Cuckoo Clock Number 16 – A Watercolor Sketch

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2014

Cuckoo Clock Number 16 – A Watercolor Sketch

Another favorite.  I like my Captain Bird.  🙂

Sadly, this brings me to the end of my cuckoo clock sketches.  Since Jell-O molds is the theme for the March lesson, you will see less of these sketches.  I’m trying, but I have been getting a slow start on the Jell-O molds.  Stay tuned.  Maybe my inspiration will come in the morning, since I do most of my painting between 5-6 am.

About Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of president Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was a powerful political figure in her own right, crusading tirelessly for humanist causes. She was born in New York on October 11, 1884 and was orphaned young. After Franklin was struck by polio, she acted as his eyes and ears. She was central to the creation of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which she considered her crowning achievement, and wrote numerous essays, including a long-running column called “My Day.” She died on November 7, 1962.

Cuckoo Clock Number 15 – A Watercolor Sketch

“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 2014

Cuckoo Clock Number 15 – A Watercolor Sketch

Another one of my favorites.  I’m almost done.  Tomorrow is the last cuckoo clock.

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.

Cuckoo Clock Number 14 – A Watercolor Sketch

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”
– Helen Keller

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2014

Cuckoo Clock Number 14 – A Watercolor Sketch

I hope you can see the crown on the bird’s head.  When I resize these for the internet, it is harder to see some of the details.  This one was fun!

About Helen Keller

American author and activist Helen Keller was born in Alabama on June 27, 1880; she became blind and deaf after a childhood fever. When she was 7, Ann Sullivan famously coaxed her out of her sullen, angry shell and taught her to communicate. From then on, Keller took on the world. She graduated from Radcliffe, traveled the world visiting sweatshops and speaking out for the powerless, helped found the ACLU, and wrote eleven books. She died on June 1, 1968.

Hey Pretty Bird

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“You have the power to control the content of your thoughts. Put your attention and energy on what you want to happen.  This is how you harness the power of your intention to create just that. If you hold in your mind what you want to happen specifically and feel those feelings, you will be more relaxed and positive, no matter what comes your way.”

— Terri Cole

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Hey Pretty Bird

Well, this is the end of my birds.  It’s been fun revisiting them.  Have a great weekend and I’ll see you Monday.  🙂

Terri Cole is so smart!!  Here’s a link to her website:  Positively Positive

From the website:

“Positively Positive’s message has swept the globe. Embracing and broadcasting the voices of over one million fellow humans. For us, the response has been both inspiring and humbling.

At its core, Positively Positive is about optimism and inspiration. About seeing the possibility within each person—and within each day gifted us. It’s about wisdom and how we lift one another up to richer, more fulfilling lives. It’s about tapping into our true nature and capacity.

Our goal is simple: to bring uplifting voices and messages to our community every day. Our growing supply of blog posts, videos, and handpicked quotations are designed to remind us that there is good in every situation, and possibility in every person. Our contributors and guests hail from every conceivable walk of life, from Olympic Gold Medalists, to kids fighting for their lives, to everyday people wanting to make a difference in the world.

We’re here every day to help keep your Positivity Tank topped off. And maybe you’ll find something here that brightens your day a little. Or maybe, just maybe, you’ll find something that changes your life.”

Red Toucan in Tennies – Watercolor

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“Lost warriors have only to open their eyes to find the right and good path.“

— Chief Red Mountain

“We all carry a fountain of joy inside. This joy is not something special given to only a few of us. An abundance of joy, happiness, and peace is our right. Our hearts were meant to be full of love and laughter.  Life will not be without troubles, but joy and gratitude will heal all wounds and shine through all problems.”

— Nancy Hull-Mast

Red Toucan in Tennies – Watercolor

One may think I don’t like painting bird feet.  🙂

I leave for vacation two weeks from today!  Yay!  I only take one week off every other year, unless I travel for business.   Business trips don’t count, although I do try to add a day off to every trip, in case there’s something I want to do in that particular city.  I am really looking forward to this trip.  I get to spend time with family and some alone artist time.  Both good!

I couldn’t find any biographical info on either of these people, but I certainly like what they have to say.

Pink Poppy Flamingo in Pink Tennies

“Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit.”
– Peter Ustinov

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Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

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Pink Poppy Flamingo in Pink Tennies

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This flamingo absolutely lives in Bethville, where no wardrobe choice is a surprise.  When people look at you and laugh, it’s because your pink poppy outfit makes them happy.  I believe that to our very core, that’s what we all want… to be happy.  🙂

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By the way, changing themes did not correct my wordpress issues.  **sigh**

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About Peter Ustinov

British actor Peter Ustinov is best known for his Oscar-winning roles in Topkapi and Spartacus. He was born in London in 1921 to parents of blended pan-European extraction. He wrote several plays as well as a well-received autobiography, Dear Me. From 1969 until his death in 2004, he took on the role of goodwill ambassador for UNICEF, visiting disadvantaged children all over the world. He said his multicultural background gave him automatic loyalty to the UN.

