Seagulls in Australia

“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.”
–Carl Jung

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Seagulls – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor and Sharpie

I painted this from a photo by Mary Y. at WetCanvas.  I wonder if all seagulls have spotted tail feathers or just Aussie seagulls.  (Mary lives in Australia.)

They said on the news that where I live in Oklahoma is the hottest part of the country today.  We broke a record for the highest overnight low ever.  When I was driving in to work at 5 am, it was 87 F.  Normally I don’t come in that early (or post my blog this late) but I spent 5.5 hours putting graphics all over a Carpet Cleaning van in my non-air conditioned shop.  It’s only 11:30 and I’m whooped.  But, I’m done with the van.  YAY!!!  I’m staying in the air conditioned part of the sign shop the rest of the day.  You can’t make me go out there! 

Carl Gustav Jung (/ˈjʊŋ/ YUUNG; German: [ˈkarl ˈɡʊstaf ˈjʊŋ]; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychologist and psychiatrist who founded analytical psychology. Jung proposed and developed the concepts of the extraverted and the introverted personality, archetypes, and the collective unconscious. His work has been influential in psychiatry and in the study of religion, literature, and related fields.
Individuation is the central concept of analytical psychology. Jung considered individuation, the psychological process of integrating the opposites, including the conscious with the unconscious while still maintaining their relative autonomy, to be the central process of human development

Lonely Grasshopper on my Windshield

“Because of our mindfulness, we see our desire, and our aggression, our jealousy an our ignorance. We don’t act on them; we just see them. Without mindfulness, we don’t see them and they proliferate.”
–Pema Chodron

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Lonely Grasshopper – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor, Inktense and Sharpie

Lonely is the word this week for Illustration Friday.  I painted this from a photo I took Saturday morning of a grasshopper on the windshield of my jeep.  Now you know he had to be feeling pretty lonely at that moment. 

This may prove that artists think differently than non artists.  Grabbing your camera may not be your first instinct when you see a bug on your windshield.  *giggle*

Pema Chodron is a leading exponent of teachings on meditation and how they apply to everyday life.
She is widely known for her charming and down-to-earth interpretation of Tibetan Buddhism for Western audiences. Pema is the resident teacher at Gampo Abbey, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, the first Tibetan monastery for Westerners and has authored several books, including:

Always Maintain a Joyful Mind (lojong teachings)
Practicing Peace in Times of War
No Time to Lose
The Pema Chodron Collection (audio)
Getting Unstuck:Breaking Your Habitual
Patterns & Encountering Naked Reality (audio)
The Places that Scare You
When Things Fall Apart
Start Where You Are

Little Red Chevy Painting

“Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.”
– Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Little Red Chevy – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Sharpie

I painted the Chevy from a photo I found in the WetCanvas RIL.  Everything else came from Bethville.

It’s Whole Hawg weekend here in Eufaula, Oklahoma.  It started with a rodeo last night, continuing through the weekend.  Tonight at 6:00 there will be a parade down Main street.  That’s always a fun one.  Saturday, there will be a boat poker run on the lake,  carnival, a car show, an arts and crafts fair, hawg cooking and a sandwich giveaway at 5:00 pm.  I’m sure there is more going on that I forgot to mention.  People will be cooking hawgs all over town for judging at 3:00.  Then they all cut up their meat and make sandwiches to give away.    It’s a fun event and did I mention… I get to design their logo every year? 

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

About Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., one of the greatest American jurists of the twentieth century, was called the Great Dissenter because of the brilliance of his dissenting opinions. He was born in Boston in 1841 and was named for his father, the author and doctor. He was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1902 and became known for his pithy, quotable opinions. He stood strong on free-speech rights and was an advocate of judicial restraint and objectivity. He died in 1935.

A Happy Old Orange Truck in Bethville

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

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

A Happy Old Orange Truck – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Sharpie

I painted this from a photo by rue d’oak from the WetCanvas Reference Image Library.  It was actually rust and green and it was in a city environment without the hay in the back.  I like this way better, but I’m grateful for the WetCanvas RIL for the inspiration. 

About Etty Hillesum

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.

Same Day, Different Car - Rathdowney Heritage Festival

“Victory is won not in miles but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground, and later, win a little more.”
– Louis L’Amour

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Same Day, Different Car – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Sharpie

This is another vintage car from the Rathdowney Heritage Festival, Queensland, Australia.    The photo was by Christine (Crispur) at WetCanvas.  I think the car was a deep dark burgundy… almost black.  But not in Bethville. 

Again, I apologize for not replying to comments lately.  The sign shop is keeping me too busy, but I LOVE every comment and it makes me so happy to hear from you!

