no time...

i am so sorry i haven't been able to paint or post in the last couple days - lots of life getting in the way - willie came down with the "heiny" flu (as my hubby calls it) sunday morning - so we're all battling not to get it! - i think lucy may have succombed - she's possibly just jealous of the stay-at-home mode -met the new grandson of a good friend at a little gathering last night - had a pedicure - and i'm working to get my images to the left bank gallery - don't know how many she'll want - waiting to hear on that...also getting organized for the upcoming workshop with janet - can't wait for that! - packing for our trip - need to be all ready since i'm playing in a tennis match on friday - i shouldn't be taking the time but i feel bad for missing the last two matches because of this stomach thing...now thinking it could be an ulcer - yikes!! - anyway - i'm hoping to be able to post while i'm down there but you never know - for sure i'll be golfing and painting a lot!!! not to mention relaxing!!!...a lot!!!

a few more....

6x6 oil on canvas panel
here's another fiery sunset over the marsh - it's amazing how many different paintings you could garner from just one scene - all you have to do is stand in the same spot - every evening - and the sky and sun would work their magic...and you have another gorgeous sunset! -

6x6 oil on canvas panel

i call this "patrick's sunrise" because it's from a photograph by patrick anderson. he does wonderful coastal shots and i've worked from his images before. i'll have to say - i'm not sure it's possible to capture the exact moment in a painting like he did in this shot - so elusive...so i don't try to replicate what he's done..just use it as reference.

life.....

so here's the deal...i did a little work in my studio today but at the moment there are 4 children in the library pounding on the grand piano and the miniature grand piano..i'm not sure who's on which...but they love to pound away! - every now and then you'll hear an actual "twinkle twinkle little star" come forth...but mostly it's just letting loose. we can do this, you see, because papper's working in the ER tonight - we had a "bath" in the hot tub earlier..and willie, tillie, lucy and oliver all swam" nakies"..no, i take that back..for some reason lucy had her suit on...and we talked a lot about baby joey - the only one missing - he really loves that hot tub! tomorrow morning we'll do our usual...go out for a breakfast feast at Sadie's...a full family fun event - sometimes we hang spoons...sometimes we flip little pieces of napkin off our forks - all great fun and lots of noise and the proprietors seem to love it!! and now - willie's dragging me off my chair to go play another game of rummykub so i must run - ain't life "grand"???????

"another sky over the marsh"

6x6 oil on canvas panel
i'm going to have to figure out a better way to name these paintings. so many of them are marsh and sky and i'm not being very creative in naming them. this is from the same photo reference as the one i did a few days ago - this time i made it more of a sky painting. i still have more possibilities with that wonderful photo - i'm also not sure i have my camera set correctly - i'll have to double check with my buddies downtown to make sure i'm getting the most out of the digitals i'm taking! -i'm planning a couple more beach babies and then i have to finish a waercolor commission before i leave. stay tuned....

"Float My Boats"

6x6 oil on canvas panel
this is my work for today - as i mentioned - we were gone a good deal of the afternoon, finding out that i am, in fact, a crock. but i had some time when we got home and the studio is so good for my psyche. painting heals my soul somehow.....and another thing i've learned..or i knew but i'm reminded - it's good to view your work either in a mirror, upside down, or in this case, take a photograph. as i was working on this, i didn't notice the little black triangle at the upper right ..but there it is! - and that's where the viewer's eye will go until l tone it down a bit - somehow, it's so very dark and the fact that there aren't really any other true triangle shapes in the painting makes it all the worse. so tomorrow i will fix that but i kind of like this little guy!

"Another Marsh Sunset"

6x6 oil on canvas panel
this is the painting i worked on yesterday but by the time i finished it was too dark outside to take a photo and post it last night. i have a fabulous photo reference that i can crop in all sorts of ways to create different paintings of the marsh...the marsh i so dearly love and that i have missed tremendously for the past almost 6 months!! most likely i will do another couple of these to take with me to georgia. i had my last series of tests today - proving there is absolutely nothing wrong with me - in fact, my husband says i have the healthiest gall baldder in columbus! and everything else proved to be negative so again i have a new lease on life - if only this tummy ache would go away....and maybe now it will do just that!

ah well.....

