This is all I've got tonight!

This is all I've got tonight!

It truly is.....

I taught my first night of my small group tonight called Scripts and Strokes.

We do paintings based on Scriptures.

I had another painting planned for tonight.

I cannot pre-sketch canvases because I never know how many will show up to the class.

The morning of the class, I text everyone and ask who's coming tonight?

The answers basically come in all day.

Yes, no, maybe.

Anyway, I had planned on another painting and God said no.

I want this tonight.

It is a painting I designed several years ago while on a cruise with ladies from the church.

So, I got started with the first one and realized that it was way too wordy.

I love the verse, but it was going to take at least 4 hours to transfer the design to canvases.

I redesigned the lettering to read: Standing Firm after the battle in God's armor.

Based on Ephesians 6:13

The transfer went much better but still took the better part of the day.

So, this is all I painted today.

I've realized I need new paint pens for people to use in the class.

I'll buy them this week for sure!

Tomorrow is another day.

But for now, I bid you goodnight as I have brushes to wash!

This is all I've got tonight! Acrylic on canvas, 11x14

Day 78 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025

 

Extensions

"Extensions"

Just when you think you can't do any more.

Life gives you an extension.

We can always stretch more than we think we can.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

I'm grateful for extra time to spend with family and Chris especially.

We had a lovely lunch with my sister in love who is also our dog watcher.

She stayed at the house to play with the puppies.

Chris drove me down to Gulf Shores to take the mesh walls to the Coastal Chamber.

I was happy to have the company.

The woman who greeted us recognized me as one of the poster winners 

which was a very pleasant surprise!

After we delivered the sides, he drove me to the imaging center for a 

mammogram appointment in Foley.

My insurance was not accepted at the last place I went to an appointment.

So, I had to wait another month.

My insurance is also not accepted at Thomas hospital.

I could walk to the appointment if it was at Thomas hospital.

So frustrating, dealing with insurance.

But at least the mammogram is done!

Don't forget to get yours if you haven't in October, as it's breast cancer awareness month.

This fellow was fun to paint!

That is, after I figured out the legs.

There is such movement in the painting.

The last time I painted one this way though, a woman insisted on hanging it vertically.

I said the signature will be odd, but okay!

Another painting down.

Another day closer to set up day down in Gulf Shores, Alabama

Just wait until you see tomorrow's painting!

I just can't decide if I want a 24 x 24 or a 6 x 24

Extensions, Acrylic on canvas, 6 x 24 inches

Day 77 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025

 

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

 

Stretching, painting, and Middle Bay Lighthouse

Day 75!

I am sorry to say this is it for today.

I stretched one 24 x 24 shadowbox and 10-6 x 24s.

The stretching took a while as I had to get out all the equipment.

Compressor, Staple gun, bucket of tools.

LOTS of staples too.

Razor, square, scissors, canvas cut to size.

Stretching took a couple of hours.

Then I put away all the tools.

By then it was lunch time.

Our son, Jere was taking us out on the pontoon boat at 1.

By the time we finished eating, Jere was here and loading up.

His girlfriend Jenna had never seen the Middle Bay lighthouse in person, so off we went.

It is so sad to see her in this condition.

It is one of the few remaining lighthouses entirely surrounded by water.

Unfortunately, since Captain Hal pierce passed away in 2020, Middle Bay 

seems to have lost its champion.

He coordinated efforts to repair and keep the lighthouse painted by using the Seabees, 

who gladly took on the job.

He made sure the lighthouse was beautiful in 1985 for its 100th anniversary.

The pilings are especially in bad shape.

Flailing, rust, and a barge hit have all taken their toll.

At one point, there was a movement to move it to the battleship grounds.

This would allow thousands of school children to tour it and learn about 

the 23 children that called it home at one time or another.

Unfortunately, it was voted down to move her.

It is now a glorified weather station and day beacon.

After looking all around the light we stopped off at the Blind Tiger restaurant on the pier.

It has such a great view, and the foods pretty good too!

While we were at the lighthouse there were several sailboats in a race.

They took a turn around the light then headed back to harbor.

They were probably out of dog river.

It is where Chris and I would come out after leaving Alba Club for a sail.

We would stop at the Mariner restaurant and eat before going home.

Great memories and wonderful seafood!

When we got home after going out on the boat, we fed the dogs.

They were a little late getting their evening meal.

That didn't stop them from wanting their afternoon ride!

After we came home from the ride, I made salads for dinner.

Cleaned up the kitchen, then did some quick shopping for items needed in my studio and at home.

Then, I watered plants and dachshunds.

