Here's JoBeth just getting started on her demo Tuesday night here in Big Spring to a packed house.  She did an interior scene as you can see from her post.  It was inspiring and informative as her demos always are.  I did time it and she went nonstop for 30 minutes! Bravo! Thank you for coming!

Big Spring, Texas Demonstration

Had a great time in Big Spring....seeing friends and making new ones.  Thanks to Jean Money and Lane Bond for making another artist feel at home.  The demo is on 140# Arches watercolor paper that was wet front and back, using a terry towel to remove excess water.  It is an interior low key painting of an ice cream shop....

Thanks Big Spring Art Association

Mums and Daisy - It is time for fall!

22x15 watercolor of a select group of fall mums I photographed at a Midland greenhouse, Alldredge Gardens.  There were golden yellow, soft pink, off white, and pale pink ones from which to choose.  This work has been SOLD.

Great News! Christmas in July

I have been contacted by the Dick Blick company for permission to use 10 of my Winter/Christmas themed art designs for their 2012 holiday catalog! Yay! It is truly Christmas in July here in hot west Texas!

Online

22x15 watercolor of an imaginary clothesline with fresh laundry blowing gently in the summer breeze.  Although I don't have a line I still dry some items outside in the backyard on hangers.  This was one of my favorite chores growing up along with taking clothes down then ironing them.

July Flag

July Flag

5x7

I have been missing watercolors, so I did a few of these small 5x7s on Monday.

This was done on some new paper I am experimenting with.

Bockingford.  It handled ok. Seems to have a little bit more texture than Arches.

Ken

Kenneth was in the 31st NCR (Naval Construction Regiment) Seabee Band, during the Viet Nam era.
he went in November 1966 and got out in March 1970. He got out 9 months early because the war was winding down.  He played at many many parades, including the Rose Parade, and played for Bob Hope, and many other celebrities.  He was stationed in Port Hueneme, California, and I got to be with him the whole time.  We were very blessed.  He traveled a lot...they went to Hawaii three times, Wyoming, Washington, Oregon, etc.  Their main job though, was to play for the battalions leaving for Viet Nam, and the battalions coming home from Viet Nam. He let me go with him a couple of times when an airplane was coming in, but he never let me go for the departures. It was very depressing for him.  To go and play 'Anchors Away' (Aweigh is in some songs) and see them leave, knowing some wouldn't be back. I am very proud of the time he spent honoring those soldiers and our beautiful America.

Ken will be 66 tomorrow, July 1st, and he went in the Navy in '66. So that is why the 66!

This collage painting was done using a 43 year old newspaper clipping that someone sent us before we came home. I wish we had the original!  There is an airplane in the back ground and I may add it.

By the way, For those who don't know, the reason I sign my paintings Suzy 'Pal'  is because Ken always signed his notes and letters, 'Pal'

Petunia Patch

15x22 watercolor on Italia acquerello 140 lb cold press finished today. Using one of many petunia photos taken in April during our plein air garden trips, this one was hard to get going as it is a light/midtone with not that many darks. I might have to go back in and glaze here and there but for the most part this daily painting is done. It is full of discreet abstract shapes of wilted blooms and twisted leaves if you look closely.  It is so dry here that although I prepared it wet in wet it really was dry on dry.

T-BONE

T-BONE 

Keri's little spoiled dog!

Strum'n

This Past week end I was at the Llano Estacado Winery at the Wine and Clay Festival.  This is the piece I worked on while there. I nearly finished it!  I added some music and the strings when I got home.
It was fun and I met a lot of nice people, and actually knew several that came through! I sold 4 of my collages.

Carolina Opry

This is 22x28 framed.  It is done using the technique Kay taught, using a phone book and matt medium.
Also, Gouache and collage. This is a lot of fun, and hope to do some more! Thanks Kay!

Cats at the Back Door

I think there were 60+ cats gathered at the back door of my husband's friend's house.  I painted this some years ago on full sheet 22x30 Saunders 140 lb cold press paper.  I sold this to the museum director at Scurry County in Snyder, TX.  Wow, I thought I had problems until seeing all of Lonnie's kitties; now he is down to only one or two.

