Bethville I – A Little Peek

“Women are having to do way too much. They are multi-tasking, working long hours, and they are still responsible for most of what happens with the family; they are caregivers, best friends, listeners; they are amazing, amazing people.”
–Dawn Tarnofsky

Dedicated to my amazing mother-in-law, Ruby Parker, who quietly passed away on Monday, November 28th, at the age of 86.  Rest in peace, Miss Ruby.

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2011

Bethville I – A little Peek of the Painting
I am working on a new series of large paintings.  I am calling them the Bethville series.  Many friends often referred to my painting style as “Bethville”, and comment that it would be a fun place to live.  This is a little peek into one of the watercolors I did as proofs for the larger acrylic paintings.    I am going to really enjoy doing these.

Dawn Tarnofsky-Ostroff was the former President of Entertainment of The CW Television Network. She was in charge of all creative efforts of the network and oversees such areas as current programming, series development, scheduling, research, marketing and publicity.
Ostroff began her career in news as a reporter for WINZ, a CBS affiliate in Miami. She also worked in local news at WPLG and WTVJ in Miami.
Ostroff joined Lifetime Television in October 1996 as Senior Vice President, Programming and Production. She was Executive Vice President of Lifetime starting in 1999.
Ostroff served as President of UPN Entertainment from February 11, 2002 until 2006, when she joined The CW.
Now in its 5th season, The CW is America’s youngest skewing broadcast network,[2] and Dawn Ostroff was in charge of the network’s primetime slate,[3] which during the 2010-2011 season featured series including The Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, Life Unexpected, One Tree Hill, America’s Next Top Model, 90210, Supernatural and Smallville, as well as new series Nikita, starring Maggie Q, and Hellcats, starring Aly Michalka and Ashley Tisdale.
She recently announced that she would be leaving the network in 2011.
Source:  Wikipedia

Dishes Galore – 6″ x 6″ Watercolor & Sharpie

“Don’t underestimate the value of doing nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.”
– Winnie The Pooh



Dishes Galore – 6″ x 6″ Watercolor & Sharpie

Lisilk posted a challenge for last weekend’s WDE at WetCanvas.  It was to do a painting in 30 minutes and post it.  This is my 30 minute challenge.  All the dishes in the photo were hand blown (clear) glass.  Of course, I had to add my own little take on it… especially if it was to be done in 30 minutes. 

History of Winnie The Pooh

During the first World War, troops from Winnipeg (Manitoba, Canada) were being transported to eastern Canada, on their way to Europe, where they were to join the 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade. When the train stopped at White River, Ontario, a lieutenant called Harry Colebourn bought a small female black bear cub for $20 from a hunter who had killed its mother. He named her ‘Winnipeg’, after his hometown of Winnipeg, or ‘Winnie’ for short.

Winnie became the mascot of the Brigade and went to Britain with the unit. When the Brigade was posted to the battlefields of France, Colebourn, now a Captain, took Winnie to the London Zoo for a long loan. He formally presented the London Zoo with Winnie in December 1919 where he became a popular attraction and lived until 1934.  More info here on http://www.just-pooh.com/history.html

On Just-Pooh, you can find fun information about Winnie the Pooh and his friends, read about the history of the Winnie the Pooh stories, find the latest Winnie the Pooh bear news, play games, and so much more! Use the links on the left to get started. We hope you enjoy Just-Pooh and the magical world of Winnie the Pooh.

Fruit Stand – 4″ x 8″ Watercolor & Sharpie

“Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.”
– Vincent van Gogh



Fruit Stand – 4″ x 8″ Watercolor & Sharpie

I did this little painting for the WDE over at WetCanvas.  Lisilk provided the photos to paint from last weekend.  I was able to squeeze this one in before we went to Oklahoma City to spend some time with my mother-in-law.  It was a lot of fun!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  For the last seven years, we’ve been having dinner with our friends, Jerry & Teresa.  There is usually 30-40 people there and they serve dinner off the truck rack in Jerry’s shop.  Little bit of hillbilly heaven!  I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

About Vincent van Gogh

The Dutch post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh worked as an artist for only ten years, but he had a profound and lasting effect on the art world. He was born in 1853 in Zundert. He briefly became a minister but was dismissed for caring too much about his impoverished parishioners. His brother, Theo, was a close friend and supporter. He only sold one painting during his lifetime. He is known for his heavy brushstrokes and strong colors. He died in 1890 of suicide.

