Cream in Your Coffee

“In every person who comes near you look for what is good and strong; honor that; try to imitate it, and your faults will drop off like dead leaves when their time comes.”

– John Ruskin

Cream in Your Coffee
5″ x 7″ Acrylic on Black Card Stock

I always drink my coffee black.  I drink my coffee all day long, right up to bedtime.  LOVE the stuff!  I was working on my BIG painting when I painted this, so I used the acrylic paint that was already out.  It was fun.  The photo is by oldrockchick from WetCanvas.  Everything was wood or white, but that didn’t deter me from dipping into the color! 

I have had a very good year and I am so very thankfull for all my blessings this Thanksgiving.  I hope you are enjoying the holiday with family and friends and you come back safe and sound to our little blogworld.  ((hugs))

About John Ruskin

John Ruskin was an English art critic who influenced the attitude of a whole generation toward art and architecture. He was born in 1819 in London. His career began with an essay defending his friend, artist J.M.W. Turner, from critics. His book Modern Painters made Turner popular and gave stature to the Pre-Raphaelite movement. He founded the Cambridge Scool of Art in 1858, now known as the Anglia Ruskin University. Leo Tolstoy called him one of those rare men who think with their heart. When Ruskin inherited wealth, he gave most of the money away. He died in 1900.

Idaho Range – Another Study

“When we are unable to find tranquility within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere.”
-Core-A-Te

Idaho Range – Gouache & Acrylic on Black Strathmore Photo Mount Card – 5″ x 7″

More practice from my 2009 photos.  I think if you looked at this week’s paintings, it would seem that they came from 5 different artists.  I was all over the place last weekend… having fun with my art.  he he

I just found out last night that we have a weekend house guest coming, so I’m not sure how much time I’ll get to paint.  I’ll probably sneak into the studio in the wee hours of the morning.  I’ll just have to be quiet, since it’s right next door to the guest bedroom. 

Core-a-te: conditioning meets martial arts

A body workout with a dollop of self-defense and a dash of spirituality

November 08, 2010|By Meredith May, Chronicle Staff Writer

Before entering the dojo, Whitney Arnautou had her students contemplate a daily saying:

“Accept change. It is inevitable. … In ourselves. Our bodies. Our relationships. Our Jobs. Understand that it’s happening every day, and try to move with the changes – gracefully.”  (Note from Beth… WOW!  I like that!)

Minds centered, it was time for Core-a-te, a new exercise class at the United Studios of Self Defense in San Francisco that combines karate, self-defense and a kick-in-the-pants core workout.

Arnautou, a Shaolin Kenpo black belt and fitness instructor, designed the one-hour workout to bring her students physical and spiritual balance.  More…

Peacock Painting

“I always wondered why somebody doesn’t do something about that. Then I realized I was somebody.”
– Lily Tomlin

Peacock Painting – 2.5″ x 3.5″ Watercolor & Dimensional Acrylic

“I’m Patsy the Peacock.  The thing I like best about spring is when they put new blue pebbles on my path.  The sun glistens on them and they just make me happy.  I stumble a lot, but I’m happy.”

This little ATC went to Betty in Plano, TX.

About Lily Tomlin

American comedian Lily Tomlin rose to fame for characters like sassy phone operator Ernestine and devilish five-year-old Edith Ann on the TV show Laugh-In. Born in 1939 in Detroit, she moved to New York after dropping out of a college pre-med track. She won a Tony Award for the hit one-woman show The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, written by her partner, Jane Wagner. She has also appeared in films, including Nashville and All of Me. She lives in California with Wagner.

Yellow Day Lily

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.  Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.  Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.  And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.  They somehow already know what you truly want to become.  Everything else is secondary.”
–Steve Jobs, founder and CEO of Apple

Yellow Day Lily

Acrylic on Paper

In this challenge, we were to paint in Van Gogh’s style.  I hadn’t been holding a paint brush in my hand very long when I attempted this and I knew very little about Van Gogh.  Never the less, it has always been one of my favorites. 

Steven Paul Jobs (born February 24, 1955) is an American business magnate and inventor. He is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Apple Inc. Jobs also previously served as chief executive of Pixar Animation Studios; he became a member of the board of The Walt Disney Company in 2006, following the acquisition of Pixar by Disney.   ^MORE…….

White Flower ala Georgia O’Keefe style

“Striving for perfection is the greatest stopper there is.… It’s your excuse to yourself for not doing anything. Instead, strive for excellence, doing your best.”
– Sir Laurence Olivier

White Flower ala Georgia O’Keefe style

Acrylic on Paper

Unfortunately, during my computer fiasco, I lost many of my pictures that were saved on my primary hard drive.  Rather than whine… I decided to go back to some paintings I had saved on the secondary drive and look at them again, just for fun and inspiration.

The paintings I have selected to share on my blog are the Plant Parade paintings I did on WetCanvas’ Florals and Botanicals forum.  This is one I did in 2007.  The challenge was to paint in the style of Georgia O’Keefe.   The reference was a white flower, but I don’t remember what kind it is.   Any ideas? 

About Sir Laurence Olivier

The brilliant English actor Laurence Olivier, known for roles in such films as The Entertainer, Rebecca, and Wuthering Heights, was central in founding Britain’s National Theater, and was artistic director there for ten years. He was born in 1907 in Surrey. Not a Method actor, he used external attributes to create a character. He craved performance and was depressed between jobs. He was the first actor to direct his own Oscar-winning performance, in Hamlet. He died in 1989.

Montreal in Color

“They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”
– Andy Warhol

Montreal in Color (Stage 1)

10″ x 14″ Watercolor & Acrylic on 140 lb cold press paper

I drew the buildings on watercolor paper, then painted all the lines in with black Golden Fluid Acrylic paint.  It took 2 hours from blank paper to this stage.    I couldn’t wait to fill in the color.  I felt like a little kid with a brand new coloring book!

This is the painting after I spent approximately another 3.5 hours filling it in with watercolor.  It was so fun!!!  If you want to see the original image by EllZee, go here to the WetCanvas WDE.

About Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol, the American pop artist, is probably best known for his silk screens of Campbell Soup and Marilyn Monroe. He was born as Andrew Warhola in Pittsburgh in 1928. His style borrowed from comic books and advertising; he wanted to remove the separation between commercial and fine art. His studio, the Factory, became a hub for the New York art scene. He was also a prolific filmmaker. He was shot three times in the chest in 1968 and narrowly escaped death. He died in 1987.

Aquarium View

“When you encounter difficulties and contradictions, do not try to break them, but bend them with gentleness and time.”
– St. Francis De Sales

Aquarium View

7.5″ x 11″ Acrylic & Watercolor on Watercolor Paper

I started this painting with acrylic, as I intended to do a watercolor wash to finish it.  I could have used masking fluid, except I don’t get along very well with masking fluid.

So here it is after I completed the acrylic.

And after I added the watercolor.

I had a lot of fun painting this, except when I got a little dizzy from painting all those leaves.  It was almost like doing pointilism.  It makes my eyes go cross-eyed!

The reference photo is by Crystalline174 at WetCanvas.  The funny thing about this painting is that my husband actually likes it.  That’s weird.  he he 

About St. Francis De Sales

St. Francis de Sales (1567–1622), known as the Gentle Saint, was bishop of Geneva. His motto was, “He who preaches with love preaches effectively,” and his religious texts, including Introduction to the Devout Life, have resonated with many non-Catholics. Pope Pius IX proclaimed him a patron saint of writers. Some consider him a patron saint of the deaf; he invented a form of sign language to teach a young deaf man how to communicate.