Who Lives In The Pumpkin House? – Watercolor & Ink

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.”
–Mark Twain

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Who Lives In The Pumpkin House?  – Watercolor & Ink

Some of you may remember this one.  It’s from a year or two ago.  I didn’t have time to do something Halloweeny in time to post it today.  Have a wonderful Halloween!  Are you in costume at work today?  Tell me about your costume.  I have on a necktie.  Yup.  That’s it. 

Mark Twain

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.  More…

Eilean Donan Castle 5 in Fall Colors – 5″ x 9″ Watercolor & Prismacolor Pen

“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.”
– Epictetus

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Eilean Donan Castle 5  in Fall Colors – 5″ x 9″ Watercolor & Prismacolor Pen

I painted this from a photo taken in summer by Rick Brind.  The October challenge at paintmyphoto.com was to turn the summer photo to fall colors.  It was really fun!  I also submitted this painting to the fall art contest at Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff.

There are so many artists that will undoubtedly surpass me there, but for a $500 gift certificate at Cheap Joe’s, I’m willing to try.

Epictetus,  (born ad 55, probably at Hierapolis, Phrygia [now Pamukkale, Turkey]—died c. 135, Nicopolis, Epirus [Greece]), Greek philosopher associated with the Stoics, remembered for the religious tone of his teachings, which commended him to numerous early Christian thinkers.

His original name is not known; epiktētos is the Greek word meaning “acquired.” As a boy he was a slave but managed to attend lectures by the Stoic Musonius Rufus. He later became a freedman and lived his life lame and in ill health. In ad 90 he was expelled from Rome with other philosophers by the emperor Domitian, who was irritated by the favourable reception given by Stoics to opponents of his tyranny. The rest of his life Epictetus spent at Nicopolis.  More…

Black Cats are Haunted by Halloween – 6″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

“Were the diver to think on the jaws of the shark, he would never lay hands on the precious pearl.”
– Saadi

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Black Cats are Haunted by Halloween – 6″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

Haunt is the word of the week on Illustration Friday.    If you see a black cat over the next few days, give them a friendly pat or hug.   This is a scary time of year for them.    Their owners hide them inside  to keep them safe from all the pranksters that are out and about after dark on Halloween.   So… I thought I’d paint some happy looking black cats. 

I have an alarm clock that automatically changes for daylight savings.  The problem is the clock is 15 years old, so it changes when daylight savings used to be.  The moral of that story is… I got an extra hour of sleep today.  I was an hour late for work, but since I work by myself, I’m the only one who noticed.  he he

About Saadi

Saadi was a Persian moralist poet best known for Gulistan (The Rose Garden), which combines prose and verse, and Bustan (The Fruit Garden), which includes histories, anecdotes, and fables. He was born in 1184 and lived in Shiraz in what is now Iran. For 30 years, he traveled throughout the Middle East, including Turkey, Egypt, and Arabia. One of his most famous poems adorns the entrance to the Hall of Nations at the UN building in New York. He died when he was 107 years old.

Kiss, Please – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

“I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence, but it comes from within. It is there all the time.”
– Anna Freud

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Kiss, Please – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

I painted this from a terrific photo by Robyn Lovelock at Paint My Photo.  I had such a good time with this. 

About Anna Freud

Austrian psychoanalyst Anna Freud was a pioneer in the field of child psychiatry; she also worked closely with her father, Sigmund Freud, in developing his theories. She was born in Vienna in 1895 and fled to London with her parents in 1938, escaping the Nazi regime. When her father became sick with cancer, she took over his studies, becoming his intellectual heir. She founded the Hampstead Clinic to work with children. She died in 1982.

Can You Guess What Eufaula Building This Is?

“Gratitude is our most direct line to God and the angels.  If we take the time, no matter how crazy and troubled we feel, we can find something to be thankful for.  The more we seek gratitude, the more reason the angels will give us for gratitude and and joy to exist in our lives.”
–Terry Lynn Taylor

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Can You Guess Who’s Building This Is?

It’s a pen sketch of a building in Eufaula, Oklahoma.  I just thought I’d send a little tease your way. 

