Anita Haltom’s Birthday Card

“Excellence is not an act but a habit. The things you do the most are the things you will do the best.”
– Marva Collins

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Anita Haltom’s Birthday Card

Our friend Anita turned 80!  We went to her Birthday party at the VFW on Saturday.  Anita can run circles around me.  She’s an energetic and beautiful lady.  I’m proud to call her my friend.  Her husband Harold threw a big wing-ding for her, complete with karaoke.  NO…. I do not sing!  (just in case you were wondering) 

About Marva Collins

American educator Marva Collins pioneered progressive education for disadvantaged children. She was born in Alabama on August 31, 1936 and in her 20′s moved to Chicago, where she founded a school for children who were at risk. After one year, every child tested at least five grades higher. Many public schools have successfully implemented her methods. She has appeared on 60 Minutes and Good Morning America and she received the National Humanities Medal from President Bush in 2004. She believes every child is a winner until someone convinces him or her too thoroughly otherwise.

 

Aunt Opal’s 99th Birthday Card

“Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things…”
–Robert Brault

So true.  One of my favorite memories of my dad is he and I having an ice cream sundae at Howard Johnson’s… just the two of us.  A simple little moment in time, yet all these years later, one of my favorite moments.

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Aunt Opal’s 99th Birthday Card – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink on 5″ x 7″ Black Greeting Card

The hubby’s aunt Opal turned 99 last month and we attended her birthday party at The Canadian First Methodist Church on Sunday.   She is such a joy and we love seeing her surrounded by people that she loves.  I had fun making her card.   I am looking forward to doing a special one for her 100th birthday. 

On Robert Brault’s blog: I am a free-lance writer who has contributed to magazines and newspapers in the USA for over 40 years. I offer my writings here as an entertainment only, pursuing no agenda and promoting no political philosophy. You can read more here.

I got his quote from my little Simple Truths book Stress is a Choice, by David Zerfoss.

 

A Very Tall Birdthday Cake

“Let a joy keep you. Reach out your hands and take it when it runs by.”
– Carl Sandburg

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

A Very Tall Birdthday Cake  – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

Tall is the word this week at Illustration Friday.  Who wouldn’t love a very tall Birdthday cake with a rooster on top.  I painted this card for my friend Teresa.  The flowers and the rooster were from two different  reference photos by Lin at WetCanvas.  I had so much fun painting this for my very special friend.

About Carl Sandburg

American poet, songwriter, and journalist Carl Sandburg played an essential role in the Chicago renaissance of the early twentieth century. He won two Pulitzer Prizes, one for poetry and one as a historian. He was born in Illinois in 1878. When he was 19, he hopped a westbound train and lived as a hobo. His poetry is filled with slang and the language of ordinary Americans. His publications include Chicago Poems, Cornhuskers, and the children’s series, Rootabaga Stories. He died in 1967.

 

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.

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.

Thailand Balloon Ride I

“It’s not what you are, but what you don’t become that hurts.”
– Oscar Levant

Thailand Balloon Ride I

Gouache on 5″ x 7″  Black Photo Mount Card

To follow along with the quote… this little black photo mount card wasn’t satisfied to be just that.  It wanted to be the surface for a painting.    The photo reference came from Dewi at WetCanvas.  She took it from a hot air balloon.  The photo was rather dark, so it inspired me to play with my gouache.  I had a great time.  Tomorrow, I’ll show you the other view from her balloon.

About Oscar Levant

Oscar Levant was a brilliant musician whose work was often overshadowed by his witty, neurotic persona. He was born in 1906 in Pittsburgh and moved with his mother to New York in 1922 to study music, gaining renown as a concert pianist before his twentieth birthday. He composed the scores for more than 20 movies in the years 1929 to 1948. He appeared in movies such as An American in Paris and hosted a TV talk show for two years; the show was taken off the air due to his risqué comments. He died in 1972.

Kitten Sandwich

The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm.
–Swedish proverb

Kitten Sandwich

4″ x 6″ Watercolor

I couldn’t resist this reference photo from Dewi’s WDE at WetCanvas.    When my husband first saw this, he thought it was two kittens in a clam shell.   

Here are some more Swedish proverbs, if you are interested.

Beagle Puppy

“Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.”
– e. e. cummings

Beagle Puppy

6″ x 6″ Watercolor

I hosted the WDE over the weekend at WetCanvas.  I gave myself permission to paint just for the pure joy of it.  I had the best time!!  I love this little puppy.  I imagine I will paint him again.  I painted him in an hour and put him on a birthday card for my neighbor, Sue.  I did three other paintings, so I’ll have some fresh content for my blog this week. 

There are some great reference photos in the link above, so go look and see if there is something you’d enjoy painting.  I included hi res links for each photo.  You don’t have to participate on WetCanvas.  Just enjoy the refs.

About e. e. cummings

The writer who became known as e. e. cummings was an experimental poet whose idiosyncratic typography complements the music of his poetry; he published more than 900 poems, two novels, and four plays. He was also an accomplished painter. He was born in Massachusetts in 1894 and entered the ambulance corps in World War I but ended up in a detention camp after expressing his pacifist views. He died in 1962. “In Just-” was his most famous poem.