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.