A Paisley Horse! 6″ x 8″ Watercolor

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”
– T.S. Eliot

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

It’s Really a Paisley Horse!  6″ x 8″ Watercolor and Black Staedtler Pigment Liner

Yes… I think we have already established that I’m a little bit wacko!  But, in case you weren’t sure… this should remove all doubt.  (Especially since I an considering a series.)

The border and background is inspired by Mexican Folk Art and the paisley?   Pure Bethville.   

The brown horse reference photo is by SkattyKat at WetCanvas.

About T.S. Eliot

 

T.S. Eliot, the Nobel Prize–winning poet, is perhaps best known today for a light book of rhymes that became the Broadway hit Cats. He penned such weightier poems as “The Waste Land,” “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” and “Four Quartets.” His work is rich with deeply felt religious meditations, but he never wanted to be perceived as a religious poet. He was born in 1888 in St. Louis and made his adult home in England, where he worked as an editor at the publisher Faber & Faber. He died in 1965.

Is that a Paisley Horse?

“Difficult times have helped me to understand better than before how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in every way, and that so many things that one goes worrying about are of no importance whatsoever.”
– Isak Dinesen

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Oh My!  Is that a Paisley Horse?

This is another little crop of the painting I am working on.  It’s small, too.  I bet this crop is only about 1.5″ or so.  Hmmmmmmm…

Have a terrific weekend! 

About Isak Dinesen

 

Isak Dinesen was the pen name of Karen Blixen, the Danish author famously portrayed by Meryl Streep in the film of her best-selling memoir, Out of Africa. She was born near Copenhagen in 1885. In 1914, she and her new husband moved to Kenya to run a coffee plantation. She stayed on after divorcing her husband ten years later, living an unusually independent life. Her book of stories, Seven Gothic Tales, sold well, but Out of Africa made her a worldwide success. She died in 1962.

Another Progress Piece of the Horse Painting

“All the puzzle pieces are in your hands!  Don’t go looking for someone to complete it for you.  That only reinforces the fear that you are incomplete.  Life’s strongest glue is being happy to be you!”

–Dodinsky

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Another Piece of the Horse Puzzle

This is a wild one!  It’s bursting with detail and color.  It’s so much 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.  {Note:  It’s out and I have my copy!}

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.

“I was humbled to see that in my own little way, I was affecting the lives of others,” says Dodinsky of the appreciative emails that quickly flooded his inbox. “One reader named Robin wrote, ‘If only my son [had] read your works, he would still be alive today.’ Robin’s son had taken his own life. Like so many others, she became a loyal reader and champion of spreading his work.”  More…

Little Peek at a Fancy Horse

“We can’t change other people. Certainly we have made others feel guilty enough so that they have given in and done things our way. And we have won many power struggles. But ultimately we can’t claim ownership of anyone else’s mind, and we aren’t the stewards of anyone else’s life. We may feel diminished by our lack of control initially, but in time we will love the freedom of living only our own lives. The extra time we’ll have and the peace we’ll know will comfort us.”

 

–Karen Casey

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Sneak Peek at a Fancy Horse

Remember the horse rolling around on his back?  You can see it here.  I started something really different with this horse.  It may take me a long time to finish it.  Oh… the pencil lines?  I forgot to take a progress picture of this after I erased those. 

The plain brown horse is from a photo reference by SkattyKat at WetCanvas.

Karen Casey
 
Millions of people around the world spend a few moments in quiet reflection with Karen Casey every day. Karen is the best-selling author of Each Day a New Beginning, the first daily meditation book written expressly for women in recovery from addiction. Published in 1981, Each Day a New Beginning has sold more than three million copies and has been translated into ten different languages. Over the years, readers around the world have come to regard Karen as a trusted companion on the recovery journey. Among her other best-selling inspirational books are Keepers of the Wisdom, A Woman’s Spirit, Fearless Relationships, and A Life of My Own. In her newest book, Serenity (Hazelden, 2007), Karen shares favorite passages that gently convey simple lessons for living with greater peace, hope, and trust. Karen enjoys golfing and riding her Harley with her husband. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Naples, Florida.  See Karen’s website here.

Frolicking Horse ... Waiting for Paint

“We’re forever in a learning curve. That’s life and part of the human condition. Learn enough to get something started and then go for it. Put it out there and see what happens. The most successful people learn as they go, and when something doesn’t go as planned, they quickly find the lesson, regroup, and move forward. You’ll be hard-pressed to find an inventor, entrepreneur, or CEO who knew exactly how it was all going to come together before starting their company or a paradigm-shifting project or invention.