Terry Lynn Taylor

 

In 1985, on a hiatus from work on her master’s degree in counseling, Terry Lynn Taylor became seriously interested in angels. She felt that the joy and lightness she experienced growing up in Southern California had turned into seriousness and strain. It was then that she came across the G.K. Chesterton quote “Angles can fly because they take themselves lightly.” She began to acknowledge the role angels play as spiritual helpers in our everyday life, and this realization was the beginning of a major life transformation.

Terry set out to find a book that would help her attract the angels into her life. Not finding one, she decided to write one herself. Messengers of Light sold out the first printing of 10,000 copies in eight weeks, and has since sold more than 500,000 copies.

Terry went on to write eight more books and established herself as the first lady of angel books. She has an absolutely devoted following of angel fans. She has appeared on the Leeza Show, 2 NBC Prime Time Specials (viewed by more than 20 million people), Sonya Live and Strange Universe, to name only a few. She has been featured or reviewed in People, Time, Newsweek, and Ladies’ Home Journal, as well as Body Mind Spirit and many other new age magazines. She publishes her own newsletter with a circulation of 2,000, gives angel “playshops.” She currently lives in Pomona, California.

Peaceful Little Setting – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor

“Calm self-confidence is as far from conceit as the desire to earn a decent living is remote from greed.”
– Channing Pollock

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Peaceful Little Setting – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor

I painted this one from a photo by Robyn Lovelock at PaintMyPhoto.com.  It reminds me of some of the scenery from southeastern Idaho.  Very calming and serene. 

About Channing Pollock

American playwright Channing Pollock is best remembered for his work massively redesigning the plot of the film Metropolis after it was shot. He was born in 1880. He worked in every aspect of New York theater, first as publicist for the Shubert family of theater owners, then as a drama critic who was banned from every Shubert theater, and finally as a playwright whose work included the morality play, The Enemy, as well as Clothes and The Fool. He died in 1946.

Eufaula Memorial Library – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor

“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened for us.”
–Alexander Graham Bell

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Eufaula Memorial Library – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor

Our library is a hugel part of our community.  There are a lot of programs for children and adults alike.  The Librarian, Margaret Collins, and her staff are doing a wonderful job!

In 1985, Eufaula Public Library became Eufaula Memorial Library and moved into the new building created with funds raised by area citizens.  The Friends of Eufaula Memorial Library group was organized in 1987 to support the programs and activities of the library. Organizers were Mary Wendel, Nadine George, and Marguerite Schmitt. The first meeting was held on February 24, 1988.

Alexander Graham Bell was born on March 3, 1847, in Edinburgh, Scotland. His education was largely received through numerous experiments in sound and the furthering of his father’s work on Visible Speech for the deaf. Bell worked with Thomas Watson on the design and patent of the first practical telephone. In all, Bell held 18 patents in his name alone and 12 that he shared with collaborators. He died in 1922.  More…

Stormy Sky for Illustration Friday – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

“What is important is to keep learning, to enjoy challenge, and to tolerate ambiguity. In the end there are no certain answers.”
– Matina Horner

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Stormy Sky for Illustration Friday – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

Sky is the word this week for Illustration Friday.  I discovered an amazing photographer at PaintMyPhoto…. PixelBloke took the photo I painted this from.  It was so fun to bring it to Bethville. 

Sunday, I worked on a couple more historic Eufaula buildings.  One of them is the Armory, which was built in 1936 by the WPA program.  The other on is the Foley Mansion, which was built in 1901 and burned in 1962.   I need to go to the library and find some better photos of it.  It’s amazing!

About Matina Horner
American psychologist Matina Horner is best known for her groundbreaking research in the late 1960′s on smart women’s fear of success, which became known as the Horner Effect. She was born in 1939 in Massachusetts. During her 17-year tenure as president of Radcliffe College, she helped integrate the women’s college into a mainstream presence for women on the Harvard University campus. She has received several awards and serves on the boards of many institutions.

I want to See Inside These Building – 5″ x 8″ Watercolor & Ink

“Some people grumble because the roses have thorns instead of being grateful that the thorns have roses.”
–author unknown

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

I want to See Inside These Building – 5″ x 8″ Watercolor & Ink

This one is from the archives and is painted from a photo by Jakesgram at WetCanvas.  I’d love to have a peek inside… wouldn’t you? 

