Small Town America – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor Portrait

“I can change only myself, but sometimes that is enough.”
–Ruth Humlecker

 ”Happiness is more fleeting for some of us than for others. We may ponder this notion but fail to grasp the reason. However, careful attention to how “the happy ones” go through life will enlighten us. We will note how seldom they complain about others’ actions. We will discover their willingness to accept others as they are. We will see that their attention is generally on the positive aspects of people and circumstances rather than on the negative.

 We can join the parade of “happy ones” by letting go of our need to change people and situations that disturb us. Even when we are certain other people are wrong, we can let go of controlling them. Doing this means changing ourselves, of course. But this is the one thing in life we do have control over.

 I will change myself if I think something needs changing today!”

–Karen Casey

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Small Town America – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

This is actually in Wisconsin, but I loved the small town America feel to it.  The photo is courtesy of jediknl2 at WetCanvas.  They shared it in the Reference Image Library for everyone to paint from.    I love that library!

My friend and fellow blogger, Leslie White, taught me that leaving a path of white in a painting allows the eye to travel through it.  I forget that normally, but used it here.  Thanks, Leslie!

I couldn’t find any reliable biography info on today’s authors.  I sure do love the quotes, though. 

View from 4 Paws Cabin - Watercolor on Masa

“When you have a great and difficult task, something perhaps almost impossible, if you only work a little at a time, every day a little, suddenly the work will finish itself.”
– Isak Dinesen

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

View from 4 Paws Cabin – Driggs, Idaho

This is the view from the beautiful little cabin I stayed at, in Driggs, Idaho two years ago.  I wish it was available this year, but it’s booked the whole month of August.

This is painted in watercolor on masa paper.  You wad this paper up, get it wet, then spread it out and drop watercolor into it.  After it dries, you attach it to watercolor paper with matte medium and let it dry again.  Then you do your painting on it.  Fun!

I learned about it from Leslie White.  You can see her “how to” post here.

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 on April 17, 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 on September 7, 1962.

Elsie the Locust from Paint My Photo

“It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Elsie the Locust – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor and Sharpie

I didn’t name this locust.   ESP from Paint My Photo named it.  Believe it or not, these colors really are the colors on that bug.  I swear!  Even the pink.    My friend Leslie White shared this site (Paint My Photo) on her blog recently.  So of course I had to go see.   If you click on the ESP link above, you can see the locust photo.

About Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of president Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was a powerful political figure in her own right, crusading tirelessly for humanist causes. She was born in New York in 1884 and was orphaned young. After Franklin was struck by polio, she acted as his eyes and ears. She was central to the creation of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which she considered her crowning achievement, and wrote numerous essays, including a long-running column called “My Day.” She died in 1962.

I just finished a book by Ms. Roosevelt where she talked about the years immediately following the President’s death.  She was a remarkable woman.  I’m sure I’ll be reading more of her books.  –Beth

Mother and Baby - Mixed Media Painting

“It takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you really are.”
– e. e. cummings

 My mother gave me a beautiful framed quote of this.  I have always loved that quote!

 

Mother and Child – 6″ x 8″ Mixed Media Painting

This was inspired by so many things.  First of all, the background paper was from my unused paper stash.  It was prepared by wetting the paper, dropping watercolor onto it and the covering it with crinkled up grocery sacks until it dried.  I did that months ago.



Then I found some transparent wrapping tissue paper with glitter on it, in another stash.  I attached it to the watercolor paper, using Mod Podge, and let it dry overnight.

This part was inspired by what I have seen Leslie White do with masa paper.

The next inspiration came from Elizabeth’s (edtree at WetCanvas) photo of her niece and child.  Elizabeth challenged us to do some negative painting, so that’s what I did.  I paid special attention to the interlocking fingers.



I was sure the mother did that before she fell asleep, to keep her baby safe.

I painted this with watercolor and a little white gouache for highlights on the skin.

I had a great time doing this while listening to some old Big Band music. 




Click on any photo to see it larger.

About e. e. cummings

The writer who became known as e. e. cummings was an experimental poet whose idiosyncratic typography complements the music of his poetry; he published more than 900 poems, two novels, and four plays. He was also an accomplished painter. He was born in Massachusetts in 1894 and entered the ambulance corps in World War I but ended up in a detention camp after expressing his pacifist views. He died in 1962. His most famous poem was “In Just-”.

