3 months old today!

Kayleigh

McKinley

McKinley and Kayleigh

Well, I have just returned from keeping the grandtwins so that their mom and dad could go to the Kentucky Derby. Let's just suffice it to say that Granzie loved every minute of it. I am totally exhausted and would go back tomorrow in a heartbeat.

They are in the stage now where they smile at you. NO, it is not "gas" anymore, they are definitely smiling at you. Their little personalities are developing and they are so much more social.

They will just melt you. They are a little ornery when it comes to eating...read that frustrating as all hell. But they are SO good otherwise. They ar sleeping all night most nights, they do not fuss between feeding times, they sleep well and boy are they strong when it comes to body control. They have impressed their Dr. by how well they can hold their heads up and how well they can support themselves on their legs. The Drs. still expect them to be "behind" since they were born early, but they are catching up fast in every arena.

I painted a little between DoubleDecker and leaving for Kentucky, and I will try to post those tomorrow. I leave Friday for Tupelo where I will participate in the Gumtree Festival. I did well there two years ago, so I hope it will be a good one this time, too.

Doubledecker weekend a success!

Pear Varieties.....set of three......6x8......$175

Beyond Sight and Sound and Touch.........16x20........$375

These are some more of the paintings I did to get ready for Double Decker. The tree is one of those that you just have to see in person. It has that rare quality that I see in other people's paintings sometimes, in that it sort of glows. I am analyzing the steps I took to see if I can produce the effect again, but suffice it to say the real thing is WAY better than the photo.

The Pears are part of a set that are done on 1 1/2" gallery wrap canvases that are 6x8. On a canvas that small the sides are a big deal. On these I painted the sides black and white squares. They look so great hanging in a group.

The show this weekend was a success. As far as I know, every other artist that I talked to had a great show. It was my best one so far for me so I am happy. I sold 7 paintings and 17 prints. And yes it was a long day. But Dacia and Shaun (my daughter and her boyfriend) came with us and made the load much lighter.

Next I am off to Kentucky to keep the girls while son & DIL go to the Derby. I would much rather watch my sweeties than a bunch of horses, let me tell you!

Oxford, MS....Doubledecker Art Festival

Ajax Diner....24x30.......$700

Square Books......24x30.......$700

"Courthouse".........24x30.........$700

I know that there are those who read my blog that have absolutely no interest in paintings of Oxford, MS. But then there are others for whom it is the "center of the universe". But for me, well, this weekend it WILL be the center of my universe.

I will be participating in the Doubledecker Festival this Saturday. It has been a grueling week trying to get everything ready to go. People sometimes ask me "how long does it take you to do a painting?" Well, this week I have worked all week from get up to fall down and have not picked up a paintbrush. It's about more than just the actual moment you put the paint on the canvas.

This festival is different from others that I do. It is a one-day festival.

That means that you get there as the sun comes up (or before) and you roll your tent in on a dolly. You rush to set it up so that you will have somewhere to put your stuff when that tiny window of opportunity opens and you get to pull your vehicle within sight of your booth.

Because, you see, there are 100 other artists doing the same thing in a very small area. There is not room for everyone's vehicles. So you have to take turns. It's not always convenient or smooth or fun.

Then you have to take your paintings and try to arrange them as attractively as possible in the 10x10 space you are given. No small trick there. They are stacked in boxes today in my dining room and they seem to entirely fill the space.

So this process normally takes me about 4 hours. This Saturday they say that I can start setting up at 7:45 AM and have to be done by the time the festival starts at 10 AM. You do the math.

Then the festival itself starts. It is so much fun, but so exhausting! Non-stop talking, smiling and schmoozing. You meet a lot of great people... a few wackos...and a few rude folks who take pictures of your work without even asking. Hopefully you make a few sales, which involve thinking, figuring tax, etc.

Then the end of the day comes and you have to break it all down and pack it all up. Another normally 2 or 3 hour process. I see people around me that do it faster, but for the life of me I can't seem to master it yet. But it's something I aspire to.

So by the end of the day let's just say your are not feeling like a glamorous artist. Why do you do it? you may ask. Well, when you hang your art in a gallery or in your foyer to dry like I do...you don't get any feedback. It is so interesting to hear what people have to say about your work. Granted, you mostly hear the positive stuff, because if they have something nasty to say, they normally wait till they are out of earshot to say it. But it is sometimes the shot in the arm that you need to keep you going when you are wondering if you are in the right profession.

I sure wouldn't trade it. (But ask me again about 9 PM this Saturday night!)

Wine Bottle and Wine Art....

Corks....10x20....oil.....200(sold)

Lively Line-up.....24x20....oil......$450(sold)




My latest adventure involved attending a Wine Festival in Shreveport. Mike couldn't go so Dacia, my daughter, was my able and willing partner for the event. We went over Thursday for the elegant and special wine dinner. It was very nice and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. They auctioned off my painting that they had purchased from me...a painting of a bowl of corks. It was the image they used for all of the promotional materials for the whole event. The couple that placed the highest bid were celebrating their anniversary. I personalize it for them and we just had a great evening.