Cream in Your Coffee

“In every person who comes near you look for what is good and strong; honor that; try to imitate it, and your faults will drop off like dead leaves when their time comes.”
– John Ruskin



Cream in Your Coffee
5″ x 7″ Acrylic on Black Card Stock

I always drink my coffee black.  I drink my coffee all day long, right up to bedtime.  LOVE the stuff!  I was working on my BIG painting when I painted this, so I used the acrylic paint that was already out.  It was fun.  The photo is by oldrockchick from WetCanvas.  Everything was wood or white, but that didn’t deter me from dipping into the color! 

I have had a very good year and I am so very thankfull for all my blessings this Thanksgiving.  I hope you are enjoying the holiday with family and friends and you come back safe and sound to our little blogworld.  ((hugs))

About John Ruskin

John Ruskin was an English art critic who influenced the attitude of a whole generation toward art and architecture. He was born in 1819 in London. His career began with an essay defending his friend, artist J.M.W. Turner, from critics. His book Modern Painters made Turner popular and gave stature to the Pre-Raphaelite movement. He founded the Cambridge Scool of Art in 1858, now known as the Anglia Ruskin University. Leo Tolstoy called him one of those rare men who think with their heart. When Ruskin inherited wealth, he gave most of the money away. He died in 1900.

Laundry in Paradise - 2′ x 4′ Acrylic on Canvas

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did.  So throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore.  Dream.  Discover.”
–Mark Twain



Laundry in Paradise
2′ x 4′ Acrylic on Canvas

This painting is sooo much brighter in person.  I didn’t get an outdoor photo before it was hung last night.It is hanging in our laundry room, which is also the entrance to the house from the garage.



This painting was requested by the hubby and he normally isn’t a fan of this style, so I am totally happy that he loves it!  He does all the laundry at our house, so if he’s happy, I’m happy! 




Here is a photo I took of it before framing.  I laid it on the floor in my studio and stood on a chair. 

A Life Lived in a Rapidly Changing World: Samuel L. Clemens‚ 1835-1910
As Twain’s books provide insight into the past‚ the events of his personal life further demonstrate his role as an eyewitness to history. During his lifetime‚ Sam Clemens watched a young United States evolve from a nation torn apart by internal conflicts to one of international power. He experienced America’s vast growth and change – from westward expansion to industrialization‚ the end of slavery‚ advancements in technology‚ big government and foreign wars. And along the way‚ he often had something to say about the changes happening in his country.

The Early Years
Samuel Clemens was born on November 30‚ 1835 in Florida‚ Missouri‚ the sixth of seven children. At the age of 4‚ Sam and his family moved to the small frontier town of Hannibal‚ Missouri‚ on the banks of the Mississippi River. Missouri‚ at the time‚ was a fairly new state (it had gained statehood in 1821) and comprised part of the country’s western border. It was also a slave state. Sam’s father owned one slave and his uncle owned several. In fact‚ it was on his uncle’s farm that Sam spent many boyhood summers playing in the slave quarters‚ listening to tall tales and the slave spirituals that he would enjoy throughout his life.
In 1847‚ when Sam was 11‚ his father died. Shortly thereafter he left school‚ having completed the fifth grade‚ to work as a printer’s apprentice for a local newspaper. His job was to arrange the type for each of the newspaper’s stories‚ allowing Sam to read the news of the world while completing his work.
See more on Mark Twain at marktwainhouse.org.

Another Small Piece of 2′ x 4′ Painting

“Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you – they’re supposed to help you discover who you are.”
–Bernice Johnson Reagon



Small Piece of 2′ x 4′ Painting
Acrylic on Canvas

I finished this painting over the weekend, but it was dark and the flash photo didn’t turn out well.  I’ll share it with you as soon as I have some daylight to take pictures in.  (I usually work dark to dark this time of the year, so it may be a few days.)

Is everybody ready for Thanksgiving?   We are having dinner with friends, as we have for the last eight years.  I’m bringing pie. 

For over four decades Bernice Johnson Reagon has been a major cultural voice for freedom and justice. An African American woman’s voice, a child of Southwest Georgia, a voice raised in song, born in the struggle against racism in America during the Civil Rights Movement of the 50s and 60s, she is a composer, songleader, scholar and producer.

