Copper Kettle

Yesterday, we ordered the Thanksgiving Turkey and I am certainly thinking about that up coming celebration of thankfulness.
I entered this painting, "Copper Kettle" into the current painting challenge to paint a painting about texture at www.dailypaintworks.com.
Yours in art,
Pamela

Ten Pounds

I love to paint but my other passion is gardening.  Not only do I enjoy being in the garden and eating the results, but I am always reading about new ways to increase my harvest.
While looking at an article about cabbages, I learned that the worlds largest cabbage weighed in at 138 LBS.  This heavyweight broke to 2009 record by 10 LBS.

Ornamental Gourds

Being able to paint on a farmers property is really a privilege and I try to keep my easel out of their way, as they go about their very busy day completing their many chores.  Barb had just picked these ornamental gourds from the field and placed them by the outbuilding, when I asked her if I could paint them right where they were.  I set to work; but painting the gourds was a lot easier then planting, weeding, watering and picking that Barb had done before putting the gourds in the baskets.  

A Place of Her Own

My neighbor's outbuildings have always fascinated me.  Each one is used for something special.  One is a potting shed with a storage area for handmade holiday decorations, a garage for the car, woodshed (filled with wood for cozy fires in winter), a storage shed and my favorite, her workshop.  Even though the outside of the workshop is filled with flowering trees, vines, and blooms galore; inside the workshop are her well worn tools for the hard, but rewarding work of gardening, woodworking, carving and repairing.

Free to Be

My neighbors yard is filled with flowers.  One whole flower bed is filled with Tiger Lilies that have been allowed to self seed and the bees and hummingbirds are benefiting.  I am so lucky to be able to paint the beauty that is right next door.  

On Thursday Give Thanks

My sunflowers have flowered and the heads are starting to have sunflower seeds. The sunflowers have  bloomed just in time for me to create this oil painting for the Daily Paint Works Sunflower(s) Challenge.  

On Sunday Smell the Roses

This painting is entered into the DPW Challenge on Composition.  It was fun to use two (I have a whole collection of women's needlecraft) of my tea towels and the red climbing roses, from the arbor outside the studio, in this still life set-up.  

NASTURTIUM

These nasturtium were a riot of color in my window box and it was an exciting challenge to capture their colors in paint for this still life.  Not only were these colorful flowers beautiful cascading down the window box, but as an added bonus, the flowers and leaves are edible. 

Baby Rubber Duckie Dancing

After painting this little (5" x 7") gouache painting I decided to donate it to the Oklahoma Tornado Fundraiser auction through my sales site at www.dailypaintworks.com.  100% of all of the proceeds from the sale of this painting will go to the Red Cross to help the victims of the Oklahoma Tornado.  

Diva Duckie

This weeks Daily Paint Works challenge was to paint a composition that was mostly warm or mostly cool with the remaining portion the opposite of the majority temperature.  This sounded very interesting to me and I started gathering my still life items to paint for the challenge.  As you can see I have created a mostly warm painting with a smaller portion of cool temperature pigments completing the painting.

Diamonds may be a girls best friend but it appears that rubber duckies (at least Diva Duckies) prefer pearls. 

Spring Bouquet

My good friend, Lori, sent me this lovely vase from Wisconsin.  The vase has been here for several weeks and I have been wanting to paint the dainty vase, but didn't have the right flowers to fill it.  Today I discovered wildflowers growing beside our road and knew they belonged in the peach glass vase.
Wisconsin has had a long winter so I painted a 'Spring Bouquet' for Lori and all who are still waiting for spring to arrive.  

Good News

What could possibly be good news after the Marathon Bombing in Boston and the Fertilizer Plant explosion in Texas this week?  I wondered that myself as I painted in my studio.  Then I heard this quote from "Mr. Rogers" (a children's television host and Presbyterian Pastor), "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say,"Look for the helpers.  You will always find people who are helping."  To this day, especially in times of 'disaster', I remember my mother's words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helping - so many caring people in the world."   It is always good news to remember that there are many more good people in our world that evil ones. 

What did T. C. and the Peeps talk about?

