Low Country Sunset, 6x6

South Carolina marshes are so much fun to paint. I'd like to paint more of them, but you know how it is...so many subjects, so little time. This one me feel better after I painted an unsuccessful painting earlier this week. I hate to admit it, but better painters than I have admitted such things. In fact, it was a floral painting and as I gaze upon it now, it looks more and more like a "scraper." I think I need to work on painting flowers, but there are so many other things, like water: seascapes, ponds, rivers, waterfalls, and, of course, marshes.

SOLD

Mangroves, 6x8

Here are mangroves, reaching down to the water to establish a foothold and do their good work in the Indian River. I love them; their weirdness, their beauty, their usefulness.

PURCHASE

Mast General Store, 8x6 Oil on Gessoboard

I love the old and the new together. This man is on his cell phone in front of the original Mast General Store in North Carolina. Our painting group had a great time browsing through the items of a bygone era in the store. Fels-Naptha soap, Coke in bottles...a walk down memory lane.

PURCHASE

Beach Rocks, 6x6

This is a bit more peaceful than my last one. Water is the most soothing subject to paint, as far as I'm concerned, and I'm fortunate to live near the ocean (except for the high insurance rates).

PURCHASE

Stormy Weather, 6x6

"I must go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and sky;"--but not in weather like this.

That is part of one of my favorite poems, Sea Fever by John Masefield, and here is the rest of the line: "...and all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by." My English Lit teacher, Miss Loveless, introduced me to so much wonderful poetry, but she thought I didn't like poetry because she caught me writing parodies of the poems we read. I couldn't help myself; what can you expect a teenager to do when exposed to "She Was a Phantom of Delight?" It just begs to be parodied, doesn't it? 


My rowdy class found Robert Burns' "Ode To a Louse, On Seeing One on a Lady's Bonnet at Church" hilarious on its own merits. It began:

"Ha! whare ye gaun, ye crowlan ferlie!"

Old Robert had a sense of humor. And apparently, very good eyesight. He could spot a crawlin' ferlie from a pew away.

PURCHASE

Suzanne's Hollyhocks, 7X5

My daughter Suzanne is a fantastic gardener, and she raised these hollyhocks that are so dark they look black from a distance. She definitely has my grandmother's green thumb.

PURCHASE

I Miss You Already, 8x6

It really tugs at my heartstrings when I see young people deployed to hostile places. I can just imagine what that conversation might be about. This is No. 16 in my cell phone series.

PURCHASE

Kicked Back, 6x8 Oil on Canvas Board

Remember the olden days, when the only technology on the beach was a transistor radio? This is No. 15 in my series, On a Cellular Level. Many thanks to Bob M. for this great photo.

I appreciate the kind comments I get from everyone, and I would like to respond, but Google is not cooperating with me. Comments no longer show up in my email; I'm trying to figure out what the problem is. If anyone has a solution, please let me know.

PURCHASE

Grow Paint Eat, 6x6

 

This is my whole eggplant crop. One eggplant. I am trying to make the most of it, so I painted it and then we had it for dinner. I am entering the painting in the Daily Paintworks challenge titled, "What I Paint With." I'm killing two birds with one stone.

I can't blog without mentioning the Casey Anthony trial. Apparently some of the miscreants involved (some people call them "jurors") are going to try to cash in, as will Casey. That is just sickening. The Bad Seed ruined her parents' lives, took her own child's life, and will become a celebrity. It's even worse than the O.J. verdict, because it is the murder of a precious little child. There's no justice for Caylee. 

BUY

Blue Shoes, 6x8

It's not often that you see a man with shoes matching his shirt. This man was in the airport talking on his phone. This is No. 14 in my series, On a Cellular Level.

BUY

Oh My Aching Back: My Whiny Post

Last Tuesday I bent over to pick a weed and my back went all wonky.  The next day I was in excruciating pain, so much so that I have not been painting. On Friday I couldn't even walk, until I got medication. I'm much better now, but I just drew this little cartoon in lieu of posting a painting. I am completely out of new paintings, which is a first.

With my husband still recovering from a crushed heel, we make quite a pair. He limps and I shuffle. How pathetic. It makes one appreciate how wonderful life is when we can move around normally.

As they say, my back goes out more than I do!