SUSIE'S QUEUE - a painter's daily diary by Susie Gregory

gianna...in progress...

2012-02-14T17:38:00.001-05:00

ok ..so this is gianna - and she already had her first birthday!!! i am very tardy with this painting, i'm afraid!!...she's sitting in a big chair in our place in georgia - lots of stripes - needed to let a bit of the chair color dry before i added the stripes...and maybe there needs to be more shadow over her face - according to the photo i'm working from...stay tuned...

pears, grapes and a nice white jug

2012-02-13T17:37:00.000-05:00

11x14 oil on panel

so i worked a bit more on this today - i got some feedback from other artists around the world and tried to implement their advice. that's what's so fun about this workshop - making friends from faraway places...

Pears, Grapes and a Nice White Jug

2012-02-12T17:36:00.000-05:00

11x14 oil on canvas panel

so i finally had some time to do this month's richard robinson challenge. we had to set up a still life including a peaar and grapes and a white pitcher of some sort. i guess i may have gone a bit overboard but i had a great deal of fun with this. i tried maroger medium for the first time and loved it! and the best part:...davey saw this and said "that's nice. those aren't just pears..you have a lot of complexity going on"...wow! - my boy!!...and i already see something i have to fix. rats!! more tomorrow!

busy, busy

2012-02-07T17:10:00.000-05:00

20x16 oil on stretched canvas

i have just been too busy in these last few days to get any painting done!! - but busy in a good way! - i'm finally attacking my studio..organizing my reference photos..my still life props...my paints...my art books...and it is a disaaaaaaster!! - i'm not sure i can keep it up - i may have to get back to the easel before i finish...but then that's always been my problem...i'm in the middle of something and then i see something else that needs to be done - and...whoops - there i go...very tangential and somewhat project-completion challenged!!..i discovered a new antique mall today and got some great stuff - can't wait to put some things together - richard robinson has a still life challenge for this month - and we can do anything we want - i posted my "glass of red" on the site but only because i had already done it...i'm planning to do a proper challenge painting in the next week or two!...meanwhile...i think i forgot to post this painting of my grandson joe - it's hanging at the carmel midland and it's called "Hangin' out at the Beach"

"Glass of Red"

2012-02-03T17:22:00.000-05:00

7x5 oil on canvas panel

this is the painting i will be donating to our local philharmonic fundraiser. they're having a gala wine auction and i'm pitching in since i know i can't get my hubby to attend the black tie affair.

"ON POINT"

2012-02-02T12:20:00.000-05:00

20x16 oil on stretched canvas

here's another in my ballet series...currently hanging in the carmel midland gallery...i am having such fun with these!!...i have several more images i want to explore...can't wait!

cloud study

2012-02-01T09:49:00.000-05:00

cloud study

11x14 oil on canvas panel

so here's the painting i should have done a couple weeks ago. i took an on-line webinar from johannes vloothuis on clouds. you can do a painting as "homework" and submit it for critique. i've been so busy i missed my chance to do that but here it is finally...i may be able to submit it and at least hear from some of the other artists involved on wet canvas, a wonderful on-line reference site for artists of all kinds! i really shold photograph this again - you can see a little area at the top right that isn't part of the painting - it's part of the surroundings. - a bit confusing...

Tying her Shoe

2012-01-31T17:14:00.000-05:00

11x14

oil on stretched canvas

here's another of several ballet paintings i've done lately- i took a few up to carmel midland last week...don't know why i'm so enthralled with ballet at the moment...taking me back to my childhood, i'm thinking...but i'm having a lot of fun. i did a painting today that will be donated to our philharmonic. they are having a big wine auction and gala next month and i'm doing a little painting of wine and grapes. we'll see how it turns out...

Christian Watford...the shot!

2012-01-27T08:13:00.000-05:00

20x16 oil on canvas

so this is the shot that beat kentucky! - i was really hoping to turn this into a poster ..and i may yet...but i found out that there are ncaa rules that prohibit anything like this while the student is still in school. so i'll hang in the weeds...and wait...

Tiny Dancers

2012-01-26T15:35:00.001-05:00

18x24

oil on stretched canvas

here's one of the paintings i've been working on for the carmel midland gallery...little girls dressed up for ballet...fun! i finally got to get some photos taken so i'll post more new stuff in the coming days. i need to get back to my house - i've neglected it for a while!!! but i'm having such fun painting my heart out!!!

i've been working...

2012-01-24T20:14:00.000-05:00

6x6 oil on panel

here's another georgia sea turtle...on it's way to the glynn art gallery on st. simons...they're having a fund raiser for the humane society and i hope to help out!...i have another one to post tomorrow. plus...i'm trying to get some things done to replace some paintings sold in my carmel gallery - we're heading up there friday and it's work..work..work! too dark today to photograph when i finished so i'll get at that tomorrow!..i'm kind of liking how things are going....

a georgia sea turtle

2012-01-18T20:01:00.000-05:00

Georgia Sea Turtle #3

8x10 oil on stretched canvas

one of my galleries on st simons' island is holding a fund raiser. i'm going to send down two sea turtle paintings and part of any sales will go to the humane society. as i've mentioned, the sea turtle is revered on the island and i hope he'll bring some bucks for the cause! i'll post the other one tomorrow! - half time of the IU-nebraska game - nervous...

four ten-minute pears

2012-01-17T14:57:00.000-05:00

in this month's richard robinson challenge, we're to paint pears. first a value study, then a full color study and finally a timed study. you had to set a timer and STOP when it went off! - i love those kind of things - janet powers had a do that in her landscape workshop - only i was working quite a bit larger. so in this post, the value study came first, then the full color and then the ten-minute dudes. fun -

"The Legend"

2012-01-14T07:48:00.001-05:00

24x18

oil on stretched canvas

he was a good player, a great coach and now a fantastic espn color man and radio talk show host for the ages...so here's my homage to the growing legend that is Dan Dakich...it was 1984..it was atlanta...it was the sweet sixteen...it was north carolina...and it was the other legend...michael jordan!!! we were in florida with our kids on spring break, listening to the game on the radio. we were not a bit surprised at his performance. he was a very good defender.. kind of like dane fife would be in years to come...now i fudged this image a little bit - i put him a little closer to jordan than he actually was...just for fun...and if he'd played him this closely, he probably wouldn't have been as successful in "eating his lunch" as people called it. jordan may have blown by him... but he played off him a little bit...smart...and the rest is history...

part of my "grand" project...

2012-01-12T17:15:00.001-05:00

this is lila jane...and i'm sneaking up on her...not quite there yet but thought i'd post what i have so far. i also tweaked greg's present a bit - darkened the shirt and worked on a few other things.

i think i'm done with this and plan to give it to him on saturday! - getting ready to send danny dakich his big surprise and as soon as i get it off i'll be able to post it here. i had a lot of fun with it. tomorrow i'm hoping to get back to the christian watford "shot"...i'm having a lot of fun just at the moment....

for my son-in-law.....

