Is that a Paisley Horse?

“Difficult times have helped me to understand better than before how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in every way, and that so many things that one goes worrying about are of no importance whatsoever.”
– Isak Dinesen

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Oh My!  Is that a Paisley Horse?

This is another little crop of the painting I am working on.  It’s small, too.  I bet this crop is only about 1.5″ or so.  Hmmmmmmm…

Have a terrific weekend! 

About Isak Dinesen

 

Isak Dinesen was the pen name of Karen Blixen, the Danish author famously portrayed by Meryl Streep in the film of her best-selling memoir, Out of Africa. She was born near Copenhagen in 1885. In 1914, she and her new husband moved to Kenya to run a coffee plantation. She stayed on after divorcing her husband ten years later, living an unusually independent life. Her book of stories, Seven Gothic Tales, sold well, but Out of Africa made her a worldwide success. She died in 1962.

Another Progress Piece of the Horse Painting

“All the puzzle pieces are in your hands!  Don’t go looking for someone to complete it for you.  That only reinforces the fear that you are incomplete.  Life’s strongest glue is being happy to be you!”

–Dodinsky

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Another Piece of the Horse Puzzle

This is a wild one!  It’s bursting with detail and color.  It’s so much fun!!!

Dodinsky is the author of the upcoming inspirational and reflective gift book IN THE GARDEN OF THOUGHTS, scheduled to be released Spring of 2013 by Sourcebooks Publishing.  {Note:  It’s out and I have my copy!}

His intent was simply to share his reflections about life in order to help heal the wounds inflicted by life’s troubles. At the time, the man known by his readers as Dodinsky had no idea that within months of starting his blog In The Garden of Thoughts, thousands of readers would find healing through the modest words he planted.

“I was humbled to see that in my own little way, I was affecting the lives of others,” says Dodinsky of the appreciative emails that quickly flooded his inbox. “One reader named Robin wrote, ‘If only my son [had] read your works, he would still be alive today.’ Robin’s son had taken his own life. Like so many others, she became a loyal reader and champion of spreading his work.”  More…

Little Peek at a Fancy Horse

“We can’t change other people. Certainly we have made others feel guilty enough so that they have given in and done things our way. And we have won many power struggles. But ultimately we can’t claim ownership of anyone else’s mind, and we aren’t the stewards of anyone else’s life. We may feel diminished by our lack of control initially, but in time we will love the freedom of living only our own lives. The extra time we’ll have and the peace we’ll know will comfort us.”

 

–Karen Casey

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Sneak Peek at a Fancy Horse

Remember the horse rolling around on his back?  You can see it here.  I started something really different with this horse.  It may take me a long time to finish it.  Oh… the pencil lines?  I forgot to take a progress picture of this after I erased those. 

The plain brown horse is from a photo reference by SkattyKat at WetCanvas.

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.  See Karen’s website here.

Final House Portrait - Kincaid Commission

“Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns. I am thankful that thorns have roses.”
– Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Final House Portrait – Kincaid Residence

I had so much fun doing this portrait of the Kincaid home.  Jackie and Carl were wonderful to work with, too.  My hubby and step-son slept in on Sunday, so I got to finish it.

I have moved on to something really different.  Remember the horse on her back?  Think color! 

About Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr

French author Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr is remembered primarily for his epigram “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” He is also known for his autobiographical romances, including the popular Genevieve. He was born in 1808 in Paris. As editor of Le Figaro and, later, Les Guepes, he became widely quoted for his sharp witticisms. An avid horticulturist, he named more than one new flower, and when he retired to Nice, he popularized the tradition of selling cut flowers. He died in 1890.

Another Cat Portrait

“The human mind thinks in pictures.  Having visual images of your dreams, goals and heart’s desire helps manifest them into your life.  Paint a picture in your mind.  Create a movie in your head.  Play that movie again and again.  You are the star in your own life.”

