Hot Tamale Art Studio

2012-01-25T12:02:00.000-08:00

This is the first in a series of small "party people".

In this one they are having such a good time drinking their wine and laughing.

The Vizsla Club

2012-01-18T14:30:00.001-08:00

2012-01-04T10:54:00.000-08:00

2012-01-02T10:22:00.000-08:00

Little Dancer

2011-12-13T18:11:00.001-08:00

Scooter

2011-12-09T12:40:00.000-08:00

Getting Away

2011-11-23T11:54:00.000-08:00

"A Mother's Love"

2011-11-21T19:05:00.000-08:00

This was inspired by a real person named Alfred Eisenstaedt .

I thought it was quite a romantic idea to have a skate party with a skating waiter. I would love to be invited.

This is up on etsy.

2011-11-17T18:11:00.000-08:00

I have a Christmas smelling plug in air freshener by my painting table. It is really helping me get in the mood.

2011-11-15T18:14:00.000-08:00

Holiday Cocktails

2011-11-15T05:00:00.000-08:00

Family Holiday Picture

2011-11-10T13:30:00.000-08:00

I am giving my other a shop a little bit more time. I even dressed it up with a banner and added this.

2011-11-08T12:29:00.000-08:00

Well, after a little more than a week of opening my other shop I have found that it is hardly worth it. I think I am going to just combine the two. Also, I have just found that I like painting on MDF, so while I wait for more wood canvases to show up at my door, I have been experimenting with these little MDF boards. I just listed two at my original shop. They are cute and little. I plan to make another one of my cat people having a party today, so maybe by tonight I will have one of those kind of paintings up.

2011-11-07T13:26:00.000-08:00

Two paintings listed in my new shop.

2011-11-03T09:23:00.000-07:00

This is a painting I finished yesterday. It is on a wood canvas and I LOVE painting on wood. I had this candid shot in my mind for awhile and finally got around to it. I love how the communion veil is flowing up from the spring winds and the other girls are longingly looking at her princess like attire. Thought provoking and visually interesting. I am keeping this one for myself, but I hope to have some paintings of a similar style in my new shop soon.

2011-10-27T08:22:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving is right around the corner! I decided to reopen my other shop on Etsy called Pease Porridge Hot to list my paintings of things that I see rather than imagine. I love painting from old and new pictures and stills. So this shop will be the place for those kind of paintings. I will still paint parties and kitties and list those on my Hot Tamale shop. I hope I can juggle both of these. We will see. I wish Etsy would let you combine them into one email. Or do they and I just don't know about it? Oh well, this one is called "Helen's House" and it is listed at Pease Porridge Hot if you would like a better look. The new link is on the side. :)

2011-10-21T18:36:00.000-07:00

This is the largest party I have been to. It is a 16X20.

Now that the kids are old enough to keep up, we have been hitting the bike trails. The last couple weekends we went riding on the Katy Trail.

It winds all through the beautiful hills and river plains of the Lewis and Clark expedition There are plenty of little wineries and beer gardens to stop along the way for refreshments.

This is my mountain bike from before kids. I do not think I will be riding down mountains anytime soon. I will save this bike for Rose.

This is my new bike with a rack and basket for all our goodies. A MUST when out and about with food allergies. Anthony is still hanging on to his dairy allergy, but I have learned to make my own Jerky and it is actually really good. Behind us is a spooky haunted house for sale with a beautiful view. Wouldn't it be so fun to have a party there?

2011-10-17T16:55:00.001-07:00

2011-10-13T12:05:00.001-07:00

2011-10-12T10:56:00.000-07:00

This is the time of year for hiking, biking and camping and that is exactly what we have been doing. I was not sure about the camping part, but now i am ready to move my bed outside. I hated missing the full moon last night. I so wish it would have been on a weekend so we could have been gathered around the campfire all night enjoying it.

2011-09-30T12:36:00.000-07:00

I am ready for a little of this.

2011-09-15T17:47:00.000-07:00

She looked up to her sister.

2011-09-13T14:51:00.000-07:00

This is called "The Beer Drinkers". It makes me very thirsty.

2011-09-12T17:52:00.000-07:00

I think I would be a little scared.

2011-09-07T19:04:00.000-07:00

This one is up on Etsy now. It is called "Girls Night". I remember a couple witches I painted last year looked like me and my sisters AFTER a girls night. They were not too pretty. Hee hee

The one below is a little 4X4 called "Mittens". I will try to get this one on etsy tomorrow.

2011-09-01T07:06:00.000-07:00

It's time.

2011-08-24T12:33:00.000-07:00

Can you tell the kids are back in school? I am posting again so soon. Just finished this new painting, "Tennis Anyone" It is on Etsy right now. I LOVE vintage paint by numbers, so that is kind of the look I am going for here.

2011-08-23T13:20:00.000-07:00

After a long summer, I am back to trying to paint. My creative juices are not really flowing yet so whenever that happens I rather paint something I can see rather than something I imagine. I like to get out the old photo albums to do this. The first one is an old photo that I kind of tweaked to make interesting. I call it "Pink Dress" and it is up on Etsy now.
The second one I will just keep. It is also of an old photo. I find that I enjoy painting a subject more and more.