2012-01-11T18:16:00.000-05:00

this is what i worked on today...my son-in-law, greg, is having a birthday this weekend...i won't say which one...and i wanted to paint something for him...this is an image of greg and joe walking the beach in st. simons..something they love to do...i'm still in the tweaking mode but i'm liking it so far... back to christian tomorrow!

a little more..

2012-01-10T19:48:00.000-05:00

it's slow going but i am having fun!!...couldn't do a whole lot today - ventured back to tennis after a hamstring injury in november..it was really good to be out there but i'm not sure i was ready...hoping for the best!...and hoping to get a bit more done on this tomorrow!!

sneaking up....

2012-01-09T17:35:00.001-05:00

getting closer...still have a long way to go but i am certainly having fun with this!! yesterday i delivered lucy's birthday present and today i sent "the resurrection" to tom crean. putting good vibes out in the universe! and we beat penn state in happy valley yesterday and are now ranked in the top ten - what fun we are having!!!!

lucy and her horse...

2012-01-07T18:04:00.000-05:00

here's what i've been working on for my granddaughter...you can see a bit of the reference photo on the left...her birthday is tomorrow and she'll be a big seven year old!!...and she loves horses....

the "shot"...in progress...

2012-01-06T12:34:00.000-05:00

this is the photograph taken by jamie owens (http://www.jscottphotography.com/) of christian's winning shot on december 10 to win by one point at the buzzer...what a moment!!!! he gave me permission to do a painting from this image and i'll post it as i go along.

here i've drawn it and am beginning to place some color...i usually like to fill the whole canvas when i begin - this keeps me from falling in love with any one area and give me a good base. i had to get ready for the game and so ran out of time. planning to get back at it today if i get my granddaughter's painting underway...she rides a horse and i'm planning a painting of the two of them for her birthday.

the resurrection...

2012-01-05T17:28:00.000-05:00

The Resurrection

36x24 oil on stretched canvas

so here's my homage to the kentucky win...one of them...it was an absolute sea of red in there and i'm trying to convey that in a very impressionistic way. the place was wild and stayed that way for so long - it really felt like the resurrection of IU basketball!! - i'm working on a painting of christian's shot to beat kentucky at the buzzer. i got permission from the photographer to do a painting and i thought i would document it as i go along. i'll take a few pix tonight but then i must get ready for the game... i'll post danny's tomorrow.

i have some surprises...

2012-01-04T20:20:00.000-05:00

it was too late when i finished up today to photograph anything...i've been working on an homage to the kentucky game on december 10th - it may look really crazy when i photograph it - lots and lots of RED!!!!...and then i am working on a big surprise for the legendary dan dakich...we've been following him since he was a student at IU...almost 30 years!!...and i am nearly finished with something i hope he'll enjoy!!...i'll be sure and take some pix in the morning...and then on to IU vs. michigan tomorrow night! - for the first time in a long, long while...we are excited about the hoosiers again!!!!!

Dominique...

2011-12-29T15:55:00.000-05:00

Dominique

6x6 oil on canvas panel

so here's my painting of my friend ginny's grand...i took a break after we beat kentucky because i'm working on a great big homage to that day in assembly hall - i finally was able to get back to her and fix her eyes - aren't they gorgeous! her mom is panamanian and i think she's quite exotic-looking!! but oh - that game last night! they had us whooping and hollering for a while there but couldn't quite sustain it...and "welcome to the big ten, cody!"...poor guy - he's got some quick catching up to do i'm thinking!! meanwhile davey had shoulder surgery this morning and, not to be outdone, he also had a rotator cuff tear so they had to cut him open...same thing that happened to me so now we're fighting to see who had the bigger tear...he reminded me that i also had a labrum tear so i guess i win! hoping to get soime painting done during his recuperation because he is not demanding at all...only thing is...i'll be cooking for a while...hmmm..i'm thinking we may actually lose some weight!!! happy new year!!

IU at michigan state

2011-12-28T18:00:00.000-05:00

been a while... i think the last time i posted i was working on ginny's granddaughter and her eyes were too far apart. i think i've nailed them at last and it's too dark to photograph the painting but i promise that will get done tomorrow. my hubby is having shoulder surgery in the morning and he'll be doing a bit of lying around and not that much cooking. my life is about to change drastically ....hope i can find time to paint!!! merry christmas and happy new year!...and now on to the game....

getting back to work

2011-12-09T17:10:00.000-05:00

well...we've had a lot going on around here...family turmoil...but life is good and getting better...and i'm determined to get back to my "grand" project. i spent the afternoon painting my friend ginny's youngest grand and just was so totally in love with it...and then i discovered the eyes were too far apart!!!!!...back to the drawing board and hopefully i'll be able to finish it tomorrow. i did do a bunch of small acrylics for a new kids' shop downtown - "ochild" - lovely people - the took over bob anderson's store on washington...but i totally forgot to even take any pix...just some small cupcakes and fairies - more to come...

happy thanksgiving!!!

2011-11-26T10:10:00.000-05:00

my oldest grand, will, is now all of nine years old! - this is his mom's favorite picture of him as a baby and i've done this painting for her...one of many i've done of willie over the years. my grands are so much fun to paint and i'm hoping to paint lots of my friends' grands over the coming years. i haven't been able to post much lately...lots of reasons...but we have so much to be thankful for this year...and we are gathering today as a family for our thanksgiving feast!!! yum!!!

another sea turtle

2011-11-08T20:31:00.001-05:00

georgia sea turtle two (SOLD)

8x10 oil on canvas

here's the other painting i did while here in wonderful sunny and windy and a litle bit cold georgia!!!...the thing is, when the sun is out, i have to take off my windbreaker..but then i have to put it right back on when the sun goes under the clouds...and with all this wind that happens ...ALL THE TIME!!!!!....davey and i played jekyl today - we had to wait for the comcast people to arrive and we had the nicest fellow - very non- comcast-ish, i must say...so we didn't get to tee off til quite late but had a very fun time!! we're already almost in "packing" mode....getting ready to depart the island ...never to return...until next spring...

we're in georgia...

2011-11-07T18:46:00.001-05:00

georgia sea turtle (SOLD)

8x10 oil on canvas

so here we are in sunny and cold and windy st. simons...just played a fabulous course - frederica - very private and exclusive and we're lucky to be good buddies with some members...we've played jekyl and a couple rounds at sea island....trying to squeeze the very last drops out of the golf season before we venture back to indiana. i did a couple sea turtle paintings while i've been here - this is one of them - i'll post the other later. off to dinner so i have to run!~!!!

reins for recovery

2011-10-09T14:59:00.000-04:00

12x12 oil on gallery wrap canvas

NFS

i ran into an old friend the other day whose son is big into horses. he's volunteering for an organization called http://www.reinstorecovery.org/ . they are holding a fund raiser this weekend and i offered to do a painting for them. this will be tweaked a tiny bit ..i need to pull some of the green in the sky down into the rest of the painting for color unity and the mane in the sunlight needs to be more colorful but this is a pretty good idea of what it will be llike when its finished.