ok - so life got in the way today. i wasn't able to get to my studio until just before dinner and since my hubby's working tonight - i may be able to get back there...but i still wanted to share this news: ...my little painting that was accepted into the national AIS show.."big sky over the marsh" ...well guess what? - it's already SOLD!!!!! - and the opening isn't until friday night! needless to say i'm over the moon and inspired to keep at it!! every minute counts until i have to leave for the island and it's kind of exciting! lyb

"Marsh Sunset"

6x6 oil on canvas panel
actually i really like this little painting! - it was a lot of fun to do and the camera doesn't do it justice, i'm afraid. we golfed yesterday - in the howling wind - and i know it didn't get over 60 - we're trying to take advantage of every last minute of golfable weather before old indiana winter sets in! - we can go for months without playing and that's no fun! - really looking forward to georgia - should have delightful weather and so much fun.

"Big Guy Little Guy"

6x8 oil on canvas panel
i haven't been able to post for the past few days but i have been doing a little painting. this is from yesterday or the day before. actually it's from a photo of my son-in-law greg and my grandson joe on the beach on st. simons. working on a few things for the Left Bank Art Gallery on the island...don't know how many they'll take but i like to have several for them to choose from. they have a "little picture show" every fall and these small paintings i've been doing will be perfect for it.

"Another Babe on the Beach"

6x6 oil on canvas panel
so we're heading to georgia in 2 weeks and i haven't really been doing any painting for my galleries down there. i thought i'd better get started! - i feel so much better today - possibly because all my tests were negative and i could just be a hypochondriac...but i digress...this little one is from a photo i took this spring - or maybe last fall - can't really remember. it's painted a little differently than my usual fare - i'm experimenting with using more medium and thus the paint is a bit thinner - except in spots, obviously. if anyone has any comments about the difference and which is preferable to the viewer - i'd love to hear from you. meanwhile my hubby just got home from his third stint in the ER in as many days and i must attend to him - happily, i might add!

work in progress...

i haven't been able to post for the past couple days - something's wrong with my tummy. my hubby had me come in to the ER today for a battery of tests but nothing showed up - we'll see about tomorrow - anyway - i've been working on this painting for a while -little bit at a time -i'm sort of sneaking up on it which is very unusual for me - usually i go at a painting full tilt and it's done alla prima or in one session. but this has more detail than usual and that's yet to come. since i'm posting this now and then i'll post the finished piece whenever i finish it...it may be a bit disjointed. i think i may take some pictures of a painting in progress - and think of it ahead of time so i'll actually DO it..so the various stages of the painting can be seen. now that's a tall order for me - to get that organized..but we'll see....

"Eli's Alex"

11x14 oil on stretched canvas
so here's my offering for today. this is alex, a wheaten terrier. i'm not sure alex is around any more but this painting is a wedding gift for JE's daughter and her husband-to-be, eli. katie wanted a painting of eli's childhood pup and sent me some pics. we actually had a dog, cubby - a mutt we thought was a poodle-sheepdog mix but i'm thinking she might have had some wheaten in her. cubby was the best dog - (other than nellie of course) - and we loved her til the day she died - i hope this gift brings fond memories for eli -katie was so thoughtful in planning this surprise for him! lyb

"Big Sky Over the Marsh"

6x6 oil on canvas panel
so finally i found it - this is the painting that was accepted into the AIS juried show in denver! -(especially for you, lillian!) - i'm so mad at myself that i didn't take a photo of it framed - too late now but it's framed in a thick 2" gold frame - really cool! - they don't accept works with a frame showing - just the image! - anyway - didn't get to the studio today - i've been watching the president's cup and doing paperwork. i'll get back there tomorrow!

"Im Thinkin I like This One...."

6x6 oil on canvas panel
so here's a better big o! - as i said, for some reason this kid's personality is so elusive to capture - but i'm thinking i really like this one a lot! he's usually laughing his head off so this is pretty typical - i can't wait to document him from birth til who knows when -just like the rest of my grands - i am such a lucky girl!!!

i give up!@!!!

my friend lillian asked if i would post the AIS painting...i've spent the last 2 hours (or so it seems...) trying to save my photo of the painting so i could send it to my photo processing program and present it nicely...i 've saved it at least 6 or 7 times but for the life of me i can't find it anywhere! if anyone wants to see the actual painting...go back in the archives to may 19th...it's the 6x6 pallette knife painting i posted on that day. it's called "big sky over the marsh" and i sent it off today - what a lot of paperwork, etc. involved!! but a thrill nevertheless!! - i did another painting of ollie today but it got too dark so i'll post it tomorrow! hope the rain ends soon!!!