The Leaping Green Spirits of Trees - Paint Out

“Everyone who enjoys thinks that the principal thing to the tree is the fruit, but in point of fact the principal thing to it is the seed. — Herein lies the difference between them that create and them that enjoy.”
–Friedrich Nietzsche



Watercolor on Textured surface – 6.5″ x 11″

Linda Halcomb is hosting a paint out today on her blog.  The theme is “the leaping green spirits of trees”.  I figured this would be a wonderful time to try something new.

Leslie White has been making some wonderful paintings using a paper called masa.  I didn’t do what Leslie does,  but I was in fact very much inspired by Leslie when I did this.  Thursday, I grabbed some yellow tissue paper, like you put in gift bags, and I tore off some large pieces and wrinkled it up.  I taped off the edges of a piece of 240 lb cold press  watercolor paper with painter’s tape.  I brushed Mod Podge all over it and started applying the tissue  with more Mod Podge, ending with a final coat.
I let it dry over night, then placed it under books another 24 hrs to flatten it.  Saturday, I started to dab watercolor on it, and to my amazement…. it worked.  I actually thought the watercolor would bead up on the slick surface, but it didn’t.  YAY!

I know there are problems here, such as no real depth past the stairs.   (But I had so much fun.)    If you have any hint on how I can fix this, just let me know in your comment.  I’d appreciate that.  The reference photo is by impshlady at WetCanvas.

Be sure to go look around at the other artists that participate in Linda’s Paint Out.  The links can be found here.

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

(October 15, 1844 – August 25, 1900) was a 19th-century German philosopher, poet, composer and classical philologist. He wrote critical texts on religion, morality, contemporary culture, philosophy and science, displaying a fondness for metaphor, irony and aphorism.

Happy Eater Bunny

Intuition is a spiritual faculty and does not explain, but simply points the way.
–Florence Scovel Shinn



Happy Eater Bunny – 4.5″ x 8.5″ Watercolor & Sharpie

I used Leslie White’s distorted graph method again, to create this little Easter card.   You can see how to do it here.   Of course, me being a poor observer, I not only distorted the horizontal lines, but the vertical lines as well.  What happens then, is a bunny that looks totally goofy.  I never noticed, until just now, that Leslie leaves the vertical lines straight.  he he he   Now I have to try another one. 

Have a very Happy Easter, if you celebrate it.

Florence Scovel Shinn (September 24, 1871, Camden, New Jersey – October 17, 1940) was an American artist and book illustrator who became a New Thought spiritual teacher and metaphysical writer in her middle years.^[1][2] In New Thought circles, she is best known for her first book, The Game of Life and How to Play It (1925).
Shinn expressed her philosophy as:

The invisible forces are ever working for man who is always ‘pulling the strings’ himself, though he does not know it. Owing to the vibratory power of words, whatever man voices, he begins to attract.

The Game of Life, Florence Scovel Shinn

Colorful Cat in the Hat

“There is a sense of exhilaration that comes from facing head-on the hard truths and saying, ‘We will never give up. We will never capitulate. It might take a long time, but we will find a way to prevail.’”
– Jim Collins



Colorful Cat in the Hat – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor

I had a wonderful reference photo from Sharrm at WetCanvas of her cat Keeta, wearing this hat.  I decided to try something that Leslie White demonstrated on her blog.  I drew a 2×3 graph on the photo  then made a distorted 2×3 graph on my paper.  See how Leslie did it here.  I had a great time!  I wanna do that again!
I did 2 other little paintings over the weekend, so stay tuned. 

 

Boy, that’s a good quote by Jim Collins.  I was all set to do my long cross country solo Saturday, when on the way up there, my instructor called and said the winds were too high.  I continued to Muskogee to fly some maneuvers with my him, but the plane had some mechanical problems, so I came on home.  While I was there, I had him go over my flight plan anyway, so I feel pretty good about doing that part right.  Life is good and there’s plenty of time.  I’ll have another go at it.

About Jim Collins

American business guru Jim Collins has written or cowritten four books, including the instant classic Built to Last, which spent more than six years on the Business Week best-seller list, and Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…and Others Don’t, which became a New York Times best seller. He was raised in Boulder, Colorado. After seven years teaching at Stanford University’s business school, he founded a research laboratory to examine companies and why they succeed.