Chinaman's Bluff

2011-10-08T12:55:00.000-04:00

16x20 oil on stretched canvas

i just posted this on the richard robinson challenge page. this is the second month of this on-line workshop and last month i had so much stuff going on i didn't have a chance to enter til very late...hopefully i can get some feedback from some of the painters world-wide who are a part of this. it's so cool...i was emailing back and forth with richard..in freakin' new zealand!!!!!....isn't this technology something???...i may tweak it a bit...usually once i get a photo of what i'm working on, i see what needs to be done...we'll see what the others have to say!

Teein'it up!!

2011-10-07T20:28:00.000-04:00

11x14 oil on canvas panel

this little guy is really into it, isn't he??? i think the golf club is at least as long as he is!! wish i'd started that young..

cousins...on the beach...

2011-10-04T19:58:00.000-04:00

11x14 oil on stretched canvas

i love this image!! - this is taken from a photo my friend shelli let me borrow...they are actually HER grands..all dressed up and walking hand-in-hand on the beach. i may take this to my gallery in indy...don't know yet..

Lucy

2011-10-01T17:49:00.000-04:00

6x6 oil on canvas panel

so here's my painting of lucy...i've painted all of these kids several times and i never tire of it! - this one goes to dave and olivia, her other grandparents. i've been working on a few things which i will post in the next few days...finally have had some bad weather so i could get up to my studio!!

willie

2011-09-25T19:40:00.000-04:00

6x6 oil on canvas panel

so here's my grandson willie...this is part of my "grand" project...i'm painting this for will's other set of grandparents, dave and olivia. i hope they enjoy having this as much as i enjoyed painting it for them!

In the Wings

2011-09-19T15:09:00.000-04:00

12x9

oil on stretched canvas

so this is a painting i took off the wall yesterday...it was bothering me...a little boring...so i thought it could use some jazzing up and this is the result. now i'm happy with it!!

Winter Sentinel

2011-09-18T17:16:00.000-04:00

11x14

oil on stretched canvas

so today i finished richard robinson's challenge painting..actually he is holding an on-line workshop and i signed up weeks ago for september but haven't had a chance to get to it til this weekend. i'm trying to upload it to his site and having problems. we all painted the same image from a photo he posted. we were free to change it, crop it, to take artistic license wherever needed...and it was lots of fun. i've enjoyed reading the posts - people from all over the world are participating in this and it's a bit mindboggling! so far there are 84 entries...all very different..and mine will be the 85th..if it ever shows up. and tomorrow is the last day to enter your painting. wish me luck!

sleeping babies...

2011-09-11T08:07:00.000-04:00

8x10 oil on canvas panel

so i think i'm done with this one. hopefully it will dry in time to send it off with them - if not, i'll mail it and it should beat them home since they're taking their time getting back to oz. a real round the world trip...such fun!! i've been glued all day to the 911 remembrance stuff - it's riveting and i remember exactly that morning like it was yesterday. i hope we never ever forget!! - off for a walk and then to tillie's birthday party!!

tils and ols in progress...

2011-09-10T12:30:00.000-04:00

this is a painting in progress of two of my grands..matilda and oliver...sound asleep. i need to get this finished in the next day or so...tillie's aussie grandparents are visiting and i want to be able to send this home with them midweek....and the weather is finally turning..i can feel Fall coming on and that means less golf and more painting!! can't wait...in a way...

happy birthday carol marine

2011-09-02T18:38:00.000-04:00

so a couple weeks ago, david marine set up a challenge to surprise his wife carol for her birthday. we could paint anything we wanted..and i wanted to paint her!! - but then things were happening with my friend sukey...she was preparing to head to heaven and i was not prepared to paint..for quite a while.. carol marine is one of the driving forces of the daily painting phenomenon...along with her husband david...and this painting is taken from her website and blog photo...such a happy gal...

6x6 oil on canvas panel

so sad....

2011-08-21T08:31:00.000-04:00

me friend sukey went to heaven friday night. she waged her battle against a vicious disease with courage and grace and she will be missed! our love and prayers are with her family.

chocolate cupcake..in progress...

2011-08-18T18:38:00.000-04:00

5x5 oil on gallery wrap canvas

so we've been on the road a bit lately...my hubby had to testify as an expert witness in a trial on tuesday...so we wended our way down to scenic Owensboro, Kentucky. the drive was beautiful and, even though we're IU people and HATE kentucky...the people were beautiful as well....and friendly!!!..i stopped in three shops near the courthouse..one on frederica - where they were so friendly and accomodating and actually taught me how to take a picture with my Iphone!!..then i went down to 2nd street to find the promised antique stores....some of which were open..some not so much...but i did happen upon two wonderful places...one is called Crowne gifts and events...and rosemary the owner couldn't have been nicer. i bought a fantastic and strange ceramic statue of a lady which i snuck in to the floor of the back seat and almost made it home without davey seeing it.... but i digress...rosemary sent me to a place down the street called c-ing polka dots..owned by carol reader. both shops were chock full of very fun and unique stuff and i'm happy to report that i'm going to be painting for carol - she particularly wanted me to do some cupcakes so here's my first piece..in progress.(and sorry for the hazy picture..i snapped it this evening and the sun is low)..i may add polkadots to the backgroud...any thoughts or suggestions?...anyway - we are at the lake for a few days - trying to fit in a bit of golf and a bit of painting...and if you are even in owensboro, kentucky...you simply MUST stop in at these two very fun and unique shops...actually you can see the polka dot place at http://www.c-ingpolkadots.com/ . very cool!!!!

Ella

2011-08-13T16:17:00.000-04:00

Ella

6x6 original oil NFS

this is for my friend sukey. this is her granddaughter ella and i wanted to paint this to go along with the piece i did of her grandson jackson. they are two beautiful children and they were a joy to paint!!

Bria's Ride...

2011-08-08T09:50:00.000-04:00

11x14 oil on stretched canvas

so here's my finished painting for Bria's Ride - i like this and i hope it brings some good money for Bria's medical expenses. i love that the Harley folks are so into charity work - very impressive!!

road trip..

2011-08-03T18:15:00.000-04:00

i've been working on my painting for "bria's ride"...i posted one i did last year around this time - very cool..just the handlebars of a harley at night...it went over very well at the silent auction i heard!!....so i'm doing one of a rider tearing off into the distance and i was going to post it but after seeing it through the camera's eye, i want to tweak it a bit...maybe tomorrow if i have time. the ride is the 13th so i still have a bit of time and i may or may not get to it tomorrow. we head out to visit our good friends tim and katie in michigan tomorrow and we always get together with a bunch of high school buddies..i am so damn lucky to still be so close to these people!! anyway - then on to the cottage to celebrate my brother john's wedding to his fiance karen...should be lots of fun but there will be no chance for painting in the next several days. meanwhile my knee is on the mend - still limping around but every day brings promise...as my mom used to say.."every day, in every way...i'm getting better and better...."

brogan..in progress...

