Family in Progress

I have been busy working on this portrait of these
four people. I have decided that it is much harder
to draw adults than small children?! I am a lot closer
than I was, and I hope to be finished by Monday.

I will be starting on some watercolors of some garden
scenes soon. I will be painting in the garden during the
garden tour in Shreveport later in the month, and I
want to have some done before I go. (trying to plan
ahead...which is hard for us scatter-brained, impulsive,
artists to do ).

Shreveport Garden Tour: April 24 and 25
For info on pencil portraits: sheltongail@hotmail.com

A Full Day of Art

Lots to do today...first of all, I have to draw that

building, the Huey P. Long Vocational School. They

are going to build a new building, and they would

like a portrait of this old location to hang in their

lobby. I am going to do it in pen and ink wash;

kinda vintage style. So, I took the photos on the way

to work this morning.

Then, I finished my pig for the Hog Dog Festival

competition. It is a BLT Sandwich (as if you couldn't

tell)...anyway, the weather is doing it's best to destroy

our entry. I added the "tulle lettuce", and the large

waterproof tomatoes; hopefully, it will last through the

judging!

Then, late this afternoon, I did another drawing lesson

with Ricky. He is a senior in high school, and participating

in the Senior Project. They have to select a skill they

want to learn, find a mentor to teach them, and complete

a final project along with a presentation at the end of the

semester. He will spend 15 hours with me learning to

draw in pencil. His final project is a portrait of his house.

And then, on my way home, I stopped to photograph this

lovely crabapple tree that is in downtown near the gallery.

I love to see it every spring; the delicate pink blooms make

me smile. I managed to find a bee, busy at work. Me too!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

info on private drawing lessons:

$10.00 an hour, ages 10 and up

email me if interested

Bluebirds and Mountains

The day started outside watching the bluebirds

in my backyard. I knew I needed to try to photograph

them before the trees bud out...which will be any day.

We are having some wierd weather...it snowed all day

Sunday, and then today it was 73 degrees?! That is the

third time this winter that we had some snow. Very

strange for the South...

I am finishing the day working on this mountain

watercolor for my client. I completed the other one

last night, and I will finish this one tonight. I told him

I would give him the choice between them..I might

get lucky, and he will want them both!

Original Watercolor 17 x 23

sheltongail@hotmail.com

A Day and a View in Alaska

I've been working on this mountain watercolor

tonight. It is just about finished. I took this

photograph in Alaska a couple of years ago. That

is one of the many glaciers we saw during our trip.

We were on our way to Denali National Park on this

day. Our guide wanted us to stop here and see and

photograph this view. It was a beautiful, sunny and

almost warm! day. (I was cold the entire trip...)

Anyway, it brings back memories when I look at it.

I hope the client is pleased with the finished product.

Original Watercolor Painting 17 x 22 $250.00

sheltongail@hotmail.com

A Peak Experience

I got this commission last Friday, and decided to

go ahead and do it quickly. A local man wanted

this watercolor of the mountains, only larger. So,

I am doing it a little bigger for him. It is going to

go in the lobby of his business, and he already had

a frame that he wanted it to fit in. This particular

mountain was in Alaska. He has a condo in Park

City, Utah, and loves the mountain scenery. I

told him I would do a couple for him to choose from.

So here goes the first one..

In watercolor, you put down the light washes first,

and then build up the layers, getting darker in value

as you go. This is on hot pressed Arches paper, which

I really like for landscape. Will post the finished

project soon.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Going out in Joy

These beautiful yellow flowers were in a flower

shop in New York City. I photographed them while

there to sing in Carnegie Hall with my church choir.

We are in the midst of practicing our Easter music

now. Last night we traveled to the quaint city of

Natchitoches to rehearse with the orchestra at the

university. We are doing "The Seven Last Words

of Christ" by Theodore Dubois. It is a really powerful

piece of music, and the rehearsal went well. We will

lead our congregation in this worship experience on

Palm Sunday. I hope we are ready!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

A Spring Sunday

Ahhh...a beautiful spring Sunday; a day to worship,

visit with family, relax, and enjoy being outside.

This is the view out of my front door. Enjoy!

I sent in the CPSA entries: "Pop Art" and "A Wrinkle

in Time" (that was the most popular title). The show is

being held in California this year. It rotates around; different

chapters of the organization host it each time. The show is

held in conjunction with the annual convention. There is a

banquet, workshops, and the opening reception for the show.

I have been to several of the conventions: Brea, California,

Chicago, and Memphis. I received my signature status in

Memphis. I stayed at the Peabody Hotel, and enjoyed

watching the ducks. (if you don't know about them...google

Peabody ducks!!). It was a very important goal for me to

receive the signature status. Hopefully I will get into the

show again this year, and will be able to attend the convention.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Invitations Continued

This is an unusual project: I received this invitation
from a young lady in North Carolina. My daughter
has a friend there, Lynn, that was in my daughter's wedding.
I did Lynn's invitation for her as a wedding gift from
my daughter.
This young lady saw Lynn's, and wanted me to do hers
as a gift for her husband...are you with me so far?
Anyway, here is is! It was a foldover format, so the
top section was the front of the invitation, and the
bottom section was the printed part. She wanted the
colors of the wedding, which were a burgandy red
and champagne. The swirls were already embossed
into the paper, and I just enhanced them. Then I
added the design on the bottom part. Then I cut the
mat to mount them in. I will ship it to her, and she
will get to surprise her husband with it for their one
year anniversary. I love surprises!