Lions for the Artswebshow Challenge

Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not; it is the first lesson that ought to be learned; and however early a man’s training begins, it is probably the last lesson that he learns thoroughly.
- Thomas H. Huxley, 1825-1895


 

The Shy Lion
4″ x 6″ Watercolor

We have been invited to a challenge over at the Artswebshow blog, to paint or draw this lion.  I painted this one first and thought he looked kinda sweet and shy.  Then….



The Cowardly Lion
4″ x 6″ Watercolor

I think this one looks like the Cowardly Lion on The Wizard of Oz.  I quit while I was ahead.   Then….



The Lion in Bethville
4″ x 6″ Watercolor

This one felt more like me.  I had a great time doing this.  If you want to see a terrific lion, go over to Leslie White’s blog and see hers.  It’s amazing!  There may be more, but I have been so busy that I haven’t been able to get around and visit my favorite blogs.  I’m going to try to make some time, because they always brighten my day! 


Thomas H. Huxley

Thomas Henry Huxley PC FRS (4 May 1825 – 29 June 1895) was an English biologist, known as “Darwin’s Bulldog” for his advocacy of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.^[1]
Huxley’s famous 1860 debate with Samuel Wilberforce was a key moment in the wider acceptance of evolution, and in his own career. Huxley had been planning to leave Oxford on the previous day, but, after an encounter with Robert Chambers, the author of Vestiges, he changed his mind and decided to join the debate. Wilberforce was coached by Richard Owen, against whom Huxley also debated whether humans were closely related to apes.   More…..

My Jeep Wrangler

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”
– Theodore Seuss Giesel

I LOVE that quote!


 

My Jeep Wrangler
4″ x 4″ Acrylic on Ampersand Artist’s Panel

I think my little jeep is just the cutest little thing.  I often let out a woo-hoo or two when I drive it.  Mostly I have to drive my boring old F150 work truck, so the jeep is really fun.



I think this would make a neat holiday card with a pine tree in the back.  I especially like the little trees Leslie White has been painting.

You can see them here and here.

About Theodore Seuss Giesel

Theodor Seuss Geisel, the beloved Dr. Seuss, is renowned to generations of children as the author of Green Eggs and Ham and other deliciously absurd picture books. He was born in 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts. His first book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, was rejected 27 times. He wrote The Cat in the Hat after Houghton Mifflin asked him to write a children’s primer using fewer than 250 easy-reader words. He died in 1991.

Peugot 202 1948

“Remember, no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
–Eleanor Roosevelt

 

Peugot 202  1948
5″ x 7″ Watercolor on Strathmore cold press paper

This painting is a venture into new frontier for me.  On Leslie White’s blog, I became fascinated by a technique she was using, creating a pathway of light by leaving that pathway white and painting into it.  It’s something she learned from Don Andrews, watching his DVDs.    Of course, I rushed right out and bought his book,  Interpreting the Landscape in Watercolor.

When I received the book, I was so excited.  I tried his suggestion and did a 10 minute value study first.  I have never actually done a value study, being a self taught watercolorist.    So here is my attempt to find a pathway of light.



He says that we, as the artist, can create the pathway that we like.  We don’t have to take the reference at face value.  The stuff I outlined is the places I wanted to use to create my path.

There was so much more, like painting wet and softening the edges of the colors and letting them blend into each other.  I played with some of that, too.  I am not patient, so I dove in before I read any further.  I can’t wait to see what else he teaches me, once I actually read the book. 


Eleanor Roosevelt

“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home – so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm, or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

Read more about Mrs. Roosevelt here.

Chalk Artist Crop

“Vitality shows not only in the ability to persist, but in the ability to start over.”
– F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

Chalk Artist Crop
4″ x 6″ Watercolor Postcard

This is a little closeup of the artist I posted on Monday.  It’s a 30 minute quickie, playing with watercolor and that great hat!  I am trying to see things more in the form of shapes,  when I look at darks and lights.

I may want to change the way I describe myself  from self-taught to blog-taught.  I am learning so much from watching all the wonderful artists that so generously share their work.  I am happy that people like Leslie White not only post their work, but explain how or why they did what they did.

I have also learned a lot from the gang over at WetCanvas, where I have been painting since I picked up that first brush, in 2007, after a 30 year haitus.    The environment is so amazing for beginners, as the artists there are very supportive and generous with their time and their vast knowledge.

Today’s quote is so fitting, as I start over.

