11" x 14" oil on canvas
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Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE lemons - and any kind of citrus!  When painting this, I thought of the wonderful orange blossom smells from California days.  We had a little dwarf orange tree in a pot, and got about 10 oranges a year in a good season.  The main reason for the tree was to enjoy the fragrance in the spring - they may be in "orange blossom season" now.  Just loved that!!  We also had a little key lime tree in a pot - and we had a huge lemon tree that produced hundreds (!) of huge lemons.  Our gardener said he could make a whole pitcher of lemonade from one piece of fruit!  I had good memories of those citrus days when I was doing this painting today.  Now we live in apple country and we have two apple trees in our new yard.  I may have to paint more apples!  The trees are beginning to blossom out.  Last year all the blossoms were frozen by a freaky late freeze - 7 degrees on April 8.  I remember it well!  But this year we should have lots of apples and I'll be collecting apples recipes - to add to my lemon recipe collection.  Isn't life fun!

Here's a little "p.s." about loving lemons.  Yesterday I had some dental work done.  I learned too late in life that lemons are better for your teeth when you paint them - rather than suck on a big ol' juicy sour lemon.  (MORE wonderful memories!!)  Oh well - lessons learned.  
 
The weather was just beautiful here today!  I hope you're having beautiful Spring weather, too!

3-dimensional bronze sculpture
more information:www.mikedriggs.com
Whoa - what happened?  This isn't my normal style of art.  Today is my 25th wedding anniversary and I thought it's a perfect time to introduce my husband's artwork!!  We're building a website to showcase his sculptures - www.mikedriggs.com.  It's almost done - so this is a sneak preview.  I intended to finish it today but the webpage isn't cooperating, and I don't want to spend all my anniversary at a computer!  I'm so proud of his work!  It's fun to share it with others. 

We're off to the Nelson Atkins museum for the afternoon and then dinner tonight.  We'll celebrate in California in a few weeks.  Life has been good with Mike - I hope we have many more years together.  It's fun to share our love of art and so many other things.

We also hope to have a new little addition to our local extended family today - Wyatt.  Will keep you posted on that delivery.  Wouldn't it be fun to celebrate our anniversary with this little guy's birthday every year? 

I hope you enjoy Mike's beautiful sculptures - and that your day is beautiful, too.

 

Also called "Chiminea 2008"
11" x 14" oil on canvas
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Why "Twenty Four Hours?"  Because the beautiful blooms on the barrell cactus last for only 24 hours.  And they truely are beautiful!  This painting is done from a photo of our backyard in California.  I've painted the chiminea many times.  Every time the cactus bloomed, my husband would say - "you have to paint this!  And I already have the title for it - 24 hours!"  After a move halfway across the country and over a year and a half since I actually saw the blooms, I'm finally painting this scene.  Brings back great memories of our backyard in California.  Right now I'm getting very nostalgic about that backyard - because it's still cold here in Kansas City!  How I miss California this time of year.  I REALLY miss my lemon tree!  But I won't miss Bakersfield in a few months when it's 110 + temps.  Life is about trade-offs.  With this painting I can pretend to be in that beautiful backyard and just relish the great memories. 

My cat is still with us.  Poor thing has been through so much.  She's been probed many times, had a very enlarged lymph node removed (no cancer but still not sure the cause of her problems), is wearing a "lampshade hood" to keep her from pulling out her stitches - again (our fault), and doesn't understand her little world at all right now.  She seems to be getting her appetite back and is finally drinking water again.  What a trooper she's been.  The good thing is the vet keeps checking off all the bad possibilities - but the bad thing is they don't know how to treat her.  We're waiting for results for more tests.  More info than you probably want - but that's a big part of my life right now.  We had a trip planned earlier this week but you can't leave these little ones who are so dependent on you.  She gets highly supervised "time outs" from her hood so she can eat and drink and clean herself and sit on our laps, which she loves to do.  Please send good thoughts this way for her. 

The weather should improve here "any day now."  Or any week . . . .  So I'll be buying flowers and plants to start making this yard beautiful, too - and we'll make wonderful memories here!!!  Take care! 