You thought you were going to see another bird?

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”
– Theodore Seuss Giesel

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Yeah!!!!

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

You thought you were going to see another bird?

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I slipped this little grasshopper in among the birds for fun.   We’ll return to our regularly scheduled program tomorrow.  😀

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Has anyone ever seen the periodical cicadas?  They only appear every 13 to 17 years.   They mature underground for all those years, then emerge to fly around and mate.  They have been surrounding us for the last few weeks.  They are loud and abundant.  We have them in our neighborhood, but they don’t have them in town.  Weird!!!

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About Theodore Seuss Giesel

Theodor Seuss Geisel, the beloved Dr. Seuss, is renowned to generations of children as the author of Green Eggs and Ham and other deliciously absurd picture books. He was born in 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts. His first book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, was rejected 27 times. He wrote The Cat in the Hat after Houghton Mifflin asked him to write a children’s primer using fewer than 250 easy-reader words. He died in 1991.

Hey! I’m in Bethville…. so where are my shoes?

“If you haven’t forgiven yourself something, how can you forgive others?”
– Dolores Huerta

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Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Hey!  I’m in Bethville…. so where are my shoes?

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Needs no explanation, if you know my art.  **giggle**

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Yesterday was the hubby’s birthday.  We had a very romantic day of knocking dirt dobber nests off the stucco and scrubbing the red dirt stains away.  It took us 5 hours, but it made the hubby very, very happy.   Pork ribs and sweet potatoes for dinner didn’t hurt either.   He was celebrating the 27th anniversary of his 38th birthday.  🙂

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About Dolores Huerta

American labor leader Dolores Huerta cofounded the United Farm Workers and played a major role in the American civil-rights movement. She was born in a mining town in New Mexico in 1930 and raised in California’s Central Valley, where she saw the plight of farmworkers up close. She abandoned teaching for activism after witnessing her students’ poverty. Her best-known campaign was the successful grape boycott of the 1960’s. She currently serves as president of the Dolores Huerta Foundation, an organization aimed at promoting social justice in agricultural regions of California.

Wiggle My Butt, You Say?

“As a psychotherapist for over fifteen years, I have witnessed how thoughts create reality time and time again. I believe that chronic negative thoughts, limiting beliefs, and unexpressed feelings can make you sick. As a cancer survivor, I know my positive words and thoughts, combined with my healthy lifestyle and diet, directly impact my vibrant health.”
—Terri Cole

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Wiggle My Butt, You Say?

My hubby is the one that taught me that if I wiggle my butt at some random time during the day, it’ll make me giggle.  Kinda like a puppy wagging her tail.  Try it!  I swear, it works!  😀
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Terri Cole has the best website –  Positively Positive.  ”  I wonder if she knows about butt wiggling?

“Positively Positive’s message has swept the globe. Embracing and broadcasting the voices of over one million fellow humans. For us, the response has been both inspiring and humbling.

At its core, Positively Positive is about optimism and inspiration. About seeing the possibility within each person—and within each day gifted us. It’s about wisdom and how we lift one another up to richer, more fulfilling lives. It’s about tapping into our true nature and capacity.

Our goal is simple: to bring uplifting voices and messages to our community every day. Our growing supply of blog posts, videos, and handpicked quotations are designed to remind us that there is good in every situation, and possibility in every person. Our contributors and guests hail from every conceivable walk of life, from Olympic Gold Medalists, to kids fighting for their lives, to everyday people wanting to make a difference in the world.

We’re here every day to help keep your Positivity Tank topped off. And maybe you’ll find something here that brightens your day a little. Or maybe, just maybe, you’ll find something that changes your life.”

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Little Yellow Bird

“Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip.”
– Will Rogers

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

Little Yellow Bird

Such attention!  He looks like he’s patiently listening to someone or something.  Maybe he’s listening to the town gossip!  😀

About Will Rogers

American humorist Will Rogers was considered the Mark Twain of his generation. He was born in 1879 in Oklahoma, of Cherokee descent, and left school early to become a cowboy. In South Africa his showy roping skills won him a job in a traveling Wild West show, and he quickly switched over to vaudeville and film acting roles. He wrote six books and 4,000 syndicated columns. An avid flier, he died in a plane crash in 1935.