"Another Stab at Ollie"

6x6 oil on canvas panel
so here's another attempt to paint oliver - he'll be 4 next month and for some reason i still haven't captured him properly. i'm not unhappy with the painting...i'm unhappy that i haven't quite captured his "look"...he has this unbelieveable impish glint in his eye - he's the little guy who beat his papper by 27 strokes in wii golf this week - and papper is a GOOD golfer!!!..i may tweak this a bit tomorrow and post it again - we had so much rain today - flood warnings abound - and the thursday afternoon paintout was cancelled - hard to get in the mood. i have to pack up my AIS (american impressionist society) painting tomorrow and get it off to denver. i talked with the president today and she reminded me how proud i should be to have gotten in. never having applied to a national show before, i didn't know what to expect. i only wish i could be there - maybe next year...if i am accepted...lyb

"Shomler's Serenade"

16x20 giclee on canvas
i had no time to paint today! - thus the blast from the past. this is a painting i did from a photo by a wonderful photographer named shomler - thus the name of the piece. i found this image on the net and got permission to paint it. today life got in the way. i went to a funeral, had to clean my house...(it's a dirty job but somebody has to do it)...(wasn't that from a movie?)...and had an hour and 20 minute derm appointment. i got poked, prodded, frozen, biopsied, injected with cortisone...and i was thrilled!! if you ever discover a basal cell carcinoma - like i did several years ago - you just feel better after these appointments. tomorrow we're gathering here to paint so i for sure will have something to show for myself...these days just happen now and then and that's ok....i'm learning to be gentle with myself! lyb

"Max"

6x6 oil on canvas panel
so this is max -(i was right about finn...) the oldest of the fair-haired little boys! - they are something, aren't they? there's something about painting children that is so magical - they don't have the worry or sun or age lines we older folks do and the're just enjoying everything so much! - takes me back, for sure!~ i have to paint ollie again before i do anything else - and i have some portrait commissions i'll be working on in the near future. what fun that'll be!!... also i went back to tennis practice today - closing day of golf was rained out so we had our final luncheon golf luncheon after tennis - time sure flies when you're having fun! life is good and i am so blessed to have so much fun stuff to do!!!

"So I Think This is Finn"

6x6 oil on canvas panel
as i said...i think this is finn -= however it might be max -i'm so chagrined to say i don't know which is which - but i'm going to paint the last one tomorrow or maybe the next day so i'll have them all on here whatever!!! didn't i tell you they were gorgeous??? and they all have this amazing white hair and these amazing blue eyes!....to die for...anyway - we took nels out to the golf course for her 8th birthday...sort of a tradition...she chased squirrels and went swimming and we tried to play nine holes - wasn't the greatest but at least she had a ball! - we have ollie tonight - jimmy and tilly will return from australia in a few days and i know there will be a family reunion like no other...

"Little Cam"

6 x 6 oil on canvas panel
i'm still enthralled with painting little people. this is the third son of a good friend of my daughter's. he and his two older brothers are drop dead gorgeous and i plan to paint them for practice. i'm working on other things in my studio...(actually i SHOULD be working on my studio...)..but i plan to do a small portrait every day in the meantime. i'm waiting for my kids to supply me with pics they'd like me to paint and in the meantime i'll probably do some friends' kids and grandkids ....i'm having the best time!!

"Tillie at Three"

6 x 6 oil on canvas panel
so here's my oldest granddaughter matilda. she just turned seven (check out the last painting i did of her...) - but here she is at three. isn't she a beaut?? - too busy yesterday to get to the studio and we're getting ready to head to bloomington to see if this IU team has anything at all...but first a family reunion in brown county - this time my father-in-law's side.....looking forward to meeting long lost rels...and as for fall, it won't be long....we've already had a couple fires!!!

