Hunn Funeral Home – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor & Ink

“Forgiveness is the economy of the heart.…forgiveness saves the expense of anger, the cost of hatred, the waste of spirits.”
– Hannah More

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2014

Hunn Funeral Home – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor & Ink

It’s been quite a while since I posted anything on my blog.  I seem to be doing a lot of art for my licensing portfolio and that’s stuff you just don’t show until it’s time.  So many issues with copyright and so on.

I am taking a MATS Bootcamp class for the next few months and I have decided to share some of that fun with you.  Starting tomorrow, I’ll be sharing a bunch of cuckoo clocks I came up with for the class.  They are mostly creative experiments and will never see the light of day, beyond this blog.  Some will be developed further.  We’ll see.  Until then….

Thanks for checking in. 

About Hannah More

English writer and philanthropist Hannah More, one of the most influential women of her time, is seen as a proto-feminist because she argued for true education for women. She was born near Bristol on February 2, 1745. When her long engagement to a local landowner ended badly, he gave her a yearly stipend in apology, which allowed her the freedom to move to London and write plays. She later shifted to philanthropic work and writing popular religious tracts. She died on September 7, 1833.

Merry Christmas from Lake Eufaula

“A man can do only what he can do. But if he does that each day he can sleep at night and do it again the next day.”
– Albert Schweitzer

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Merry Christmas from Lake Eufaula - 4″ x 6″ Watercolor Postcard

Have a very Merry Christmas!

About Albert Schweitzer

Albert Schweitzer, the German medical missionary, won the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work at a hospital in French Equatorial Africa, where he treated and operated on thousands of people, including hundreds of people afflicted with leprosy. He was also an organist, famous for his interpretation of J.S. Bach’s music. Late in life, he worked with Albert Einstein and Bertrand Russell against nuclear proliferation. He was born in 1875 in Kaysersberg and died in 1965.

A House Portrait - My Big Brother’s Christmas Card

“The most successful people are often very intuitive. Consciously or unconsciously, they follow their gut feelings. Following intuition puts us in the flow – a very alive, productive, and desirable state.”
~ Shakti Gawain

copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

My Big Brother’s Christmas Card – His House Portrait

I was so excited to get my brother’s Christmas card yesterday.  I painted this portrait of his house as a surprise when I visited him in Idaho in August.  It brought tears to his eyes then… and to my eyes last night when I opened the card.  I really love what they did for their card.  It made my Christmas.  (Love you Dine & Cari!)

It sure has been a long time since I posted here.  Of course I’ve been busy at the sign shop, but I also have been preparing collections for art licensing and I’m saving the reveal of those until later.  I’m headed to Atlanta in a few weeks and am excited about my trip to AmericasMart Home & Gift show.  I was there a couple years ago, but got temporarily way-layed by that whole flying thing.  I am now excited and back to business!

I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday time and are avoiding all the stress that comes with it.  My hubby has recently had a hip replacement, so we are laying low and having a quiet Christmas.     No stress there. 

Shakti Gawain

Shakti is a pioneer in the field of personal development. For over twenty-five years, she has been a best-selling author and internationally renowned teacher of consciousness. Shakti has facilitated thousands of individuals in developing greater awareness, balance and wholeness in their lives.

Shakti has written numerous books considered classics in her field. Her distinguished publishing history includes best sellers Creative Visualization, Living in the Light, The Path of Transformation, Four Levels of Healing, Creating True Prosperity, and Developing Intuition. Her books have sold over 10 million copies and have been translated into more than thirty languages. She is the co-founder, with Marc Allen, of New World Library Publishing Company.

She has appeared on such nationally syndicated programs as The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, Sonya Live, The Larry King Show, The Leeza Show, America’s Talking and New Dimensions Radio, and has been featured in New Woman, New Age Journal, and Time Magazine.

Through her seminars and her books, Shakti helps people heal and develop all levels of their being — spiritual, mental, emotional, physical — and access their intuitive inner wisdom. Sharing the ideas and practices that have helped her the most in her own life, she guides others on their path to living more consciously. She facilitates us in finding deeper meaning and purpose through developing our unique gifts and abilities.

Shakti is a passionate environmentalist, who believes that as we bring more awareness to our daily lives, we can learn to live in balance on our planet.

She and her husband Jim Burns, live in Mill Valley, California.

Brand New Eufaula Postcard

“Believe that dreams and miracles happen every day.  You also have to acknowledge that you’ve already experienced countless big and tiny miracles in your own life.  Acknowledge how much you have to be grateful for and be grateful that you have so much to offer.”

–Bex Borucki

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Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

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New Eufaula Postcard

I have these on order and should receive them Monday.  I’m going to do more designs, but this is the one I have sent in so far.  They will be available at Our Favorite Place in Eufaula.