Scholar and Teacher – Perhaps no individual today better illustrates the transformative power and instruction of traditional African American music and cultural history than Bernice Johnson Reagon, who has excelled equally in the realms of scholarship, composition, teaching and performance.

Dr. Reagon was the featured speaker at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Seattle, Washington for a Martin Luther King Jr. celebration. The Seattle Times published a great review: “Freedom singer delivers civil-rights lessons in Seattle”.

Learn more at http://www.bernicejohnsonreagon.com/

Small Bit of Large Painting – Acrylic on Canvas

“We must have courage to bet on our ideas, to take the calculated risk, and to act. Everyday living requires courage if life is to be effective and bring happiness.”
–Maxwell Maltz



Small Bit of Large Painting – Acrylic on Canvas

Here’s another small peek at my2′ x 4′  work in progress.  I’m going to try to finish it over the weekend, if all goes well.  Of course the best laid plans are often spoiled with chores and such.  he he

Dr. Maxwell Maltz created his self-improvement phenomenon: ‘Psycho-Cybernetics’ at age 61, as the climax to an already varied, colorful and exceptionally successful career.

For many years, Dr. Maltz had a flourishing practice as a reconstructive and cosmetic facial surgeon, lectured internationally on his medical specialty, and pursued a dual career as a prolific author.

He was inspired to move from treating “outer scars” to “inner scars” after observing that so many patients’ unhappiness and insecurities were not cured, as they and he had believed would occur when he gave them the perfect new faces they desired. Dr. Maltz first wrote of this discovery in his book “New Faces, New Futures.” In this groundbreaking book, Dr. Maltz suggested that many people “see themselves” inaccurately, their perceptions distorted by unchallenged and often erroneous beliefs imbedded in the subconscious mind.

After a decade of counseling hundreds of patients, extensive research of everything from German missile guidance technology (then more advanced than our own) to hypnosis, and testing his evolving “success conditioning techniques” on athletes an salespeople, he published his findings, in 1960, in the original ‘Psycho-Cybernetics’ book. It was an instant bestseller and made Dr. Maltz one of the most in-demand motivational speakers throughout the 1960′s and the early 1970′s.

Dr. Maltz went on to amass a wealth of “case history” material, seminars, workshops, radio broadcasts, over a dozen books all applying ‘Psycho-Cybernetics’ to different purposes, from business success to sex life improvement. He also authored and had published “The Magic Powers of the Self-Image”, “Five Minutes to Happiness”, “Live and Be Free through Psycho-Cybernetics” and three novels.

Source: http://www.psycho-cybernetics.com/maltz.html

Little Piece of My Big Painting

“Believe in yourself!  Have faith in your abilities!  Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.”
–Norman Vincent Peale



Little Piece of My Big Painting – Acrylic on Canvas

Here is a second little look at a piece of the 24″ x 48″ painting I am working on.  The first piece is here.  My husband was out of town last night, so I played with it some more.  It’s going to take forever with all the layers of acrylic, but I am having so much fun working on it.   By the way, it seems strange to call such a joyful experience “work”. 

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale (May 31, 1898 – December 24, 1993) was a minister and author (most notably of The Power of Positive Thinking) and a progenitor of the theory of “positive thinking”.

Peale was born in Bowersville, Ohio. He graduated from Bellefontaine High School, Bellefontaine, Ohio. He has earned degrees at Ohio Wesleyan University (where he became a brother of the Fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta) and Boston University School of Theology.

Raised as a Methodist and ordained as a Methodist minister in 1922, Peale changed his religious affiliation to the Reformed Church in America in 1932 and began a 52-year tenure as pastor of Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan. During that time the church’s membership grew from 600 to over 5000, and he became one of New York City’s most famous preachers.
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Sneak Peek 1 – Acrylic on Canvas

“No one can really pull you up very high — you lose your grip on the rope. But on your own two feet you can climb mountains.”
– Louis Brandeis

Sneak Peek 1 – Acrylic on Canvas

I am working on a 24″ x 48″ painting.  It’s acrylic on canvas and was requested by my hubby for a specific room in our house.  I am having so much fun with it.  I didn’t want to share it in it’s “work in progress” stage, so I am going to just share little snippets.  Keep in mind that what you are looking at is only the first layer and a tiny piece of the composition.  Many more layers and color will be added.   Tune in for more pieces to the puzzle.   Fun, fun, fun!!! 