–B.J. Gallagher

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Another Cat Portrait – Panny 4″ x 4″

Panny belongs to Wildhorse Australia from WetCanvas.  This is an older painting, as I am still working on my commission.

I want to take a moment to be thankful for all the men and women in the Armed Forces, who have given  their lives so that we may be free.  Happy Memorial Day weekend!

BJ Gallagher is an inspirational author and speaker. She writes business books that educate and empower, women’s books that enlighten and entertain, gift books that inspire and inform, and kids’ books that charm and delight. Whether her audience is corporate executives, working women, or a group of giggling youngsters, her message is powerful, positive, and practical. She motivates and teaches with empathy, understanding, and more than a little humor.  More…

Final Ink on KC Commission - Ready for Paint

“Happiness always looks small while you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and you learn at once how big and precious it is.”
– Aleksei Peshkov

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Final Ink on KC Commission – 8″ x 10″

I can’t wait to start adding paint!!  This really is just one house.  Isn’t it beautiful?

I am actually going to take Sunday and Monday off this weekend.  I haven’t taken a two day weekend in many months.  I hope I get some painting time in.  We’re having company, so I never know.  I like it when everybody sleeps in, so I can play with my paint. 

Have a very safe and fun Memorial Day weekend!

About Aleksei Peshkov

Russian social realist author Aleksei Peshkov, known as Maxim Gorky, was so esteemed that his birthplace, Nizhny Novgorod, was renamed Gorky in his honor. He was born in 1868. His parents died when he was young, and he left his home at age 12. He was arrested in the late 1880′s as a revolutionary. His writing, including his best-known novel, The Mother, portrayed a decadent society and immense poverty. He became disillusioned after the Russian Revolution, feeling Lenin’s Communism was little better. He died in 1936.

It’s a Watercolor Puppy on Masa

“One of the common ways we block success is by refusing to take action on a project or opportunity until we can see the entire pathway from start to finish. We are afraid to start because the outcome is uncertain. While we plan, think, research, and analyze, the opportunity slips away.

Highly successful people take a different approach. They just lean into it—they open themselves to opportunities and become willing to do what it takes to pursue opportunities further, without any expectations. They say “yes” to opportunities, take the first step, and then find out along the way if they want to keep going.”

–Jack Canfield

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

It’s a Puppy!  Watercolor on Masa 6″ x 8″

Okay… I painted this one a while back, but I thought something heartwarming was called for, in light of all the tragedy surrounding us in Oklahoma.  It’s 90 miles away, but still grips every one of us.

What is more fun than a puppy?  Can you smell her breath from here?

The photo is of Cleo, by OldRockChick at WetCanvas.

Jack Canfield

As the beloved originator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul® series, Jack Canfield fostered the emergence of inspirational anthologies as a genre – and watched it grow to a billion dollar market. As the driving force behind the development and delivery of more than 123 million books sold through the Chicken Soup for the Soul® franchise (and over 500 million copies in print worldwide), Jack Canfield is uniquely qualified to talk about success.

Behind the empire Time Magazine called the “publishing phenomenon of the decade” is America’s leading expert in creating peak performance for entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, managers, sales professionals, corporate employees, and educators. Over the last 30 years, his compelling message, empowering energy and personable coaching style has helped hundreds of thousands of individuals achieve their dreams.  More…

Pencil Sketch Completed

“A day of worry is more exhausting than a week of work.”
– John Lubbock

Boy, I can attest to that, after worrying about tornadoes yesterday.  My two step-sons live in Moore, as well.  They are both okay and their homes were spared.  My heart goes out to all those folks in Moore and their families.

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Pencil Sketch Completed – KC Commission

I haven’t added the brick yet.  That will come after I get this stage inked.  I am enjoying this very much!

What a terrible couple days it has been for Oklahoma.  I heard a wonderful story on the news a moment ago.  There were some guys who are fixing people’s tires for free in Moore.  They also just said that the confirmed death toll is 24.  It was reported at 51 & 91 earlier.  24 is awful, but still better.

