we did it!

i can't believe we actually played today... mid fifties, raining the whole day...wind chill felt like 30..but we came to play golf!! i started off bogie par and then i doubled and then i quit keeping score..as they advise you to do here!...i it got really dangerous when our hands were so wet and so numb that the club kept flying out of our hands! learned a lot about playing in the rain today...what you need to be prepared...most of which we didn't have! - guest services will dry our rain suits but for everything else we're on our own - right now our clubs are all leaning up against the wall..toweled off the grips as best we could..we're drinking a beer and heading to the sauna!! - hope it gets better tomorrow!

out of towners....

we're HERE!!!!!!!...a fourteen hour trip...with so many screw-ups..starting with my almost not getting our boarding passes..then davey wrenched his newly fixed shoulder getting my bag out of the car - then i was 4 pounds over at the airport...(never tell me to use the big suitcase...) then there weren't enough seats in the boarding area so we sat on the floor...quick flight to chicago..(no prob)..then a 4+ hour flight to portland and to have enough room, we went all the way to the back of the plane - a nice seat between us...didn't look like the plane would be full....when all of a sudden 22 screaming, shouting, giggling, ipod-wearing teen-age girls came streaming on the plane...several basketball teams from a chicago high school on their way to camp.......just when we thought we had it made!! and of course - the biggest one ended up sitting with us - we gave her the window - she kept turning around and kneeling - looming over me to chat with her buds...eventually she calmed down and fell asleep...finally made it and got our luggage with no problem - davey rented a car...the car from hell...we couldn't figure out how to work the seats, the key, the gear shift...it's sort of an automatic-shifting sort of thing...but the drive from portland to bandon was worth all the trouble!!!  absolutely awesome - especially the drive from route 5 over to the coast...we drove along the Umpqua river much of the time and the views were spectacular...the road was a joy to drive - nothing like the ones in indiana - anyway - we arrived safely and ended up having a very late meal - the portions are huge so we learned a lesson there.  the good news:  we got here just in time for a cold wave from alaska!!! - it's not pouring today but a steady drizzle but that is not stopping the folks from golfing. (check out the view from our window..those are actual unbrellas out there!) our tee time is 12:30 and we plan to play!!!  as we keep telling each other.."we're on an adventure!!"...i hope the sun comes out a little so i can take some good pix - i brought my watercolors because we'll have mornings to relax - since this is a walking only course, we'll get plenty of exercise...maybe we'll actually eat all our dinner tonight!!!

heading out

yesterday was BIG!!!!!  davey's last day in the ER...he's finally graduated!!!!!!..i had already planned to play in sally's guest day so i wasn't here when he got home....  had a minor meltdown before golf...but pulled myself together and did all right - we didn't win but we played with some lovely gals and enjoyed lunch afterwards..it was a two man best ball out of the foursome and we each bought 2 mulligans - i used one on a putt and one on a drive - hit one ball in the water - shot an 86 - but not really a true score! - packing up our clubs and heading out tomorrow.  they tell us we shouldn't even keep score at bandon - it will distract from the scenery - i'm taking my computer and plan to post some of the pics..i'm taking my watercolors and maybe i'll paint and maybe i won't but i sure hope i can!!!

home-made bread

12x12 oil on gallery wrap canvas

there was this lovely family next to me - they have a booth all summer and i highly recommend them! - i just wish i could remember their name...i hope they contact me so i can tell you later!  anyway - the children were so well behaved and pleasant ..very accomplished...josiah was about to head to indy and put on a tux in the dreadful heat to sing in a choir...the younger girls also sang and they all did daily chores on their farm as well as being home-schooled.  anyway - i bought two of their breads - the one was called a ladder bread with bacon and cheese - yum! and i can't remember the other! - i should have written it down and i should have taken a photo of the setup - i think it would be fun to do another painting with a dark background with the bread on a breadboard...anyway - it was a lovely day and i saw so many people i haven't seen in a while...and it was a good opportunity to paint - something that's been at a premium this summer.  getting ready to leave for indy on wednesday and then fly out for oregon early thursday morning.  i'm getting ready to review my golf lesson right now and then head to indy tomorrow for a guest day with my good friend sally.  can i get any busier??????  we did have a lovely father's day celebration here and the aftermath of our wing-dings is always huge! - since jen did all the cooking i wouldn't let her help in any of the cleanup...but it's always fun to reminisce as i work...so no worries...