I forgot to set my alarm last night, so I got an extra hour of sleep.  It’ll get me started a little late today, but hopefully I’ll have more energy.  I have a very full day, including 4 truck, 4 banners and a huge slew of other signs.  Then I have 6 jobs to prepare to go to the printer.  (business cards & postcards)  I guess I better get to it.  Have a wonderful day!

Christmas Sock Monkeys

“Reduce the complexity of life by eliminating the needless wants of life, and the labors of life will reduce themselves.”
–Edwin Way Teale

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Christmas Sock Monkeys

I have been painting  little Christmas things I can add to the building paintings, so that clients can make Christmas cards.  I just stuck these two little toy soldiers on this to show you how fun it can be.  They sorta blend into this building, but it’s just for an example.  I’m making wreaths and swags and trees, for example, to jazz up any card.  Fun!

Edwin Way Teale

Edwin Way Teale, (1899-1980), was a naturalist, writer, and photographer who captured the imaginations and hearts of Americans in his many books about nature. He is ranked with John Muir, Henry David Thoreau, and John Burroughs as one of the best and most influential nature writers in America.  More here…

The House of Aingell – Circa l938 - 8″ x 10″ Watercolor & Ink

“When you get into a tight place and it seems that you can’t go on, hold on — for that’s just the place and the time that the tide will turn.”
– Harriet Beecher Stowe

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

The House of Aingell – Circa l938 - 8″ x 10″ Watercolor & Ink

This is the home of Rita Bradley.  She commissioned me to paint this and she gave me some wonderful history on it.  After I painted it, my husband gave me some more insight.  His dad, Fred Parker, who grew up in Eufaula, always thought this was the most beautiful home in Eufaula.  It is wonderful.  The grounds are so well kept and lush that it was hard to get an angle that showed this much of the house.  Off behind that tree is another building, a garage with an apartment over it.

Here is some of the history I got from Rita Bradley:

“It was built in l938 and was home to The Aingell Family. They owned a Drug Store on Main Street and Mrs. Aingell was the Granddaughter of a well known Native American, George Washington Grayson (Chief For The Confederacy).  

Beth, many elderly folks from Eufaula have pointed out to me: The circle of rocks in the front yard. They mean something–I just don’t know what! They have been there from the beginning of property being a Home and secondly The Flagpole (which should be taken down, but not by Me)! I was told, before moving in, that the Aingell’s had on son that was killed in The Invasion of Normandy. To celebrate his life and in remembrance of him, the flagpole was erected and shall stand until a higher being takes it out and or down. I was also told that the old iron railing was from a Historic Building in Eufaula. Just saying. Newsy Notes coming Your Way! Well, it has been there since l938 too. I am told a Jewish businessman rented it for many years from The Aingell Family.”

It was an honor to paint this home and I am really enjoying all I am learning about Eufaula, as I paint all these buildings.  I have only lived here for 20 years and Eufaula emerged as a town in 1872.  The building my sign shop is in is somewhere around 100 years old.  I have never really known exactly, as I lease the building.  I have been in it for 15 of my 20 years in business.

About Harriet Beecher Stowe

American author Harriet Beecher Stowe is known for her novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a rallying cry for the abolitionist movement. When she met Abe Lincoln in 1862, he said, “So you’re the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war!” She was born in Connecticut in 1811. Her brother, Henry Ward Beecher, became a renowned minister. After an unusually thorough education for a woman of the time, she began her career when she won a magazine prize contest. She died in 1896.

Water For Everybody! – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor & Ink

Discover your magnetism!

 ”Plant the seed of desire in your mind and it forms a nucleus with power to attract to itself everything needed for it’s fulfillment.”
– Robert Collier

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Water For Everybody! – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor & Ink

This is for Illustration Friday and the word “Water”.  I had so much fun doing this painting!   The background is loosely based on a photo by Theclosetpainter on Paint My Photo.  The birds are painted from a photo by Robin Lovelock at the same site.   Don’t you just love those birds? 

Robert Collier

Robert Collier’s inspirational books have changed the lives of thousands. He was a prolific writer and progressive publisher who strongly believed that happiness and abundance were within easy reach.

Robert “Bob” Collier was born April 19, 1885, in St. Louis, son of Mary Ferguson and John Collier. His mother died when he and his older brother were not yet teenagers. His father traveled widely as a foreign correspondent for Collier’s Magazine (founded and published by his uncle, Peter F. Collier). Robert was educated in a church seminar school and was expected to become a priest, but before taking his vows, he decided against the life of a clergyman and headed for West Virginia to seek his fortune.  More about Mr. Collier here.