"Joey at One"

6 x 6 oil on canvas panel
so here's baby joey - i think i'll paint more of him since he hasn't had as many birthdays as the other grands. i still don't have a keeper for ollie - i wiped that quick study i did of him earlier...it just wasn't him...this one, on the other hand, i'm very pleased with. this project is going to be so much fun. last night i was with a bunch of ladies and someone asked if i did portraits. usually i say not really - more like character studies...but i'm thinking these little pieces are portraits after all. i have so many little people in my life - children and grandchildren of friends and then there are my rels - i could paint little portraits from here on in and not run out of painting fodder. what a lucky girl i am!!!

"Just the Three of Us"

6 x 6 oil on canvs panel
so we were at the cottage this weekend..very sad to think we may not get back there this fall but always such a healing and relaxing environment when we're there. of course we did mexican on friday but the girls had to have martinis on saturday night - and so the olives. (these were actually olives from my frig at home) - their dad hand-stuffed their olives with bleu cheese ...(such a guy)...- we spent one whole day playing rummykub..at least my son in law said we spent 10 hours and he may have been right! my friend katie introduced me to the game in arizona and it is so much fun!! - i finally got my girls to play and i must admit i think they're hooked! i have a busy week but i hope to get back to painting! golf season is really winding down and i have to squeeze every last morsel out of it! in another couple months painting will take priority again but, til then.....

"Georgia Sky"

6 x 8 oil on canvas panel
just another georgia sky....we're actually heading down there in 45 days...but who's counting?...we're heading to the lake tomorrow and i'm not feeling quite up to snuff. i'm fighting a cold and i'm not sure i'll be taking my paints with me so if i don't post anything for a couple days, that'll be the reason!

"Repose"

6 x 6 oil on canvas panel

so here's a little study i did a few days ago - it's from one of many reference photos from workshops gone by -no time to paint today - we played in a member-member golf outing and actually managed to win second low gross despite some really shabby play. we won these fabulous packable chairs we're going to take to our workshop in georgia in november. did i mention we're taking janet powers' workshop again? - we took one in may and had such a good time we thought we'd give it another go@!! happy autumnal equinox everyone - i think it officially turned fall a little more than a half an hour ago!

"I've Got Your Back"

6 x 6 oil on canvas panel
so here are just a couple tomatoes - busy day and not very inspired - i'm having so much fun with the kids' paintings that fruits and vegetables don't turn me on all of a sudden...we'll see where this is leading.....

"One Strawberry"

6 x 6 oil on canvas panel

so here it is - sunday - pouring down rain almost all day long! - no golf of course...bummer...i spent a couple hours in my studio - i really need to keep at it about straightening it up - very bad! - i did this little strawberry painting and then i promptly ate my subject matter! - tasty! - then i did a small nude study - i'll save that to post on anther occasion when i have nothing to show for the day. thaaaaat's it folks!

"Where There's a Will..."

6 x 6 oil on canvas panel
so here's my first and oldest grandchild will...probably about age 5.... as you can see, he (like all of my grands) has his ganny's "go funny" eyelid. they all seem to have inherited my droopy left eyelid so i alternate between being proud and feeling sorry for them! we've been able to play some golf lately - nine and dine last night where our team came in second - i do believe we were low gross with a score of 2 under however...then today davey and i played 18 and got home in a timely manner to watch the hoosiers. (we're winning 38-14 - sounds good but we haven't started conference play yet...) getting ready for a good steak and some wonderful red wine so all in all, it's been a good day: golf, painting, and a good meal. only one thing could have made it better....

"Come to My Party"

6 x 6 oil on canvas panel
so here's tillie! - this photo was on the evite for her 7th birthday party and i just love it! - you can see her front teeth are beginning to grow back in and she's having a ball on that swing! -i am one lucky lady to have such wonderful painting fodder as these grands of mine!!! plus i got to play golf today so all in all, i have a pretty perfect and magic life!!!!

