Stack of Cups

“Attempt easy tasks as if they were difficult, and difficult as if they were easy; in the one case that confidence may not fall asleep, in the other that it may not be dismayed.”
– Baltasar Gracián y Morales

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2011

Stack of Cups – 6″ x 9″ Gouache on Art Spectrum Colourfix

I hosted the WDE at WetCanvas last weekend.  It was so much fun!  The two weekends per year that I host, the hubby leaves me alone to do all the art I want.  That is pure joy for me.  This is a stack of my office coffee cups.  I had a great time with this one.  There is still time to play.  Just go to:  All Media Art Events forum.

About Baltasar Gracián y Morales

Baltasar Gracián y Morales, the Jesuit scholar and moralist author, was the leading Spanish proponent of conceptism (conceptismo), a method of expressing ideas through puns, epigrams, and other verbal devices. He was born in 1601 in Aragon. The Jesuit leadership frowned on his oratorical style, which included reading a letter from Hell to his congregation. His best known books include The Art of Worldly Wisdom and The Hero, which repudiated Machiavelli. He died in 1658.

 

Gossiping Penguins

“Most people are so busy knocking themselves out trying to do everything they think they should do, they never get around to do what they want to do.”
– Kathleen Winsor

Gossiping Penguins 5" x 7" Gouache on Black Greeting Card

Saturday night, I was awakened by the sound of a helicopter flying mere inches over the house…. or so I thought.   We actually had a 5.7 earthquake!

Many of the reports I read stated that people thought it was a low flying airplane, when it was the roar of the ground shaking violently.   Nothing fell at our house, but I heard stories of pictures falling off the walls at some homes.    Having lived in California for over 10 years, I remember earthquakes well.  But it’s only the second time I have experienced one in Oklahoma.  This one beat the 1952 record for the strongest Oklahoma earthquake.

My neighbors still insist that a military helicopter flew over our homes… minutes before the earthquake, although nobody actually “saw” it. 

Photo reference for this painting was provided by mginsberg at WeCanvas.  Thanks, Marianne!

About Kathleen Winsor

American author Kathleen Winsor is best known for the racy historical novel, Forever Amber, which made a huge splash when it was first published in 1944, selling 100,000 copies the first week. It was banned in 14 states for its sexual content. The ensuing debate contributed to the loosening of restrictions that allowed works by D. H. Lawrence and Henry Miller to be published in the US. Winsor wrote a number of other novels, none as successful. She was born in 1919 and died in 2003.

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…

Patches the Cat

“Victory is won not in miles but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground, and later, win a little more.”
– Louis L’Amour

Patches the Cat – Gouache on Black 5″ x 7″ Greeting Card

Saturday, I needed a card for a baby shower, so I did this little cat on a black greeting card.  It was a hit at the party, but then… so was the cake. 

The reference is from Catherine at WetCanvas.

About Louis L’Amour

Louis L’Amour, the author known for his pulp westerns, wrote more than 100 novels in his lifetime. Born in North Dakota in 1908 as Louis LaMoore, he worked across the southwestern U.S. on a string of backbreaking jobs including longshoreman, elephant handler, and cattle skinner. He saw his writing as akin to telling tales by a campfire and wanted to be remembered simply as a good storyteller. He won the Medal of Freedom in 1984 and died in 1988.

Corner of Masa & Watercolor

“Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome.”
– Samuel Johnson

Corner of Masa & Watercolor – 7″ x 10″

This was an exercise in pure joy!  I spent 3 hours on this.  I just couldn’t quit fiddling.   I think that is part of the fun of masa.  Each brush stoke brings new discoveries.

The great reference photo was from Catherine at WetCanvas and was actually a corner in France.  I changed the signs because I am, after all, a sign lady. 

About Samuel Johnson

Samuel Johnson, the sharp-witted British essayist, wrote the first English language dictionary; his definitions still form the backbone of current dictionaries. He was born in Staffordshire in 1709. Johnson married a widow 20 years his senior and lived in poverty before achieving success with his essays when he was in his forties. Later in life, he befriended the young James Boswell, whose Life of Johnson became the quintessential English biography. Johnson died in 1784.

Cow in the Snow

“Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits.”
– Thomas A. Edison

Cow in the Snow – 7″ x 10″ Watercolor (& a Dab of White Gouache) on Masa

This was the first painting I did on the masa paper.  I loved it!  In real life, the colors are a little more vibrant.  I am loving the whole masa thing.  I can’t wait to do more.

