Which came first? The tennies or the pink poppy flamingo suit?

“Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit.”
– Peter Ustinov

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Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Pink Poppy Flamingo in Pink Tennies

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This flamingo absolutely lives in Bethville, where no wardrobe choice is a surprise.  When people look at you and laugh, it’s because your pink poppy outfit makes them happy.  I believe that to our very core, that’s what we all want… to be happy. 

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By the way, changing themes did not correct my wordpress issues.  **sigh**

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About Peter Ustinov

British actor Peter Ustinov is best known for his Oscar-winning roles in Topkapi and Spartacus. He was born in London in 1921 to parents of blended pan-European extraction. He wrote several plays as well as a well-received autobiography, Dear Me. From 1969 until his death in 2004, he took on the role of goodwill ambassador for UNICEF, visiting disadvantaged children all over the world. He said his multicultural background gave him automatic loyalty to the UN.

Embarrassed Pink Bird

“Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody.”
– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Shy Pink Bird

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Doesn’t this little bird look timid?  Maybe he really is a white bird…. flushing with embarrassment.   

About Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a beloved American poet of the 19th century, is best known for “The Song of Hiawatha” and “Evangeline.” He was born in Maine in 1807. He knew Latin by the age of six, and when he taught at Bowdoin College, he wrote the textbooks himself. He courted his second wife while teaching at Harvard and frequently walked the several miles from Cambridge to Boston across the West Boston Bridge. The bridge that replaced it was named the Longfellow Bridge in his honor. He died in 1882.

Bird in Pink Heels

“Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.”
– Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

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Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Bird in a Pink Hat and Heels – Watercolor

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I painted this one during an ice storm, at a motel, because our driveway makes it kinda dumb to stay there in icy weather.  Colored outlines are not as effective as black outlines, I think.

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It’s the 29th annual Whole Hawg weekend in Eufaula.   The rodeo started last night and the fun continues through Saturday, with a parade, a boat poker run, a car show, craft vendors, a carnival and a bunch of people cooking Hawgs all over town.  At 5:00 they give away free sandwiches at all the cookers, and there are cash prizes for the best tasting hawg.  Giggles all around. 

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About Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., one of the greatest American jurists of the twentieth century, was called the Great Dissenter because of the brilliance of his dissenting opinions. He was born in Boston in 1841 and was named for his father, the author and doctor. He was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1902 and became known for his pithy, quotable opinions. He stood strong on free-speech rights and was an advocate of judicial restraint and objectivity. He died in 1935.

Pink Flamingo in Stripey Boots

“We have to fight them daily, like fleas, those many small worries about the morrow, for they sap our energies.”
– Etty Hillesum

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Stripey Boots on a Pink Flamingo

I sketched this little bird in an airport a couple years ago.  Goofy… maybe.  Bethville…  oh yeah!

I just finished putting graphics all over a box van for a construction company.  It feels so good to be inside where the air is cool. 

About Etty Hillesum

Etty Hillesum, less famous than her contemporary, Anne Frank, lived a short life of great courage. She was born in 1914 in the Netherlands to a Dutch father and a Russian mother. She studied law, Slavic languages, and psychology. Hungry for knowledge, she cut down on food in order to buy books. She went voluntarily to the Westerbork camp to help fellow Jews interned by the Nazis. Her letters detail her experiences; her more meditative diary focuses on issues of faith. She died at Auschwitz in 1943.

Flamingo in Green High Heels

“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

Flamingo in Green Shoes – Watercolor

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If I was a girl who still wore heels…. I would SO wear those shoes.  My hubby would be mortified!  He’s picky about shoes. 

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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.

Pink Flamingos in Wading Boots

“There are really only two ways to approach life – as victim or as gallant fighter – and you must decide if you want to act or react, deal your own cards or play with a stacked deck. And if you don’t decide which way to play with life, it always plays with you.”
–Merle Shain.

 

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Flamingos in Wading Boots

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Another bird archive.    I looked for something red, white & blue, but I had no luck.  I figured pink and green would have to do.

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Have a wonderful day and a safe 4th of July!  ~Beth

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Merle Shain (1935–1989) was a Canadian journalist and author. She worked as a feature writer for the ‘Toronto telegram,’ as associate editor of ‘Chatelaine’ [magazine], and as a columnist by the ‘Toronto sun’. She was a host of the CTV Network program, ‘W5′, and served for four years as a member of the board of the National Film Board of Canada. Her books include Some men are more perfect than others, (1973), When lovers are friends (1978), Hearts That We Broke Long Ago (1983) and Courage my love (1988).