The need for perfection can turn into paralysis if you don’t accept that stepping into the unknown is a part of the process. The pure potential of your life or any project exists in the unknown. If you can shift your mindset to accept this truth, you can transform fear into anticipatory excitement! (or at least from dread to trepidation).”
–Terri Cole

Wow!  That’s good advice!  I need to make that my mantra!

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Frolicking Horse Outline

I am starting my second commission from the Kansas City show, so this horse will have to stay naked for a while.  The photo reference was from SkattyKat at WetCanvas.  If you know Bethville, you know that it’s doubtful he’ll be brown, laying on some dull green grass.  Stay tuned. 

Terri Cole is a licensed psychotherapist, transformation coach, and an expert at turning fear into freedom. Sign up for Terri’s weekly Tune Up Tips and follow her on Twitter.  Here is her “about” info.


This quote came from PositivelyPositive.com

The Blue Horse

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
–Ralph Waldo Emerson

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

The Blue Horse – 3″ x 5″ Watercolor

Lin (oldrockchick) hosted the WDE at WetCanvas last weekend.  She posted a challenge, to paint one of her reference is monochrome.  This was my response and I had a great time doing it.  Here is what Lin had to say about this wonderful horse reference…

“Max the one-eyed shire horse. One of a rare breed of heavy horses bred at Eglwswrw Shire Horse Farm in Pembrokeshire,Wales. Max lost an eye when he got a thorn in it and it got infected and sadly he had to retire when they couldn’t save it. He was still pulling the visitor trailor round the farm field 2 years ago when we went but they were arranging to retire him as soon as his friend Jackson the ex-drey horse was trained to pull it more slowly. He is a people lover.”



Emerson believed in individualism, non-conformity, and the need for harmony between man and nature. He was a proponent of abolition, and spoke out about the cruel treatment of Native Americans. Influenced by the Eastern philosophy of unity and a divine whole, emphasizing God Immanent, to be found in everyone and everything, Emerson sowed the seeds of the American Transcendentalist movement. He realised the importance of the spiritual inner self over the material external self through studying Kantianism, Confucianism, Neo-Platonism, Romanticism, and dialectical metaphysics and reading the works of Saint Augustine, Sir Francis Bacon, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and William Shakespeare among many others. During his lifetime and since Emerson has had a profound influence on some of the 19th and 20th century’s most prominent figures in the arts, religion, education, and politics.

More information can be found at http://www.online-literature.com/emerson/

Horse Quilt

“Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant with the weak… because in your life you will have been all of these.”
– Mac Anderson

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2011

Horse Quilt – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor & Sharpie

It’s been a while since  I have sewn any critters.  I enjoyed doing this horse, who’s photo was  provided by Lisilk at WetCanvas.

The tree is up in the sign shop lobby, the ornaments are finished for my handmade ornament exchange and the packages going to people far away are wrapped, packed in boxes and ready to go.   I just need to fill out the insides of my Christmas cards and get them in the mail,  since the envelopes are already addressed.   I wonder what it is that husbands do during the holidays.  Hmmmm… he’s not baking… no, not wrapping… nope, not putting up any trees or hanging any lights…. shopping?… definitely not…  Oh, I forgot…. he went to the liquor store.  That’s it!  Now if I only drank liquor.   No matter what, my hubby is my hero, my calming influence and my best friend, so he does do a lot.  Can you imagine being my calming influence?  That’s a pretty big job.  

MAC ANDERSON is the founder of Simple Truths and Successories, Inc., the leader in designing and marketing products for motivation and recognition. These companies, however, are not the first success stories for Mac. He was also the founder and CEO of McCord Travel, the largest travel company in the Midwest, and part owner/VP of sales and marketing for Orval Kent Food Company, the country’s largest manufacturer of prepared salads.

His accomplishments in these unrelated industries provide some insight into his passion and leadership skills. He also brings the same passion to his speaking where he speaks to many corporate audiences on a variety of topics, including leadership, motivation and team building.

Mac has authored or co-authored twelve books, which have sold more than 3 million copies published by

Simple Truths. They include:
212°…The Extra Degree
Charging the Human Battery
Customer Love
The Nature of Success
Change is Good…You Go First
The Power of Attitude
What’s the Big Idea?
The Essence of Leadership
You Can’t Send a Duck to Eagle School
The Best of Success
Learning to Dance in the Rain
Motivational Quotes

For more information about Simple Truths, visit www.simpletruths.com.
I own about 20 Simple Truths books.  Many of the quotes I share with you each day come from those wonderful books!
– Beth