Pink Flamingo

Pink Flamingo

Loved pink as a girl, like lots of other girls and the brighter the better.  One of my favorite zoo animals was the pink flamingo because of its grace and of course, pink feathers.  One of my group of zoo animals, through the eyes of a child.

Pink Giraffe

Pink Giraffe

What colors go together and why.  I know that there is a color wheel and all the talk about certain colors go together and other don't, but I find that it is far more fun to just go with what feels right.  I know Giraffes are not generally pink, orange and gold but thought it would be fun to make them so.   My goal was to create the "feel" that I had while visiting the zoo as a child. Seeing through the eyes of a child make life anything but boring!

Fashion Statement

Hibiscus

I've been challenging myself with portraits   I liked the floppy hat and the idea of only putting color on the flowers.  I call it Hibiscus.

Circle Quilt

Now and then I get a desire to work with fabric.  My grandmother used to quilt (one of her artistic endeavors) and I have one of those quilts that have pieces of fabric from grandpa's shirts and grandma's dresses.  My grandmother had to care for her family  during the depression and saved every usable scrap of material. She would even cut buttons off of shirts and unwind the threads holding those buttons, then carefully wrap the thread around a small piece of cardboard.  Today, in our disposable society we are so spoiled.  It never occurs to most of us to use items we already have to make a quilt.  Like most people, I go to the fabric store and buy the fabrics I need.  This quilt I decided to do a little differently.  I had a child's dress in pink, orange and gold and used that color pallet to create my quilt.  I cut out as many circles as I could, using different sized bowls and bottle caps as my pattern.  I then went to a second hand store to find a nice big piece of fabric or sheet to use as the backing.  I found a pink striped fabric that worked perfectly and saved me money.  I used a plain muslin for the front backing and did buy some small pieces of coordinating fabrics for the additional circles.  After I cut out the circles I used an iron on fused backing to adhere the circles to the muslin then did a tight zig zag around each circle.  Once the quilt top was finished I used a batting in the middle and used a random stitch pattern to put it all together.  Running my wavy lines down the quilt vertically so that I could fit up to 1/2 the bulk into the space beside the needle and the machine. Overall, it is a fun quilt and a bit out of the box from the traditional quilt patterns.

ATC Cards

Daisy Girl

Fairy Girl

Love the history of the Artist Trading Cards and have traded a few with my sister.  I was invited to a gathering the other night of fellow artists and we were asked to bring along two cards (one to give away and one to keep).  Since I was busy looking through the book Fairy-ality, a wonderful collection of fashions created by using God's beautiful bounty, I decided to use this as my inspiration.  What I love about these are they are quick, fun and don't require a huge commitment.  It is also the perfect place to try your hand at something new. I traded mine and received a beautiful one in return entitled "Dream".  I had a wonderful evening and came away inspired.

Bird Flight

Bird Flight

Inspired by the warm spring weather here in Texas and all the birds busy at work on their nests. A new mixed media work using printed scrapbook paper, stamps, pen, ink and colored pencil.  Fun to do and did not take too much time. The point is, there are no rules in this type of work and you can add as you go.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.....

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

I've heard this saying my whole life and have come to see it is very true.  You see this in fashion, landscaping, your choice of a mate, your favorite vacation spots and even art.  Each month I work one weekend day at Woodland Art League and love watching people as they walk through the gallery.  Rarely does anyone pause in the same spot.  What appeals to one may not the next and it all boils down to personal taste and what each of us considers beautiful.  These thoughts led to this fun creation.  Hope it brings a smile.  

The Color Coral



Capitola Cottages



Coral Bliss

One of the colors that seem to bring calm and peace.  Not  quite pink, not orange, not red but a lovely in between shade.  I have been putting some new photography pieces on my etsy site and noticed this
color jumping out at me.  Hope you enjoy them too.

Girl in Garden

The American Chicken and the French Chicken

The American Chicken

My husband Brian has always loved chicken paintings.  He really is not sure why but thinks they are great.  This is surprizing if you know Brian, who almost always wears blue jeans and black t-shirts with work boots.  His favorite color is gray and I never see him wear anything that is not black, brown or gray.  So when he told me he liked chicken paintings I was a bit shocked, all those bright colors just didn't seem to fit.  He did not grow up on a farm, was not around chickens as far as I know so who knows.  It just goes to show that there is a bit of flashy color that appeals to us all.

The French Chicken

Both originals are available on my Studio Quest Etsy Site.

Three birds on the line.

Three birds on a line

Just finished reading "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett given to me as a Christmas gift from my youngest daughter (great book by the way).  I had wanted this book and refused to see the movie until I finished reading it.  The cover illustration by Ellen Granter I thought was beautiful.  I loved her colors.  I wonder, did she paint the illustration specially for the book or did someone discover her?  I changed up the birds just a bit but the feel is still there.  I guess I will have to wait till the movie is at red box or on netflex since it is no longer at the theater.   Just goes to show, you never know where your inspiration may come from.