Down on the Boardwalk – 6″ x 12″ Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Canvas

Time is a dressmaker specializing in alterations.
–Faith Baldwin

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Down on the Boardwalk – 6″ x 12″ Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Canvas (part of the new Bethville Series)

Funny story…  I was working on these paintings last weekend when we decided to run into town for a bit of breakfast.  We ate at I Smell Bacon, where it’s so crowded that you are often sharing a table with people you’ve never met.  Of course, my hubby has never known a stranger, so we were visiting away when he suddenly showed the people the green paint on my thumb and assured them that I can’t grow a single thing.  He he  Isn’t he cute. 

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Faith Baldwin, (born Oct. 1, 1893, New Rochelle, N.Y., U.S.—died March 18, 1978, Norwalk, Conn.), American author, one of the most successful writers of light fiction in the 20th century, whose works targeted an audience of middle-class women.

Faith Baldwin attended private academies and finishing schools, and in 1914–16 she lived in Dresden, Germany. She married Hugh H. Cuthrell in 1920, and the next year she published her first novel, Mavis of Green Hill. Although she often claimed she did not care for authorship, her steady stream of books belies that claim; over the next 56 years she published more than 85 books, more than 60 of them novels with such titles as Those Difficult Years (1925), The Office Wife (1930), Babs and Mary Lou (1931), District Nurse (1932), Manhattan Nights (1937), and He Married a Doctor (1944). Her last completed novel, Adam’s Eden, appeared in 1977.

Typically, a Faith Baldwin book presents a highly simplified version of life among the wealthy. No matter what the difficulties, honour and goodness triumph, and hero and heroine are united. Evil, depravity, poverty, and sex found no place in her work, which she explicitly intended for the housewife and the working girl. The popularity of her writing was enormous. In 1936, in the midst of the Great Depression, she published five novels in magazine serial form and three earlier serials in volume form and saw four of her works made into motion pictures, for an income that year in excess of $315,000. She also wrote innumerable stories, articles, and newspaper columns, no less ephemeral than the novels.  Source:  http://www.britannica.com

Wow… 85 novels!  I’m impressed!

Cottage Inn at Bethville – 6″ x 12″ Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Canvas

“Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you’re going to do now and do it.”
– William C. Durant

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Cottage Inn at Bethville – 6″ x 12″ Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Canvas

The sun came out for a few minutes this morning, so I was able to photograph my newest paintings.  I had so much fun doing these.  There are many layers of paint and glaze, but the fun came in when I got to add the shadows and highlights.  That’s when they really came to life.  I can’t wait to start the next three.  They’ll be 12″ x 24″. 



About William C. Durant

William C. Durant, founder of General Motors, consolidated much of the fledgling American auto industry under one roof. He was born in 1861 in Boston and grew up in Flint, Michigan. His innovative business model was to buy out vendors and acquire competitors. Forced to resign from GM due to this management style, he founded a new company with his race-car driver, Louis Chevrolet. He later regained control of GM but lost everything in the Great Depression. He died in 1947.

Sneak Peek – 6″ x 12″ Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Canvas

“Life is not the way it’s supposed to be. It’s the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.”
– Virginia Satir

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Sneak Peek – 6″ x 12″ Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Canvas

I finished the first three paintings in the Bethville series over the weekend.  It’s really cloudy outside or I’d get a better photo.  This is taken on saw horses in my sign shop lobby.   Maybe by Wednesday, I’ll have the full view for you. 

Did you watch the Academy Awards last night?  I watched about an hour of it and my favorite part was seeing Octavia Spencer win an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.  She cried!  It was so sweet that I was almost crying with her.    I really need to watch The Help.  I still haven’t seen it.  Have you?

About Virginia Satir

American psychotherapist Virginia Satir played a central role in shaping family therapy. She was born in Wisconsin in 1916. While working as a teacher, she became deeply involved in the lives of her students and their parents. This led to graduate school and a career change. She took on the mission of inspiring therapists to work with families. She cofounded the Mental Health Research Institute in California, where she held the first-ever family-therapy training program. She died in 1988.

Blurry Sneak Peek at Underpainting

“There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something tomorrow.”
– Orison Swett Marden

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Blurry Sneak Peek at Underpainting

Sorry about the blur.  I’m at work and the paintings are at home, so I can’t just go snap another one.     This Bethville series is going to be so much fun!  I can’t wait to do some more painting!

