Into the Rapids

This is another painting I developed from the series of images I had from boys at the river. The action and feel are different. The boys were wading into an area were there were some rapids hence “Into the Rapids” 14 x 18 oil on linen, available Red Door Gallery. #oilpainting #localartist #arkansasartist #landscapepainting

Six Toed Cat

A couple of years ago my husband and I took a winter trip to Key West, Florida. We had the opportunity to view the house and grounds of the author Ernest Hemingway. There are several cats on the property and a couple of six toed cats are descended from his own polydactyl cat. Sailors believed that these six-toed cats, also known as “polydactyl” cats, brought good luck. He was an avid sailor and fisherman so having such a special cat was a good thing. This particular one was perched on the window sill as we began our tour and had the very special six-toes. “Six Toed Hemingway Cat” 10 x 8 oil on panel. This one will be with me at the Bentonville Art Stroll next Thursday and Saturday!

Morning Pick

Our usual Saturday begins with breakfast at one of favorite spots and then off to the farmers market in Hillcrest to visit with our favorite vendors and purchase fresh produce and flowers for the week. 
This sweet hardworking young lady from Rattle's Garden is beautiful and we frequent her stand. A couple of years ago she had a bumper crop of limelight hydrangeas which she was selling. I had brought my small camera that day and asked her if I could snap a few pictures while she was gathering up my bunch of flowers. This is a sweet memory for me and I have been wanting to paint it for quite some time. "Morning Pick" 16 x 12 oil on linen panel.

Tadpoles and Snails

This a painting I have been wanting to tackle for a while. A couple of years ago while plein air painting a group of young boys from a nearby camp came to play in the river to cool off. They were so full of joy and fun. It reminded me of my childhood when I would ride my bike down to the nearby pond to gather snails and tadpoles in a mason jar. The ditch along was filled with wild roses and in the early evening pheasants and dove scurried on the country road.

They were quite a distance off but my little point and shoot canon managed to capture the light and shapes of the boys. I have been pulling up the images every couple of months and thinking about how to begin this piece. After various composition changes I arrived at the one that seemed to pull the idea together. When I began painting it just flowed beautifully. The Adventurers  has been accepted into the Missouri Valley Impressionist Society 8th National Juried Competition and will be on view September 7 through October at the Albrecht-Kempner museum.