HAPPY EASTER!

Here are a few photos from our family Easter celebration yesterday! It all starts with a yummy baked ham...
Daughter Tara, her boyfriend Steven, and little cousin Rosalie relax on the couch.
My son Jordan makes his cousin Rosalie laugh with silly bunnies.
My daughter Laura samples the fresh marshmallow bunnies she made.
Nephew Rory and Jordan share a good laugh.

Feeding the Crows

I know I have mentioned before that crows are my favorite bird. Here is a large painting of a girl feeding crows beneath a stylized weeping willow tree. I hope to list it on Ebay later this week. The painting has lots of texture and looks neat in a black frame on my wall. It was hard to photograph because there is so much texture that it causes a glare. For example, the crows are solid black, but the ridges of texture in the paint make them look kind of striped with white.

This has been a crazy busy weekend for me! I have been trying to get things ready to have Easter at my house next week. I feel like I am running in so many directions at once. I am so torn as to what to do first when I get up in the mornings of my three days off of work. I made dairy free cut out cookies (my nephew is allergic to all dairy), homemade soap (for prizes), and a carrot pinata for the kiddies. I spent most of today working in the yard--there is so much to do! I planted flowers in all of my pots and baskets--about 60 of them--with the help of my sweet daughter, Laura. She also had this beautiful bouquet of dogwoods and wisteria waiting for me when I came home from work on Thursday. She sure knows how to make me smile--all of my children do~ I hope you all have a fantastic week and a blessed Easter.

Red Bud Lane

The red bud trees are blooming in the St. Louis area. I would love to take a stroll down this lane on a beautiful spring day. This painting is on Ebay now. I have been using heavy bodied acrylic paints. I love the buttery feel and how they show off the brush strokes. It makes the painting look a lot like an oil painting. This is a large 14"x18" canvas. It looks nice in a frame on my wall right now...but if someone would like to purchase it...I will paint something else. Yes, my walls are ever changing. I rotate paintings in my frames on the walls as I paint them and sell them. It's a good thing I like changes!

Taming Grey Gardens and a Japanese Dinner.

Jordan and I spent the day starting to tame "Grey Gardens". We cleaned out the shed and brought up all the pots and baskets to prepare them for filling with soil and flowers. I stopped counting at 60 pots to fill. Most of my gardens are full of perennials, so I don't have to plant too many flowers in the ground, just vegetables and some of the herbs that are annuals. There is so much to do outside. I look forward to when it is all finished and looking pretty!

My daughters' favorite food is Asian. I surprised them this evening with making a Japanese dinner. We had lettuce wraps and California rolls. Tara and Laura put out their Asian umbrella, chopsticks, and special dishes. We all took turns rolling the sushi. It turned out pretty good, but I must admit, my favorite cuisine is Italian! Nothing compares to a glass of red wine with pasta or a great platter of fresh mozzarella and olive oil with tomatoes and basil straight from the garden!!
















Tomorrow I hope to finally finish a big painting I have been working on called "Redbud Lane". I have been experimenting with place perspectives. Check back soon to see how it turns out! Now, I am going to put my feet up and read the rest of "Water for Elephants".

Three More!

I have three more paintings to show you. I just couldn't stop painting this past weekend! The first one is "Bunny Hug". This little girl is enjoying a big fat bunny hug--the bunny...not so much!

















The second one, "Love Dove", is a springy one. I used vintage sheet music on the girl's dress!
The third on is called "Time Out". Oh boy, do I remember children with this look on their face!!

All of these will be up on Ebay soon!!

I wonder if other states are experiencing the crazy weather that Missouri is! We had a big snow 2 weeks ago. Yesterday it got to 90 degrees..whew! and tonight it will get in the 30's. Oh, and then 70 on Wednesday! Some of my students are coming to school with mittens on and some are arriving in shorts and flip flops. I guess the parents can't figure out what to expect!

New Paintings~

I have two new paintings to show you. The first one, "Owl Whisperer", is a 6"X6" stretched canvas and it has lots of texture. I have been using heavy bodied acrylics and structure gel to achieve this. I like to use rubber stamps, bubble wrap, tooth picks, etc. to get the effects.

The second painting, "Fox Family", is on an 8"X10" stretched canvas.

I plan to put these on Ebay tonight. I have a few more in the works that I hope to list later this week.