Daffodils

"Daffodils"
13.5X15
Oil on Board

Totally slammed. I've been working on our local guild show which opens this evening. I did get two pieces, of the two allowed entries, into the show, so that's fun. We have 59 pieces total and some of the work is quite exceptional.

Other than this we had a substantial snow on Monday resulting in a power outage at our house for over 24 hours. Scrambling for candles and batteries, stoking the fire in the fireplace, trying to keep ourselves warm and going under those circumstances is challenging. We finally got somewhat back on track on Wednesday. We need to be better prepared than this. I'll make that a goal.

Today back to the Dr. with my Dad and taking care of my daughter's dog.

Obviously, no painting taking place with all of this going on. So the painting above is from last year. My daffodils this year were gorgeous until the snow storm took them down, sadly. This painting hangs in my guest room and is much better in person than this photo.

Hopefully I can get back to it pretty soon. Hope you will stay tuned.

Longhair Dachsund

"Longhair Dachsund"
6X6
Oil on Gessoed Board
Available

Back to the dogs..our dear friends. I have committed to donate a painting for a fund-raising project to benefit the local Cancer Society. The event is an auction and will be happening the middle of March. Since that is soon, I thought I should start warming up to get myself back into the dogs...one of my very favorite subjects to paint. I'm looking forward to the commission and hope the auction works out great for all!

Stay tuned....and bless our dogs who comfort us in all circumstances.

Tribute to Rick Santelli

"Tribute to the Wall Street Bull"
8X8
Oil on Canvas Panel
Available
Contact to Purchase

I had another title for this guy, but as I was painting him yesterday a wonderful outburst was taking place in Chicago by Rick Santelli, a commentator on CNBC. Watch him here The Wall Street Bull may be temporarily out to pasture, but I am a free market capitalist and am praying the he comes running back at some point in our lives, sooner rather than later. It isn't as if I have had tons of money in the stock market...just one small IRA that has been decimated by the Socialists who ruined the banks. (Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, etc.) What that Wall Street Bull represents to me is that American businesses are flourishing and people are living well. That, in my mind, is a great thing. While it doesn't fit the stereotype of "artist," I am an artist with a business. Besides art for art's sake, art is a business. No different than manufacturing any other product. The current bogus administration of our government is doing everything in its power to ruin freedom and the financial health of our country. I am watching a travesty beyond anything that I could have ever imagined. God bless Rick Santelli for his eloquent outrage at that moment yesterday. He spoke for the majority of Americans who are now held hostage to a Marxist / Socialist / Fascist tyranny. As Rick said yesterday, "Are you listening, President Obama???"


My first title was, "Beware of 'Being' Over the Hill." I was thinking it would make a funny greeting card for a guy's birthday. In fact, if you know a guy who is having a birthday soon, this would be a very nice present....he can hang it in his office to remind him of his strength!! I had a lot of fun painting him and love the strength he conveys. Art cannot thrive under tyranny.

A Flight of Fantasy

"Mockingbird"
Available Painting
$550.00 (framed size 12X15)
Contact me to purchase.

USA TODAY
1/5/2005 3:23 PM


Wind turbines taking toll on birds of prey
By John Ritter, USA TODAY
ALTAMONT PASS, Calif. — "The big turbines that stretch for miles along these rolling, grassy hills have churned out clean, renewable electricity for two decades in one of the nation's first big wind-power projects.

But for just as long, massive fiberglass blades on the more than 4,000 windmills have been chopping up tens of thousands of birds that fly into them, including golden eagles, red-tailed hawks, burrowing owls and other raptors.

The size of the annual body count — conservatively put at 4,700 birds — is unique to this sprawling, 50-square-mile site in the Diablo Mountains between San Francisco and the agricultural Central Valley because it spans an international migratory bird route regulated by the federal government. The low mountains are home to the world's highest density of nesting golden eagles."


Here we are four years later and who is listening? The information above is not new. And it is ongoing. Meanwhile a whole lot of birds are biting the dust thanks to this insane push for "wind power." Not to mention the visual blight the turbines create. The so called 'environmentalists' have a huge hypocrisy problem. While they jump up and down and yell about "green" energy solutions, they are creating nothing more than fat bank accounts for themselves and their chosen few suppliers of this 'so called' "green" energy. They try to make you believe that they are on the side of wildlife and how the planet will collapse in short order if you don't buy into their schemes. The sorry thing is that they are stealing your taxes to support their very flawed agenda. By creating a false crisis, a lot of fat cat politicians and schemers are getting rich producing nothing of value from your hard work.