About Louis Brandeis

American judge Louis Brandeis was the first Jewish Supreme Court Justice, and one of the most influential Justices in the history of the Court. He was born in Kentucky in 1856 to Czech-born parents. He graduated from high school at age 14 and later became head of his class at Harvard Law School. As a Justice, many of his decisions created greater protections for individual rights of privacy and free speech. He died in 1941. Brandeis University was named in his honor.

Mountain Goat – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor

“The gain in self-confidence of having accomplished a tiresome labour is immense.”
– Arnold Bennett

Mountain Goat – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor

I have learned so much this last week.  I upgraded to Windows 7 from XP Professional.   When I did that, I had to buy a $545.00 upgrade for my sign software, then a new monitor.  This was after replacing two internal hard drives.    I have learned that you better deactivate Photoshop CS 5, before you wipe out your hard drive.  They consider it as an install on separate computers and they won’t reactivate if you already have it on 2 computers.  grrrrr.  After an online chat with someone in India (or wherever Shatik lives) I was able to plead my case and get it reactivated.

I also learned that Microsoft XP( Seagate external) backups do not restore to Windows 7.  Ackkk!  But, You can open the backup on an XP computer, copy/paste items to the external hard drive, then come back and copy/paste them to your Windows 7 hard drive.  *sigh*  I finally retrieved my beloved fonts and pictures.  YAY!!

During all of this, I learned that if I remain the calmest person in the room, nothing is so awful that I can’t handle it with grace and composure.  I don’t even think I blurted any expletives during this fiasco.    I still have the best customers, friends, family and computer guru in the world.  All will return to normal very soon. 

About Arnold Bennett

Popular British novelist Arnold Bennett wrote more than 30 well-received novels, including The Old Wives Tale, the fictional life story of two sisters. He was born in 1867 in Hanley, in the heart of the six Staffordshire towns known as the Potteries. Although he left as an adult, settling in London and then Paris, he set much of his fiction in his birthplace, giving the novels a gritty realist texture. He died in 1931.

Old Murphy – Spud Drive In Mascot

“Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.”
– Martha Graham



Old Murphy – Spud Drive In Mascot

This is a 6″ x 8″ watercolor  from  Driggs, Idaho.  I was going to try to go to a movie at this cool old drive in, but I ran out of time.  I did stop and get a photo of Old Murphy, but I didn’t try to paint his name on the door of the truck.  There were also eyes on the windshield that I left off.  Artistic license. 

Martha Graham (May 11, 1894 – April 1, 1991) was an American modern dancer and choreographer whose influence on dance has been compared with the influence Picasso had on modern visual arts,  Stravinsky had on music, or Frank Lloyd Wright had on architecture.

She danced and choreographed for over seventy years. Graham was the first dancer ever to perform at the White House, travel abroad as a cultural ambassador, and receive the highest civilian award of the USA: the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In her lifetime she received honors ranging from the Key to the City of Paris to Japan’s Imperial Order of the Precious Crown. She said, “I have spent all my life with dance and being a dancer. It’s permitting life to use you in a very intense way. Sometimes it is not pleasant. Sometimes it is fearful. But nevertheless it is inevitable.”

Teton Pass - Watercolor

“We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.”
– Carlos Castaneda



Teton Pass – 6″ x 6″ Watercolor & Sharpie

I have a terrible fear of heights.  When I was driving back from Driggs, Idaho to Jackson Hole, Wyoming across the Teton Pass, I pulled over and took a picture of this view.  I stepped way closer to the edge than I was comfortable with, in order to get some good painting references.  Isn’t it funny what we’ll do for the sake of our art?

Of course, you could NOT get me to make that drive in the winter… EVER!    Check out the link on Teton Pass above to see what I’m talking about.

About Carlos Castaneda

Carlos Castaneda, the Peruvian-born new age writer, is known for his book series about his apprenticeship with Don Juan Matus, the Toltec shaman, including A Separate Reality and Journey to Ixtlan. The books are about the nature of perception and include many hallucinatory experiences. It is unknown how much of his writing was factual. He wrote the first three books as an anthropology student at UCLA, and they quickly gained cult success. He was born in 1925 and died in 1998.

