Stack of Cups

“Attempt easy tasks as if they were difficult, and difficult as if they were easy; in the one case that confidence may not fall asleep, in the other that it may not be dismayed.”
– Baltasar Gracián y Morales

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2011

Stack of Cups – 6″ x 9″ Gouache on Art Spectrum Colourfix

I hosted the WDE at WetCanvas last weekend.  It was so much fun!  The two weekends per year that I host, the hubby leaves me alone to do all the art I want.  That is pure joy for me.  This is a stack of my office coffee cups.  I had a great time with this one.  There is still time to play.  Just go to:  All Media Art Events forum.

About Baltasar Gracián y Morales

Baltasar Gracián y Morales, the Jesuit scholar and moralist author, was the leading Spanish proponent of conceptism (conceptismo), a method of expressing ideas through puns, epigrams, and other verbal devices. He was born in 1601 in Aragon. The Jesuit leadership frowned on his oratorical style, which included reading a letter from Hell to his congregation. His best known books include The Art of Worldly Wisdom and The Hero, which repudiated Machiavelli. He died in 1658.

Gossiping Penguins

“Most people are so busy knocking themselves out trying to do everything they think they should do, they never get around to do what they want to do.”
– Kathleen Winsor

Gossiping Penguins 

5" x 7" Gouache on Black Greeting Card

Saturday night, I was awakened by the sound of a helicopter flying mere inches over the house…. or so I thought.   We actually had a 5.7 earthquake!

Many of the reports I read stated that people thought it was a low flying airplane, when it was the roar of the ground shaking violently.   Nothing fell at our house, but I heard stories of pictures falling off the walls at some homes.    Having lived in California for over 10 years, I remember earthquakes well.  But it’s only the second time I have experienced one in Oklahoma.  This one beat the 1952 record for the strongest Oklahoma earthquake.

My neighbors still insist that a military helicopter flew over our homes… minutes before the earthquake, although nobody actually “saw” it. 

Photo reference for this painting was provided by mginsberg at WeCanvas.  Thanks, Marianne!

About Kathleen Winsor

American author Kathleen Winsor is best known for the racy historical novel, Forever Amber, which made a huge splash when it was first published in 1944, selling 100,000 copies the first week. It was banned in 14 states for its sexual content. The ensuing debate contributed to the loosening of restrictions that allowed works by D. H. Lawrence and Henry Miller to be published in the US. Winsor wrote a number of other novels, none as successful. She was born in 1919 and died in 2003.

Idaho Range

“When we are unable to find tranquility within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere.”
-Core-A-Te

Isn't that the truth! 



Idaho Range – Gouache & Acrylic on Black Strathmore Photo Mount Card – 5″ x 7″

More practice from my 2009 photos.  I think if you looked at this week’s paintings, it would seem that they came from 5 different artists.  I was all over the place last weekend… having fun with my art.  he he

I just found out last night that we have a weekend house guest coming, so I’m not sure how much time I’ll get to paint.  I’ll probably sneak into the studio in the wee hours of the morning.  I’ll just have to be quiet, since it’s right next door to the guest bedroom. 

Core-a-te: conditioning meets martial arts

A body workout with a dollop of self-defense and a dash of spirituality

November 08, 2010|By Meredith May, Chronicle Staff Writer

Before entering the dojo, Whitney Arnautou had her students contemplate a daily saying:
“Accept change. It is inevitable. … In ourselves. Our bodies. Our relationships. Our Jobs. Understand that it’s happening every day, and try to move with the changes – gracefully.”  (Note from Beth… WOW!  I like that!)

Minds centered, it was time for Core-a-te, a new exercise class at the United Studios of Self Defense in San Francisco that combines karate, self-defense and a kick-in-the-pants core workout.
Arnautou, a Shaolin Kenpo black belt and fitness instructor, designed the one-hour workout to bring her students physical and spiritual balance.  More…

Patches the Cat

“Victory is won not in miles but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground, and later, win a little more.”
– Louis L’Amour



Patches the Cat – Gouache on Black 5″ x 7″ Greeting Card

Saturday, I needed a card for a baby shower, so I did this little cat on a black greeting card.  It was a hit at the party, but then… so was the cake. 

The reference is from Catherine at WetCanvas.

About Louis L’Amour

Louis L’Amour, the author known for his pulp westerns, wrote more than 100 novels in his lifetime. Born in North Dakota in 1908 as Louis LaMoore, he worked across the southwestern U.S. on a string of backbreaking jobs including longshoreman, elephant handler, and cattle skinner. He saw his writing as akin to telling tales by a campfire and wanted to be remembered simply as a good storyteller. He won the Medal of Freedom in 1984 and died in 1988.

