The paintings are dry from yesterday's post and on the wall in my living room! I took pictures from every angle......a little much but, oh well.
I think you can see the rug in front of the couch here from World Market. It's jute with flowers much like those in the paintings.
Taken from the back door.
Again, taken from the back door looking into the dining room. Thanks for humoring me and allowing me the pleasure of sharing my decorating fancies.
These are two pictures I took while out shopping one day. They have been clipped to my inspiration bar waiting for just the right moment. I wish I could remember where I was or what artist created these.....so, so sorry! They inspired me to use the beautiful arrangements for the paintings in my living room. Although I enlarged and changed the background and the colors to match our decor, the arrangement is so similar that I cannot sell these or make prints of them. I have had several people ask me the process for my paintings so I took pictures along the way for you to see step-by-step.
The project began by covering two 24x48 canvases with vintage pattern paper. Just like decoupage.
The finished collage has vintage pattern paper on the top two thirds and pattern instructions on the bottom third to make it appear more dense.
After dry, the entire canvas is covered with burnt umber just enough to hit the high points.
Greens and blues are added in the same way.
Using watered down acrylics, the outline of the design is drawn in with a one inch brush.
Colors are blocked in.
I used this one inch brush for the entire painting.
Add darks and lights with complementary colors and analogous colors.
Add the purple flower.
After acrylic is dry, add more lights and darks with oil pastels. This makes the colors blend together nicely.
Oil pastels have been added here.
One of my favorite elements of the inspiration pictures were the twigs in the foreground. They add a contemporary twist. The twigs were drawn on with chalk after everything was dry. I traced the chalk lines with a thick mixture of black and burnt umber.
These are the finished paintings. They are still wet....the twigs.....so I will have to post pictures of how they look in the living room tomorrow!!
"Paris in the Spring" 18x18
Maybe if I paint it, it will happen!!!
My mom and I found the cutest place for lunch. Martha's Bloomers in Navasota, Tx. The setting was beautiful with fountains, flowers, and plants. Very serene and calm.
A great place to be inspired. The reflections, colors, subject matter.......makes me want to get in the studio right now! Very Monet-ish.
This is the garden cafe......so beautiful and delicious! The manager, Bonnie, was very gracious and made us feel as if we were old friends.
Everywhere you look there were interesting textures and structures.....
Kelly Rae Roberts' artwork was on display!!
Here are a few pictures of what we have been working on this week. My dining room......isn't it delicious!!! The center piece (also known as the rain forest) came from Z Gallerie. 
The living room is complete except for two paintings....one above each of the white chairs. The 24"x48" canvases are patiently waiting for me in the studio. Pressure!!!
My mom is coming today!!! We are going to decorate, hang pictures, shop, find cutsie lunch places, and have loads of fun! I love it when she comes. I have been waiting on her visit to really concentrate on making my house pretty because she is sooo good at decorating and it's much more fun to do it together. I'll post a few 'result' pictures later. Off to the airport to pick her up....YAY!
"Purse-onality" 8x8
"Thoughts of Venice" 18x18
"Get Noticed" 10x10That's exactly what I am doing today....getting down to business. Painting in the studio today and so happy to be able to!
My newest original "Get Noticed" is all about being yourself. Conforming and blending in is fine but there are times when you need to stand alone and let your 'voice' be heard whether it be through art, music, business, sports, etc. Choose to be brave enough to step out in a positive way to make a difference in your life and those around you. Live life with purpose and conviction.
"Words of Wisdom" 12x12
I'm in love....I'm in love.....I'm in love.....I'm in love.....I'm in love (song from South Pacific running through my head). Precious baby Shane is so beautiful he just takes our breath away. It was time for me to leave yesterday.....very hard. Bre is feeling so much better and it makes me so happy to see her able to enjoy her sweet little family. I have a feeling that Grammy and Grandpa will be visiting quite often though.
These exquisite photos were taken by Holly Hackler in her amazing studio. I was able to be there during the process and how she got such great pictures is incredible to me because Shane was awake and constantly moving the whole time. They wanted him to be asleep so he would be relaxed but Shane, being so advanced, knew something was up and wasn't about to miss a minute of it.
Just after this photo, Daddy took his individual photo with baby Shane. As if on cue, Shane definitely left his mark all over Daddy's shirt. In the picture, you would never know it. So funny!!
Seriously, this baby is leaving a mark on our hearts that is undeniable. What an amazing miracle babies are.....their tiny hands, little feet, perfect lips.....God's creations on loan. Wow. If I had really wrapped my head around that as a young mother I would have done so many things differently. We do the best we know how to do with what we have at that given moment in life and His grace covers the rest. 
