Eufaula Post Office – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor & Ink

“When we are grateful for the good we already have, we attract more good into our life…”
–Margaret Stortz

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Eufaula Post Office – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor & Ink

Just now, I went on the internet to find some information on our post office and my post came up that I did with the ink drawing of this.  he he  I love that my blog is ranking high enough to be the 7th item on page one of the search.   I had to stop looking because I was finding too much interesting stuff to read and I have to get back to work. 

I couldn’t find anything on Margaret Stortz that I was sure was about the person who said this.  I got it from my neat little Simple Truths book:  Stress is a Choice, by David Zerfoss.

Paint Delivery to Bethville – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor and Ink

“Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through.  Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it.  This is a kind of death.”
–Anais Nin

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Paint Delivery to Bethville – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor and Ink

I drew this picture  while I was at the car dealership, waiting for them to replace my defective headlights.  The truck was (very) loosely drawn from a Publisher’s Clearing House ad for a little metal truck.    Then I painted it last night.   Color is just so much fun!!

(Yes… I send those PCH entries in, so my future is set.)

Anaïs Nin (February 21, 1903 – January 14, 1977) was a French-born author who became famous for her published journals, which span more than 60 years, beginning when she was 11 years old and ending shortly before her death. Nin is also famous for her erotica, which not only proves sensual, but also acts as a study of sexuality in its perfection and flaws.  More…

Chipmunks at Home – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed.
–Chamfort

That is so true!  
 

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Chipmunks at Home – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

I know!  Brown?  This little chipmunk house must not be in Bethville! 

I painted this from a photo by Sharrm at WetCanvas.

Chamfort was born Sébastien-Roch Nicolas, Clermont-Ferrand, Puy-de-Dôme on April 6th,1741, according to a baptismal certificate from Saint-Genès parish in Clermont-Ferrand, to a grocer named Nicolas. On June 22nd, a second birth certificate gives him the name « Sébastien Roch » from «unknown parents ». A journey to Paris resulted in the boy’s obtaining a bursary at the Collège des Grassins (a secondary school). He worked hard, although one of his most contemptuous epigrams reads: Ce que j’ai appris je ne le sais plus; le peu que je sais encore, je l’ai deviné (“What I learned I no longer know; the little I still know, I guessed”). When the principal of the College promised Chamfort a benefice, he replied that he could not accept because he preferred honour to honours, j’aime l’honneur et non les honneurs. About this time he assumed the name of Chamfort.  More…

Who Wouldn’t Love a Pink Llama Baby? - 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

“A lot of people have gone farther than they thought they could because someone else thought they could.”
–Zig Ziglar

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Who Wouldn’t Love a Pink Llama Baby?  -  4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

I painted this from a reference photo that Sharrm posted at WetCanvas.   The photo was contributed by santos6969 to the WetCanvas Reference Image Library (RIL).   There are currently  10,261,667  photos in the RIL.  If you need inspiration, have a look at all that lovely eye candy. 

Zig Ziglar, Americas leading Motivator, & his Team is leading the way for entreprenuers & small Businesses to Succeed Globally. http://www.ziglar.com/

 

“The Master of Motivation” Zig Ziglar has been described as “One of America’s Icons,” “the salesman’s salesman” and “A legacy that will forever impact our history.” Helping people to achieve long-term balanced success based on his philosophy of character, attitude and skills, he has impacted more than a quarter billion people and continues to make a difference in the lives of those who act on his philosophy.  More here.

Crooked Little Road – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor & Ink

“To keep your character intact you cannot stoop to filthy acts. It makes it easier to stoop the next time.”
– Katharine Hepburn

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Crooked Little Road – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor & Ink

The word of the week on Illustration Friday is Crooked.    The little MG is from a photo reference by Sharrm at WetCanvas.  Wouldn’t that be fun?  Hop in your classic MG and hit the paved country roads?  I don’t think it’d be as fun on gravel.   You’d have to drive entirely too slow!  

I love Katharine Hepburn! One Christmas day, when I was single, I rented everything I could find with her in it and had me a Hepburn marathon!! African Queen is one of my all time favorite movies!

About Katharine Hepburn

Gutsy American actress Katharine Hepburn was ranked the greatest actress of all time by the American Film Institute for her roles in films such as The African Queen and The Philadelphia Story. She was born in 1907 in Connecticut. Early in her film career, RKO took away her overalls, demanding she dress like a screen icon, prompting her to walk through the studio in her underwear. Her romance with Spencer Tracy led to their delightful verbal sparring in films like Adam’s Rib and Woman of the Year. She died in 2003.