11" x 14" oil on canvas    
sold

Hello!!!!  Lots of distractions from painting lately.  I'll spare details but it's good to be back.  I did this painting last night with the "McCall painting group."  Great bunch of artists and we all help each other.  Bill and Carol McCall are especially good about critiquing - and my new artist friend Ruth is kind enough to let us paint in her basement.  It's too cold to do the plein air painting at the McCall farm.  Ruth has all kinds of goodies to set up for inspiration.  She had just bought these pears and I loved them.  So - here you go!  Lots of color of course.  This is done totally with a palette knife.  I love the texture you can get with a palette knife and it keeps the painting loose and free.  Hope you like it.

I have a very sick cat and it's breaking my heart.  The vet can't figure out the cause of her problems.  Lots of tests so far and they've eliminated most bad things but still don't know the cause of her problems.  We're waiting on results of more tests.  It's hard to be creative when you have a sick one at home - and you can't help them.  At times she's wanted to sit on my lap so we've been visiting a lot - when she feels like it. 

Back to the McCalls:  they host a website for artists in the Kansas City area and I'm now on their site.  Check it out!  www.artkc.com   It's an honor to be included with other fine Kansas City artists.  Some of them are in our painting group.  AND - I sold my first painting at Artichokes!!!  I'm teaching there this year and they're showing a few of my small pieces now - I'll be one of their featured artists in a show starting in August.  This year my goal is to really get into the K.C. art scene and I think I'm off to a good start.  Last year was a transition time - built my website (a HUGE learning experience), experimented with new painting techniques, took some classes to learn new stuff and to meet other artists, and was in a couple of local shows.  Not bad for transition time - but I'm ready to hit it hard in the "beyond transition" mode in 2008. 

Please send good thoughts this way for my sweet, beautiful cat.  Thank you for doing that.  Hope your day and you and yours are healthy and beautiful. 

11" x 14" oil on canvas
click here for more information

Today's painting is a revision of the "Old Garden Chair" - posted a few days ago.  That painting is "history!"  At least as it was at the stage when I did the original posting.  One thing about doing a painting - you can stop at lots of stages/places of the painting process.  I felt like something was missing with the original "stop."  The inspiration photo had a watering can where the cat is now and this painting had that watering can once, too.  But it didn't seem like a good fit to me - the can was too much like the shape of the vase that was just above it.  Sooo - hasta la vista to that ol' can!!  Anyone who knows me knows that I'm totally nuts for cats. The more I looked at this chair - and at my cats sleeping all around the house in the sunshine - the more I felt that this scene needed a lazy cat to get that really relaxed and sunny feeling of a day in the garden.  This cat looks so happy and content!!  You can compare the first version of this painting and decide if you think the cat makes a difference.  I could have put in a watering can, or some flowers, or "whatever."  Somehow the cat just seems perfect to me.  But then, when is a cat not "perfect?" 

My cats are so beautiful.  I hope you have some beautiful pets and friends and whatever else makes you happy!

Not for sale

These are little pots that I painted for a western-themed baby shower.  Fun!!  The whole shower was amazing - tons of western decorations and gifts for sweet little Wyatt who's due in early April.  Sometimes it's nice for artists to take a break from "real" paintings and do something more decorative or functional.  When I was painting these, I told my husband - "I love to paint pots!"  You can just be so playful.  These pots aren't for sale, but I'll be doing some in the future that can be purchased.  It's part of getting into the spring spirit!  I've also done commissioned pots and table tops that have been really fun, too.  Keep that in mind if you're looking for something unique and very special - but not necessarily a serious piece of art.

Beauty comes in so many ways.  Be sure to make some of your fun things beautiful - and enjoy!! 

11" x 14" oil on canvas
This painting has been revised - see posting on 2/26/2008 for the final painting.

