Explore the World with Reading – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

“Surround yourself only with those people who are going to lift you higher.”
– Oprah Winfrey

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Explore the World with Reading – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

Explore is this week’s word for Illustration Friday.  What better way is there to explore, than through reading?  I love books!  I am so glad that I like to read.  The world opens up to you with books, and takes you wherever you want to go. 

Right now, I am reading The Silent Sea, a Clive Cussler novel and I’m in Argentina fighting off bad guys and trying to get back to my submersible, which will take me back to The Oregon, our high tech ship.

I painted this from a reference by SkattyKat at WetCanvas.  Kat lives in France and had wonderful images to paint from!

Clive Cussler is the author of many New York Times bestsellers, most recently The Spy and Lost Empire. He lives in Arizona.

Oprah Winfrey

Media giant Oprah Winfrey was born in the poor rural town of Kosciusko, Mississippi on January 29, 1954. In 1976, Winfrey moved to Baltimore, where she hosted a hit TV chat show, People Are Talking, after which she was recruited by a Chicago TV station to host her own morning show. Later she went on to pursue her two-and-a-half decade stint as host of the wildly popular Oprah Winfrey show.  More….

Trinity Episcopal Church – Black and White Version

“You learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working; in just the same way, you learn to love by loving.”
– St. Francis de Sales



Trinity Episcopal Church – Black and White Version

Excuse the terrible photo.  I took this in my studio this morning when it was still dark.  It’ll need a lot of cleaning up in Photoshop because I was too impatient to stop working, so I could bring it in to work to scan it.  (The black and whites will become a coloring book later.)  But I really wanted to start with the paint.  It’s so much fun painting these little building portraits. 

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.

Coffee for Two – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor

After a speech one day, Zig Ziglar was approached by someone in the audience who said: “Zig, it was a great speech, but motivation doesn’t last.” Zig said, “Bathing doesn’t either. That’s why I recommend it daily.”
–from Wrinkles Don’t Hurt, by Ruth Fishel

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Coffee for Two – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor

Well… I’ve been working on another building portrait with a lot of detail, so I had to dip into the archives again.   This painting is actually framed and sitting in my lobby right now.  Main Street Studio brought it back to me with some others, to make room for a large solo exhibition someone was having.

Zig Ziglar

Motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar, died last week at the age of 86. He will be missed, but he left a legacy of pithy wisdom and good advice in the form of books, tapes and videos.

Zig Ziglar was a motivational teacher and trainer who has traveled the world over, delivering his messages of humor, hope, and encouragement. As a talented author and speaker, his international appeal has transcended every color, culture, and career. Recognized by his peers as the quintessential motivational genius of our times, Zig Ziglar’s unique delivery style and powerful messages have earned him many honors, and today he is considered one of the most versatile authorities on the science of human potential. Ten of his twenty-eight books have been on the best-seller lists, and his titles have been translated into more than thirty-eight languages and dialects. He was a committed family man, a dedicated patriot, and an active church member. Zig lived in Plano, Texas, with his wife, Jean.

Church in Switzerland - 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Purple Prismacolor Chisel Marker

“The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it.”
– Chinese Proverb

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Church in Switzerland -  4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Purple Prismacolor Chisel Marker

“A street and church in Fabian’s home village.” is what Wendy (Sundiver) at WetCanvas said about the photo when she posted it for us to paint from.    She also said… “For those of you who wish a challenge, here’s one: Take any aspect, such as colour, shape, value, rhythm, contrast, etc (or any combination of these) and push them farther into abstraction than you usually do.  Some of the mountain scenes I saw made me think of the work of Stephen Quiller , for example.”

So… I painted it in a manner similar to Stephen Quiller, who’s work I love. 

I think I like black outlines better than purple though.

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.

Stretch for Illustration Friday – 4″ x 4.5″ Watercolor & Ink

“Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.”
– e. e. cummings

Stretch for Illustration Friday – 4″ x 4.5″ Watercolor & Ink

Stretch is the word this week for Illustration Friday.  This little girl is stretching to get the snowman’s hat on just right.

About e. e. cummings

The writer who became known as e. e. cummings was an experimental poet whose idiosyncratic typography complements the music of his poetry; he published more than 900 poems, two novels, and four plays. He was also an accomplished painter. He was born in Massachusetts in 1894 and entered the ambulance corps in World War I but ended up in a detention camp after expressing his pacifist views. He died in 1962. “In Just-” was his most famous poem.