A Wild Pink Flamingo Painting

“Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Whoooop!  A  Wild Flamingo Painting

This is an acrylic painting, painted over a failed effort.   The whole thing is pretty weird, if you ask me, but as I share these archives, I am sharing the odd ones, too. 

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.

My Pink House

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

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

My Pink House

This is a little corner of my house.  There is a cliff on the east side and a lake on the west side so it’s hard to photograph.  I took this photo standing on the cliff.  I’ll try to do another one, showing more of the house.

I finally have my computer back.  I do not have my vinyl cutter back.  I have an old plotter and may have to upgrade.  So the sign shop is still in a holding pattern… as it has been for two weeks.  It feels good to at least be able to get orders in the system and do the design work.  I can’t wait until this is all resolved and I’m functioning at 100% again. 

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.

Versace Home Painted in Pink Watercolor

“Our real blessings often appear to us in the shape of pains, losses and disappointments, but let us have patience and we soon shall see them in their proper figures.”
– Joseph Addison

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Versace Home in Pink

Again, I am posting an older painting.  Yes, I’m busy, busy, busy.  Yesterday was a day full of new orders at the sign shop.  I’m blessed and amazed at how much business is coming in these days.   I wish I was 35 again, with all that stamina and energy. 

The photo of the white building I painted this from was by my friend, Helen, at WetCanvas.   This home was on the market for $125 million!  I wonder if it sold?

About Joseph Addison

 

English politician and writer Joseph Addison is remembered as a cofounder, along with his friend Richard Steele, of The Spectator, one of the first magazines to cover literature and manners. He was born on May 1, 1672 in Wiltshire. He spent four years traveling in Europe, studying politics and writing poetry, and became a Commissioner of Appeals on his return to England. His shyness made public office difficult. His most famous work is the play Cato, a tragedy about ancient Rome. He died on June 17, 1719.

Another Purple Dachshund Watercolor

“The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything.”
– William Connor Magee

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Little Purple Doxie – 4″ x 5″ Watercolor

I did this little quickie this morning, because I had a little extra time on my hands.  I have one of those atomic alarm clocks that is over 15 years old.  It changed to daylight savings automatically…. at the time of year it used to change.  So when I thought I was getting up at 5:00 am, it was actually only 4:00.  Mercy!
I don’t really even like this painting, but I know a few dachshund lovers that may look past the flaws. 

About William Connor Magee

 

British prelate William Connor Magee was known as the Militant Bishop for his forceful speaking style, though he always worked for peace. He was born in 1821 in Ireland. Extremely bright, he enrolled in Trinity College at age 13. Ordained to a curacy at St. Thomas’s, Dublin, his fame as a speaker took him all the way to the powerful Archbishop of York. He spoke several times in the House of Lords, arguing against the dissolution of the Irish Church and against national temperance laws. He died on May 5, 1891.

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“Talk doesn’t cook rice.” –Chinese proverb

“Some of us are crazy about self-help books, inspirational tapes, and personal improvement seminars. We’ll buy or sign up for anything, whatever the price, if it promises revolutionary insights or a foolproof new system. We want relief in a day and deliverance in a weekend. And we want the expert of the hour to do it for us. There’s nothing wrong with wishing, of course. But there’s a lot wrong with kidding ourselves as a way of life.
Think about it: If progress could be bought, we wouldn’t need to be meditating. If personal transformation resulted from collecting new ideas, we’d have been transformed long ago. Exploring is great. And looking for all the inspiration and wisdom we can find is necessary for growth. But changing is doing. All the plans and schemes for improvement put together won’t change a thing if we don’t put the principles into daily practice. Even catchy words are just words.”

 –Earnie Larsen & Carol Larsen Hegarty

Yes... the kitty is Pink - 4" x 6" Watercolor Postcard

“Hope is the feeling you have that the feeling you have isn’t permanent.”
– Jean Kerr

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Colorful Kitty – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor Postcard

I did this little painting last May, from a photo by Lotsofmoggies at WetCanvas.   I’m working on another Eufaula painting, but it won’t be done for a while, so I hope you don’t mind the older work.
I’m getting a bit of a late start this morning because my darling hubby took me to breakfast. 