2011-07-18T19:18:00.000-07:00

I am very fond of the colors in this one. I am pretty sure these were the colors of my Grandparent's bedroom when I was a little girl in the 70's. And I wouldn't doubt that the bedroom was decorated way before I came around. I still remember how important a phone call could be. Now with all the computers and endless cell phones does it still feel the same? This painting is up on Etsy.

2011-07-08T12:39:00.000-07:00

I finally had time to paint! These are all on Etsy. After painting the big Faire painting, I was pretty tired. I asked Rose to count how many faces were on that one. When she told me 14! I was like, holy cow, no wonder I am tired! I don't think I will do that many for a long time. It was so nice just doing one face in"Still of the Night" Ahhh, that was actually enjoyable. I never did fill you all in on the cat situation, those of you who were around at the beginning of the year. They are getting along now for the most part. I came across this show called "Cat from Hell" and I listened to everything the 'Cat Daddy' said on there. I think basically he was fighting Tamale for the Master Bedroom. He knew it was off limits to him and he knew that was where the kings of the pride slept and he wanted in. As soon as I opened all doors the tension between them has been reduced to a minimum. He feels like part of the pride and no longer fights her. He, Butter is his name, is very sweet to her now. She still does not care for him though.

2011-06-28T10:19:00.000-07:00

Hanging out at the Lake

Hope you all are enjoying your summer. I have not been able to get on here much. I guess you could say I am taking it easy and just enjoying my time with the kids this summer. I hope to find time to paint soon. I have many ideas, but I have been busy doing other things. Like....

Celebrating Birthdays

Catching Lizards

Frogs

And Fish

Learning to Skate

Checking out Art Galleries

Field trips with the cousins

Sewing Mermaid Fins

And

Lots

And Lots

of Swimming!

2011-06-12T11:54:00.000-07:00

I hope you all are enjoying your summer! We have had a busy one so far. We finished building a pool in the back yard so needless to say I have spent most of my days out there with the kids.

In my spare time I have been playing around with oils. I do love the way they move and blend, but I am soooooooo impatient with the dry time. I still want to play with them a little longer and try some other techniques with them. Here are a few that I finished in oil. I plan to list them all on Etsy.

The only one that is not dry yet is the Pool Party. I guess I will list that one next week.

2011-05-23T15:57:00.000-07:00

I came across a picture of fighting foxes in the Missouri Conservationist and was compelled to paint it. After I finished it, I thought ....hmmmm, this is a pretty vicious painting. I am not sure what I think about it, but now it is really growing on me. It will be hard to part with if it ever does sell. I have it up on Etsy. It is a big 16x20. Quite a statement. Ha ha

I also bought oil paints and all the cleaners and thinners to go with. I plan to dive into oils as soon as I can. Can't wait.

2011-05-19T08:40:00.000-07:00

This is my most recent group painting. It is called "Reunion". I am not sure if it is a human or cat reunion or both. But I can tell it is not going as planned. I was listing this when my son came in and started laughing at all their faces because they all have the same expression. Ha ha. I said I think it is because the cats are behaving badly and they are a bit embarrassed by their behavior. Then he was like, wait a minute is this yours?! Let me see this thing in person and then he continued to laugh. Well, at least it is entertaining, I guess. I really don't have much control over these group paintings. They just kind of develop themselves and this one is a small one, 4X4 but just as much work. Maybe you all might see something else going on in this than I did. Either way it is up on Etsy.

2011-05-16T14:49:00.000-07:00

This is another predominately green painting. I change my mind about the white wall though. I think I am going mocha instead. I painted a girl with a Vizsla because we have been looking at this breed of dog. This has just been listed on Etsy.

Also, my baby just turned 7! :( I am really getting worried about taking in every last minute of her being a little girl. It goes so fast.....

2011-05-06T08:15:00.000-07:00

This is the beginning of my Green Gallery. Not green for the Earth, just the color green. I am always trying to figure out what to do with this giant wall in my living room. I decided to paint it a shade of white and have all primarily green paintings displayed on it . So this is the beginning. I did list this painting on Etsy. I plan to list all the paintings from my Green Gallery.

Also, here is a picture of many goldfinches eating at my bird feeder. At one point I counted 26. So cute.

2011-05-03T06:54:00.000-07:00

This is my newest painting on Etsy. I had fun trying to paint the brightness of sand and sun. I hope you can feel the heat and wind. Ha ha. I would love to feel that right now. It has been so rainy here. The place that we stay in Florida for vacation has this huge dune you have to walk over to get to the ocean. It is always such a struggle with your chairs and wine ;) but well worth it.

Ahhhh, there I am now......

I wish...no, instead, I am still here trying to keep these cats from fighting.

2011-04-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

I pulled out the paper, glitter and glue.

