Eufaula Zentangle Postcard Idea

“A real blessing of growing old is the freedom it gives us to be who we really are. Of course, we could have been our real selves our whole lives. No doubt some of us were. However, far too many of us struggled to impress others with the person we thought we ought to be, and in the process, we lost a lot of real living. Fortunately, it’s never too late to project the real us.
Do we know for certain who we really are? Age is no guarantee that we do. Living through others is not so uncommon, unfortunately, and if that describes us, then we still have the task of discovering who we really are. But let’s think of it as an adventure rather than a task. It’s a journey, one that promises to be full of surprises.
We have earned the right to speak our minds. We have earned the right to whatever beliefs appeal to us. Most particularly, we have earned the right to spend our days fulfilling whatever dreams we want. We’re lucky  Being as silly as I want to be today feels good. I have it coming!”
–Karen Casey


“I feel at this age I can go overboard and be as ridiculous as I want.”
–Miriam Hofmeier
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Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Another Postcard Experiment

I’m having fun playing with the ideas for new Eufaula postcards.  As a tourist town, we really need more than what is currently out there.  I love being able to do this.  Since my sign shop offers business card and postcard services, I can get them at cost and share them freely.  Perk.

Today is my last work day before my vacation.  I am so excited to see my family and spend some alone time in the mountains.  I am going to really rest and really play.  I plan to even try a zip line!  Wheeeeeeee!  I’ll try to post some while I’m gone, but no promises.  I’m not going to put any pressure on myself for 10 days…. outside of getting to airports in time to catch flights.  I might need to pay attention long enough to get on airplanes.  he he he

I only take one vacation every other year, so I’m going to make it count.  Yes… self employment rocks, but it keeps me really hooked up and busy.  I’m looking forward to some of that un-busy stuff. 

Miriam M Hofmeier 1906 – 1987 was a member of the Hofmeier family. Miriam was born on May 25, 1906. Miriam died on October 22, 1987 at 81 years old.  Miriam M Hofmeier’s last known residence is at Berryville, Carroll County, AR.

Karen Casey, Ph.D., a Naples, FL resident since 1991, published Each Day a New Beginning, her first book, in 1982. This daily meditation book for women in recovery has sold more than 3 million copies. The 25-year Anniversary edition of Each Day a New Beginning was released in August, 2006. It was closely followed by The Promise of a New Day, in 1983, another daily meditation book for both men and women in search of serenity. It has sold more than 1.2 million copies. Following on the heels of these two books, Karen has written 25 additional books.  Let Go Now: Embracing Detachment was published a little more than 2 years ago. Peace A Day At a Time, was published in February of 2011.  Her memoir, My Story to Yours, which was published as an ebook and available on amazon, along with Hazelden, and  was available as a book too in October of 2011.   Her newest book in print is Getting Unstuck, a workbook that is a companion to Change Your Mind and Your Life will Follow.  It was published  fall of 2012.  Her newest one: The Good Stuff, a book detailing the positive aspects of growing up in dysfunctional families, (there are positives galore!), will be in print in October, 2013.  And the books will continue.  Keep checking this website.

I would love your opinion...

“They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”
– Andy Warhol

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Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Eufaula Postcard Possibility

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Seriously… I’d love to know if this works.  I am playing with the idea of my art layered with actual photographs.  Tomorrow, I’ll show you another one.  I’m thinking the bright colored one here, with a sailing photo behind it.

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I am officially a short timer.  I leave for my Idaho trip on Thursday.  I thought I might be goofing off a little this week, but my sign shop customers had a different idea.  It was crazy in here yesterday.  I’ll certainly be ready for a rest. 

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About Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol, the American pop artist, is probably best known for his silk screens of Campbell Soup and Marilyn Monroe. He was born as Andrew Warhola in Pittsburgh in 1928. His style borrowed from comic books and advertising; he wanted to remove the separation between commercial and fine art. His studio, the Factory, became a hub for the New York art scene. He was also a prolific filmmaker. He was shot three times in the chest in 1968 and narrowly escaped death. He died in 1987.