About Louis L’Amour

Louis L’Amour, the author known for his pulp westerns, wrote more than 100 novels in his lifetime. Born in North Dakota in 1908 as Louis LaMoore, he worked across the southwestern U.S. on a string of backbreaking jobs including longshoreman, elephant handler, and cattle skinner. He saw his writing as akin to telling tales by a campfire and wanted to be remembered simply as a good storyteller. He won the Medal of Freedom in 1984 and died in 1988.

Vintage Car in Queensland, Australia

“Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.”
– Carl Jung

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Vintage Car at the Rathdowney Heritage Festival, Queensland, Australia 

This is a 5″ x 7″ watercolor and sharpie painting I did from a photo by Christine (Crispur) at WetCanvas.  Of course, I got there early, before all the people and stuff arrived.  The only guy I saw there was the orange cone guy and he was doing an awesome job! 

About Carl Jung

Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist who originated such well-known psychological concepts as the archetype and the collective unconscious, has provided inspiration to people ranging from Joseph Campbell to Bill Wilson, the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. He was born in 1875 in a small town; he studied with Sigmund Freud before parting ways due to the radical difference in their views of human nature. Jung is considered second only to Freud in his influence on modern psychology, particularly in the area of dream analysis. He died in 1961.

This Guy Can Carry a Tune! – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Prismacolor Pen

“Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome.”
– Samuel Johnson

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

This Guy Can Carry a Tune!  – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Prismacolor Pen

Carry is the word this week for Illustration Friday.    I am enjoying IF, because it makes me think outside the box.  I painted this from a photo from Crispur (Christine) at WetCanvas.  Christine lives in Australia and she had some great photos to paint from this weekend.  I worked on Saturday, but on Sunday I got to paint some of them.  Yay!

About Samuel Johnson

Samuel Johnson, the sharp-witted British essayist, wrote the first English language dictionary; his definitions still form the backbone of current dictionaries. He was born in Staffordshire in 1709. Johnson married a widow 20 years his senior and lived in poverty before achieving success with his essays when he was in his forties. Later in life, he befriended the young James Boswell, whose Life of Johnson became the quintessential English biography. Johnson died in 1784.

State Farm Sock Monkey Painting – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor & Ink

“You miss 100% of the shots you never take.”
– Wayne Gretsky

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

State Farm Sock Monkey Painting – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor & Ink

First I have to say my heart goes out to all the people in Aurora, Colorado.  I visited that city when my brother lived there in the 70′s.  It’s horrible what happened at that movie theater and it’s going to have such a huge impact on a state that has already been rocked with too much this year.

This is another painting from my hometown of Eufaula, Oklahoma.   My friend Janiece Vest owns this business and is such a huge part of our community.  Janiece is a giver and a community leader who has worked very hard for the Chamber of Commerce and other causes.

I love this one.  I giggled at the State Farm bear peeking out the window the whole time I was painting it.  Fun! 

About Wayne Gretsky

Wayne Gretsky, the Canadian hockey champion known as the Great One, held 61 NHL records when he retired in 1999. He was born in Brantford, Ontario, and was a prodigy on the ice, competing with ten-year-olds when he was six and playing professionally by 16. He hit the big time playing for the Edmonton Oilers. When he was traded to the L.A. Kings in 1988, Canadians burned the Oilers’ owner in effigy. In 1999, ESPN named Gretsky the fifth-greatest athlete of the 20th century.

Lost – Hide and Seek in Color

“We find it hard to believe that other people’s thoughts are as silly as our own, but they probably are.”
–James Harvey Robinson

I find that quote strangely comforting. This quote came from my little book “Believing in Myself” by Earnie Larsen and Carol Hegarty. They go on to say, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, if we remember, turned out to be a nervous little man shouting through a megaphone. He wasn’t braver than the Lion or smarter than the Scarecrow or more loving than the Tin Man. He was just like them; his wizardry was just an illusion. Much of the superiority we accord to others is illusion, too.”
–Beth

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Lost – Hide and Seek in Color – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor and Prismacolor Fine Art Pen

The link to the black and white version is here.  This was fun!  I spent way more time coloring it in than I did drawing it.  I didn’t re-ink the small details in the background, so they would fade back, but I’m not sure if that was the right choice.  Should I outline in ink again?

It’s a little easier to spot the cat and bearded dragon in this version. 

James Harvey Robinson, (born June 29, 1863, Bloomington, Ill., U.S.—died Feb. 16, 1936, New York City), U.S. historian, one of the founders of the “new history” that greatly broadened the scope of historical scholarship in relation to the social sciences.