Fresh Water Delivery – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor & Ink

“It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere.”
–Agnes Repplier

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Fresh Water Delivery – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor & Ink

The week’s word from Illustration Friday is water.

I painted this little painting from a photo of a Country Store delivery truck by goody4u at WetCanvas.  The background and buildings were from the mind of Beth, so it must be Bethville.  I had a lot of fun with this!

Agnes Repplier (April 1, 1855 – November 15, 1950) was an American essayist born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her essays are esteemed for their scholarship and wit.

A Lovely, Historic Eufaula Home – 8″ x 10″ Ink

“Some people march to the beat of a different drum… and some people polka.”
–anonymous

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

A Lovely, Historic Eufaula Home – 8″ x 10″ Ink

I really love that quote.  Have you ever turned to the RFD channel and watched Big Joe’s Polka Show?  Yes…. I have, though it’s not something that generally comes up in conversation.  he he  The hubby and I were noticing that the steps to polka are basically like skipping.  Do you remember skipping when you were a kid?  Skipping was always a happy thing to do.   So, next time you are flipping around the channels and you see someone doing the polka, stop for just a minute and you’ll see what I mean. 

This home has a lot of history.  It was built in 1938.  It’s really beautiful, too.  I hope to get it painted this weekend.  If any of you local Eufaula folks know what the significance is of the circle of rocks in the front yard, please tell me about it in the comment section.  The current owner knows it means something, but she doesn’t know just what that is.  There is a big round rock in the center with small round rocks around it.

It’s a Pink Princess Castle – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor

“It is necessary to try to surpass oneself always; this occupation ought to last as long as life.”
– Queen Christina

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

It’s a Pink Princess Castle – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor

Who wouldn’t want to live in a pink princess castle?  I guess a manly prince. 

I’m still working on a commission, so this one is from the archives.  I have always wanted to tour a castle.  I just love the idea of all the mysterious little nooks and crannies.   Oh and the round rooms with pointy ceilings.

About Queen Christina

Queen Christina of Sweden was the most famous woman of her time, outshining Queen Elizabeth of England. She was born in Stockholm in 1626 during a rare astrological conjunction. Her father insisted that she be raised as a boy and changed the law so she could become his heir. She became the reigning queen at age five. She helped end the Thirty Years War but abdicated her throne in 1654, converting to Catholicism and moving to Rome, where she became a patron of the arts. She died in 1689.

A Little Architectural Color – Watercolor & Sharpie

“The capacity for hope is the most significant fact of life. It provides human beings with a sense of destination and the energy to get started.”
– Norman Cousins

That is so true!  Love it!

Copyright Beth Parker Art

A Little Architectural Color – Watercolor & Sharpie

I didn’t have anything new to post today, so I pulled one from the archives.  I like this one.  I need to do one like this of Eufaula businesses.  I do have a 2′ x 4′ painting to do to replace the one that sold last weekend.  hmmmmm 

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.

Eufaula Memorial Library – Staedtler Art Pens – 8″ x 10″

“There is often in people to whom “the worst” has happened an almost transcendent freedom, for they have faced “the worst” and survived it.”
–Carol Pearson

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Eufaula Memorial Library – Staedtler Art Pens – 8″ x 10″

This is the ink drawing for the library.  I’m working on a private home right now that I want to finish before I paint the library.  Stay tuned. 

Here’s a little excerpt on the building’s history, from Margaret Collins, Branch Manager (from  http://199.164.253.25/centennial/libbio/eufaula.html ):

Eufaula Public Library was squeezed in between a laundry (later a beauty shop) and the McIntosh County Abstract office.

 The building sold in 1981 and the library relocated to the National Guard Armory for three months while a new location was found. The new site was a doublewide trailer located at 272 Broadway, purchased by State National Bank, Farmers & Merchants Bank, and Victor Savings and Loan. For four years at that location, the number of library users continued to grow, and a new library building became a necessity.

 The campaign for a new library then began. Matching grants came from the Oklahoma Department of Libraries and the Kerr Foundation and a $100,000 bequest was received from the late Charles L. Follansbee, a Eufaula attorney, specifically to build a library. A $100,000 club was formed to match Mr. Follansbee’s donation; then when the goal was reached, another $100,000 was matched.