Hello from snowy and icy and sleety Kansas.  So - I'm posting a "wishful thinking" painting of a garden scene!   Spring will be here soon - or so they say.  I'm not finished with this painting, but I wanted to post something to show that I'm still "alive" and painting and being an artist.  Actually - I'm almost done with this one.  Part of the process of deciding when you're done is to look at a painting from different views/perspectives.  Or at least that's part of my process.  When you see something all shrunk down and in a totally different "light" - as in on a computer screen - you pick up things you didn't notice before.  I see some things I want to correct - but I'm not telling . . . . . .  And - I may just leave this one like it is and make those adjustments in another painting.  A huge and so important part of being an artist is to continually learn and improve and push yourself.  Yada, yada, yada.  But - for me - it's also important to have fun and to not get too bogged down in the "weeds."  I'm not a realistic painter - we have cameras for that stuff.  I like to have fun, and I think this is a fun painting!  Most important - I hope others see something fun in my art.

I'm also proud to share with you that I'm on a Kansas City artists' website - www.artkc.com   This site is  maintained by Bill and Carol McCall - two very fine artists who create beautiful paintings, and who also share their knowledge with others and are great about promoting local artists.  I've been painting with them for several months - I've learned very much about working in oils, and I've met some other great local artists in their painting group.  Thanks to both Carol and Bill for their support and acceptance - and for sharing their wealth of painting insights and "tricks."

Isn't life beautiful!!  I hope you have a beautiful and not-so-cold evening.  If it's cold "outside" - just make it warm and fuzzy "inside."  Enjoy!

16" x 20" - not for sale

Happy 2008!!!  Finally -  For my loyal subscribers, please forgive me for not posting in such a long time.  Since I had such a break, I wanted to surprise you with a "wow" painting - and something very different for me.  This is Emma - our 2 1/2 year old granddaughter who lives in Kansas City.  Maybe this helps explain one of our reasons to move here.  She's a darling little girl!  Of course I'm not at all prejudiced.

This is my first "portrait" and I'm pretty proud of it.  I have a few little places that still aren't "quite right" - but I'm also afraid of overdoing it.  This painting was started in a figure/portrait workshop at Artichokes - the great gallery/art classes place I've spoken of before.  I've always been apprehensive about doing figures but decided it was time to make that stretch and try it.  I will admit that this painting took longer to do than anything else I've ever done.  Sometimes I used a teensie tiny brush that came with a kit - something I thought I'd NEVER have any use for.  This is done in oils - very good medium for the detailed work, especially because you can scrape it off and redo when you need to - and I needed to do that a lot in her little face!  At one point, I thought I had it done - but she came to visit and I realized the color of the face was totally wrong!!!  SO - off it came - and that was painful.  She's a cutie in real life - I hope I've captured that in this painting.  I took this photo of the painting late in the day - not the best lighting.  When I think I'm "finished" I'll try to get a better photo and post it again.

Speaking of Artichokes, my art is now in their gallery.  Exciting!  I'll be one of the featured artists in a show starting in August, but they will represent my art on a full time basis.  You can check them out at Artichokeskc.com

We have 3 other beautiful grandchildren.  I'll get to practice a lot on this portrait thing.  It's a challenging new direction for me and I think I'm going to enjoy the "stretch."

It's good to be back at the blog.  I hope you all have a beautiful 2008!!

11" x 14" acrylic on canvas
sold

Hi, folks.  I've had a little break from blog work lately.  Again - "life."  I think we're on a good track again and I'm glad to be back to painting.  I miss it when I don't get to my paints and brushes.  One thing - I have a new doctor in Kansas City and she's given me a very thorough physical exam.  After many trips to many doctors, I think I've checked off all the concerns that were found.  Some sort of got my attention - but they're all taken care of now - and that's good!!  I love good doctors.  We also had another loss in our family.  My husband's nephew was killed in a car wreck.  Very, very sad.  Hug your loved ones and make the most of every day.  Life is so unpredictable and so fragile.  This little dragonfly painting was done to lift my spirits!  I wanted something not too serious and with lots of motion and life!!  I think dragonflies are beautiful in their own way.  I hope your days are beautiful, too.