About Jean Kerr

Comedic American author Jean Kerr is known for her wry take on married life in the suburbs in such books as How I Got to Be Perfect and Please Don’t Eat the Daisies, which was turned into both a movie and a TV series. She was born in Pennsylvania on July 10, 1922. She often collaborated on plays with her husband, drama critic Walter Kerr. She also wrote a number of plays by herself, including the extremely successful Mary, Mary, which ran for nearly 1,600 performances. She died on January 5, 2003.

Pink Moose – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink Postcard

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.  It turns what we have into enough, and more.  It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.  It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.  Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

–Melody Beattie

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Pink Moose – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink Postcard

This little postcard was a doodle, more than anything.  I painted the moose from a photo by Stalksthedawn at WetCanvas, then just doodled.  This is another one from Idaho in 2011.  I’m working on some more new paintings, but they are slow, since I haven’t had much time to paint.  Should have a new one for you in a day or two.

I LOVE today’s quote!  It’s my life mantra, so to speak.

Melody Beattie is one of America’s most beloved self-help authors and a household name in addiction and recovery circles.  Her international bestselling book, Codependent No More, introduced the world to the term “codependency” in 1986.  Millions of readers have trusted Melody’s words of wisdom and guidance because she knows firsthand what they’re going through. In her lifetime, she has survived abandonment, kidnapping, sexual abuse, drug and alcohol addiction, divorce, and the death of a child. “Beattie understands being overboard, which helps her throw bestselling lifelines to those still adrift,” said Time Magazine.  More…

Sno-Cone Business in the Snow – 2.5″ x 3.5″ Watercolor ATC

“The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”
–Mitch Albom

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Sno-Cone Business in the Snow – 2.5″ x 3.5″ Watercolor ATC

Snow is the word this week for Illustration Friday.   As I painted this, I realized why most Sno-Cone businesses are little buildings on wheels.  he he he  Life is fun, isn’t it?  I can’t imagine my life without art….. and pink paint. 

MITCH ALBOM is an internationally renowned and best-selling author, journalist, screenwriter, playwright, radio and television broadcaster and musician. His books have collectively sold over 33 million copies worldwide; have been published in forty-one territories and in forty-two languages around the world; and have been made into Emmy Award-winning and critically-acclaimed television movies.  More at mitchalbom.com.

Free Shade – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor & Ink

“We fear to trust our wings. We plume and feather them, but dare not throw our weight upon them. We cling too often to the perch.“
–Charles B. Newcomb

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Free Shade – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor & Ink

Tree is the word this week at Illustration Friday.  I had a good time painting this one.  Usually I paint the critters first, then move to the background, but I did this one backwards, since tree was the word of the week.   I didn’t know what color the cows were going to be until I dipped my brush in that pink. 

I couldn’t find any biographical info on Mr. Newcomb, but I liked the quote.

It’s a Pink Princess Castle – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor

“It is necessary to try to surpass oneself always; this occupation ought to last as long as life.”
– Queen Christina

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

It’s a Pink Princess Castle – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor

Who wouldn’t want to live in a pink princess castle?  I guess a manly prince. 

I’m still working on a commission, so this one is from the archives.  I have always wanted to tour a castle.  I just love the idea of all the mysterious little nooks and crannies.   Oh and the round rooms with pointy ceilings.

About Queen Christina

Queen Christina of Sweden was the most famous woman of her time, outshining Queen Elizabeth of England. She was born in Stockholm in 1626 during a rare astrological conjunction. Her father insisted that she be raised as a boy and changed the law so she could become his heir. She became the reigning queen at age five. She helped end the Thirty Years War but abdicated her throne in 1654, converting to Catholicism and moving to Rome, where she became a patron of the arts. She died in 1689.

Little Pink House – 24″ x 48″ Acrylic Painting

“Inspiration is a guest that does not willingly visit the lazy.”
– Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Little Pink House – 24″ x 48″ Acrylic Painting

Saturday was a wonderful day!  I happened to be hanging out at Our Favorite Place, a gallery where I have paintings, when this painting sold!  Yay!!!

