Weston, Missouri – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor & Ink

“An optimist sees an opportunity in every calamity; A pessimist sees a calamity in every opportunity.”
– Winston Churchill

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Weston, Missouri – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor & Ink

This little painting reminds me a lot of Eufaula, Oklahoma, where I live.  Mandy from KCC suggested I check it out.  It’s a cool little town and I had fun painting this.  I did another one, too. 

From the Weston Chamber of Commerce:  Weston, Missouri is a small, charming community nestled among the high bluffs of the Missouri River.  Founded in 1837, Weston grew into prominence in the 1850′s and then settled into a quiet existence. Now home to an historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places and recognized as Preserve America community by the National Park Service, Weston is a great place to visit for a day, a weekend or a long as you like.  There are great restaurants, lots of live music, and shops offering home decor, gifts, antiques, clothing and lots of original American folk art.

Historic Weston provides fun and entertainment for the entire family. Thirty minutes north of Kansas City, thirty minutes south of St. Joseph, and minutes North of Kansas City’s International Airport, which make Weston just a few hours from anywhere, this 1837 town is a popular destination for big city residents seeking a taste of small town life.

Winston Churchill is one of the best-known, and some say one of the greatest, statesmen of the 20th century. Though he was born into a life of privilege, he dedicated himself to public service. His legacy is a complicated one–he was an idealist and a pragmatist; an orator and a soldier; an advocate of progressive social reforms and an unapologetic elitist; a defender of democracy as well as of Britain’s fading empire–but for many people in Great Britain and elsewhere, Winston Churchill is simply a hero.  More here….

Main & Foley Going North – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor

“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.”
– Sir Winston Churchill

Main & Foley Going North – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor

This is another Eufaula painting.  That building with the dome is the Foley Building.   It originally housed State National Bank, now known as The Bank of Eufaula.  This bank is now in the low brick building you see on the lower right area of the painting.  The Sorbe building is the one in the lower left.  It was built in 1895 and is the oldest building in the business district.  Empire Finance is currently operating there.  I am leaving the business names off of these Main Street paintings on purpose.  In my 20.5 years in the sign business, I have changed many of them a number of times.  I’d like to memorialize the buildings themselves, in stead of the businesses. 

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.

A Yellow House Among the Trees – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor and Ink

“It is a mistake to try to look too far ahead. The chain of destiny can only be grasped one link at a time.”
– Winston Churchill

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

A Yellow House Among the Trees – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor and Ink

I painted this from a photo by Rozzi (Ros) at WetCanvas.  Ros lives in Southwest Australia, but I don’t know where this picture was taken.  It was on the waterfront somewhere.  It was fun!

About 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.

Soulful Doggy Eyes

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
– Winston Churchill

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Soulful Doggy Eyes – 2.5″ x 3.5″ Watercolor & Sharpie ATC

Don’t dogs have the most soulful eyes?   He looks like a Ralph to me.   I played this one pretty straight.  No flowers or quilting here.  But….. tomorrow you’ll get to see another version of this dog. 

Ralph was painted from a reference photo by Dewi at WetCanvas.

About 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.

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
– Winston Churchill



Purple Grasshopper
5″ x 7″ Watercolor & Ink

I painted this little dude over the weekend.  We were stuck at the bottom of the icy driveway and it made me think of spring.  I did another one, which I’ll show you tomorrow.  Since we are anticipating being snowed in again for a few days, I have some fish paintings started.  I’ll just pretend I am in the Caribbean! 

About 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.

Lily Farm

“By swallowing evil words unsaid, no one has ever harmed his stomach.”
– Winston Churchill

 

Lily Farm
6″ x 6″ x .75″ Acrylic on Ampersand Artist Panel

This is the scanned version of this painting.  The lily is really a little too orange in this scan.    I took the photo below, on the hood of my jeep in bright sunlight.  That’s more like it! 





This is a combo of a couple references.  I took the picture of the lily at our local community garden.  The hay bales came from Sundiver’s reference in the WetCanvas reference image library (RIL).  If you haven’t discovered the RIL at WetCanvas, you have to go take a look.  They have a lot of beautiful images to paint from.  Here are the ones I have uploaded over the last three years.   You may realize that I’m a little weird, if you look at too many of them.  *giggle*

When my husband saw the early painting (below) he asked me why I was painting a field full of dough wrapped hot dogs (pigs in a blanket).  He is too funny.  He also does not “get” this style of art at all.  He tends to enjoy my more realistic paintings. 


 

Winston Churchill

The American author Winston Churchill (1871-1947) was known during his lifetime for his historical and political novels.

Born in St. Louis, Winston Churchill went to Smith Academy, then attended Annapolis. He served briefly in the U.S. Navy, working as an editor for the Army and Navy Journal, and then joined the staff of Cosmopolitan Magazine. He had been encouraged to write during his years in the Naval Academy and soon began a career as an author.
Churchill’s first novel, The Celebrity: An Episode (1898), satirized the era’s literary and fashionable world. This book introduced him to the public and gave him practice in portraying two kinds of characters that eventually loomed large in his works – the politician and the business tycoon.  More…

Mate for Life

“Courage is the finest of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all the others.”
– Winston Churchill

 

Mate for Life
4″ x 6″ Watercolor attached to black greeting card blank.

My husband’s aunt and uncle are celebrating their 65th anniversary tomorrow.  Their daughter sent out a mailing to their friends and family, hoping to generate 65 cards arriving in their mailbox on their anniversary.  Here is my contribution.  I hope they are flooded with warm wishes on their special day!  They got married in a time when people married for life, unlike today.  I am blown away by their successful union!

Winston Churchill

The English statesman and author Sir Winston Churchill led Britain during World War II (1939–45) and is often described as the “savior of his country.” Sir Winston Churchill’s exact place in the political history of the twentieth century is, and will continue to be, a subject of debate. But his strong personality and forceful determination made him a popular figure during the war years.

Read more

Valentine Bears

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
– Winston Churchill

YEAH!!
 

 
Valentine Bears
5″ x 7″ Watercolor

Love is in the air.  I have recently completed 6 different Valentine’s paintings, so I thought I’d share them with you.  I really had fun doing them.

Top Valentine gift ideas, according to www.askmen.com.

About 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.

Here is a site with some Winston Churchill trivia.

Puppet People - August 19, 2009

"It is a mistake to try to look too far ahead. The chain of destiny can only be grasped one link at a time."
– Winston Churchill

Puppet People

6" x 6" Watercolor & Ink

I know this is goofy, but sometimes weird stuff appears on my canvas. I'm not too sure how this happens, but I roll with it and usually have a pretty good time. **grin**