2011-04-22T15:11:00.000-07:00

I have not blogged in a few weeks because I have been mainly painting for myself. I have started painting from pictures. This first one is my mom in her cute little cat glasses showing her shyness by covering her smile. The second one is of my dad playing the trumpet in the 50's. He was in a Big Band. Probably how he won over my mom. It is a strange feeling painting your parents and seeing them so clearly in detail of who they were when they were young and just starting out. The last one is of my kitchen with a strand of white lights hung up. It is a biggy, 24X36.
I also painted my deck. Not quite as fun, but not bad either. Hope you are all having a wonderful holiday weekend!

2011-03-31T17:49:00.000-07:00

I just listed this painting on Etsy. It is called "Fishy, Fishy in a Brook", Daddy catch it with a hook. Mama fry it in a pan and baby, baby eat it like a man. I always loved when my Dad would sing that to me when I was little.

I also want to thank everyone for the kitty advice. I am trying to let go of my fears and see what happens as they get together. I told the kids the other night that he will either, kill her, eat her or kiss her. I don't know which. Nino was like, if he ate her wouldn't that be killing her. NO. He could eat her alive, like just her ear.

This week I went and got my hair cut off. I did not exactly ask for it. I thought I had way more than this when I went in. I guess I was too wishy washy in the chair and she decide to take it all off. After I went home I remembered that my husband likes longer hair. Oops. I pretty much look like a boy right now, but it is kind of fun.

2011-03-29T10:06:00.000-07:00

I wish this was "Our House" with two cats in the yard getting along. I have my water gun loaded and I am trying desperately to socialize the new cat with the old one. I have spent so much time with this it is ridiculous. I can not believe how he makes a bee line for her every chance he gets. What is up? His hormones should be lower by now. I really can not tell what he wants from her. I have never had this problem with other cats. I feel so bad for Tamale having to stress with this. She is just an old lady that wants to sleep. I can't tell if he just wants to play? I wonder if another kitten would help. Do two wrongs ever make a right?

2011-03-16T12:43:00.000-07:00

A few new paintings on Etsy and a boy still dreaming of a girl.

2011-03-09T10:46:00.000-08:00

This painting is up on Etsy. "The Orange Cat Club".

A week ago we invited a stray young man cat into our home. He is very sweet and gentle, but very much in love with Tamale. She, of course, wants nothing to do with him so we are keeping them separated for now. He has just been neutered and I have heard it can take 30 days for his hormones to mellow out, but for now, he is never far from her door in hopes of getting a glimpse of the sweet sleeping beauty that lies within.

Here is a little peek of what goes on all day.

2011-02-24T15:03:00.000-08:00

A couple new paintings and .........

a new friend that looks just like an old one.

2011-02-11T13:37:00.000-08:00

I thought this was a pretty romantic painting appropriate for Valentine's Weekend. He wasn't going to sing to her, but I thought....... it is my painting and I want him to sing, so he did and her smile grew just a little bigger. "Serenaded Stroll" is up on etsy.

I am so happy that it is warming up to be a beautiful weekend here.

Speaking of warming up, Tamale is always looking to warm her old bones. She gave me her Valentine gift early. She was very crafty to leave it right on the actual date of the calender laying on my desk. I won't tell you what it was because it really wasn't very nice. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend with your loved ones!

Jennifer

2011-02-09T14:34:00.000-08:00

This one is called, " Prayer for the Ripe, But Not Too Ripe Avocado" on etsy now. One of my most favorite foods is a perfectly ripe avocado. Even when you think you have a good one, it could have strings. That is the worst. I guess they are little roots? I don't know. I should have looked it up. I try to plan out my avocados so that I have one for lunch everyday. This can be difficult. That is where the prayer comes in.

2011-02-03T15:06:00.000-08:00

I started painting party people and did not stop. These first three painted on wood plaques are obviously your cake and coffee type of party. I really love painting on the wood. I have not done it in awhile, but I really love the way the paint glides over it. It was Rose's idea to give them puff sleeves. I like them like that.

I am not sure where the last party is. It looks a little dark and I can tell they are serving cocktails.

These are all on Etsy.

2011-02-01T07:38:00.000-08:00

We have a blizzard coming our direction. I spent yesterday gathering candles and wood. In conditions like these we could loose power. It wouldn't be the first time. So I pray I am prepared.

After this storm, I HOPE I will not run into the problem I had last week. We had a very lonely snowman living in the back yard. Rose could not stand looking at him so sad so we made him a cat.

Instantly a smile came over his face and his heart warmed just enough to melt him right over.

Then, the cat was sad.
I wish all of you a warm and safe couple of days! Hopefully I will resurface by the end of the week with a new painting.

Jennifer

2011-01-24T10:40:00.000-08:00

I want to go west! Lots of land and starry skies above. I want to go where the buffalo roam. This has brought on a fascination with little travel trailers.

This new painting is called "Trailers for Sale or Rent". I am guessing their vehicle that pulls this trailer is in the shop. :( But you just have to make the best of it. Right?

That's what we decided to do with all the snow we have been getting. We were lucky enough to get a family ski pass from a friend. By the end of the day my son was on the big hill! Sounds like Colorado might be another trip out west to plan.