2011-07-31T17:52:00.000-04:00

so this is brogie...i'm still working on him - i need to do his hat - and tune up a few things..but i'm really liking this right now! i'm happy to be back in the studio..although we did manage to sneak in nine holes today - bad knee and all - but i think i've gotten a bit out of balance and haven't been putting enough energy into my paints - but i hope i'm on a better track now - maybe another lesson from the golf cart crash?....

patti on the pier

2011-07-30T17:21:00.000-04:00

7x5 oil on canvas panel

so i know this may look strange...my cousin patti posted this photo on faceboook and i thought it would make a cool painting! - the photo's taken at the cottage snd she's standing on the pier and i think this is just a lighting phenomenon - very surreal, don't ya think? and a good way for me to get my juices flowing again - quick and loose and a good thing cause that's all i could manage up there today! for some reason i'm more sore today than i have been at any time since the wreck! gonna post this on facebook!

today...

2011-07-29T14:33:00.000-04:00

..is the last of the "2011 Golf Tour"!! thank heavens!!! at one point i think i counted up 14 rounds of golf since my birthday on the 7th of july...most of them command performances because i had signed up and had to play in spite of the longest heat wave i can remember (happy now, al gore?). some regular golf, two south central outings, a pro-am, the city tourney and today was our annual rally for the cure at greenbelt and it was actually not too hot! i opted to ride this morning because of an incident yesterday at bear chase golf club in shelbyville. before play even started, we were heading out to our designated tees and the gal who was driving our cart started down this very steep, curved incline..realized she was going too fast.. . slammed on the brakes and sent us into a skid - three sixty - and the cart rolled over on top of us!!!!!. may have been the most scared i've ever been in my life!!! - i was sure we were dying...thank God there were a lot of people around - i don't know who it was or how they managed to get the cart off of us but we were screaming and praying and it was a nightmare!! they called the ambulance and the other gal went to the hospital for x-rays but i knew i hadn't broken anything. my left knee was all scraped and starting to swell, my left arm was cut, my shirt was a mess, things had broken in my purse,...but i called davey and told him about it..said nothing was broken and that i really wanted to play...and of course he said.."TEE IT UP GIRL!!!!". yea!! - and probably the smartest thing - to keep moving around - i had to sign off on the trip to the ER and, armed with a trusty, ever-present ice pack, struggled my way off to join my playing partners..who were dears, by the way..it took me a while to settle down and it was really hard getting my weight shifted but who cared~! - i was playing golf and for the first time i felt so free and happy to be there and not at all wrapped up in my swing or the results...actually had a couple birdies! - and i am one thankful girl - and one sore girl today!! but i managed to play in the rally this morning, all the while realizing that this game we play and get so wrapped up in and so frustrated with...is just that. a game. and we are so fortunate just to be out there!!! maybe tomorrow i can stand for a few hours at my easel - i couldn't yesterday and i can't today - it takes lots of muscles to stand - believe it or not..and my arms are still too sore to hold a brush at arms' length - but all in due time!! i am one lucky and one happy girl!!!!!

city tourney over...

2011-07-24T19:26:00.000-04:00

and thank heavens!! - i have no golf swing at the moment...which probably seems strange since i've been playing so dang much golf lately!! - but that's part of the game..it comes and goes - and mine went today! - hopefully i can get a little painting in tomorrow between trying to get the house in order and laundry done.. i love summer..but it wreaks havoc on my yard and my organization and my sanity!!!

i've got my babies...

2011-07-22T19:23:00.000-04:00

...well they're not babies anymore...will's 9, tillie's 8, lucy's 6 and oliver's 5..and joe (who's at the lake and not here) is 4...but we're here having a sleepover at gan and paps's - lots of swimming this afternoon - after davey and i played a practice round at otter creek - too much pool and sun time, i fear...but everyone's chilling in the basement for now.. we may have a rousing game of rummykub before too long (because i love it so)...and they're clamoring for one more dip in the pool...but i have to be sensible...tomorrow is the first round of the womens' city championship...and for some strange reason i find i've signed myself up for that...no clue why...the way i'm swinging...but i like to support my local sherriff and so in this 95 degree heat i will be playing at harrison tomorrow and at otter on sunday! wish me luck and no heat stroke!!!!

profile

2011-07-20T10:04:00.000-04:00

6x6 oil on canvas panel

so this is a study i did a few days ago after going through my art magazines. one article suggested starting with a totally wrong color and see what happens. in this case i started with a green face! if you look closely you can see some green undertones. this was fun! no time to paint right now...heading out the door to play in a pro-am tourney at eulen country club...and it is RIP-roaring HOT out there!!!!

FINALLY!!!!!...Little Girl Golfer

2011-07-17T17:18:00.000-04:00

6x6 oil on canvas panel

NFS

people may have thought i'd fallen off the end of the earth...but i haven't...i finally finished painting my bedroom..(i'll take some pix)...and then when we got home from the lake, i finished putting the bookshelves back together. then, for my next project, i got the laundry room in order....THEN...in between rounds of golf, of course, i tackled the studio once again...somehow it just gets away from me...i've been going through old art magazines and gleaning the articles i want to save, ripping them out and stapling them..at a much later date i will further organize them but for now i'm fairly proud of meself! then..after watching that wonderful darrin clark win the open and crying most of the way through the last several holes...i trundled myself upstairs and got my paints out for the first time in more than a week. of course by this time, my mind is swimming with ideas to try but i decided to be practical and do a painting that i really needed to get done...and so...my "Little Girl Golfer." i'll be donating this to our local Rally for the Cure on the 29th of this month...a golf tournament to raise awarness for breast cancer.

twins...in progress

2011-07-10T07:49:00.000-04:00

this is a photograph of the four feeties of a set of twins...such a neat photo but actually very difficult to capture in paint! - i'm working on it - i just found out we're heading home tomorrow instead of monday so my schedule is a bit different. i'll work more on this today but may not have this done for several more days.
....actually it's now sunday morning - i've worked a lot more on this but not enough to post...heading home in an hour and must get cracking!!!

tools of the trade..

2011-07-09T10:04:00.000-04:00

6x6 oil on canvas panel

so here's another small painting i did a couple days ago - i don't have the best lighting up here and it's hard to see this but it was fun. i have so many brushes and pallette knives - and this is one of my paint / pallette scrapers. they wear out so fast - i'm working on a painting today and i'll probably post it later in progress - we head home tomorrow so i need to wrap everything up.

yesterday

2011-07-08T11:01:00.000-04:00

6x6 oil on canvas panel

so this is my warm-up from yesterday. i needed to find sometihng from around here to practice on so why not steal from our traveling bar?...i also did a small painting of some brushes and a pallette knife which i will tweak a bit before i publish. hoping to paint some this morning before we hit the course at noon!

two small warm-up paintings this morning...

2011-07-07T20:36:00.000-04:00

..unfortunately, it's too late and too dark to post them. plus i need to tweak a bit. it's been a while, after all...BUT...we had a great day! - my cousin terry treated us to some golf at the white hawk course in crown point. davey, bad back and all, managed to eke out an 80 and i was cruising along til i hit a bump on the back ( tripled a par three, for one thing..) and ended up with an 82. not too shaggy for an old person! and a birthday girl!! the dogs were alone for so long and we tore back to the cottage and are now heating up the charcoal for a steak and some good red wine to top off the day. tomorrow i will post my things from this morning and hopefully do a bit more painting. if davey's back doesn't get better, that may be it for the golf...hope not!!...

at the lake...