First they talked about peeking orders and how they didn't care for them.  Then the rabbit peeps brought up how bullies could really hurt you or your feelings and they liked the book, 'Michael Vey', that explored that very subject.  The author of that book reminded them of another author with the same last name, Evans, and how much they enjoyed, Rachel Held Evans, book and blog.  Which reminded Miss Chicken that she was featured on, 'The Traveling Chicken Blog,'  just last month and wore a crown in the painting of her by Dawn Eaton.  All the chicken peeps agreed they liked crowns very much especially the music by Casting Crowns and their recording, 'Glorious Day'.   Speaking of songs, they all agreed they liked, 'The Wall Song' by Mitch Townley and the Irish saying - 'Dance as if no one were watching, sing as if no one were listening, and live everyday as if it were your last. '  Miss Chicken wondered if any of the peeps had read on the Internet about Johan Huibers and how he was building a full scale replica of Noah's Ark.   The chicken peeps hadn't read that online but they had been watching, 'The Bible', on television and had seen the ark in the first episode.

As they sipped their tea and continued to talk and talk and talk, Miss Chicken asked them if they had looked at, 'The Traveling Chicken Blog', this month and seen the painting of them all having tea in the studio?  They decided to go to the studio office and check out, 'The Traveling Chicken Blog,' and see how they all looked before pouring more tea and talking, and talking and talking. 

The Traveling Chicken meets Aerosmith?

The Traveling Chicken went with me to the endodonist's clinic yesterday and she had a great time, I had a root canal.  : (   (This is my second root canal, if you haven't been able to follow my painting blog)  : (   =  : (

While I had my procedure (which in the doctors skilled hands wasn't uncomfortable and didn't take long) Miss Chicken was rocking out to Aerosmith.  She also was able to get a close up look at the band when my wonderful dental assistant carried her closer to the band shell.  (Actually, the band Aerosmith, is part of a mural on the clinic wall - shhh!  don't tell Miss Chicken)  

Even the Traveling Chicken is Irish Today!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  May your home always be too small to hold all your family and friends.

The Traveling Chicken visits the garden

Miss Chicken wasn't modeling today and she took some time to explore her surroundings.  First she wanted to check out the raised garden beds.  After being in cold and snowy Illinois with Dawn Eaton she was very excited to be outside in the sun to dream about scratching in the soil.  (Miss Chicken doesn't have any feet but a girl can dream - can't she?)

Then she noticed the hole in the dirt.  "What made that hole?" Miss Chicken asked.  I decided to tell her the truth and explained that just recently the garden has had several Florida Worm Lizards burrowing through the soil.  She watched for them for a while and didn't see any wiggle to the surface, so we went inside and checked them out on the Internet at www.wildflorida.com/lizards/Florida_Worm_Lizard.php.  Miss Chicken wanted to see more in the garden.  So we went back out and she found I had left a small carrot for her to pull up with my help.   Once this carrot is pulled up it will be time to plant some green peppers in this empty spot.  We can't plant more carrots until August here in Florida, so I am glad she got to harvest this one herself. 

A Morning at the Spa? With the Traveling Chicken

Miss Chicken saw the sinks with the porpoise hot & cold water handles and faucet and she became excited!  She thought she was at the spa!  I did too with the beautiful stain glass doors and windows featuring ocean life and sea turtles, tiled counters in iridescent blues and greens, original watercolors of beaches and palm trees on the walls, lovely music playing from the room speakers and a wonderful staff that answered all my questions and put me at ease.
We let Miss Chicken try out the comfortable chair, too.  But before the tooth extraction and bone graft was started (We were really at the Oral surgeons beautiful office), I put Miss Chicken back in her box for a little nap.  In no time at all  I woke up without my tooth but with a (hopefully) successful bone graft.  I woke up Miss Chicken, mumbled my goodbyes to the doctor and staff, and my wonderful husband drove us home.
Miss Chicken gets a few days off from modeling for her painting, while I am using my hands to hold an ice pack to my jaw.  She is wishing for some sunshine in a lounge chair (she just arrived from snowy Illinois at Dawn Eaton's studio) while she is on her little vacation from modeling.  Since Florida is called the sunshine state I would bet she will get her wish.

The Traveling Chicken has arrived!

Miss Chicken and her family have arrived safe and sound from Dawn Eaton's studio (www.dawneaton.com) in Illinois.  The postal service did their job well in snowy Illinois and sent her safely to my studio.  Her blanket of bubble wrap insulted all of them from the cold and she is happy to be in sunny Florida.
She arrived yesterday and was waiting in her box patiently when I arrived back from my consultation with the oral surgeon.  When I let her out of her wrappings, read the nice note from Dawn to her and her traveling family, she was sad to hear (and a little fearful) that my root canal was not successful and I need to have the molar pulled.
I will take her to the dental clinic today to let her see for herself that the oral surgeon will take good care of me and I will feel much better once the molar has been extracted.  Since she is so young and inquisitive, I think I will let her stay in my purse while the procedure is occurring, so she doesn't ask too many questions.

