Our future babies

 Is it possible to see anything more precious than a boil of sea turtle babies? When I first started walking with Share the Beach, I had never seen a boil happen. They truly do look like they are boiling up out of the sand. Each baby frantically climbing over the next in a frantic effort to reach the sea and hopefully safety. 

Share the Beach was started a long time ago, over 20 years and counting! It was started when a local that loved the turtles noticed they were going toward the lights of the houses and businesses in Gulf Shores. So many babies lost in the dunes, unable to get to the sea because they were confused by the lights. So many babies run over by cars that did not see them in time. Tired of seeing the destruction of life a group of people started Share the Beach. 

Volunteers now patrol 47 miles of beach every morning from May 1st through the end of August. They look for nests or activity of turtles, possibly signifying a nest. If an area looks promising, they carefully dig the nest up, leaving it if it is above the high tide line. If not above the high tide line, the eggs are carefully moved one by one into a bucket, counted carefully, then reburied further up the beach. Then nest is then covered with a screen, and sand placed over the top. The screen helps prevent foxes, dogs, raccoons, coyotes, and sometimes humans from accessing the nest. There is a perimeter placed around the immediate area, then a larger perimeter is established. It is a federal offense to disturb a nest. All nests that are found are carefully monitored, then the waiting begins. Towards hatching time, you will see a large group of people waiting and listening for the boil. It really is a sight to see. The monitors make sure the babies don't turn toward lights away from the sea. I've even been part of a group holding beach towels up along the track to shade them. If they insist on going the wrong way, they are carefully put into a bucket taxi and gently put into the sea and on their way.

Why go to all this trouble?

Most sea turtle nests have an average of about 100-120 eggs. Only ONE of those babies may survive into adulthood and produce more. Adulthood is over 30 years old. Scavengers, birds, fish, and other sea creatures may attack them on their way to the sargassum grass beds where they grow until older. Each nest is important as well as each baby.

The Eastern seaboard is having a banner year this year, with many turtles coming in for nesting. This year, our own Orange Beach team has FOUR so far! An amazing testimony to the hard work of all involved on our beaches from Orange Beach to Fort Morgan and Dauphin island. Our future babies indeed!

Our future babies, Acrylic on canvas 6 x 24inches

Day 2 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2026

Stretching to the limits

Another day, another painting!

"Stretching to the limits"

Loggerhead turtles are such beautiful creatures.

Awkward on the earth, so graceful in the sea.

The turtle nesting season here is over.

The nests should be hatched by October.

We were at a Shrimp Festival one year in October and heard about a hatching going on.

Most of the time, they hatch at night, on a full moon so the babies can see the water and 

hopefully head in the right direction.

Sometimes the Shrimp Festival is so hot.

One year the heat index was 122 degrees.

It was hard to be chipper and fresh in that kind of heat.

Other times, it's been a bit on the chilly side.

The wind is definitely a factor as well.

Weights are a requirement weighing at least 40 pounds.

One for each leg.

That means we have to carry 8 weights to the show.

My van will be filled to the top with art and equipment.

Pretty soon, we'll start laying out the parts and pieces necessary to put on a show.

I will be making a list, because otherwise I will forget something.

It gets checked off only when it is loaded into the van.

If I don't make a list, I won't be able to sleep because I keep mulling it over in my mind.

It becomes a loop of doom, because I'm worried about forgetting something.

On the dachshund side, Trixie is eager to eat now.

The other dachshunds are jealous of the tasty food she is receiving.

We have to watch, because the puppies especially will steal her food.

She's a momma dog, so she will walk away if challenged for food.

Feeding her has been an issue for a while now.

I thought it was her teeth, but it may have been the beginnings of kidney disease.

Hopefully she's on the mend now.

Praying everyone has a better week this week.

Last week was so heavy and sad.

I'm looking forward to the new week that began today with church.

Chris and I then went to lunch, and I said I wanted to go to the thrift store.

I'm looking specifically for Fanka brand leggings because they offer compression.

Hopefully I'll find some one day.

Anyway, I did find a new pair of Yoga pants.

AND

The most amazing pair of Octopus leggings in black and white!

I also found a high-end White/Black brand vest in a lovely black color.

The octopus leggings look great with the vest.

Chris approved, so I bought them all.

My thrifting heart is so happy!

Stretching to the limits, Acrylic on canvas

Day 76 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

 

Traffic jam

Oh the joys and headaches of getting ready for shows!

