Art Show in Middleburg

I am back from my show in Middleburg, Virginia, and I am happy to report that it was a very successful show. The venue was beautiful, thanks to my sister Genie, and I met so many lovely people. Sales were brisk and the food was delicious. What more could any artist ask?

The painting below was a favorite; I could have sold it three times, and by the time I got home I had a request for it from an online collector. I see that I need to paint more cows.

Now to finish all the paperwork so I can get back to painting!

Carmen

Eat More Chikin, SOLD.

Tall Cup, 5x7 Oil on Canvas Still Life

So I digressed from my ten-minute paintings and did this one. I like it a lot less than the ten-minute one. I think I was, as Elio Camacho would say, "licking the paint." I must strike the happy medium between loose-goosey and licking the paint. And, as Richard Schmid says, have someone stand by to hit me over the head with a hammer when it's time to stop.

Going plein air painting today with the Pieces of 8. Sheer, unmitigated joy!

Carmen

Baby Alexsa, 16x20 Oil on Canvas, Portrait

This is another blast from the past, my granddaughter as a toddler. She looks very serious, and no telling what was going on in that little head. She's the one who named me Bubba.

The Golden Flute, 16x20 Oil on Canvas Portrait

This lovely lady was a fellow member of the National League of American Pen Women, and she would treat us to beautiful music at our meetings. Hearing the music and seeing her playing her golden flute made her irresistible to paint.

Golf Ball Hunt, 11x14 Watercolor

This is just a small portion of a bigger painting, a commission for a gift showing family memories.

I did this in the style of the journal I keep in which I sketch my various events and travels. I learned from the brilliant Diana Gessler, and the enjoyment I've gotten from filling my journals is worth a hundred times what that class cost. Who knew it would lead to a commission?

Carmen

The Racer, 10x8 Oil on Canvas

This is a ten-year-old boy named Reece racing a quad in competition, and he is a champion racer. When he is not in a serious race, he's driving his quad over the hills on the farm in Pennsylvania where he lives. 

Baby Rachel, 6x6 Pencil Drawing

I have been cleaning out my "art room" where I store paintings and supplies, and I found this copy of a drawing I did when my granddaughter Rachel was a baby. She will graduate from Vanderbilt in the Spring, and we are so proud of her. She is fulfilling the dreams we all had for her when she was this sweet little baby.

I had done this drawing for my son and daughter-in-law and I framed it with decoupaged pictures of Rachel covering the frame. Let's just say it was tricky and I have not done another frame that way.

Healing Ceilings

The Pieces of Eight painting group is painting ceiling tiles to donate to Healing Ceilings, to be installed in cancer treatment centers in North Carolina. Below are some of our creative contributions, which we feel are far better to look at during treatment than plain acoustic tiles. 

Carmen Beecher

Denette Schweikert

Kathy Garvey

Cindy Michaud

Ready For My Closeup, 24x30 Oil on Canvas

This painting is currently displayed in the Pieces of 8 art exhibit at the King Center for the Performing Arts in Melbourne, Florida. Our exhibit is called "Black and White and Red All Over" and features all different media and quite a variety of styles. This painting comes with a story, and the story just keeps growing.

This is my dad's cousin Florence Chumbecos, who was a chorus girl on Broadway. I had a couple of her publicity shots but didn't know her last name. My cousin Vicki, who lives in Virginia, discovered our side of the family a couple weeks ago. She never knew we existed, and we have been solving genealogical mysteries via emails to each other. Neither of us knew Florence's last name, but Vicki found it through some detective work, and she found an article written by Florence about dancing with Fred Astaire. It was just like the movies: the lead dancer got sick, Florence filled in and danced in the role for a year. Mr. Astaire was just like you'd think--the nicest of men. Here is the article: http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/23388711

Vicki found this picture of Florence on eBay and bought it. Next we want to know when and where she died.

Clinton, Iowa

We traveled to Clinton, Iowa for yet another sad occasion, the loss of a beloved aunt. My husband got to reconnect with the huge family he used to play with as a child in Grandma's house (above left). Some of the cousins revisited Eagle Point Park, which sits on the widest part of the Mississippi.

We flew into Midway Airport in Chicago then drove to Iowa on Hwy 88, which is abusively toll-heavy. We couldn't believe the number of tolls, and no places to stop for food for a hundred miles. We saw a little town, DeKalb, and made for it. We found Busters, a little cafe where I had my first Chicago Hot Dog. It was delicious.

I was struck by the stark landscape, Spring not showing anywhere, just flat fields and isolated farms. Very Edward Hopperish. I am going to paint one of my windshield photos, which you will see in this blog if it's a successful painting.

