Fur Ball

Now I've turned to painting cats.  In my photo files I have pictures I took of these kittens curled up on a chair.  They were laying there in an apple farm market stand and I couldn't resist taking their photo, I just never did anything with it until now. Since I enjoyedpainting Peaches, I decided to see if I could paint fluffy cats.  It's a work in process, but nearly finished.

Peaches in the Pond

Now that I've taken courage in hand and painted Peaches once as a puppy, I decided to paint her as she is today, 2 1/2 years later.  Apart from being with her master,  Steve, her biggest joy is wading through Steve's fish pond and batting the frogs and goldfish.  They get away, but she loves to jump in and walk the length of the pond with her eyes searching every inch. She wades the 18 foot length of the pond walks around in the end, jumps out and heads to the waterfall end to jump in and begin all over again. She has a great time, but since she is an indoor dog, the battle is constant to keep her from smelling like the pond!   Today she was a bit obsessive/compulsive in her behavior, but it kept her from barking at me while I swam in our swimming pool next to the pond.   So here she is, Peaches in the Pond.

Life is a Bed of Violets

St. Louis based Gateway Pet Guardians is having a "Soiree for Strays" fundraiser for pet rescue.  I generally shy away from painting animals, but decided to take my courage in hand and try something I don't feel confident in painting.  Give me a rose - I can paint it in a 100 ways - a pet?  That's a different story.  But I took this photo of our darling Peaches, a border collie mix, the first day we brought her home from the St. Francois Society in St. Louis and her eyes in that photo always spoke to me.  I would take her on a leash out the front door because without a leash, she would go hide in the bushes.  On the leash I could keep her nearer to me as she adjusted to her new surroundings.  She loved laying in the bed of violets and painter's palette.   She was so shy and timid.....for a week.  Then she became the ruling royalty of the house (in her mind and in my husband's as well!)  Peaches is now two and a half years old and thriving, trying to energize her owners who happen to be senior citizens who love her dearly, but have a hard time keeping up with her energy level!

I could have chosen several titles for this painting - "Saving Miss Daisy" because that was her name when we adopted her, or "Peaches in the Violets" or "Home at Last" - but I think "Life is a bed of Violets" describes pretty well the life she now lives as part of our family.

The Haskell Playhouse

Yesterday I joined some other plein air painters and art instructor Gene Ursprung, and spent the morning painting the historical Haskell Playhouse in Alton, Illinois.  The playhouse was built for Lucy Jane Haskell, the daughter of Dr.William Haskell by her grandfather, John Hayner, a wealthy financier and philanthropist.  The grandfather commissioned an Alton architect to design and build this beautiful playhouse which is in the style of Queen Anne Stick,  for Lucy's 5th birthday which was July 29, 1985.  Lucy Jane Haskell died at the age of nine of "black dptheria' just four years after the playhouse was built.  Following Lucy's mother's death in 1932 the family home, 6.4 acres of land and the playhouse were bequeathed to the city of Alton to be used as a playground and facility for children.

We all enjoyed painting in the lovely surroundings until it began to get too hot and broke up our painting party and enjoyed lunch and art conversation around the table.  What a great day!

Mural Reception

There was a wonderful reception at Friendship House on Tuesday for the completion of the mural, On the Banks of the Wabash.  Many residents and friends attended as well as the local TV station.  A short human interest bite about the mural including and interview with mom appeared on three evening news broadcasts.  It was a great finish to a wonderful experience.

The Absolute Final Mural Photos

It is a challenge to take a photo of a painting 17 feet long.  This afternoon my mom and sister helped hold lamps to light the corners of the mural so we could get a better photo.  Then I took some final photos of the details of the painting adding St. Mary's Church and some wildlife.  This has been such a rewarding experience.  We are looking forward to the dedication coffee this Tuesday morning at Friendship House.

Creation of the mural "On Banks of the Wabash"

It is finished!  Mom and I spent eight hours today completing our mural project on the dining room wall of Friendship House.  There will be a reception next Tuesday morning, August 14th from 10;00 - 11:00 in the dining room to present the mural to the public.  The residents have given wonderful input all along the way.  Mom and I added things we had not thought of, wild turkeys, a cardinal, turbine windmills, and a vignette of Friendship House itself.  What a memorable experience to share with my dear mom.  Enjoy the photos.

Close up views of some of the details....