"Baby Joey"

6 x oil on canvas panel
this is my youngest grand, joseph, or baby joey as luce ma goose calls him. he turned two the end of june and is incredibly brilliant but, of course, so are all my grands!!! just returned home from a golf outing in martinsville - lovely ladies to play with but really bad putting from yours truly - i can't even blame it on a strange course with new greens...i just had no confidence in my putting and that can really ruin your game! - but it was a lovely day and better to be out there playing bad golf than home doing anything else...(other than painting of course)

"Luce Ma Goose"

6 x 6 oil on canvas panel
well - after a little time away from painting i'm back. our granddaughter tillie celebrated her 7th birthday this weekend and there was a mighty celebration indeed! i helped a bit with food and dog sitting and ollie watching so i didn't have much chance to get to the studio. i've decided to carry out my plan to paint the grands each year - maybe more than once a year since it's so darn much fun!! this first one is of four-year-old lucy...otherwise known as luce ma goose or, as her dad calls her, the magic lady. as her mom is fond of saying.."lucy will run a small country some day..." and i think she may be right! i started a painting of my youngest grand and hopefully i can post that tomorrow - such fun!

"Nicoise Prep"

6 x 6 oil on canvas panel

life has been busy lately - we stopped at the market on the way home from golf today to pick up some stuff - i'm fixing tuna niciose tonight and thought i'd paint a few of the goodies that will go into it. it's one of our favorite summer dishes - not sure i will be posting tomorrow - big day out of town and home late. i'm planning to donate a painting to our local volunteer fire department and they've given me a list of several to choose from. even though i'm painting for my own edification, i'm so delighted when folks seem to enjoy my work!

"Nude in the Window" (in progress)

11 x 14 oil on stretched canvas
this is the nude i've been working on - i'm sort of sneaking up on her - seeing something i want to change, adding something, taking something away...i love the dramatic lighting in this view..

i was working on this with the girls at our paintout the other afternoon and we were commenting on what a wonderful thing the human body is - to paint, to sculpt, to draw...i have lots of fodder for nudes from workshops i've attended and i'm thinking i may do more of these.

"Lisa's Sunflowers"

6 x 6 oil on canvas panel
so we had a family reunion at the cottage this weekend - about 45 people - not all of them family - lots of friends, etc - one friend, lisa, brought these from her garden - so festive! - they were in a tall vase but i wanted to concentrate on the flowers themselves. fall is arriving and i think i'll have more time to paint - i'm thinking it won't be long before we have our first fire!! yikes!

"Yellow Tulips in the Backyard"

7 x 9 oil on panel
we were in my friend jane's back yard today - i worked a bit on a couple other paintings but ended up doing this as my daily endeavor. beautiful yellow tulips with lots of color in them but i'll have to check the values and color later since we were outside and the sun was peeking through here and there. this will be the last post for a few days since we're heading to the cottage for another family reunion..other side this time...i'll get back to work sunday or monday - happy labor day weekend everybody! lyb

"Clown Face Egg"

6 x 6 oil on canvas panel

ok - so it looked like a clown face! this is the same egg i painted the other day - it's been sitting in the dish in the fridge and it's a little tired looking. i am very excited.....i got an i phone today!! - actually it's supposed to be my husband's but that's not happening! - it's going to be so much fun to learn to use - i think i may be able to post while we're on vacation without wifi..we'll see...we're painting at my friend jane's tomorrow so i know i'll be able to check back in tomorrow night -

"My First Egg"

6 x 6 oil on canvas panel

i wish i had a fun name for this painting but i'm too tired. this is truly the first time i've painted a cracked egg and i have to say it was fun ...white on white...and i'll probably do more of them. i got back to the nude i've been working on - still don't think it's ready...we had a wonderful family reunion on saturday with almost 30 people and we had grandkids for two overnights...thank heavens the weather cooperated - lots of swimming and dunking and diving!! joe, our barely 2 year old youngest grand, decided it was time he started learning to swim - he started in the hot tub...yelling one two three go! - and diving underwater - what a riot! ready to get back in the swing of painting every day - the house is in great shape after the reunion preparations - all except my studio of course......ah well....

"Wine and Flowers"

6 x 8 oil on canvas panel
we got together in nan's back yard yesterday - i was dashing literally all day - working in the house during the morning - a couple hours of painting early afternoon and then 9 holes with my hubby and some friends and then dinner - no time to post when i got home and probably this will be it til sunday. as i mentioned before - it's difficult to paint with the sun casting shadows which are constantly changing. it's so important to get the shadows you want down early and then just ignore what's happening with the sun. as i look at this, i can see where i was fooled and i'll tweak it a bit more when i have time.