2011-01-21T11:18:00.000-08:00

I made these cute little key chain/ lip stick mirror/ pendants. Yes, they can be all that. Ha ha. I have them on key chain holders, but you can easily add the pendant to a chain if you like. They are mirrored so you can always see to reapply your favorite lip stick. These are all made from upcycled bottle caps. Yeah! Speaking of upcycled,my sister Susan and I always buy library books that are about to be thrown out. Take a look at this vintage library book that my sister gave me in the pic. Cutest little children's book with the word DESTROY stamped on the front page. Isn't that just a little funny?

I will be adding these to my Esty shop soon along with a new painting I just finished.

2011-01-13T12:15:00.000-08:00

The kids are back to school today, so I am off the hook on painting more clone troopers, for now. I said we could just print out like ten of the one I did and write different names on them all because they are all CLONES, but he explained that they DO have differences on their armor, scratches, hand prints and such.

This is one that I have had in the works

for a while. I am glad to have it finished and up on Etsy.

I am gathering supplies to be able to make prints so hopefully next week I will start listing them.

2011-01-12T08:32:00.000-08:00

Too many snow days. I finally filled Anthony's request, but now he has a list.

2011-01-09T12:54:00.001-08:00

I just listed this one on Etsy.

It is called "Evening Mass".

I really like that there are so many people to look at in this one. I have a few others in the works, so I might have a new one tomorrow too.

Hope you are all enjoying the weekend.

Jennifer

2011-01-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of my latest paintings. These are large 11X14 stretched canvases

I will slowly be adding to my shop this week. I have several new paintings waiting in the wings along with many I am trying to store in my head.

I also have so many ideas for the house. I am in the middle of freshening things up around here. I have spring on the mind.

I am always up for a change.

Even though we had such a magical Christmas I am so ready for the New Year!Out with the old and in with the new! I wish you all the best year ever!

2010-12-09T16:10:00.000-08:00

These two little snow scenes are in my Etsy shop.

Anthony found a Christmas tree this weekend.

2010-11-29T16:55:00.000-08:00

This lovely lady will be on Etsy as soon as I can get her up there. There is kind of a story that goes with this one. You may notice the strange markings of this cat. Everyday on the way to school we pass a farm that has a cat that is all black with an orange face. The first time we saw it crossing the road I screamed because I thought it had an animal in its mouth, then I realised that was its face! We have only seen it twice, so needless to say we are always on the lookout for the black cat with the orange face. In fact, I even have another painting of this cat that I have never finished in hopes of seeing its face one more time before I do. Crazy, huh.

It is officially cold here. The heat has kicked on and Rose would rather warm her toes this way than keep socks on.

Thanksgiving went off without a hitch. I hope my guests enjoyed it. I know I did.
It even snowed a little. It was so pretty!

This is my husband and I. A rare moment together in a photo.

We had a little fun scaring the kids with a human head dessert and I could not resist walking around with these candles on MY head pretending to be Santa Lucia.

It was a fun night. Hope you all had a safe and happy one too.

2010-11-22T13:16:00.000-08:00

"Her Friends are Feathered" will be up later tonight on Etsy.

It's beginning to look a lot like Thanksgiving everywhere you go.....

I have moved just about every table and chair into my kitchen for the feast.

The children and cat were employed to make a wreath for the door. I moved it inside because it has been soooo windy. I think colder weather is blowing in. I also spruced up my flower stand with some dried Hydrangea flowers. I will NOT show you my Hydrangea bush. It looks very sad and naked after all this. I did leave a few on that were still alive that I will later cut for bouquets on the table.

Anthony looks so happy working on this, not.

I am also working on an "Over the River and Through the Woods" painting for myself. It is kind of hard to see here, but I have a lot more to do on it. I will show you when it is done.

2010-11-18T09:55:00.000-08:00

The squirrels are so busy around here gathering nuts. Rose, my daughter, was explaining to me that they use their tails for blankets. We were trying to picture how cute they must look all curled up in the tree snuggled together at night. The second painting is of a parakeet. I had one that talked when I was a child. She was probably one of the most talkative parakeets I have ever met. No one can believe that she said all that she did. It was quite a list and my mom still has a cassette tape to prove it. These are on Etsy.

2010-11-16T11:40:00.000-08:00

I will be adding these framed canvas mini prints to the shop.

2010-11-15T08:47:00.000-08:00

My latest painting "Bird Feeder Kitty" is up on Etsy. We just recently started feeding the birds again. Tamale sits at the window cackling at each bird that comes to the feeder and then begs to go out. Does she really think I am going to let her out after seeing her drool?

This was a rough weekend. I am glad it is over. I have to say that the high point of my weekend was an impromptu visit with my husbands Grandma. She is a very old-fashioned Sicilian grandma. The kind that says,"Don't call, just come over". We really should do it more often. We were in the area Sunday so we stopped in WITHOUT calling first and she was happy as can be to take us into her kitchen where she was chopping meat for a future stew. We sat and talked about old family recipes, trying to get siked up for Thanksgiving in which we will be hosting for my family. We will still visit his family that day and then rush back home to open the doors for mine. Sounds crazy, I know. Anyway, that is why we wanted to stop by and see her because we knew we would be rushed that day. She of course can never let us leave without giving us something to take. We walked out of there with sweet potatoes and homemade chicken and dumplings to warm up later. That generation has sooo much to teach us, we really need to take note before they are gone.