About John Lubbock

 

John Lubbock, the multifaceted British banker, statesman, and scientist, was responsible for the institution of England’s monthly Bank Holidays, sometimes referred to as St. Lubbock Days. He was born in 1834 in England. Growing up, he learned science from his father’s friend Charles Darwin. He coined the terms Paleolithic and Neolithic to denote the different Stone Ages, and he wrote the well-regarded books Prehistoric Times and Ants, Bees, and Wasps. He died in 1913.

Commission Pencil Sketch - A Sneak Peek

“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”
– St. Francis of Assisi

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Progress Shot – Commission Pencil Sketch

This is a small portion of the commission I am working on now for Jackie & Carl, from the Kansas City show.  Their house is beautiful!  So much of it is hidden by trees and I’m diligently pruning the leaves on some of the trees, so that you can see the house.  Yesterday morning, I was working in their yard.  I was putting some of the plants back in the flowerbed that had died, and sprucing up some to give them blooms.  All with a pencil.  No dirt under my fingernails.  Oh, and I also rehung the chair swing that had broken.  It’s all fixed now.

At my house, I planted a cactus a friend gave us.  That’s about the only plant I don’t kill. 

About St. Francis of Assisi

 

St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and ecology in Catholicism, was born Giovanni Francesco di Bernardone into a wealthy Italian merchant family in 1181. As a youth, he was known for carousing. After a series of illnesses, one of which occurred while a prisoner of war, he had a spiritual awakening. God came to him in a vision and told him to build up his crumbling church. Taking the dream literally, he began rebuilding a local chapel. He took a vow of poverty and began traveling, preaching, and working to help the sick and the poor. A group formed around him, becoming the Franciscan order. He died in 1226.

Frolicking Horse ... Waiting for Paint

“We’re forever in a learning curve. That’s life and part of the human condition. Learn enough to get something started and then go for it. Put it out there and see what happens. The most successful people learn as they go, and when something doesn’t go as planned, they quickly find the lesson, regroup, and move forward. You’ll be hard-pressed to find an inventor, entrepreneur, or CEO who knew exactly how it was all going to come together before starting their company or a paradigm-shifting project or invention.

The need for perfection can turn into paralysis if you don’t accept that stepping into the unknown is a part of the process. The pure potential of your life or any project exists in the unknown. If you can shift your mindset to accept this truth, you can transform fear into anticipatory excitement! (or at least from dread to trepidation).”
–Terri Cole

Wow!  That’s good advice!  I need to make that my mantra!

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Frolicking Horse Outline

I am starting my second commission from the Kansas City show, so this horse will have to stay naked for a while.  The photo reference was from SkattyKat at WetCanvas.  If you know Bethville, you know that it’s doubtful he’ll be brown, laying on some dull green grass.  Stay tuned. 

Terri Cole is a licensed psychotherapist, transformation coach, and an expert at turning fear into freedom. Sign up for Terri’s weekly Tune Up Tips and follow her on Twitter.  Here is her “about” info.


This quote came from PositivelyPositive.com

Blue Cows in a Glorious Sunset

“The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under it’s roof.”
–Barbara Kingsolver

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Cows in Sunset – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor

Isn’t this one fun?  The photo reference was by SkattyKat at WetCanvas.  The cows were in a fenced area in bright daylight, but not in Bethville!   And as you may have guessed…. they were not blue.  **giggle**
I’m getting ready to start another commission.  It’s a beautiful home in the Kansas City area.  Sneak peeks will be coming soon.

Barbara Kingsolver was born in 1955, and grew up in rural Kentucky. She earned degrees in biology from DePauw University and the University of Arizona, and has worked as a freelance writer and author since 1985. At various times in her adult life she has lived in England, France, and the Canary Islands, and has worked in Europe, Africa, Asia, Mexico, and South America. She spent two decades in Tucson, Arizona, before moving to southwestern Virginia where she currently resides.