"Whew!!!!!"

is there any more horrifying sound than the high-pitched keen of a mosquito on the hunt for blood?????....i've been working in the yard all afternoon and because of the rain we've had in the midwest, the mosquitos are runnning the country. i see them , i hear them, i swat them, i will them away, (and i do eat lots of garlic which i hear helps a bit) - but MAN!!!! - especially in the shade - they obviously don't like the heat either. i think every 10-15 seconds one would fly under the brim of my baseball cap...hence the high pitched keening noise....to make matters worse, nellie spent almost the whole time barking. i let her out a time or two but it's way too hot for her to just hang out so she stands on the inside of the door and barks, and barks....

anyway - i'm doing all this because we have a family reunion here on saturday and i have to get this place shaped up a bit. after 2 appointments this morning, and a very delightful birthday luncheon with all my tennis buddies, i came home and hit it hard and i'm DONE with the outside - i still have to bring in some flowers friday or saturday. now...for the inside! - yikes! - i'm writing all this to explain why i probably won't be able to post anything for a couple days -i'll be very lucky to be able to find time to pick up a paintbrush...and as i learned early on in this daily blogging business...sometimes life just gets in the way! lyb

"Red, White and Blue"

6 x 6 oil on panel

this is one of those days when i hardly found time to paint - played 18 holes this morning and then met some gals for lunch - and it dragged on and on delightfully...then did a whole bunch of errands on the way home - picked up some strawberries at sam's - nothing like the beauties we had locally early in the year - but still fun to paint - something's wrong with the contrast on my camera - i think the sun being lower in the sky is wreaking havoc with what i'm doing! - need to find a different place to take my photos - ah well.....

"High in the Sky"

6 x 6 oil on panel
here's another painting done on a slick ground - interesting to work with - easier than the last one i did - i think i have a bit of glare on the left side since it's so sunny outside but it was fun to do - i don't know if that's a telephone pole or utility wires but i've had the photo for along time and always wanted to paint it. i've been working on a commission and started a nude this afternoon - i guess maybe since it's fall or almost fall maybe i'll have time to paint more. i don't know ...i got a call from my tennis coach today saying practices were starting. yikes!!!

"Emma and Libby" (in progress) NFS

12 x 12 oil on stretched canvas

i was on the road all day yesterday and couldn't get anything completed or posted. this is the commission i'm working on and i wanted to show it in progress - lots more to do but i'm done for the day and i want to get final approval of hair color and stuff from my friend sally. i'm hoping to complete it in the next day or two so she can present it to her daughter-in-law for her birthday. she saw one of my dailies that reminded her of her grandbabies so we decided to do a larger one for her. i'll post the finished painting when it's completed. meanwhile the solheim cup is on and i must watch golf!!!

"Big O"

6 x 6 oil on board

so we had a paintout here today in the back yard - gorgeous day - not too hot - but quite sunny - i started a commission for a friend in indy and decided i couldn't trust the values or the colors as i was putting them down. (you have to be very careful of that when you're out in the sunlight.) so i put that aside for today and grabbed a photo of my grandson oliver. he's gorgeous, of course, just like all my grands, but i'm not sure i quite captured him. maybe i'll do each one of them now - that would be five! - actually i should probably do a painting of each of them each year as they grow up - wouldn't that be fun?

"Basket Bounty"

6 x 6 oil on board
my son loves corn so he's already claimed this painting. i just need to tell you about this wonderful artist carol marine - she posted today that four of her paintings are going to be in the movie letters to julia. how cool is that? check out her blog if you haven't yet!

"Ready to Shuck"

6 x 6 oil on board
these were some BIG ears of corn! - this view is rather looking down on them - (wouldn't want to do that now, would i?...we're all equal beings, after all...)- tomorrow i may have another go from a different angle - corn is fun to paint!....but what isn't!!??...

