Kernel-dactyl-saurus – Watercolor and Prismacolor Fine Art Pen

“If we wait for the moment when everything is ready, we shall never begin.”
– Ivan Turgenev

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Kernel-dactyl-saurus – Watercolor and Prismacolor Fine Art Pen

It wouldn’t surprise me if you have never seen a kernel-dactyl-saurus.  They are extinct, after all.  I’m afraid this species was one of the first to disappear, since they were extremely gentle in nature.  Not to mention… they look like food!

Kernel is the word this week for Illustration Friday.  It just made sense that I include the kernel-dactyl-saurus, so that you could see what a kindly looking beast they were.  I had an amazing time doing this painting! 

About Ivan Turgenev

Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev, celebrated for his dark, realistic novels about Russian life, is best known for the novel Fathers and Sons, about the conflicting ideologies between generations. He was born in 1818 to a wealthy Russian family. He and his brother were raised by an abusive mother who was rumored to have smothered one of her serfs. He rose to fame with A Sportsman’s Sketches, which may have influenced the Tsar to free the serfs. He died in France in 1883.

Five Bookmarks in Progress and Happy Mother's Day!

“The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right place, but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.”
– Lady Dorothy Nevill

Boy, isn’t that the truth!

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Five Bookmarks in Progress – Watercolor and Love

I’m working on 5 more bookmarks.  They are so relaxing and fun.  This morning, I took my coffee into the studio and painted a little before I got ready for work.  With Memorial Day coming up, the sign shop is insanely busy, so any opportunity do anything calming is a welcome break.

About Lady Dorothy Nevill

Lady Dorothy Nevill, the noted British gardener, was one of the most celebrated society hostesses of her day; her salons attracted leading writers, artists, and statesmen. She was born Dorothy Walpole in 1826 in England. She married a wealthy cousin with a 23-acre estate, where she pursued her interest in plants. She built 13 greenhouses and carried on an extensive correspondence with Charles Darwin. Her memoir, Leaves From the Note-Books of Lady Dorothy Nevill, was published in 1906. She died in 1913.

Have a wonderful Friday and a great weekend. Happy Mother’s Day, too! I’m not a mom, but I know it has to be the hardest job in the world…. and the most rewarding.

I Love Puppy Breath

“Every day, think as you wake up:
Today I am fortunate to have woken up.
I am alive. I have a precious human life.
I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all
my energies to develop myself to expand
my heart out to others for the
benefit of all beings.”
–His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

I Love Puppy Breath – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor and Sharpie

Don’t you just love puppy breath?  Annie’s puppy was just 4 months old in the photo I painted this from, but I made her look much older.  I do the same thing with children.  Why is innocence so hard to capture?

I have friends who have a new Saint Bernard puppy.  When George brought Lady to see me at 6 weeks old, she was the sweetest, cuddliest little thing.  She is now a 90 pound, 5 month old ball of fire.   George and Carla are in their 70′s!  I hope she learns gentleness. 

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is both the head of state and the spiritual leader of Tibet. He was born on 6 July 1935, to a farming family, in a small hamlet located in Taktser, Amdo, northeastern Tibet.  At the age of two the child, who was named Lhamo Dhondup at that time was recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso.  The Dalai Lamas are believed to be manifestations of Avalokiteshvara or Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Compassion and patron saint of Tibet.  Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who have postponed their own nirvana and chosen to take rebirth in order to serve humanity.
More here.

The Mystery Project – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor and Sharpie

“Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself.”
– Harvey Fierstein

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

The Mystery Project – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor and Sharpie

I painted this little postcard for a project with Art House Coop, in Brooklyn, NY and Prismacolor.  The idea of the project is to make a stranger’s day.  I received a little kit in the mail from Art House Coop, with a new Prismacolor artist pen and a theme.  The theme for my card was “If tomorrow came yesterday”.  I painted this little card and left it in a public place for a stranger to find.  Isn’t that a cool project?  2000 artists are participating.   I love it.  Debi Engle says this is a rak,  A random act of kindness.  I like that!  So far, I have not heard from anyone, saying it has been found, so it may still be out there.    I can’t show you the picture of where I left it, because one of you clever people may figure it out… then it’s not so random. 