The wirehaired dachshunds will not let us water the yard or plants without them having a lot of fun.

They will bite at the water and will tear into plants if you don't spray them.

This spraying is of course exactly what they want!

They resemble Lipizzan horses with their leaping antics.

They are fun to watch, but then they are soaking wet.

Fortunately for us, simply throwing a towel on the floor will start the rubbing to get dry.

These two are absolute comedians and make us laugh frequently.

After making sure they were getting dried off, I went into my studio.

I broke out the paint and painted all the canvas I stretched today white with acrylic.

The actual painting took less than an hour.

It allows me to grab and paint them without having to wait for the white to dry.

 

Pelicans on the derelict pier next to the launch.

Closer shot of the pelicans

                                        

Middle bay used as a turning point for a race, likely out of Dog River.

Stretching, painting, and Middle Bay Lighhouse, Acrylic on canvas, multiple sizes

Day 75 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025

Everywhere all at once!

Everywhere all at once!

Our lives are all in turmoil now in this world.

So many things happening that are so heavy on our minds.

I pray you are able to let God handle all of it.

I fell asleep last night, praying for so many friends, family members, children with horrendous diseases, accidents taking lives, shootings that defy explanation.

Then there was the anniversary of 9-11.

I prayed for firefighters, first responders, police, doctors, nurses, search and rescue dogs.

They are all needing to be laid at the feet of Jesus.

Then we need to rest.

I rarely watch the news anymore because it is all so heavy.

All so sensationalized and repeated again and again.

I simply ask Jesus to take care of it all.

I am fortunate to be able to create in my studio.

Tonight, I also have a live Phil Wickham concert on for the release of his new album.

I am painting, praying, and praising all while I am creating.

So grateful for the talent God has blessed me with!

Trixie, our mama dog is actually doing better on the new food.

She chowed down on an entire can of wet food, but she kept pushing it into the bowl bottom.

So, I took a spoon and scooped up the bits and morsels and she ate every last scrap.

It is wonderful to see her eating robustly again.

Chris also found a wonderful vintage boy scout uniform with the exception of the shirt.

We drove to pick it up on the front porch of the lady's house.

We were stared down by three police officers that were on a call next door.

I pray everything is okay in their neighborhood.

Interesting and disconcerting at the same time.

Everywhere all at once! Acrylic on Canvas, 16 x 16

Day 74 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025

 

Crabby indeed!

Crabby indeed!

Not me, the crab.

Blue crabs are such an iconic part of our Gulf Coast lives.

People see them when I paint them and if they're from up North they ask if they are Maryland blue crabs.

No, but they are very similar.

I don't know if they taste the same though.

I love a big plate of fried crab claws.

The broiled ones are pretty awesome as well.

I realized after posting this, I need to add the smaller legs on the underside.

That will be tomorrow for sure.

I got the call from the vet today.

Trixie doesn't have Addisons disease!

There are some other issues though that we are having to try and settle.

Her Cortisol and other numbers are high.

Possibly because of beginning kidney disease.

Such are the events surrounding a dachshund of 17.

So, no teeth cleaning for her at least for now.

With the vet's advice we are putting her on a kidney diet food.

Probiotics, and Ora chews for teeth.

Antibiotics 7-10 days per month.

She's already on Antibiotics for her wound that may have been an abscess.

I pray the Ora chews help her teeth get better.

She's still chewing quite well; they are just very dirty.

Which is confusing to me because I had her teeth cleaned within the past year.

She actually had to have one of her canines removed.

The one tooth missing causes her to sleep with her tongue poking out in the cutest way.

So far so good with her progress and hopefully health is coming back soon.

I finished booking shows for Spring of next year this morning.

I also called about camping in Melbourne, but we are still a month out from being able to make a reservation for next year.

I already have Little Talbot Island reserved and paid for almost a year in advance of the show.

Most shows have the ability to boondock in Artist parking, and we will do it if necessary.

Sometimes either the Campgrounds are ridiculously expensive, or so far away we don't even try them.

Boondocking is basically dry camping.

You use your water tank to flush the toilet, sink full of water to take a "bird bath" and brush your teeth.

All waste goes into either your graywater or blackwater tank.

You also have minimal lights.

Most artists have generators to run their campers.

We are fortunate to have invested in solar power and batteries.

This allows us to recharge phones, my square, and batteries for lights and fans.

We do it frequently when on the road.

Never underestimate large wipes used in hospitals for cleaning up.

But nothing compares to hook ups with hot running water for a shower.

Once, when coming home, we had both been cold for days.

I rented a campsite, we got hot showers, and we ran the fireplace for heat.