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.

Cow in the Snow

“Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits.”
– Thomas A. Edison

Cow in the Snow – 7″ x 10″ Watercolor (& a Dab of White Gouache) on Masa

This was the first painting I did on the masa paper.  I loved it!  In real life, the colors are a little more vibrant.  I am loving the whole masa thing.  I can’t wait to do more.

splattered some white gouache across this, to simulate the snow, but when it dried it had faded away.  I may come back in and do it again with acrylic, because it added a nice touch.  I just need more hours in my day. 

The images from today and yesterday are compliments of Just Chaos on WetCanvas.

 

About Thomas A. Edison

Thomas Edison, the American inventor who made his early fortune with the stock ticker and the phonograph record, is credited with inventing the light bulb — although he simply improved upon the original idea by making the bulb burn longer. Edison was born in 1847 in Ohio. He was a dreamer in school; his teacher called him “addled,” and his mother taught him at home. He used the money from his inventions to set up a lab with a number of employees; he held a record 1,093 patents in his name. He died in 1931.

Puerto Rico

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.”
– Amelia Earhart



Puerto Rico – 8″ x 10″ WatePuerto Ricorcolor Pencil and Gouache on Black Art Spectrum Colourfix

This was really fun!  I drew the whole thing with watercolor pencils, then came back in with gouache to finish it.   I cropped this from an image by Tonyjazz at WetCanvas.

The masa paper I ordered came in yesterday.  I can’t wait to play with it! 

About Amelia Earhart

Amelia Earhart, who was born in 1897 in Kansas, became the first person to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean and gained renown as a woman in a field dominated by men. Earhart worked as a nurse’s aide during World War I and learned to fly after moving to Los Angeles in 1919. She first became famous as one of a crew of three to fly across the Atlantic in 1928, but her best-known flight was her last. As she was attempting to fly around the world in 1937, her plane disappeared over the Pacific Ocean and was never found.

Port Wine

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



Port Wine – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor and Gouache on White Art Spectrum Colourfix

Art Spectrum Colourfix is a fine tooth sanded paper, designed for pastels.  I love doing watercolor on it.  This painting was challenging and fun!  It is from my WDE at WetCanvas and the image is a photo by Agnesdale.  It’s another great photo I found in the Reference Image Library at WetCanvas.

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.

Laundry Day

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



Laundry Day – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Gouache

Okay…. I have not lost my mind and I have not started taking drugs.  he he  This was done in response to sundiver’s challenge for the WetCanvas WDE.  She challenged us to paint like Marc Chegall.  I know it’s lame, but I had fun anyway.  I used bits and pieces from six of Wendy’s reference photos.    I should not have used those two big flowers like that, but oh well. 

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.

Balloon Ride Over Thailand II

“When one’s expectations are reduced to zero, one really appreciates everything one does have.”
– Stephen Hawking



Balloon Ride Over Thailand II
Gouache on 5″ x 7″ Black Photo Mount Greeting Card

First, I have to say that my heart goes out to all the storm victims in Alabama.  There have been so many lives lost and property destroyed.  What a tragic night it has been.

This is another painting done from a photo reference by Dewi at WetCanvas, from her balloon ride over Thailand.  I had a lot of fun doing this.  Click on the photo for a larger look. 

It has stopped raining for a couple days, so this afternoon I’m going flying.  I’m just going to practice my landings, but I’m really looking forward to it.  Tomorrow it will be too windy and then the rain comes back for Saturday and Sunday.

About Stephen Hawking

British scientist Stephen Hawking, best known for his book A Brief History of Time, which did much to popularize physics, is a leading theoretical physicist who used Einstein’s general theory of relativity to prove the big bang theory. He was born in 1942 in Oxford. He was diagnosed with severe amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at 21 and was not expected to live more than three years. Over time he has become more disabled, but he continues to lecture, speaking through a computer-controlled voice box.

Thailand Balloon Ride I

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



Thailand Balloon Ride I
Gouache on 5″ x 7″  Black Photo Mount Card

To follow along with the quote… this little black photo mount card wasn’t satisfied to be just that.  It wanted to be the surface for a painting.    The photo reference came from Dewi at WetCanvas.  She took it from a hot air balloon.  The photo was rather dark, so it inspired me to play with my gouache.  I had a great time. 

Tomorrow, I’ll show you the other view from her balloon.

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.