2010-11-11T14:09:00.000-08:00

This has been a busy week of getting the house ready for Thanksgiving. Moving furniture out of the kitchen and into the living room to make room for more tablage. Then I started messing with the play room and that took a whole day of taking shelves down in the closet to put in giant shelving units. Now the play room has enough space for a semi couch, coffee table and MY tv that I was kind enough to donate to the cause. What was the cause? Keeping the kids out of the dark man cave and into a bright creative hang out. I think all of my hard work is paying off. If you are wondering why I am rambling about this it is because I felt bad just saying ,"Here is my newest painting on Etsy".

Jennifer

2010-11-05T06:55:00.000-07:00

This one is called "They Found the Milky Way". I remember as a little girl being able to see so many more stars out here than I do now. I was reminded of this at a recent trip to the St. Louis Science Center. They have a dome shaped room there where you lay down on the floor in the pitch dark and stare up at the round ceiling that is made to look just like the night sky. The little stars even twinkle. As the narrator went through all the constellations he began to show off the Milky Way. It was then that I realised it had been sooo long since I was able to see it. Now that it is more populated where I live I guess we have more light pollution. I will have to find a place on a clear night to take the kids to see the Milky Way soon.

2010-11-03T10:21:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple new paintings in my Etsy shop.

I have a couple more I am working on and hope to get those up soon.

I leave you with a few pics of the Halloween weekend. Hope you all had a nice one.

2010-10-27T07:31:00.000-07:00

These are my latest paintings on Etsy.

"I Want to Go Too" (sold)

and "Best Friends" (Sold)

I am really in love with these and I have a similar one in the works, but before I can finish it I have to finish my Jack O Lantern game for Nino's classroom party.

We have been very busy enjoying the fall weather. I have been trying to plan fun fall activities for the kids every weekend. Cheap, fun fall activities that is. Last weekend we went to a school fall festival, the flea market, and a candle lit tour of Daniel Boone's home. Actually, we learned it was really his son's, but he stayed there. I wish I had pictures. It was quite a night to remember. The whole historic town was lit by only candle light. Not an artificial light in the place! It was beautiful! Oh, and the sweetest little white chapel lit only in candle light. What a sight. It was a long night, 6:30 to 10:00pm and each building had a form of entertainment. There was music, poetry reading of Poe, history lessons and actors acting out little skits. It was quite a night, and a warm full moon night, perfect for walking around. If you live close by, keep it in mind for next year or it looks like they have another candlelight tour for Christmas.

2010-10-19T07:46:00.000-07:00

I was finally able to paint yesterday! I have been building a deck with my dad for the last two weeks, which I must admit was kind of fun and .......a whole lot of work.

So I was so exited to finally have a day to paint. I did not even know what I was going to do, but I knew I was in the mood to paint an angel so here she is.

I have her listed on Etsy for now. I really do like how she turned out.

I used this painting book as a reference for body position. I love this book. It is one of my favorites to page through. My sister picked it up at the Library for me. What a find right! You know how they sell off the old books. This one might have been a whole dollar.

I always bring a few dollars when I go so I can come home with some old moldy smelling relics. The older the more interesting they usually are. I love all old books.

2010-10-18T15:18:00.000-07:00

Thank You Mammy for the fingerless gloves and hat!! Rose loves them and wears them all the time.

Here is Rose riding her scooter up to her Grandma's to see what else she has knitted.

Oooooo, a pink scarf! Pretty.

Or it could be a pillow for a teddy bear.

Hopefully you will get through your long list of requests so you can open your Etsy shop. :)

2010-10-09T09:38:00.000-07:00

These are my latest paintings.

The two in the black frames are listed on Etsy. Frames not included.

Then I also moved "Velda and Mil", my witch landscape over to ebay since Halloween in coming UP!

Last, but not least, I have this lightning painting listed on ebay.

That's it for awhile. Spending alot of time outside enjoying the fall weather. Hope you are too!

2010-10-01T15:56:00.000-07:00

Well, here are my funny witch sisters. They were pretty fun to make and even more fun to look at. They look just like my three sisters and I after a long night of talking, drinking and dice games. Ha ha

This is Mertle

Gertie

Effie

and Bertie

I will get these up on Etsy tomorrow. I think I will list them seperately although I think they looks so cute together that it will be hard to break them up.

Also, Here is a spider that lives in my backyard. Have a wonderful weekend!

2010-09-30T09:33:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for making me feel better about not knowing what in the world I am doing. Here is Velda and Mil on Etsy. I love Velda's crooked smile.

Jennifer

2010-09-29T13:16:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am opening my Etsy shop again.

I just finished this very deep painting and was not sure where to go with it so I had to open my etsy shop. I think I will put all my more deeper or impressionist paintings over there and try to list more light hearted ones on ebay. I don't know. I never said I knew what I was doing. It is very hard when I go back and forth. Ugh. I have been doing this so long, you would think I would stick to one or the other. Oh well.

