Craving Summer and Exciting News!

Mahi Mahi tacos, margaritas, eating outdoors, painting outdoors.  I am CRAVING summer.  For the first time since my husband and I moved to Montana I am truly missing warm weather.  So, what happened today?  March 4th??  On Mardi Gras?

Photo hijacked from the interwebs, but if I had beads
and a mask, I would definitely make this today.

Snow.  

I had been wishing and wishing for more snow because it's been in the negatives with no snow and that is NO fun.  And then my mental capacity for dealing with more cold said "No More!" and - what happens? - I get exactly what I was previously wishing for!  Anyway, I have a feeling this is all coming at an appropriate time because I'm going to have quite a bit of painting to do in the next few months. (More on that in a second!)  But, this past month I've worked on a couple of small paintings and this one turned out particularly well I think.  I'm still working on my photography skills of water colors so the whites are not quite as bright as they should be, but, until I those skills improve or I get in my new fancy dancy scanner, here it is:

"Painted Hills"
9.5" x 9.5"
watercolor on 300 lb. paper

I've been wanting and wanting to paint this scene since we moved here and just didn't really get up the gumption until now.  Around sunset, the hills around here turn into this gorgeous gold and blue and orange.  It'll be a little bit until we see them again unless it warms up right away and melts the snow - but I have a bunch of photos so that I can keep this trend going.  I'm going to put some in the local museum's gift shop and see if I can sell any.

I've realized, too, that I need to keep up this blog quite a bit better than I do.  I was introduced to an awesome artist out of Summerville over Facebook and I'm really inspired by how she really gets her art out there and has a consistent social media presence.  On top of gorgeous paintings, of course.  (It worked on gaining my business!  I signed up for her 2015 workshop in Venice!!!!)  So, one of my goals is to put myself out there a bit more.  Her name is Helen Beacham and her website is www.helenkbeacham.com  if you would like to check out her work!  Anyway, I'm pretty sure that putting at least a few of my paintings out in the online world helped me get my latest job by letting people know that I'm still painting and out here - even in Montana!  So, I need to get on this.

And what is that newest job?!?!  I'm illustrating a children's book!!  32 beautifully illustrated pages coming up.  For real.  This will probably stay under wraps until everything goes to press, but I'm very excited to share it with all of you hopefully this summer!

So, thank you to everyone who's made it this far in the post.  And thank you to all of my wonderful friends who have expressed interest in commissions.  I'm thrilled to do this and your support means the world to me.  Having a cheering section in this endeavor makes everything so much more meaningful!  And for any one who is interested in commissions, please feel free to email me at any time and I can send you my pricing for various sizes.  So far, I keep hearing that my prices are really reasonable and there are options for framed pieces or just matted pieces if you already have the perfect frame!  

Happy Mardi Gras everyone!  Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Art musings: Lonesome Dove and "Father Onion"

Hello friends!   So, Thanksgiving was just last week, right?

Yes... Christmas, New Year's, the Epiphany have all passed without a peep or a painting from the blog here.  And I have no idea where all of that time went.

My husband and I went to his sister's house in western Montana and we had an awesome Christmas.  There were six kids and eight adults and, at times, three dogs.  I had a great time making our gifts that finally came together after large amounts of machine sewing, hand sewing, and old fashioned love.  (And for my craft-minded friends and those who wonder why they haven't seen more paintings here, I have some pictures of these sewing projects at the end of this post.)

So, up first....  what I'm working on now in the calm after the holidays:  It's a series of paintings that is bringing me a little closer to my familial culinary origins.  My mom's side of the family is from southern Louisiana and are Cajun through and through.  Onion, celery, and green bell peppers are called the "Holy Trinity" of Cajun cooking and a staple for almost all Cajun dishes.  So, here's the start to the three painting series:

"Father Onion"  (watercolor 5"x5")

       

I'm going to do two others to complete the "trinity" AND add to my kitchen's stock of vegetables.  Next up, "Celery Son" and "Bell Pepper Spirit" ;-) Anyone up for stuffed bell peppers for dinner?


I also had the awesome opportunity to do some sketches for a friend here in Montana as a part of a Christmas present for her husband.  Her husband is a fan of the '70s western miniseries Lonesome Dove and she commissioned me to do a few pencil sketches from different scenes in the movie.  These are not the greatest photos, but they went out of the house rather quickly after they were finished.  The Christmas Rush!!  I am working on one more for them that I will post when it's finished.

One of the early scenes in the movie, where they are crossing the river into Mexico.

The last scene in the movie where Augustus McCrae is returning to Lonesome Dove, Texas.

I have a couple of other things and projects brewing that I'm really excited about, but my New Year's goals are to:

          1.  Paint more

          2.  Get in Shape

          3.  Do a monthly update for the blog 

                    (I'd love to do them more often, but it takes me surprisingly long to write a blog post and upload photos.)

          4.  Volunteer and learn more about our area

                    (I've just started volunteering at the Mondak Heritage Center, so more on that in a future post! It's an awesome mix of preservation and art!)

And I hope that you will all enjoy keeping up with the arts portion of that.  I have big plans and hopes for this year!  Happy New Year everyone!

And for any of those who were interested in my crafting projects that I have had a ton of fun with...  here's a selection:

Top:  A pullover shirt made from 100% wool flannel that I sewed for my brother-in-law with a personalized coat hook loop!  Mountain Man Work Shirt from Missouri River Patterns  Bottom left:   To my Aunt Mary Lynn --  Those pecans you sent made the MOST delicious pecan pie for Christmas.  Love you!  Bottom right:  I have succeeded as a wife.  My husband loves his vintage 1947 Lionel Train set.  Even the light and the horn work!  

Clockwise from top left:  Two of my super cute nieces modeling they're new waterproof aprons;  my nephew's new sketchbook with cover and pencil holders (I will make these for sale if anybody's interested!  They fit the moleskine notebooks and button close on the front);  The winner as far as the nieces were concerned - The Wee Mouse in a Tin House;  and my nephew's work apron made from my husband's repurposed denim, scrap leather, and leather buckle and straps from a horse bridle.