Bethville I – A little Peek of the Painting

“Women are having to do way too much. They are multi-tasking, working long hours, and they are still responsible for most of what happens with the family; they are caregivers, best friends, listeners; they are amazing, amazing people.”
–Dawn Tarnofsky

Dedicated to my amazing mother-in-law, Ruby Parker, who quietly passed away on Monday, November 28th, at the age of 86.  Rest in peace, Miss Ruby.

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2011

Bethville I – A little Peek of the Painting

I am working on a new series of large paintings.  I am calling them the Bethville series.  Many friends often referred to my painting style as “Bethville”, and comment that it would be a fun place to live.  This is a little peek into one of the watercolors I did as proofs for the larger acrylic paintings.    I am going to really enjoy doing these.

Dawn Tarnofsky-Ostroff was the former President of Entertainment of The CW Television Network. She was in charge of all creative efforts of the network and oversees such areas as current programming, series development, scheduling, research, marketing and publicity.

Ostroff began her career in news as a reporter for WINZ, a CBS affiliate in Miami. She also worked in local news at WPLG and WTVJ in Miami.

Ostroff joined Lifetime Television in October 1996 as Senior Vice President, Programming and Production. She was Executive Vice President of Lifetime starting in 1999.

Ostroff served as President of UPN Entertainment from February 11, 2002 until 2006, when she joined The CW.

Now in its 5th season, The CW is America’s youngest skewing broadcast network,[2] and Dawn Ostroff was in charge of the network’s primetime slate,[3] which during the 2010-2011 season featured series including The Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, Life Unexpected, One Tree Hill, America’s Next Top Model, 90210, Supernatural and Smallville, as well as new series Nikita, starring Maggie Q, and Hellcats, starring Aly Michalka and Ashley Tisdale.

She recently announced that she would be leaving the network in 2011.

Source:  Wikipedia

 

Dishes Galore – 30 Minute Challenge

“Don’t underestimate the value of doing nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.”
— Winnie The Pooh

Dishes Galore – 6″ x 6″ Watercolor & Sharpie

Lisilk posted a challenge for last weekend’s WDE at WetCanvas.  It was to do a painting in 30 minutes and post it.  This is my 30 minute challenge.  All the dishes in the photo were hand blown (clear) glass.  Of course, I had to add my own little take on it… especially if it was to be done in 30 minutes.  🙂

History of Winnie The Pooh

During the first World War, troops from Winnipeg (Manitoba, Canada) were being transported to eastern Canada, on their way to Europe, where they were to join the 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade. When the train stopped at White River, Ontario, a lieutenant called Harry Colebourn bought a small female black bear cub for $20 from a hunter who had killed its mother. He named her ‘Winnipeg’, after his hometown of Winnipeg, or ‘Winnie’ for short.

Winnie became the mascot of the Brigade and went to Britain with the unit. When the Brigade was posted to the battlefields of France, Colebourn, now a Captain, took Winnie to the London Zoo for a long loan. He formally presented the London Zoo with Winnie in December 1919 where he became a popular attraction and lived until 1934.  More info here on http://www.just-pooh.com/history.html

On Just-Pooh, you can find fun information about Winnie the Pooh and his friends, read about the history of the Winnie the Pooh stories, find the latest Winnie the Pooh bear news, play games, and so much more! Use the links on the left to get started. We hope you enjoy Just-Pooh and the magical world of Winnie the Pooh.

Fruit Stand

“Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.”
– Vincent van Gogh

Fruit Stand – 4″ x 8″ Watercolor & Sharpie

I did this little painting for the WDE over at WetCanvas.  Lisilk provided the photos to paint from last weekend.  I was able to squeeze this one in before we went to Oklahoma City to spend some time with my mother-in-law.  It was a lot of fun!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  For the last seven years, we’ve been having dinner with our friends, Jerry & Teresa.  There is usually 30-40 people there and they serve dinner off the truck rack in Jerry’s shop.  Little bit of hillbilly heaven!  I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

About Vincent van Gogh

The Dutch post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh worked as an artist for only ten years, but he had a profound and lasting effect on the art world. He was born in 1853 in Zundert. He briefly became a minister but was dismissed for caring too much about his impoverished parishioners. His brother, Theo, was a close friend and supporter. He only sold one painting during his lifetime. He is known for his heavy brushstrokes and strong colors. He died in 1890 of suicide.

 

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.

Laundry in Paradise – 2′ x 4′ Acrylic on Canvas

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did.  So throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore.  Dream.  Discover.”
–Mark Twain

Laundry in Paradise
2′ x 4′ Acrylic on Canvas

This painting is sooo much brighter in person.  I didn’t get an outdoor photo before it was hung last night.It is hanging in our laundry room, which is also the entrance to the house from the garage.