White Puppy

“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
– Steve Jobs

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Little White Puppy

 

What a face!  Don’t you just love puppies?  They smell and feel so wonderful when you cuddle them.   I’m getting such a late start today.  I’ve already had several people in here and the time just flew!  How did it get to be 10:00 already?

About Steve Jobs

 

Steve Jobs, the American computer pioneer who cofounded Apple, was known for his intensity, his brashness, and his focus on elegant design. He was born in 1955 in San Francisco. At age 21, he and Steve Wozniac built the first Apple computer in his garage. Its successor, the Macintosh, introduced the mouse. After Jobs was ousted from Apple, he bought Pixar Animation, creator of Toy Story and Finding Nemo. On his return to Apple, he introduced the iMac and iPod, restoring the company’s luster, then went on to introduce the widely successful iPhone and iPad product lines. He died in 2011 due to complications from pancreatic cancer.

Imagine that you have magnets in your shoes?

“The best antidote I have found is to yearn for something. As long as you yearn, you can’t congeal: There is a forward motion to yearning.”
– Gail Godwin

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I like that.  Yearning has a forward motion.

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Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

A Tower with Outside Stairs?

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There is just so much wrong with this, but who cares?  It’s a bookmark and what are we doing when we read a book?  We are stretching our imaginations, right?  So, imagine that you have magnets in your shoes and the stairs are steel.  You won’t fall.  But, you can lean way out or duck and roll into that lowest opening.  Can’t do that without magnets in your shoes. 

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About Gail Godwin

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American author Gail Godwin is best known for her well-developed characters in such novels as A Mother and Two Daughters, The Odd Woman, and Violet Clay, all National Book Award nominees. She was born in 1937 in Alabama and raised in North Carolina. She married and divorced twice and lived with composer Robert Starer for 25 years until his death in 2001. They collaborated on ten musical works. She has written 13 novels and two short-story collections. She lives in Woodstock, New York.

Working on some new Eufaula Postcard Art

“Man’s main task in life is to give birth to himself, to become what he potentially is.”
– Erich Fromm

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Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

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Eufaula Postcard Art

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Having a little Fun with some designs for some new Eufaula postcards.   I didn’t paint this one with a black background, but I used Photoshop Elements to add the black.  If you look at the hi res version, you can see how much it needs to be cleaned up.  So this is not ready to go to the printer at all, but it is a start. 

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About Erich Fromm

Erich Fromm, the humanist German psychoanalyst and author, is best known for his book, The Art of Loving, which describes love as care, responsibility, respect, and knowledge. Born in Germany in 1900, he emigrated to the United States in 1934, fleeing Hitler’s regime. He taught at a number of universities in the U.S. and Mexico and wrote eight books delineating his view of human nature. He believed that modern society makes us feel isolated and long to reach out to others. He died in 1980.

Love You Dog – Watercolor

“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.”
– Anatole France

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

I Love You Dog – Watercolor
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It’s love!  Of course, he looks like he’d much rather keep the chocolate.  I love you… I love chocolate… I love you… I love chocolate.  Of course, we know chocolate is bad for dogs. 
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About Anatole France

Anatole France was the pen name of Nobel Prize–winning French author Jacques Anatole François Thibault. He was born in 1844 in Paris. His father was a book dealer, and France spent his life among books, including 14 years as assistant librarian to the French Senate. His novels, including the Contemporary History series and The Gods Are Athirst, often use allegory and religious symbolism as vehicles for moral questions. He died in 1924.

Wooden Puzzle - Pink Dog

“Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out.”
– James Bryant Conant

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Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Pink Dog – Wooden Puzzle

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I did a few of these puzzles as my donation to an animal welfare fundraiser.  They were fun and I’d like to do some again one day! 

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About James Bryant Conant

James Bryant Conant, the American chemist and educator, is known both for his role in the Manhattan Project — which developed the first nuclear weapons — and for his innovative tenure as president of Harvard University. Harvard had been a finishing school for the rich; Conant turned it into a world-class research university and created aptitude tests to choose students by ability. These tests became the basis for the SAT. He was born in Massachusetts in 1893 and died in New Hampshire in 1978.

