Rainbow Lizard

“When you encounter difficulties and contradictions, do not try to break them, but bend them with gentleness and time.”
– St. Francis de Sales



Rainbow Lizard – 7″ x 7 Watercolor on Masa

I’m sure you realize that the lizard wasn’t really this color, right?  I just couldn’t resist giving him a little dye job. 

The reference photo is from Astrid at WetCanvas.

I thought he was really huge, until I noticed those were sidewalk cracks behind him.  he he

About St. Francis de Sales

St. Francis de Sales (1567–1622), known as the Gentle Saint, was bishop of Geneva. His motto was, “He who preaches with love preaches effectively,” and his religious texts, including Introduction to the Devout Life, have resonated with many non-Catholics. Pope Pius IX proclaimed him a patron saint of writers. Some consider him a patron saint of the deaf; he invented a form of sign language to teach a young deaf man how to communicate.

Idaho Range

“When we are unable to find tranquility within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere.”
-Core-A-Te

Isn't that the truth! 



Idaho Range – Gouache & Acrylic on Black Strathmore Photo Mount Card – 5″ x 7″

More practice from my 2009 photos.  I think if you looked at this week’s paintings, it would seem that they came from 5 different artists.  I was all over the place last weekend… having fun with my art.  he he

I just found out last night that we have a weekend house guest coming, so I’m not sure how much time I’ll get to paint.  I’ll probably sneak into the studio in the wee hours of the morning.  I’ll just have to be quiet, since it’s right next door to the guest bedroom. 

Core-a-te: conditioning meets martial arts

A body workout with a dollop of self-defense and a dash of spirituality

November 08, 2010|By Meredith May, Chronicle Staff Writer

Before entering the dojo, Whitney Arnautou had her students contemplate a daily saying:
“Accept change. It is inevitable. … In ourselves. Our bodies. Our relationships. Our Jobs. Understand that it’s happening every day, and try to move with the changes – gracefully.”  (Note from Beth… WOW!  I like that!)

Minds centered, it was time for Core-a-te, a new exercise class at the United Studios of Self Defense in San Francisco that combines karate, self-defense and a kick-in-the-pants core workout.
Arnautou, a Shaolin Kenpo black belt and fitness instructor, designed the one-hour workout to bring her students physical and spiritual balance.  More…

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.

Cat Portrait

“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



Cat Portrait – 4″ x 4″ Watercolor

The photo of Panny was taken when she was walking across (WetCanvas artist)  Stacey’s studio table, while she was trying to do art.   Can you see the body language?  “Mom… I’m right here and I don’t want to be ignored any longer.  I will keep coming back until you put down that paint brush and pet me.”  I love to paint critters, although they never look just like the pet.  That’s okay with me.  No rules, right? 

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.

I Don’t Wanna Wear This Doggy Sweater!

“Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone.  The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials.
–Lin Yutang

Boy, isn’t that the truth!



I Don’t Wanna Wear This Doggy Sweater! – 4″ x 4″ Watercolor

This painting is a little portrait of Stacey’s dog Alex (WetCanvas).  I have created such a look on her face!  She looked worried in the photo, but I seem to have created something different, though I was really trying to capture the worry.    I seem to have something like… “I swear!  If you make me go outside in this sweater, I will never be able to show my face in this neighborhood again!  Pleeeeease take it off!!  I don’t want to be the laughing stock of the whole town!  Come on,  Mom!” 

Tune in tomorrow for Stacey’s cat, Panny.  Totally different approach and way fun!

Lin Yutang (October 10, 1895 – March 26, 1976) was a Chinese writer and inventor. His informal but polished style in both Chinese and English made him one of the most influential writers of his generation, and his compilations and translations of classic Chinese texts into English were bestsellers in the West.  more…

Palms – A Study in Negative Space on Masa

“Failure seldom stops you. What stops you is the fear of failure.”
– Jack Lemmon



Palms – A Study in Negative Space on Masa – 7″ x 10″ Watercolor

This is loosely based on a photo from Wildhorse Australia on WetCanvas.  It was so fun!  I find that painting on masa encourages me to develop negative space.  Practicing this technique can only make my watercolors better.  I love this stuff (masa)!  Thanks, Leslie!

About Jack Lemmon

Jack Lemmon is best known for the poignant sweetness he brought to comedic roles in movies like Some Like It Hot and The Apartment, but is also remembered for his dramatic roles, including the struggling alcoholic in Days of Wine and Roses. He was born in 1925 into a wealthy Boston family and knew by the age of four that he wanted to become an actor. He won two Academy Awards and was known for his collaborations with director Billy Wilder and costar Walter Matthau. He died in 2001.

Three Little Piggies

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



Three Little Piggies – 10″ x 14″ Watercolor & Sharpie

Today is the first day of Eufaula’s 27th Annual Whole Hawg Days.  I thought it would be a perfect fit to post the little pigs I painted on Sunday.  Click that link to see the logo I designed this year.  They cut it off some, but you can still see it.

If you’re a local, come on out and join the fun.  The folks at the Eufaula Area Chamber of Commerce work really hard to make this a great event every year.

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.

Patches the Cat

“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



Patches the Cat – Gouache on Black 5″ x 7″ Greeting Card

Saturday, I needed a card for a baby shower, so I did this little cat on a black greeting card.  It was a hit at the party, but then… so was the cake. 

The reference is from Catherine at WetCanvas.

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.

Ohio Barn

“Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.”
– Carl Jung


 
Ohio Barn - 10″ x 7″ Watercolor on Masa

This was another fun one.  I quit fiddling with it after an hour and a half, to let the simplicity remain.  Masa paper makes me want to fiddle with detail, because it’s so much fun to see it develop. 
The image was from Catherine at WetCanvas.

We got a little rain shower this morning!  It was wonderful.  It may not do much to help our drought, but it was great, just the same.

About Carl Jung

Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist who originated such well-known psychological concepts as the archetype and the collective unconscious, has provided inspiration to people ranging from Joseph Campbell to Bill Wilson, the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. He was born in 1875 in a small town; he studied with Sigmund Freud before parting ways due to the radical difference in their views of human nature. Jung is considered second only to Freud in his influence on modern psychology, particularly in the area of dream analysis. He died in 1961.

Corner of Masa & Watercolor

“Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome.”
– Samuel Johnson



Corner of Masa & Watercolor – 7″ x 10″

This was an exercise in pure joy!  I spent 3 hours on this.  I just couldn’t quit fiddling.   I think that is part of the fun of masa.  Each brush stoke brings new discoveries.

The great reference photo was from Catherine at WetCanvas and was actually a corner in France.  I changed the signs because I am, after all, a sign lady. 

About Samuel Johnson

Samuel Johnson, the sharp-witted British essayist, wrote the first English language dictionary; his definitions still form the backbone of current dictionaries. He was born in Staffordshire in 1709. Johnson married a widow 20 years his senior and lived in poverty before achieving success with his essays when he was in his forties. Later in life, he befriended the young James Boswell, whose Life of Johnson became the quintessential English biography. Johnson died in 1784.