Does My Butt Look Fat in These Feathers?

“Inspiration usually comes during work, rather than before it.”
– Madeleine L’Engle



Does My Butt Look Fat in These Feathers?
Watercolor & Sharpie

My husband named this painting.  Isn’t he witty?  I painted some simple little birds a couple weeks ago, just to have fun and practice birds.  I really enjoyed it.  As you may have noticed,  if you were reading this blog a couple years ago, I did a series of 24 birds for an exchange once.  I’m guessing you may not be ready to see another 24 of anything from me, after just getting through the frog series. 

As soon as I dig myself out of the pile of sign work I came back to, I am going to do some more original paintings.  I’ll share these little birds in the meantime.  Thanks so much for coming by and visiting my blog.  You make my day!

About Madeleine L’Engle

American author Madeleine L’Engle is best known for her young adult novels (including the Newberry Medal winner A Wrinkle in Time), which weave science and fantasy into sprightly adventure tales. She was born in New York in 1918. After her marriage to actor Hugh Franklin, they opened a general store and raised three children in a New England town. She has written more than 40 books. She spent her last years in New York as the librarian and writer-in-residence at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. She died in 2007.

Giggle Fish Pattern

“Hope is not a dream, but a way of making dreams become reality.”
– Cardinal Leon Joseph Suenens

Yeah!!!



Giggle Fish Pattern

This is one of the patterns I took to Atlanta.  What a great experience!  I met  so many people and came home with some incredible opportunities.   One of my best leads wants to see my flamingos in high top tennies.  Is life great, or what? 

So much to do and so little time.  My flight instructor is already calling to set up flight times and my sign shop is completely in need of my full attention.  I am so lucky to be me and have all the opportunities before me.    I better get to it.   Have a great day!

About Cardinal Leon Joseph Suenens

Cardinal Leon Joseph Suenens played a major leadership role during the Second Vatican Council in the early 1960′s; his reforms include reciting the liturgy in modern languages, expanding the role of laypersons, and opening a dialogue with other religions. He was born in 1904 in Brussels. Wealthy relatives wanted him to study economics and manage their fortune, but instead he entered the priesthood. He was witty and charming, with an enthusiasm for soccer. He died in 1996.

Frog Collection – Product Mock Ups

“Be happy. It’s one way of being wise.”
– Colette



Frog Collection
Mock Ups for Art Licensing

For all of the art I’m taking to Atlanta, I have done these mock up pages, showing what the art may look like on their products.  This one is pretty simple, because I didn’t make any patterns, icons or borders for the frogs.    I found myself running out of time and getting everything into Photoshop CS5 is very time consuming.  I am taking 16 collections and some loose art, along with my new brochures and business cards.

Now, if they just don’t cancel my flight and my hotel is still open.  *sigh*  It’s a good thing I am taking my sense of humor with me. 

See you on Monday!

About Colette

Colette was the pen name of Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, the French author acclaimed for her intimate, lyrical novels, including Chéri and The Vagabond. Born in Burgundy in 1873, she moved to Paris in 1893 when she married Henri “Willy” Gauthier-Villars, who locked her in a room and demanded that she write. After their divorce, she became a music-hall performer and continued to write. During World War I, she converted her second husband’s estate into a hospital for the wounded. She died in 1954.

Sunnie Louise - Frog Painting

“Be a first rate version of yourself, not a second rate version of someone else.”
– Judy Garland



Sunnie Louise
2.5″ x 3.5″ Watercolor & Gouache on Art Spectrum Colourfix

Today, it’s much easier navigating around southeast Oklahoma.  I wish the same could be said for Atlanta!  What a mess!  I’d like to think it’ll all be cleared up before I get there, Thursday, but it’s not looking too promising.  They are not supposed to be above freezing until Thursday.  (The big adventure continues.)  I am meeting another artist for dinner Thursday night that is driving from Charolette, NC, and they got 5 inches of snow.  I hope she can still make it.  Mother nature is giving us some interesting challenges to overcome, but I am still excited!

About Judy Garland

Beloved American actress Judy Garland will always be associated with her role as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. She was born Frances Gumm in Minnesota in 1922 to vaudevillian parents. She made her stage debut at age two and a half. She starred in 26 films over 13 years and became a huge star. In 1950, MGM ended her contract. Though she primarily gave concerts after that, she did star in a few more films, including her famed role in A Star Is Born. She died in 1969.

Squeaky - Frog Painting

“Action is the antidote to despair.”
– Joan Baez



Squeaky
2.5″ x 3.5″ Watercolor ATC

Snow…  1-2″ cripples the area I live in.  I’m not sure I have ever seen a snow plow in my neck of the woods.  I finally got to work about 11:45 am.    Of course, my straight uphill 500 foot driveway was the main culprit.  After I scaled that, the rest was easy.  It did give me the opportunity to paint for a couple hours this morning.  Red poppies.

Have a great day!

