PALETTE TALK
Talkin’ about watercolor, art, and life

The sounds and images of Spring fill me up to overflowing today. What rich beauty. What reminders of hope in the fresh new growth that surrounds us. 

My husband and I live on the edge of town in a wooded area. It was a wonderful adventure for the children when they were growing up here and now for the grandchildren who explore the woods and nearby creek. My husband, Ernie, is always ready to get out the mower and equipment that helps him keep his organic yard growing and we both delight in the  new growth that surrounds our house. Each year he is amazed that his physical energy lessens  but continues to take great joy in nurturing the natural growth that springs forth.

When the children were young we planted a plum tree and watched with anticipation as it bloomed the first year. We knew not to expect fruit yet, just watched it grow as it was meant to do. Two years later the weather was rather harsh and our plum tree ceased to bloom or grow. My husband is always ready to give people and plants lots of time to recuperate and begin growing again and so we left it and waited. I don’t know how much longer it was but yes, we did see new growth. What a wonderful sight to see! But strangely the blooms and leaves grew only on half of the tree; the other half remained as if dead. We soon learned from a horticulturalist friend that plums are often grafted into native peach trees that grow well in our climate. We had a “pleach” tree! It still blooms out one side of the tree and produces those very tiny native peaches that the birds and squirrels always find as they begin to ripen.

I’ve thought a lot about our little tree. Man meant for it to be a plum tree but by nature was intended to be a peach tree and produce peaches. As I inspected the beautiful peach blossoms today I couldn’t help but think about how much like the peach tree we are. Created and gifted for a purpose and sometimes encouraged by circumstances and the world view to be something else.  What joy and peace there is in being what you were created to be. As I think back to nurturing and watching the fruit tree grow, I realized we also nurtured and watched our children as they grew. The weather of life was rather harsh sometimes but they always struggled through. The result is that they are growing and “producing” as God intended for them to. They each grew into very different people designed and created for different purposes.  What a blessing to have been given the responsibility of helping nurture these precious souls. I delight in watching them nurture and encourage growth in their own children.

Have a blessed day.  And if you are in the area join me at the Great Plains Art Show on Southeastern Oklahoma State University campus. The reception is in the Center Gallery, Visual and Performing Arts Center, April 8^th at 6:00 pm and the exhibit is open to the public from 10:00 until 5:00 Mon. – Fri. through the month of April.

 

PALETTE TALK
Talkin' about watercolor, art, and life

Since my studio is in my home it is easy to let family life and other happenings keep me away from painting. One of the first things I do at the beginning of each year is taking care of getting my books ready for taxes. After getting all the information together,  I just hand it all over to my sweet husband who sees that it gets filed. The next step of the year is to make sure I am on task for all the Spring and Summer shows. By March 1 I still hadn’t gotten to step 2.

The most evident distraction was a son returning from Iraq. We have been blessed to be able to spend some time with him and with his family before they returned  to Ft. Hood for a few months and then on to Ft Monroe in Virginia. It is a real joy for his family to all be  together again.

 Most of the time I have much to say with my watercolors but my heart and head were elsewhere and my brush lay still and silent by my worktable. Then a couple of weeks ago, I was surprised to learn that I was one of the artists selected to be included in the Texoma Living Magazine’s March/April issue. Within a few days TLM writer, Steve Lenore, came to interview me and Dana Handy photographed my studio, paintings, and me. This experience has been a very encouraging motivator to take the lid off my watercolor palette and let my brushes play across the paper again. It has been fun this week getting back into “work time” in the studio. My head and heart are racing with ideas to paint.

I have included a photograph of Scarlet Sophia in progress that Dana took. If you would like to see more of Dana Handy’s photographs check out her website at www.lifeinpictures.smugmug.com . Dana is one of the artists who will be featured in the TLM.

After the Spring edition of Texoma Living Magazine is published a special exhibit of the featured artists will be held in the new gallery at Grayson County College in Denison, Texas. I plan on including Scarlet Sophia in that exhibit. Come see the finished painting. Thanks for listening to my thoughts. Please pick up a TLM or check out the web for the latest on-line issue.  I look forward to seeing you at the Grayson County featured artists exhibit.

I am so glad God chose to fill our world with color. Isn’t it beautiful!

