Send in the clowns!

Tonight, our small group met, and boy did we have fun!

We all painted the clown fish you see here.

They all looked pretty great too!

This was after a long day.

Not all of my day was in the studio, however.

The studio time in the morning was taken up by putting wires on all the paintings varnished yesterday.

I then sketched off nine paintings for tonight's class.

If you don't know, while I am working, I keep my phone on silent for the most part.

So, while I was drawing in the bathroom for tonight's class, 

my sister in love was trying desperately to get in touch with me.

Turns out, she got a call from the doctor's office about her test last night.

They wanted her to go to the emergency room immediately.

They saw a possible brain bleed.

When she couldn't get me, she called her sister in Mobile who called Chris.

All this while I was quietly transferring the drawings to canvas.

I came out to seven missed calls in the space of 20 minutes.

Chris picked her up and took her to the emergency room.

Then, Chris called me to tell me what was going on.

I was preparing to go to the ER when our son called and wanted lunch.

I went with him to lunch and picked up something for Chris to eat.

We exchanged food in the hallway, and Chris went home to eat and hang out with dogs.

I spent the next few hours trying to calm my sister in love and asking questions.

We pretty much were left alone and without a whole lot happening.

Once it was all said and done, the ER physician said he didn't see a brain bleed.

Neither did the Neurologist.

This is the second time this has happened but it's in a different area now.

I'm glad she's okay and at home resting.

That was my scare for the day!

Tonight's class was so much fun.

All of the ladies had really neat looking fish by the time we were done.

We also spent two hours that just flew by!

Psalm 104:25 "Here is the ocean, vast and wide, teeming with life of every kind, both large and small."

The clownfish is unique in that they can hang out with the anemone and not get stung.

Gods covering is like that, covering us with his presence and protection keeping us from harm.

Bring in the clowns, Acrylic on canvas, 11 x 14

Day 85 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025

Happy artists, happy art!

Well, this happened!

Well, this happened!

So many things happened this weekend.

I got several paintings set up to paint but never touched a brush!

My family had a boat when I was a teenager that my dad bought in Ohio.

He bought a trailer and a deep V hull boat for $25.00 in the fall of 1972.

We spent the winter scraping down the hull, repairing fiberglass as it had run aground.

Dad was able to repair the fiberglass, and we began on other parts of the boat.

When we lifted the bilgeboards, we found both a quarter and a penny.

So, her name was Quarter Penny.

Dad completely rebuilt the gunnels, dashboard, front deck and transom from Mahogany.

I remember parts and pieces of this boat all over the dining area of our base housing.

The varnish smell was overpowering for a while.

I even spent a weekend under the hull while it was up on sawhorses with my dad painting the inside

while the snow was falling on the hull.

He got the boat together, and frankly I don't remember it ever becoming

 water bound while we lived in Ohio.

I do vividly remember using the boat to carry all the camping equipment 

while traveling across country to California and our new base assignment in Riverside.

I spent my 13th birthday on the road camping in two tents.

One of which was a cottage tent that dad bought at an army surplus store.

We painted dog prints all over it, in an effort to close the holes in the canvas.

That thing was massive and heavy.

It was my responsibility to get it on the ground cloth, stake it, and get poles started on the sides.

I needed help with the ridge pole as the tent was probably 8 ft at the center.

My brothers and I stayed in the cottage tent. 

My parents had a separate small tent.

Anyway, we used the boat to carry all the equipment, stoves, lanterns, fuel, food, 

and toys for my brothers.

We even stayed at a Jellystone Park, I remember the beautiful blue of the

 Colorado river raging just outside our campsite.

The wind was so fierce that the guy lines to the poles of our tent hummed all night.

So, when got to California, we almost immediately started school.

This was 1973 and we lived in Sunnymead, just outside Riverside and near March AFB.

Within a short time, it was Halloween and my hand got shut in a door in the band room.

Nothing broken on me, just a split on the skin under my middle finger.

Needless to say, it made life interesting trying to play a flute.

I also was splitting wood for our fireplace the next month and 

caught the hatchet with my index finger on the same hand.

I was not happy with California.

But summer was coming!

The water project that stopped at a new man-made lake was finished in 1974.

Lake Perris was perfect to learn to water ski on because there was this 

wonderful area when you fell off, you could stand up.

I learned to ski on doubles but could never master the slalom ski.

I loved that summer!

Many happy hours spent on the lake and on Allesandro Island 

because we had a boat to get to the island.

My dad also got a 26 ft sailboat he called Quarter Penny two.

He drove that boat from California to Alabama.

Unfortunately, "my" boat had to be sold because dad couldn't haul two of them.

If I had known it was because mom didn't want to drive a boat across country, I would've begged to learn how to drive as I was 15 at the time.

So, I still miss the boat.

Chris has been looking for one for years.

He didn't really understand the deep V hull boat until I found a photo of one.

I don't have any idea what kind of boat Quarter Penny was, but the Larsen was pretty close.

Sunday found us driving to Destin Florida after church to look at a Larsen deep V hull boat.....

No painting that day because the trip to Destin and back was nearly 5 hours.

We looked at the boat that needed new stringers in the bottom, new bilge boards, 

and probably a transom.

The hull was exactly as I remembered, because my brothers could stand up in the boat and not fall out.

That's how deep this boat was in my childhood.

The gel coat was scraped in a couple of spots, but otherwise the paint was still shiny.

It had the original seats that would lay flat, so you cold sunbathe.

It was a little bigger than we were hoping for, and Chris was concerned about the wood rot.

He didn't know if he wanted to take on the project.

So, we came home without the boat.

He's still looking for a deep V hull boat.

I made him promise he'll take me to look when he finds one.

Today, I didn't paint either.

