It Only Takes One on 11" x 14" canvas $95

I have a huge love of sunflowers.  To me they appear so majestic.  The flower head is so huge compared to the stem.  A couple of years ago I grew some huge ones and just as they opened someone helped themselves to them from the back of my yard. They didn't even leave me one.  It could have been squirrels.  Probably was a kiddo taking them to their Momma and that's ok.  I would have dried them for the birds.  Since then I don't grow them so close to my fence in the back. This afternoon I decided to paint this from a photo and a bit of my imagination on the back ground.  Those of you who paint with me won't be surprised at my inclusion of purple. 

Art Effects Show

This is the site for ART EFFECTS a show in Columbia coming in August.   I'm so excited to be a part of it.  Hope to see you all there~!    http://www.mauryregionalfoundation.com/page.aspx?pid=362  

Painting a Gourd

I came upon this article this morning in an e-mail.  I think it says so well what I've been saying for some time that I believe we are all born with the ability to create art.  Our art may be in the form of painting, dance, music, gardening, designing, writing, etc.  I also believe that to not create is to deny God the ability to show the world what can only be shown through us. Imagine what if I don't "create" something that God feels important that He wants to show the world and then it goes uncreated.  Or what if my lack of creating prevents me from emotionally healing or expressing what He wants done.  I feel my best when I allow time for creativity.   Please post in the comment section below how creating influences your life.  I'd really love to dialogue with you about it. 

Painting a Gourd

All of us were made to make things. During my studies, I found out a surprising piece of data: There is no such thing as a creative or noncreative person. Every single human being is creative. Every research participant could recall a time in his or her life when creativity brought him or her great joy. It was usually childhood, and the creative expressions ranged from coloring or finger-painting to dancing, singing or building. What was most fascinating was that the participants never talked about learning how to be creative—they just were.

As adults, what keeps us from being creative—from painting, cooking, scrapbooking, doodling, knitting, rebuilding an engine or writing—is what I call the comparison gremlin (a close cousin of the shame gremlin). People say, "I'm not good enough," or "Why am I the only one with dangling modifiers?" or "I'm not a real sculptor...I'm a total poser." In other words, we shame ourselves into stopping. While we may have all started creative, between ages 8 and 14, at least 60 percent of the participants remember learning that they were not creative. They began to compare their creations, they started getting graded for their art, and many heard from a teacher or a parent that "art wasn't their thing." So we don't have to teach people to find joy in creating; we have to make sure not to teach them that there's only one acceptable way to be creative.

I had to push myself to rediscover my own artistic side. Unused creativity is not benign. It clumps inside us, turning into judgment, grief, anger and shame. Before I turned my life around, I used to dismiss people who spent time creating. When a friend would invite me to go to an art class or something, I'd respond: "How cute. You go do your A-R-T; I'm busy with a real J-O-B." Now I realize that was my fear and my own frustrated need to create.

To kick things off, I went to a gourd-painting class with my mom and my then-9-year-old daughter, Ellen. It was one of the best days of my life. I'm not kidding. I still paint, and now I'm having a serious love affair with photography. But start with something easy. Why not start with a gourd? Put a silly face on it. Make it smile.


Read more: http://www.oprah.com/relationships/How-to-Increase-the-Love-in-Your-Life-Brene-Brown/2#ixzz1sgiTvnOS

Tunnel of Roses 12" x 12" canvas $95.

My Moms' roses that she gave to me several years ago are out blooming their sweet selves this year....and early too. She had been caring for them for about 30 years and gave me starts about 5 years ago. They smell soooo good... like a rose oughta' smell.

"You can only see as far as your headlights"

I've been busy with so many classes and creating new ones that I've had very little time for painting from my heart and that leaves me ouching~! Is that a word??? And yet I'm soooo greatful for the many artists I am working with. You inspire me daily`! Now in the middle of all these classes I'm having my bedroom painted and redoing much of it. And did I add I'm preparing for a plein air workshop in my garden in May. My friend Nikki is a very talented artist and is doing a great job giving me a new bedroom. I've struggled for months wanting to make these changes and unable to make the decisions needed to get going. I still am not sure what color my accents will be. I should have called Amy Freeze, who could have solved it for me in an instant. This morning I ran upon a quote by E.L Doctorow from Ann Lamont's book "Bird by Bird"
“writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” You don’t have to see where you’re going, you don’t have to see your destination or everything you will pass along the way. You just have to see two or three feet ahead of you."
Lamont also quoted Annie Dillard:
"Day by day you have to give the work before you all the best stuff you have, not saving up for later projects."
I would love to hear your experiences as you progress in your artistic journey. It encourages me and others when we hear how differently we make our trips to success in whatever path we choose to take.