This Informative Article from the National Center for Policy Analysis

An excerpt here: "How many dead birds equal a dead fish equals an oil spill?" Ten thousand cumulative bird deaths from 1,731 MegaWatts of installed U.S. capacity is the equivalent of 4.4 million bird deaths across the entire capacity of the United States electric market (approximately 770 gigawatts). A 20 percent share of U.S. capacity, a figure that the American Wind Energy Association put forward some years ago in congressional hearings (see above), would equate to 880,000 cumulative bird deaths. Calculated on an average operating basis, the number would rise severalfold."

And this:

Other Environmental Drawbacks

"A distinct air emission problem of wind capacity is created when a new project is built where there is surplus electric generating capacity. Since large wind farms require thousands of tons of materials, virtually all of the air emissions associated with the electricity used to make these materials (such as cement or steel) must be counted against the air emissions "saved" once the farm comes on line and displaces fossil fuel-generated output. For example, a recently announced Zond wind farm of 40 to 45 effective megawatts is composed of 150 wind turbines weighing 35 tons each or just over 10 million pounds. The entire electricity requirement for these materials (cement, steel, fiberglass, etc.) must be estimated before assigning an air emission factor. To calculate a net emission savings, that factor must be subtracted from the air emission reduction once the wind project comes online."

The sad thing for me is twofold. First, I love birds. If I could grow wings, I would. Second, I know people who think they are friends of birds, who belong to "Bird Watching" organizations, yet who voted for this President and his "Green Energy" nonsense. I guess they don't realize it when they are at odds with their own goals and mindlessly vote for the "feel good" agenda. I wonder how the brain can disconnect from logical consequences. I am having a very hard time suffering these fools.

Daffodil Reclining

"Daffodil Reclining"
5X7
Oil on Canvas Panel

I am surprised to see my daffodils blooming already....this being February 14th. Since it's Valentine's Day, I thought I would share one of them with you. I painted this one spring before last...but have enjoyed having it around. It sits in a very nice frame on a decorative easel in my studio. This way I get to enjoy a daffodil all year long...and that is one small bright spot in these dismal days.

SC Landscape Finished

"Equilibrium"
16X20
Oil on Linen Panel
Available / A Natural View, Gaston County Art Guild Show at the Schiele Museum of Natural History
Dates: March 5 -April 4, 2009
Location: 1500 E. Garrison Blvd., Gastonia, 28054

That is.....if this painting gets into the show. (if not, you can buy directly from me) This is a judged / juried show and the requirements are stiff. We have a very qualified prestigious judge this year, Dee Beard Dean who is known for her beautiful landscape paintings and for founding the Plein Air Painters of the Southeast. In my estimation, this show is the best show of the year for the Gaston County Art Guild. I say that because I love the theme...all things in nature in North America. No manmade stuff, just raw nature.

If I were to describe my feelings about this painting, I would say it means "coming home" to me. It is a depiction of the type of scene I see from the road as my husband I drive home from somewhere...the farmland ready for planting, the pine forests in the background, the lush greenery surrounding the tilled fields, the Carolina Blue skies with some clouds kicking up, the sun streaking across the earth....all keeping me grounded and feeling balanced. That is why the title is "Equilibrium." Home is where the heart is....and this painting describes it to me.

WIP A Carolina Farmscape

"A Carolina Farmscape"
Detail
Work in Progress
Oil on Linen Panel

It's been a week since I have posted and I hope you didn't think I was slacking away over here. I actually have been working on this 16X20 piece in hopes of coming up with something bigger for an upcoming show. What you see here is about the middle third of the painting. Many challenges here. First I normally work much smaller...so the size alone is daunting for me. Secondly, this thing has a lot of sky, a middle area of lots of details, and then the foreground is a tilled field that looks to be waiting for planting. That means a lot of dirt. And the sky...well, it is a spectacular sky and I don't know if I could ever do it justice.

Anyway, I've been working on this for the last three and a half days (in between Dr.'s appts. for my Dad and trying to keep my daughter sane since she is one of the casualties of the Bank of America job cuts). I hope to finish it up tomorrow or the next day.

I also want to announce that Peter Fiore has begun a new blog to share his landscape studies. He is one of the contemporary artists I admire very much, so I am happy to have him join us in the blogging world! Take a look and sign up!!