Apple Crates

“Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.”
– Peter Drucker

 

Apple Crates – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Sharpie

This was painted from a photo reference by mginsberg at WetCanvas.  I did 5 little paintings last weekend, plus all the chores I needed to do.  It was great!  I love spending time in my studio.  Lately, I have really been wanting to do some mixed media stuff.  During the day, as I am working, I am dreaming up ideas in my head.   I hope I have time to play soon. 

We had another earthquake last night.  I saw an article on the internet that said we have had 23 earthquakes over the last 2 days in Oklahoma.  Of course, last night we also had tornados in parts of the state.  Somewhere on facebook, I saw the word “quaknados”.  he he

About Peter Drucker

Peter Drucker, the Austrian-born American business consultant and author, is responsible for many current management practices, including managing by objectives rather than by control. He was born in Vienna in 1909 and immigrated to the United States in 1937. He has written several books about business as well as a long-running Wall Street Journal column. He won the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002. He died in 2005 at the age of 96.

Gossiping Penguins

“Most people are so busy knocking themselves out trying to do everything they think they should do, they never get around to do what they want to do.”
– Kathleen Winsor

Gossiping Penguins 

5" x 7" Gouache on Black Greeting Card

Saturday night, I was awakened by the sound of a helicopter flying mere inches over the house…. or so I thought.   We actually had a 5.7 earthquake!

Many of the reports I read stated that people thought it was a low flying airplane, when it was the roar of the ground shaking violently.   Nothing fell at our house, but I heard stories of pictures falling off the walls at some homes.    Having lived in California for over 10 years, I remember earthquakes well.  But it’s only the second time I have experienced one in Oklahoma.  This one beat the 1952 record for the strongest Oklahoma earthquake.

My neighbors still insist that a military helicopter flew over our homes… minutes before the earthquake, although nobody actually “saw” it. 

Photo reference for this painting was provided by mginsberg at WeCanvas.  Thanks, Marianne!

About Kathleen Winsor

American author Kathleen Winsor is best known for the racy historical novel, Forever Amber, which made a huge splash when it was first published in 1944, selling 100,000 copies the first week. It was banned in 14 states for its sexual content. The ensuing debate contributed to the loosening of restrictions that allowed works by D. H. Lawrence and Henry Miller to be published in the US. Winsor wrote a number of other novels, none as successful. She was born in 1919 and died in 2003.

Cozy Little Tavern

“Excellence is not an act but a habit. The things you do the most are the things you will do the best.”
– Marva Collins



Cozy Little Tavern – 6″ x 6″ Watercolor

This is the Buford Arms, somewhere in London.  The reference was provided by artbyjune at WetCanvas.   June said that she walks by it on her dog walking route every day, but has never been inside.  It’s undergoing a renovation now.  Wouldn’t you love to see the inside?  I would!

About Marva Collins

“American educator Marva Collins pioneered progressive education for disadvantaged children. She was born in Alabama in 1936 and in her 20′s moved to Chicago, where she founded a school for children who were at risk. After one year, every child tested at least five grades higher. Many public schools have successfully implemented her methods. She has appeared on 60 Minutes and Good Morning America and she recieved the National Humanities Medal from President Bush in 2004. She believes every child is a winner until someone convinces him or her too thoroughly otherwise.”

Felt, Idaho – 6″ x 6″ Watercolor

“Knowledge alters what we seek as well as what we find.”
– Freda Adler



Felt, Idaho – 6″ x 6″ Watercolor

Felt was one of the most inspiring places I came across on my vacation in August.    The rolling hills went on and on and on.  I was even lucky enough to see a farmer, lovingly roving over his land, creating that artistic plume of dust.  I captured him in a plein air painting here.   I really want to go back there to paint again.  It was gorgeous!

Freda Adler (1934-) is a criminologist and educator, currently serving as [Emeritus] at Rutgers University and a visiting Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. She was President of the American Criminological Society in 1994-1995. She has acted as a consultant to the United Nations on criminal justice matters since 1975, holding various roles within United Nations organizations. A prolific writer, Adler has published in a variety of criminological areas, including female criminality, international issues in crime, piracy, drug abuse, and social control theories.
Adler received a B.A. in sociology, her M.A. in criminology, and her Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania, under the guidance of professor Thorsten Sellin,^[1] publishing her Ph.D. dissertation in 1971. She began her career in criminal justice as an evaluator of drug and alcohol treatment programs for federal and state governments. For several decades she has taught subjects such as criminal justice, criminology, comparative criminal justice systems, statistics, and research methods.
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Cows Have Silly Moments, Too

“Many people will walk in and out of your life… but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.”
–Eleanor Roosevelt



Cows Have Silly Moments, Too
6″ x 6″ Watercolor Sketch

Sunday, I had a little time on my hands and a reference photo from SkattyKat at WetCanvas.  This is what happened when I used a large brush and quick strokes to put this lovely lady on paper.  It was really fun, after all the intense detail work of the last painting.

