I'm of the firm belief that it is good to regularly celebrate yourself.. You are an amazing miracle! Being an artist, I get to meet so many people and, I find over and over that everyone has big and beautiful stories to tell about their lives, their pets and the love they have in their hearts. I admire so many of you, so let's celebrate you today... and, this little mouse is here to help :)
I promised some new snails and I wasn't kidding.. today's painting is the latest in my series of snails who have alternative shells.. :)
So, jumping right to it... things can get pretty dark sometimes...every one of us knows that. But on the flip side, there is always something to celebrate too. Always. Finding things to celebrate is good for the soul and helps smooth the way for happiness.
Todays snail is titled "Something to Celebrate" and she is having a little celebration right there in my painting. Her and the ladybug, of course. I thoroughly enjoyed painting that rainbow cupcake... can't help myself.. I'm a color nerd. :) And it was nice to paint a new snail.. they are so much fun to design and paint.. a great little world to live in for awhile.
Today, I'll celebrate COLOR. Can't imagine not having color in the world! ♥
Also... have you subscribed to my newsletter yet? It's easy and when you do, not only will you get updates on local art shows and info about specials on my art, you get free access to my printable Snailendar with a new design every month!
Some thoughts about Steadiness and Sweetness.
Chickadees are one of my favorite birds to paint.. this one is atop a sweet mocha cupcake with candied fruit and bits of rosemary.. sweet and steady, tasty and delicious. As I work my way though this challenge, it is important to try to establish a rhythm.. I find that around day 14 I fall into a sweet spot where my studio time has a kind of steady cadence and the painting process flows like water... Having people follow along with me helps sweeten things even more! (thank you!)
The first time I painted a cupcake was for my daughter's birthday in 2014.. wow.. 8 years ago! Time flies! Another first, I painted that painting during the first 30 in 30 I ever participated in. (This is now my 12th...) It was a pivotal experience that helped to solidify how important art and painting are in my life..
Art makes life sweet and painting helps to steady my mind.. and I'm not sure where I would be without them. :) Sweet and steady as she goes...when I am in the moment, totally focused on the painting process.. this is where I find that steadiness.
Scroll down to see the first cupcake I painted way back then...
Sweet and Steady, oil on panel, 10"x10", click here for purchasing details
Happy Birthday, oil on panel, 6"x6", NFS
I follow many wonderful pet owners and animals on Instagram but recently, one account caught my attention. Pam is the caretaker of a wily herd of horses, donkeys and other animals. she has the biggest heart and the care she gives to her animals is phenomenal Not long ago, she rescued a baby donkey from a dire circumstance. Gus came to Pam's attention unexpectedly one evening through an animal auction. She could immediately see that he was in poor health and wasn't being taken care of properly. She knew that if she didn't intervene, he likely would die from neglect. Gus was auctioned off for a bid of $75 and as is sometimes the case in animal auctions, he was slated to go to another auction house soon after. Pam quickly scrambled to track him down and was luckily able to rescue Gus from what surely would have been a bad situation. But this was only the beginning. After bringing him home she found he had pneumonia and other health issues. He had to be quarantined from the other animals and have specialized care for several weeks until he was healthy. His care and road to better health has not been without a price though. To date, bills associated with Gus's veterinary care, food and lodgings have totaled over $3000. To help out with these unexpected but very needed costs, I am donating 100% of the proceeds from the sale of this painting to Gus!
This painting is available on my Daily Paintworks site.
About the painting: "Lucky Gus" is a 10"x10" oil painting on board. It is framed and ready to hang. It is titled "Lucky Gus" for several reasons, the first being that Gus was so lucky to be rescued from bad circumstances. I've included other lucky imagery as well Horseshoes have been hung in houses for ages (make sure it is facing up!) to bring luck. Shamrocks, the design on the cupcake wrapper are also a symbol of good fortune. Gus also has a back cat perched on his back. His name is Cinder and he lives and works on the farm where Gus lives. Black cats often have a bad rap and can be hard to adopt out because of the myth that they are bad luck... but I think that is bollocks! Changing the narrative, Cinder sits atop Gus as his protector and friend. Lastly, who doesn't feel lucky when given a tasty cupcake? All together, "Lucky Gus" tells a story of hope and good fortune! A lucky painting to have hanging in your home! :)
Please check out Pam's instagram page where you can follow Gus's progress as well as the antics of her other wonderful animals! Below are 2 posts from Gus's journey from the auction house to his new life.💚🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀
As I've mentioned before, I have a penchant for painting teacups with things in them or perched upon them. Seems the more I paint teacups, the more ideas I have for how to tweak this motif. This painting is of a teacup with a cupcake nestled inside and a birds nest replete with eggs on top. Interestingly, many species of birds lay blue eggs, but the one I chose to adorn the top of this nest of eggs is a house finch. House finches are plentiful in my neighborhood and somehow I did not know that they too came from blue eggs.. I liked the neutral gray of this little bird, along with the warm neutrals in much of the rest of the image, the main pop of colors being the blue eggs and the warm tones in the shadows. As I was about to write this post, the word enchanting popped into my head and I thought, yes this would be one enchanted tea party to attend, should something like this be served! :)
One Enchanted Tea Party, oil on panel, 10"x10", click here for purchasing details