PALETTE TALK
talkin' about watercolor, art, and life

Getting ready for the 7^th Annual Magnolia Festival Art Show here in Durant, Oklahoma has occupied most of my time the last few weeks. The show  takes place in the center of the Magnolia Festival activities, May 29-30 and is held in a cool indoor building on Main & 2^nd .                                                                  
Each year the search for a different way to paint a magnolia gets me out with camera and sometimes even step ladder. Always looking for just the right magnolia shape and lighting to inspire.  I take lots of pictures back to the studio. Often I find just the right lighting but not on the magnolia I want to paint. Well, that’s what painting is all about, putting it together to come up with a good composition that has a story to be told.
I like being challenged to paint something new each year. Usually the chosen magnolia comes from our local Southeastern campus. We have for many years been known as the Campus of a Thousand Magnolias … thus the name of the festival. At first it was unusual for southeastern Oklahoma to be filled with magnolia trees but now seems a very natural thing since they grow so well here. The campus trees are very large and old with much character and have influenced Durant to spring up with lots of trees all over town. The last 3 years my magnolia paintings came from such trees and each seemed to speak their personal story to me. This year I selected a newly blooming tree from Kansas. Daughter, LuAnn and family planted about 6 trees at the back of their property a few years ago. I wondered if they would grow and was pleasantly surprised when all but one did. They have had 3 years in their new home and are growing strong. Looking at the blooms reminded me of my children as babies … no scratches, perfect soft peach skin and clear eyes of wonder. The baby magnolia faces were sheltered by the large waxy leaves as they grew and stood like little toddlers in the Kansas landscape. Lu’s Magnolia is the same kind of magnolia that we have here in southern Oklahoma.  Amazing that  southern magnolias from Mississippi and Georgia are also found in Oklahoma and Kansas.
Our families no longer stay in one area either with children and their children in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, and even in Iraq. Probably sounds like your family too.  
Have a blessed day and maybe we'll see some of you at the Magnolia Festival.

PALETTE TALK
talkin' about watercolor, art, and life

The cleaning product 409 was a staple in our house for many years. It cleaned off pencil and crayon marks on the walls with ease.I'm really not sure what works now days. Haven't had that happen in a while but I found myself being the artist for walls this week in Edmond, Oklahoma. My oldest grandaughter and her husband are expecting their first child in a couple of weeks. They called on Great-Grandma to help with finishing the "nest". I remember how odd it was to be a Grandma at 35 when Erica was born and now it seems strange to be a Great! But I digress. Cody, Erica, and her dad had already painted the walls and had picked out "stuffed" animal characters taken from an appliqued quilt. Ninja, the resident dog was the only "child" until now. Well behaved but doesn't know what she is in for the next few months. Now each wall has a character complete with puffy and colorful grasses and organic greenery and a floor to ceiling tree is standing watchful in one corner. The lion is both our favorites --- well, I also like the giraffe who stands guard by the changing table. It was lots of fun to spend time with Erica and Cody and talk about many years past between Erica and I. Cody and I have ample time to get to know each other a little better also.
When I arrived back home to Ernie and familiar surroundings I received a phone call asking me to paint a design around a chandelier on a home slated for showing next month. I hated to turn them down but my goodness, great-grandma's have no business painting the ceiling with tri-focals and bad joints!

Coming up Oct. 18 is the reception for the Color Trends Show at The ArtPlace Gallery in Denison, Texas and then the next weekend I will be doing a demo for an assisted living center in Durant along with other activities for the fall season fun time. I guess that's appropriate for this great-grandma.

Until next time ...
keep talkin' about watercolor, art, and life

PALETTE TALK
Talkin' about watercolor, art, & life

Hot Springs is an interesting place to visit and Ernie and I had the opportunity to be there last week.  The South Central Region of the National Resource & Conservation Services invited us to come to their annual meeting for an awards luncheon.  My painting, Touch the Earth, has been selected from among other paintings by Indian Artists throughout the United States for the 2008 American Indian Heritage Month Poster.  This year the theme was Conservation - Our Heritage - Our Passion.  I was treated like a celebrity and met a lot of wonderful people.  My old farmer husband had a ball talking about the earth and tractors with many of the agriculturalists.  Representatives and directors were there from Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas.  In November 16,000 of the posters will be sent to all 50 states and Guam NRCS offices for distribution.  That's the largest print edition any of my paintings have ever seen!
It really is a great opportunity for American Indian artists to have their work seen in many areas of the country as conservation of the land and resources are promoted.
Each painting submitted was accompanied by narrative by the artist. Many people asked me about the model for the painting.  It was partially me standing by the mirror with shawl wrapped around my shoulders.  (Difficult to paint that way but one does what one must for art.) No, I don't have flowing grey hair and I'm not an ancient one yet!  I used my dad's features and aged them.  (My dad only lived to age 42.)  The background included elements that are found in Southeastern Oklahoma and probably many other parts of the United States.  Yes, the Indian Paintbrushes are out of season but they were included as symbolic of the sturdiness of the Indian, always surviving and thriving even in difficult "soil".