2011-07-06T18:05:00.000-04:00

i am finally finished with painting every stitch of woodwork and bookshelf in my bedroom and i am ready to get back to the kind of painting that is truly energizing, fulfilling, fun...i dragged my paints up here and i just found out we will be without family for the rest of the week and weekend so i am psyched!! we do have plans with my cousin terry to play some golf tomorrow...to celebrate my birthday (ahem)..but i think i can get a bit of painting in beforehand and then who knows...i have plenty of canvas and some projects to tackle - i just need to get my painting legs under me again. meanwhile...this is the view from our deck..that's our pier that gets shorter every year as more and more sections either float away or fall apart...but we ( read: my son-in-law) lovingly erect it every year while contemplating the cost of a permanent dock/pier the likes of which grace our neighbors' homes. but i digress...

one more day...

2011-07-01T19:57:00.000-04:00

i think with one more day's work, i'll have the whole project (bath, den and bedroom...INCLUDING that pesky built-in wall of bookshelves)....all double coated with paint and i can finally get back to my life!!!..i may take a picture or two of the final product and post it here. meanwhile, we're heading up to the lake on wednesday and this time i'm taking my paints and no matter what, i'm getting back in the saddle!!!...i also have golf on my mind...played nine holes today and, wouldn't you know it, i had three pars, two bogies, two birdies, a seven and a TEN..and shot a 44..but oh my goodness, what a score i might have had.......and that's called golf...

i have not fallen off the face of the earth......

2011-06-28T20:05:00.000-04:00

...it just feels like it sometimes!!!! actually i have been doing lots of painting...but..alas.. not in my studio...in my bedroom!!!..since i was finaly allowed to update my bathroom...that led to a double coat of paint on all the woodwork, doors and windows in my bathroom, bedroom and study..all adjoining. i am completely done with EVERYTHING except the one wall of built-in bookshelves...and i can't decide if i want to paint the whole thing or just the fronts of everything, since the original color is an off-white and the new color is white white..it may be kind of fun to have a bit of contrast and i'm not sure i can take much more of this!! i NEED to get back to painting...in my studio!!!...on another note, i did paint some champagne glasses as a gift from our group for a young couple getting married in the fall...we had a couples' shower for them this past weekend which ended up to be a lovely event. and on yet another note, our group..(cindy, judy, sally and i) had the most magnificent time playing in our member/guest tournament today!!!.... the weather was spectacular...the food was wonderful...and we fricked and fracked our way to a win at two over par 74!! we actually shot a 34 on the front with three natural birdies..and a bogie...(BOO!)..but we got a bit full of ourselves or we may have actually been able to close it out at even par...the golf gods gave us a serious slap of humility, as we limped in, bogying two of the last three holes...ok..so we were tired and hungry...how do the pros do it for 4 straight days??? what fun though!! - and life is not just about painting...it's also about golf with your friends!! who's with me?????

Best of the Best Challenge...."Headin' Home"

2011-06-13T09:22:00.000-04:00

This is my submission for the "best of the best" challenge for the (www.dailypaintersinternationalartgallery.blogspot.com) ...a very simple painting, done years ago, sold years ago ( i have giclees available)...but i love it for a couple reasons..a couple of "firsts"...it was the first painting i ever did on linen...(WOW!!)..and the first where i used a limited pallette (ultramarine, yellow ochre, alizarin crimson plus white)...i love the design, the depth and this was the first time ( and i'm sure you guys know what i'm talking about)...where the painting just literally fell off my brush!..

plein aire paint out in columbus

2011-06-11T17:52:00.000-04:00

Millrace Park

11x14 oil on canvas panel

so there was an IPAPA paint out today - actually here in columbus - and i almost didn't make it..the weather was iffy...had stuff going on...but eventually headed down to the park. everyone else painted at the Irwin gardens and that would have been very fun but this was my effort for the day - at least i was outside and the paint was flowing!! this is a view of the white river from one of the overlooks in the park. i love the tree overhanging the water!

old abe challange

2011-06-10T21:04:00.000-04:00

Abe Lincoln challenge by Susie Gregory

6x6 oil on canvas panel

so the challenge here was to just use two colors and work on values. i used untramarine blue and burnt umber. i really needed to get my juices flowing again because i've been away for so long and i'm happy to get back at it!!

home from georgia...

2011-06-09T10:16:00.000-04:00

so we're finally home...and what a great time we had!! papper took us all on a shrimp trawler cruise...they showed us how they lower the nets and trawl the bottom for shrimp...and whatever else!!! each time they brought up the net and splashed the contents all over this table, there were at least 3 or 4 sharks, along with a billion other things...all of which my grandchildren actually held in their hot little hands!! very proud of themselves and very dirty and smelly at the end of the day!!..but so was I!!!!...we learned how to dehead shrimp with just our thumb and forfinger and tils, ols and i really got the hang of it. shrimp are scarse down south at the moment but we cought enough to each have a good heaping plateful which they had cooked up for us. what fun!!! of course we had to sit outside at dinner that night and hope the wind was blowing in the right direction!! and i'll be throwing those clothes away

heading south...

2011-05-31T06:47:00.000-04:00

the other day i was heading to my studio to paint. my hubby was working in the new bathroom...putting things in the brand new recessed medicine chests (love em!)...so i thought i'd change direction and paint in there. i'm talking woodwork. i got a really good start - the whole tub room, all the ceiling trim, one door, but then there's the room with the vanity which attaches to the bedroom with one wall of built-in (wooden) bookshelves, which attaches to the den.....in other words..i really have my work cut out for me! - and then golf has started..and then we leave tomorrow for the house in georgia where we will be barging in on our two daughters who have tandem weeks down there. but fun, fun, fun!! - i'm not taking my paints and i'm not even mixing paints because things will dry out by the time i get back. but we have an IPAPA paintout here in columbus the following saturday and i'll be dragging some buddies to that!! time to get back at it..next week..

power....

2011-05-26T19:37:00.000-04:00

we lost it..and then we got it back long enough to watch the final episode of IDOL...so happy for scotty...and then we lost it again..all night long...far into the morning....so we've been without power for a long, long time...we got slammed last night - possible tornadoes...lots and lots of trees uprooted but nothing...i'm telling you..NOTHING.. like we've seen in missouri or other places! - just a bad storm! thankfully!! at times like these, as we're cutting up the tree limbs fallen in our front yards, we thank our lucky stars and pray for all those people who've lost everything. heart-breaking, i'll tell you!...slowly putting the bathroom back together...bringing in lots of peonies and photographing them for future reference - don't have the time i need to do any painting justice right now...priorities, and all...the one above is a definite possibility...

value study...new challenge from carol marine

2011-05-24T15:39:00.000-04:00

so here's the latest daily paintworks challenge...a value study with one value being the"most", one value a bit less and one value just a "smidge"..in this case i went for the medium value being dominant with a bit less of dark value and the lightest value the smidge.

so this is my value study - i can see that the middle value doesn't read middle enough above...in the color study below, i tried to carry the value study through. it's a good and valuable tool - being able to make your values "read" - i think i need to go at this again after i get my bathroom a bit more in order...they delivered the granite top today and i am very excited!!

lemon meringue...