red gerbers

6x6 oil on panel

so i set up at the downtown farmer's market saturday morning.  my plan was to purchase something from one of the vendors and then do a small painting.  i took some of my smaller things along and had a lot of nice compliments but no takers...maybe i should have mentioned that i take master card and visa?...anyway - this is the first painting i  did..a little batch of gerber daisies...lots of thick paint and it isn't dry yet! i did another which i'll try and post before i leave.

i'm excited

ok  - so i haven't been painting but i've been getting ready for golf - my lesson is kicking in and i'm ready for the dunes!! - just found out i will have a spot in our local farmer's market this saturday.  i plan to set up and paint!!!! maybe something i purchase from one of the vendors?...we'll see...but i have to take my stuff over to the Venue in bloomington tomorrow so all of a sudden life is getting very busy...all of a sudden??????

my bad....

i feel so bad - it's not that i haven't been painting..i have..a bit...i entered three paintings in the IHA exhibition..none of which got it..again...and i was very bummed for about 24 hours and then i decided to move on..it's summer and it's all about golf because in one week we head to bandon dunes in oregon to celebrate my hubby's "graduation" from the ER...and we need to practice!!! - i will make every effort to post SOMETHING here in the next week..but i guess i'm not much of a summer painter...life is too short, what with golf, grand kids' sporting events, lake visits, dog walks, and, of course, golf........(p.s....just for fun i posted one of my favs...a mary cassatt...and i do love it!)

"Whole Bunch of Crabs!"

24x24 oil on gallery wrap canvas

i have been so busy, i haven't had time to post anything...this is a crab painting i did for the house...plus, i've been busy getting giclees stretched and hand-embellished.  our new rental agent wants to advertise our cottage as "an art gallery on the beach" and have all originals and prints (giclees) on the walls and have the renters purchase something if they like.  bit of a wild idea but i'm there!! who knows!! - anyway - i left a bunch of stuff down there...then sent several with mike and judy and then sent two boxes full with boogs and greg.  i'll have over fifty pieces in all.  we've also been busy recovering furniture, ordering bunk beds, ..the floors will be refinished, there will be painting done...all to get the place a bit more user friendly...here's a link to see the ad: http://www.vrbo.com/417633 ..i'm offering this painting as a hand-embellished giclee - gallery wrapped and ready to hang.  fun, huh? $260.00

Windy Day at the Beach

6x6 oil on panel

here's another little painting i left down on the island, at Simon's on mallery in the village.  home again and ready to get back at it - you should see the yard!!!! yikes!!
$275.00

today's effort

8x10 oil on canvas

so it's been a while... our couples' trip is over and we had a great time! - but no time for painting!! - this is a blue crab that i'm working on...these are very unusual creatures...and you run across them on the beach once in a while...they really scare the dogs!...today on our walk, i met a gorgeous young man named sebastion...he reminded me so much of my grandson oliver...and then down the beach we saw a little guy who looked just like joe!!...some good painting fodder for when i get home!!

"Ready for Takeoff"

6x6 oil on panel

so this is a small painting i did yesterday - i'm not really sure which one of the many types of birds this is...probably not a pelican?..i'll look into it...meanwhile today we get back to golf..if the weather holds, that is...they don't call these the "golden isles" for nuttin'!!

in georgia

6x6 oil on panel

so here' another georgia sea turtle...since i'm here, i thought i'd do another couple for this one antique store/gallery down here. we were supposed to golf today but my hubby was under the weather so i did three small paintings...i'll post them later this week.  we have our good friends coming in tomorrow and it will be all about golf...so no painting but i hope to find time to post.

been a while...i have been so busy...

i really have nothing to post in the way of paintings...been busy with lots of other stuff...gearing up to watch the masters and just got some great news!! - my hubby texted danny dakich to see if he would give me a player...(he always gives players away before major events and if you win you have a chance to come in and co-host with him)...anyway - he gave me martin kaymer...who was world #1 for about 35 seconds a couple years ago...it's always fun to root for someone!!  not that i would have to courage to actually co-host with danny if martin wins!!! - pouring down rain today so our golf plans have changed...going to spend the afternoon in my studio...maybe i'll have something to post one of these days!!

this is emma...

6x6 oil on panel

so this is emma - another in my "grand" project...i may do a larger painting of this...we'll see

tomorrow

this weekend was all about basketball and yardwork!! - i promise to post something tomorrow...i did do a small study of one of my friend's grands....

the duckpond...

