Bluebird of Happiness

I love bluebirds, even though I don't see them often.  I have spotted them on the athletic fields behind Anna's school.  Bluebirds want open fields, which you don't get much of in suburbia.

 The bluebird carries the sky on his back. 
Henry David Thoreau 

The Bluebird of Happiness long absent from his life, Ned is visited by the Chicken of Depression. 
Gary Larson

Goldfinch

Near the end of the summer, I enjoyed seeing a Goldfinch pair on my purple coneflowers.  Apparently they liked the seedy "cones."   This spring, I have spied a goldfinch on the feeder, but he only has tufts of bright yellow feathers beginning to sprout.  I can't wait to see him all yellow again.  I painted this little guy in all of his golden glory on a purple coneflower.  He is the same size and format as my Titmouse and Chickadee.    Click here to buy.

Duck Walk

Last fall David, Daly, Anna and I day-tripped to Noccolula Falls in north Alabama to do some leaf peeping.  In the pools of water at the top of the falls some ducks had gathered.  They clearly had been fed before, because they were super friendly.  This guy had a "pigeoned-toed" thing going, and I loved the blue/black of the feathers.  Click here to buy.

Anna's Shoes

Anna wears braces or ankle-foot orthotics to help with standing transfers to and from her wheelchair.  They make fitting her in shoes nearly impossible, her size nine foot becomes an eleven.  EEEE.  Think the men's athletic shoe department.  Anna is also a teen and loves clothes and shoes.  So frustrating.  Until. . .  we found that "chucks" or converse style shoes actually accomodate her braces.  Hooray!  Now she has a pair in almost every color.  These were super fun to paint.

Fairhope Arts Festival

Gorgeous bird feeders.  I brought one home for my yard.

Elaborate bird houses.

South Carolina artist weaving sweetgrass baskets.

The sweetgrass baskets were amazing works of art.

The town of Fairhope is blanketed in flowers on every corner.

Awesome people watching!!

Photos from the Arts Festival this weekend in Fairhope, AL on Mobile Bay.  I had no idea of the size of this show.  It was huge.  Hundreds of artists and crafters were on display.  Not to mention the cute shops and galleries in Fairhope itself.  I got to meet Birmingham artist Carol Carmichael.  I really love her work and follow her blog.
 I had so much fun taking it all in with my sisters.   Came home sunburned and happy.

Hot Now

  Krispy Kreme glazed.  If you have never had one "hot now" you haven't lived.  There are other donuts in the world, and I will eat them and enjoy them, but nothing can beat the simple perfection of a Krispy Kreme.  My entry in the Daily Paintworks donut challenge.  

Salt and Lemons

Hi, my name is Claire and I am a saltaholic.  Many years ago, when David was a smoker and I was trying to get him to quit, he said that if I would give up salt he would give up cigarettes.  Well, fortunately he did stop smoking, but I was unable to give up salt.  When I was a kid, I would salt lemon wedges and suck on them.  I grew up to be a Margarita fan. Buy now on etsy.

Breakfast

My entry in the DailyPaintworks "Horsing Around" Challenge.  I'd never tried a horse before, cows are more my thing, but I really enjoyed painting this guy.  Buy now on etsy.

No Tool Like An Old Tool

Last week's daily paintworks challenge was "You Know the Drill" or paint your favorite tools.  I knew that David has his dad's old Sears tool box, so we went digging for some interesting tools for me to paint.  The ruler in the painting was from an office supply co. and included their 5 digit phone number.  I think that qualifies it as an antique!  Chisel, ruler and a plumb bob on a string.  Buy now on etsy.

OIl Painting Workshop

My Saturday was blissfully spent at a workshop taught by local artist Carolyn McDonald.  She was fresh from a workshop with Dreama Tolle Perry so the day's focus was on working with transparent oils.  We layered opaque over transparent color.  I look forward to experimenting some more with this technique.  Here is my output for the day.

Baby Owl

  I have painted cutesy, stylized owls, but I wanted to paint a more realistic one.  As I looked at photos of adult owls, it occured to me that the artist who first looked at a gray bird with its huge scary eyes and turned it into a cute, colorful, cartoony owl had an incredible imagination.   I'm not sure I would have gone there.  Maybe that artist was working from a baby owl, like this little guy.  Buy now on etsy.