Another White House Painting…. Not! - 4″ x 6″ Watercolor

“Since no one is perfect, it follows that all great deeds have been accomplished out of imperfection. Yet they were accomplished, somehow, all the same.”
– Lois McMaster Bujold

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Another White House Painting…. Not!  -  4″ x 6″ Watercolor

I did this Sunday when I just felt like doodling.   You know how that is, right?  Sometimes we just wanna play for no reason at all. 

Enjoy your last full day of summer.   It’s still in the 90′s here in Oklahoma, but we have some 80′s sprinkled in here and there and the nights are cooling down.  I love fall and I’m looking forward to some crisp days.

About Lois McMaster Bujold

Lois McMaster Bujold, the award-winning American science fiction and fantasy writer, is best known for her “Vorkosigan Saga” space opera, a series of novels and short stories which blend action with strong character development. She was born in 1949 in Ohio and began writing seriously in her thirties. When her best friend began publishing novels, Bujold thought, “If she can do it, I can too.” She has won the prestigious Hugo Award four times. She lives in Minneapolis and has two children.

McIntosh County Courthouse – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor

“Luck? I don’t know anything about luck. I’ve never banked on it and I’m afraid of people who do. Luck to me is something else: hard work — and realizing what is opportunity and what isn’t.”
– Lucille Ball

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

McIntosh County Courthouse – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor

I didn’t add the sock monkey to this painting because it is for sale and a Judge or Court Clerk may want the painting for their office, but may not feel so warm and fuzzy about the sock monkey.  All the individual “business” paintings are sold before I paint them.  I guess you could say they are commissioned.  I’m painting the Post Office, City Hall, Posey Park, the Library, etc., just so that the black and whites can be in the coloring book I’m working on.   Here’s a link to the black and white version of this one.

About Lucille Ball

Lucille Ball, the beloved redheaded comedian, was born in 1911 in New York. She enrolled in drama school — where she was told she had no acting talent, so she became a model. That career led to her discovery by Hollywood. Ball and her bandleader husband, Desi Arnaz, pitched a sitcom to CBS, which refused it, but they went on the road with it as a vaudeville act. The act — about a ditzy housewife and her bandleader husband — was a success, as was the ensuing TV show, I Love Lucy. The show made TV history when Lucy’s sitcom character was pregnant on the air. She died in 1989.

This Doggie Looks Possessed! – 4″ x 5″ Watercolor

“Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”
– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

This Doggie Looks Possessed! – 4″ x 5″ Watercolor

I painted this from a photo reference by JustJean at WetCanvas.  This is her friend’s dog, Gigit.  She kinda scares me! 

About Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the multitalented and prolific German author and scientist, is best known for the play Faust, which has been adapted into operas, films, and novels. He was born in 1749 in Frankfurt. An unhappy love affair inspired his first play; his similarly themed novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther, created the prototype of the romantic hero. He also invented the color wheel concept of light and made important discoveries in plant and human biology. He died in 1832.

Scarecrows in Love – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor and Ink

“Courage is the human virtue that counts most — courage to act on limited knowledge and insufficient evidence. That’s all any of us have.”
– Robert Frost

Yeah!  I like that!

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Scarecrows in Love – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor and Ink

Yesterday was my 10th wedding anniversary with my amazing husband.  So I may have been feeling a little sentimental when I was painting these scarecrows.  In the photo by JustJean at WetCanvas, they were not so close together or lovie-dovie looking. 

About Robert Frost

Robert Frost, the influential American poet known for his rural settings, uncluttered language, and meditative themes, wrote the poems, “A Road Not Taken” and “Mending Walls,” among many others. He was born in San Francisco in 1874 and moved to Massachusetts at age 11. He ran a farm for ten years, selling it to move to England and become a full-time poet. After achieving his goal, he moved back to New Hampshire. His ambition was to write “a few poems it will be hard to get rid of.” He died in 1963.

She Burst Out Laughing! – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor and Ink

“If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.”
–Jim Rohn

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

She Burst Out Laughing! – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor and Ink

When Alice the Alpaca looked in the mirror at her new hair-do, she burst out laughing!  Burst is the word this week for Illustration Friday.  I have painted this alpaca before, but that was before she went to the beauty parlor. 

Jim Rohn

Born to an Idaho farming family in the mid-1900s, Jim was ingrained with a work ethic that has served him well throughout his life. At 25, he met his mentor Earl Shoaff. And over the next six years he made his first fortune, yet didn’t get into speaking until he moved to Beverly Hills, California, when a friend at the Rotary Club asked him to tell his success story, which Rohn titled “Idaho Farm Boy Makes It to Beverly Hills.”

