Pink Ballet Slippers

“If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.”
— Booker T. Washington

Pink Ballet Slippers

2.5″ x 3.5″ Watercolor ATC

Wow!  Yesterday was amazing!  I got so much done that I’m staying off the internet another day.  😀

Booker T. Washington

• Born: 5 April 1856
• Birthplace: Franklin County, Virginia
• Died: 14 November 1915
• Best Known As: First head of the Tuskegee Institute

Born a slave and deprived of any early education, Booker Taliaferro Washington nonetheless became America’s foremost black educator of the early 20th century. He was the first teacher and principal of the Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama, a school for African-Americans where he championed vocational training as a means for black self-reliance. A well-known orator, Washington also wrote a best-selling autobiography (Up From Slavery, 1901) and advised Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft on race relations. His rather flaccid nickname of “The Great Accommodator” provides a clue as to why he was later criticized by W. E. B. Du Bois and the N.A.A.C.P. Washington was principal of Tuskegee Institute from 1881 until his death in 1915; it was originally called the Normal School for Colored Teachers and is now known as Tuskegee University.

Washington’s middle name was Taliaferro… According to the Tuskegee University website, Washington was married three times: to Fannie Smith from 1882 until her death in 1884; to Olivia Davis, from 1885 until her death in 1889; and Margaret Murray, from 1893 until his death in 1915… He was unrelated to President George Washington or botanist George Washington Carver… The Tuskegee Institute was the training ground for the Tuskegee Airmen, the famous all-black flying squadron of World War II.

Little Pink Shoes

“Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.”
– Bertrand Russell

Boy, isn’t that the truth!

Little Pink Shoes

2.5″ x 3.5″ Watercolor ATC

Anyone have a feeling that I’m stuck on pink mode?  😀

I am going to ban myself from the internet today.  OMG!!  Yes, I am so busy at work and I can always find too many things that interest me.  I get some really good email.  One quick check of my email can lead to an hour of blog browsing or art cruising.  A glance at who’s writing on my facebook wall can distract me, too.  It’s so easy to pop over to see what my niece has been up to, or my big brother.  *sigh*

Just for one day, I am going to resist.  Well, I have pending sign quotes, so I will check email for sign related messages…. but that’s it!!  ha ha ha

I’m going to buckle down and find my reserve of self discipline.  🙂

I’m missing you already!

About Bertrand Russell

British philosopher Bertrand Russell was greatly responsible for the shift toward logical analysis among philosophers; he introduced rigorous scientific methodology to the field and was best known for his books Principia Mathematica and The Principles of Mathematics. He was born in 1872 to an aristocratic English family but raised by a strict paternal grandmother after his parents died young. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950. Albert Einstein collaborated with him on a manifesto calling for nuclear disarmament. He died in 1970.

Princess Castle

“When patterns are broken, new worlds emerge.”
– Tuli Kupferberg

Princess Castle

4″ x 6″ Watercolor Postcard

I painted this little castle from a photo of Disney World, posted by RubyRedDog at WetCanvas.  I really had fun with all the detail on this itty bitty card.  I did the outlines with a Prismacolor fine liner pen.

Doesn’t every princess need a pink castle?  😀

About Tuli Kupferberg

Tuli Kupferberg, the American Beat poet and musician, was 42 when he cofounded the Fugs, a satirical, politically pointed rock band that became an integral part of the 60’s countercultural movement. He was born in 1923 in Brooklyn. Before forming the Fugs, he had no formal training in music; he had edited the underground magazines Birth and Yeah, and his poetry was featured in anthologies, including The Beat Scene. He died on July 12, 2010.

Little Pink House II

“Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.”
– Truman Capote

Yay!  It’s finished!

Little Pink House II

24″ x 48″ Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Canvas

The painting continues around the edges of the canvas, eliminating the need for a frame.