Lily Pond

“Passion, though a bad regulator, is a powerful spring.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson



Lily Pond – Watercolor and Gouache on 2.5″ x 3.5″ ATC

My friend Robert  from WetCanvas  liked this little painting so much that we did a trade for it.  That is one of the wonderful things about being involved in an art community.  I have traded paintings for a lot of art that I fell in love with.  I have some cool art that I probably couldn’t afford to buy.  It makes it even better, knowing that they were painted by someone I like. 

About Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson helped spark the transcendentalist movement with the essay Nature, which described his belief in the spiritual essence of humanity and the natural world. He was born in Boston in 1803. He was a Unitarian minister until he resigned in 1832 to become a philosopher and writer. He suffered the untimely deaths of many of his loved ones: three brothers, his first wife at age 20, and his eldest son at age five. Emerson died in 1882.

Sunnie Louise - Frog Painting

“Be a first rate version of yourself, not a second rate version of someone else.”
– Judy Garland



Sunnie Louise
2.5″ x 3.5″ Watercolor & Gouache on Art Spectrum Colourfix

Today, it’s much easier navigating around southeast Oklahoma.  I wish the same could be said for Atlanta!  What a mess!  I’d like to think it’ll all be cleared up before I get there, Thursday, but it’s not looking too promising.  They are not supposed to be above freezing until Thursday.  (The big adventure continues.)  I am meeting another artist for dinner Thursday night that is driving from Charolette, NC, and they got 5 inches of snow.  I hope she can still make it.  Mother nature is giving us some interesting challenges to overcome, but I am still excited!

About Judy Garland

Beloved American actress Judy Garland will always be associated with her role as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. She was born Frances Gumm in Minnesota in 1922 to vaudevillian parents. She made her stage debut at age two and a half. She starred in 26 films over 13 years and became a huge star. In 1950, MGM ended her contract. Though she primarily gave concerts after that, she did star in a few more films, including her famed role in A Star Is Born. She died in 1969.

Speckles - Frog Painting

“Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson



Speckles
2.5″ x 3.5″ Watercolor and Gouache ATC

I painted this little dude on Art Spectrum Colourfix paper, which is usually used for pastels.  I use my gouache kinda thick and it feels wonderful on the paper.  It takes more coats to obtain the opaqueness on the dark paper, and I mix watercolor pigment in with the gouache for the colors I want.  It’s fun!

Have a great weekend! 

About Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson helped spark the transcendentalist movement with the essay Nature, which described his belief in the spiritual essence of humanity and the natural world. He was born in Boston in 1803. He was a Unitarian minister until he resigned in 1832 to become a philosopher and writer. He suffered the untimely deaths of many of his loved ones: three brothers, his first wife at age 20, and his eldest son at age five. Emerson died in 1882.

Ralphie - Frog Painting

“The art of living lies less in eliminating our troubles than in growing with them.”
– Bernard Baruch



Ralphie
2.5″ x 3.5″ Watercolor & Gouache ATC

He seems to be saying, “so… you look like you have  never seen a frog pee before? Would you mind?”  he he he

I’m heading to Muskogee in a few minutes to fly.  I am doing the part of my training where they put special glasses on you so that you can’t see out of the plane.  You fly by the instruments only and it is really disorienting.  I still need 1.5 hours of it and they just have you do it 30 minutes at a time.  Not my favorite part of flight training.  I’ve already done 1.5 hours and it’s not getting easier.  Maybe today, it’ll click.  

See you tomorrow!  *wave*

About Bernard Baruch

The American financier and unofficial presidential adviser Bernard Baruch was known as the “Park Bench Statesman” for his penchant for taking meetings on park benches. He was born in 1870 in South Carolina. By the time he was 30, he had become a millionaire. During World War I, Woodrow Wilson asked Baruch’s advice on economic issues, which began a long-term relationship with the White House. He refused to become Treasury Secretary in FDR’s cabinet, preferring his unofficial role. He died in 1965.

Malcom - Frog Painting

“I think in terms of the day’s resolutions, not the year’s.”
– Henry Moore



Malcom
2.5″ x 3.5″ Watercolor & Gouache ATC

Yes, it’s another frog.  I have been creating art, but it’s for the licensing end of my world.  I’m going to be in Atlanta in just 2 weeks!  I have 8 collections prepared out of the 12 that I promised myself I would have ready.  That’s why I haven’t been getting around to the blogs or to WetCanvas.

I’m flying, too!  Yesterday, we flew to Tulsa International Airport.  Of course, my CFI wouldn’t let me do the landing.  I think he is more nervous than I am.  He has some trust issues that we need to work on. 

