Underpainting to the Chalk Lines

“Habits of thinking need not be forever. One of the most significant findings in psychology in the last twenty years is that individuals can choose the way they think,”
–Martin Seligman

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Underpainting my new Tryptic – Three 12″ x 24″ Gallery Wrapped Canvases

After I draw the chalk lines, I lay down an underpainting, using Golden Fluid Acrylics.  I paint right up to, but not over, all the chalk lines.  After the entire underpainting is dry, I wipe all the chalk lines off with a damp cloth.  That gives me the black outlines.  This stage is a little tedious, but it’s really fun to watch it develop. 

Yesterday, I took 12 paintings over to Our Favorite Place, Eufaula’s new gallery.  It is so exciting!  They are planning a soft opening on April 9th.  No party or anything, just yet.  I think she wants to work all the bugs out first.  The owner of the gallery, Karen Weldin, doesn’t know anything about owning a gallery and she is not an artist.  She has pulled together an awesome committee of artists and people experienced with running a gallery, to help her put her dream in motion.  She bought the building last year and knew it was meant for something special.  (She’s right!)  The 100 year old building has been undergoing a complete restoration, bringing it back to it’s former glory.  There are some photos on their website and I’ll take more when all the art is hung.

Authentic Happiness is the homepage of Dr. Martin Seligman, Director of the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania and founder of positive psychology, a branch of psychology which focuses on the empirical study of such things as positive emotions, strengths-based character, and healthy institutions.
This website has more than 2 million users from around the world, and you are welcome to use all of the resources available here for free.  The best place to start is by learning more about the latest theory and initiatives in positive psychology, by taking one of our well-being questionnaires, or by checking out recent presentations and selected media.

Rainbow Cat

“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

Rainbow Cat

4″ x 6″ Watercolor Postcard attached to Canvas

While I’m on a roll, I thought I’d share another little cat. Doesn’t it look sweet sitting on that little easel? One of the fun things about small art is the many ways it can be presented. This kitty’s eyes might follow you around the room though.


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.

Art House Co-op Canvas Project 2

It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.
– Seneca

 

Art House Co-op Canvas Project 2
3″ x 3″ Watercolors mounted onto Canvas

I thought it would be fun to share the paintings I did for Art House Co-op’s Canvas Project 2 last year.  My words that I had to paint from are Destroyed, Giddy, Tenacious, Insolvent & Genteel.  Can you guess which one is which? 


I’m getting a bit of a late start this morning, because  I went to the grocery store to stock up for the holiday weekend.  When our little town goes from 2,500 to 25,000 people, places like the grocery store are a bit of an adventure.    I like to go ahead and let the tourist have the town.  I stock up early and when I’m off work, I head 13 miles out to the quiet comfort of the house.   I am really glad they are here, don’t get me wrong.  They are the life blood of our little economy.  But… they are impatient and in full party mode and I may just be getting too old to jump right in the middle if them. 


I hope that whatever plans you have for the holiday weekend are wonderful and safe.  Happy 4th of July! 

Seneca

(born c. 4 BC, Corduba, Spain — died AD 65, Rome) Roman philosopher, statesman, and playwright. He was trained as an orator and began a career in politics and law in Rome c. AD 31. While banished to Corsica for adultery (41 – 49), he wrote the philosophical treatises Consolationes. He later became tutor to the future emperor Nero and from 54 to 62 was a leading intellectual figure in Rome. An adherent of Stoicism, he wrote other philosophical works, including Moral Letters, a collection of essays on moral problems. He also left a series of verse tragedies marked by violence and bloodshed, including Thyestes, Hercules, and Medea. His plays influenced the development of Elizabethan drama during the Renaissance, notably William Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus (1593 – 94) and John Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi (c. 1613).

What I Dream About

“It’s not what you are, but what you don’t become that hurts.”
– Oscar Levant

 

What I Dream About
4″ x 6″ Watercolor Postcard

This  is a painting of the plane I am training in, except for my trainer is not red.  It’s kind of a dull tan and brown.  Where’s the artistic zing in that?  *grin*
 
I did this little painting for a free project over at Art House Co-op called “What I Dream About”.  I have participated in several Art House Co-op projects.  I just signed up for the Canvas Project – Volume 3.   I participated in the Canvas Project, Volume 2 and it was really fun!  Their projects are inexpensive or free and a lot of fun to do.  I did the sketchbook project and was able to add like 8 galleries to my resume.  The little sketchbooks traveled all over, to different galleries.   Any-Hoo, try one of their projects.   Here’s a link to their blog. (I received no compensation for singing their praises – I just like them a lot.)

Last night, I had the best flying lesson…. EVER!   I am gaining on this thing.  I even flew with the strongest crosswind I have experienced so far.  It was still great.  I’m not embarrassed to admit that several woo-hoos escaped my lips and I was giggling like a little girl.  It must be infectious, cause my CFI was laughing with me.  What a great day!  I must absolutely be the luckiest girl on the planet, except for maybe one that wins a $280 million dollar  lottery.  Oh….. ya gotta buy a ticket?  Crap!  That puts me out.  ha ha ha 

About Oscar Levant

Oscar Levant was a brilliant musician whose work was often overshadowed by his witty, neurotic persona. He was born in 1906 in Pittsburgh and moved with his mother to New York in 1922 to study music, gaining renown as a concert pianist before his twentieth birthday. He composed the scores for more than 20 movies in the years 1929 to 1948. He appeared in movies such as An American in Paris and hosted a TV talk show for two years; the show was taken off the air due to his risqué comments. He died in 1972.

Rainbow Forest - September 4, 2009

"A bad habit never disappears miraculously; it's an undo-it-yourself project."
– Abigail Van Buren

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Rainbow Forest

6" x 6" x 1.5" Acrylic

This one was painted from my brain, with no references. I start with the very front plant, then keep painting plants, one at a time, behind the previous ones, until I finally finish with the black paint. I really enjoy seeing it come to life when the black paint is added. Negative painting is fun!
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About Abigail Van Buren

Pauline Phillips, better known as Abigail Van Buren, wrote the syndicated "Dear Abby" column for 46 years. She was born in 1918 in Iowa. She had never written professionally when she contacted the San Francisco Chronicle's editor and said she could do better than their current advice maven. Her version was an instant success. Her twin sister, Esther Lederer, became an advice columnist under the name Ann Landers. Phillips retired in 2002; her daughter, Jeanne Phillips, took over her column.