On Friday we set everything up for the Wine Tasting on Saturday afternoon. I had brought paintings just pertaining to wine and food. I signed the giclees that they had made to sell at the Saturday event. They had invited us to an informal event Friday night that was attended by some of the board members and committee members of the event. We had a great time there, too, and ended up bonding with some of the board members.


On Saturday we manned the booth at the Wine Tasting and just had a really good time. Sales were good, we met some really nice people, and we got to try some really great wines. The food was delicious, the weather was great....it couldn't have been a more perfect weekend.



The people that were in charge of the entire thing were SO nice! They have invited me back for the Red River Revel in October. It is a week long art festival that sounds like it is just fabulous. I will be attending the first half of the week, because the Shrimp Festival is the second half. It will make for an interesting week, let me tell you! I will have to break down my booth and pack up in Shreveport on Tues. night at 9PM and then go directly to Gulf Shores and set up there on Wednesday afternoon. I will probably not make any coherent sentences for a couple of days at the Shrimp Festival!!! But the SF was so much fun last year that I didn't want to NOT enter. So there you have it.

I'm Still Here!

These are the latest pictures of our little "bunnies". They are cute as can be. I miss them terribly but hopefully will get to see them before too long. Everyone say a prayer for little Kayleigh, please. They found out this week that she has a little gastro situation...nothing too serious, but it makes for a pretty rough time trying to feed her. She should grow out of it in a few months, so say a prayer for her mom and dad, too, in the meantime.

My sweet sister-in-law, Karen, wrote me yesterday and asked where my blog entries were. I promise I HAVE been working. I will try to start getting back in the habit of photo-ing and posting again.

We came back from Kentucky from being gone a month, then left for Las Vegas a few days later. We were there a week (won a little of their money) and then I had to feverishly paint to get ready for a wine festival in Shreveport. Big fun! I will post my wine photos and tell about it tomorrow.

I am now in the process of getting paintings painted, framed, wired etc. for an art show in Oxford, MS. It's called Doubledecker and it's a really nice event.

Anyway, thanks to those who were wondering about me, especially Karen.

And for the "news you can use" I want to leave you with this quote I came across yesterday....Think of it anytime you are feeling under-appreciated or taken for granted...

"Even after all this time the sun never says

to the earth "you owe me".

Look what happens with a love like that,

It lights the whole sky."

----HAFIZ (Persian poet of the 1300's)

Babies on their one month birthday...

Well, it has been a month since the girls were born and we brought them home. They have grown a lot and started developing their little personalities. It has been an awesome experience to be able to share this with them and their mommy and daddy.

I hate that I live so far away, but it has been such an honor to be able to be up here this long and help these little ladies aclimate to beeing little tiny humans. I will have to give major props to my son and daughter-in-law for being able to tolerate the constant presence of others in their home. Also, kudos to my daughter for being such a pleasure to share this with (even at 4 AM.) It has been an experience that I will treasure till the day I die.

It will be hard to say goodbye, but it is time to get back to the real world. I am excited to say that in addition to being accpeted into the Doubledecker festival in Oxford, I also was accepted to the Gumtree Festival in Tupelo that occurs a couple of weeks later. When I put these together with the wine festival that I will be attending in April (as the feautured artist) it will make for a very busy springtime. Thank goodness. I will definitely need to keep busy.

I am really ready to get back to my paints, though! I know that I will have to endure the feeling like I am painting with my feet until I get back in the swing of things, but I can't wait.

Beautiful Babies are here!!!!

McKinley Paige and Kayleigh Lorelle Drennan

"Granzie" with her two precious bundles


Two Adorable Valentines

My two gorgeous granddaughters were born on Feb. 6 and came into this world healthy and ready to wrap us all around their fingers. Their are no words to describe what it felt like to become a grandmother. I am so lucky to be able to be up here in Lexington to help my son and daughter-in-law. I will gladly get up at 1 and 4 am for these lovely ladies.

I painted sporadically leading up to time to leave to come up here, but just did not have time to photograph and post what I did. I was so blessed to sell a few paintings and have enough income prior to my departure that it will hold me over till I can get back and get busy.

Also since I have been up here I got the great news that I was accepted into the Doubledecker festival in Oxford, MS. So hopefully I will be busy enough this spring to keep my mind off of being separated from my two prescious beauties.

Commissions.....

I have worked this week on commissions for Christmas and upcoming birthdays. There is an added pressure to doing commissions. It will be a relief to get back to painting works where I have to only please myself. I have three more to do. But here are the ones I worked on this week...

"Seven Little Shrimps"..........8x10.......oil on canvas.......SOLD

This first one is am image I did for a nice lady I met at the Shrimp Festival. She was down there with her grown children's families...which included SEVEN grandchildren under the age of FOUR!!!! So the seven little shrimps in the painting are to commemorate her "seven little shrimps" attending their first shrimp festival.

"Susie".........12x12...............Oil on canvas............SOLD

This is Susie. She was commissioned by a wife for her husband's birthday. It is such a sweet story, he misses Susie very much, and his wife is doing this for him. I sure hope he likes it.