"Candy and Flowers"

6 x 6 oil on panel
i did this yesterday late in the day because i did a bit of babysitting....ollie and i had a little pool party with my friend margaret and two of her grands...so much fun to see these kiddoes together! - then picked up tillie from her first monday in first grade and watched over her as she did her homework - (took her two seconds....)while the kids were playing wii i painted this - then took the photo and as i was getting ready to post much later in the evening - dark outside- i realized i'd cut off half the painting in the photo. so here it is after golf and a reshoot - so i think i'm going to tackle an unshucked ear of corn this afternoon - before we have it for dinner tonight - got to get to work!

"Plate a Maters"

6 x 6 oil on canvas board

we played 18 holes today and dashed home to watch the end of the PGA - stopping on the way at a farmer's market for a few things - i love heirloom tomatoes - do you suppose they would be found in a hope chest along with other cherished belongings?....

i forgot to mention..

one of the things i like about playing in these south central conference golf events is the people i meet - yesterday i played with some great people...probably one of the reasons i played so well - very comfortable out there...lyb

"Sea Island Sea Oats"

6 x 6 oil on canvas board
so i went out to my friend cindy's house today for a paint out. i missed the paint out yesterday because i was playing in a golf tournament - (pretty good day for me - shot an 82 and won second low gross so i was pretty happy but very tired when i got home. we sat through a 45 minute traffic hold-up for construction between bloomingtgon and nashville!) - anyway - i wanted to see what my "student" has been doing and she's doing GREAT!! -while she worked on a marsh scene, i did this little painting of some sea oats from a picture her hubby had taken some months earlier. we also had our friend janie out there with us - working on her horse sculpture - she blows me away! - i don't know how she does that!!?!..she's done oil painting in her past but i think her real passion is sculpture and she is very good at what she does! tomorrow i must get to a commission and maybe a small daily as well - we'll see...

"Just Resting"

6 x 6 oil on canvas panel
busy day today...doing some last minute baby sitting - yardwork - general catching up - tomorrow i'm gone for an out of town golf event so i may not have time to paint - i also need to get busy on a couple of commissions -i may or may not post ongoing progress on those pieces - we'll see...hoping to keep up with the dailies while i'm at it! -

"Nestle Up" NFS

6 x 6 oil on canvas panel
i stopped at two different farmer's markets yesterday on my way home with the kiddoes - the first was down on second street - daily's market - they had the friskiest golden retriever - my grands were in heaven - chasing him - being chased back - i found this very unique-looking eggplant - (the one on the right) - and i also bought some zepher (?) squash which we grilled up tonight - scrumptious!! - after that we stopped at the moses' stand on 8th and washington - another great place - with even more things - i bought farm-raised eggs and a free-range chicken along with a bunch of other stuff and the eggplant on the left. i also bought some sunflowers - fading, i'm afraid, and i didn't get to them today so i took a couple pics and hopefullly i can paint them tomorrow. after golf today i picked up ollie. he played a bit of wii while i got started painting and then he decided he wanted to paint along with me - he did a wonderful piece ( he's three) - and then headed back to the basement for more wii. we finished off the day by playing 9 holes of wii golf - i squeaked by him...but only just barely.. i am one lucky lady...
...as a post note...i've donated this painting to our local volunteer fire department. a very worthy cause!

"The Mother and Child Reunion..."

7 x 9 oil on panel

i had the best day today! - went to a bridal shower for the daughter of a good friend - those events are always so special! - met some 5 month old twins - very special in their own right! - had a gorgeous lunch on a wind swept but canopied deck overlooking a wonderful lake - it helped us feel cool on a very warm day! - then i stopped in town at two special farmer's markets - purchased some great painting fodder (and some eating fodder as well..) -then spent some time with a couple grands and finished this late in the day - another africa painting - pretty timely since it's "africa hot" right now!

"Follow Me"

6 x 6 oil on canvas panel
i still haven't started organizing my studio - but i DID work on my pallette - and this is the first of several paintings from the photos from africa i mentioned. lots of things to paint! - we're heading out to play golf and go to dinner with good friends - gonna be HOT HOT HOT!!!!!