His speech went over so well that he received more invitations to share it, and better yet, they started paying him for it. In the beginning, he spoke in front of college and high-school classes and at service clubs, before moving on to seminars in 1963, which launched him into the personal-development business. From then on,

Jim Rohn became a trailblazer in the self help and personal development industry, impacting the lives of millions through his life-changing material.  See more at JimRohn.com.

A Colorful Pile of Cute Little Kittens

“Let us always be open to the miracle of the second chance.”
–Reverend David Stier

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

A Pile of Kittens

I finished painting the McIntosh County Courthouse this morning, but I figured you had to be tired of looking at buildings.  So… for a nice change of pace, here is a pile of kittens. 

Have a great weekend!

There were too many David Stiers on the internet to know which one said this, but I can tell you where it came from.  I found it in my little book:  “Believing In Myself – Daily Meditations for Healing and Building Self-Esteem” by Earnie Larsen & Carol Hegarty.

Auntie Faye’s 4″ x 6″ Postcard – Without the Sock Monkey

“What a time to be alive!
There are no ideas that are totally tapped down,
no ideology is adequate to the task of this time.
So it is a time for really alive, innovative people.
I have my oar in the water with everyone else.
I am rowing in the direction I can….
It is great to be alive!”
– Fran Peavey

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Auntie Faye’s 4″ x 6″ Postcard – Without the Sock Monkey

The sock monkey is actually a little town marketing thing we got wrapped up in.  I don’t begrudge the folks at Auntie Faye’s for their decision to take it out for the postcard.  I’m just happy that I know how!   Yay Photoshop and Tara Reed’s tutorial that I purchased a couple years ago.  

I love today’s quote!  It came from Ruth Fishel’s little book Wrinkles Don’t Hurt – Daily Meditations on the Joy of Aging Mindfully.  I love that book!!

Fran Peavey has worked in many fields: college professor, taxi driver, junior high teacher, comedian. For 30 years she has been working as a human rights campaigner, comedian, and social change worker. “For more than half her life…Peavey has been at the barricades, challenging the status quo, trying to build a new culture of peaceful co-operation and social justice…Fran Peavey reminds that ordinary people can make a difference.” David Leser, in “Good Weekend”Fomerly a member of the world renowned Atomic Comics, she teaches “heart politics to social changeworkers around the world.  (copied bio info from Amazon.com)

Auntie Faye’s - 8″ x 10″ Watercolor

“When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. And that is my religion.”
– Abraham Lincoln

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Auntie Faye’s Fudge, Gifts & Etc. – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor

This one was so fun!  They have already put in their order for postcards (yes, I do postcards and business cards) with their building on them.  Some of the businesses are making their Christmas Cards from the paintings, too.  They have asked me to Photoshop the sock monkey out for the postcards.  Bummer.

About Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln, the American president remembered as Honest Abe, is renowned for his strong leadership during the Civil War and for ending slavery in the United States. He was born in a Kentucky cabin in 1809. He taught himself law and passed the Illinois bar in 1837, the same year he first spoke out against slavery. The Southern states seceded in response to his election to the presidency in 1860. Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, mere days after General Robert E. Lee surrendered to end the war.

Eufaula, Oklahoma Post Office – 8″ x 10″ Ink Drawing

“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.”
– Lao-Tzu

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Eufaula, Oklahoma Post Office – 8″ x 10″ Ink Drawing

It’s amazing how much I learn about these buildings when I draw them.  For instance, there are entrances to the basement of this building from both sides.  I didn’t paint the various signs on the building, but I just looked one of them up and it’s a fallout shelter sign.  I need to add that one.  That’s pretty cool.  I need to get a closer look at that sign to be sure.   I love the history these buildings have.  When I looked up McIntosh County History, I found that Eufaula has had a post office since 1874, but I doubt this is the original.  It’s a little too modern.

In 1876, The Indian Journal newspaper was founded and it’s the oldest surviving newspaper in the state of Oklahoma.  Interesting stuff.

About Lao-Tzu

The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao-Tzu is believed to have lived in the 4th century B.C. Little is known about him, but it is likely that he wrote the Tao te Ching, the foundation of Taoist philosophy, and engaged Confucius in debate, honing both men’s belief systems. His name means either “old master” or the “old child,” and one legend says he was born with white hair after spending 80 years in his mother’s womb.

Imagination – Building Transformation – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor & Staedtler Pens

“I do believe it is possible to create, even without ever writing a word or painting a picture, by simply molding one’s inner life. And that too is a deed.”
– Etty Hillesum

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Imagination – Building Transformation – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor & Staedtler Pens

Imagination is the word of the week for Illustration Friday.  What many people call Imagination, I call Bethville.  The photo reference for this painting was a really terrible, broken down, old white stucco shack.  (KreativeK at WetCanvas supplied the photo.)  When I look at a gnarly old white building, I see it bursting in color!  It becomes a wonderful blank canvas for me to decorate.  I love color!!! 