About Orison Swett Marden

Orison Swett Marden, the American writer who is considered the forerunner of motivational authors, wrote an average of two books a year from 1894 to 1924. He was born on a New England farm in 1850. During college, he worked in hotel management. He then used his seed money to buy a resort in Rhode Island. Wanting to inspire people as he himself had been inspired by British author Samuel Smiles, he began writing books like You Can, But Will You? and founded Success Magazine. He died in 1924.

Underpainting Sneak Peek – 12″ x 6″ x 1.5″ Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Canvas

“The quickest way to change your attitude toward pain is to accept the fact that everything that happens to us has been designed for our spiritual growth.”
–M. Scott Peck

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Underpainting Sneak Peek – 12″ x 6″ x 1.5″ Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Canvas

Okay… so I told you about the new Bethville acrylic series I am working on.  I finally got the underpainting started on the first 3 canvases.  I am so excited.  I think they are going to turn out so cute.  As you can see, I paint all around the edges, so that they require no framing.  I start with a black gessoed canvas, so they will need a lot of layers of paint and glaze before they are finished.  I wish I had more time to paint. 

M. Scott Peck

Dr. Peck was born on May 22, 1936 in New York City, the younger of two sons to David Warner Peck, a prominent lawyer and jurist, and his wife Elizabeth Saville. He married Lily Ho in 1959, and they had three children.

Dr. Peck received his B.A. degree magna cum laude from Harvard College in 1958, and his M.D. degree from the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in 1963. From 1963 until 1972, he served in the United States Army, resigning from the position of Assistant Chief Psychiatry and Neurology Consultant to the Surgeon General of the Army with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and the Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster. From 1972 to 1983, Dr. Peck was engaged in the private practice of psychiatry in Litchfield County, Connecticut.   Source and more info:  www.mscottpeck.com

Guard Duty – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Sharpie on Indian Village Handmade Paper Postcard

“When the Japanese mend broken objects,
they aggrandize the damage by filling the cracks
with gold. They believe that when something’s
suffered damage and has a history it
becomes more beautiful.”
–Barbara Bloom

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Guard Duty – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Sharpie on Indian Village Handmade Paper Postcard


This painting was done by combining two images that jlloren posted at WetCanvas.  This is what Joel said about the Church… “The Philippines was a Spanish colony for over 300 years until the end of the 19th century when the Americans took over. Their biggest influence is Catholicism. You will find old churches like this all over the country. This one is Paete Church in Laguna.”  The dog was napping in the warm sand in it’s photo.  This way, the dog doesn’t have to have a bath when he gets home. 

Barbara Bloom is an American writer and TV programming executive. She earned a bachelor of science degree in theater from Skidmore College.

She joined ABC Daytime in 1992 and was Vice President, Director, Daytime Programming, West Coast from 1994-2000 where she worked closely with Mary Burch and Rebecca Lane.

Bloom joined CBS Daytime in 2003, replacing Lucy Johnson. When Bloom left CBS in February, 2011, she held the position of Senior Vice President, Daytime, CBS Entertainment and worked under Nina Tassler. During her eight years at CBS, Bloom oversaw Drew Carey’s assumption of the role of host on The Price is Right as well as the resurrection of Let’s Make a Deal. She also oversaw the introduction of CBS’ first daytime talk show, The Talk.

On January 18, 2011, it was announced that announced Bloom would leave CBS Daytime when her contract expired in at the end of the month.   Nina Tassler, the President of CBS Entertainment, released the following statement: “Barbara artfully led CBS through several key transitions in her eight years here. All of these efforts have positioned CBS very well for the future.”  Source:  Wikipedia

Lighthouse – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor

“Hope is the thing with feathers
that perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.”
–Emily Dickinson

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Lighthouse – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor

This little postcard was from another reference from jlloren at WetCanvas.  This is what Joel had to say about the photo… “The northern most province of the Philippines is Batanes. Here is their light house courtesy of my friend, Irah.”

I almost didn’t use a sharpie on this one, but ended up doing part of it. 

Emily Dickinson

While Dickinson was extremely prolific as a poet and regularly enclosed poems in letters to friends, she was not publicly recognized during her lifetime. The first volume of her work was published posthumously in 1890 and the last in 1955. She died in Amherst in 1886.