I splattered some white gouache across this, to simulate the snow, but when it dried it had faded away.  I may come back in and do it again with acrylic, because it added a nice touch.  I just need more hours in my day. 

The images from today and yesterday are compliments of Just Chaos on WetCanvas.

About Thomas A. Edison

Thomas Edison, the American inventor who made his early fortune with the stock ticker and the phonograph record, is credited with inventing the light bulb — although he simply improved upon the original idea by making the bulb burn longer. Edison was born in 1847 in Ohio. He was a dreamer in school; his teacher called him “addled,” and his mother taught him at home. He used the money from his inventions to set up a lab with a number of employees; he held a record 1,093 patents in his name. He died in 1931.

Puerto Rico

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.”
– Amelia Earhart

Puerto Rico – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor Pencil and Gouache on Black Art Spectrum Colourfix

This was really fun!  I drew the whole thing with watercolor pencils, then came back in with gouache to finish it.   I cropped this from an image by Tonyjazz at WetCanvas.

The masa paper I ordered came in yesterday.  I can’t wait to play with it! 

About Amelia Earhart

Amelia Earhart, who was born in 1897 in Kansas, became the first person to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean and gained renown as a woman in a field dominated by men. Earhart worked as a nurse’s aide during World War I and learned to fly after moving to Los Angeles in 1919. She first became famous as one of a crew of three to fly across the Atlantic in 1928, but her best-known flight was her last. As she was attempting to fly around the world in 1937, her plane disappeared over the Pacific Ocean and was never found.

Port Wine

“Sometimes when we are generous in small, barely detectable ways it can change someone else’s life forever.”
– Margaret Cho

Port Wine – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor and Gouache on White Art Spectrum Colourfix

Art Spectrum Colourfix is a fine tooth sanded paper, designed for pastels.  I love doing watercolor on it.  This painting was challenging and fun!  It is from my WDE at WetCanvas and the image is a photo by Agnesdale.  It’s another great photo I found in the Reference Image Library at WetCanvas.

About Margaret Cho

Margaret Cho, the outspoken Korean-American comedian and actor, made television history as the first Asian-American with her own TV series, All American Girl. She was born in 1968 in San Francisco and has mined her life for extremely successful one-woman shows, including I’m the One That I Want and Notorious C.H.O., both of which spawned albums, movie versions, and books. When not touring with her comedy, Cho works now in Hollywood as both an actress and a director.

Laundry Day

“A mistake is simply another way of doing things.”
– Katharine Graham

Laundry Day – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Gouache

Okay…. I have not lost my mind and I have not started taking drugs.  he he  This was done in response to sundiver’s challenge for the WetCanvas WDE.  She challenged us to paint like Marc Chegall.  I know it’s lame, but I had fun anyway.  I used bits and pieces from six of Wendy’s reference photos.    I should not have used those two big flowers like that, but oh well. 

About Katharine Graham

Katharine Graham, the publisher of The Washington Post, is considered one of her era’s most powerful women. She was born in 1917 in New York. After her father bought the newspaper, she joined the staff as a reporter. Her husband inherited the paper from her father, and Graham took it over when he died in 1963. During her tenure, the paper printed the controversial Pentagon Papers and uncovered the Watergate conspiracy. She won a Pulitzer Prize in 1988 for her autobiography, Personal History. She died in 2001.

Balloon Ride Over Thailand II

“When one’s expectations are reduced to zero, one really appreciates everything one does have.”
– Stephen Hawking

Balloon Ride Over Thailand II

Gouache on 5″ x 7″ Black Photo Mount Greeting Card

First, I have to say that my heart goes out to all the storm victims in Alabama.  There have been so many lives lost and property destroyed.  What a tragic night it has been.

This is another painting done from a photo reference by Dewi at WetCanvas, from her balloon ride over Thailand.  I had a lot of fun doing this.  Click on the photo for a larger look. 

It has stopped raining for a couple days, so this afternoon I’m going flying.  I’m just going to practice my landings, but I’m really looking forward to it.  Tomorrow it will be too windy and then the rain comes back for Saturday and Sunday.

About Stephen Hawking

British scientist Stephen Hawking, best known for his book A Brief History of Time, which did much to popularize physics, is a leading theoretical physicist who used Einstein’s general theory of relativity to prove the big bang theory. He was born in 1942 in Oxford. He was diagnosed with severe amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at 21 and was not expected to live more than three years. Over time he has become more disabled, but he continues to lecture, speaking through a computer-controlled voice box.