Ten Lilies

This is my latest oil painting.  It is the 4th lily painting I have done.  I haven't tired of them yet.  I enjoy painting their unusual petals along with their simplicity.  When I shot this photo outdoors, the variety of light on the canvas enhanced the picture, which has given me ideas on how I want to do my next background. 

Recent Beach Painting

This is my most recent painting of the beach at St. George Island in Florida.  It's a place we like to go and fish, walk the beach and hang out for a couple of weeks in the early fall.  It's nice to go when we have finished our gardening back home and the kids are back in school.  The beach is pretty quiet in September and October.  This year we will take our kayaks, bikes and fishing gear, and of course my paints.

I really enjoyed playing with the clouds in this painting.  There is such a freedom when you are painting clouds.  This painting was a pleasure, I enjoyed all the bright colors.

Something New

I recently joined a group of local artists that run a gallery in Georgia.  Really excited about painting with other artists on a regular basis, learning from each other and sharing the good life of being up to my elbows in oil paint!  We each take turns working in the gallery.  It's exciting to sell the paintings, even when it's not your own.  I trust my turn will come.  It's an excellent way to increase your productivity.  It's a large enough gallery so that I'm challenged to fill my space with current paintings.

What Inspires You?

Since we are all so unique, our inspiration can come from many different sources.

Tugboats inspire me, they are so small and humble, yet they move hugh ships to the correct position.  Since I'm pint size, I find them inspiring, they remind me that size isn't important when it comes to making a difference in our world.  Watching one program of hoarders can inspire me to clean and throw away a closet worth of stuff.  The trick is to notice what motivates you and use it.  Music is a common one that most of us share.  I recently cooked a dinner with my husband with some great background music,  It was a very pleasant experience which resulted in a meal for kids and grand kids.   Our brains get lazy with the same old, same old, so it needs something fresh to wake it up.  That's why we need to have variety in our exercise programs.  Some people you hang out with might be motivating.  Hanging out with a good book has often started my engine and moved me to a better place.  Well, if all else fails there is always coffee!

watching for the sunrise

I went to the beach this mourning while it was still dark and waited for the sun to show up.  It was worth the wait, since I was able to get several nice pictures and enjoyed seeing the birds fly over the water, also saw a cute crab in the sand.  We are down in Florida where my husband likes to fish.  I finally found a spot in our place to paint, near a window I can open.  I'm doing a painting of my husband in his kayak.  I'll post it when it's finished.
All this nature reminds me we have a God that planned it all for us.  I'm feeling especially grateful for a chance to see it all.

Shooting butterflies

I was out with my husband in our Kayaks.  We had a great time of it, he fished, and I shot pictures.  As we pulled the kayaks out of the water I saw this bush full of butterflies.  Now it's a lot easier to get a good shot of these guys when there are several zooming around.  I was really happy with this photo and will use it for my greeting cards.  I hope you enjoy it. 

The Bunnie

Beautiful weather here in Georgia today.  I painted this bunnie just for the fun of it.  It was kinda a warm up project.  But found it to be a "good time" of it.  It warmed me up for the complex still life that I am now working on.  Took our puppy to the vet.  She's a terrier mix that is 15 years old.  Vet said her heart is fine and she's going strong!  Amazing little dog.  Did some volunteer work yesterday, and every time my thoughts go back to that experience I feel a nice warm fuzzy.  Don't know how else to put it, but this much I know, it was good for me.