An Afternoon in Centennial Park

Yesterday afternoon my lil' sister Kay and I packed up our paints and headed to Centennial Park in downtown Nashville. You should have seen our heads spinning as we were trying to choose where to set up. Finally we decided on the site seen in the photo below because we thought there would be less foot traffic there. We wished for little painting kits to give to the children. I'm sure with their enthusiasim they could produce amazing art. Yep~! you got it ...

we had a lot of help :-)

What we didn't project was the movement of the sun shinning directly onto our canvas. Kay had artists umbrellas but they were way back at our car so we tried to paint while truly being "blinded by the light"....hummmm that sounds like a song??? While I'm not willing to post our attempts I will show you the photo we took of what we tried to paint. I still love the view and will paint it here in my studio. We do have our canvas from yesterday with colors from the atmosphere to transfer to the studio painting.

All in all it was a gorgeous day in the park. If you can get there this week the tulips are blooming early along with lots of other floral both trees and bulbs.

Hey, I just thought of something, why don't some of you paint from this photo and send me a photo of your painting~! Now that would be fun~!

Painting with the BBB's The Bold Beautiful Babes of Pulaski

Last night I went near Florence, Alabama to paint with a fabulous group of women. Two of these women had never painted anything. What they lacked in experience they brought in eagerness to succeed. I pleaded with Karen, who initiated this workshop, to let them off easy and we would paint something simpler. Nope~! Karen had her heart set on painting from a photo of these women sitting on the beach. No one could have been more surprised then me when their paintings turned out really good. You can imagine me starting by telling them it's not about how good the finished painting is, but about the experience and learning from each attempt. Well they showed me~! These women were amazing~!

I forgot to tell you that the experience was greatly enhanced by the setting. We painted behind a glass wall over looking the Tennessee River. It was the vacation home of Karen and Steve Spivey and what a home it is. I had a really hard time this morning getting out of bed because the view of the river held me captive as I looked from my bed out the window.

Thank you Karen and all of your precious friends. I look forward to returning to your

home away from home. I'm including a couple of photos of the women and their paintings. I can't believe I forgot to get photos of the river. I guess that means I have to return.

Red Posies 10" x 8" canvas

This is one of 6 floral paintings I'm painting for a class in Pulaski, TN. We are going to hold an art show where the ladies will be donating one of two paintings they will complete in class. The sale will be on April 17, 2012. The location of the sale will follow later. I've been amazed at the talent in these classes. And now they are willing to part with one of their beautiful pieces of art for a very good cause. If you love to paint or have always wanted to paint, there is still time to join us in the class on March 20, 2012. Contact me for more information.

Christina's Boots 20" x 16" canvas

I painted this for a class coming up in a couple of weeks. I borrowed a pair of Christina's boots as my model. A beautiful young lady named Wendy Buttler asked me to paint boots for a class for her birthday coming up in a couple of weeks. It was so much fun to paint. These can be painted with a variety of background colors to match your decor. If you'd like your very own, please contact me for more information.

Dreams III 20 x 16" x 1/2" Acrylic on canvas

I painted this for a class to be next week in Pulaski, TN. You can go to my calendar for details. Or send me a note requesting the flyer for it which I will gladly e-mail to you.

The treasures hidden inside all of us

I think it takes courage to apply paint on the canvas and then put it out there for the world to view; and even more to invite our friends and other artists to critique. The really neat thing is that sometimes we get it right. We'll never know those moments if we don't drum up the courage to try. What hidden treasures are we bringing to the canvas today?
"Do you have the courage to bring forth this work? The treasures that are hidden inside you are hoping you will say YES." by the poet Jack Gilbert

Star of Bethlehem Floral 18"x24" on 1&1/2" gallery wrapped canvas $300

I picked up a pot of flowers at Publix about 6 weeks ago that I don't recall having seen before. It's a bulb called Star of Bethlehem and it bloomed for weeks. It still looka really good even though it has now dried in the pot. I sent a photo to several painters and asked them to paint it for fun. Several of you did and wow are you guys good~! I first painted it in colors that were too similar in value and the urn got lost in the back ground. It doesn't really matter that they were different colors, if they are close to the same on the value scale something gets lost in the delivery. So this afternoon I repainted the back ground and I like it so much better. Hope you enjoy.

Happy Easter

This is painted on an 18" x 24" x 3/4" board. On the left is a rabbit that would look great year round but especially in the spring. The right side of the board is covered in chalk paint so you can write a personal note and change it daily if you like. You can place it on an easel or hang it from a hook that can be placed on the back. I've had a chalk board in my home for years and love the notes left behind especially when little angels have graced my home. A couple of years ago I even painted a door in my kitchen with chalk board paint and love writing motivating notes to myself. This is not for sale but I'd love to help you paint your own in several upcoming classes. I'll post them on the calendar as soon as their scheduled. The first class that is already scheduled is at Grace Pointe Church on Feb. 24th. You can let me know if you'd like to reserve a spot.

Being Creative

So many times in an art class I hear women say: "I'm just not creative".  Today I found a quote by Wolf Kahn  a well respected artist who paints mostly with pastels.  "To be creative....may mean nothing more than the refusal to be habit-ridden".
Many of you know that I am feeling drawn more and more to what I call "impressionistic abstract" work.  I was in a gallery recently when the owner related this story.  She said a gentleman was viewing an abstract painting (one that had not "moved" her).  She said he had tears in his eyes as he told her of the place the painting took his thoughts as he revisited memories.
I think this is what we as artists hope to accomplish everytime we pick up our paints.  That we can help someone re-visit a memory or a place that is special to them.  It's not all about what I see when I paint but what you see when you view what I painted.