I cleaned in the studio, preparing for my daughter to come over as we were 

working on her Mardi Gras Queen outfit and train design.

We finally got on the same page with the design after much discussion.

She has something in her mind, and like me she sometimes 

cannot get what is in her head out onto paper.

We managed to design the under train that goes on the back of the dress.

All this without butting heads!

We also ordered Crinoline to stiffen everything.

It's going to be a spectacular project.

I drafted the pattern, then cut it out from scrap fabric to see if it was what she wanted.

We had much success and will get together Friday for another session.

After my daughter left, it was time to take dogs on their ride.

I then took my sister in love to a doctor appointment.

Came home, ate, and headed to the studio.

I reset the studio back to me after working with my daughter, 

folding all her stuff and placing it all in one spot.

I then rolled out my drop cloths and varnished 16 pieces that I erased this morning.

So here I am after a long day.

Not offering excuses for non-completed paintings.

Just letting you know a little about the world of an artist here in Fairhope, Alabama.

Well, this happened!, Varnishing day, multiple sizes

Days 83 & 84 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025

 

Dynamic Dolphins

Incredibly beautiful.

Incredibly smart.

Incredible parents.

A dolphin pod acts as a village, helping to raise the young.

Dolphin moms provide protection.

They also teach their babies to have strong survival skills.

Moms will guide their babies in swimming and breathing.

They also teach them social behaviors.

There are typically "aunties" who help with the rearing.

The moms also foster play and creativity.

There is a wonderful Disney program on right now that shows a lot about Dolphin rearing and behaviors.

It is called dolphin reef and is an incredible insight into the world of dolphins.

I really enjoyed watching it.

I also learned a lot about dolphins.

Anyway, these guys were fun to paint!

I really enjoy the movement and playfulness.

I was fortunate enough to photograph dolphins while on a dolphin cruise.

They were having such fun leaping and jumping through the wakes of the boats.

They also had the prettiest pink on their bellies.

This is because they were so happy in the sea and playing with the boat.

A very happy memory for me too!

Dynamic Dolphins, Acrylic on canvas, 6 x 24

Day 82 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025

 

Crustacean Celebration

I have yet to see a jubilee in person.

There are numerous photos and people that have seen one.

Jubilees happen in two places in the world.

Here in Mobile Bay and Tokyo, Japan.

Pretty cool huh!

We seem to have more here because of the shallowness of our bay.

Mobile bay is one of the largest in the United States.

It is 31 miles long 24-mile-wide estuary in Alabama.

Our bay is also known for the Battle of Mobile Bay during the civil war.

Several rivers feed into the bay, hence the name five rivers delta.

We are a major port for the United States.

We also were known for Naval Stores and tap and pitch production during the early part of our history.

I am having a bit of a jubilee here in the studio.

Large amounts of paintings that need to be varnished, wired, and packed for shows starting in about three weeks.

Crustaceans are defined by their exoskeleton, segmented bodies, jointed legs, and two antennae.

They must shed and regrow in a process called molting.

This is how we have soft shelled crabs.

As an invertebrate, they lack a backbone and a spinal column.

They belong to the Phylum of Arthropoda, this includes insects, arachnids (spiders), 

and myriapods (millipedes, and centipedes).

If you want to look a spider in the face, look at a crab!

Crustacean Celebration, acrylic on canvas, 6 x 24

Day 81 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025

 

Spotted visitor

Whale sharks are my new fun creature to paint!

This one is on a hand built long canvas that is 6 x24 inches.

The elongated canvas came about after I saw another artist with these really lovely abstract watercolor pieces that were elongated but matted to make them have more of a presentation.

I started out having Chris make them 4 x 24 but they were just too narrow to do anything with.

So, we started making them 6 x 24.

They are the perfect size for between windows or above doors.

People seem to love them, sometimes buying two for either side of a door or window.

I enjoy painting them too!

I was checking my pages on Facebook to see how things were.

I discovered much to my dismay that there was a fake event using my profile picture 

and a photo of my paintings for the Fairhope Arts and Crafts for next year!

There were several people using it to advertise "booths still available", 

contact me (which was various people)!

My name, paintings, and likeness being used for a scam!

I reported every single one of these people.

I also deleted the "event" invitation.

I'll probably contact the show too!

Or at least one of the members that puts it on for our fair city.

Another day, another painting, another scam, one day closer to the Annual National Shrimp Festival 

in beautiful Gulf Shores, Alabama.

I'm done for tonight!

Spotted visitor, Acrylic on canvas, 6 x 24

Day 80 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025

 

I'm seeing spots!

I'm seeing spots!

You can see why too!

These guys were incredibly hard to finish in one day.

My typical shadowbox canvas, but not my typical sea creature.

They are incredibly beautiful and gentle giants.

And yes, they are in the Gulf of Mexico!

I would love to see one in person for sure.

This photo is from NOAA Fisheries and shows the amazing tracks these wonderful creatures take.

While you may not see one near Mobile Bay, it is possible to see them in the Gulf of Mexico.

Now, for some fun facts.

They are not actually whales but the world's largest fish species.

They can reach up to 46 feet and they can weigh 12 tons!

Thats the size of a school bus folks!

They are filter feeders, scooping up plankton, krill, fish eggs, and small fish.

They have more than 3,000 teeth, but they are not to eat with.

They can grow to be very old possibly to 100 years in age.

The oldest documented whale shark is 75 years old.

They swim slowly but can still travel long distances during migration.

They give birth to live young after an estimated pregnancy of 12 to 18 months.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature considers them endangered.

They can live in captivity and there are four of them at the Georgia Aquarium.

They are also a member of the Orectolobiformes also called carpet sharks.

I'm done for today!

I'm seeing spots! Acrylic on shadowbox canvas, 24 x 24 inches

Day 79 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025

 

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