I Put My Mind to This.

This is "Playing a Little Love. The Violin Lady." She is now being shown at Artistree Co-op. Painting something joyous is a good counter to the graphic design projects I do on the side. Or is it I paint on the side? The graphics have been my mainstay since I graduated from college in the "cut and paste" days. My job producing yearbooks took me out of the dark ages into the forefront of technology where I learned to use photoshop and indesign. I am eternally grateful for that job. I left my comfort zone and learned so many things. The most important thing I learned is that I could do whatever I put my mind to.
I am going back through the curriculum from Alyson Stanfield's Blast Off class. I took the class a year ago and have decided to revisit my goals, tolerations, etc. I rewrote my affirmations.
1. I choose to build others up.
2. I choose to have faith and believe wholly in God.
3. I choose to be healthy: to eat fruit and vegetables and exercise daily.
4. I choose to dispose of the unnecessary, unkind and untrue.
5. I choose self discipline and strength.
6. I choose to grow in vision...see more of what the world and others have to offer.

There are more, but they are not relevant in this post. I will put my mind to these, as I can do whatever I put my mind to. Even number 3...ugh.

The First Journal Entry

Here is the first art journal entry for the Milliande.com 2011 project. The prompt pertained to a zebra pattern. Follow along...it is fun to see what women around the world are thinking.

Put Aside the Blues and Dance

It is the time of year to look back and see what has unfolded in the past 365 days.
It is the time of year to figure out what needs to be done to make the next 365 days better than the last.

Of course sometimes there is nothing one can do to overcome obstacles of economic, physical, or other stresses. We are finishing a year that saw five months of unemployment, dashed hopes and disappearance of dreams.

The coming year will be one of rebuilding, starting over and recouping the phantoms of hope.

How does one come up with dreams? Come up with new goals and aspirations?

Letting life host optimism isn't always easy.

But I will try again.

I have started countless journals.

As gardeners do after a freeze I will gather my tools and seeds of ideas and sow and reap again. On the right side of this blog is a new link to the Milliande Art Community 2011 Journal Project. With the help of this link I will follow along and join other women around the world as they too put images and words to paper. If you are a woman looking for a new way to start the year you may join also.

The site will post videos which can be downloaded to watch when and if you want.
The site will post ideas and themes for inspiration.
The site will post your and other artists' artwork if you choose to join in.

The optimism is building. I am looking through the stacks to find the right journal for this year's art therapy. Commit is one of the words I will use to bring in the new year.

'Tis the spirit.

“It is not the weight of jewel or plate, Or the fondle of silk or fur; 'Tis the spirit in which the gift is rich, As the gifts of the Wise Ones were, And we are not told whose gift was gold”
Edmund Vance Cooke


A departure from painting canvas or paper. I took a little sabbatical from the norm, for me, and tried out a little dye on silk. Here are the results.

Katrina Painting Revisited

“It was like being in the eye of a hurricane. You'd wake up in a concert and think, Wow, how did I get here?”
John Lennon

I wonder what drugs he was doing? I don't ever remember going to sleep during any part of a hurricane because I wanted to know how I got where I was or how was I going to get where I needed to be.

The painting that I posted several months ago, Katrina, has been chosen for the artistsregistry.com members juried show this month in Orlando at the Gallery at Avalon Island. I will let you know the date for the opening in a future blog post so you can join us for the evening event downtown.

Today was the Trinity Prep Art Bazaar organized by genius potter Dawn Ferguson. It was fun to be with like minded artsy souls and to be back on the Trinity campus where I could enjoy the lake views and be sentimental about the ten years our children spent there. The staff and faculty was well represented by Kym Moreland-Garnett, Dawn Ferguson, Irina Ashkraft and Randi Rolek. A lot of artistic talent among these ladies. Thank you to the Patrons of the Arts for their support of the arts at this fine school and thank you to my wonderful friends who stopped by to show their support too.

Words of Caution. Lots of Togetherness Ahead.

If you get to thinking you're a person of some influence, try ordering somebody else's dog around. ~Will Rogers

One thinks one has a way with animals when their own pets behave, sort of like children. Call the neighbors' wayward Husky or teach a class of elementary students and you will immediately understand this isn't so. You really hold no sway over anybody else. Your pets and family love you. They put up with you and roll over for you.

One thinks one is pretty powerful. Lol!

With that in mind, a word of caution: try to keep your opinions to yourself this week. If you don't, can't, won't do something yourself let somebody else do it without your comments. Keep your lips sealed unless they are opened to allow a beneficial high alcohol content liquid pass between them.

With that in mind, have a designated driver, a designated turkey carver or designated knife sharpener. Play it safe this Thanksgiving.

With that in mind, I am thankful for all of you who take a minute out of your day to read my meanderings. Blessings to all.