About F. Scott Fitzgerald

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, who wrote as F. Scott Fitzgerald, is best known for his novel The Great Gatsby. He was born in St. Paul in 1896. Fear of mortality spurred him to write the novel This Side of Paradise while in the Army. It was rejected twice by Scribner’s before they finally published it. His wife Zelda’s schizophrenia was the basis for his novel Tender Is the Night. After they separated, he moved to Los Angeles and wrote screenplays for studio films. He died in 1940.

The Grazing Giraffe

“Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you’re going to do now and do it.”
– William C. Durant


 

The Grazing Giraffe
4″ x 5″ on 5″ x 7″ Watercolor Greeting Card

I learned something new and wonderful on Leslie White’s blog here.  She toned her kitty with a blue watercolor wash, before she painted the details in.  I thought that was brilliant, so I tried it on this giraffe.  Here is the naked picture, before I added the spots.



I really love this whole idea!  Leslie’s cat has such beautiful form, and I think it helped my giraffe.  Thanks, Leslie!!

By the way, I passed my FAA Private Pilot Knowledge Test with a 93% yesterday!  I am so thrilled!  I can’t wait to start the flying lessons. 

About William C. Durant

William C. Durant, founder of General Motors, consolidated much of the fledgling American auto industry under one roof. He was born in 1861 in Boston and grew up in Flint, Michigan. His innovative business model was to buy out vendors and acquire competitors. Forced to resign from GM due to this management style, he founded a new company with his race-car driver, Louis Chevrolet. He later regained control of GM but lost everything in the Great Depression. He died in 1947.

Cotton Candy Cat - December 24, 2009

If the winds of fortune are temporarily
blowing against you, remember that
you can harness them and make them
carry you toward your definite purpose,
through the use of your imagination.

-Napoleon Hill

Cotton Candy Cat

4″ x 6″ watercolor

This little kitty is Oscar. I wanted to play with my white watercolor, as I had seen Leslie White do on her wonderful blog. I had a ball. I used the white with complete abandon! *big grin* I mixed it with the colors and I used it pure, on top of wet colors. Then, since he looked a little sad here, I did a version of Oscar to make you smile, this Christmas Eve, while you are in a whirlwind of activity and stress.

This version of the kitty is 2.5″ x 3.5″

Isn’t artistic license a wonderful thing?

Napoleon Hill was born in 1883 in a one-room cabin on the Pound River in Wise County, Virginia. He began his writing career at age 13 as a “mountain reporter” for small town newspapers and went on to become America’s most beloved motivational author. Hill passed away in November 1970 after a long and successful career writing, teaching, and lecturing about the principles of success. His work stands as a monument to individual achievement and is the cornerstone of modern motivation. His book, Think and Grow Rich, is the all time bestseller in the field. Hill established the Foundation as a nonprofit educational institution whose mission is to perpetuate his philosophy of leadership, self-motivation, and individual achievement. His books, audio cassettes, videotapes, and other motivational products are made available to you as a service of the Foundation so that you may build your own library of personal achievement materials… and help you acquire financial wealth and the true riches of life.

Have a great Christmas Eve and a wonderful Christmas!
If you are traveling, be safe!

Yachting Anyone? - December 7, 2009

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."

– Sir Winston Churchill

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Yachting Anyone?

2.5" x 3.5" Collage ATC

Thanks to Leslie White, I have been having a ball doing little skyline ATCs for an Alternate Art exchange on WetCanvas. This one was done by cutting little pieces of necklace cord and gluing them to the card as buildings. I added a little color and texture medium, then painted little white dots with acrylic. The yacht is Jeannetini, cut from a Showboats magazine.

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This one was done, using felt.






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I used spackling paste for the buildings on this one.







Here are some progress shots.
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About Sir Winston Churchill

Sir Winston Churchill was an extraordinary British prime minister; he laid the groundwork for welfare in England, helped set the boundaries in the Middle East, became a symbol of the resistance against the Nazis in Europe, and was a central force in the Allied victory in World War II. He was born in 1874 near Oxford. He was known for his courage, his stubbornness, and his powerful personality. He was also an accomplished painter and writer. He died in 1965.

Luxury Yachts - December 2, 2009

“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.”
– Thomas Jefferson







Collage ATC’s. Each is 2.5” x 3.5”

I learned how to do this from Leslie White. She is always coming up with something new, to stimulate my artistic senses.

My method is a little different than hers, so to see Leslie’s method, go to her blog here.

To see how I made these, go here.


