Butterflies - a little tweaked

I wasn't too happy with the colors in my girl with the butterflies painting. Instead of completely revamping it, which I did consider, I thought I'd take the lazy way out and digitally teak it's colors.

It has a slightly silver screen mood to it, which suits this girl better, I think.

What do you think?

It's also listed as a print in my Etsy shop.

The Butterflies

Getting the butterflies can be the most wonderful feeling, and yet also be a bit frightening.

This is a new painting done in acrylic. I've got prints available now in my Etsy shop now.

Here's wishing you The Butterflies for all of your life!

TOC - Radio

In honor of the lovely Radioactive Glow's birthday, last night's TOC was "radio".

I'd had this idea in my mind for sometime, and since "Only a Lad" (OIngo Boingo) has "radio" in it (she had a radio that Johnny wanted oh so bad, so he took it the first chance he had... and then he shot her in the leg), I thought it was a good time to do it. Plus my time was limited and I'm realizing it's far quicker to just do a digital pix than go ahead a create from scratch some painting!

As usual, also always good to practice the Photoshop a bit more.

No, Jim didn't play the Oingo Boingo song, but I did get a couple other requests played... "Around the Dial" - The Kinks, and "Hang on to Yourself" - David Bowie. Kind of personal songs for me. My first concert with my friends as a teenager was The Kinks near the era of that song. And "Hang on to Yourself" is on one of my top 10 albums - Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars.

NibbleFest - Vintage Cats

This month's NibbleFest theme is "Vintage Cats". I got mine done just before the last deadline.

Had to join in on this theme, too fun!

Siamese cats are the most vintage of all the cats to me. These little two are also much inspired by my Mother and Son clone cats, although they're more like a tuxedo cat. I got a cool vintage chair not long ago, and the second the chair entered the house, the cats had taken it over. It's a true battle over who will lounge there first, feline or human. Feline usually wins.

This is an ACEO (2.5x3.5"), acrylic.

-SOLD-

Always can use the extra bidders, NibbleFest is a contest after all.

TOC - Sweet

Last week (Feb 13) the theme for Theme of Consciousness was "Sweet".

I did this little painting much inspired by my number 1 model, my sister.

I got a request also..."Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine", by Country Joe and the Fish. Pretty good one, I thought.

Art Lesson - Valentines Day-Give Your Heart

This is a Valentine's Day lesson I did with a class of 1st graders. I had some pre-cut heart shapes in different shapes and colors all prepared when I started. I first gave them a small piece of paper and scissors, and I had them trace their hand. Then we cut them out. At this age it's amazing how little practice some have had at cutting. They don't have time to cut in kindergarten any more! Anyway, I explained that it could be tricky, and it's OK to have an imperfect hand cut out. This class actually did better than expected, and only a couple needed help with the cutting. When they were done I passed out some hearts in 2 sizes. I then had them glue stick a small heart (in contrasting color) onto a larger hand. I showed them how the hand and heart would go together, to look like the hand was holding the heart. They then glued hands and hearts on. Then colored with some oil pastels. I had them write a personal message of their choice.

It's a good idea to have them either outline around their hand cut out, or have a contrasting color of some kind behind it. It was easy to have the hand get lost in the design.

And I liked how using the black hearts gave a more graphic appearance. The kids liked the black hearts too.


Some were very creative in their design. This boy (CK) was the only one that used the heart as a stencil, and colored around it. I love when they get their own ideas and modify the original design a bit.... Creative thinker!

This was a perfect lesson to fit in with their Valentine's Day party, which the teacher really wanted me to do, since her time was very limited that day.

Illustration Friday - time

Old-Time Sex Symbol.

Yeah, it may be a stretch!

This is one of my favorite women to paint - Evelyn Nesbit... America's first sex symbol, inspiration for the Gibson Girl, and key player in turn of the century scandal filled with love, murder, sex, millionaires and a beautiful woman. This disgraceful story of the day rivaled the present day OJ trial in notoriety.

So what do I do, try to do a sexy woman, and all I can come up with is some kind of old-timey sex goddess.

This is an ACEO (2.5x3.5 inches) done in watercolor.

It's for sale in my Etsy shop.

More Snowy Goodness

Crazy icicles. Beware, don't get stabbed.


Burned some calories shoveling today. Is this the San Jacintos, or the Rockies?


Pretty boy, Ziggy. He thinks it's very inconvenient to get around, and hardly worth it. He chooses to sit and watch the boy, rather than join him.


My own little view of the peak.


WARNING: RANT AHEAD!.....
Why must I have the neighbors that have their road plowed, then have the burm totally block the road? Hello, we live down this road too!! While no one's gonna be driving for a while here, and I do luckily have another easier way out, they will eventually come. They did this in December, and people end up getting stuck as they drive down the road. Then even after it melts there's this huge bump in the road, which will only be worse now after this latest act of neighborly love.

Deep Beneath The Cover

"Deep beneath the cover of another perfect wonder, where it's so white as snow." -- Red Hot Chili Peppers

I'm completely buried again. After years of drought, first we get a near record storm (at least since I've been in the mountains) before Christmas, then near drought all of January, then record storm again!!

I trudged out into it with great difficulty, to get some pix. My house looks pretty charming I think.... charming - alternate way to say tiny shanty)


It snowed all day, and is still snowing now.


It's beautiful, yes, but sometimes there's only so much beauty a person can take. I am glad for the forest though.

TOC - Weather

This week's TOC was weather. Lots of weather happening in So Cal right now. That's always different!

I'm just happy we've been having lots of rain and no real snow the last couple days. Pretty enjoyable to fall asleep with the rain falling. And then waking to more rain, and no snow. I love it! I'm also prepared for the snow that's expected though. It is still February after all.

OH and I got some requests played for the theme, 3 of them -- "Cold Rain and Snow" and "Box of Rain", Grateful Dead (resident tribal Dead Head) ... and "Sunny Afternoon" The Kinks. While the snow is gorgeous and very romantic as I watch it fall, I'm also looking forward to Lazin on a Sunny Afternoon -- in the Summertime!

This is ACEO sized, acrylic.

Illustration Friday - flawed

This is my entry for Illustration Friday's prompt of "flawed".

Sometimes the flawed one is most beautiful.

Even though this flower looks beautiful to you and me, it's different than the others in this field of daisies -- making it flawed to them.

Of course, usually the one that's different in a group is sometimes the most beautiful.

Look a little deeper into something and you will see the beauty. Everything and everyone has their own beauty, you just have to dig a little sometimes to find it.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

This is an ACEO (3.5 x 2.5 inches) watercolor and pen and ink. Available for sale on Etsy.