Little Beagle Puppy

“The Noah rule: Predicting rain doesn’t count; building arks does.”
– Warren Buffett

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Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Sweet Little Beagle Puppy

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I’m digging into the dog archive, since we finished with the birds.  I am working on some other projects right now, so no new art to share.  I hope you enjoy the dogs.  This one looks guilty.  Maybe she just ate your shoe. 

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About Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett, the legendary American financier known as the Oracle of Omaha, is the world’s richest man. He was born in Nebraska in 1930. As a youngster, he sold six-packs of Coke for a profit and first invested in the stock market at age 11. His first limited partnership reaped dividends up to 30 percent. He follows the simple but powerful principle that you should learn about the intrinsic value of a company before you invest. He is now the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, a diversified holding company.

See... I can paint bird feet. :)

“You have the power to control the content of your thoughts. Put your attention and energy on what you want to happen.  This is how you harness the power of your intention to create just that. If you hold in your mind what you want to happen specifically and feel those feelings, you will be more relaxed and positive, no matter what comes your way.”
– Terri Cole

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Hey Pretty Bird

Well, this is the end of my birds.  It’s been fun revisiting them.  Have a great weekend and I’ll see you Monday. 

Terri Cole is so smart!!  Here’s a link to her website:  Positively Positive

From the website:

“Positively Positive’s message has swept the globe. Embracing and broadcasting the voices of over one million fellow humans. For us, the response has been both inspiring and humbling.
At its core, Positively Positive is about optimism and inspiration. About seeing the possibility within each person—and within each day gifted us. It’s about wisdom and how we lift one another up to richer, more fulfilling lives. It’s about tapping into our true nature and capacity.

Our goal is simple: to bring uplifting voices and messages to our community every day. Our growing supply of blog posts, videos, and handpicked quotations are designed to remind us that there is good in every situation, and possibility in every person. Our contributors and guests hail from every conceivable walk of life, from Olympic Gold Medalists, to kids fighting for their lives, to everyday people wanting to make a difference in the world.

We’re here every day to help keep your Positivity Tank topped off. And maybe you’ll find something here that brightens your day a little. Or maybe, just maybe, you’ll find something that changes your life.”

Pink Tennies on a Red Toucan

“Lost warriors have only to open their eyes to find the right and good path.“
– Chief Red Mountain

“We all carry a fountain of joy inside. This joy is not something special given to only a few of us. An abundance of joy, happiness, and peace is our right. Our hearts were meant to be full of love and laughter.  Life will not be without troubles, but joy and gratitude will heal all wounds and shine through all problems.”
– Nancy Hull-Mast


Red Toucan in Tennies – Watercolor

One may think I don’t like painting bird feet.   

I leave for vacation two weeks from today!  Yay!  I only take one week off every other year, unless I travel for business.   Business trips don’t count, although I do try to add a day off to every trip, in case there’s something I want to do in that particular city.  I am really looking forward to this trip.  I get to spend time with family and some alone artist time.  Both good!

I couldn’t find any biographical info on either of these people, but I certainly like what they have to say.

Which came first? The tennies or the pink poppy flamingo suit?

“Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit.”
– Peter Ustinov

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Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Pink Poppy Flamingo in Pink Tennies

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This flamingo absolutely lives in Bethville, where no wardrobe choice is a surprise.  When people look at you and laugh, it’s because your pink poppy outfit makes them happy.  I believe that to our very core, that’s what we all want… to be happy. 

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By the way, changing themes did not correct my wordpress issues.  **sigh**

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About Peter Ustinov

British actor Peter Ustinov is best known for his Oscar-winning roles in Topkapi and Spartacus. He was born in London in 1921 to parents of blended pan-European extraction. He wrote several plays as well as a well-received autobiography, Dear Me. From 1969 until his death in 2004, he took on the role of goodwill ambassador for UNICEF, visiting disadvantaged children all over the world. He said his multicultural background gave him automatic loyalty to the UN.

I slipped a grasshopper in on ya....

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”
– Theodore Seuss Giesel

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Yeah!!!!

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

You thought you were going to see another bird?