2011-05-22T17:22:00.000-04:00

30x24 oil on gallery wrap canvas

so here's my final painting for the sweetrose bakehouse...she gave us a whole pie so i've had a bunch of pieces and saved this one for the painting!! i may tweak it a bit as it's drying but i'm so happy to get back to the studio. i cut a bunch of peonies today so some flower paintings are definitely in my future

backyard rose

2011-05-19T16:24:00.000-04:00

6x6 oil on canvas panel
so here's the painting i did yesterday...i think i'm too distracted to do much justice to anything right now...they started to install my cabinet today - the granite top comes tuesday - there's much painting to do up there...but until i can get to that next week, maybe i can get something done in my studio. davey picked up a piece of lemon meringue pie today - i have one more big painting to do for the sweetrose bakehouse - hopefully tomorrow - or at least i can get a good picture of it if i can't paint it from life...if it's nice we may just have to golf!!!!!

working on a rose

2011-05-18T17:10:00.000-04:00

this is a rose from my backyard. i HAD to try and paint something for me today. i faux finished walls...i hand embellished two giclees for a client...after stretching them on very thick and difficult stretcher bars...(hrumph!)...and now i'm working on this rose- after seeing the photo, i'm not happy so i'll work some more tomorrow and post something then for sure. i thought i'd put a pic of the unfinished bathroom project up.

the lighting is terrible so you can't see the finish well..lots of bronze, copper, tealy green-blue, my vanity is being delivered tomorrow. you can see the chocolate brown tiles on the bathroom floor in the background. i've decided on white white wordwork...can't wait to get started on that. will i EVER get back to my studio???

too busy

2011-05-17T19:57:00.000-04:00

i've been busy faux-finishing my bathroom walls...painting...but not the sort i can post. maybe i'll take a pic tomorrow...and hope to get back to the studio soon!

yardwork!!

2011-05-10T17:07:00.000-04:00

i am knee deep... elbow deep...muddy...sore and tired. and not done!! i have my last tennis match tomorrow so i can finally get on with my summer - golf, gardening, painting - can't wait!! i am so excited about the birth of my good friends ben and ceebs very first grandchild - he will rock their world!!!!

"Lost in New York"

2011-05-09T09:03:00.000-04:00

5x7 oil on canvas panel
so here's another of the daily paintworks challenges..she's into her mobile device...cell phone? ipod? totally absorbed...thus the name.....i'm so behind on these - but little by little i'm sneaking up...i think mostly i'm trying to put off doing the self-portrait, which was last week's or maybe the week before. i have yet to attempt any of the challenges from the two new sites i'm on - http://www.dailypaintersinternationalartgallery.com/ and http://www.artistsinternationalgallery.com/ ..soon!!...got to get to the yard today!

"White Peonies..Blue Pot"

2011-05-08T16:47:00.000-04:00

6x6 oil on canvas panel
i finally got to do what i wanted for the whole day...it being mother's day and all...and i got to spend almost the whole day in my studio. i managed to fit in a scrumptious breakfast and lunch fixed by my hubby and a dog walk in the park but other than that, it was paint, paint paint!!! this is a little floral piece - i'll be taking this out to elsbury's with some other florals. i may be doing some fruits and veggies for them as well. i did another of the challenges i'm behind on and i'll most likely post that tomorrow. i'm working on a nude but i'm not sure it's done...have to take a break and see what i think....happy mother's day to all of us fabulous mothers all over the world!!!!

chicken challenge

2011-05-07T18:09:00.000-04:00

6x6 oil on canvas panel
so here's another of the daily paintworks challenges. i'm a bit behind in these - i think it started when we went to georgia and i couldn't paint as much as usual...we spring-cleaned the porch today and i worked in the front yard a bit - getting ready to have a super fantastical home made meatball and spaghetti dinner prepared by my wonderful hubby!

frosted mother's day cookie...

2011-05-05T18:02:00.000-04:00

i had to paint this!!!! and i know i didn't do it the justice it deserves because it's the end of a long day and i rushed a bit. but isn't this the coolest thing ever? the sweetrose bakehouse has a few left...they have some in green and they also have decorated purse cookies!!! i took a closeup picture of this and may have another go at it but i'm first gonna EAT it!!! on another note.... we had such a nice day - i joined my friends cindy, phyllie and sukey at the new "Millie's" lunch spot at elsbury's greenhouse. after many years, gorden and family have retired and it's under new ownership..kim mckinley and husband and daughter and son-in-law and other miscellaneous rels...such a wonderful spot to visit...and they even have PLANTS!!!!! if you haven't been there in a while, i highly recommend it!!! very user friendly and kim has lots more surprises in the works!!

busy with other stuff...

2011-05-04T14:39:00.000-04:00

i haven't had much time to paint in the last few days...working on bathroom remodel stuff and trying to get a bit more organized around here. i have been asked by K Madison Moore (http://www.kmadisonmoore.blogspot.com/) to consider joining two sites, Daily Painters International Art Gallery and International Artist's Gallery. check it out by clicking on the widgets at the right! i think this will be a good thing and i am hoping that joining forces with other artists from around the world will be stimulating, exciting and, hopefully, eventually profitable. this will take some doing to set up and i'm trying to squeeze it in among my other chores and projects and parties. got to get ready now for a plate-painting party in honor of my friend margaret. anytime one of us turns 60 we gather and each of us paints an individual plate so she'll have a set of 8 or sometimes 9. margaret is a teensy bit past 60 but somehow missed out on her stack of plates. of course this always involves wine....we have too much fun!!

getting closer...

2011-05-01T18:20:00.000-04:00

so i have been working and working on this...since the glass of milk is a cylinder..it needs to look like a cylinder...tough to do...i'm almost there. i've been dashing up and down from my studio...watching the golf playoffs and thinking i'm done with the piece and then seeing that i'm not quite done..and dashing back up! at the moment bubba and webb simpson are dead even after the first playoff hole. i love playoffs!

more of george's...

2011-04-29T18:09:00.000-04:00

so i worked a bit on this yesterday...browned up the cookies a bit and added a bit of background..actually it looks as if i've painted the milk white but that's only the white of the canvas - i didn't do an underpainting for this one..unusual for me. i think i was so excited to get going on it, i just plum forgot!...bob anderson's stillframes is moving tomorrow so i had to get all my stuff out of there today...i ran into my good buddies kendal and linda as i was arriving and they were leaving. many thanks to them for taking the time to stop in to see the work. i'll be taking a bunch of the new stuff to the galleries in indy next week and, after a bit more yard work, it's back to my studio - i'm excited to get back at it!!!

sneaking up on "george's" cookies...