 Funds were raised by a variety of activities – everything from a Bike-A-Thon to dances and raffles – and library supporters were honored for their efforts by winning the prestigious John Cotton Dana Award from the American Library Association in 1984. This honor recognized the unique fundraising efforts that citizens made in such a short period of time to raise money to build their new library.
 In 1985, Eufaula Public Library became Eufaula Memorial Library and moved into the new building created with funds raised by area citizens.

Carol S. Pearson, Ph.D., is President of Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, CA. She is an internationally recognized scholar and well-known author of numerous books, among them the bestselling The Hero Within, Awakening the Heroes Within, the Hero and the Outlaw, and Magic at Work. Her newest book is The Transforming Leader, an edited collection of cutting edge essays on the challenges facing leaders in the 21st century that grew out of the Fetzer Institute’s Leadership for Transformation Project, for which she was principal investigator. Dr. Pearson has been a senior administrator and professor at higher education institutions including the University of Colorado, the University of Maryland, Georgetown University, and Goucher College; a consultant for multinational corporations and government agencies; and a popular public speaker and workshop leader.

Little Pink House – 24″ x 48″ Acrylic Painting

“Inspiration is a guest that does not willingly visit the lazy.”
– Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Little Pink House – 24″ x 48″ Acrylic Painting

Saturday was a wonderful day!  I happened to be hanging out at Our Favorite Place, a gallery where I have paintings, when this painting sold!  Yay!!!

I was commissioned to paint this one, then before I even started it, the lady fell into an unexpected financial bind and I let her out of the commitment.  I decided to paint it anyway, to stretch my wings and paint large.  It’s from a photo of a little pink house in Barbados.  I have always loved it and am tickled that it is now loved by someone new.  I feel very blessed! 

About Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the Russian classical composer best known for the Nutcracker and Swan Lake ballets, was renowned for his passionate melodies and for bringing Western music into the Russian tradition. He was born in Kamsko-Votkinsk in 1840. He taught music until a widow offered her financial patronage, then retired to the country to compose full time. He never met his benefactor. He died in 1893, just after the first performance of his Sixth Symphony, the “Pathétique.”

Gazebo at Posey Park – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor and Ink

“Life begets life. Energy creates energy. It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich.”
– Sarah Bernhardt

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Gazebo at Posey Park – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor and Ink

This wonderful little gazebo is the center of attention during many festivals and events in Eufaula, Oklahoma.   Tomorrow Clark Davis will be doing his DJ bit from the gazebo during the Eufaula Area Arts Council’s Art Walk and Car Show.  The car show will be at Posey Park.

This is the 7th Art Walk that the EAAC has hosted in Eufaula.  This year the Chamber of Commerce is also hosting a chili cook-off and there will be a golf cart parade at 1:00.  Mike Rogers from KFOX will be doing a live radio broadcast from 1:30 to 3:30.  They are even working on a 10 x 10 chalk drawing at Main and Foley, near the chili cookers, all day.

Our Favorite Place will be open from 9 am. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Portrait artist, Monica Brown will be present drawing portraits on the hour every hour. There are still 3 slots left.. If you like the portrait, you will be able to purchase it for $75. Kim Bultman will also be present playing the piano. They will have coffee, hot chocolate, spiced chai tea and homemade sweets from Made With Love Bakery all day!

Other artists who will be present include: Cheryl Smith, Molly Drog, Lynn Melton, Cindy Gooding, Donna Pearce, Beth Parker and Betty Knight.

.

Alexanader L. Posey was born in the Creek nation about eight miles from where the town of Eufaula, Oklahoma, now stands, August 3, 1873.

 

 Alex was to show marked genius in human understanding and an unusual comprehension of the beauty of the soul and the spirit. He was a child of happy disposition, carefree and playful. He grew into manhood with Tom, a full blood, whom his father had adopted. Alex tells in one of his stories about the Creek prophet and medicine man, Chologee. He and Tom had on one occasion placed a dead snake in the path where the old man would have to pass. They waited in hiding to see if he would be frightened.2 This story and other similar ones were evidences of the wit and humor which made him popular with his companions.  More…

About Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt, the French stage and silent film actress known as the Divine Sarah, was born in Paris in 1844 as Rosine Bernard, the illegitimate daughter of a Jewish courtesan. She began her acting career at age 13 and quickly rose to international stardom. Oscar Wilde wrote the play Salome for her. After her right leg was amputated in 1915, she continued to perform onstage with a prosthetic limb. She was very close to her only child, her son Maurice. She died in 1923.