Smoothie Anyone? 4″ x 6″ Watercolor

“Now and then we have to remind troubled friends how strong they are. If problems make them forget, true friends will speak of the courage that they sometimes neglect.”
Dodinsky

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Smoothie Anyone?  4″ x 6″ Watercolor

I painted this little postcard from a photo by Lisilk at WetCanvas.  She always has the best photos!  I figured you might be a little tired of buildings. 

Dodinsky is the author of the upcoming inspirational and reflective gift book THE GARDEN OF THOUGHTS, scheduled to be released Spring of 2013 by Sourcebooks Publishing.

His written ruminations on life became a gift: Mothers passed on his writings to their daughters, brothers shared his thoughts with their fathers, and readers told their friends about the little treasures they discovered in his works. Appreciative emails from worldwide followers from all walks of life trickled in, sharing with him how he inspired them to look deeper within themselves for the answers to increase their own happiness and self-worth. Dodinsky was humbled to recognize that in his own little way, he was affecting the lives of others.

Nelson’s Feed & Seed – Eufaula, OK - 8" x 10" Watercolor

“One way to become enthusiastic is to look for the plus sign. To make progress in any difficult situation, you have to start with what’s right about it and build on that.”
– Norman Vincent Peale

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Nelson’s Feed & Seed – Eufaula, OK

The Nelson family has owned the feed store since the early 1930′s.  Vernon Nelson purchased it and his grandson, T.Max Nelson runs it today.   It was leased to others for a time in the early years, but it has been Nelson operated since 1962.  Don’t you just love it?

If you look over your right shoulder, you will see my sign shop.  Their rooster has been known to wander over for a visit.

The quote below was also with the above quote and I loved it, so you’re getting a little extra today.  It’s from the book Body, Mind & Spirit by Anonymous.

 ”Beginning our days with a positive mental outlook is a great depression chaser. Simply lifting our heads and looking up and out instead of down will make us feel better. Although we can’t spend all our time staring at the sky, we can train ourselves to look for the best in ourselves and others.

 Even in the middle of difficulty or pain, we have choices. We can choose a gloom-and-doom attitude and endlessly replay the thoughts that accompany it. Or we can step back and find the one good thing. We may be blinded with pain. The situation may appear hopeless, utterly bleak. But recovery guarantees that we are equal to it; that in our pain there is at least one good thing.

We are the masters of our fate. We can change even the most difficult situations with an attitude of hope and positive expectation. Approaching each day with a hopeful heart will give us a different approach to our troubles.”
–Anonymous

Eufaula, OK – Main & Selmon, Going North – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor & Ink

“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.”
– Thomas Jefferson

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Eufaula – Main & Selmon, Going North – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor & Ink

If you turn right here, I’m just down the block on the right.  I love that building on the left.   It now houses Paradise Realty, but it has been many things in my 21 years in Eufaula.   It’s a wonderful old building.  Just in case you’re curious… that building on the right really is pink.  It used to be a soap store and that is when it went pink.  It now has a second hand store in it.   Don’t you just love the clock? 

About Thomas Jefferson

President Thomas Jefferson was a true Renaissance figure: politician, inventor, archaeologist, architect, and more. He was born in Virginia in 1743 and later designed his adult home at Monticello. Many consider him the brightest man ever to inhabit the White House. Jefferson was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence; the Library of Congress was founded from his personal collection. He died on July 4, 1826.

Eufaula – Main & Selmon Facing South – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor & Ink

“None of us will ever accomplish anything excellent or commanding except when he listens to this whisper which is heard by him alone.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Eufaula – Main & Selmon Facing South – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor & Ink

If you turn left right here, my sign shop is about 3/4 of a block on the right.   Funny thing about this painting… I took it over to the gallery (Our Favorite Place)  on Friday and before I even left… it sold!  Yay!!!!  And a couple more small paintings and a few postcards…. before I even left the gallery!  Love it!

In this painting, Our Favorite Place is the 4th building down on the right.  It’s a quick 2 minute walk from my shop.  I’m taking two more paintings over there today.  Of course I have to have a caramel latte while I’m there.  

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.