Her books, in order of publication, are: The Bean Trees (1988), Homeland (1989), Holding the Line: Women in the Great Arizona Mine Strike (1989), Animal Dreams (1990), Another America (1992), Pigs in Heaven (1993), High Tide in Tucson (1995), The Poisonwood Bible (1998), Prodigal Summer (2000), Small Wonder (2002), Last Stand: America’s Virgin Lands, with photographer Annie Griffiths Belt (2002), Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (2007), The Lacuna (2009), and Flight Behavior (available Nov. 6, 2012). She served as editor for Best American Short Stories 2001. Her books have been translated into more than two dozen languages, and have been adopted into the core literature curriculum in high schools and colleges throughout the nation. She has contributed to more than fifty literary anthologies, and her reviews and articles have appeared in most major U.S. newspapers and magazines. Click here to view complete bibliography.

Newborn & Three and a Half Year Old Feet

“Everything can be taken from a man but … the last of the human freedoms - to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
–Viktor Frankl

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Hunter & Gage at Newborn & Three and a Half

Don’t you just love baby feet?  Here is the painted version of my great nephews’ feet.

Viktor Emil Frankl (March 26, 1905 – September 2, 1997) was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist. He was the founder of Logotherapy and Existential Analysis, the “Third Viennese School” of psychotherapy. His book, Man’s Search for Meaning, chronicled his experiences as a concentration camp inmate and describes his psychotherapeutic method of finding a reason to live. Frankl’s own survival, and his insights into what allows human beings to survive the most intolerable and inhumane conditions, have inspired people worldwide for decades. Finding his “will to meaning” gave Frankl the power to overcome the horrors of the death camp, and his writings express the key component of true human nature: Love.

Ellen’s House 8″ x 10″ Watercolor

“Within us all there are wells of thought and dynamos of energy which are not suspected until emergencies arise.”
– Thomas J. Watson

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Commission Finished – Ellen’s House 8″ x 10″ Watercolor

I had so much fun doing this house.  The windows and shutters were my favorite part.   I haven’t heard from Ellen yet.  I hope she likes it. 

About Thomas J. Watson

 

American businessman Thomas J. Watson built IBM into a Fortune 500 company. He was born in rural New York in 1874. He sold sewing machines, musical instruments, and cash registers before becoming president of the Computing-Tabulating-Recording company, which merged with IBM in 1924. His paternalistic business style was a model for later Japanese management, and his motto, “THINK,” became his company’s slogan. Under his leadership, IBM funded the first computers. He died in 1956.

Future – Hunter & Gage - My Sweet Great Nephews

“If we wait for the moment when everything is ready, we shall never begin.”
– Ivan Turgenev

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Future – Hunter & Gage

Hunter is a newborn and Gage is three and a half.  They are my great nephews.  These are their little feet.  The word for Illustration Friday this week is “future” and I can’t think of anything more perfect than these two little boys.

I am going to paint it, so this also a future painting. 

About Ivan Turgenev

 

Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev, celebrated for his dark, realistic novels about Russian life, is best known for the novel Fathers and Sons, about the conflicting ideologies between generations. He was born in 1818 to a wealthy Russian family. He and his brother were raised by an abusive mother who was rumored to have smothered one of her serfs. He rose to fame with A Sportsman’s Sketches, which may have influenced the Tsar to free the serfs. He died in France in 1883.

A Laundry Day Painting

“The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right place, but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.”
– Lady Dorothy Nevill

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Laundry Day – Watercolor on Masa

I did this little 3″ x 7″ Painting last spring.  The photographer was Lisilk at WetCanvas.  I like the dog.   