The Traveling Chicken - Oh, My!

Here I am not feeling my 'artistic' best and spending time instead of painting organizing the studio (for when I am back in full painting mode), when I see my calendar notation that the Traveling Chicken may come to my studio in late February.  Oh, my, it is late February.  So I checked the Traveling Chicken Blog at  http://travel-chicken.blogspot.com/  to see where the little ceramic chicken might be on her journey. AND Yikes!  My studio is next on the list.  Little Miss Chicken is at Dawn Eaton's studio in Illinois, right NOW and then she will travel to ME in Florida.

Each artist on the list gets to keep Miss Chicken as their model for one week, add one painting to the Traveling Chicken Blog and then send her on to the next artist.  If she arrives next week, that means she will probably get to go with me to the Endodontic Clinic for a root canal; but she shouldn't be afraid, chickens (even ceramic ones) don't have teeth, so she is safe.  Or is she?

by JOE PALCA

February 23, 2006 4:00 PM

Listen

All Things Considered

• Playlist
• Download

Then I will let her sit in the sun to relax before I put her to work modeling for an oil painting.

Stay tuned to my blog and you will see when she arrives and how well she does modeling in my studio.

Yours in art,
Pamela 

Not Fencing today! ?

I am not painting today since it looks like a root canal might be in my future.  Many people who don't paint might not realize what physical and mental abilities are required to complete a painting.  When you are not up to par in either category (physical or mental) it is much more difficult to paint.

My studio is set up for me so I can stand up while I paint (which I prefer) and approach my canvas like a fencer.  Back and forth all day long until the painting is finished. I must admit this little tooth is making me too tired to do fencing (I mean - painting) today.  My brain is telling me my jaw hurts and I am tired, instead of telling me to make rapid decisions on my composition, color harmony, edge quality, values, paint application, and overall design as I paint.   Nothing seems to be happening rapidly today, so I will throw in the towel (brush) and pay some bills instead.

Stay healthy and warm everyone!

European Turnips

My neighbor gave me these turnips because she knew I would want to paint them.  How special is that a gardener/friend/neighbor who gives me her hard earned, labor intensive vegetables to paint that may spoil before I even get to eat them.  I finished this painting a week ago and forgot to post it (after all my work at the easel).  So I decided I would post it today, since I am 'wall' painting at our sons and I am not at the easel for many days.
Yours in art,
Pamela 

PAINTING !??

Hi, Everyone,
The good news is I am painting!  But not on small canvases for a few weeks.  : -(  , but nine foot high walls instead.
Our son has a new (to him house) and we are helping him paint and get ready for his move in date.
We are learning about choosing colors at paint stores with a grown son (that desires his own color palette and not his artist mothers), along with wall and woodwork painting techniques.  Professional asbestos abatement has been added to his and our vocabulary and Epsom's salt to our bathwater after a day of climbing ladders, squats while painting woodwork, and twists cleaning and painting closets.  Spending our vacation with our son who is using his vacation as well, is time well spent.
You will find more canvas paintings soon.  In the meantime I am swinging a brush, but it has a thick handle and huge bristles.  Who knows I might be learning some painting techniques I'll be using in the future.  :-)   Stay tuned to my blog for house progress updates and canvas paintings soon.
Yours in art,
Pamela

Dana's Gift

This turnip was a gift from, Dana, at the garden center, which he gave me after pulling it out of the soil.  He wanted me to 'eat' this gorgeous turnip to show me that the fertilizer and compost he sells really helps to grow delicious vegetables.  He washed it off and handed it back to me, but Dana was surprised when I told him I wanted to 'paint' the turnip.  Once I explained I was and artist and would put the turnip in a still life to paint it before eating it, he understood.  By the way it was the best tasting turnip I have ever eaten!  And I love turnips! 

Rubber Duckie Your the One

It's a New Year and I hope all of you are happy and well.  After painting larger paintings for a while, it was time to paint a fun small painting.
My rubber duckie has been wanting to be painted since last year, so I finally chose to paint him today.  He was an excellent model and held still the whole modeling session.  The only problem is now that the oil painting is finished and posted, the song, Rubber Duckie Your the One,  is still in my head.  Oh, no!  : 0  
I wonder if anyone will sing the Rubber Duckie song tonight on American Idol?