I have a new neighbor.  Eufaula Nails and Spa moved in next door to my sign shop last Friday.  My whole shop now smells like nail polish.  I’m not complaining, but after so many years in the same building, it’s odd to have that new smell wafting through the air.

Eleanor Roosevelt   -  Oct. 11, 1884 – Nov. 7, 1962
Even without her marriage to Franklin D. Roosevelt, through whose presidency she revolutionized the position of first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt very likely would have still become one of the greatest women of the 20th Century.  As a humanitarian and civic leader (among other roles), her work for the welfare of youth, black Americans, the poor, and women, at home and abroad (through the United Nations that she helped to develop) has yet to be equaled.

Growing up a lonely and shy girl in wealth and comfort, she returned to New York from Allenswood, at 18 with confidence in herself and a conscience of a social nature.  Her marriage to Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945), brought her into the world of politics of which she proved a fast learner.  When her husband was Assistant Secretary of the Navy during World War I, she supported the war effort by volunteering for the Red Cross.  She was also an active member of the women’s suffrage movement.

In 1921 when a bout with polio left Franklin Roosevelt crippled, her steadfast encouragement enabled him to return to politics and win the governorship of New York (1929-1933).  In the process she became his political surrogate, speaking in his behalf to the citizenry, relaying their feedback to him, and giving her input as well.  During this period she also opened the Val-Kill furniture factory in New York to provide job relief to the unemployed and became part owner of Todhunter, an all girls private school in New York City.

When FDR was elected to the presidency, Eleanor Roosevelt reluctantly became first lady, yet she proved a great innovator in this capacity.  Her tenure (1933-1945) was the longest only because her husband’s tenure as president was the longest, but Eleanor Roosevelt became the first activist first lady.  With press conferences and her daily column she kept the public up-to-date on White House policies; in particular the New Deal.  She persuaded FDR to create the National Youth Administration (NYA), which provided financial aid to students and job training to young men and women.  Her concern for disadvantaged black Americans, prompted her to work closely with organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and in 1939 she resigned from the Daughters of the American Revolution in protest to their preventing black singer Marian Anderson from performing at Constitution Hall.
After the United States entered World War II, Eleanor Roosevelt channeled her energies into the war effort.  She did this first by mustering up civilian volunteerism as assistant director of the Office of Civilian Defense (OCD), and by visiting U.S. troops abroad.

When Franklin D. Roosevelt died in office in 1945, Eleanor Roosevelt’s role as first lady was over, but her career was not.  She became a delegate to the United Nations General Assembly, specializing in humanitarian, social, and cultural issues.  In 1948, she drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which affirmed life, liberty, and equality internationally for all people regardless of race, creed or color.  Additionally, she helped in the establishment of the state of Israel and attempted negotiations, albeit cautiously, with the Soviet Union (now Russia).

She wrote several books about her experiences: This Is My Story (1937), This I Remember (1950), On My Own (1958), and Tomorrow Is Now (published posthumously, 1963).
From Women in History

Eufaula from 3500 Feet

“Can anything be sadder than work unfinished? Yes, work never begun.”
– Christina Rossetti



Eufaula from 3500 Feet – 6″ x 12″  Watercolor

At last I finished this little painting.  It may not be completely accurate, but it’s as close as I could muster from so far away.  It is the city of Eufaula, from a solo trip I took from McAlester to Oklahoma.

About Christina Rossetti

Christina Rossetti, the Victorian era English poet, is known for the melancholy themes in such poems as “Goblin Market” and “When I Am Dead.” She was born in 1830 in London to Italian-born parents. Her father was poet Gabriele Rossetti and her brother was the painter/poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti. She rejected two marriage proposals because, although she loved both men, neither shared her religious devotion. According to her brother, she wrote effortlessly and rapidly. She died in 1894.