Upon her death, Dickinson’s family discovered 40 handbound volumes of nearly 1800 of her poems, or “fascicles” as they are sometimes called. These booklets were made by folding and sewing five or six sheets of stationery paper and copying what seem to be final versions of poems in an order that many critics believe to be more than chronological. The handwritten poems show a variety of dash-like marks of various sizes and directions (some are even vertical). The poems were initially unbound and published according to the aesthetics of her many early editors, removing her unusual and varied dashes and replacing them with traditional punctuation. The current standard version replaces her dashes with a standard “n-dash,” which is a closer typographical approximation of her writing. Furthermore, the original order of the works was not restored until 1981, when Ralph W. Franklin used the physical evidence of the paper itself to restore her order, relying on smudge marks, needle punctures and other clues to reassemble the packets. Since then, many critics have argued for thematic unity in these small collections, believing the ordering of the poems to be more than chronological or convenient. The Manuscript Books of Emily Dickinson (Belknap Press, 1981) remains the only volume that keeps the order intact.
Source:  www.poets.org

Beach Frolicking – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor on Indian Village Handmade Paper Postcard

“Forgiveness is the economy of the heart.…forgiveness saves the expense of anger, the cost of hatred, the waste of spirits.”
– Hannah More

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Beach Frolicking – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor on Indian Village Handmade Paper Postcard

I didn’t have a lot of time to paint over the weekend, so I opted for some quick little watercolor postcards.  I spent most of my painting time working on some new acrylic  work in the Bethville series.  I’m really excited.  They are so fun!!  I’ll give you a peek toward the end of the week.

I painted this one from a reference photo by jlloren at WetCanvas.  A beautiful beach sunset courtesy of Joel’s  photographer  friend,  Bobby Wong.

About Hannah More

English writer and philanthropist Hannah More, one of the most influential women of her time, is seen as a proto-feminist because she argued for true education for women. She was born near Bristol in 1745. When her long engagement to a local landowner ended badly, he gave her a yearly stipend in apology, which allowed her the freedom to move to London and write plays. She later shifted to philanthropic work and writing popular religious tracts. She died in 1833.

Valentine’s Dessert 5 – 4.5″ x 4.5″ Watercolor

“When we let go of our battles and open our hearts to things as they are, then we come to rest in the present moment. This is the beginning and end of spiritual practice.”
–Jack Kornfield

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Valentine’s Dessert 5 – 4.5″ x 4.5″ Watercolor

Just when you thought you were too full for any more dessert…. I spring the best one on ya!  he he   This is my favorite of all the desserts.  Are you dying to see the original tray of pastries I painted these from?  Let me see….  Oh, here it is.

Photo by Mo at WetCanvas - Betty's Tea Room in York, UK

Okay… now here are my versions….

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

How fun is that?  And to answer the question that must be swimming around in your head….  My only chemical influences are coffee and pure joy! 

Jack Kornfield is one of the leading Buddhist teachers in America. A practitioner for over 40 years, he is one of the key teachers to introduce mindfulness and vipassana meditation to the West. His approach emphasizes compassion, lovingkindness and the profound path of mindful presence, all offered in simple, accessible ways in his books, CD’s, classes and retreats.  Source: www. jackkornfield.com

Valentine’s Dessert 4 – 4.5″ x 4.5″ Watercolor

“Most would not think of work as a prize. That is often due to the concept we have of work.

 Work can be that of an artist, the work of creation. Such work is not the response to a whistle or the boring activity that follows a punched time card. Creative work is the fullest human expression of being alive. It comes from the inside out and has no boss other than an inner demand to create a thing of beauty that previously did not exist.

 The primary task of human beings is to creatively work at making our lives a remarkable thing of beauty. Whether we be butcher, baker, or candlestick maker there is always the opportunity to make a truly creative effort of a life’s work by pounding out our dents and polishing that which is already beautiful. When we understand that life is the medium and we are the canvas, our efforts to improve become an exciting challenge rather than a boring task.”

–Earnie Larsen & Carol Larsen Hegarty

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Valentine’s Dessert 4 – 4.5″ x 4.5″ Watercolor

Yes, it’s another dessert.  How fun is that?  All the fun of looking without being attempted to divulge.  This was painted from that same tray of desserts by Mo at WetCanvas.