Of course the other distraction is the disaster in Congress. Now that the left wing has shown its real agenda in bankrupting the country with the so called "stimulus bill," otherwise known as the biggest socialist travesty I personally have ever seen. I hope some of my artist friends are finally seeing what a mistake they made in electing this bunch of thieves. Ever the optimist, I try to think that even people with no brains can see the hypocrisy and out-right lies in this "New Messiah and his cohorts in crime." As an artist, personal freedom means something to me. Having George Orwell's 1984 come to life before my eyes is not fun. Having the United Nations tell Americans how they are supposed to conduct their lives is not my idea of American values. Having a pig like Al Gore, who is a scam artist and the biggest hypocrite in the world, tell the rest of us how we are ruining the earth is disgusting at best.

So as I try to paint and capture what is left of family owned farmland, I am totally sad that the political elite are taking land and resources out of the hands of private citizens and giving the same away to groups like the Land Conservancy....taking your tax dollars to confiscate farmland and other open space, taking it out of the hands of American citizens forever. When I say confiscate, I mean confiscate. The government has punished farmers and taxed businesses out of business...so when the farmers can't keep paying the price of government, the Lands Conservancy groups step in and offer tax credits to take the land out of the private sector. What that means is that we lose the tax base of the farm, we pay for the maintenance of the land, and the land is no longer available for anyone for any reason forever. And you and I are then taxed higher in order to cover the loss of the farm taxes, and the maintenance of the land. In short, you and I are paying government bureaucrats to take away the farm / agriculture base that sustained the food supply of our country. The abominations go on and on and on....and I just keep trying to paint. And while artists sit around lamenting the loss of our beautiful farms, they do stupid things like voting in people who are planning to place taxes on farmers for methane emissions of cows and other livestock. They vote in people who create food shortages by pushing ethanol on the transportation industry.

Go figure...

Lambkin and Mum

"Lambkin and Mum"
12X16
Oil on Linen Panel
Available

Contact to Purchase

I could have called this "Wool Gathering." As I paint, I am also thinking....about what I am painting and what it means to me.
Socialist government policies have been in the business of ruining family farming in America for years. It is a precious thing to capture one small scene of this dying industry and I am praying for a reversal of the mindset of our government which takes from people and produces nothing. Greenways do not, in any way, help the production of food or goods for our country. The Land Conservancy Group, and its friends, are in the business of taking privately owned land and giving it over to the government using your tax dollars to do it. Shame on you if you are participating in this unconstitutional travesty.

I know you will recognize the lamb from a previous post a week or so ago. I did the lamb as a 8X8 study before I began painting this one. I now think that was helpful...as it made me think through the composition and the contrast between the two subjects.

This piece is designated for "A Natural View," our show at the Schiele Museum of Natural History...unless it is purchased prior to that. I am picturing it above the mantel on a stone fireplace in a family room or on the wall in someone's guest room or bedroom. It has a rustic feel about it and reminds me of the houses in Blowing Rock, NC or in Cashiers, NC, those lovely places in the mountains we go for peace away from the cities. A country pastoral scene. That was the intent...I hope I got there.

(the colors in the painting are more true in the picture without the frame)

Peel Me a Grape

"Peel Me a Grape"
5X7
Oil on Canvas Panel
Available

This is a reprise of a piece from some time ago...Still under time constraints..working on bigger pieces for the upcoming Guild show, "A Natural View" in collaboration with the Schiele Museum of Natural History. Entries are due the end of February, so the heat is on.

Lambkin

"Lambkin"
8X8
Acrylic on Canvas Panel
Available

Click on picture to enlarge the view.

Contact to Purchase

Dropping back ten yards to punt...I have been so rushed and overwhelmed lately, that I decided to grab the acrylics to push myself to do something quicker. This is a scene I have been wanting to do...mostly because of the tranquility of it...a mood I am really needing right now.....in a big big way....

Hope you like it..

Stop The EPA From Taxes on Cows

"Holstein Grazing"
8X10
Oil on Panel
Available

Click on picture to enlarge the view.

Contact to Purchase


Yeah, I know the drill. I am an artist so I'm supposed to be a flaky liberal, an emotional wreck, and on my knees to the environmental zealots who supposedly are going after the "bad" guys to save the planet. But, nooooooo...not me. Not playing that game. Do I love the planet? For crying out loud, what kind of question is that? Am I outraged at pollution? Again, what kind of question is that? Next you'll be asking me, when did I stop beating my dog? Give it up already!

