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