I took this picture with my Little Pink House II painting leaning up against my real pink house.  he he   This painting has been quite an adventure!  It’s like 10 times larger than I usually paint, so every square inch was a totally new experience for me.  I’m ready to do another one.    🙂

You may remember that the first Little Pink House is 4″ x 8″.  It is painted from a Barbados photo by Valri Ary.  It was Valri, who originally inspired me to go bigger with this one.  A progress shot is here.

Valri and I went to Barbados back in September of 2008.  I remember seeing a lot of these wonderful little houses.  That makes this painting even more fun.

About Truman Capote

The flamboyant American author Truman Capote is best known for his book In Cold Blood, the true story of the murder of a wealthy Kansas family. Written in a literary style, it spawned the creative nonfiction genre. Born in New Orleans in 1924 and raised by relatives in Alabama, Capote moved to New York when he was nine to live with his mother. He was a larger-than-life personality, known for his colorful attire, his lisping voice, and his outrageous statements. He died in 1984.

Turkeys and Lizards Galore!

“Since no one is perfect, it follows that all great deeds have been accomplished out of imperfection. Yet they were accomplished, somehow, all the same.”
– Lois McMaster Bujold

Shoe Shopping Turkeys

4″ x 6″ Watercolor Postcard

This is a painting I did in 2008 for a WetCanvas WDE.  The same photo reference was posted for this weekend.  This image started a back and forth animated play between Eyepaint and myself, that went on for months.  Thelma the Wonder Turkey and Bert the Lizard.  Eyepaint even went on to write two little books about these characters.  What fun we had!

Bert and Thelma shared a lot of fascinating times and met a lot of interesting characters.

And it landed them in hot water on a regular basis.  😀

Yes, they even got involved in some cow tipping with a rascally frog!

We added frogs, eventually.  Bud, Weiser and Er.

I have a lot more, but I didn’t think to put them in a single journal most of the time, so many have been scattered here and there.  Each week, they went to whatever country or town the host lived in and they had adventures revolving around the host’s references.   Fun, fun, fun!!!

**clapping with glee**

About Lois McMaster Bujold

Lois McMaster Bujold, the award-winning American science fiction and fantasy writer, is best known for her “Vorkosigan Saga” space opera, a series of novels and short stories which blend action with strong character development. She was born in 1949 in Ohio and began writing seriously in her thirties. When her best friend began publishing novels, Bujold thought, “If she can do it, I can too.” She has won the prestigious Hugo Award four times. She lives in Minneapolis and has two children.

Pear Basket and a Sneak Peek at Large Painting

“Luck? I don’t know anything about luck. I’ve never banked on it and I’m afraid of people who do. Luck to me is something else: hard work — and realizing what is opportunity and what isn’t.”
– Lucille Ball

Pear Basket

4″ x 4″ Acrylic on Ampersand Artist Panel

I stopped while this resembled a block print, before I gave it too much form and detail.  It still may get something, but I don’t know what.

Would you like a sneak peek at my 2′ x 4′ painting? Here is one small square…

This was taken in my studio with no natural light, so it’s not a very good likeness, but it does give you a small glimpse of a small corner of the bigger painting.  I am having so much fun!  😀

About Lucille Ball

Lucille Ball, the beloved redheaded comedian, was born in 1911 in New York. She enrolled in drama school — where she was told she had no acting talent, so she became a model. That career led to her discovery by Hollywood. Ball and her bandleader husband, Desi Arnaz, pitched a sitcom to CBS, which refused it, but they went on the road with it as a vaudeville act. The act — about a ditzy housewife and her bandleader husband — was a success, as was the ensuing TV show, I Love Lucy. The show made TV history when Lucy’s sitcom character was pregnant on the air. She died in 1989.

Dave the Blue Cat

“It is not enough to have great qualities;  We should also have the management of them.”
— La Rochefoucauld

Dave the Blue Cat

4″ x 4″ Acrylic on Ampersand Artist Panel

I enjoyed doing this very much.  It was all done by loading my brush and squiggling the paint onto the black panel.