About Harvey Fierstein

Harvey Fierstein, the raspy-voiced American actor, playwright, and gay activist, is best known for his semiautobiographical play, Torch Song Trilogy, which garnered Tony Awards for writing and acting. He was born in Brooklyn in 1954. His onstage debut as a female impersonator at age 16 led to a role in a 1971 Andy Warhol play. He adapted the French show La Cage aux Folles into a Broadway musical and, later, the movie The Birdcage. He has appeared in such varied movies as Independence Day and Mrs. Doubtfire.

Sweet Kitty Face – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor

“Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even.”
– Muhammad Ali

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Sweet Kitty Face – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor

I painted this from a photo by Annie (lotsofmoggies) at WetCanvas.   No sharpies were used in the painting of this cat.  **gasp**  Moggies are cats, in case you were wondering.   Annie lives in Chelsea, and she is (and I quote) “Mum and slave to- 17 budgies, 13 corn snakes, 10 guinea pigs, 7 cats, 4 dogs, 4 chickens, 2 parrolets, 2 cockatiels, 2 rabbit,2 children, 1 partner.”  Can you imagine?    I also had to look up budgies and it seems they are small Austrailian parakeets. 

About Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali, the American boxing legend known for his saucy rhyming boasts as much as his quick fists, was a three-time heavyweight champion. He was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. in Louisville in 1942. His bike was stolen when he was 12, and a cop suggested he take up boxing. Though he became known as the greatest fighter of the twentieth century, with 56 wins and only five defeats, the sport took its toll in pugilism-induced Parkinson’s disease. Since retiring from boxing, Ali has dedicated himself to civic and humanitarian issues. He was called on to negotiate the release of hostages in Iraq in 1991, and in 2005 he was awarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Hitched for Illustration Friday

“Allow me to assure you that suspicion and jealousy never did help any man in any situation.”
–Abe Lincoln

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Hitched for Illustration Friday – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor and Sharpie

The word of the week for Illustration Friday is “Hitched”.  I didn’t use any photo references for this one.  I just went with the happy little picture I had in my head.  I had a great time with this one.  The whole time I worked on it, I was in “the zone”.  Ya know what I mean?

This is what it looked like before I added the sharpie.

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Abe Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln is one of America’s greatest heroes because of his unique appeal. His is a remarkable story of the rise from humble beginnings to achieve the highest office in the land; then, a sudden and tragic death at a time when his country needed him most to complete the great task remaining before the nation. His distinctively human and humane personality and historical role as savior of the Union and emancipator of the slaves creates a legacy that endures. His eloquence of democracy, and his insistence that the Union was worth saving embody the ideals of self-government that all nations strive to achieve.

More on Abe Lincoln here.

Boxcar in Bethville

“The power of imagination makes us infinite.”
– John Muir

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Boxcar in Bethville – 5″ x 8″ Watercolor and Sharpie

I painted this from a photo that Lin (oldrockchick) posted on WetCanvas.  It didn’t have flowers on it, so my buddies at WetCanvas said it didn’t belong in Bethville without some kind of pretty paint job.  he he  So, of course I added flowers.   I was very intimidated by all the mechanical stuff underneath it, so I added mobile home skirting.  Fun!

About John Muir

American naturalist John Muir is remembered as a passionate champion of the natural wonder of Yosemite; he was instrumental in turning the land into a national park. Born in Scotland in 1838, he immigrated with his family to Wisconsin in 1849. He dropped out of college to walk 1,000 miles from Indiana to Florida. After falling in love with Yosemite, he took a job herding sheep nearby. He developed the theory that the valley was created by glaciers, which is now accepted as fact. He died in 1914.

Do-Wa-Ditty Doodle Bookmarks

“Sometimes I think, the things we see
Are shadows of the things to be;
That what we plan, we build.”
–Phoebe Cary

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Do-Wa-Ditty Doodle Bookmarks – Watercolor & Sharpie

Saturday night, we attended a neighborhood dinner and my hubby had a couple (or three) margaritas.  I drank coffee.  Sunday morning I woke up with a headache.   (He didn’t, by the way.)  So… I was wanting something mindless to work on while waiting for the Aleve to kick in.   I had such a great time doing these!  I worked on them for hours!