The son of a bank president, Robinson went to Europe for a short while in 1882 and returned to work briefly in his father’s bank. He entered Harvard in 1884, earning his M.A. in 1888. After further study at the universities of Strassburg and Freiburg, he received his Ph.D. at Freiburg (1890) and began teaching European history at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, in 1891. Four years later he moved to Columbia University.

Source:  britannica.com

Bicycles in the Bahamas – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

“I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be.”
– Groucho Marx

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Bicycles in the Bahamas – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

I love that quote!  I also loved the photo I painted this from.  It’s another one from Lisilk  at WetCanvas.   Li takes the most incredible photos!

About Groucho Marx

Julius Henry “Groucho” Marx was the wisecracking central figure of the Marx Brothers comedy team, waggling his eyebrows in movies like Duck Soup and A Night at the Opera. He was born in New York in 1890. His mother organized the family into a vaudeville act, which didn’t become successful until Groucho began ad-libbing jokes and insults. In the forties and fifties, he hosted the wildly successful radio and TV quiz show You Bet Your Life. He died in 1977.

Signs by Beth Building Portrait in Color – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor

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

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Signs by Beth Building Portrait in Color – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor

This building is 100 years old, at least.  It used to be a car dealership.  On homecoming week, when there is a lot of alumni in town, an occasional person will wander in and tell me about what it used to be like.  I love those stories.  I don’t own this building, but I have been leasing it for 15 years.  I operated for 4 years out of my house, then spent a year outgrowing two other locations.  This one suits me perfectly.  It’s right downtown in Eufaula and I love having the large shop to work in.  I’m on the end of the block.  There is a nail salon next door and O’Reilly’s Auto Parts is across the street.  Nelson’s Feed Store is just to the east, across from O’Reilly’s.  It’s a piece of hometown America to the max and I love it!

About Ovid

“Publius Ovidius Naso, the Roman poet known as Ovid, best known for the epic Metamorphoses, is considered one of the greatest poets of Latin literature. He was born in 43 B.C. in what is now Italy. He rose quickly in Roman government and was on track to become a senator when he chose to devote himself to poetry instead. His tale of Pyramus and Thisbe is the source for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Emperor Augustus exiled Ovid from Rome for unknown reasons in 8 A.D.; he died in exile in 17 A.D. “

Lost – 4″ x 6″ Prismacolor .05 Fine Art Marker on Indian Village Handmade Postcard

“All growth is a leap in the dark, a spontaneous unpremeditated act without the benefit of experience.”
– Henry Miller

I Like that!

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Lost – 4″ x 6″ Prismacolor .05 Fine Art Marker on Indian Village Handmade Postcard

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Lost is the word for Illustration Friday this week.  Can you see the cat and the bearded dragon that are lost in this forest?  I painted this from two different photos by Mginsberg at WetCanvas.
There’s a very good chance that you’ll see this one again…. in vivid color. 

About Henry Miller

The bohemian American novelist Henry Miller is best known for his sexually daring autobiographical novels, Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn, and for his love affair with benefactor Anaïs Nin. He was born in 1891 in New York. His writing blossomed after he moved to Paris in 1930 but was banned in the United States for its erotic content. Miller eventually won the right to publish in the U.S., becoming an icon of the sexual revolution. He died in 1980 in California.

A Little Color for Friday the Thirteenth

“The fact that I can plant a seed and it becomes a flower,
share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another’s,
smile at someone and receive a smile in return,
are to me continual spiritual exercises.”
–Lee Buscaglia

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

A Little Color for Friday the Thirteenth

I painted this from a photo by Joel at WetCanvas.  It was all brown wood.  I really loved that photo!  I think it was actually a door, but I didn't give it a door knob.  Ooops.  Have a wonderful Friday the 13th and a fun weekend!

Leo F. Buscaglia (1924 -1998)

Buscaglia was teaching in the Department of Special Education at the University of Southern California in the late 1960s when one of his students committed suicide. She had been one of the sets of “kind eyeballs” he always looked for in the large auditorium, because her responses showed him that at least one student was hearing what he said, so the news that she killed herself had a great impact on him. ["What are we doing stuffing facts into people and forgetting that they are human beings?"] This incident led him to form a non-credit class titled Love 1A. There were no grades. (How could you potentially fail someone in this class? That wouldn’t be very loving!) The class led to lectures and a manuscript loosely based on what was shared in those weekly classes. The book found a publisher – and an author surprised to find that the simple title LOVE had never previously been claimed, allowing him to say “I have the copyright on LOVE!” Buscaglia said he never taught this class, only facilitated it, adding that he learned as much as anyone. Someone from a Public Broadcasting System affiliate heard one of his talks and arranged to tape a later presentation, eventually showing it during a pledge drive. The response was so strong that it was presented to the national office for consideration. There was great resistance, because a professor simply standing at a podium lecturing was considered old-fashioned, something from the old days of “educational television.” Still, the message and delivery were so compelling that they gave it a try, and Leo Buscaglia’s warm presentations touched viewers’ hearts through the cool medium of television nearly as effectively as they did in person. He has been called the “granddaddy of motivational speakers” on television. His simple message delivered in a dynamic style made him a popular guest on television talk shows, as well as on the lecture circuit. At one time five of his books were on The New York Times Best Sellers List simultaneously.  Source

