Hungry Dinosaur - July 31, 2009

"We have to fight them daily, like fleas, those many small worries about the morrow, for they sap our energies."
– Etty Hillesum

That is soooo true! I used to be the biggest worrier on the planet!

About Etty Hillesum

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Etty Hillesum, less famous than her contemporary, Anne Frank, lived a short life of great courage. She was born in 1914 in the Netherlands to a Dutch father and a Russian mother. She studied law, Slavic languages, and psychology. Hungry for knowledge, she cut down on food in order to buy books. She went voluntarily to the Westerbork camp to help fellow Jews interned by the Nazis. Her letters detail her experiences; her more meditative diary focuses on issues of faith. She died at Auschwitz in 1943.

Hungry Dinosaur
8" x 10"
Acrylic on Canvas

Jello Split - July 30, 2009

More is not necessarily the answer.

We often think that if a little is good, more will be better, or that if we are not happy, it must be because we don't have enough of something.

Wanting and craving. The desire for what we don't have prevents us from appreciating and enjoying what we do have - right now, this moment. We often sell ourselves continual dissatisfaction by focusing on what we appear to lack.

So how much is enough? Can we learn to savor the blessings we have now, today? Do we really need more, or do we need to fully experience the gifts of the present?

I can always want more, but today I will concentrate on what I have right now.

Elizabeth L.

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Jello Split

(I really want Ice Cream)

2.5" x 3.5" Watercolor & Ink

I upgraded my browser to Firefox last night. Everything is acting different this morning. I'm sure that stepping into the newer technology will be good for me, but there is that learning curve. **sigh**

Fishies - July 29, 2009

Love doesn't just sit there like a stone: it has to be made, like bread, remade all the time, made new.

--Ursula K. Le Guin

Everyone could use a new batch of love every day.. Way too often, we forget to make a new batch. Then we end up eating hard, old, crumbly stuff that doesn't even taste good. We forget to talk with the people we love. We tell ourselves that they should "know" we love them, even if we haven't called to connect with them for a long time. So we expect them to live off hard, old, dry crumbs too!

But baking a fresh hatch of love is a lot easier than baking bread. All we have to do is make a phone call, write a letter or an email, or stop by our mom's house. We need to deliver the message that the people we love are important. What could be easier or more rewarding?

Today's Action: I will make it a point to make a fresh batch of love today and deliver it - in person or in a phone call, email, or letter.

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Anonymous

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Fishies

Acrylic on 6" x 6" x 1.5" Canvas

Purple Tulips in a Row - July 28, 2009

Some of us have gone through life unconsciously expecting others to bring us happiness, to make our dreams come true, and to make us feel good about ourselves. When nothing seems to be going well for us, we blame it on the lack of external support - we're not in a serious relationship, we don't like our job, we don't have the money to venture into our own business.

When we change our perspective - when we know and trust that we are responsible for our happiness, our dreams, and our feelings - we become empowered. No longer is the burden on someone or something that is either unreliable or nonexistent. We'd been giving this power to others; now it's time to take it back, to make and be responsible for our own choices, to value our opinions, and to respect our intellect.Today I will give myself credit for all I am capable of, financially and otherwise.

Karen Casanova

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Purple Tulips in a Row

Acrylic on 6" x 18" x 1.5" Canvas

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Art Now For Autism - July 27, 2009

"No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars or sailed an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit."

– Helen Keller

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Green Orchids

Two 4" x 12" x 1.5"

Acrylic on Canvas

This painting has been donated to Art Now for Autism for their auction. This is a great group of people. If you are an artist, it's not too late to donate something.

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Ford Tractor - July 24, 2009

"Parties who want milk should not seat themselves on a stool in the middle of the field in hope that the cow will back up to them."

– Elbert Hubbard

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Ford Tractor

4" x 6" Watercolor

Technicolor Cat - July 23, 2009

"Let your hook be always cast; in the pool where you least expect it, there will be a fish."

– Ovid

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Technicolor Cat

5" x 7" watercolor

Reba's Bike - July 22, 2009

"I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be."

– Groucho Marx

My philosophy to a T.

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Reba's Bike

5" x 7" Watercolor

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We had our monthly girl's night out last night. We all met at my friend Reba's Lake Eufaula Bed & Breakfast. What a beautiful place! Reba has decorated it all herself and it is filled with wonderful antiques and a warmth like I have never seen. If you are ever planning a trip to Lake Eufaula, you really must stay there. I pulled a photo from her website and painted this little watercolor for her, as a hostess gift.

Fire Ant - July 21, 2009

"It is astonishing how little one feels poverty when one loves."

Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton

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"Fire Ant"

8" x 11" Linoleum Block Print

Four Oceans Press Exchange

Chainlink Vista - July 20, 2009

Iron rusts from disuse, water loses its purity from stagnation ... even so does inaction sap the vigors of the mind.

--Leonardo da Vinci

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Chainlink Vista

4" x 6" Watercolor

with Sharpie Outline

Ice Cream Cone - July 17, 2009

Inches make champions.

-- Vince Lombardi

What's the difference between success and failure? Ideal conditions? Half again as much effort? Twice the talent? Ten times "the breaks"? Or is it simply that some people have what it takes and some people don't?

