Pear Pairing Oil Paintings......

set 8x10.....Oil on 1.5 gallery wrap......"Pear Pairing".......$175(sold)

I am really excited about these two paintings. They are just the type of loose, colorful, funky paintings that I want to produce. I can just see them in someone's classy kitchen. The great thing about the groupings that I do is that they can be hung alone, side by side, or on top of each other. In kitchens sometimes walls come in horizontal patches (backsplashes) and in vertical segments (between doors) so these are great to add that punch of color.

The second festival that I will be attending this fall is the National Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores Alabama. If you go to their site, highlight "Artist" in the keyboard to the left and then choose fine arts. Boom, I am number three. Also check out my friend, Martin Welch.

We both have an interesting situation coming up. We are both in the Red River Revel (see yesterday's post) and the Shrimp Festival. These are both 4-day shows. WITH ONE DAY IN BETWEEN! I will be by myself in Shreveport...no one is free to come with me. So on Tuesday night the show in Shreveport ends at 9 PM. I have to break down and pack my stuff (normally a 3-hour process with TWO of us!) Then I have to get up early Wed. morning, drive from Shreveport to Jackson, pick up Mike and the trailer with more stuff in it, then hightail it down to Gulf Shores to get there before check-in closes at 6 PM. Then we have to set up the booth still. That can take 4 or 5 hours. The people who visit my booth on the first Thursday the Shrimp Festival opens will probably meet a zombie woman.

The really good news is that the condo we are staying in is in walking distance of the festival (no parking issues) and they offer two free nights if you book 5...and I had to book five for the festival itself. So like we did last year, we will be staying two extra days to relax after it is all over with. I know I will need at least two days!!!

Garden Show-offs....

16x20.....Oil on 1.5 gallery wrap......"Garden Show-offs"....$325SOLD

This is from a photo I took while we were out in Las Vegas the second time. They have the most beautiful landscaping around the casinos. And to think it's all built in the middle of a desert. They have signs in their magnificent plantings stating that they are watered with "reclaimed" water so that you will know they are not wasting resources.

I am still feverishly getting ready for my fall batch of art shows. I was blown away by how nice the web site was for the first one that I will be attending....the Red River Revel in Shreveport, La. Click on the artists icon in the lower left. It will take you to a list of artists. Scroll to the bottom and click on page 4. If you click on my name it will bring up a large page and if you wait a second (or click on the picture, I can't remember) it will start a slideshow of the paintings I submitted. Very cool.

Hot Sauce oil painting....

12x24.....Oil on 1.5 gallery wrap......"Season to Taste".....$300SOLD

This is another of my stand-by subject matters. Here in the south people are known to be passionate about their hot sauce....to the point of wearing logo clothing and having logo dishes, etc.

I know a certain someone that carries his mini bottle in his pocket for emergencies. : )

Tomatoes on the Vine OIl Paintings....

12x24.....Oil on 1.5 gallery wrap......"Vine Ripe".......$300(sold)

See the post from Mon., Sept. 7, for my thoughts on tomatoes. They really are one of my favorite subjects. And they always seem to look extra yummy on turquoise backgrounds.

I found out that I have been accepted into two more fall art shows....that makes four in total. I am so excited, but that means I need to really get busy!

If you need me, I'll be in my studio!

Tomato Pairing Oil paintings...

12x12....oil......$150 SOLD

12x12 .....Oil .......$150

I tried a different background on these and the look, I think, is totally different. They look more serious. If a tomato can, indeed, look serious.

My thoughts today are with those who are still dealing with the aftermath of 9/11. We are all still dealing with it on some level. Some much, much more than others. Children started school without mothers, wives set tables with one less place, and hearts are still broken over what might have happened differently. God bless America and those who love her.

Sun-N-Sand Hotel Landmark oil painting...

24x24....Oil on 1.5 gallery wrap......"Back in the Day".......$600SOLD

This is an old landmark hotel from "back in the day" in Jackson, MS. I remember my husband's grandfather and his group would stay there when they came in town on business. I met them there for breakfast one time when my 30 year-old-son was 1.

Sunset behind the Blowfly Inn Oil Painting...

12x12.....Oil on Gallery Wrap....."Sunset Behind the Blowfly Inn".....$150(sold)

This is the view that you get from the Blowfly Inn in Gulfport, MS. It's back in business now and has been for a while. Katrina destroyed the original building and they moved to another location for a bit, but they are back on the bayou now where they belong. This is where Dacia(my daughter's) surprise engagement dinner was held this summer. She used to go there with her grandparents and the Blowfly is just part of the family. You may have seen it featured in Southern Living Magazine.

Tomato Line-up Oil Painting

6x12.....Oil on 1.5 Gallery Wrap....."Tomato Line-up".....$80SOLD

I am getting ready for my fall outdoor art shows and in addition to painting things that I am wildy inspired by, I am also in the mode of painting things that will sell. I cannot tell you how many tomatoes I have sold. And that wildly inspires me any day.

Wine Bottle Oil Paintings....

24x36.....oil on 1.5 gallery wrap.......Three's Company......$875 SOLD

I took this photo at the Cork Wine Festival, also. The light was coming in from the back and you could see it through the bottles.

Well, I have been busy busy busy this week and have gotten several paintings done. They will be posted next week after I have them all photographed.

Thanks to all who have commented and welcomed me back after my long absence.

And now to end the week with a smile. Check out these two party animals. Am I lucky to have a daughter-in-law who realizes how much I love getting these photos or what? The girls will be seven months old on Sunday. I feel like I fell asleep in January and woke up and it's September!

Another Vantage Point Oil Painting of wine bottle...

24x30.....Oil on 1.5 gallery wrap....View from Above....$700 (sold)

I just loved the idea of looking down on this bottle from above instead of the usual vantage point from the side. Maybe next I will do one looking from below......hmmmmmm.