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I slipped this little grasshopper in among the birds for fun.   We’ll return to our regularly scheduled program tomorrow. 

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Has anyone ever seen the periodical cicadas?  They only appear every 13 to 17 years.   They mature underground for all those years, then emerge to fly around and mate.  They have been surrounding us for the last few weeks.  They are loud and abundant.  We have them in our neighborhood, but they don’t have them in town.  Weird!!!

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About Theodore Seuss Giesel

Theodor Seuss Geisel, the beloved Dr. Seuss, is renowned to generations of children as the author of Green Eggs and Ham and other deliciously absurd picture books. He was born in 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts. His first book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, was rejected 27 times. He wrote The Cat in the Hat after Houghton Mifflin asked him to write a children’s primer using fewer than 250 easy-reader words. He died in 1991.

Hey! Where are my shoes?

“If you haven’t forgiven yourself something, how can you forgive others?”
– Dolores Huerta

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Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Hey!  I’m in Bethville…. so where are my shoes?

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Needs no explanation, if you know my art.  **giggle**

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Yesterday was the hubby’s birthday.  We had a very romantic day of knocking dirt dobber nests off the stucco and scrubbing the red dirt stains away.  It took us 5 hours, but it made the hubby very, very happy.   Pork ribs and sweet potatoes for dinner didn’t hurt either.   He was celebrating the 27th anniversary of his 38th birthday. 

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About Dolores Huerta

American labor leader Dolores Huerta cofounded the United Farm Workers and played a major role in the American civil-rights movement. She was born in a mining town in New Mexico in 1930 and raised in California’s Central Valley, where she saw the plight of farmworkers up close. She abandoned teaching for activism after witnessing her students’ poverty. Her best-known campaign was the successful grape boycott of the 1960′s. She currently serves as president of the Dolores Huerta Foundation, an organization aimed at promoting social justice in agricultural regions of California.

Wiggle My Butt, You Say? - Watercolor & Ink

“As a psychotherapist for over fifteen years, I have witnessed how thoughts create reality time and time again. I believe that chronic negative thoughts, limiting beliefs, and unexpressed feelings can make you sick. As a cancer survivor, I know my positive words and thoughts, combined with my healthy lifestyle and diet, directly impact my vibrant health.”
–Terri Cole

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Wiggle My Butt, You Say?

My hubby is the one that taught me that if I wiggle my butt at some random time during the day, it’ll make me giggle.  Kinda like a puppy wagging her tail.  Try it!  I swear, it works! 
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Terri Cole has the best website -  Positively Positive.  “  I wonder if she knows about butt wiggling?

“Positively Positive’s message has swept the globe. Embracing and broadcasting the voices of over one million fellow humans. For us, the response has been both inspiring and humbling.
At its core, Positively Positive is about optimism and inspiration. About seeing the possibility within each person—and within each day gifted us. It’s about wisdom and how we lift one another up to richer, more fulfilling lives. It’s about tapping into our true nature and capacity.
Our goal is simple: to bring uplifting voices and messages to our community every day. Our growing supply of blog posts, videos, and handpicked quotations are designed to remind us that there is good in every situation, and possibility in every person. Our contributors and guests hail from every conceivable walk of life, from Olympic Gold Medalists, to kids fighting for their lives, to everyday people wanting to make a difference in the world.
We’re here every day to help keep your Positivity Tank topped off. And maybe you’ll find something here that brightens your day a little. Or maybe, just maybe, you’ll find something that changes your life.”

Attentive Little Yellow Bird

“Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip.”
– Will Rogers

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Little Yellow Bird

Such attention!  He looks like he’s patiently listening to someone or something.  Maybe he’s listening to the town gossip!   

About Will Rogers

 

American humorist Will Rogers was considered the Mark Twain of his generation. He was born in 1879 in Oklahoma, of Cherokee descent, and left school early to become a cowboy. In South Africa his showy roping skills won him a job in a traveling Wild West show, and he quickly switched over to vaudeville and film acting roles. He wrote six books and 4,000 syndicated columns. An avid flier, he died in a plane crash in 1935.