About Thomas Jefferson

President Thomas Jefferson was a true Renaissance figure: politician, inventor, archaeologist, architect, and more. He was born in Virginia in 1743 and later designed his adult home at Monticello. Many consider him the brightest man ever to inhabit the White House. Jefferson was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence; the Library of Congress was founded from his personal collection. He died on July 4, 1826.

Nestled in to Autumn - October 29, 2009

"Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash."

– George S. Patton

Nestled in to Autumn

4.5" x 7" Watercolor

I painted this little watercolor from one of my photos, taken on my recent trip to Idaho. It just didn't look finished to me. There was no real depth. After reading Leslie White's blog last Friday, I was inspired by her technique of using colored pencil to bring more detail into a painting. So I tried it.

It worked better for Leslie. I kinda just made a mess of my little painting. Not being one to give up easily, I took an eraser to it, then played with watercolor on top of the colored pencil that remained. I used a bigger brush than I would normally use, so I wouldn't be as tempted to fuss too much.

I like it. It's still not a first class painting, but I was tickled with the possibilities. Who knows what the next step may be. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Thanks, Leslie!

About George S. Patton

George S. Patton, the American Army general who fought in both World Wars, received numerous awards during his 46 years of service, including the Purple Heart and the French Legion of Honor. He was born in 1885 in California and was descended from a long line of soldiers. He was an early advocate of armored warfare and led the U.S. Tank Corps in World War I. The 1970 movie Patton cemented his reputation as "Old Blood and Guts." He died in 1945 of injuries sustained in a car accident.

O is for Orange - October 6, 2009

Self importance is our greatest enemy. Think about it - what weakens us is feeling offended by the deeds and misdeeds of our fellowmen. Our self importance requires that we spend most of our lives offended by someone.
--Carlos Castaneda

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O is for Orange
2.5" x 3.5" Watercolor & Ink

Today, I was looking at Leslie White's wonderful Blog and I checked out an artist on her blogroll, Rog Lyngaas'. Oh my! Go see his beautiful Idaho landscapes. It's fun to discover new artists.

Carlos Castaneda (25 December 1925 – 27 April 1998) was a Peruvian-born American author. Starting with The Teachings of Don Juan in 1968, Castaneda wrote a series of books that describe his purported training in traditional Mesoamerican shamanism. His 12 books have sold more than 8 million copies in 17 languages. The books and Castaneda, who rarely spoke in public about his work, have been controversial for many years. Supporters claim the books are either true or at least valuable works of philosophy and descriptions of practices which enable an increased awareness. Critics have tended to claim that the books are works of fiction, citing what they see as their internal contradictions and Castaneda's description of a peyote culture that, to them, did not exist.

In his books, Castaneda narrated in first person what he claimed were his experiences under the tutelage of a Yaqui shaman named Don Juan Matus whom he met in 1960. Castaneda wrote that he was identified by Don Juan Matus as having the energetic configuration of a "nagual," who, if the spirit chose, could become a leader of a party of seers. He also used the term "nagual" to signify that part of perception which is in the realm of the unknown yet still reachable by man, implying that, for his party of seers, Don Juan was in some way a connection to that unknown. Castaneda often referred to this unknown realm as nonordinary reality, which indicated that this realm was indeed a reality, but radically different from the ordinary reality experienced by human beings who are well engaged in everyday activities as part of their social conditioning.

Bubbles & Roosters - September 18, 2009

"Never look down to test the ground before taking your next step; only he who keeps his eye fixed on the far horizon will find the right road."
– Dag Hammarskjöld

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Bubbles

4" x 6" Watercolor

Playing with my new St. Petersburg set of Yarka watercolors. I got this idea from Leslie White's blog, when she had a link to June Malone's blog. I just love artists! June's example was way more colorful and skilled, as was Leslie's, but I still had fun and I got to try out my new colors.

About Dag Hammarskjöld

Dag Hammarskjöld, a Noble Peace Prize winner, was a diplomat who strengthened the United Nations' peacekeeping mission. Born in Sweden in 1905, he followed his father's footsteps into national government, where he coined the term "planned economy" before becoming a delegate to the U.N. and a two-time secretary-general. He negotiated the release of Americans captured by the Chinese in the Korean War, worked to resolve the Suez Canal crisis, and was on a mission to the Congo when his plane crashed in 1961, killing all aboard.

Two 4" x 4" Acrylics - Roosters