Car Art

Gotta love these souped up hot rods and classic cars.  This mustang is one of my favorite cars.  I had a 70 red mustang after I graduated from high school.  These cars are art in themselves and are so much fun to look at. 

Gallery 104 was one of the many shops that were open and there was a large crowd of people who came in and several artists were on site painting, sketching and creating jewelry in metal.  

Hope to see you there next month.  It is the 4th Saturday of the month. 

More lessons from the garden

Today while watering my flower beds I learned that everything needs to be nourished, including me and especially any talent I have.  Talent must be fed, encouraged, practiced and used.  My flowers that have soaker hoses look much better than the flowers I water with a hose, which tells me that it is better to get a little nourishment on a regular basis than to receive a lot of nourishment for a short amount of time.  So painting every day for even a short amount of time is better for my talent than long periods of time spent painting. 

Meet the artist at Gallery 104 in LaGrange, KY

This Saturday night from 5-8 p.m. Gallery 104 in LaGrange will be open and many artists will probably be present painting, drawing, sculpting and making stained glass.  Last month it was a lot of fun.  There is also a car show by the Quads Car Club and goes all around the old Court House and on the main drag in old LaGrange.  The cars are great, music on the street, great art.  What more could anyone want.

The Garden Path

Finished this today.  It's my front yard and the path leads to my rose garden.  Maybe I'll paint that next.  This is an acrylic on 8 x 10 masonite board.  Thanks for stopping by.

Call for artists

All Aboard…only two weeks left!Calling all artists to enter our 2nd Annual LaGrange Railroad & Antique Festival Art Show, September 13 – November 4, 2011!A multimedia juried art show featuring trains & train related subjects(railroad people, still life, etc)  Come celebrate our railroad history! Entry deadline is midnight , September 7, 2011.  Prospectus attached.  Awards reception is Thursday, September 15, 6-8pm.Contact Ann Stroth, Chairperson at 502-241-4206(cell) or estroth@insightbb.com  for questions.

This is at Gallery 104 in LaGrange, KY where I have some paintings.  Just trying to spread the word and give everyone an opportunity to enter. 

Thanks for looking.

Yard painting

This is the view off my deck.  The path leads up to my rose garden and my husband Jim has worked so hard this year to keep all the balls in the air and the yard looking great, even through all the heat we've had.  I've painted the deck with a rocking chair on it and it is in the current offerings on here, so I thought I'd move about 10 feet and paint the next portion of the yard.  When I get to the rose garden, that should be fun because I have an antique sink in the middle of it.  I know it sounds crazy, but then you must consider the source.  I like the sink and I didn't have room for it in the house, so I put it out there.This is close up of the very unfinished painting.  I will continue working on it and post it when it's finished.  I think it is so interesting that a painting can look so flat until the highlights and detail work are added.  On the left the trees started looking really interesting once I added those touches of bright green blades of grass at their base.  Painting is so therapeutic for me.  It also helps me see things and look at things more completely. 

Learning in the garden

I was watering and weeding in my flower garden today and what I learned was that no matter how well I weed my garden today, I will like as not have to weed it again.  Weeds always come back.  Flowers and vegetables take more work, but the weeds always come back.  What that taught me is no matter how much I want something good (flowers and vegetables) like becoming a better painter, I have to paint.  If I want a better golf swing, I need to swing the club, shoot better hoops, I need to practice free throws or 3 pointers.  What if I want to sell more widgets, then I need to make more cold calls or luke warm calls.  What if I want to pull weeds out of myself, anger, an addiction, overeating.  I have to work on that everyday.  I have to pull those weeds everyday.  So to plant the good stuff or take out the bad stuff takes daily work.  I don't have to paint a masterpiece every day, but I need to work on something or improve on something everyday.  My masterpiece will come. 

painting makeover

I gave my girls paintings for Christmas of a scene from our vacation a few years ago to the Outerbanks.  It was beautiful, but it rained a lot and Kelsie and Caleb got caught in a rip tide.  That was very scarry.  Anyway, when I was at Monica's this past weekend, I looked at that old painting and decided I really needed to redo it because it was really horrible.  So I did and here's the new one.  I'm much happier with it, but probably in a year or so, I won't like it so much.  But I'm happy with it now.  And I am so ready to go to the beach right now.  I told Jim I could pack in an hour.

Would you like a free painting

"Golden Mums" will be given away at the end of August to one lucky person who has become a follower of my blog.  Once you have signed into the blog, scroll down to the bottom until you see become a member or follow.  Click the button to become a follower and sign up.  Everyone who signs up will automatically be in the drawing for this painting. 

Good Luck and thanks for looking.

Roses and Hollyhocks

I painted this 12 x 12 acrylic flower garden as a gift for a baby that will be born in early fall.  I went to her shower today and her mom had requested everyone wear pink.  It was such a clever idea and it looked so cool to see that whole room filled with pink.  The soon to be grandmother really knocked herself out and gave a daughter a beautiful shower. 
I had an idea for this painting, but my first attempt did not turn out as I envisioned it, so this morning I started over and was pleased with the final result.  I like painting on this gallery wrapped canvas and plan to do more.  No need for a frame and it's fun to try to paint the sides as part of the painting.   

The View

The View of a cardinal perched on a leafy branch searching for his mate or thinking about dinner is the inspiration for this 5 x 7 acrylic on masonite.  The frame is solid oak and has been stained to enhance the colors in the bird. 

This painting sells for $50 and can be purchased at my etsy shop at FineNatureArt.etsy.com.

Thanks for coming by and viewing this painting.  My daughter thinks it's my best work.

Just keep swimming swimming swimming

My grandson loves the movie Finding Nemo.  At one point Dorie says just keep swimming swimming swimming.  And I kept swimming today as I made soap, lotion bars and started a painting.  I went to my favorite deer sighting place and took photos of many deer in a field.  The painting is a gift so it won't be for sale, but when I get it done I'll post it cause it's turning out pretty cute.  You know how you get an idea and then sometimes it turns out well and other times it doesn't.  This is turning out pretty good. 

My etsy address is http://finenatureart.etsy.com/.  There's lots of birdhouses, several paintings and a few other items.  Please take a look.  The whole site is a lot of fun.

Another way to view and/or purchase my stuff

I now have an etsy shop with not only paintings, but a lot of hand painted home decor items like gourds, bird houses, wall plaques, and of course paintings.  Please take a minute to view it if you have the time.  You can find me at http://www.etsy.com/people/FineNatureArt?ref=si_pr.  Thanks for stopping by.