera out, throwing bits of bread in his direction. At first, either the sound of the camera clicking or the movement of my finger on the shutter startled him. We finally found a mutual area to photograph and thus you see the shot here.  This was after he had eaten the bit of bread I had tossed and I guess was demanding more. The look was arresting to say the least!

       I really enjoyed the color on this painting and have plans to complete more poses of this bird.  I hope you like the painting as much as I loved creating it!

The Beggar~ Acrylic~12 x 12 Deep edge canvas

Terns Turn!

I am always surprised by the behavior of these funny little birds. Sandpipers find their way into several of my paintings, together and seperately. This guy was the brave little fellow that came within inches of my sandwich while begging. He never even hesitated picking up the small pieces of bread tossed to his eager beak. The only time he would move was if I moved too suddenly while trying to photograph him in such close quarters. I really enjoyed his visit! This painting is number 81-It hardly seems I have started at all!

Terns Turn! 10 x 10 Acrylic on canvas

Long legs = Fast bird!

Have you ever noticed how the shore birds always seem to run away from you on the beach? This guy was no exception on Costa Coya. While a little less wary than our birds in Gulf Shores, Alabama he still kept a close eye on me as I walked the beach. They are lovely birds to look at with beautiful vermiculation on their heads. They also fly quickly when threatened, but not very far because they might miss the next mussel in the waves! This painting is for Thursday and marks number 80 in the 100 days!

This weekend he will be at the Jubilee Festival in Daphne, Alabama Come and see 10-5 Saturday and Sunday September 24th &25th 2011

Long Legs = Fast Bird! 10 x 10 Acrylic on canvas

Coya Costa Shorebird

This little guy was rather funny to watch. He snuck up, hoping to cage chips and bits of bread from our lunch. He calls Coya Costa home.

Coya Costa is a state park off the coast of Sandia Island, Florida. It is only accessible by boat and is well worth the trip. Chris and I had several lovely hours basking in the abundant Florida sun, walking the beach, and photographing the many types of birds that reside there. There are cabins on the Island with primitive ammenties and they all were full. I wonder if Chris would be game to go there and stay with our dogs for a while?

This bird was very happy to stay just out of reach, but close enough for me to get really beautiful photos extremely close up. I loved it and the island and I hope to go back for an extended stay.

Coya Costa Shorebird 10 x 10 acrylic on canvas

Looking for a meal

This guy was our subject in the USA Oil class. We learned water sand, reflections and of course the bird! The students all seem to understand the concept of painting all of the above and realize that most of them just need time behind a brush. I keep telling them that is the best gift you can give yourself, time.
That most of all is what I am getting out of this adventure. Time behind the brush. The paintings are coming even more rapidly now, almost like they are painting themselves. The downloading is a snap and cropping comes with great ease. I am really happy that I started this adventure!
When someone asks me how do you know what to paint? It is so easy! The paintings in my mind are now coming to pass, I only hope I have enough room to dry them all!. This show season will be so colorful, vibrant, playful and fun!

Skittering in the Surf

Skitter~of small animals or children, to scurry,
(fr. older Skit, to jump or dart around, of Scand. origin)

These amazing birds are Sandpipers that are quite common on the beaches locally. We also saw them down in the Florida Keys in January of this year. They run along the edges of the surf, hoping for tender little morsels that their long beaks pluck from the sand and surf.
Anyone who has followed these little birds on the beach knows the meaning of the word Skitter. They always seem to run ahead or above and around any person walking on the beach. They run with rapid little legs, casting quick glances behind them as though you were a lion about ready to pounce.
I love to paint these birds and have several in the plans file for the future. We will put one in a painting for the USA class tomorrow.
This painting is 11 x 14 Oil on canvas.