I was commissioned to paint this one, then before I even started it, the lady fell into an unexpected financial bind and I let her out of the commitment.  I decided to paint it anyway, to stretch my wings and paint large.  It’s from a photo of a little pink house in Barbados.  I have always loved it and am tickled that it is now loved by someone new.  I feel very blessed! 

About Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the Russian classical composer best known for the Nutcracker and Swan Lake ballets, was renowned for his passionate melodies and for bringing Western music into the Russian tradition. He was born in Kamsko-Votkinsk in 1840. He taught music until a widow offered her financial patronage, then retired to the country to compose full time. He never met his benefactor. He died in 1893, just after the first performance of his Sixth Symphony, the “Pathétique.”

Who Wouldn’t Love a Pink Llama Baby? - 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

“A lot of people have gone farther than they thought they could because someone else thought they could.”
–Zig Ziglar

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Who Wouldn’t Love a Pink Llama Baby?  -  4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

I painted this from a reference photo that Sharrm posted at WetCanvas.   The photo was contributed by santos6969 to the WetCanvas Reference Image Library (RIL).   There are currently  10,261,667  photos in the RIL.  If you need inspiration, have a look at all that lovely eye candy. 

Zig Ziglar, Americas leading Motivator, & his Team is leading the way for entreprenuers & small Businesses to Succeed Globally. http://www.ziglar.com/

 

“The Master of Motivation” Zig Ziglar has been described as “One of America’s Icons,” “the salesman’s salesman” and “A legacy that will forever impact our history.” Helping people to achieve long-term balanced success based on his philosophy of character, attitude and skills, he has impacted more than a quarter billion people and continues to make a difference in the lives of those who act on his philosophy.  More here.

Saundersfoot Cottage – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Prismacolor Pen

“I can’t give you a sure-fire formula for success, but I can give you a formula for failure: Try to please everybody all the time.”
– Herbert Bayard Swope

Isn’t that the truth!

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Saundersfoot Cottage – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Prismacolor Pen

I painted this from a photo by Lin (Old Rock Chick) at WetCanvas.   It’s a cottage that Lin just had to stop and take a photo of to share with her WetCanvas friends.   The pretty, seaside town of Saundersfoot, is one of Pembrokeshire’s finest holiday resorts, in the United Kingdom, where Lin lives.

I did have to explain to my dear hubby that there are no brown roofs in Betheville and we will never run out of pink paint. 

About Herbert Bayard Swope

Herbert Bayard Swope, the colorful, hard-driving American journalist who became famous as a war correspondent and editor of The New York World, was the first writer to win a Pulitzer Prize for reporting. He was born in St. Louis in 1882. He coined the phrase “cold war” as a speechwriter for statesman Bernard Baruch. In his leisure time, he was a brilliant gambler at the track, at cards, and at stocks, and threw lavish parties. He died in 1958.

New Annan - Lovely in the Wind

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

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Lovely in the Wind – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor & Prismacolor Ink

I found this photo in the WetCanvas Reference Image Library.  It was contributed by Sundiver and she labeled it New Annan.   I looked it up in Wikipedia and found this:

New Annan is a outlying community within the city of Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada. It is named after Annan, Dumfries-shire, Scotland.  Cavendish Farms, Prince Edward Island’s largest private sector employer, maintains two large frozen foods processing plants in New Annan.  An 1875 gazetteer refers to New Annan Mills as a “small village in Prince County, 6 miles from Summerside. Pop.[Population] 80.

I just love the composition of this photo and I imagine I’ll paint it again.  I added the truck for fun and of course, I painted the white house pink. 

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.

Little Pink Bird

“The highest reward for a person’s toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it.”
– John Ruskin

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Little Pink Bird – 2.5″ x 3.5″ Watercolor

You guessed it… This bird was black in the photo reference from Ruby Red Dog at WetCanvas.  I just can’t leave well enough alone. 

About John Ruskin

John Ruskin was an English art critic who influenced the attitude of a whole generation toward art and architecture. He was born in 1819 in London. His career began with an essay defending his friend, artist J.M.W. Turner, from critics. His book Modern Painters made Turner popular and gave stature to the Pre-Raphaelite movement. He founded the Cambridge Scool of Art in 1858, now known as the Anglia Ruskin University. Leo Tolstoy called him one of those rare men who think with their heart. When Ruskin inherited wealth, he gave most of the money away. He died in 1900.