She Burst Out Laughing! – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor and Ink

“If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.”
–Jim Rohn

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

She Burst Out Laughing! – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor and Ink

When Alice the Alpaca looked in the mirror at her new hair-do, she burst out laughing!  Burst is the word this week for Illustration Friday.  I have painted this alpaca before, but that was before she went to the beauty parlor. 

Jim Rohn

Born to an Idaho farming family in the mid-1900s, Jim was ingrained with a work ethic that has served him well throughout his life. At 25, he met his mentor Earl Shoaff. And over the next six years he made his first fortune, yet didn’t get into speaking until he moved to Beverly Hills, California, when a friend at the Rotary Club asked him to tell his success story, which Rohn titled “Idaho Farm Boy Makes It to Beverly Hills.”

His speech went over so well that he received more invitations to share it, and better yet, they started paying him for it. In the beginning, he spoke in front of college and high-school classes and at service clubs, before moving on to seminars in 1963, which launched him into the personal-development business. From then on,

Jim Rohn became a trailblazer in the self help and personal development industry, impacting the lives of millions through his life-changing material.  See more at JimRohn.com.

A Colorful Pile of Cute Little Kittens

“Let us always be open to the miracle of the second chance.”
–Reverend David Stier

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

A Pile of Kittens

I finished painting the McIntosh County Courthouse this morning, but I figured you had to be tired of looking at buildings.  So… for a nice change of pace, here is a pile of kittens. 

Have a great weekend!

There were too many David Stiers on the internet to know which one said this, but I can tell you where it came from.  I found it in my little book:  “Believing In Myself – Daily Meditations for Healing and Building Self-Esteem” by Earnie Larsen & Carol Hegarty.

Auntie Faye’s 4″ x 6″ Postcard – Without the Sock Monkey

“What a time to be alive!
There are no ideas that are totally tapped down,
no ideology is adequate to the task of this time.
So it is a time for really alive, innovative people.
I have my oar in the water with everyone else.
I am rowing in the direction I can….
It is great to be alive!”
– Fran Peavey

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Auntie Faye’s 4″ x 6″ Postcard – Without the Sock Monkey

The sock monkey is actually a little town marketing thing we got wrapped up in.  I don’t begrudge the folks at Auntie Faye’s for their decision to take it out for the postcard.  I’m just happy that I know how!   Yay Photoshop and Tara Reed’s tutorial that I purchased a couple years ago.  

I love today’s quote!  It came from Ruth Fishel’s little book Wrinkles Don’t Hurt – Daily Meditations on the Joy of Aging Mindfully.  I love that book!!

Fran Peavey has worked in many fields: college professor, taxi driver, junior high teacher, comedian. For 30 years she has been working as a human rights campaigner, comedian, and social change worker. “For more than half her life…Peavey has been at the barricades, challenging the status quo, trying to build a new culture of peaceful co-operation and social justice…Fran Peavey reminds that ordinary people can make a difference.” David Leser, in “Good Weekend”Fomerly a member of the world renowned Atomic Comics, she teaches “heart politics to social changeworkers around the world.  (copied bio info from Amazon.com)

Auntie Faye’s - 8″ x 10″ Watercolor

“When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. And that is my religion.”
– Abraham Lincoln

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Auntie Faye’s Fudge, Gifts & Etc. – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor

This one was so fun!  They have already put in their order for postcards (yes, I do postcards and business cards) with their building on them.  Some of the businesses are making their Christmas Cards from the paintings, too.  They have asked me to Photoshop the sock monkey out for the postcards.  Bummer.

About Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln, the American president remembered as Honest Abe, is renowned for his strong leadership during the Civil War and for ending slavery in the United States. He was born in a Kentucky cabin in 1809. He taught himself law and passed the Illinois bar in 1837, the same year he first spoke out against slavery. The Southern states seceded in response to his election to the presidency in 1860. Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, mere days after General Robert E. Lee surrendered to end the war.

Eufaula, Oklahoma Post Office – 8″ x 10″ Ink Drawing

“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.”
– Lao-Tzu

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Eufaula, Oklahoma Post Office – 8″ x 10″ Ink Drawing

It’s amazing how much I learn about these buildings when I draw them.  For instance, there are entrances to the basement of this building from both sides.  I didn’t paint the various signs on the building, but I just looked one of them up and it’s a fallout shelter sign.  I need to add that one.  That’s pretty cool.  I need to get a closer look at that sign to be sure.   I love the history these buildings have.  When I looked up McIntosh County History, I found that Eufaula has had a post office since 1874, but I doubt this is the original.  It’s a little too modern.

In 1876, The Indian Journal newspaper was founded and it’s the oldest surviving newspaper in the state of Oklahoma.  Interesting stuff.