2010-09-27T08:40:00.000-07:00

Here is my little man with his prized Moustache from the gumball machine. Every time I see him like this I have to say, "I'm gonna drink your milkshake." Maybe you know what I am talking about.

Then, this is the portrait I finally finished of my little Rose. If you are wondering what paint I was talking

about from my last post. These are them. Grumbacher. They really hold the brush stroke. I like.

2010-09-23T13:22:00.000-07:00

I am really excited about my new paints! I did not like them at first because they are so different to work with , but now I LOVE them.

If you have followed my blog for a while you know that I go back and forth between impressionist and folk art, well yesterday I thought I would gives these paints another try. They are very thick and buttery much like working with oils. I have to mix all my colors because I only have the primary tubes, but I do love the way they come out.

The colors are very rich. I had to get out these bigger canvas that I had been saving, because I am not very good with these paints yet so I needed a lot of room. Anyway I am having so much fun, but there is a downside. They are too big to scan and more to ship. I think I will open my Etsy for these.

2010-09-22T09:22:00.001-07:00

I really love the expressions on these faces. This candy corn one was so fun to do. There is not a Halloween that goes by that we don't do this with the candy corn.

These are both up on ebay .

2010-09-20T15:44:00.000-07:00

2010-09-15T11:03:00.000-07:00

Here are two new paintings up on ebay.

Last year when Rose would put on her black cat ears and tail, Foster,our cat would get soooo scared of her. His tail would puff up every time.

This little girl here is trying to fool her kitty friend.

Now that school is in I don't have much time to blog, but I will try to get on here to show my latest paintings.

Hope all is well!

Jennifer

2010-09-01T14:22:00.001-07:00

I feel like this girl so often. She is up on ebay now. I have two more I hope to get up tonight.

Watched the movie "Local Color" the other day. It was interesting. Like one of the reviews I read ,"A Hallmark movie with cus words".

I also went to the "Vatican Splendor" with my sister from "Mommy's Midwest Mountain" and niece "Laura Beth". We had fun and it was interesting. Tickets were pricey but, I always love the chance to look at paintings up close.

2010-08-24T09:25:00.001-07:00

The kids are back in school and I am left with a nervous energy that is not really good for painting. The first week all I could do was clean and now this week I am forcing myself to paint. I always feel better when I do.
I worry a little more than I should. I get that from my Mother. Thank you Mom.

This painting is called "Morning Stretch". I will have this one and hopefully another up tonight on ebay.

I am also so sad that summer is over. I feel like it was a little wasted because of the heat. Most days were around 100 with the heat index 110. It was hard to get out and do the things we normally do.

I am trying to look forward to the fall now.

Here are my babies waiting for the bus. Yes, the bus. I miss driving them in the morning, but it will save gas. We are already working on school work every night. Waaaaa.

2010-07-24T14:09:00.000-07:00

Another busy week.
Here are my latest paintings up on ebay.

Thursday, Rose had a very big day. She pulled out a loose tooth and then a couple hours after that had me take her training wheels off her bike. She rode away first try without even falling. Quite a big day.

Anthony mostly builds lego towns all day. He wishes to win a Lego contest with his latest creation. They are always having contest where you send in pictures of what you have made. We also went to a Lego display downtown. It was interesting..... could have been better, but the kids had fun. We also walked over to the city farmers market called "Soulard Market" They agreed that was much more interesting.

2010-07-12T18:24:00.000-07:00

I love when kitties try to smash themselves into tiny containers. It is so cute that they think they are that small!

The last one is called 'Kitty Stalker'. Their faces say it all. These are up on ebay now.

Jennifer

2010-07-09T08:29:00.000-07:00

This summer feels like it is going so fast!!

These are two new paintings up on ebay

There have only been a couple days to use our imagination to keep us busy.

This is the first summer in a while that we have not had an easy set pool ....so instead we used buckets!! Not a bad way to keep cool.

We also had fun with string. This is a great way to transport G.I. Joe men to the battle field along with an assortment of enemies.

Another great way to have fun with string.....set up a pirate camp!

I was actually slightly injured during this sword fight. I guess those fencing lessons are paying off for Nino. Although he sure doesn't go after his classmates the way he came after me.

Hope you are all getting some time to play during these "lazy" days of summer.

Jennifer

2010-06-29T14:50:00.000-07:00

This latest piece is called "Favorites" . Up on ebay now.

I had a family Birthday party for Nino and Rose this weekend. It was nice, but very hot. The kids are into "Toy Story" right now. Such a cute movie. They received so many nice gifts we are still finding special spots for them all.

Hope you all had a nice weekend. I know I am already looking forward to a long 4th of July weekend coming up.

Jennifer

2010-06-25T09:27:00.000-07:00

OK, this is it for awhile. This funny little Party Girl is up on ebay for 99 cents.

Now I MUST go clean and shop for I will be hosting a party myself tomorrow!!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Jennifer

2010-06-24T05:49:00.000-07:00

This one is quite large. It is an 11X14. I have it sitting in my kitchen by the wine right now. It really brightens up that corner. On the wine bottle it reads," Delicious wine to drink with crustaceous dinners". I tried to make their faces real ,but not too real if you know what I mean. I like his little metro-sexual striped shirt. He looks very french. Ha ha. This is up on ebay. Oh well, back to chores.