About Joan Baez

American singer Joan Baez, known for her clear soprano and her belief in music as a tool for change, is widely considered the godmother of modern folk-rock. She was born in New York in 1941. She is an ardent activist, working for civil rights, nonviolence, and worker’s rights. She received the ACLU’s Earl Warren Award for her commitment to international human rights and, at the 2007 Grammy’s, was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Her music includes the chart-topping version of “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” and the album Diamonds and Rust. She has one son.

Speckles - Frog Painting

“Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson



Speckles
2.5″ x 3.5″ Watercolor and Gouache ATC

I painted this little dude on Art Spectrum Colourfix paper, which is usually used for pastels.  I use my gouache kinda thick and it feels wonderful on the paper.  It takes more coats to obtain the opaqueness on the dark paper, and I mix watercolor pigment in with the gouache for the colors I want.  It’s fun!

Have a great weekend! 

About Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson helped spark the transcendentalist movement with the essay Nature, which described his belief in the spiritual essence of humanity and the natural world. He was born in Boston in 1803. He was a Unitarian minister until he resigned in 1832 to become a philosopher and writer. He suffered the untimely deaths of many of his loved ones: three brothers, his first wife at age 20, and his eldest son at age five. Emerson died in 1882.

Skippy - Frog Painting

“Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat.”
– F. Scott Fitzgerald

What a great Quote!  It’s that type of thinking that has kept me flying. 




Skippy
2.5″ x 3.5″ Watercolor

I can be fairly certain that I made up this froggie’s coloring.  I just really love purple critters.  he he he

I did much better on my instrument training yesterday, so I’m going to do it again today, then fly around by myself for a while.  How fun is that?  It’s going to be 59 degrees and sunny!  If the plane didn’t cost so much per hour, I’d fly all day! 

About F. Scott Fitzgerald

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, who wrote as F. Scott Fitzgerald, is best known for his novel The Great Gatsby. He was born in St. Paul in 1896. Fear of mortality spurred him to write the novel This Side of Paradise while in the Army. It was rejected twice by Scribner’s before they finally published it. His wife Zelda’s schizophrenia was the basis for his novel Tender Is the Night. After they separated, he moved to Los Angeles and wrote screenplays for studio films. He died in 1940.

Ralphie - Frog Painting

“The art of living lies less in eliminating our troubles than in growing with them.”
– Bernard Baruch



Ralphie
2.5″ x 3.5″ Watercolor & Gouache ATC

He seems to be saying, “so… you look like you have  never seen a frog pee before? Would you mind?”  he he he

I’m heading to Muskogee in a few minutes to fly.  I am doing the part of my training where they put special glasses on you so that you can’t see out of the plane.  You fly by the instruments only and it is really disorienting.  I still need 1.5 hours of it and they just have you do it 30 minutes at a time.  Not my favorite part of flight training.  I’ve already done 1.5 hours and it’s not getting easier.  Maybe today, it’ll click.  

See you tomorrow!  *wave*

About Bernard Baruch

The American financier and unofficial presidential adviser Bernard Baruch was known as the “Park Bench Statesman” for his penchant for taking meetings on park benches. He was born in 1870 in South Carolina. By the time he was 30, he had become a millionaire. During World War I, Woodrow Wilson asked Baruch’s advice on economic issues, which began a long-term relationship with the White House. He refused to become Treasury Secretary in FDR’s cabinet, preferring his unofficial role. He died in 1965.

Petunia - Frog Painting

“The only certain means of success is to render more and better service than is expected of you, no matter what your task may be.”
–Og Mandino



Petunia
2.5″ x 3.5″ Watercolor or Strathmore Textured Paper
 
Don’t ask me where I came up with the names for these frogs, but she does look like a Petunia, right? 

Augustine “Og” Mandino II (December 12, 1923 – September 3, 1996) was an American author. He wrote the bestselling book The Greatest Salesman in the World. His books have sold over 50 million copies and have been translated into over twenty-five different languages. He was the president of Success Unlimited magazine until 1976 and is an inductee of the National Speakers

Peek-A-Boo! - Frog Painting

“To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.”
– Bertrand Russell



Peek-A-Boo!
2.5″ x 3.5″ Watercolor

Nope.  I’m not out of frogs yet.  Soon…. I promise. 

I’m working like crazy, trying to get all my ducks in a row for Atlanta.  It’s almost here and I still have so much to do.  I am very excited and can’t wait to be at AmericasMart! I’ll share some new art as it gets closer. 

About Bertrand Russell

British philosopher Bertrand Russell was greatly responsible for the shift toward logical analysis among philosophers; he introduced rigorous scientific methodology to the field and was best known for his books Principia Mathematica and The Principles of Mathematics. He was born in 1872 to an aristocratic English family but raised by a strict paternal grandmother after his parents died young. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950. Albert Einstein collaborated with him on a manifesto calling for nuclear disarmament. He died in 1970.