2011-04-27T17:53:00.006-04:00

so i promised rose (sweet rose bakehouse, 16th and home) i would do another large-ish painting for her bare walls. the great big cupcake will go in there either friday or saturday and we need another one or maybe even two paintings for the space. i have discovered "george's cookies"...an unbelieveable concoction with white chocolate, macadamia nuts, dried cranberries, nuts... gorgeous and to die for!!! i am trying to do them justice and it may take some doing. i can see now that i've photographed the piece that they need to be a bit more toasty brown colored....the thing is...i need to finish this because they won't last forever! - each time when i finish working i cover them with plastic wrap so i know they'll still be good. rose doesn't sell anything a day old - several weeks ago i begged her for some cookies because i had my grands coming and she was closing and said she had none - but she GAVE me a few because she wasn't going to sell them...how cool is that???...a break from the rain today but it's COLD!!...there may be time for a bit more yard work.

sisters....

2011-04-27T17:45:00.003-04:00

so today i worked in the yard...we had a bit of a respite from the rain and i thought the weeds would just pop right out...not so much!...i'm working on another great big painting for rose's bakehouse and i'll post that tomorrow but for today i thought i'd post these two little studies i did of sisters...they have two brothers that i have yet to get to...my bad...i'm taking down the exhibit at stillframes on friday. i was thrilled to have the opportunity and i've had so much positive feedback...lots of fun!!

back home again...in indiana????

2011-04-25T14:26:00.002-04:00

oh my mercy!!! the rain!!! - we actually were a bit nervous about the trip home..last year at this time we almost got stuck in the flooding in nashville...but the trip was fairly uneventful, other than 3 wrecks and some awfully ominous skies. but the rain!!!! our poor doggies are going stir crazy - they want to go out but then they don't - and of course nellie won't leave my side - she HATES rain and thuunder! so we're in the middle of our bathroom remodel, stuff all over, no mail yet for some reason and i have many, many chores to attend to...so no painting til i get caught up. hope that will be soon!!!

big storm...

2011-04-21T20:43:00.002-04:00

we're watching IDOL and the hail is falling, the dogs are shaking, the dogs are barking, the house is swaying...but...hey - we're on vacation! we played the brunswick country club today..about 200 yards shorter than harrison and a fun course...i shot an 82 but my hubby shot a 78..and we're always battling to see who wins...what fun!! and a wonderful dinner with some great edna valley chard...and almost time to go home. i'm bringing all my paintings home for my galleries in indy. the island is struggling at the moment..some of the galleries will be closing..so we'll see what happens this year. can't wait to get on to the next event!!!!!

another beach painting...

2011-04-20T09:10:00.005-04:00

here's another beach painting. i ran across the cutest kids a couple days ago and managed to get a few pics of them....this is the result...and i'm sorry for the poor quality of the photograph - i don't have my tripod here and the lighting isn't the best. i took some more photos yesterday and i think i have some good possibilities but i won't be able to tackle them til after i get back to indiana...no more time for things to dry...so i'm packing up my paints and i'm going to concentrate on golf for the next 3 days. then home. rats!

2011-04-19T14:11:00.002-04:00

for some reason the arrangement of my posts has changed - i'll try and get it back where it was but until then...this is a little beach baby i painted yesterday and today. we took a long walk with the girls and i got lots of good pix for future painting fodder!..no golf today but we may hit balls - just reveling in the relaxation and the sunshine..(i hear it's nasty back home in indiana!)

did some painting today...

2011-04-18T20:24:00.003-04:00

since i'm on vacation, it's more about golfing than painting...our couples' trip is over...we had such fun as usual... and i had a chance to get at some painting this morning before golf...hope to post some paintings tomorrow...this is a picture of a wonderful par three at the frederica golf course where we played yesterday. we played the plantation course today and we're heading to someplace new tomorow...isn't vacation fun????

having fun!!!..workshop painting and some views from our place

2011-04-15T09:53:00.004-04:00

so here's one of the paintings i did in the douglas david workshop...very bright colors - suited much better to florals - this is also a view of the ocean from our upstairs porch...we are having a great time - two days of golf under our belts - a big pizza party here last night and more golf on tap for today...can't wait!!

been a while..

2011-04-10T12:56:00.004-04:00

it's not that i haven't been painting...along with my friends nan and carolyn, i took a workshop in martinsville yesterday with douglas david...my second with him and it was great! - i'll probably post the paintings i did. this new palette is much more condusive to florals than landscapes, at least in my hands! we're getting ready to head to georgia tomorrow and i have so much to do. they will possibly be starting my bathroom remodel while we're gone and i have to clear that out. meanwhile, i wanted to post some pics of my show at stillframes. i'll try and get bob to email me a few pics of the opening. for now, here's the way it looks! my painting of elizabeth and the big cupcake and the butler homage are all in the window!

thanks to everyone!!

2011-04-02T10:31:00.003-04:00

12x4 oil on gallerywrap canvas - another ireland painting..inspired by my friend johnny

oh my goodness!! what a nice time!!! and what a nice turnout!!! - i was nervous to begin with and then my good friend sally from indy walked through the door and from then on it was all good!!...i can't begin to list the people who showed up - mike and judy, john and nan, karl, linda, janeann and fred, tom and sandy, leanne and mike, jen and tillie, jif and gabby, nancy, carol, eris,bobbie, judy, bob and nancy..and i'm just getting started....can't possibly name them all...thanks to everyone!!!!!...and now it's back to work and the real world!! - hitting the garage tomorrow, according to my hubby...yikes!!

thanks to danny....

2011-04-01T15:01:00.003-04:00

12x4 oil on gallerywrap canvas

i got a wonderful shoutout from danny dakich (he'll always be danny to me....even though you know him as dan dakich on espn tv and his radio show on 1070the fan. i emailed him a photo of "the butler way" and he really seemd to like it and mentioned it on his show - what could be better, i ask you???...i think i'm ready for tonight - working on some extra food as i'm writing this - i'm posting one of the small paintings from ireland.....my friend karl teeing off...

two dog night...

2011-03-31T17:55:00.003-04:00

well - we celebrated ruby's 7 month birthday by having a sleepover!! - we brought her crate up to our room earlier this week and, after some play time, bedded her down each night...and she was such a good girl! - we took away the squeeky toy the second night and got a better sleep...so last night we decided, after she romped around on the bed and then settled down with nels...maybe we'd let her stay! and stay she did...and she was a good girl...but i don't think there's any turning back now! she is one smart puppy and she intends to spend every night from now on nestled somewhere between our leggers and her big sister - my goodness...what have we done???...on another note, i think i'm finally ready for the opening tomorrow - spent the afternoon down at the gallery, helping set up - i took a few pics of some things i forgot to photograph here so i'm not sure about the quality - here's my painting entitled "the butler way"....go dawgs!!!!

OH..MY..MERCY!!!!!!!