About Lady Dorothy Nevill

 

Lady Dorothy Nevill, the noted British gardener, was one of the most celebrated society hostesses of her day; her salons attracted leading writers, artists, and statesmen. She was born Dorothy Walpole in 1826 in England. She married a wealthy cousin with a 23-acre estate, where she pursued her interest in plants. She built 13 greenhouses and carried on an extensive correspondence with Charles Darwin. Her memoir, Leaves From the Note-Books of Lady Dorothy Nevill, was published in 1906. She died in 1913.

A Rainbow Colored Cat in a Hat

“Mishaps are like knives, that either serve us or cut us, as we grasp them by the blade or by the handle.”
– James Russell Lowell

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Keetah – A Rainbow Colored Cat in a Hat

This is Keetah, Sharrm’s (from WetCanvas) cat.    It’s another old one, while I work on my commission.  Have a great day!

About James Russell Lowell

 

James Russell Lowell, the sometimes romantic, often ironic American poet, was also a diplomat, serving as ambassador to Spain and, later, Britain. He was born in 1819 in Massachusetts and became known as a New England poet. His satire The Bigelow Papers was his best-known work. While a professor at Harvard, he wrote critical studies of Dante, Shakespeare, and Chaucer, among others, and also served as the founding editor of the influential magazine The Atlantic Monthly. He died in 1891.

Ellen’s House in Ink - A Kansas City Commission

“Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself.”
– Harvey Fierstein

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Ellen’s House in Ink – 8″ x 10″

This is the first of four commissions I got from the show in Kansas City.  I went to Ellen’s to take the photos.  Her house is so beautiful and in a great neighborhood.  The neighbors were visiting and walking and pushing their kids in Ellen’s tire swing.  It was a real Mayberry feel.  This stage of the painting has been approved and I’m on to paint in the morning.  Yay! 

About Harvey Fierstein

 

Harvey Fierstein, the raspy-voiced American actor, playwright, and gay activist, is best known for his semiautobiographical play, Torch Song Trilogy, which garnered Tony Awards for writing and acting. He was born in Brooklyn in 1954. His onstage debut as a female impersonator at age 16 led to a role in a 1971 Andy Warhol play. He adapted the French show La Cage aux Folles into a Broadway musical and, later, the movie The Birdcage. He has appeared in such varied movies as Independence Day and Mrs. Doubtfire.

I know I saw that rooster...

“Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even.”
– Muhammad Ali

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

I know I saw that rooster…

This is an older painting, but I always liked it.  The reference photo came from Sharrm at WetCanvas.  I am working on a commission, so no new paintings for a bit.

I have a 13 mile drive to work, on country roads.  This morning, a car passed me and about 10 other cars, some in a no passing zone through Longtown.  They were sure in a hurry!  I imagined all kinds of scenarios that required them taking so many foolish chances to get into Eufaula faster.  The part that made me laugh right out loud… they turned into the McDonalds drive thru line with about 15 cars ahead of them. 

Have a very nice day!

About Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali, the American boxing legend known for his saucy rhyming boasts as much as his quick fists, was a three-time heavyweight champion. He was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. in Louisville in 1942. His bike was stolen when he was 12, and a cop suggested he take up boxing. Though he became known as the greatest fighter of the twentieth century, with 56 wins and only five defeats, the sport took its toll in pugilism-induced Parkinson’s disease. Since retiring from boxing, Ali has dedicated himself to civic and humanitarian issues. He was called on to negotiate the release of hostages in Iraq in 1991, and in 2005 he was awarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Tribute to Another Time - A Rusty Old Truck

“Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.“
–Joseph Addison

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Tribute to Another Time – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor

Sunday, I had a little time to paint.  (yay!)  I was waiting for approval (of the pencil sketch) on the commission I’m working on and the hubby didn’t feel good, so he was napping.  The word for Illustration Friday this week is “Tribute”, so I thought this old truck fit the bill.  I painted it from a photo by Lisilk at WetCanvas.

…. and I made chili. 

