Flowerdy Bear in Idaho

“Character may be manifested in the great moments, but it is made in the small ones.”
– Phillips Brooks

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Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Flowerdy Bear
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I’m thinking maybe this is a bear cub.  Certainly doesn’t look intimidating.  It’s possible it has been shunned by all the other bears because of his flowers… kinda like Rudolph and that red nose.  But that’s too sad to think about, so I’ll go with the vinyl wrap theory.  No matter what… he’s certainly found his way into Bethville! 
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About Phillips Brooks

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Phillips Brooks, the American clergyman now mostly known for writing the words to the Christmas song, “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” was one of the most influential ministers of his time, with his sermons reprinted in major newspapers. He delivered the eulogy at Abraham Lincoln’s funeral. Born in Boston in 1835, he spent most of his life there as overseer of Harvard University, rector of Trinity Church, and bishop of Massachusetts. He died in 1893, and the day of his funeral was declared an official day of mourning.

Teton Pass - Watercolor

“We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.”
– Carlos Castaneda



Teton Pass – 6″ x 6″ Watercolor & Sharpie

I have a terrible fear of heights.  When I was driving back from Driggs, Idaho to Jackson Hole, Wyoming across the Teton Pass, I pulled over and took a picture of this view.  I stepped way closer to the edge than I was comfortable with, in order to get some good painting references.  Isn’t it funny what we’ll do for the sake of our art?

Of course, you could NOT get me to make that drive in the winter… EVER!    Check out the link on Teton Pass above to see what I’m talking about.

About Carlos Castaneda

Carlos Castaneda, the Peruvian-born new age writer, is known for his book series about his apprenticeship with Don Juan Matus, the Toltec shaman, including A Separate Reality and Journey to Ixtlan. The books are about the nature of perception and include many hallucinatory experiences. It is unknown how much of his writing was factual. He wrote the first three books as an anthropology student at UCLA, and they quickly gained cult success. He was born in 1925 and died in 1998.

Jenny Lake Watercolor

“Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip.”
– Will Rogers



Jenny Lake – 7″ x 10″ Watercolor on Masa

Jenny Lake is in the Grand Teton National Park, in Wyoming.  I took this picture when I was there in 2009.  I also sat on the edge of that lake and did some watercolor plein air paintings.  It was not as clear and bright as usual, because they had some fires north of the park and the smoke was making the sky hazy and the mountain views a little muted.

This painting was fun to do on the masa paper.  I figured I better practice painting mountains, since I’ll be back in the Tetons in a couple weeks and I intend to do a lot of plein air.  It’s going to feel so good to get into the cooler mountain air.  It was 114 degrees here yesterday, not counting the heat index.  Whew!

I tried to find some photos of Jenny Lake on the web and this is probably the best.  Most of the links went to the lodge and you don’t want to see a bunch of photos of a motel, right?

About Will Rogers

American humorist Will Rogers was considered the Mark Twain of his generation. He was born in 1879 in Oklahoma, of Cherokee descent, and left school early to become a cowboy. In South Africa his showy roping skills won him a job in a traveling Wild West show, and he quickly switched over to vaudeville and film acting roles. He wrote six books and 4,000 syndicated columns. An avid flier, he died in a plane crash in 1935.

Mountains - The Abreviated Version

“Be not afraid of life.  Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.”
-William James

I LOVE that.  It’s so true! 



Mountains – 2″ x 10″ Watercolor on Masa

Okay, I admit it…. this was a 4″ x 10″ painting with reflections in the water.  It was a real DOG!  I wasn’t even going to post it because I didn’t like the foreground.  But, I do like the mountains, so “crop” became my friend!   This painting would make a nice bookmark. 

“The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.”
–William James

William James – Early Life:

William James was born into an affluent family. His father was deeply interested in philosophy and theology and strove to provide his children with a rich education.
The James children traveled to Europe frequently, attended the best possible schools, and were immersed in culture and art, which apparently paid off – William James went on to become one of the most important figures in psychology, while brother Henry James became one of the most acclaimed American novelists.    MORE…