About the Authors

Earnie Larsen is the author of Stage II Recovery and Stage II Relationships, and coauthor with his sister Carol Hegarty of Days of Healing, Days of Joy.    Sorry, but that is all I could find.  While I was searching though, I ended up buying one of their books from textbooks.com.  “Believing in Myself – Daily Meditations for Healing and Building Self Esteem”.  There should be some great quotes in there for the blog! 

Valentine’s Dessert 3 – 4.5″ x 4.5″ Watercolor

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.
It turns what we have into enough, and more.
It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order,
confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast,
a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.
Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace
for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
–Melody Beattie

Yeah!!!  I love that!!

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Valentine’s Dessert 3 – 4.5″ x 4.5″ Watercolor

Yummmm.  Now I’m hungry.  Not a good way to start the day.  Yesterday, I was surprised with a dozen red roses from my hubby.  He doesn’t normally do flowers and I was thrilled!!  The last time he sent flowers was to mark my first Valentine’s day as a married lady.  That was 9 years ago.  He’s pretty wonderful and I’m a lucky girl!

This painting was done from a photo reference of a tray of desserts by Mo at WetCanvas.

Melody Beattie

Melody Beattie is one of America’s most beloved self-help authors and a household name in addiction and recovery circles. Her international bestselling book, Codependent No More, introduced the world to the term “codependency” in 1986. Millions of readers have trusted Melody’s words of wisdom and guidance because she knows firsthand what they’re going through. In her lifetime, she has survived abandonment, kidnapping, sexual abuse, drug and alcohol addiction, divorce, and the death of a child. “Beattie understands being overboard, which helps her throw bestselling lifelines to those still adrift,” said Time Magazine.  Source: melodybeattie.com

Valentine’s Dessert 2 – 4.5″ x 3.5″ Watercolor & Sharpie

The more you love, the more love you are given to love with.
–Lucien Price

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Valentine’s Dessert 2 – 4.5″ x 3.5″ Watercolor & Sharpie


Happy Valentine’s Day!  Here is your second calorie free dessert for Valentine’s week.  The pastry was from a reference photo by Mo at WetCanvas.  The plate and doily are  all me! 
Sophie at Just4Crafters has a cool tutorial for a Valentine’s Day card.  I may try my hand at it today.  It looks like so much fun.  She had a cool birdhouse (The Love Shack)  tutorial before that, if you have a little more time on your hands.  Thanks Sophie!

Junius Lucien Price (January 6, 1883 – March 30, 1964), who also published under the name Seymour Deming, was the author of more than a dozen books and a writer for publications such as The Boston Evening Transcript and The Atlantic Monthly. At the time of his death at age 81 he was still writing for the Boston Globe.  Source:  Wikipedia

With love comes promises of sentiment as rapturous as fall’s splendor of color and as delicate as a crystal of snow. Love empowers us to handle the struggles that bind us, the struggles that stretch us to grow. The familiar sights and muffled sounds of each moment vibrate with greater intensity when we’re giving and receiving love.
We’re deluded to think the love of others will complete us, so we strive for it; we long for it. But we receive love only when we’re unselfishly offering it. It is one of life’s wonderful mysteries that we must first give love away if we hope to get it.
Loving another tests our patience, strength, and security. Love spurned is dreaded and perhaps too familiar, but we must risk it once again if we are to find the love we deserve. 
The gifts of love are many and guaranteed when the act of love is honest, unselfish, whole, and unconditionally offered.
– Karen Casey

Karen Casey

Millions of people around the world spend a few moments in quiet reflection with Karen Casey every day. Karen is the best-selling author of Each Day a New Beginning, the first daily meditation book written expressly for women in recovery from addiction. Published in 1981, Each Day a New Beginning has sold more than three million copies and has been translated into ten different languages. Over the years, readers around the world have come to regard Karen as a trusted companion on the recovery journey. Among her other best-selling inspirational books are Keepers of the Wisdom, A Woman’s Spirit, Fearless Relationships, and A Life of My Own. In her newest book, Serenity (Hazelden, 2007), Karen shares favorite passages that gently convey simple lessons for living with greater peace, hope, and trust. Karen enjoys golfing and riding her Harley with her husband. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Naples, Florida.

Valentines Dessert Art 1

“We each need to let our intuition guide us, and then be willing to follow that guidance directly and fearlessly.”
– Shakti Gawain

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Valentines Dessert Art 1 – 4.5″ x 4.5″ Watercolor

It’s Valentines week, so I made you sweet treats that won’t put a single inch on your waistline.  There’s one for each day of the week.  Mo from WetCanvas posted a tray full of yummy treats from York, in the UK.  Rumor over at WetCanvas has it that these treats came from Betty’s Tea Room.

