Little French 4" x 6" Beginning

“Just as appetite comes by eating, so work brings inspiration, if inspiration is not discernible at the beginning.”
– Igor Stravinsky

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Little French Postcard Beginning

I just started this one yesterday morning.  I’ll be working on it this week.  The photo reference is inspiring and I promise it will be colorful.  It’s Alsace, France by Elaine V at WetCanvas.

About Igor Stravinsky

Igor Stravinsky, the modernist Russian composer, had a profound influence on classical music with his musical innovations in such pieces as the ballet The Rite of Spring, which shocked contemporary society with the newness of its sound. He was born on June 17, 1882 near St. Petersburg. After briefly considering law, he apprenticed to composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. He was also a virtuosic pianist. He continued composing and touring into his 80′s. He died on April 6, 1971.

Explore the World with Reading – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

“Surround yourself only with those people who are going to lift you higher.”
– Oprah Winfrey

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Explore the World with Reading – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

Explore is this week’s word for Illustration Friday.  What better way is there to explore, than through reading?  I love books!  I am so glad that I like to read.  The world opens up to you with books, and takes you wherever you want to go. 

Right now, I am reading The Silent Sea, a Clive Cussler novel and I’m in Argentina fighting off bad guys and trying to get back to my submersible, which will take me back to The Oregon, our high tech ship.

I painted this from a reference by SkattyKat at WetCanvas.  Kat lives in France and had wonderful images to paint from!

Clive Cussler is the author of many New York Times bestsellers, most recently The Spy and Lost Empire. He lives in Arizona.

Oprah Winfrey

Media giant Oprah Winfrey was born in the poor rural town of Kosciusko, Mississippi on January 29, 1954. In 1976, Winfrey moved to Baltimore, where she hosted a hit TV chat show, People Are Talking, after which she was recruited by a Chicago TV station to host her own morning show. Later she went on to pursue her two-and-a-half decade stint as host of the wildly popular Oprah Winfrey show.  More….

Corner of Masa & Watercolor

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



Corner of Masa & Watercolor – 7″ x 10″

This was an exercise in pure joy!  I spent 3 hours on this.  I just couldn’t quit fiddling.   I think that is part of the fun of masa.  Each brush stoke brings new discoveries.

The great reference photo was from Catherine at WetCanvas and was actually a corner in France.  I changed the signs because I am, after all, a sign lady. 

About Samuel Johnson

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