"The Choctaw people passionately love the earth.  The ancient ones walked barefoot, sat and lay on the ground because it was good to touch the earth.  The old Choctaw believed the Great Spirit created the earth and all the creatures that drink from her bounties and listen to her whispers.  The Choctaw's passion and kinship with all creatures of the earth, sky and water continues today.  The earth nourishes and provides for man.  Man must care for the earth and do it no harm.  If the earth dies, man dies."

I'd love to hear from you with thoughts and ideas.
Until next time keep talking about watercolor, art, and life.

 

It’s difficult to think “Fall” when we are baking in the middle of July but with workshops and shows coming up that’s what I’m doing. The Art Place Gallery in Denison, Texas has invited 5 watercolorists to exhibit during September and October. The theme is Color Trends. I am so thrilled to be one of the exhibitors! This is actually my first “special” show since coming back to painting a few years ago. The Color Trends theme opens doors to lots of interpretation. My mind is full of ideas! Hope you can make the show. To access the Art Place website just go to www.artplacegallery.com  and have a look around or check the gallery out on Main street of Denison.

Do you procrastinate? I’m afraid I still do that even at my “mature” age. This blog is one of those times! My studio calls … I am presenting a watercolor workshop this Saturday and need to finish my notes and prepare my demos but somehow I keep finding other things that need to be done. Like adding another entry to this blog. Know what I mean?

Anyway, hope your summer is a relaxing one for you and you are taking time to enjoy the earth and all it’s abundance. I entered the NRCS (National Resources & Conservation Services) American Indian Poster contest this year. The theme was Conservation – Our Passion --- Our Heritage. While during research for that piece one overriding theme was evident. The “Great Spirit” created the earth and man. The earth was created for man. Man is to care for the earth in return. If the earth dies then man dies. Something to think about.

Until next time …keep talking about watercolor, painting, and life.

Amazing Grace was the People's Choice Award at the Durant, OK Magnolia Festival 2008 Art Show. The Texoma Arts Association organizes the show each year with many area businesses sponsoring the event.
It was fun to see Ernest Hooser's face as he saw himself in watercolor. His wife, Helen Hooser was one of my treasured mentors in watercolor for many years.  She passed away about 4 years ago but Ernest still comes to the shows and never misses a chance to visit with people or accept an invitation to sing Amazing Grace in Choctaw.  He always has a smile and a story to share.  I learned much about the Choctaw language while working on this painting. 

Amazing Grace is the third in a series of paintings of The Gifts.  A couple of years ago I was struck by the idea that God gives each of us gifts to be used for others.  We often think of profound gifts that people have but I suspect that God is just as delighted when ordinary neighbors and friends use their unique gifts in ways that bless others.  Being able to bless others with what we enjoy doing is a boom-a-rang thing.  The blessings come back.

If you are wondering --- yes, Amazing Grace is watercolor.  Several glazes were used to build up layers of transparent color.  The blue in the background has about 6 layers of warm colors and then cerulean and cobalt were used to create the brilliant opaque blue sky.  I then went back and "lifted" layers of watercolor to reveal lighter blooms of color below. The flesh was painted  first then after all the bright colors were added it was necessary to go back and glaze over the flesh again to bring the values up to the rest of the painting.  It was fun to paint.  The words on the painting are Choctaw and tell of honoring the Holy Spirit through teaching family and friends about the Giver of Life.
Ernest Hooser is a Choctaw elder (chahta akni) and friend to many (chi kanna) and spends a lot of time honoring the Giver of Life (Ima Nana Yukpa).
This blogging stuff is new to me so please be patient. I'm still trying to figure out how, what, when, and why!!

I'd love to hear from you with thoughts and observations.  Until next time keep talking about watercolor, art, and life.