Just a Little Snack Ahead

Dogs laugh, but they laugh with their tails. ~Max Eastman, Enjoyment of Laughter

As the holiday pace begins I am going to streamline my blog. I know everybody is busy and has little time to read paragraph after paragraph while planning their meals and shopping in addition to all of the things they do in the real world. With that in mind the next two months I will post an image and a quotation I feel is particularly apropos. I hope you will enjoy a little "snack" of blog.
With love...Beth

Even Big Dogs Can Be "All That"

This beautiful mastiff was in Austin at the Gypsy Picnic Trailer Food Festival.
My son, brother, mom and I went to check out the fare while we were in the city for my sister's wedding.


The sky was as brilliant and clear as a fall day should be in Texas. Therefore thousands of folks turned out for the event. The food was delicious, the music was loud, and the dogs were plentiful. This was, after all, Austin. If you are outside you must have your dog with you, because they love this kind of thing. Really? I can only speak for the dogs we have had.

Back to glitter.

While in Austin we saw so many dogs not only at this food truck festival, but at the Pit Bull Parade on Sunday. Photos of glittered pit bulls are still to come.

Stay tuned.

Coming Home and Visiting Kirby

The glitter addiction is continuing in the studio.

This is our friend Kirby. Honorable pug and all around nice guy. We visited yesterday so he could model for me. He is a good boy. He smiled, he posed, he napped and best of all he didn't chase the UPS truck when he had the chance.

I have just returned from a trip to Atlanta to survey neighborhoods we would like to settle in. We are moving to the area once we sell our home in Florida.

Looking at the very cute bungalows (translate small) and ranch style homes (translate, we have lived in ranch homes and know we will need to do a lot of updating) I realize what a great house we have.

Several years ago we added a large studio and patio so I could enjoy the tropical garden filled with hummingbirds and butterflies and the woods that give me total privacy in my hidden art world. How will I find that again?

Sigh...I may have to muster the strength to create another, but there will never be another like this. The fountain has provided water for squirrels, birds, and lizards and soothed a ragged soul plenty of times. The patio has hosted numerous coffees and glasses of wine. This space is my safe harbor, my artist studio, my retreat, my sanctuary. I will miss it very much.

But the art comes from within so will be with me wherever I go.

Pretty Little Ladies

Just a note to honor so many great women in my life. From my daughter and other women in my family to my beautiful friends who are my adopted family.
Love you all.

You gotta get up. You gotta get out. You gotta get up, get out and live it.

Sometimes you need a little push to get back on track. I was reading an article in "O" magazine by Dr. Phil about harnessing your personal power when I found it.

"Live Passionately," Dr. Phil writes," Figuring out what nourishes you and then being disciplined about doing it- that's real power."

This is where I am in this new week. Identifying what gets me up in the morning, scheduling the time and keeping to the plan.

Glitter is part of the mix, part of the magic.
Being busy, having a lot to do helps me immensely.
Getting sleep, interesting concept considering I was up at 3:30 to make a trip to the airport, but it makes me joyful to be rested.
Doing things for somebody else, friends, family, always good incentive. It makes me happy too.
And doing what I said I would do. The expression,"The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Illustrates my psyche. If I can't/won't/don't do what I said the guilt is hellish.
SO get up get busy and enjoy. All with a sprinkle of glitter.

See my fresh for the holidays website. There is more information for ordering your own glitter portraits and Christmas cards. http://www.niftyartgirl.com

All That Glitters

Making art and making myself happy is what happens when I put these Glitter Portraits together. From taking the photos, doing a little digital magic to them, then applying glitter, ink and paint to the new "canvas" all is a new pleasure to me.

Taking photos of the wondrous Frankie started this whole new line. Thank you to his "mom", Jeanine, who allowed me to feed him treats and take pictures till I had the perfect shot.

Experimenting with different digital effects to get the intended look was the next step.

Then the next wave of fun began with the magic and mess that is glitter. The magic and mess that is paint. And the magic and mess that is glue. The glitter was everywhere. The work tables, the glue, the floor, and upon glancing in the mirror, me.

Working on the underside of a canvas where I could corral the glitter was a help in subsequent glitter missions.



The results really appeal to the black velvet painter in me. I am the person who wants to wear faux leopard daily, sequins nightly and mirabou before breakfast. But doesn't. I am only sorry there wasn't pink hair dye when I was in college haunting the art buildings.

If you are interested in ordering your own personal glitter portrait contact me at niftyartgirl@yahoo.com.

Mayhem is a popular word these days.

I have been searching for a subject to write about. I prefer to blog when I have a graphic to illustrate what has been going on in my studio. For the last few months there has not been a lot of activity of that sort.

Most of you know I am moving to Georgia when our house sells.

Chaos, turmoil, mayhem are good ways to describe the house right now. I have had painters in and outside the house for a few weeks putting on a fresh coat of paint, making little repairs while I depersonalize (as the real estate profession likes to call it). All of it is to make it appear that no humans with personality live in what is still my home.