This painting was requested by the hubby and he normally isn’t a fan of this style, so I am totally happy that he loves it!  He does all the laundry at our house, so if he’s happy, I’m happy!  😀

Here is a photo I took of it before framing.  I laid it on the floor in my studio and stood on a chair.  🙂

A Life Lived in a Rapidly Changing World: Samuel L. Clemens‚ 1835-1910

As Twain’s books provide insight into the past‚ the events of his personal life further demonstrate his role as an eyewitness to history. During his lifetime‚ Sam Clemens watched a young United States evolve from a nation torn apart by internal conflicts to one of international power. He experienced America’s vast growth and change – from westward expansion to industrialization‚ the end of slavery‚ advancements in technology‚ big government and foreign wars. And along the way‚ he often had something to say about the changes happening in his country.

The Early Years

Samuel Clemens was born on November 30‚ 1835 in Florida‚ Missouri‚ the sixth of seven children. At the age of 4‚ Sam and his family moved to the small frontier town of Hannibal‚ Missouri‚ on the banks of the Mississippi River. Missouri‚ at the time‚ was a fairly new state (it had gained statehood in 1821) and comprised part of the country’s western border. It was also a slave state. Sam’s father owned one slave and his uncle owned several. In fact‚ it was on his uncle’s farm that Sam spent many boyhood summers playing in the slave quarters‚ listening to tall tales and the slave spirituals that he would enjoy throughout his life.

In 1847‚ when Sam was 11‚ his father died. Shortly thereafter he left school‚ having completed the fifth grade‚ to work as a printer’s apprentice for a local newspaper. His job was to arrange the type for each of the newspaper’s stories‚ allowing Sam to read the news of the world while completing his work.

See more on Mark Twain at marktwainhouse.org.

 

Small Piece of 2′ x 4′ Painting

“Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you – they’re supposed to help you discover who you are.”
–Bernice Johnson Reagon

Small Piece of 2′ x 4′ Painting
Acrylic on Canvas

I finished this painting over the weekend, but it was dark and the flash photo didn’t turn out well.  I’ll share it with you as soon as I have some daylight to take pictures in.  (I usually work dark to dark this time of the year, so it may be a few days.)

Is everybody ready for Thanksgiving?   We are having dinner with friends, as we have for the last eight years.  I’m bringing pie.  🙂

For over four decades Bernice Johnson Reagon has been a major cultural voice for freedom and justice. An African American woman’s voice, a child of Southwest Georgia, a voice raised in song, born in the struggle against racism in America during the Civil Rights Movement of the 50s and 60s, she is a composer, songleader, scholar and producer.

Scholar and Teacher – Perhaps no individual today better illustrates the transformative power and instruction of traditional African American music and cultural history than Bernice Johnson Reagon, who has excelled equally in the realms of scholarship, composition, teaching and performance.

Dr. Reagon was the featured speaker at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Seattle, Washington for a Martin Luther King Jr. celebration. The Seattle Times published a great review: “Freedom singer delivers civil-rights lessons in Seattle”.

Learn more at http://www.bernicejohnsonreagon.com/

 

Small Bit of 2′ x 4′ Painting – Acrylic on Canvas

“We must have courage to bet on our ideas, to take the calculated risk, and to act. Everyday living requires courage if life is to be effective and bring happiness.”

–Maxwell Maltz

Small bit of Large Painting – Acrylic on Canvas

Here’s another small peek at my2′ x 4′  work in progress.  I’m going to try to finish it over the weekend, if all goes well.  Of course the best laid plans are often spoiled with chores and such.  he he 😀

Dr. Maxwell Maltz created his self-improvement phenomenon: ‘Psycho-Cybernetics’ at age 61, as the climax to an already varied, colorful and exceptionally successful career.

For many years, Dr. Maltz had a flourishing practice as a reconstructive and cosmetic facial surgeon, lectured internationally on his medical specialty, and pursued a dual career as a prolific author.

He was inspired to move from treating “outer scars” to “inner scars” after observing that so many patients’ unhappiness and insecurities were not cured, as they and he had believed would occur when he gave them the perfect new faces they desired. Dr. Maltz first wrote of this discovery in his book “New Faces, New Futures.” In this groundbreaking book, Dr. Maltz suggested that many people “see themselves” inaccurately, their perceptions distorted by unchallenged and often erroneous beliefs imbedded in the subconscious mind.