Flamingo Friends

Over the weekend I did this one, watercolor on 20x30 Strathmore 500 plate heavy wt. illustration board, drawn with Magic colored pencil and Daniel Smith paints.  Total time about 2 hours, 25 minutes including sketching time.

Strawberry Pie Linda Rupard

This is a painting I painted from a photograph I took of Tex's pie he had at a resturant.

New Interior

I took a photo of this old car at the Fort Worth Stockyards, that had evidently been re-done. The red and white caught my eye after seeing the car, s naturally, I had to get some photos of it! I loved the red and white stripes.
It is 14x18 unframed, and is watercolor with a little white gouache.

Experimental Project

This was one of my projects today.....Kay I need a grade..this is 15x11 Arches rough #140.  Matt Medium was handy so it was applied with a brush on dry paper using a crusifrom design and then layed down newspaper....let it dry, pealed off what would come off and started painting with transparents and gouche.  Some of the paper on the side of the building looks like graffiti and a piece of the cartoons made an interesting sign under the awning.  The church domes were not in the original drawing...when the paper was pulled off those were the shapes I had to work with.....so domes were the best choice.  I didn't give a lot of thought to the newsprint just wanted to work with whatever happened...fun experiment....

Nearly Grown Up

Nearly Grown Up

I took this picture of my Aunt's bike, all grown up in a vine, just parts of it sticking out. I loved the way it looked 'Nearly Grown Up'. She has a couple more bikes in her yard, so there will probably be some more. It is 1/2 sheet so would frame out pretty large.

Norma's Calico

9x12 watercolor on Strathmore 140 lb cold press paper, Daniel Smith paints, of my friend Norma's kitty named Callie. The geranium pots are imaginary and I positioned the puss between them as if taking a little rest undisturbed.

Lavender Rose Linda Rupard

This is a Lavender Rose from a rose garden in AZ. A treat this time of the year.

Feline Groovy

12x9 watercolor on Strathmore 140 lb cold press paper over loose abstract underpainting.  After that dried I drew my cat Chuy relaxing and feline groovy on his colorful pillows, keeping the underpainting showing within the cat.  Meow!

The Red Piano

Texas Tech

Workshop in Bullard, TX

I got home from a workshop in Bullard, TX. We had a lot of fun! Everybody did a great job.
The Studio called, House of Peace belonged to Greta Faulkenberry (bottom row, left side)
I left their and went and spent a few days with my aunt in Avinger. It was a great trip.
Lots of catfish! yum!

The Fruit of the Spirit

22x30 watercolor of two pears and an apple cut in half, another one of my imaginary compositions.  The apple indicates Eve and her transgressions while pears denote fertility.  The white mission and cross sits prominently in the foreground with its entrance open to all.

A Touch of Red

Another attempt at doing glass. I tried more reds in the background, but just left the three little spots.

Fruit Cocktail 2

This is actually the first one I did, but it had a white and gray background, and it just would not
show up, so i reworked the whole thing. I tried to find brighter reds, and changed the background to black, to try to get some contrast. The umbrella was blue and it just wouldn't show up either.

Fruit Cocktail

I am getting ready to go to Tyler to teach a 2 day workshop, and this is what I think I will demo.
I wanted to try to figure out how to get the glass 'look'.
We don't drink, so I had to make this a fruit drink.

I did these sketches the other night watching television. From photos I have taken of little figurines, etc.

Sketch-booking is one of my absolute favorites! I just think there is a freshness and fun to sketch books. I have several that I have done over the years. One of my goals is to get back to using my sketch book everyday, instead of just when I think about it. When Watercolor Magic had a magazine called 'Sketchbook' I had some included in one of their issues! A few years back I got to go to Ruidoso, NM and do a sketchbook workshop with Don Getz, and we worked from life, and it was one of my most memorable times I have ever had! Don is the ultimate sketchbook/journal artist that I have met.

I really prefer to use watercolors on them when I get them drawn. Because I don't have enough self confidence, I use a pencil first, then a permanent marker, then paint. Sometimes I add the black marker when I am thru.
Everywhere I go, I take photos of chefs, statues, etc. I love the little chefs, and have several in my kitchen. Along with the big one that is a collage.