"Three Men Out"

6 x 6 oil on canvas panel

those cherries were so tasty i tracked some down at a local farmer's market - somehow these aren't as pretty as the ones cindy had but they're still delicious! on a side note, i really need to do a whole lot of work in my studio - things are such a mess i can hardly stand up in there - i also found some old photos someone brought me back from africa - i'm seeing an african theme in some upcoming dailies - can't wait! - cows, (or maybe those were goats)..elephants, a big lion - lots of wonderful looking children....actually i've already done a watercolor of a group of these children and ended up donating it to a charity in indianapolis several years back - my how time flies when you're having fun!!

one more thing...(good news and bad news..)

i play in a nine hole ladies golf group on friday mornings and last week was the first round of our club championship - today was the second - and i was feeling pretty good coming in! - when we got off the course i discovered i hadn't played enough rounds to qualify for the tourney and so the 78 (41-37) i shot wasn't going to win a dang thing!!!! - that's the bad news! - the good news is today i birdied the par five and got my third hole-in-one!!!!!!!!! - wheeeee!!!!! lyb

"Beachwalk" and "Cherries" (NFS)

6 x 6 oil on canvas panel

this is a little painting i started a few days ago but really haven't finished but wanted to post it in progress. i did this earlier this week to get my painting muscles going again - yesterday i went to my friend cindy's house for a paint out - she's sort of a beginner and so we did the same painting side by side. rather than a photograph i chose a painting with particularly strong values and unfortunately i chose a piece painted by a contemporary artist....and so i can't show it. next time i think i'll chose an old master and we'll work on that together. she really did great! i know when i started so many years ago it really helped me to be able to watch someone - a picture's worth a thousand words, i guess!

the painting above is of a bowl of rainier cherries she brought out for us to nibble on while we worked -= deeeelish!!!! while i was waiting for her to catch up to whatever stage we were working on, i thought i'd jot a few strokes down to try and capture those cherries. of course the sun changed while we were out there and that can be confusing!

another "blast..."

ok so here's what i did today...7 a.m. mammogram...and ladies - if you haven't had yours yet this year, get on it!! - back for breakfast, then to the license branch to have my license renewed...(did you know you can't show your teeth when you smile?...something about facial recognition..) then to hobby lobby, then grocery shopping, then to the bank for a deposit and to have something notarized...then back home to clean out a couple cupboards...then the grands showed up since their parents were going to a funeral - then the "frenchies" from next door all showed up and we had a housefull...then outside to trim bushes and severely cut back the roses in front - now i'm covered in thorn holes and mosquito bites so i'm heading to the tub..just in case i might have picked up even MORE poison ivy!! - needless to say, i'm not painting today - this painting from several years ago was featured in a german newspaper. this fellow was looking for golf art on the internet and found this and asked for permission to print it in an article on sports art. i was thrilled to say the least - of course nobody ever saw it although i do have a copy of the newspaper - and i was foolish enough to forget to ask them to mention my website. ah well - to the tub!!!

the sky has brightened....

a little better photo of sammy and fozy - the sky has finally brightened and the neighborhood kids are all out playing in the flooded street. kids have so much fun, don't they???

"Sammy and Fozy"

this is the painting i couldn't get posted before. and it's still kind of dark because i can't get outside and photograph it-the card seems to be working all of a sudden but today has been so strange - so very very dark and rainy - in fact it hasn't stopped raining all day and we're reminded of that horrid flood we just a little over a year ago. we were without electricty for a couple hours this morning and our golden nellie has been freaking out with all the lightning and thunder. this started around 5 am when my hubby and i both went to the window to check out what was going on ...the oddest thing - lots of lightning - almost like a fire - but no noise...it was all happening on the west side of town and we couldn't hear it but we could sure see it! - then in time it got to us and hasn't stopped yet! should have spent the day in my studio but nellie won't leave me alone - she's drooling on my feet as i write this. anyway - the newly weds loved their gift and i'll add a few finishing touches and let it dry and then varnish and frame it. it was a lot of fun to paint!

still no camera card

we're back from the wedding - what a great time! - danced our socks off ..actually that would be our shoes...i did a painting of the couple's doggies as their wedding gift - i can't show you the painting yet but i'll show you the picture i worked from. i'm back in the studio but who knows when i'll be able to post with this camera - i don't know if my camera is obsolete since i can't find a proper card to fit....as soon as i can get this problem worked out i'll post the actual painting. anyway - can't believe it's august! time is flying by!!!