About Shakti Gawain

American New Age author Shakti Gawain was born in 1948. Raised by atheists who taught her to question everything, she went through an existential crisis after a romantic breakup, which led her on a pilgrimage to India. Her experiences inspired the book Creative Visualization, which became an international best seller. She has been featured in Time magazine and has appeared on such shows as Oprah, Good Morning Americav and The Larry King Show. She currently lives in California with her husband Jim Burns.

Winter Wheat – 6″ x 6″ Watercolor & Sharpie

Happiness is not a destination. It is a method of life.
–Burton Hillis

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Winter Wheat – 6″ x 6″ Watercolor & Sharpie

I saw a black and white photo of a tractor in the midst of some Kansas winter wheat crops in a newspaper and it spoke to me.  This is what came from my brain, while thinking about the wonderful winter wheat crops in Oklahoma.  When we drive from Eufaula to Oklahoma City, I love seeing those bright green fields of color, surrounded by all that is a dull wintery brown.  This is going to be a larger acrylic painting.

Burton Hillis seems to be an elusive fellow.  I couldn’t find much of anything on him.  I did find the statement below, which I like very much… even if I can’t whistle.   Hey,  I can hum!  

Burton Hillis speaks of whistling as an outlet for the joy and peace that well in the heart. Moreover, he strongly believes that one who whistles cannot be harboring any meanness or malice deep in his heart. Whoever hears an angry person whistle?

 

Read more: http://purpleslinky.com/humor/burton-hillis-and-others-on-whistling-and-humming/#ixzz1lzGLF1Ph

Kitty in Bloom

“When you cannot make up your mind between two evenly balanced courses of action, choose the bolder.”
– William Joseph Slim

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Kitty in Bloom – Sharpie on Vellum

Here’s another flowerdy critter.  The cat and the daisies are from Dewi’s references at WetCanvas.  It’s so fun to combine the two and end up with something oddly wonderful.  I guess I took today’s quote to heart.  

About William Joseph Slim

The courageous British commander William Joseph Slim, who led forces during both world wars, led an impressive turnaround of the so-called Forgotten Army in Burma during World War II after he trained them how to fight in jungle conditions. He was born in 1891 in Bristol. He joined the army as a second lieutenant at the outbreak of World War I and was wounded in the battle of Gallipoli. He served as governor-general of Australia, a ceremonial role, from 1953 to 1960. He died in 1970.

Another Flowerdy Dog

“Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.”
–James Matthew Barrie

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Another Flowerdy Dog – Sharpie on Vellum

This is the same dog as yesterday’s post.  I know it was unexpected to have such a “normal” looking dog on that post, so today I can reassure you that I am still a little nuts.    The photo reference was from Dewi at WetCanvas.

James M. Barrie (1860-1937), Scottish author and dramatist, best known for his character Peter Pan. The play Peter Pan or, The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up was first performed in 1904 and published in 1928;

All children, except one, grow up. They soon know that they will grow up, and the way Wendy knew was this. One day when she was two years old she was playing in a garden, and she plucked another flower and ran with it to her mother. I suppose she must have looked rather delightful, for Mrs. Darling put her hand to her heart and cried, “Oh, why can’t you remain like this for ever!” This was all that passed between them on the subject, but henceforth Wendy knew that she must grow up. You always know after you are two. Two is the beginning of the end.

More on James M. Barrie here.

Soulful Doggy Eyes

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
– Winston Churchill

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Soulful Doggy Eyes – 2.5″ x 3.5″ Watercolor & Sharpie ATC

Don’t dogs have the most soulful eyes?   He looks like a Ralph to me.   I played this one pretty straight.  No flowers or quilting here.  But….. tomorrow you’ll get to see another version of this dog. 

Ralph was painted from a reference photo by Dewi at WetCanvas.

About Winston Churchill

Sir Winston Churchill was an extraordinary British prime minister; he laid the groundwork for welfare in England, helped set the boundaries in the Middle East, became a symbol of the resistance against the Nazis in Europe, and was a central force in the Allied victory in World War II. He was born in 1874 near Oxford. He was known for his courage, his stubbornness, and his powerful personality. He was also an accomplished painter and writer. He died in 1965.