After a decade of counseling hundreds of patients, extensive research of everything from German missile guidance technology (then more advanced than our own) to hypnosis, and testing his evolving “success conditioning techniques” on athletes an salespeople, he published his findings, in 1960, in the original ‘Psycho-Cybernetics’ book. It was an instant bestseller and made Dr. Maltz one of the most in-demand motivational speakers throughout the 1960’s and the early 1970’s.

Dr. Maltz went on to amass a wealth of “case history” material, seminars, workshops, radio broadcasts, over a dozen books all applying ‘Psycho-Cybernetics’ to different purposes, from business success to sex life improvement. He also authored and had published “The Magic Powers of the Self-Image”, “Five Minutes to Happiness”, “Live and Be Free through Psycho-Cybernetics” and three novels.

Source: http://www.psycho-cybernetics.com/maltz.html

Little Piece of My Big Painting – Acrylic on Canvas

“Believe in yourself!  Have faith in your abilities!  Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.”
–Norman Vincent Peale

Little Piece of My Big Painting – Acrylic on Canvas

Here is a second little look at a piece of the 24″ x 48″ painting I am working on.  The first piece is here.  My husband was out of town last night, so I played with it some more.  It’s going to take forever with all the layers of acrylic, but I am having so much fun working on it.   By the way, it seems strange to call such a joyful experience “work”.  😀

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale (May 31, 1898 – December 24, 1993) was a minister and author (most notably of The Power of Positive Thinking) and a progenitor of the theory of “positive thinking”.

Peale was born in Bowersville, Ohio. He graduated from Bellefontaine High School, Bellefontaine, Ohio. He has earned degrees at Ohio Wesleyan University (where he became a brother of the Fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta) and Boston University School of Theology.

Raised as a Methodist and ordained as a Methodist minister in 1922, Peale changed his religious affiliation to the Reformed Church in America in 1932 and began a 52-year tenure as pastor of Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan. During that time the church’s membership grew from 600 to over 5000, and he became one of New York City’s most famous preachers.

More…

 

Sneak Peek 1 – Acrylic on Canvas

“No one can really pull you up very high — you lose your grip on the rope. But on your own two feet you can climb mountains.”
– Louis Brandeis

Sneak Peek 1 – Acrylic on Canvas

I am working on a 24″ x 48″ painting.  It’s acrylic on canvas and was requested by my hubby for a specific room in our house.  I am having so much fun with it.  I didn’t want to share it in it’s “work in progress” stage, so I am going to just share little snippets.  Keep in mind that what you are looking at is only the first layer and a tiny piece of the composition.  Many more layers and color will be added.   Tune in for more pieces to the puzzle.   Fun, fun, fun!!!  😀

About Louis Brandeis

American judge Louis Brandeis was the first Jewish Supreme Court Justice, and one of the most influential Justices in the history of the Court. He was born in Kentucky in 1856 to Czech-born parents. He graduated from high school at age 14 and later became head of his class at Harvard Law School. As a Justice, many of his decisions created greater protections for individual rights of privacy and free speech. He died in 1941. Brandeis University was named in his honor.

Mountain Goat

“The gain in self-confidence of having accomplished a tiresome labour is immense.”
– Arnold Bennett

Mountain Goat – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor

I have learned so much this last week.  I upgraded to Windows 7 from XP Professional.   When I did that, I had to buy a $545.00 upgrade for my sign software, then a new monitor.  This was after replacing two internal hard drives.    I have learned that you better deactivate Photoshop CS 5, before you wipe out your hard drive.  They consider it as an install on separate computers and they won’t reactivate if you already have it on 2 computers.  grrrrr.  After an online chat with someone in India (or wherever Shatik lives) I was able to plead my case and get it reactivated.

I also learned that Microsoft XP( Seagate external) backups do not restore to Windows 7.  Ackkk!  But, You can open the backup on an XP computer, copy/paste items to the external hard drive, then come back and copy/paste them to your Windows 7 hard drive.  *sigh*  I finally retrieved my beloved fonts and pictures.  YAY!!

During all of this, I learned that if I remain the calmest person in the room, nothing is so awful that I can’t handle it with grace and composure.  I don’t even think I blurted any expletives during this fiasco.    I still have the best customers, friends, family and computer guru in the world.  All will return to normal very soon.  😀

About Arnold Bennett

Popular British novelist Arnold Bennett wrote more than 30 well-received novels, including The Old Wives Tale, the fictional life story of two sisters. He was born in 1867 in Hanley, in the heart of the six Staffordshire towns known as the Potteries. Although he left as an adult, settling in London and then Paris, he set much of his fiction in his birthplace, giving the novels a gritty realist texture. He died in 1931.