About Henry Moore

British sculptor Henry Moore is known for his voluptuous abstract figures. He was born in 1898 to a poor mining family. After Moore served in World War I, he became the first student of sculpture at Leeds School of Art; a sculpture studio was set up specifically for him. As he studied primitive arts, his own work became more abstract. He established The Henry Moore Foundation in 1977 to promote public appreciation of art. He died in 1986. His work can be seen in public spaces all over the world.

Freddy - Frog Painting

“Attempt easy tasks as if they were difficult, and difficult as if they were easy; in the one case that confidence may not fall asleep, in the other that it may not be dismayed.”
– Baltasar Gracián y Morales



Freddy Frog
2.5″ x 3.5″ Watercolor, gouache and spackle ATC

Some of you may remember Freddy.  I used spackle to add the dimension to the ATC.  Of course, stuff that sticks out in real life, looks sunken in on the scan.  Hmmmm….?

About Baltasar Gracián y Morales

Baltasar Gracián y Morales, the Jesuit scholar and moralist author, was the leading Spanish proponent of conceptism (conceptismo), a method of expressing ideas through puns, epigrams, and other verbal devices. He was born in 1601 in Aragon. The Jesuit leadership frowned on his oratorical style, which included reading a letter from Hell to his congregation. His best known books include The Art of Worldly Wisdom and The Hero, which repudiated Machiavelli. He died in 1658.

Clyde – Frog Painting

“How simple it is to see that
all the worry in the world cannot
control the future.  How simple it is
to see that we can only be happy now.
And there never is a time
when it is not now.”
–Gerald Jampolsky



Clyde – Frog Painting
2.5″ x 3.5″ Gouache on Art Spectrum Colourfix ATC

Doesn’t he just make you wanna giggle? 

I’m hosting the Weekend Drawing Event (WDE) over at WetCanvas.  Come have a peek.  The photos are all from the Reference Image Library, and there are some beauties!  Even if you don’t play, have fun on your own, painting from the refs.
 
Jerry Jampolsky Gerald Jampolsky, M.D. is a psychiatrist, formerly on the faculty of the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco.  He is the founder of the Center for Attitudinal Healing in Sausalito, California, and a fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.  Jerry Jampolsky’s writings have been largely inspired by A Course in Miracles. He currently lectures and writes with his wife, psychologist Diane Cirincione.  More….

Betsy – Frog Painting

“Life can only be understood backward; but it must be lived forward.”
–Kierkegaard



Betsy – Frog Painting
2.5″ x 3.5″ Gouache on Art Spectrum Colourfix ATC


Don’t ask me how I came up with the names for these frogs.  I guess I just got to know a personality, while I was painting them.  Doesn’t she look like a Betsy? 

I love today’s quote.  It came from my little book by Mac Anderson, Charging the Human Battery – 50 Ways to Motivate Yourself.

Søren Aabye Kierkegaard was born in Copenhagen on May 5, 1813. Both of his parents were of Jutlandish descent. His father, Michael Pedersen Kierkegaard, was raised a shepherd boy. He experienced what is now considered to have been an event seminal for both father and son, considering the influence of the former on the latter. Michael experienced great suffering and loneliness while alone on the heath. One day, while still a child, he cursed God for his hardships. Notwithstanding this, his situation much improved when he turned twelve years of age, at which time he was sent to live with his uncle in Copenhagen. Michael succeeded as a businessman, a hosier. He did so well that he was able to retire when he was only forty years old. He lived quite comfortably until the age of eighty-two, and died in 1838.

Kierkegaard’s mother, Anne, was Michael Kierkegaard’s second wife and gave birth to all of his seven children. Her entrance into the household had been as a servant girl. While Kierkegaard wrote much in his journals about his father, he rarely wrote of his mother. She died in 1834 when Kierkegaard was twenty-one.

Masters Study – Emile Bernard, Iron Bridges at Asnieres 1887

“No one can really pull you up very high — you lose your grip on the rope. But on your own two feet you can climb mountains.”
– Louis Brandeis



Masters Study – Emile Bernard,  Iron Bridges at Asnieres 1887
2.5″ x 3.5″ Watercolor & Gouache

A link to the original Bernard painting is here. This one was really fun!  Well, of course it was.  They were all fun!    Jeanne at WetCanvas has started another Masters exchange.  You can find the project here.

About Louis Brandeis

American judge Louis Brandeis was the first Jewish Supreme Court Justice, and one of the most influential Justices in the history of the Court. He was born in Kentucky in 1856 to Czech-born parents. He graduated from high school at age 14 and later became head of his class at Harvard Law School. As a Justice, many of his decisions created greater protections for individual rights of privacy and free speech. He died in 1941. Brandeis University was named in his honor.