It was pure heaven on earth after days of being cold, wet, and shivering outside.

Such is the weather for outdoor shows.

We can never predict what will happen with weather.

We've expected warmth and got cold so bad the news centers were warning people to be aware of falling iguanas out of the trees!

We've expected warmth and had to go shopping at thrift stores hunting for clothing to wear in addition to what we had brought with us because the temperature dropped.

I've bought a bathing suit while on the road because it was warm enough to go swimming in January.

Chris only brought shorts one time, needed long pants.

I only brought one bra for a three-week trip and had to go to the store to buy two more!

We've brought cold weather gear, only to have to purchase short sleeves.

We look at the weather and pray we get it right.

Most of the time we do.

We cannot carry both warm and cool clothing as there is only so much room in the camper.

We do carry wet weather gear in the storage under the trailer.

We prepare, but as Proverbs 16:33 says "We throw the dice, but God determines where they land."

I'm just grateful to have a husband that doesn't mind tagging along on "adventures in show land".

That's enough for today.

Goodnight!

Crabby indeed! Acrylic on Shadowbox canvas, 12 x 24

Day 73 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025

 

Seahorses

Seahorses are some of my favorite animals to paint.

Such beautiful creatures with many different sizes and shapes.

I will always paint them because they are fun.

This one is also on one of my shadowboxes that Chris builds.

Today was a different kind of day with many things happening.

I had a veterinarian appointment for both puppies this morning.

The Vet texted me to bring Trixie back in because her bloodwork for next week's teeth cleaning came back with some bad numbers.

So, we took both puppies and Trixie off to the vet.

Puppies were perfectly fine, although we need to feed them a little more.

Dachshunds are funny, they will literally eat themselves to death given the chance.

So, we'll feed them a little more.

Trixie however....

Her blood and urine came back with high electrolytes and potassium.

My Vet explained it may be Addisons disease.

I had to leave her there for an hour for further testing.

When I went to pick her up, I cried as I paid the bill.

(memories of Tut with Cushing's disease)

I pray I didn't upset the girl at the desk.

I did receive a text from the Vet telling me she was sorry she didn't see me when I came to get Trixie.

I texted back don't worry at all.

I am not upset with either the clinic or the Vet.

They are such a caring group of people there, that truly love the animals they work with.

I should hear something tomorrow about the test results.

I just pray she's okay.

I also thank God for the income that allows me to pay for the Vet bills.

Chris worked hard on a new platform for the art and equipment in the van for shows.

It will be high enough for the tents, walls, pipes, sta-bars, chairs, curtains, weights, umbrella, fans, lights, cords for fans, and whatever else we can fit under there.

He made the platform from a sheet of plywood and drilled holes with his hole saw to lighten the weight.

He then routered the edges and rounded them off.

It is a great fit and still gives us 24 inches above for the bags with art in them.

His goal is to stop us from stacking the art flat, because they are getting dented while traveling.

I love that he enjoys woodworking and building.

He also reinstalled my compost barrel in the corner of the yard.

That helps with all the vegetable trash we create while trying to eat healthier.

The healthy eating is going well as we are both losing weight, and Chris's knees are less painful.

We also have more energy.

Speaking of eating healthier, we had spaghetti tonight made with Spaghetti squash.

Different, but yummy!

Chris is enjoying new things as well.

But he's still sneaking too much sugar into his daily intake.

I also took the time to enter shows for next (GULP) year!

People don't realize how much time and money are tied into entering and getting ready for shows.

It is a serious investment in time, talent, and money.

I entered the jury for Arts and Crafts Fairhope, Ballyhoo, Gulf Breeze, Melbourne, and Chain of parks.

The latest show is the last weekend in April.

We already have reservations for a state park the following week for 
Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival, the first weekend in May.

The jury for that one is really late, I don't think it comes out until after the first of the year.

We will still go camping even if I don't get into the show on Amelia Island.

We are also on pins and needles waiting to make reservations at Wickham Park for the Melbourne show.

We have to wait until 6 months before, because we are not Florida residents.

We used to be able to make reservations for the following year while we were there.

It really is a lovely campground to stay in.

I can get work done, and the laundry too!

I've got to repack the camper soon too.

I don't like to wait until the last minute for everything.

I make lists, then check things off as they are loaded into the trailer.

I also have new black curtains to cover the corners in the tent that need Velcro added to them.

That will be an afternoon of sewing.

So much to do, and only 28 days to do it!

I'll get it done for sure!

Seahorses, Acrylic on canvas, 16 x 16 inches

Day 72 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025