Vince Lombardi, the football coach who brought the Green Bay Packers from fifteen losing seasons to successive world championships, thought success was a matter of inches. A bit more concentration, one extra push in practice, a consistent second effort for a tiny additional gain. He didn't ask his players to be something other than they were - he asked them to improve their best an inch at a time. He knew inches add up, in life as in sports.

Today, I will be aware that I am a champion in the making. I may not make a complete turnaround today, but I will make progress.

Earnie Larsen & Carol Larsen Hegarty

Oooooo, I like that a lot!

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Ice Cream Cone

2.5" x 3.5"

Watercolor & Ink

"I" for Alphabet ATC Exchange

Gravy Boat - July 16, 2009

"A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are built for."

– Grace Murray Hopper

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"Gravy Boat"

(surrounded by sausage links)

2.5" x 3.5" Watercolor & Ink

G - for Alphabet ATC Exchange

Curious Koala - July 15, 2009

Love is the ability and willingness to allow those that you care for to be what they choose for themselves, without any insistence that they satisfy you.

--Dr. Wayne Dyer

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Curious Koala

5" x 7" Watercolor

Columbian Lady II - July 14, 2009

Sometimes, the way is not clear.

Our minds get clouded, confused. We aren't certain what our next step should be, what it will look like, what direction we are headed.

This is the time to stop, ask for guidance, and rest. That is the time to let go of fear. Wait. Feel the confusion and chaos, and then let it go. The path will show itself. The next step shall be revealed. We don't have to know now. We will know in time. Trust that. Let go and trust.

Today, I will wait if the way is not clear. I will trust that out of the chaos will come clarity.

--Melody Beattie

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Columbian Lady II

4" x 6" Postcard

Watercolor

Columbian Lady - July 13, 2009

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."

– Aristotle

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"Columbian Lady"

5" x 7" Watercolor

on WC Greeting Card

Wildflowers - July 10, 2009

"It takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you really are."

– e. e. cummings

This is my Mother's favorite quote. It's so true!

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Wildflowers

4" x 6" Watercolor

The Tipsy Barrels - July 9, 2009

"Your goals must be specific and measurable. Here's where most people lose it. It's one of the main reasons individuals never achieve what they're capable of. They never accurately define what they want. Vague generalizations and wishy-washy statements aren't good enough. If it is an important goal for you, take the time now to figure it out…be more specific."

~ Jack Canfield

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The Tipsy Barrels

Watercolor on Illustration Board

2.5" x 3.5"

The Rink - July 8, 2009

4′ x 8′ Sign for our local rollerskating rink.

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I was so tickled at how this sign turned out. I designed it with the same joy that I paint with. The client was happy and I got to have all this fun!

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Here's a little close up shot.

Lazy Lemur - July 8, 2009

"The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live."

~Flora Whittemore

Sometimes it feels like we don't have choices but we actually are choosing something every moment of each day.
I don't always like having such a big responsibility and no one else to blame it on! But then I remember it's a gift.
Keeping in mind what you want gives you the chance to choose what supports your dreams and goals.

- Sally Evans
Embracing Creativity

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Lazy Lemur - July 8, 2009

2.5" x 3.5"

Watercolor on Illustration Board

The Blushing Donkey - July 7, 2009

"Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment."


– Ralph Waldo Emerson


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The Blushing Donkey
4" x 6"
Watercolor on Illustration Board

Purple Snow Leopard - July 6, 2009

Independence, like honour, is a rocky island without a beach.

--Napoleon Bonaparte

Who hasn't taken pride in doing something that no one thought could be done? It gives us satisfaction to do something difficult, to lift our head high and say, "I did this alone." We take pride in being the best we can be.

But we can't find happiness in the pride that sets us against our fellow humans, saying, "I don't need you," or even, "I'm better than you." We do need each other. And each of us has strengths, weaknesses, and God-given talents that God expects us to use to help each other.

--Karen Casey

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Purple Snow Leopard

2.5" x 3.5"

Watercolor on Illustration Board

Art Walk Poster - July 3, 2009

Brian Tracy in The Power of Discipline writes, "Your ability to discipline yourself to set clear goals, and then to work toward them everyday, will do more to guarantee your success than any other single factor."

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Art Walk 2009 Poster

11" x 17" Watercolor and Acrylic

by Deloras Frederick, Glenna McBride & Beth Parker

We each had the poster for a while and added our touches. I did the swirly stuff and the name, dates, etc. Deloras did the iris, Glenna (a printmaker) painted the neat little symbols and stuff, then I finished it by filling it in with yellow. We'll use this for our Art Walk publicity poster in October.

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Here's a crop of the swirly stuff with my little mini brush. Fun stuff, eh?

For all of you celebrating the 4th of July, have a safe and happy weekend!

Bright Green Frog - July 2, 2009

"Sometimes when we are generous in small, barely detectable ways it can change someone else's life forever."

– Margaret Cho

So true!

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Bright Green Frog

5" x 7" Watercolor on 140# Coldpress

Applied to Canvas & Varnished

Fly in my Soup - July 1, 2009

"We are, each of us, angels with only one wing, and we can only fly embracing each other."

– Luciano Decrescenzo

I like that!
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F is for Fly in my Soup

2.5" x 3.5" Watercolor & Ink

WetCanvas Alphabet Swap