Rebekah “Bex” Borucki, founder of BEXLIFE™ and the BLISSED IN™ wellness movement, is a mother-of-four, TV host, fitness and yoga instructor, popular YouTuber, and backyard farmer raising backyard chickens and growing her own organic garden.

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.

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.

The Yellow Car

“I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be.”

– Groucho Marx

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

The Yellow Car  – 6″ x 8″ Watercolor

I painted this from a photo by Crispur (Christine) at WetCanvas.  Christine lives in Australia, so that is why you might not recognize the store brands.   Wind is a cellular provider, but I have no idea what Camper is.    In the reference photo, the awnings were plain old black.  Bah humbug. 

About Groucho Marx

Julius Henry “Groucho” Marx was the wisecracking central figure of the Marx Brothers comedy team, waggling his eyebrows in movies like Duck Soup and A Night at the Opera. He was born in New York in 1890. His mother organized the family into a vaudeville act, which didn’t become successful until Groucho began ad-libbing jokes and insults. In the forties and fifties, he hosted the wildly successful radio and TV quiz show You Bet Your Life. He died in 1977.

My Pink House

“Sometimes when we are generous in small, barely detectable ways it can change someone else’s life forever.”
– Margaret Cho

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

My Pink House

This is a little corner of my house.  There is a cliff on the east side and a lake on the west side so it’s hard to photograph.  I took this photo standing on the cliff.  I’ll try to do another one, showing more of the house.

I finally have my computer back.  I do not have my vinyl cutter back.  I have an old plotter and may have to upgrade.  So the sign shop is still in a holding pattern… as it has been for two weeks.  It feels good to at least be able to get orders in the system and do the design work.  I can’t wait until this is all resolved and I’m functioning at 100% again. 

About Margaret Cho

 

Margaret Cho, the outspoken Korean-American comedian and actor, made television history as the first Asian-American with her own TV series, All American Girl. She was born in 1968 in San Francisco and has mined her life for extremely successful one-woman shows, including I’m the One That I Want and Notorious C.H.O., both of which spawned albums, movie versions, and books. When not touring with her comedy, Cho works now in Hollywood as both an actress and a director.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Little French 4" x 6" Painting

“When you own your own imperfections and you embrace your life, you become a better person.  Life is about turning obstacles into pedestals.”

–Dodinsky

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Little French Postcard in Color

I finally finished this one.  It was fun!

It’s countdown to Kansas City for me, so I’m going to be pretty busy the next few days.  Thursday morning, I head north for my six hour drive to Overland Park, KS.  I made the trip two years ago to visit my step-mom,  and it was a pleasant drive.  I’ll be spending a little time with her on Friday.   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.  (It’s out.  Get your copy here.)

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.  More at dodinsky.com

I’m so excited!  My pre-ordered copy of In The Garden of Thoughts arrived Friday.  It’s wonderfully illustrated by Amanda Cass and it’s just beautiful!

Versace Home Painted in Pink Watercolor

“Our real blessings often appear to us in the shape of pains, losses and disappointments, but let us have patience and we soon shall see them in their proper figures.”
– Joseph Addison

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Versace Home in Pink

Again, I am posting an older painting.  Yes, I’m busy, busy, busy.  Yesterday was a day full of new orders at the sign shop.  I’m blessed and amazed at how much business is coming in these days.   I wish I was 35 again, with all that stamina and energy. 

The photo of the white building I painted this from was by my friend, Helen, at WetCanvas.   This home was on the market for $125 million!  I wonder if it sold?

About Joseph Addison

 

English politician and writer Joseph Addison is remembered as a cofounder, along with his friend Richard Steele, of The Spectator, one of the first magazines to cover literature and manners. He was born on May 1, 1672 in Wiltshire. He spent four years traveling in Europe, studying politics and writing poetry, and became a Commissioner of Appeals on his return to England. His shyness made public office difficult. His most famous work is the play Cato, a tragedy about ancient Rome. He died on June 17, 1719.

Little Watercolor Houses

“True silence is the rest of the mind; it is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment.”
– William Penn

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Little Houses – 5″ x 8″ Watercolor

This is an older painting, but I really liked it.  The photo was from Jakesgram at WetCanvas.  I think the building on the left is a bar.

I am almost finished with all my framing for KC show.  Yay!   That’s hard work, when you do it right. 

About William Penn

 

William Penn is remembered as the founder of Pennsylvania; the democratic government he set up became the model for the United States Constitution. He was born on October 14, 1644 in England. After he was arrested several times for preaching Quaker ideals, he decided to found a settlement in America. He drew up the “Great Treaty” with the Delaware Indians to ensure they were paid fairly for their land and toured Europe marketing the new colony. He died on July 30, 1718.

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.