Aunt Opal’s 99th Birthday Card – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink on 5″ x 7″ Black Greeting Card

“Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things…”
–Robert Brault

So true.  One of my favorite memories of my dad is he and I having an ice cream sundae at Howard Johnson’s… just the two of us.  A simple little moment in time, yet all these years later, one of my favorite moments.

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Aunt Opal’s 99th Birthday Card – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink on 5″ x 7″ Black Greeting Card

The hubby’s aunt Opal turned 99 last month and we attended her birthday party at The Canadian First Methodist Church on Sunday.   She is such a joy and we love seeing her surrounded by people that she loves.  I had fun making her card.   I am looking forward to doing a special one for her 100th birthday. 

On Robert Brault’s blog: I am a free-lance writer who has contributed to magazines and newspapers in the USA for over 40 years. I offer my writings here as an entertainment only, pursuing no agenda and promoting no political philosophy. You can read more here.

I got his quote from my little Simple Truths book Stress is a Choice, by David Zerfoss.

Jasper is Trying to Tell Us Something – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

“The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect andbeginning the work of becoming yourself.”
–Anna Quindlen


Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012


Jasper is Trying to Tell Us Something – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

Mlou Jhu posted this photo on WetCanvas.  Actually, it was 2 photos… one of Jasper and one of the koi.  I merged them.     I may do a caption contest on Facebook.   Stay tuned.

Anna Quindlen is the author of five previous bestselling novels (Rise and Shine, Blessings, Object Lessons, One True Thing, Black and Blue), and seven nonfiction books (A Short Guide to a Happy Life, Good Dog. Stay., Being Perfect, Loud & Clear, Living Out Loud, Thinking Out Loud, and How Reading Changed My Life). Her New York Times column “Public and Private” won the Pulitzer Prize in 1992. From 2000-2009, She wrote the “Last Word” column for Newsweek.  More….

Eufaula City Hall – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor and Ink

“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”
–Charles Dickens

Great advice!!

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Eufaula City Hall – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor and Ink

It’s amazing what I learn when I paint these buildings.  This one was pure joy.  Although I initially dreaded doing all those rocks, it ended up being my favorite part. 

Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812, the son of John and Elizabeth Dickens. John Dickens was a clerk in the Naval Pay Office. He had a poor head for finances, and in 1824 found himself imprisoned for debt. His wife and children, with the exception of Charles, who was put to work at Warren’s Blacking Factory, joined him in the Marshalsea Prison. When the family finances were put at least partly to rights and his father was released, the twelve-year-old Dickens, already scarred psychologically by the experience, was further wounded by his mother’s insistence that he continue to work at the factory. His father, however, rescued him from that fate, and between 1824 and 1827 Dickens was a day pupil at a school in London. At fifteen, he found employment as an office boy at an attorney’s, while he studied shorthand at night. His brief stint at the Blacking Factory haunted him all of his life — he spoke of it only to his wife and to his closest friend, John Forster — but the dark secret became a source both of creative energy and of the preoccupation with the themes of alienation and betrayal which would emerge, most notably, in David Copperfield and in Great Expectations.  More…

Just Your Average Llama Book Maker – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor and Ink

“I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it.”
– Pablo Picasso

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Just Your Average Llama Book Maker – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor and Ink

Book is the word for Illustration Friday this week.  Bookie was the suggestion of my clever hubby.  I had a great time doing this guy, straight from my imagination. 

About Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso, the Spanish painter at the forefront of Cubism, is perhaps best known for his painting Guernica, which depicts the hopelessness and violence of war. The masterpiece hung in the Museum of Modern Art in New York until democracy was restored in Spain; the painting was then sent home, where it hangs now at Reina Sofí a, Spain’s national museum of modern art. Born in Spain in 1881, Picasso spent his adult life in France. Although he’s known for his abstract paintings, his realistic work, particularly his Blue Period, was equally accomplished. He loved to be surrounded by friends and had multiple love affairs. He died in 1973.