There are days I feel like these turtles, both coming and going!

Don't get me wrong, I love what I do.

I also love meeting all of you!

I already know about all the shows for fall and even some of the spots I'll be at those shows.

National Shrimp Festival~Double booth on end just like the past couple of years.(Look for the flags!)

Mattie Kelly~End booth, typically toward food trucks

Peter Anderson~Near Government street Market on Government street. (Near Dr Buntyns old office)

Three Rivers Covington Booth 433 Near Black Flower in between Gibson and Lockwood

So nice to know ahead of time to let collectors find me again!

I'm very excited for all the fall shows.

I am preparing hard for excellent presentations at all of them.

I endeavor for each show to have new works not seen at other shows.

This is why I paint so many paintings during the summer.

That, and I was created by my Creator to create!

Oh the joys of creating.

I get excited knowing there are collectors looking for more pieces, and new collectors finding exactly what they want and need to beautify their space.

I'm also happy with the new works and the way they are progressing.

The booths will be filled with beautiful art, lovingly created with the Holy Spirits help.

Each new series I have started have been the result of prayer and listening.

I was a very colorful painter, but after hearing numerous people say; 

"I don't know if that color would go on my wall"

I literally was in the back of my booth beating my head against the tent.

I begged ,"God tell me what to do, am I painting the wrong thing?"

I distinctly heard, "You're not wrong, just go neutral."

Neutral

I took pride in my colorful pieces.

I tried the neutral "sepias" on new shadowbox framed canvases.

They were very well received and I sold all of them.

I then pushed to have an entire booth wall full of them and they were also well received.

I was still painting color though, albeit a bit toned down.

Within a couple of years it was time to step up again.

"Okay God, What's next?"

The neutral pieces were selling well, but I knew it was time for a new challenge.

I had a really good National Shrimp Festival and went to Michaels to purchase 4x4 canvas.

To my surprise, the Shadowbox canvas I had been watching all year were on clearance!

I bought all 22 they had in stock.

I painted them, took them to Peter Anderson.

I sold half of them in a weekend.

I was on to the new thing, but now Michaels was not carrying them any more.

"Okay God, help us figure this out"

A few months later, I was at a show and my husband quietly said, "I think I figured out how to build them." I said "Good! I figured out how to stretch them."

We have been team building them for years now.

Chris has redesigned the canvases, giving me a wonderful challenge to paint with the offsets he builds.

So, shadowboxes, then offset shadowboxes.

After that, people kept asking for bigger works.

"How God can I do this without carrying a large canvas?"

The bigger pieces had to be easy to carry.

I figured out multiple canvas was the answer.

It enables us to carry a 3ft x 5ft piece in a single bag.

It's made of one 12x36, 2 12x24s, and 2 12x12s.

I sold the first two I painted at the first show I took them to in Florida.

The multi canvas pieces were begun before the photographers started doing it.

I now do even larger ones that require 2 custom built canvases to make it, it measures 40"x80"

It is a 16x40, 2 16x30s, 2 16x20s.

We've had a few years of multi canvas works and I'm still painting them.

"Okay God, What next?"

I went to Hobby Lobby to get canvas and here were these beautiful round 

wood pieces for making signs.

I instantly saw paintings on them.

They were on sale, so I bought a few.

They ended up being a great seller, but this year Hobby Lobby discontinued them much to my sadness.

Fortunately, I had a few left and have been able to locate some different style rounds in wood.

Enter this year.....

"Okay God, what next?"

I had a vision of the rounds with dimensional pieces added to them.

I took two to a spring show and sold one.

The other one didn't sell, but we kept asking people what they thought about them.

They loved them and so here we are.

I can't wait to see what God sends next!

Can you?

Traffic jam, Acrylic on wood, Dimensional 24 inch

Day 43 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025

 

Freedom

Freedom

We are so lucky to have the freedom we have in our country.

Freedoms that are guaranteed by laws.

There are many countries that don't have free speech or free movement.

We are so fortunate.

Freedom includes the animals of the earth and the oceans.

They have the right to be able to be the creatures God intended.

This delicate balance God designed is rapidly becoming destroyed by the people that inhabit the earth.

Our urban sprawl, our voracious appetite for new things, fast fashion are all rapidly destroying

life as we know it.

Storms are becoming more intense and frequent.

Fires are raging.

Floods are happening more often.

Our planet is heating up, melting the glaciers and raising the seas.