So I bring you this adorable, valuable, wonderful creature....the Holstein! According to Al Gore's army of hypocrites, this is one of the horrible causes of his fictional global warming. The humble cow. Your great new President just appointed one of these zealots to head up the EPA. The plan on the table is to start taxing farmers for each and every head of livestock, including cows, pigs, goats, etc., to offset the "bad" emissions of carbon dioxide from these creatures. As if farmers are not having a bad enough time of it already. As if this money grab is going to make one iota of difference, except to further enhance the big government coffers. If this is news to you, I'm sorry to ruin your day. If you know about it already, please call, email, and write to every politician you know and tell them to STOP THIS NONSENSE!

I recently wrote an article with the truth on this issue, facts and more, that was published locally in our hometown newspaper. If you would like to read the entire article, I am about to publish it later today on my other blog: My Tea Party Chronicle

Like most artists I admire, I am inspired by the wonders of nature. That doesn't mean I ascribe to the idea that we should punish farmers and, in effect, raise the prices on necessary food supplies and continue to erode what is left of our agrarian communities. Did you really vote for this??? Is this what you think is an appropriate response to a false premise and a false prophet?

Back to the easel.... stay tuned!! :-)

My Tea Party

"Queen's Cup"
Oil on Board
NFS


My Tea Party Chronicle
Click on Link Above!!

You're Invited! To a new blog I have established...which is just for the sake of getting it all off my chest and, hopefully, enlightening some people.
As if I have any time for another endeavor...but passion counts for something and I am just going to have to type faster if I am going to get it all out there.

I think I may be some kind of anomaly.....an artist who doesn't buy into the liberal, big government, global warming, peace mongering, guilt trips, whining and moaning about how bad Americans are, etc. Not only that, but I am becoming so so sick of hearing this nonsense and drivel that I can't stand it. I have no clue if there are other artists out there who, like me, are fed up with the liberals slant on the world. Nevertheless, I have decided to quit the silence and speak up.

Quite possibly I am taking on too much. As some of you know I have a very elderly father who is taking up a great deal of my time, a husband, a dog, an art guild, a house, a son (with family) who is in Korea, a daughter, and a lot of responsibilities. I have recently written and had published an editorial regarding the stupidity of global warming and the war on Carbon Dioxide. I care about our country, the environment, animals, and many other things...

Please click on the link above and you can come along with me as I periodically let it all out!! There are two posts and a link to a very important article by Al Fin on the reason we have an economic crisis.
Enjoy!!

'Magnolia Grande Flora'

"The Crown Jewel"
5X7
Oil on Panel
Available

Contact to Purchase

I am lucky enough to have acquired two of the large Southern Magnolia trees with my property. They sit in a very wooded area of the yard, though one of them is on the perimeter of the woods so it gets plenty of sun and air. They are the original kind, not the newer decorative versions. Each summer we have some of the fragrance wafting across the front yard and a few blossoms that we can reach to cut and bring into the house. It's one of those gifts for a girl who grew up in the North but appreciates the Southern climate more than I can say.

If you are interested in purchasing this one...click on the link above and let me know! :-)

'Winter Berries'

"Winter Berries"
7X5
Oil on Panel
Available

Contact to Purchase

Gloomy grey days of winter here. Actually it feels like an English grey, misty, foggy, rainy, snuggly sort of, "Let's eat scones and drink a lot of tea!" kind of weather we are having lately. It makes you grateful for the good roof over your head, the fireplace, the gas range, the quilts, the dear dog who looks bored....and of course the warm studio and paints. I'm glad for it all. We watch the birds diving in and out of the bushes gathering berries. It's a wonderful life when I get to stay home in my studio on inclement days. Cozy and wonderful.

I found this one to be more abstract than usual. My favorite part is the odd leaf just above the berries to the left of the stem...it had a bittersweet color and part of it was eaten away.

Mourning Dove's Nest

"Mourning Dove's Nest"
5X7
Oil on Panel
NFS

There is a reason for this painting that looks like I am getting a jump on spring when, in fact, it is just the second day of January. Before Christmas I painted a Mourning Dove..."Turtle Dove"...for a nature theme of Christmas. Truth is I love painting nature themes a good bit of the time. There is a Guild show coming up requiring entries by the first of March. This Guild show is one of my favorites. It is held at the Schiele Museum of Natural History and the theme of the show is "A Natural View." None of the art is supposed to have anything man-made depicted. Au Naturel..so to speak. Back to the Mourning Dove...if you will scroll down a few posts you will see her. This painting of the nest is a companion to that. I am thinking I will have them framed in a double mat within one frame. I don't usually do that, but I wanted to celebrate the renewal of life with this idea. Hope I accomplished that. Can spring be far behind???