Hey, I am impressed that spell-check didn’t bust me on squiggling! hahaha  😀

La Rochefoucauld

(born Sept. 15, 1613, Paris, France — died March 16/17, 1680, Paris) French writer. Of a noble family, he joined the army at an early age and was wounded several times. He later played a leading part in the Fronde but gradually won his way back into royal favour. He turned his energies to intellectual pursuits and became the leading exponent of the maxime, a French form of epigram that concisely expresses a harsh or paradoxical truth. Maximes (five eds., 1665 – 78), his principal achievement, consists of 500 reflections on human behaviour. His Mémoires (1664) recount the plots and campaigns of mutinous nobles during the Fronde.

End of Summer Self Portrait Challenge

“Courage is the human virtue that counts most — courage to act on limited knowledge and insufficient evidence. That’s all any of us have.”
– Robert Frost

The Essence of Me

Computer Generated Clipart Collage

Linda Halcomb posted an End of Summer Self Portrait Challenge on her blog. Today is the day we are supposed to post our self portrait.

I tried to paint myself, three times.  I can’t capture the resemblance, so  I decided to do what I call a clipart collage.

Starting from the top….

1. The little business card  is a logo I use on a lot of paperwork, like quotes or letters.  It’s being held by a stock clipart lady from Printmaster Platinum 17.

2. Of course I have to add a lady at the computer.  So much of my work is done on a computer and then I do all the blogging, website, wetcanvas, etc. (stock clipart)

3. I need a boat in there, since I live on a lake. (stock clipart)

4. The books are front and center.  They are my motivational books.  I made this part from boxes and text.

5. Purple cow is there, because it makes me smile! (stock clipart)

6. We have to have the woman in the plane.  Wheeeeeeeee! (stock clipart)

7. And of course, the painter-lady.  (stock clipart)

All of this is “welded” together, pixel by pixel, so that it could even be cut from vinyl, if I wanted to make a sign from it.  😀

For more self-portraits of various artists click here and go to the comments section. Other artists, who participated, have left their links there.

About Robert Frost

Robert Frost, the influential American poet known for his rural settings, uncluttered language, and meditative themes, wrote the poems, “A Road Not Taken” and “Mending Walls,” among many others. He was born in San Francisco in 1874 and moved to Massachusetts at age 11. He ran a farm for ten years, selling it to move to England and become a full-time poet. After achieving his goal, he moved back to New Hampshire. His ambition was to write “a few poems it will be hard to get rid of.” He died in 1963.

Dave in Pink

“What we hope ever to do with ease we may learn first to do with diligence.”
– Samuel Johnson

Dave in Pink

5″ x 7″ Watercolor

I spent a lot of time on my big 2′ x 4′ painting, but I did manage a few little bitty paintings.  This one is Dave, the cat of OldRockChick at WetCanvas.  She said he may not approve of being pink.  He’s quite a manly man!  hehehe

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.

Mr & Mrs Parker

“Artists must be sacrificed to their art. Like bees, they must put their lives into the sting they give.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Mr & Mrs Parker

Ambergris Caye, Belize

September 17, 2002

What a beautiful day that was, on the day I married Mr. Right.  I just wanted to take a moment to be grateful for all I have been blessed with.    🙂

Have a great weekend!

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Born: 25 May 1803

• Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts
• Died: 27 April 1882
• Best Known As: A founder of Transcendentalism

Ralph Waldo Emerson’s father was the seventh in an unbroken line of ministers dating back to Puritan days, and after attending Harvard Emerson himself became a Unitarian minister. After the death of his young wife and two elder brothers, Emerson began to doubt his faith and in 1832 resigned his ministry. Eventually he settled in Concord, Massachusetts, where he lived most of the rest of his life thinking, writing and speaking. Emerson remains important in American history as a founder of the school of thought known as Transcendentalism. Its chief features were a reliance on intuition over cold scientific reason, a belief that the natural world held spiritual truths, and an optimistic view of the human spirit. Emerson was known as a stirring speaker, eventually earning the sobriquet “the Sage of Concord.”

White Sands Cove Resort

Ambergris Caye, Belize