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.

Auntie Faye’s Building Portrait in Black & White – 8″ x 10″

“Character may be manifested in the great moments, but it is made in the small ones.”
– Phillips Brooks

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Auntie Faye’s Building Portrait in Black & White – 8″ x 10″

I’m busy painting on this one and I should be showing it to you soon.  The store owners always get to see it before you, so it all depends on when James and Linda see it.  I imagine I’ll have it done Monday or so.  They did approve the pencil drawing before I proceeded with ink.  The sign in the painting just went up 2 days ago.  It’s colorful and fun!  Well, of course it is… It’s a Signs by Beth original. 

About Phillips Brooks

Phillips Brooks, the American clergyman now mostly known for writing the words to the Christmas song, “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” was one of the most influential ministers of his time, with his sermons reprinted in major newspapers. He delivered the eulogy at Abraham Lincoln’s funeral. Born in Boston in 1835, he spent most of his life there as overseer of Harvard University, rector of Trinity Church, and bishop of Massachusetts. He died in 1893, and the day of his funeral was declared an official day of mourning.

McIntosh County Courthouse – 8″ x 10″ Prismacolor Pen on 140 lb Cold Press

“Always behave like a duck — keep calm and unruffled on the surface but paddle like the devil underneath.”
– Jacob Braude

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

McIntosh County Courthouse – 8″ x 10″ Prismacolor Pen on 140 lb Cold Press

Don’t you just love small towns?  The buildings have so much charm and they are rich in character.  Of course, they are also old… as in I did not draw in the window air conditioners that are poking out of all the windows. 

I’ll post again after it’s painted.

About Jacob Braude

American judge and author Jacob Braude was a fount of humorous and inspirational stories and quotations, which he used to regale the courtroom in Cook County, Illinois, where he presided for more that 35 years. His books of sayings, including Speaker’s Encyclopedia of Humor and Braude’s Treasury of Wit and Humor, have been mined by toastmasters and lecturers for decades. He was born in 1896 and died in 1970.

Napa Auto Parts Building Portrait – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor & Prismacolor Fine Art Pens

“If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain; if I can ease one life
from aching, or cool one pain, or help one
fainting robin unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.”
–Emily Dickenson

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Napa Auto Parts Building Portrait – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor & Prismacolor Fine Art Pens

This is another fun little building portrait.  I am having such a great time doing these portraits and the business owners are having a great time, too.    I am encouraging them to use them to market their businesses.  They will be using the digital images for their Christmas cards and stuff like that.  I’m working on Auntie Faye’s Fudge Shop now and that building is colorful and fun.  I can’t wait to show you. 

Emily Dickinson

In 1830, Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts. She attended Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in South Hadley, but severe homesickness led her to return home after one year. Throughout her life, she seldom left her house and visitors were scarce. The people with whom she did come in contact, however, had an enormous impact on her thoughts and poetry. She was particularly stirred by the Reverend Charles Wadsworth, whom she met on a trip to Philadelphia. He left for the West Coast shortly after a visit to her home in 1860, and some critics believe his departure gave rise to the heartsick flow of verse from Dickinson in the years that followed. While it is certain that he was an important figure in her life, it is not certain that this was in the capacity of romantic love—she called him “my closest earthly friend.” Other possibilities for the unrequited love in Dickinson’s poems include Otis P. Lord, a Massachusetts Supreme Court Judge, and Samuel Bowles, editor of the Springfield Republican.  More….

She Wanted an Identical Tractor – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor and Ink

“Just don’t give up on trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.”
– Ella Fitzgerald

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

She Wanted an Identical Tractor – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor and Ink

Okay… maybe I wanted an identical tractor.  he he   Scatty Kat from WetCanvas posted a photo of herself in this jacket and a separate photo of a rusty old green tractor.  I decided to paint that charming old tractor to go with Illustration Friday’s theme of Identical.  It was fun!  An afterthought… I should have made the green bits red so it would stand out better against the background, but I did the background last and by then, it was too late.

About Ella Fitzgerald

With her three-octave range, a purity of tone, and a wonderfully expressive voice, singer Ella Fitzgerald has been called the voice of American jazz. She was born in 1917 in Virginia and began singing professionally at age 16. Her rendition of the nursery rhyme “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” launched her stardom. Her best known recordings include the Cole Porter and George Gershwin songbooks; she also toured with Duke Ellington’s band. She died in 1996.