"Plum-Pickin with my Pa-Paw".........20x24................Oil on canvas..........SOLD

This is for my dear sister-in-law. She is giving it to her father for Christmas. The image is her grandson and her father. So it's a great-grandson and his Pa-Paw. The photo just would not come out right, but it definitely looks like little Mr. Seth. She took a great photo. I wish they were all this great to work with.

One more piece of news....I was notified that my art is to be used by "CORK, A Red River Revel Wine Event". Cork is in April and is a wine tasting/dinner/wine festival event. It is actually a fundraiser for the Red River Revel Art Festival in Shreveport, LA in October. The October Festival sounds like an awesome event for the community. Every fourth-grader from two parishes is bused in and gets to do a bunch of hands-on art activities and get exposed to a lot of great art and meet the artists.

The really neat thing is that I met two of the board members in my booth in Covington. They purchased two of my prints. They said that they would be meeting in Dec. to decide about the featured artwork. Imagine my surprise when they called and said they want both images! They will use the bowl of corks in their promotional materials...postcards, web site, etc. Then the glasses toasting will be auctioned at the wine dinner, I believe, and they will also do a couple of giclees of it. I get to attend and have a set-up at the festival. I am pretty excited!

Baby Nursery Paintings...

This Thanksgiving was an unusual one for our family...of our six core family members, we were spread out in three different places. Plus the other usual suspects that are with us...well, my bro and SIL were at home in Tampa (I missed seing them for sure) their kids were in various places including my niece the Air traffic controller stationed in London, and my Mom and Bob were in Pensacola.

But we were all thankful for many things and gave thanks in many ways. I, myself, was in Lexington with the mommy and daddy-to-be. We spent Thursday with some of their wonderful friends and had a great dinner! Then the rest of the holiday weekend was spent getting ready for the babies. We were at Babies R Us at 5 am on Friday and managed to score one of the door- buster glider rockers. We shopped till we dropped and managed to fill in the gaps of all the stuff you need to bring 2 little girls into the world.

We also worked on creating beautiful surroundings for them to come home to. Michael and Heather, with the help of their, and my, fabulous friends had done a great job getting the nursery ready. So Mama D (that's me) came onto the scene to put on the finishing touches with a little artwork here and there.

Heather had chosen some adorably cute bedding by Bananafish called "Bubblegum" and I did the canvases on the wall to coordinate with it.

This first shot features McKinley's bed with her initial art above it. To the right is the corner where the rocking chair will go. Above that are the 12x12 squares that I did to match the bedding. You may not be able to see in the photos, but the stripes are featured on the dust ruffle and on the backs of the comforters. The circles are on the valance.

This next shot is of Kayleigh's bed with her initial and a great shot of the super cute lamp they received from my folks in Colorado.

This is a shot of the Pea Pod I did for them. The frame on the chest says "two peas in a pod", and that is what the artwork is about...two little peas in their pod. You probably can't see it, but the peas have little eyes and smiles. Let's hope our little peas stay in their pod long enough to develop strong lungs and all the other stuff they need to be healthy and happy.

This year I am so thankful for my wonderful, expanding family. I feel like we have actually four new family members on the verge of becoming official. In addition to the two "peas" we have Shaun and AnnaRae who are dating my daughter and son.

I also am thankful for my awesome friends that gave and attended the shower we had for M & H and the girls. I left Lexington knowing that between the efforts of Papa D, our friends, and our family; we are about as ready as we can be and when those little ones do come they are set. They will be safe, warm, well-dressed, and have everything else they need to get a good start in this life. (Plus a few things that their mom and I thought they might like.) ; )

Thanks to all who have helped and supported me in this past year. My thankful list includes too many things to mention all of them, but believe me, on that list are those of you who have supported my art adventure either by buying art, critiquing it, following my blog, jurying me into art shows .....all of those things help to make me a better artist.

Thank you Lord and bless all who take the time to read this. May there be a place in heaven for those kind souls. : )

I have been painting...

Below are some paintings I have done to get ready for my show in Covington, La. next weekend. I am really looking forward to this one...I love Louisiana...the people, the music, the food.

Fluer de lis...18x24......Oil on canvas......$300

This is a fun one I did because the Fleur-de-lis is so popular down there.

That Empty Feeling....10x20.....Oil on Gallery Wrap......$200

Of course, to go along with the good food, you need a little wine. And we all know how much I like to paint wine bottles.

Hot stuff.....6x12.....Oil on Canvas.....$80

Tabasco is a prevalent ingredient in spicy Cajun food and the popularity of the Tabasco image is unsurpassed by many brand names that I know of.

The Wine Line-up.....18x36.....Oil on Gallery Wrap.......$650

This is another painting derived from my "woman's trip" to South Louisiana. Who knows, I may even see some of the women that helped drink this wine. (I saw one in Gulf Shores during the Shrimp Festival.)

The Stare.......11x14......Oil on Canvas.......$200

I am so happy with how this one turned out. It reminds me of how far I have come since I started painting. When I first began I would have never dreamed of doing something like this. I wouldn't have known where to start. I just know some LSU fan is going to really need this guy!