Signs by Beth Building Sketch – 8″ x 10″

“A ship in port is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for.”
– Grace Murray Hopper

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Signs by Beth Building Sketch – 8″ x 10″

Here’s the initial sketch for the Signs by Beth sock monkey painting.  I wanted to get involved in the sock monkey project and do my building, too.  I am tickled with my jeep.  I never dreamed I’d be able to draw it where you could tell it was a jeep.  he he

About Grace Murray Hopper

Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper, the American computer pioneer, was the first woman to become a Distinguished Fellow of the British Computer Society. She was born in 1906 in New York. By age seven, she was taking alarm clocks apart to see how they worked. She worked for the U.S. Navy developing the first compiler, which allowed people to write computer programs in real language rather than machine code. When she found a moth inside a computer, she coined the term “debugging.” She died in 1992.

Our Favorite Place and a Sock Monkey

“Courage is very important. Like a muscle, it is strengthened by use.”
– Ruth Gordon

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Our Favorite Place – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor & Sharpie

This is another sock monkey building portrait.  Our little town is having so much fun with these.  This is the new Our Favorite Place, a Made in Oklahoma Store & Art Gallery, featuring only art and products created in Oklahoma.  In the back is Sips & Bytes, where you can get a coffee or a smoothie and a dessert, while enjoying the free wi-fi.  I love this store!  My art is there, too.    The proprietor is Karen Weldin, who owns Eufaula Lakeshore Realty, along with her partner, Susanne Bain.  She bought this building a couple years ago and has been restoring it back to it’s original 100 year old glory.  It has only been open a couple months and it’s a real treasure for the little town of Eufaula, Oklahoma.

The sign shop has been so busy lately that I am having a hard time getting over here to reply to comments.  I apologize for that.  I love your comments sooooo much and I read every one.  Please don’t stop!  I love hearing from you.  I’ll get more time soon, I hope.

About Ruth Gordon

American actress Ruth Gordon is best known for her roles in Harold and Maude and Rosemary’s Baby. She was born in Massachusetts in 1896. At age 19, she moved to New York to pursue acting; she performed in plays for the next 20 years. She and her first husband, Garson Kanin, wrote five film scripts for Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, including Adam’s Rib, which was based on the writers’ own marriage. She died in 1985.

Do You See a Pan of Grease and Soap Bubbles?

“That the birds of worry and care
fly about your head
This you cannot change
But that they build nests in your hair
This you can prevent.”
– Chinese Proverb

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Artists Don’t Just See a Pan of Grease and Soap Bubbles – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Sharpie
Maureen at WetCanvas posted a challenge last weekend.  Take a photo of her pan of grease that was left overnight to soak and do a painting using the counterchange technique.  She posted this photo as a sample of counterchange.

Image from Maureen (Charlie’s Mum) at WetCanvas

Here are the steps I took to get to what you see above, including her original photo.  Fun!!!  Click on image to see it larger.

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Words from the Author of Body, Mind and Spirit by Anonymous

“Worry can light on our shoulders or sink its teeth into our flesh. Worry can become such a habit that it may actually take over most of our waking and dreaming hours. Worry can break down our immune system and weaken our natural ability to fight illness.

 For some people, worry is a full-time job and life companion. How much do each of us worry each day? This is a good question to ask when we are ready to get serious about changing our worry habits.

 Once we have identified how and when we worry, we are ready to reverse the pattern. Progress, not perfection, is the key in changing our worry habits. With an open mind and willing heart we have the power to change our habit of worry into one of trust. We know as we make this change that our Higher Power is truly at work in our lives.

 Today let me begin to replace my worry with trust and faith in my ability to use my resources to face whatever life brings me.”

Bahama Shopping

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
– Aristotle

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Bahama Shopping – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Sharpie

This was painted from another reference by Lisilk at WetCanvas.  Li is a great photographer and I love it when she hosts the WDE at WetCanvas.  I’m headed out to install some signs.  Have a great day!