Joseph Addison (May 1, 1672 – June 17, 1719) was an English politician and writer. His name is usually remembered alongside that of his long-standing friend, Richard Steele, with whom he founded The Spectator magazine. Along with Steele, Addison would contribute the majority of the content for three of the most influential periodicals of the eighteenth century: The Tatler, The Spectator, and The Freeholder, all of which set standards for literary taste and literary criticism that would endure throughout the remainder of the century. Addison was also an accomplished poet and playwright, and his tragedy, Cato, would become one of the most popular plays of the eighteenth century English stage.  More…

Little Cedar House

“The power of imagination makes us infinite.”
– John Muir

Yeah!  I like that!

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Little Cedar House - 2" x 3.5"

I painted this little house in my hotel room, too.  It just came out of my head.  It is actually the top of a bookmark.  I just haven’t decided how I want to finish it.

This morning, I started on my first commission from the KC show.  I went to Ellen’s house and took the reference photos.  On the other 3 commissions, they wanted their flowers to bloom first and they are sending hi res photos.  Ellen didn’t have to wait.  She just told me to make everything bloom.  I can do that! 

About John Muir

American naturalist John Muir is remembered as a passionate champion of the natural wonder of Yosemite; he was instrumental in turning the land into a national park. Born in Scotland in 1838, he immigrated with his family to Wisconsin in 1849. He dropped out of college to walk 1,000 miles from Indiana to Florida. After falling in love with Yosemite, he took a job herding sheep nearby. He developed the theory that the valley was created by glaciers, which is now accepted as fact. He died in 1914.

Little Blue House Painting

“When a friend is in trouble, don’t annoy him by asking if there is anything you can do.  Think up something appropriate and do it.”

–Edgar Watson Howe

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Blue House – 4″ x 6″ Postcard

I started this one while in Kansas City and I finished it this morning.  It was fun.
Boy, the sign shop sure is busy!  I don’t know whether to flip, flop or fly!  I’m going to stay offline for the most part, and try to get a handle on it.  Yesterday was spent entirely on getting new orders into the computer and getting some designs completed.  Whew!  It’s crazy!

Edgar Watson Howe (1853-1937), American author and editor, wrote realistic regional and romantic novels and coined widely circulated aphorisms.

Edgar Howe was born on May 3, 1853, in Wabash County, Ind. He acquired much of his education while learning and practicing the printer’s trade, and he eventually became a journalist.

Howe was editor and proprietor of the Atchison (Kans.) Daily Globe (1877-1911) when he wrote his first and most famous novel, The Story of a Country Town (1883). Harshly realistic, it portrayed, in a rather colorless but easygoing style, the hopeless lives of men and women in two midwestern prairie towns. Unable to place his novel with any publishing house, Howe ran it off in his own printshop. It was a great success. It was praised by such prominent contemporary writers as William Dean Howells and Mark Twain, and years later it was rediscovered and hailed as a classic. Later Howe turned from realism to romance in The Mystery of the Locks (1885) and The Moonlight Boy (1886), which were less successful.  More…

Cliff Houses after I put away the laundry

“A mistake is simply another way of doing things.”
– Katharine Graham

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Cliff Houses – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor

I started this before I left and finished it in my hotel room in Kansas City.  It was fun to paint.  My reference photo was from WetCanvas and was dark and gray.  I fixed all the broken windows, neatly folded and put away all the laundry that was hanging off the balconies, and repainted the buildings.  Bring on the tourists! 

About Katharine Graham

 

Katharine Graham, the publisher of The Washington Post, is considered one of her era’s most powerful women. She was born in 1917 in New York. After her father bought the newspaper, she joined the staff as a reporter. Her husband inherited the paper from her father, and Graham took it over when he died in 1963. During her tenure, the paper printed the controversial Pentagon Papers and uncovered the Watergate conspiracy. She won a Pulitzer Prize in 1988 for her autobiography, Personal History. She died in 2001.