Paintings not coming through.......yet

Do you ever have a week when it seems like everything you paint is just not quite like you thought it would turn out? This has been one of those weeks. I have several that I plan to work on improving tomorrow. If they step up I'll post them later. I have to tell myself what I tell students all the time. It's a process of improving. It's not really wasted time if you learn something. I also did a copy of an artist whose use of colors I love. It is probably the best work I did this week. His name is Elio Camacho. I had planned to take a workshop from him next month until I learned yesterday that he is conducting it inside instead of en plein air. I just can't imagine traveling to Tampa, Florida in the middle of winter and remaining inside~! I decided to wait and watch for his outdoor workshops. And no...I'm not posting that painting as it really is a copy of his work. I prefer to paint original inspirations which is what I hope you aspire to as you are learning to paint. Well it's after 9pm and I hear a really good book calling my name. Good night all

"An Angel In My Kitchen" 12" x 24" on 1-1/2" Gallery Wrapped Canvas

This is the second painting in a series I'm calling "Earth Angels". She may be hard for me to part with as she looks wonderful in my kitchen.

"Three Brothers" 30" x 30" Canvas

I actually have four brothers, but one lives in Charleston, SC so I rarely get to see him. The other three live here in the Nashville area. This past year I learned what towers of strength and generousity they are in my life. I've been wanting something new to go over my mantle in the living room. As I began to paint I thought of how much these three trees represent how I feel about my brothers. Strong, protective and always there when I need a shelter from my life especially this past year. I love you guys so much. Glad to be one of your sisters.
I especially love when a painting takes on a personal meaning. Slowly my home is becoming full of paintings I don't want to part with....how could I when they've become a part of my "story". What you can't see in the photo is how much texture is on this canvas.....much like my life~

"Victoria" 48" x 24" on 1&1/2" gallery wrapped canvas that needs no frame

I painted this a few months ago while in Destin, but was never completely happy with it. I left it in my studio where I had to see it everytime I entered the room. Today I placed it on the easel and the magic behind the brushes just came through. It made me think of my oldest grand daughter who is so angelic herself, so I named it after her. I can see her in a young girl's room. I'd love to hear

what you think of her. Click on the image to enlarge it.

Looking for inspiration to paint

I got up really early this morning. Didn't mean to but just couldn't sleep. I looked around my home for inspiration to get me painting. I spotted this beautiful pot of Star of Bethlehem blooming in my living room. I bought it about a week ago and I've watched it slowly open. If I had been smarter I would have removed the red paper, surrounded it with moss, and you just might have thought I grew it from bulbs myself. Too late~! The old concrete urn has a drain hole so I left it in it's original wrapping to prevent water on my table. Those of you who paint....I challenge you to paint your impression of this plant(yep~! you can use my photo) and send me your own photo.

Laurie Pace, Texas Artist

Tonight I entered a small contest by posting what it means to create art to me. A couple of hours later I opened an e-mail by Texas artist Laurie Pace. I wanted to share her writing with you because she wrote so well what I feel. She explains why I encourage artist to use their own color choices and to add their own ideas when they are painting with me. In other words, they have my permission to use my painting as a guide to learn, but it is my hope that they will reach inside and pull out their own expression. I hope you'll check out Laurie's web site and enjoy her work and writing as much as I do. I also hope you will be inspired to paint, to tap into your Creator and share with others what He has inspired through you. Laine

Co-creator?


Thoughts of God's touch creating so much beauty in our world, puts me in awe of His artistry. As an artist, I feel so much responsibility to use my gift wisely and to allow Him to work through me as I am only a poor imitator of His dimensionally work.



Ladies at my summer workshop.

Painting in my own style, expressing what is important to me using line, color, palette knife and movement, is primary to the success of the work. Success that He was apart of the making. I can do nothing with out Him.


Encouraging other artists to paint from the inside out is often hard. 'Copying' a photo or image from the internet is hard to pass up at times, and I cannot say I have never done it because in the early years of the internet it seemed easy to use it as reference. Not fully copying it, but copying it where I should not have done it. You begin to realize it is not your work. It is not His work. It was something co-created by Him and another artist or photographer. For me to be a co-creator with Him, it is something that is inspired by my work, my photographs, or if I have a photograph for a commission... it is with permission to be a co-creator. Paintings completed without Him may be technically correct but they are not filled with any light or energy.


Feel prosperous in this new year and joyful that He is there with you as you do what your direction is in life. Do it with His spirit there fulltime. It is God-power, or God-filled energy. Abundance is there for the asking, and He will provide what we each need in life.


Words of my Heart,
Laurie


Read more: http://lauriepace.blogspot.com/#ixzz1iufVONdj