Phoebe Cary (September 4, 1824 – July 31, 1871) was an American poet, and the younger sister of poet Alice Cary (1820–1871). The sisters co-published poems in 1849, and then each went on to publish volumes of her own. After their deaths in 1871, joint anthologies of the sisters’ unpublished poems were also compiled.
More here on Wikipedia.

Super Hawk

“No One is on Our Path Accidentally.    How often do you really look, with focused intention, at the people you see in the halls at work or in line at the grocery or on the street as you wonder by? Most of us do see other people, but quite unconsciously. We need not be ashamed of how easily we dismiss the presence of others; it’s usually not deliberate. We are simply self-absorbed. The good news is that we can cultivate the belief that each person is offering us an opportunity to connect on a spiritual level. Joining with each person in this way, by making intentional eye contact, has an immediate healing effect on us and on them, too.

 When we seek to see the Spirit in others in this way, strangers as well as friends, we are taking the first and very necessary step to becoming aware of that Spirit. In many cultures, looking into other people’s eyes is the highest honor we can pay them. Becoming committed to doing this, increases our peace of mind while showing others that they matter to us, too. Honoring others in this way may not feel natural at first, but if they have crossed our path, this is what we have been called to do.”

 – Karen Casey

I really like that!   

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Super Hawk – 5″ x 6″ Watercolor & Sharpie

I don’t know if I would be looking into this fellow’s eyes, trying to see his spirit.  he he I painted him from a photo by Lin (oldrockchick) at WetCanvas.  Of course you know that he wasn’t really wearing his super hero uniform in the photo. 

Karen Casey

Karen Casey, Ph.D., a Naples, FL resident since 1991, published Each Day a New Beginning, her first book, in 1982. This daily meditation book for women in recovery has sold more than 3 million copies. The 25-year Anniversary edition of Each Day a New Beginning was released in August, 2006. It was closely followed by The Promise of a New Day, in 1983, another daily meditation book for both men and women in search of serenity. It has sold more than 1.2 million copies. Following on the heels of these two books,

Karen has written 23 additional books. Let Go Now: Embracing Detachment was published last October. Peace A Day At a Time, was published in February of 2011. Her memoir, My Story to Yours, which will be published as an ebook and available on amazon, along with Hazelden, and will be available as a book too in October of 2011. Additional books are on the way. Watch for Getting Unstuck, a workbook that is a companion to Change Your Mind and Your Life will Follow, in the spring of 2012. The books will continue. Keep checking this website.

Float Your Boats

“When we focus on only the external indications of aging, we forget the internal treasures that we accumulate with each year of our lives.”
–Jean Smith

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Float Your Boats – 6″ x 6″ Watercolor and Sharpie 

I painted this from a photo by Lin (oldrockchick) on WetCanvas.  I think the photo was taken in Wales.  Since I don’t like painting outboard motors, I pretended that the marine repair shop there was having a special on motor tune-ups, so everyone had rushed their motors up there to get in on the great sale.

I also didn’t want to paint all the ropes going to nowhere (they were all tied to a cliff on the left), so I pretended it was a calm day and nobody’s boats were floating away.  Isn’t artistic license wonderful?

This painting was mailed off to Rochester, New York yesterday.  It has been donated as part of a fund raising effort, and this is the third year for me to participate.  They receive 6″ x 6″ paintings (a couple thousand)  from all over the world and I am their only Oklahoma participant, they tell me.  How cool is that?   They are not signed on the front, because some of the artists are famous people and you don’t know who the artists are until after they have sold.  Each painting is sold for $20, no matter who painted it.   Great little fund raiser, eh?

There are too many Jean Smiths to really know which one said this.  I got today’s quote from my lovely little book, “Wrinkles Don’t Hurt – Daily Meditations on the Joy of Aging Mindfully”, by Ruth Fishel.  I love this book and Ruth Fishel is an amazing author.  She also wrote “A Time for Joy“.