About Lao-Tzu

The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao-Tzu is believed to have lived in the 4th century B.C. Little is known about him, but it is likely that he wrote the Tao te Ching, the foundation of Taoist philosophy, and engaged Confucius in debate, honing both men’s belief systems. His name means either “old master” or the “old child,” and one legend says he was born with white hair after spending 80 years in his mother’s womb.

Imagination – Building Transformation – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor & Staedtler Pens

“I do believe it is possible to create, even without ever writing a word or painting a picture, by simply molding one’s inner life. And that too is a deed.”
– Etty Hillesum

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Imagination – Building Transformation – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor & Staedtler Pens

Imagination is the word of the week for Illustration Friday.  What many people call Imagination, I call Bethville.  The photo reference for this painting was a really terrible, broken down, old white stucco shack.  (KreativeK at WetCanvas supplied the photo.)  When I look at a gnarly old white building, I see it bursting in color!  It becomes a wonderful blank canvas for me to decorate.  I love color!!! 

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.

Auntie Faye’s Building Portrait in Black & White – 8″ x 10″

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

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Auntie Faye’s Building Portrait in Black & White – 8″ x 10″

I’m busy painting on this one and I should be showing it to you soon.  The store owners always get to see it before you, so it all depends on when James and Linda see it.  I imagine I’ll have it done Monday or so.  They did approve the pencil drawing before I proceeded with ink.  The sign in the painting just went up 2 days ago.  It’s colorful and fun!  Well, of course it is… It’s a Signs by Beth original. 

About Phillips Brooks

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.

McIntosh County Courthouse – 8″ x 10″ Prismacolor Pen on 140 lb Cold Press

“Always behave like a duck — keep calm and unruffled on the surface but paddle like the devil underneath.”
– Jacob Braude

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

McIntosh County Courthouse – 8″ x 10″ Prismacolor Pen on 140 lb Cold Press

Don’t you just love small towns?  The buildings have so much charm and they are rich in character.  Of course, they are also old… as in I did not draw in the window air conditioners that are poking out of all the windows. 

I’ll post again after it’s painted.

About Jacob Braude

American judge and author Jacob Braude was a fount of humorous and inspirational stories and quotations, which he used to regale the courtroom in Cook County, Illinois, where he presided for more that 35 years. His books of sayings, including Speaker’s Encyclopedia of Humor and Braude’s Treasury of Wit and Humor, have been mined by toastmasters and lecturers for decades. He was born in 1896 and died in 1970.

Napa Auto Parts Building Portrait – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor & Prismacolor Fine Art Pens

“If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain; if I can ease one life
from aching, or cool one pain, or help one
fainting robin unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.”
–Emily Dickenson

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Napa Auto Parts Building Portrait – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor & Prismacolor Fine Art Pens

This is another fun little building portrait.  I am having such a great time doing these portraits and the business owners are having a great time, too.    I am encouraging them to use them to market their businesses.  They will be using the digital images for their Christmas cards and stuff like that.  I’m working on Auntie Faye’s Fudge Shop now and that building is colorful and fun.  I can’t wait to show you. 

Emily Dickinson

In 1830, Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts. She attended Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in South Hadley, but severe homesickness led her to return home after one year. Throughout her life, she seldom left her house and visitors were scarce. The people with whom she did come in contact, however, had an enormous impact on her thoughts and poetry. She was particularly stirred by the Reverend Charles Wadsworth, whom she met on a trip to Philadelphia. He left for the West Coast shortly after a visit to her home in 1860, and some critics believe his departure gave rise to the heartsick flow of verse from Dickinson in the years that followed. While it is certain that he was an important figure in her life, it is not certain that this was in the capacity of romantic love—she called him “my closest earthly friend.” Other possibilities for the unrequited love in Dickinson’s poems include Otis P. Lord, a Massachusetts Supreme Court Judge, and Samuel Bowles, editor of the Springfield Republican.  More….

She Wanted an Identical Tractor – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor and Ink

“Just don’t give up on trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.”
– Ella Fitzgerald

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

She Wanted an Identical Tractor – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor and Ink

Okay… maybe I wanted an identical tractor.  he he   Scatty Kat from WetCanvas posted a photo of herself in this jacket and a separate photo of a rusty old green tractor.  I decided to paint that charming old tractor to go with Illustration Friday’s theme of Identical.  It was fun!  An afterthought… I should have made the green bits red so it would stand out better against the background, but I did the background last and by then, it was too late.

About Ella Fitzgerald

With her three-octave range, a purity of tone, and a wonderfully expressive voice, singer Ella Fitzgerald has been called the voice of American jazz. She was born in 1917 in Virginia and began singing professionally at age 16. Her rendition of the nursery rhyme “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” launched her stardom. Her best known recordings include the Cole Porter and George Gershwin songbooks; she also toured with Duke Ellington’s band. She died in 1996.