Jennifer

2010-06-23T06:56:00.000-07:00

"Our Baby" up on ebay. I am having fun working with facial expressions. This is an 8X10. I just finished a big 11X14 similar to this. I am waiting for it to dry. I hope to get it up tonight.

It is soooooooooooo hot here. I can barely breathe when I go outside. I really need to water my flowers before they die. Hope you all are keeping cool out there!

Jennifer

2010-06-16T13:38:00.000-07:00

As you can see, I am still playing in the impressionist style. I love the freedom of it. I felt like painting a face today.

You can just tell how happy she is with this giant piece of cake she is about to dive into. Up on ebay tonight.

Boy it sure is hard to find time to paint over summer vacation. I prefer to paint in the morning, but I might have to change it to midnight if I want to fit it in!!

Hope you all are getting more done than me.

Jennifer

2010-06-12T11:51:00.000-07:00

I am still playing with impressionist art. Time and time again I keep trying to paint this way. I guess because those are the kind of paintings that I admired growing up. I love folk art too, of course. Sometimes I almost think that folk art is more difficult because you really have to use your imagination. Anyway, here is my latest impressionist painting. This was a first for a little bit of teeth showing. Hee hee.

Up on ebay now.

We spent a day last week at the St. Louis Art Museum. I am lucky to have such a wonderfully stocked museum so close to me. After reading so much about Vincent Van Gogh I just had to go see one of his works in person again. I am lucky to have two very famous ones to stare at. So fun to look at each brush stroke. Here are a couple close ups for your enjoyment. :)

2010-06-07T09:50:00.000-07:00

First, I want to thank Micki from The Secret Hermit for this darling painting. I love it. I love the colors, texture and the saying! Thank you so much.

I left you all after my computer died. I have a new one now and still getting use to it.

Just when you think you can afford a luxury item something breaks. Isn't that ALWAYS how it works. Our luxury item was a trip to Disney World. Of course the computer would break right before we leave. It wouldn't happen any other way. At least it wasn't the car, right?

We drove all the way and camped along the way in Georgia at a beautiful campground called Stone Mountain. We packed lunches and stayed off site with a full kitchen. Our goal was to go for Star Wars weekend. I think it is a trip the kids will remember for a very long time. We might go back again........someday.

LEGO Store!!!!

Rose with the Little Mermaid and Prince Eric.

This trip was lots of fun with just a little disappointment here and there. Here is a pic of Rose pouting because she did not get to Mulan in time to get a photo.

Everyone there is soooooo nice I must say. Not sure how they can be so polite in those costumes in that heat.

Looking back we should have brought a stroller for Rose. We explored Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood studios in 6 days. That is a lot for little 6 year old legs. They were real troopers through it all. Many times they would have rather of been swimming in the hotel pool instead walking around in the heat. We did always try to take long lunches pool side for them, but here is a snippet of a tired Rose.

2010-05-19T08:15:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to stop in and say that I will not be around for awhile.

My computer died and I am writing from a very slow old computer that I dug out of storage.

I will come by to say hi when I am back on track. Until then have a wonderful spring. I hope the sun is shining where you are!

Jennifer

2010-05-06T20:08:00.000-07:00

This is my still for the week. I am keeping this one. It is of two Peonies in a blue china dish. This Peony plant was handed down from my Grandma that painted. If you have ever read my bio you know what I am taking about. All of us girls have one that came from the original in her garden. Isn't that cool? Next spring I will try to remember to split this one so I can start getting more ready for the next group of kids.

Well, I am currently reading the life story of Vincent Van Gogh. Just fascinating. I always love life stories set back in time anyway, but throw in an obsession with art and you got me.

Have you ever taken a liking to someone just because they remind you of someone you know? Is it just me or does Vincent look a little like Foster? Maybe I am just going crazy.

This one is up on ebay.

Jennifer

2010-04-30T10:02:00.000-07:00

This has been a kind of busy week. I have not been to blogland much. I have been trying to plant my flowers among other things.

This guy interrupted me though. This is a copperhead, literally, it is just the head. With the help of my dad we removed it to keep the family safe. I hated to ruin the snakes day like that. He was just basking in the sun, but much too fresh was the memory of my niece being rushed to the emergency room for one of these bites. If you click on the picture to make it bigger you can see how really long these fangs are. They eject out and can go through a pretty thick shoe. I know because I have seen it happen. The slit eyes are the eyes of a poisonous snake so stay away from these eyes. Round eyes are not poisonous.

Here he is before.

We also had a school Spring Fling party.

And a first baseball game.

I did mange to get some painting in. I really want to paint like my Grandma did. I just never give myself time to learn how. I am going to start to TRY to paint some stills and landscapes each week along with what I normally do. Here is my rose in a tea cup. Don't laugh. :) Tamale of course had to drink .

This is a very stripped down version of my girl. I did not highlight her face. I think it is very sweet and simple. I plan to list it on ebay tonight for .99 cents.