The Flowerdy Dog ATC

“Whether you’re up or down, whether you’re confident or unsure, listen to your heart. For your heart knows why you are here.”
–Ralph Marston

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

The Flowerdy Dog – 2.5″ x 3.5″ Watercolor & Sharpie ATC

This little painting was done from the same reference photo (a black dog) as The Quilted Dog I posted last week.  There’s just something about his big old snout that is appealing.

You may wonder why I am so late this morning.  Well… the hubby and I didn’t watch the Super Bowl yesterday, so this morning we watched a Super Bowl commercial marathon we found on msn.com.  Hubby had a bad night and I thought it would cheer him up.  It worked!  By the time I was ready to leave, he was sleeping peacefully…. no doubt dreaming about Coke drinking polar bears. 

Ralph Marston is author and publisher of The Daily Motivator, one of the web’s most popular and enduring destinations for original positive motivation and inspiration. Since 1996, Ralph has published a new, original, positive message every Monday through Saturday without missing a single publication day (the archive of more than 5,000 messages is available on The Daily Motivator website).

In the fall of 2001 Ralph first created the beloved “Right Now” video presentation which has given a sense of peace and hope to millions with its simple, profound message. Since then, he has created several more similar presentations, all available for free from The Daily Motivator website.

Ralph is the author of three books, and his words of wisdom have been quoted countless times on thousands of websites, in books, magazines, newspapers and other publications.

Hard Cider – 2.5″ x 3.5″ Watercolor & Sharpie ATC

“Happiness is a butterfly, which, when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you sit down quietly, may alight upon you.”
– Nathaniel Hawthorne

 Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Hard Cider – 2.5″ x 3.5″ Watercolor & Sharpie ATC

Okay, I know this one is not that exciting, but it was a quickie I did while taking a break from some logo design work.  The original photo was from Susan (surob) at WetCanvas.

Have a good weekend! 

About Nathaniel Hawthorne

The novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), famous for his dense prose and allegorical undertones, is perhaps best known for The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables. He was born in Massachusetts, and his New England upbringing permeates his work. Hawthorne achieved fame late in life: his first work, a collection of short stories, was rejected by publishers, but he continued to write even as he worked at the Salem Custom House.

Little Pink Tennies

“Happiness is neither virtue nor pleasure nor this thing nor that but simply growth. We are happy when we are growing.”
– William Butler Yeats

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Little Pink Tennies – 2.5″ x 3.5″ Watercolor & Sharpie ATC

I fell in love with these shoes!  Susan (surob) posted them at WetCanvas last weekend. ( Well…. not exactly these shoes.  They were pink and white.)   If you’ve been following me for a while, you may have seen my 24 ATC shoe series I did for an exchange.  They were so fun!!  After I looked at this one on my monitor, all I could see was big blue olives! 

About William Butler Yeats

Irish author William Butler Yeats, known for his mysticism and Celtic imagery, won a Nobel Prize for his plays but ultimately achieved more renown as a poet. He was born in Dublin in 1865. Co-founder of the Abbey Theater, he served as its resident playwright and worked with actress Maude Gonne, who inspired the romantic longing expressed in many poems. He married at age 52 and co-wrote A Vision with his wife, a book with occult roots that explores the mythology in his poetry. He died in 1939.

Larry the Yard Ornament

“The individual is capable of both great compassion and great indifference. He has it within his means to nourish the former and outgrow the latter.”
– Norman Cousins

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Larry the Yard Ornament – 2.5″ x 3.5″ Watercolor ATC

Susan (surob)  posted a photo of this guy, she calls Larry, in her WDE for WetCanvas.  By the time I finished painting him, I was in love! 

It’s hard to believe it’s the first day of February.  We were being buried under 14″ of snow on this day last year.  Today, I’m wearing flip flops and it’s going to be in the upper 60′s.  I think it made it to 70 yesterday.  LOVE it!!

About Norman Cousins

American writer and editor Norman Cousins is best known for his book, Anatomy of an Illness, an account of how he used nutrition and positive visualizations, including laughter, to heal from an illness diagnosed as fatal. He was born in New Jersey in 1915. He served many years as editor-in-chief of the Saturday Review, a job he loved. Under his guidance, circulation increased from 20,000 to 650,000. He received the UN Peace Medal for his world activism. He died in 1990.