I have been thinking spring, even though we just got slapped with at least a foot of snow yesterday in the St. Louis area! These paintings will be available tonight on Ebay. The link is at the top of the page. Anytime you would like to see my latest work, just type "folk art Cris" in the search bar at Ebay!

This is my first painting of the new year. It is not for sale, it is my attempt at an impressionist style painting of my three grown children. Below is the photograph I looked at to paint this picture. I took some time off to enjoy the holidays with friends and family and plan to get back into painting my folk art really soon! I wish everyone a wonderful new year~

Out for a Stroll and 99 cents Sale!

This kitty is eager to show off her little one today. She hopes the old ladies won't make a fuss over her pacifier! This painting is available on Ebay right now. Also, there are two more little paintings listed with a starting bid of only 99 cents! Go check them out! As always, shipping is free!

New Paintings

Here are two more new paintings! The first one, "Perfect Paw", is a kitty washing her paw to perfection. The second one, "Momma Love", is a universal theme--but kitty wants in on the act! These will be available on Ebay tonight. The link to my Ebay is at the top of this page.

Laura and Kitty

I finally had time to paint today! This is a 12" X 16" gallery stretched canvas in a modern impressionist style. It is loosely created of my daughter Laura in the garden with her kitty. Her kitty doesn't really ever go outside and if she were holding him out there, you can bet fur would be flying and he would be clawing to get away. He does cuddle up in her arms in the house though! I will be listing this on Ebay tonight.

On the Lake with a Cat!

This is my version of Morisot's impressionistic painting, "On the Lake". I think if a cat was in the boat it would be a much livelier excursion! It looks nice framed up like this~ "On the Lake with a Cat" is available on Ebay now.

Van Gogh Cat

I'm pretty sure that if Van Gogh were a cat he would look like this one. This fun, chunky little painting is available on Ebay. Check it out and check back. I will be listing some more silly cat versions of famous paintings!

New Paintings!

Such a gloomy day here in the St. Louis area, but I like it! I have two paintings to show you. The first one, "Face to Face", shows a young man with a dilemma. Mom is at home with the stove ready--oh my!

The second painting is called, "A Little Birdie Told Me". This young lady is not sure she likes what she hears, but you know how rumors are! Both of these paintings will be available on Ebay soon. They were a little difficult to photograph because of all the texture and the gloss finish. Sometimes it causes a glare that I can't avoid. Have a great week everyone!

Experimenting on a Rainy Weekend!

I have been experimenting with different techniques and styles of painting. Here are a couple of small canvases I finished. I used heavy bodied acrylics so you can see the brush strokes, making them look a lot like oil paintings.

The first one is kind of an impressionistic style. It is called "Let's Run Away". The girl reminds me of my niece, Kelsey, when she was little.

The second one is "Goldfinch and Coneflower" --a very popular pairing in my yard! I took a more realistic approach on this one. I hope to list both of these soon.

My Clearance Sale is still going on! Check out my Ebay auctions--most of my older paintings are still at 99 cents!

Jazz Concert!

Music is a big part of my life. Although I, personally, am not musically talented--lots of my family members are. My dad played the trumpet in a band on the weekends as I was growing up. All those old big band songs bring me such memories. All three of my children were involved in band and choir all through high school. My son is an accomplished pianist and plays the guitar.
My brother-in-laws, niece and nephew all play guitars too. At our family gatherings you are more likely to witness a jam session than a game of touch football.

This 12"X12"X1.25" (deep sided) stretched canvas is a very "musical" painting! It will be listed on Ebay tonight!

Here is a clip of an impromptu performance by my kids--Tara, Laura, and Jordan at Christmas time.

ATC CARDS

It seems I am running out of things to paint on! I found these heavyweight ATC cards in my art supplies the other day and decided to paint a few. They are fun to work on. I have never really collected these, but they are a really cute way to collect art. How do people display them? I'd love to hear some ideas. They are 2.5"X3.5"--I will be putting them on Ebay soon. I just ordered a bunch of canvas panels from Dick Blick, so I should be set soon. I haven't been able to find a good source for the stretched canvases. I usually get them from Cheap Joe's online but they haven't had a sale lately. None of the stores around here carry very much selection of the the smaller sizes. Have a wonderful week everyone!