For information on painted invitations:
sheltongail@hotmail.com

Another Invitation

Here's another wedding invitation...the theme

is going to be "tropical", so I added the hibiscus.

The groom is from Tonga, and the bride met him

in Hawaii. It ought to be a beautiful affair; the

bride is a lovely girl. I hope they are very

happy.

Painted Wedding Invitations $20-$40

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Blooms and Birds

A few more spring images....spent some time

outside this morning before work. It was a beautiful

day, at last.

I never get tired of seeing the first yellow daffodils.

I think they are jonquils, technically speaking, but I

like the word "daffodil" better. The tulip magnolia is

one of the first things to bloom, too. I planted it several

years ago. The tree itself has never gotten very large,

but it manages to bloom every year. The pear trees are

starting to bloom all over town, and I always enjoy

seeing them, too. And the friendly mockingbird loves

to swoop down on the cats as they walk across the yard.

I believe he is protecting a nest, and he can become

quite testy. But he does provide some great entertainment;

one time I stopped and really listened, and he did 14 different

bird songs before he repeated. quite amazing.

I am still working on the portrait. Will post when I have

something to be proud of!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Competition Bound

These are the two entries for the upcoming

Colored Pencil Society of America's juried

international exhibition. The top one is

"Pop Art", and the bottom one is either

"A Wrinkle in Time" or "Talk to the Horn".

Anyway, if you still have a clever title for me,

you can let me know asap. I will be sending

these entries in on Saturday.

I haven't been accepted into this show for the

last 3 years. It is very competitive. They usually

receive 1000 entries, and only take around 125.

So, maybe the rhino will be lucky, or popcorn is

the judges' favorite snack!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

"Three" Coins in the Fountain

I mentioned that we were setting up a spring

display in the gallery that includes a fountain.

One of my favorite little people, Molly, visited

us today. And I gave her a penny to toss in the

fountain. Well, one coin wasn't exactly enough,

and she made numerous trips to and from the

cash box to the fountain. If all her wishes come

true, she will be a lucky little girl! adorable...

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Bird Times Two

"Birds sing after a storm. Why shouldn't

people feel as free to delight in whatever

sunlight remains to them." Eunice Shriver

I have always loved birds. My mother

collected them; my aunt fed them; and I have

drawn and painted them for years.

We are setting up a small area in the gallery

with the theme: "Blossoms, Birdhouses, and Bicycles".

These two collages will be part of that small exhibit.

I will try to post some photos of the arrangement.

9 x 12 Collages Green Birds and Orchids $75.00 each

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Elements of Design

I am taking a break from the big portrait I am

working on, and I started playing around with

these collage elements. I have the canvases

primed with some gesso for texture, and I

drew the bird shapes onto some printed paper

that I did on my large format printer. The

beautiful green orchids were part of a photograph

taken by my daughter on her recent trip to Fiji.

I am going to combine them all with other papers

and paint, and will try to post the progress.

I want you to look at some really nice work by

an artist named Gwen Fox. I checked out her

website, and I really like what she does. I found

her on LinkedIn..the great place to find other

pros in your field. www.gwenfox.com enjoy!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

sign of the times

In some circles, I am considered a very

accomplished artist. I have been admitted

to juried art competitions all over the nation,

and have won numerous awards for my

work. I have had a couple of one-woman

shows, and have had articles written about

me published in major national magazines. I

am a signature member of an international

art society, and a fellow in a New York City

art association.

And yet, when someone needs a name

painted on a photo album, who else do they

turn to?! When you live in a small rural town,

almost no one really understands what

you do. They just know you paint pretty "pitchers",

and they know you can do just about anything

they ask. When I was teaching at the high school,

I never saw my principal until he needed me to

paint "Must Pay to Re-Enter" on the stadium

signs before football season every year. I actually

believe he thought that was all I was really good for.

Oh well, that part of my life is over, but I am still

doing small jobs for small town people. I guess it

could be worse...

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Invitation to Paint

I still do these wedding invitations. I embellish

the original, and custom frame. Lots of people

give them as a wedding gift to the couple.

This one already had the black fleur de lis design

in the corner, so I just added the other little

flourishes and dots. I will put it in a silver

frame, and it will be ready to go to the wedding

tomorrow!

Painted Wedding Invitations

$20.00

sheltongail@hotmail.com

All in the Family

I am going to draw this family portrait for the

mom. They are from my small town, and very

special people. I will try to start on it tonight.

I still haven't found a name for the rhino. I will

wait a couple of more days. I know some of you

can come up with a really witty one.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Untitled, and Sad

I would hate to send this drawing to the

show as "Untitled"...still no suggestions.

And I am just about finished; just some

tweaking to do.

One of my favorite books growing up was

"A Wrinkle in Time"...that could work. Or

"Got Botox?" All artists are interested in

light and shadow...maybe something about

"Into the Light"...I don't know. Nothing is

inspiring me...would love your help. Will

wait a couple more days.

sheltongail@hotmail.com