To ease this distress I have been taking photos of my house. These vignettes confirm who the family is that lives here. I need these.


I have assembled some very simple collages of the interior and exterior. Clearly the inside reflects our individual personalities and the love we have for each other. The outside reflects the passion we have had in planting and nurturing our green children. Each plant photo is of somebody we brought into our garden. Each poster, painting, and souvenir inside is a part of something that has made us who we are.

There are good memories in every home. And there will be good memories in the next one too.

It was Gorey

Tuesday morning we went to the Orlando Museum of Art to see the Edward Gorey show.

Loving illustration I knew it would be fun. It was a treat. Gorey's humor, his incredible skill with pen and ink and wit was inspiring.

I am including a little drawing I did after seeing that show.

Check out Artistree Co-op to see some new work.

Katrina is Complete

Katrina has been completed. It is purely coincidence that this is the hurricane's 5th anniversary.

This is the final version of the storm in my hurricane series. Several months ago I was working on her and posted a snippet on this blog. I looked at her as the months passed and finally knew what I had to do...paint over the collage background. The resulting texture has given the piece a depth she didn't previously have.

The water bird in the foreground is another character in southern tragedies. They appear so fragile with their long legs and necks. Their vulnerability is shared with the woman and baby. However the drive to survive is shared by both mankind and nature.

In the end, as depicted in this painting, both New Orleans, as portrayed by the woman, and the city's future, as depicted by the baby, and the surrounding nature, as represented by the water bird are still standing. A little shaken, but nevertheless back on their feet. If you have lived in or visited the city you understand that feeling.

2129 Miles: Coal Trains, Sunflowers, Buttes, and Miles of Miles of Texas

The end of the summer spirit has arrived. The youngest child has returned to college so the nest is empty again.

Said child and I drove 2129 miles from Oviedo, Florida to Golden, Colorado. We had impromptu stops in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Colleyville, Texas to see old friends.

These visits put my life in perspective. The friendships I have been fortunate enough to have have been wonderful gifts. I miss my friends and am so grateful N.W. is a patient son and was willing to indulge my whims to drop by the homes of these great people. The welcomes and smiles were invaluable. Thank you Liz, Laura, and Patty for this.

The time N.W. and I spent driving, reading, listening to Garrison Keillor, listening to music (my intensive lesson in new music, I gained some new favorites) and plotting our next food stop was a lot of fun.

There were laughs along the way: Buc-ees, Kevin Greene in a song, the La Quinta in Amarillo, squeezing the sign in to the backseat of the car, and the hurricane that didn't.

There was so much great food in Baton Rouge at Acme Oyster Bar, beignets in the morning, the Flying Biscuit breakfast in Gainesville, Au Petit Paris in Houston, breakfast in a roadside diner in New Mexico and finally Pei Wei and Jimmy Johns in Golden. We decided to pass on the camo caramel popcorn at Buc-ees between Houston and Dallas.

Works by N.W. Rommel

The summer is drawing to a close. A return to school is forefront in our minds. Next week my son and I begin the almost two thousand mile drive to Colorado so N.W. can have his car on campus. We researched shipping the car, but all in all decided, "why not?" I have the time and precious time it will be. How often do you have your almost twenty year old to yourself for 4 days? Not often. I am posting some of his artwork. We share this art-thing. He has spent some time in my studio this summer working on a variety of projects, experimenting with different techniques and materials. I am very proud of his accomplishments.

What is my stomach saying?

The latest Lascaux Society assignment is an interesting one. Apparently one of our members, as a child, used to wonder what her stomach would say if it could describe what it was eating.

I am trying to translate that to a painting. With balsa wood box primed in gray gesso I was set, or so I thought.

The meal I was reflecting on was from a Turkish restaurant in Sanford, Efes. Wonderful food and a wonderful view of Lake Monroe and the St. John's River.

Buddy, MK and I shared a hot appetizer platter. We began to muse on what we were going to create for our next Lascaux Society meeting. The detritus from our lunch sat before us...it was too obvious. Lemons, tomatoes, spinach stuffed pie, and a few lettuce leaves were all that was left.

The feeling of satiety, the reds and yellows are all part of what went into this work in progress. I will confess that the first time around the people looked disturbingly like South Park characters.

Stay tuned for the finished product.

By the way here are the portraits MK and I did of each other for a past assignment for Lascaux. On the left my portrait of Mk. On the right the painting and collage of me by MK Shaw. I love it.

Checking in with friends from the past.

As the summer heat bakes Florida I thought it was a good time to get away. Of course if I had my druthers I would find cooler climes, but instead opted for a family and friend kind of trip. To Austin and Houston I did go.