6x6 oil on panel

this is another painting done from one of my father's old black and white photos...there was a duckpond in leeper park near our home in south bend.  we spent a lot of time there, feeding the ducks, having fun...i painted this on the day daddy would have turned 96.  i  may get to the studio today - i've been doing yard work but it's pouring down rain so....

babe on the beach...revisited

11x14 oil on canvas

so i worked a little bit more on this...i wasn't happy with the strong horizontal line in the background and wanted to make it more melodic...i think i like this a lot better!

chicago in the rain

10x8 oil on panel

this is another painting done from one fo my father's old black and white photos..i had to dream up some color for this...

babe on the beach

11x14 oil canvas

this is a larger version of a little 6x6 i did a year of so ago...this could maybe by anybody's little beach baby, don't you think?...we are celebrating the hoosiers' victory over VCU last night...felt like we were the underdogs the whole game!...what a thrill for those guys!!!

alden...i think...

6x6 oil on panel

so this is my friend sally's grand..one of them...and i think this one is alden...i didn't have a very close view of his face so i'm hoping i captured the little guy!...(and i'm sure if i got the name wrong she'll let me know pronto!!!)

lolly's girls...

8x10 oil on prepared panel

so i've had this image for a while...actually my friend alex sent it in a christmas card and i knew i was going to have to paint it sooner or later!...i kind of like it...

Grand Canyon Ride

8x10 oil on panel

this is a painting of the scary ride down the pathways of grand canyon.  years ago we visited this glorious place with our dear friends tim and katie - we WALKED down...i was not about to trust my life to a horse or a burro...even though they say it's the safest way to go down...uh.uh!!!!

Home from Church

10x8 oil on panel

so this is interesting.  my physician father died in 1971. he was an avid photographer...darkroom on the third floor - pans of developer and toner..smelly stuff..but i loved to watch him work...black and white images magically appearing out of sloshing pans..hung up to dry...he had so many photos -i've had this photo for years - probably taken on a trip to europe with my mom...i had to dream up my own color of course..but he had a great eye and sense of composition....i wasn't sure if i wanted to add the cross but then decided to be true to the idea of the thing..i'll post a better picture after i decide if i'm done!

Caydence

6x6 oil on panel

this beautiful child is the great grand daughter of my dear friends tim and katie...between them, they have about a bazillion grands...i'm thinking they will keep me very busy with my project!!!



16x12 oil on stretched canvas

so here's that bad boy...yet again...i needed a bit more of a melodic line on his left side (our right) and i think with the added lights and darks and this newest change, i think i'm liking him a bit better!!

it's good to be the king...revisited...

16x12 oil on stretched canvas

so i revisited my lion friend...he needed to fit better in his space with a better value arrangement. i darkened some of the background while lightening other areas.  now..looking at this, i can see something else i need to change...more tomorrow...



little gianna....

24x18 oil on stretched canvas

so this is gianna...for some reason i called her gabby when i posted this in progress...but i know this is gianna...she's a delightful and funny child...really gonna break some hearts one day!...i think i'm finished...i haven't put this into photoshop yet - i may tinker a bit with it but maybe not...



"Lyla Jane"

6x6 oil on prepared panel

so this is lyla jane...not faison...as i announced earlier...she has a very special look and i'm hoping i captured it...i was working on a panel of masonite that i prepared with a couple layers of gesso - not sure about the surface...

"It's Good to be the King"

16x12 oil on stretched canvas

so here's my lion...i came across this bad bay the other day in my studio and i got real excited...i really wanted to paint him!!..and i just love this!! - don't know what i'll do with him but i had a lot of fun painting this gorgeous beast!!! ..i delivered carolyn's painting of ethan today - she seemed very happy and that's the whole point of this "grand" project!!

"Catch of the Day"

6x6 oil on prepared board

so this is a small painting i'm donating to my high school..of all things...they're finally moving and having a big fund raiser which i won't be able to attend.  so i thought this might do.  actually i love this image and i may do another larger painting down the road.

Ethan...

6x6 oil on prepared panel

so this is my friend carolyn's grandson, ethan.  what a cutie pie! - i've been working on getting some of these finished - i have a family of four kids - their mom bought my donation to last year's kids commons fundraiser...and it's already this year and another fundraiser has come and gone and, since she wanted all her kids painted, i decided i'd better get it accomplished.  the girls were done long ago and i've been working on the boys - she said "no hurry" ..but you really can't say that to me, can you...



gianna...in progress...

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

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

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

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"

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"

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

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

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!

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

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...

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

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

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"

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...

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.....

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..

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!!