Seamist, 48x24 Oil on Canvas

SOLD

This is our very own Satellite Beach, on one of those days when sea mists are rising. This was a commission, 48 inches wide by 24 high. Our beach never looks the same way twice; it changes color, shape, and after a particularly rough surf, sizeable rocks appear that were never there before. I love it all, except when hurricanes take a great deal of the beach away with them. 

Marilyn, 20x20 Oil on Canvas

Only Marilyn Monroe could wear a hat like that and look so good. This is one of my favorite pictures of the photogenic Miss Monroe. I really enjoyed painting it.

Referring back to my post before last on the 26th of March, I now believe my "Mystery Bird" is a Tricolored Heron. Bird lover Kelly Ricetti's "Red and the Peanut" blog was very helpful.

I'm so happy to announce that my painting of the San Marcos Piazza in Venice won First Place in the Contemporary Fine Art International challenge, "Places I Have Been." Here's my painting:

Robert Duvall

I have a new Modus Operandi. When there is no time to paint, go to my journal. This is Robert Duvall's driveway on his beautiful farm, where he raises longhorns and does the Tango with his beautiful wife.

Yesterday as the beautiful little children performed a Christmas play at our church, it was hard not to think of those little souls lost last week. I read that the number of people lost in massacres in our country this year is now up to eighty-four. My friend songwriter Bobby Braddock is quoted below on the subject, saying it better than I could:

"Maybe...instead of thinking that gun control advocates are exploiting victimized children to promote an agenda...and instead of thinking that gun control opponents care more about guns than children...and instead of threatening to remove from our pages the opinions of those with whom we disagree...and instead of letting "liberal vs conservative" weave its way into every fabric of our lives including this heartwrenching national tragedy...why don't we come TOGETHER, as we did on September 11, 2001, and why don't we listen to each other and try to figure out ways to truly help prevent the recurrence of mass child murders. I think there are few if any who sign on to Facebook who are not deeply saddened over the hideous loss of those babies in Connecticut."

Sealight, 10x10 Oil on Canvas

This wave posed nicely for me the other day, and I enjoyed painting it. I noticed the sky was doing interesting things and I could hear the waves from my house, so I rushed over to the beach and got some very nice shots. This will be displayed in my exhibit next month at the Art and Antique Gallery in  the Eau Gallie Art District in Melbourne, Florida. My exhibit is called "From Highland to Island," and I will have paintings of subjects from the mountains to the sea.

Halie and Bunny, 16x20 Oil on Canvas

This was done many years ago. Halie is now seventeen but I'll bet that bunny is in a drawer somewhere.

I mentioned in an earlier post that our political sign was stolen from our yard. Now we know there was an eyewitness, who said a man and his small children came into our yard and took the sign. They went around the corner, where the boys jumped up and down with the sign while dad took their picture. In one fell swoop, he taught them trespassing, stealing, violating others' free speech rights, and gloating about the crimes. What a dad.

Yesterday someone left at our door a "Hate DVD" with a swastika on it and the word "Reds" in reference to our President. I thought that word went out with the Cold War. Also yesterday, a woman stole an Obama sign, came back, holding the sign, to taunt the resident, then ran over her leg with a scooter. What has happened to our wholesome little town?

The Stolen Mother Teresa, 16x20 Pencil on Paper

Not for sale nor in my possession

Many years ago this artwork was stolen from the wall at Brevard Community College in Melbourne, Florida, where it was on display. I had worked so many hours on it, and it basically was a picture of tender subjects. In the center is my son at age four, and there is a butterfly on his chest. He was so delighted when it lit on him that I took his picture, and years later included it in this montage. All sweetness and light, yet some lowlife thief took it.

It occurred to me that now that we have the Worldwide Web, I can advertise my stolen artwork and maybe someone knows someone who has it...stranger things have happened.

I was reminded of this theft by our political sign being stolen from our yard last night, which involved trespassing on our property to get it. Same thing last election. Apparently someone doesn't have a full understanding of the First Amendment, or maybe it only applies to their party.

Suzanne, 8x12 Graphite Drawing

I took this one right off my wall, since I haven't had time to paint anything new this week. This is a graphite drawing of my youngest daughter Suzanne. Not for sale, of course.

Steve Jobs, 24 x 30 Collage

This was a brain strain, but Steve Jobs has my undying gratitude for the products that I use every day, so it was worth it. I am not the most patient person (my children are nodding), so anything I can use to easily manage images and documents is absolutely essential to me. It's a lot easier to work hard on a portrait when you are inspired, and my only regret is that I didn't buy Apple stock years ago. I would be able to afford all these art supplies now.

As far as collage goes, this should hold me for a while. I'm going to use some squishy, expensive oil paint now.