One of the highlights of my trip was to see the opening of my college roommate's show in Houston at the Jack Meier Gallery. Honora and I were roommates at University of Texas in the glory days when Austin was really still weird. We shared her sister's wonderful house, studied art history, and did what college kids did.

Fast forward to seeing her show. Honora's art is beautiful. Feminine images tell stories all women can relate to at some point in their lives. I wanted to pack each one up and carry them home. To be surrounded by these paintings on a daily basis would give me such joy. Do yourself a favor and click here on this link and tour Honora Jacob's website.

I have returned to Florida and begun a graphic design project for another dear friend. In going through logo designs I came up with this idea. The heart is created with the masa paper I painted several weeks ago. Something light and spontaneous and memorable for a logo.

Masa Paper Tutorial

Several members of the Lascaux Society met at my home a few weeks ago for a workshop on the use of Masa paper. Our teachers are artists who use this inexpensive paper in collages and as paintings alone. Each 21.5" x 31" sheet costs less than a dollar. One side is smooth the reverse has a little bit of "tooth".

Step 1. Crumple paper then smooth it out on a flat surface.
Step 2. Spray with water to moisten surface.
Step 3. Paint loosely with diluted watercolor or acrylic paint.
Step 4. Blot, wrinkle again, fold again...flatten again.
Step 5. Repeat painting and wrinkling until you have the desired effect.
Paper dries in about 20 minutes, either start over, add ink, use as desired. You may also use a mask to protect some unpainted areas. This is fun and freeing.

I used some of the paper to fill in areas on the bird. I tore it and applied it with acrylic medium.

I Miss Those Shrunken Heads

The title caught my eye,"Where Shrunken Heads Are a Big Attraction." Page D6 of the this morning's Wall Street Journal brought back memories of my childhood.

What kind of childhood did you have? Actually it was a great one, a sister who was a built-in playmate, two loving parents, a big brother, dogs, cats, horses, cows, and friends.

Several years ago I was commenting to my children that one of their toys, a squishy, disgusting heart/brain/liver like thing was beyond the pale as far as grossness went. They reminded me of my penchant for shrunken heads.

Said heads were black rubber with streaming nasty black hair all hanging from elastic cords so they could bounce and flail (like the real thing, right?). We were ecstatic when we played with them, putting them in each others faces, chasing each other with them, just plain being kids with them.

I suppose like many toys they were eventually put in a drawer or box and disposed of with the troll dolls and my sister's Little Kiddles.

And by the way if you want to see the real thing "head", haha, to the Pitt Rivers Museum at the University of Oxford.

Face Lift

Okay, if a title like that gets your attention there is too much guilty pleasure television in your life.

Today I did a face lift on the blog, a new banner, a new template from the good folks at blogspot and some new colors. A little lift for a distraction from summer.

If you are a regular reader you know my distaste for summer in Florida, it is here. Almost 100 degrees today. The vegetable garden has already met its demise, the weeds are proliferating and it is too hot to pull them out by their little feet.

I have posted two paintings which are works in progress. They have been looking at me for several weeks. The great inspiration of the moment passed so I have been dragging myself to them to put more paint on the canvas. A tribute to the arts. There is a lady violinist also, she will appear at a later time.

Some fun

Pictured here is a little something I made for a birthday gift. This bracelet is on an endless series of connected loops of silver. Anybody who makes jewelry will not be impressed. I imagine this has been around for a long time, but I was wowed by the perfect design of concentric connected circles. Each end I finished with small spirals made with pliers. This was fun. What a great concept...fun.

Back to etsy

I just decided to reopen my etsy shop.

Check it out for some beach ladies and gentlemen. All are matted and sealed for easy shipping which is free within the United States. I will be posting more each day so stay tuned. These are original paintings, not prints.

Click here
http://www.etsy.com/shop/niftyartgirl

Hannah Strikes a balance in Davis, CA

I recently met Hannah Klaus Hunter through Alyson Stanfield's Blast Off on-line class. Hannah is an art therapist who works with children and families at the University of California in Davis Children's Hospital.

Her stories are of bravery, heartache and incredible strength and character. Hannah has become my touchstone in this sea upon which I am sailing.

Balance, harmony, unity with variety are all principles of art Hannah expresses in her work. Looking at these pieces to the left your eye moves in a rhythm to see everything.

This doesn't happen by accident. It is a skill that artists develop. You should see it all and watch it unfold.

Richness of color is focused with the use of carefully chosen shapes and textures. Individually these elements are important, together they are powerful. Strong lines and forms hold it in place.

The heartfelt choices are reflections of Hannah's patients and their stories. The feelings unfold in the details. They are lovely and make you want to touch and hug them. How one is affected when they view these pieces says a lot about the balance Hannah offers her friends, family and patients.

To see more of her work visit the USE Credit Union in Davis, CA this Friday for her opening from 5:30-7:30. The show will be open from June 7 to June 19.