Hope all is well. I will try to make the rounds tonight.

Jennifer

2010-04-22T18:03:00.000-07:00

Devil Moon up on ebay tonight.

These funny little devils are up on ebay too, but they are hiding behind these angels

2010-04-20T19:00:00.000-07:00

I thought I could keep it simple, but I went back to my mixed media ways. I am addicted to crack..le.

As you may notice from my previous post, I could not leave these little girls alone.

I spy a giant squid eye!

These are both on Ebay. :)

Have a wonderful evening.

Jennifer

2010-04-16T20:02:00.000-07:00

I could not stay away from paper. I spent a whole week without collaging . Today I was just itching to cut, so I made these little swim suit girls. They are on Etsy.

Jennifer

2010-04-15T08:37:00.000-07:00

A boy can never have too many Lightsabers.......or swords.......or any weaponry. Right?

Anthony loved this painting. He was all smiles when he saw it. After years of girls with kitties, finally something HE could relate too. Ha ha

Not too long ago we watched a documentary on how to build a real lightsaber. They figured out how to make everything, but they would need nano batteries that were not yet invented. When they got to that part, Anthony teared up. He really thought he was going to build one. I told him even if he could, he could not play with it! It is a real WEAPON! Oh my!

The original is on Etsy.

Jennifer

2010-04-10T07:57:00.000-07:00

Well, if you have a little boy and live in America, then you have probably went through a Big Foot stage. A while back I purchased a documentary at a dollar store on Big Foot. It was the strangest movie I have ever seen. In the middle of it, it turned into a story of two squirrels in love being run over by a car. Has anyone else seen this??! Anyway, Big Foot is a big part of little boy dreams and nightmares.. This print is on Etsy.

As you may have noticed, I have taken a slightly different path with my art lately. Just slightly, ha ha. This road is kind of fun and exciting . Nino has many ideas for me. ;) I am loving the vintage retro feel though.

Jennifer

2010-04-08T07:57:00.000-07:00

I am still having fun with my new found color palette I love this "Jump Rope" girl . I think she looks modern and retro at the same time. She is on Etsy. "Chicken Girl" ...... well.....I am not sure where she is going. She needs to go to the Orthodontist, but not much luck of that out on the farm. When I showed 'Chicken Girl' to Rose she was like , awww ... looking at the chicken then her eyes popped when she saw the girl's teeth. I asked if I should leave them and she said yes. So there they stay.

Jennifer

2010-04-06T07:35:00.000-07:00

I hope you all had a safe and happy Easter. We did. As Nino gets older my holidays have become more enjoyable. When he was younger his food allergies always made holidays stressful, but now he has become very responsible in helping me keep him safe.

I had to show off my babes in their Sunday Best. You may notice that Rose had TWO Easter dresses. We had a party both Saturday and Sunday so how could I resist. I only have so many chances to dress her before she takes over. If you take time to watch the Flickr slide show, please watch for Nino's face when she tries to hug him and her sweet reaction to back off. My poor little Rose would like nothing more than a giant hug from her big brother, but it ain't happenin'.

My newest on Ebay

2010-04-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

Two new paintings. The portrait "Orange Bow" is on Etsy. The collage "Kitty Babies" on ebay. You may have noticed no crackle or stain on my latest paintings. What ? Yes, you are correct. I was inspired by my two little artists to brighten up the home for spring.

It started with this painting painted by Rose. Can you guess who she was learning about? If you guessed Van Gogh you are correct. Let me tell you too, it is very cute to hear a 5 year old tell you about Van Gogh. I had to frame it and then to match with my other frames, up went more of their art work. I think it really brightens up the place.

I hope you all have a very wonderful weekend!!

Jennifer

2010-03-29T18:41:00.000-07:00

This is my "Motherhood 2" painting. I did one like this a few years ago. You can see it on my flickr.

I am currently reading "The Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder to my babes. I feel a little bad because every night they ask me, "WHY would I read them something so scary?" I tell them that is what it was like back then. I think it might be a little bit more scary for them knowing they are surrounded by their own woods. We do not have bears or panthers though, but I have heard a bobcat cry.

The best part so far was the expression on Rose's face when I read her this......

"Mary was bigger than Laura, and she had a rag doll named Nettie. Laura had only a corncob wrapped in a handkerchief, but it was a good doll. It was named Susan. It wasn't Susan's fault that she was only a corncob."

Jennifer

2010-03-24T19:35:00.000-07:00

Here is my newest painting listed on ebay. It is called 'Flowers to Heaven'. This sweet little girl is trying to throw flowers up to a loved one in heaven.

Last summer Rose was making a flower head band for my Mom to wear and then she started asking about my Mom's Mom. So we explained that she was in heaven. After Anthony heard that, he threw his flowers up in the air to her in heaven. It was all very sweet and with everything blooming it reminded me of this special moment.

This leads me to ask, "What do you do with a woolly worm when you find it has passed on?"

Well, you build a casket out of electrical tape and acorn lids.

Carry it on your head...... of course.

Then, run off into the sunset to bury it.