I'm sure you're all aware of the problems were facing now, but what of our children and grandchildren?

What are we leaving them in our wakes?

We can all make the small steps necessary to help the world we live in.

We can recycle, we can reuse, we can repurpose much like our ancestors did in previous centuries.

Many things can find new life if we make the effort.

Teaching our children about the world they live in can make them more 

aware of the impacts they have from day to day.

My small steps are clothing I've had for years, recycled wood in my art, making several stops instead of small quick trips back and forth.

I gift things away, repurpose them frequently.

I also pray a lot for solutions to problems I have here in my studio.

Books that need new homes, paint not being used, art supplies that I'll never touch again.

Why do we hold on to the things.

They hold memories, memories of when we purchased them, or were given them, or pieces of family members that have passed.

Things we need freedom from.

I am discovering the freedom of lightening my load and the number of things my children will have to go through after I'm gone.

Freedom to be an artist, freedom to be a good human, freedom to go to church.

Freedom for the animals to live in a non-toxic environment, especially in the sea, where plastic is an incredibly bad presence.

Freedom, Acrylic on wood, 16 inches

Day 11 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025

 

Fantastic 4th!

The day began simply enough.

I knew in my heart of hearts I had to start cutting out the new series.

I had a Greek yogurt breakfast after Bible study and coffee.

The yogurt has plenty of protein, so I don't start out the day hungry becoming hangry!

The boys, Yoyo and grandson Archer took off on their bikes headed to the pier for a ride.

I began cutting in the peace and quiet.

Chris had gotten my scroll saw out and discovered the bed was a bit rusty.

He sanded and waxed it for me before going bike riding.

These pieces are a bit labor intense, but I am enjoying them immensely.

I am getting excited about seeing the wall of just them in the booth in the fall.

Fortunately for me, when Chris broke my other scroll saw the new one he got has a much longer throat and can handle larger pieces of wood.

It is also a Craftsman, a brand I am very familiar with.

My dad was a Sears guy and owned a lot of Craftsman tools.

Unfortunately, I need a new blade as the one I was using today has become dull.

Intricate cutting.

I jokingly told my husband that I was using a block of scrap to 

keep my fingers out of the "circle of death".

The scrap acts like a pusher and keeps the wood from jumping around too much.

He kinda giggled on that one.

I was serious!

I am very protective of my hands.

I worked on the sea turtle while waiting for fireworks on the bluff.

My son's sweet girlfriend took this photo just as the sun was going down.

Perfectly placed, it is a very lovely photo of the progress of the turtle.

Not to be outdone, Chris took a photo too of me while working.

I love this man of mine!

The almost finished piece.

I am pleased with the new works even though they are labor intensive.

My goal is to have 20-24 of the rounds at the National Shrimp Festival this fall.

The dinosaurs are coming along nicely, but I took the day off to do some art for me!

I cut out 6 of the new works today.

Helped fix a lovely steak dinner.

Also had some pool time.

Then we all scooted down to the bluff to watch fireworks.

It was while waiting for three hours that I painted until the sun went down.

We even got a video phone call from the Banerjees so they could watch the fireworks too!

Neel was VERY excited to see them.

Fantastic 4th indeed!

Silent swimmer, Acrylic on wood, 16 inches round

Day 4 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025

 

Here's looking at you kid!

Still trying to figure out the blog from my phone. I despise typing on a tiny screen and miss the computer at home. (That being said, I'm much better with a brush than a computer!)

I'm several paintings in now and finding a groove. 

And then, there's Goa!

Goa is a popular destination in India for the beach lovers. We are staying at an incredible resort with the ITC Hotel. Small villas with up to 8 rooms, each with lovely views. We arrived at the airport,and after a ride down a winding lush jungle road, the ITC appeared. 45 acres with its own private beach and really large swimming pools. We were presented with shell necklaces, and golf carted to our rooms. We spent the evening playing in the pool with the grandchildren then enjoyed dinner and an early night. 

I seem to have developed the stomach bug that is going around. Not from the hotel at all, but possibly too much Indian food, a grandchild, or the husband who was ill previously.I'm okay, just annoyed I cannot be far from the room. Taking homeopathic medicine and I do seem to be getting somewhat better now. 

Anyway, today's post!

I'm also annoyed I can't share to my Brush strokes and Brilliance page on Facebook. 

Day two officially from Goa, India.

Here's looking at you! Acrylic on canvas 12*24 inches

Day 2 of the 100 days-100 paintings 2024