2011-03-30T09:49:00.002-04:00

"Big Poppies" 36x12 oil on gallerywrap canvas here's another of the paintings i did recently...one i really like..and i just got a phone call from my daughter boogie...telling me she loved the "elizabeth" painting and did i realize i said "gone with the wind" was my favorite movie of all time!! - oh man... yes i said that and yes i know elizabeth taylor was NOT in that movie..it was vivien leigh, for crimeny sakes...but i may have had a glass of wine or something..or maybe my mind and memory just went out the window...wow!...anyway...just wanted to clear that up!... i'm getting ready to haul a big bunch of stuff down to bob's stillframes gallery and then home to work some more on the butler painting. when i photographed it this morning, as so often happens, the camera catches something i miss so it's back to work for me!

bobby flay..where are you?

2011-03-29T19:45:00.002-04:00

i just had, without a doubt, the best meatballs and spaghetti...the ABSOLUTE best warm spinach salad i ever tasted....and all here in my own home.... i'm tellin' ya...MY BOY CAN COOK!!!!!!!

"Pears"

2011-03-29T14:46:00.002-04:00

4x12 oil on gallery wrap canvas here's a very small piece for the show - i've been so busy today - and i think i'm actually ahead of schedule. the problem is, i still have ideas in my head for paintings but i don't think anything else will dry so i may have to call it a day. i still have tons to do - but i'm getting very excited! hope somebody shows up! tomorrow i'll post this big butler painting i did - sort of a leroy nieman sort of dealie...

butler homage.....

2011-03-28T20:09:00.003-04:00

i can't post it yet but it will be dry tomorrow - sort of a leroy neiman-esque basketball painting...done in acrylic...honoring butler of course and their amazing run...not over yet, hopefully...i think i may have to be done painting for the opening on friday - nothing i do from here on in will dry, i'm thinking..unless i have time to do a bit of acrylic stuff...but there's much to do to prepare - framing, catalogueing,(?), organizing food and drink...i'm getting very excited...just hope some people can get away for a bit to join us...

my homage to elizabeth...

2011-03-27T19:40:00.003-04:00

24x18, oil on gallery wrap canvas

....we share the name elizabeth...her first name, my middle name...but she was something, wasn't she??...she had violet eyes and i'm not sure they come through on this photograph but violet they are... she had 7 husbands and eight marriages..(she married richard burton twice...couldn't help herself, if you remember)...i heard years ago the reason she kept getting married was because she wouldn't sleep with anyone she wasn't married to and she was a very passionate person...can you imagine that philosophy in today's society? how refreshing!! and a bit whacky..i loved gone with the wind..i think my favorite movie of all time..and the original father of the bride..although we love the steve martin version around here...(that's an-i-mal..... armani don't make no blue tux-ah-do......)...anyway - i wanted to do this painting in memory of this grand old dame - reminds us all that we must be getting a bit older and i hate to think that way...i swear i'm getting younger...at least that's my story and i'm sticking with it....

the puppies were a hit!!!

2011-03-27T09:07:00.002-04:00

i was able to present the puggle painting yesterday...and i think she really like it!! - she welled up pretty good!..and that's always a good sign!! planning to spend the whole day upstairs and maybe i'll be able to post something later.

"home-made"...painting for japan

2011-03-25T19:35:00.002-04:00

6x6 original oil on canvas panel

so i managed to get this done today. it's for the japanese relief effort and i encourage you to go to the daily paintworks website (www.dailypaintworks.com), click on the challenge and bid on one or more of the fine pieces of art you'll find there...it's for a very good cause and all the money raised goes to help the displaced japanese people. this piece is a smaller version of a very large piece i did for the upcoming show and, provided it doesn't sell during the run of the show, it will then hang in the sweet rose bakehouse. i spent much of the day doing mundane stuff...cleaning up after my very bad puppy...she's now tearing up stuffing and chewing up plastic bim bags but she's still a good little girl...sort of...spent a good bit of time doing necessary promotion for the show next friday and then jen came over for a much needed game of rummy - we were both so ready!!! i'll be able to paint some in the morning and then it's up to indy for a baby shower and on to see our new IU recruit in the high school basketball finals. kokomo's in it, my hubby's alma mater and he's very excited, to say the least!

i need a name...

2011-03-25T10:29:00.003-04:00

36x12 oil on gallery wrap canvas

i didn't get this cropped very well and i don't have a name for it yet - it was hard to get it to stand up straight but i think you can get the idea...it's dry enough to carry around and possibly by later today i can varnish it. there are more up there that are still too wet. i need to work on my painting for the japan relief today. hope to get to that when my chores are done!

reallly getting excited!!

2011-03-24T18:49:00.002-04:00

just have a moment to post something...i can't post any paintings because everything is wet but i'm having a wonderful time and doing some very fun stuff...(at least phyllie likes it...)..all in preparation for my show that opens one week from tomorrow!!!! i am freaking out.....

high rollers...big winners!!!!

2011-03-20T17:19:00.003-04:00

10x20 original oil on gallery wrap canvas - NFS

home from our trip and are we ever happy to be back! - we had to sit through a two and a half hour presentation - they wanted us to spring for a time share condo - to the tune of 17% interest...can you say...what?"??!!?? - who did they think they were kidding?? - probably most of the potential suckers they had filing in and out of there. they actually brought in two different closers and when they finally got it that we weren't interested...they were over us so fast and couldn't wait to get us out of there and on to the next fool!!...but we did have a good time in the sports book - couldn't stay in there for too long at a time because of the crowds and the smoke...but it was fun to have a little action on the games. i'm happy and proud to say we won $1100.00!!!!!! - and yes, all we had to spend to win that amount was $1000.00!!! and the only thing that saved our butts was a four-fecta we had on yesterday's games - we won florida, uconn, butler and san diego state...and they all had to win for us to win this particular bet. we're doing some virtual gambling on today's games and thank heaven we aren't using real money!! - the thing is...you may have picked the team that wins but they have to cover the point spread or you lose your bet, even though they win the game. BIG lesson for moi!!!...but we had fun and had some great food and saw this fabulous show called mystere - a cirque de soleil show - fantastical, to say the least!! - so now it's home and on to my show ...but first i had to do a little puggle painting for our dear friends' first grandchild. i have some other stuff drawn and looking forward to tomorrow. there's a new challenge from the daily painters i hope to get to - it's a fund raiser for the disaster effort going on in japan. all the paintings will (hopefully) be auctioned off and the proceeds go to the efforts. so i'm encouraging all who read this to go to the site and buy something - maybe mine?? - when i do it?? for now, i'll post these little puggles.

sweet rose's bakehouse

2011-03-16T08:19:00.002-04:00

one more thing....yesterday i stopped in at rose's to chat about the art i will be doing for her walls. jen met me there so tils and ollie could have a sweet. when i arrived tillie was digging in to the most gorgeous-looking thing i'd ever seen. it was coconut cream pie and i swear it had a 5 inch meringue on top!! of course i had a bite and it was the best i ever tasted!!! i mean the best! - and then there are the cookies...i love "george's" the best - chock full of good things! anyway - for you locals, it's just been open for 2 weeks and it's located at 16th and home avenue, in the old "terra cotta" building. i'm telling you....good people and good sweets!!!!!