A Winter Memory

I have been working on this painting for a while and it evokes such nostalgic memories for me. When I was growing up there was a pond down the hill from where we lived and I remember ice skating on it in the winter. I can still feel my heart drop when cracking sounds could be heard as the ice shifted under your feet! It was kind of scary, but worth the feeling of soaring across the ice (in actuality, I was probably scuffling along, ha ha). We only had a couple of pair of skates between us, so we had to take turns. When the moon was fully upon us we would make the dreaded trudge up the hill toward home. Our fingers and toes were numb from the cold and we were anxious for the hot cocoa Mom surely had awaiting us!

This is a medium sized, primitive landscape, 12" X 12". It has lots of detail and shading for a melancholy feel. There is some subtle glittering where the moon hits the snow and ice. I really like how this one turned out, but I will be listing it on eBay soon. I think it would make a fun Christmas gift for someone.

NEW HALLOWEEN ART!

I haven't blogged in awhile because between school, family and painting, I have been so busy! I was free this weekend so I painted a lot! I had so many ideas in my head that I couldn't wait to get them down on canvas. I was up till 3 this morning doing some of them and I waxed them today. I also painted 2 "non-Halloween" canvases. One is of a little gymnast. I was so mesmerized by the Team America gymnasts in the Olympics this summer. I just love to watch them. I think so many little girls go through their "gymnast stage", I know my girls did! Well I gotta go bake a cake~today is my daughter, Laura's 19th birthday! I hope to get these paintings listed in the next couple of days. Have a great week everyone!!!!

CLEARANCE SALE!!

I have a few paintings sitting on my shelf, so I am listing a lot of them with a $.99 starting price just to move them. Here is one of them I am listing. In Queen Bee I used actual pages from an 1800's Grimm's Fairy Tale book. Go to my Ebay and check them all out.

I am still adjusting to the school schedule, but everything is going well. All my little ones were happy to be back at school. Not one tear! Not even from the "newbies"! My family is going to the Lake of the Ozarks this weekend for fun and relaxation at my sister Kerry's condo. We will be picking up my daughter Tara from college too, so I am excited to see her! It's been two long weeks--longest we have ever been apart! I am looking forward to the trip. Also my niece, Kelsey will be coming up from Dallas where she is in training as a competitive figure skater. I'm sure we will all have a great time!

Hi Everyone! Here is a progressive slide show of my latest painting. I have been wanting to try to do this, though I finally had to have my sisters help me. Two of them came over to swim today, you could only stand to be outside if you were in the water. It was 95 degrees but the humidity made it feel much warmer! I look forward to Autumn with bittersweet feelings. I love the season, but with it comes "back to school"--for me too--and all of hustle and bustle and hurrying here and there. Also, I will be packing my oldest up to move away for the first time. She went to community college here for two years and now she will continue her education in Psychology at Missouri State University (go Mizzou Tigers). I am excited for her but at the same time I will miss her a great deal. We are very close. My middle daughter will be starting at a community college as an art major. We are both excited to go shopping for all her new art supplies soon! Fun, fun, fun! My youngest, a son, will be a junior in high school. All he has done this summer is eat, sleep, eat, eat, eat, sleep, eat eat eat some more---and he is still so skinny! Those were the days, huh?

Ah, the lazy days of summer. The swinging bench under the pergola is my favorite place to read and sketch. I can see everything from there, on "my mountain". ha ha I finished a couple of paintings last night that I hope to post on Ebay later. One of them is a girl trying to do yoga with a few affectionate cats around her. They are probably breaking her concentration. I have never tried yoga, but I have a friend who swears by it. Maybe it is something I should try!

Octopus Dance

OCTOPUS DANCE!

This is my most recent painting I am posting on Ebay tonight. I like the way the colors turned out on this one. Mermaids seems to be a popular subject for folk art. I remember my daughters being obsessed with them when they were little. The martini gives this painting a more adult twist!