About Aristotle

Aristotle, the ancient Greek philosopher who is considered one of the most influential thinkers in history, wrote a number of books about science, poetry, and ethics. He was born in 384 B.C. in Macedonia. He studied with Plato in Athens and later tutored Alexander the Great. His death in 322 B.C. was rumored to be caused by hemlock poisoning.

Cross Livestock Auction Design

“Security is a superstition–it does not exist in nature. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure.”
– Helen Keller

 Copyright Signs by Beth, LLC 2012

Cross Livestock Auction Logo

I thought I’d do something a little different today.  I have been working on this logo for 2 weeks.  It was hard for the client to settle on the right critter.  The rest of it I had on day 1.  Funny how logo design goes.  This is going to be a great account and is starting with a bang.  Their first auction is Tuesday and they need several signs by then.  So much for my weekend off.  

About Helen Keller

American author and activist Helen Keller was born in Alabama in 1880; she became blind and deaf after a childhood fever. When she was 7, Ann Sullivan famously coaxed her out of her sullen, angry shell and taught her to communicate. From then on, Keller took on the world. She graduated from Radcliffe, traveled the world visiting sweatshops and speaking out for the powerless, helped found the ACLU, and wrote eleven books. She died in 1968.

Bahama House Revamp – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor and Sharpie

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Bahama House Revamp – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor and Sharpie


It’s not that I didn’t like the house as it appeared in the photo by Lisilk at WetCanvas.  I did.  It was white (of course) and had green shutters, Christmas lights, and a lot of stuff in the yard.  First, I took down the lights and cleaned up the yard.  Then (and this is where I seem to have veered of the Bahamian path) I decided to play with my Yarka St. Petersburg Watercolors.   The set I have is very Cape Cod colored, if that makes any sense.  So the colors kinda went awry, but it was still very fun!!    Oh, the grass is not painted from that set, so it has a different hue. 

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Emerson was born in Boston, Massachusetts on May 25, 1803, son of Ruth Haskins and the Rev. William Emerson, a Unitarian minister. He was named after his mother’s brother Ralph and the father’s great-grandmother Rebecca Waldo. Ralph Waldo was the second of five sons who survived into adulthood; the others were William, Edward, Robert Bulkeley, and Charles. Three other children—Phebe, John Clarke, and Mary Caroline–died in childhood.

The young Ralph Waldo Emerson’s father died from stomach cancer on May 12, 1811, less than two weeks before Emerson’s eighth birthday. Emerson was raised by his mother, with the help of the other women in the family; his aunt Mary Moody Emerson in particular had a profound effect on Emerson. She lived with the family off and on, and maintained a constant correspondence with Emerson until her death in 1863.  More…

Happy 4th of July Flip Flops

“Old people don’t get crabby. Crabby people get old.”
– Steve Otto

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Happy 4th of July!

This is a 2.5″ x 3.5″ watercolor ATC that I did for an ATC exchange.  Have a safe and wonderful holiday!

Steve Otto

There are too many Steve Otto profiles on the web to pin down which one wrote this quote.  I like it though!

Color Anyone? Another White Reference Photo

“Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Color Anyone?  Another White Reference Photo – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor & Sharpie

Since yesterday’s post was totally void of color, I thought you might like some. 
This was painted from a photo by Lisilk at WetCanvas.  The reference photo was all white, except for the nature part.  It was taken in the Bahamas where Li lives.  Her photos are always amazing!

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.

Even a Sock Monkey Likes a Cool Dip to Refresh – 4″ x 6″ Ink

“Long live impermanence! Without it a flower would never blossom, a baby would never be able to walk or become a teenager and grow into adulthood.”
–Thich Nhat Hahn

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Even a Sock Monkey Likes a Cool Dip to Refresh – 4″ x 6″ Ink

Busy weekend and no time to fill in with watercolor.  I painted this from an photo by Lisilk at WetCanvas.  Li lives in the Bahamas and there were children playing on a floating toy in the ocean.  Somehow my brain went to “refresh” for Illustration Friday and of course… sock monkeys. 

Thich Nhat Hahn

The Most Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh (Thây)  founded the Unified Buddhist Church (Eglise Bouddhique Unifieé) in France in 1969, during the Vietnam war. Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, a poet, a scholar, and a peace activist. His life long efforts to generate peace and reconciliation moved Martin Luther King, Jr. to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967. He founded the Van Hanh Buddhist University in Saigon and the School for Youths of Social Services in Vietnam. When not travelling the world to teach “The Art of Mindful Living”, he teaches, writes, and gardens in Plum Village, France, a Buddhist monastery for monks and nuns and a mindfulness practice center for lay people.  Source