Gator Colors

Still working on the t-shirt design...I like
this one. I might add some yellow..put
some stars on the end of his shoes, and
make his teeth yellow! I am looking at
t-shirt colors now, too. I wanted a cream
or beige; may have to go tan or brown.
tough decision...

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Christmas T-shirts available November

Gator Evolution

Our Christmas t-shirts are always a big hit

every year at the gallery. I have a good

time designing and working on them each

time. Since our art show this year is

"Louisiana"...I thought the shirt should

reflect that theme. That is my initial

sketch for the Santa gator, and the

second one is near completion. I will do

a little tweaking and some color samples,

and then I will send him off to the printer.

heaux, heaux, heaux

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Long Sleeved Christmas T-Shirts

$22.00 each Available November

Grace, Hope, Love, & Mercy

I have been planning this series for a

long time. I wanted to do some images

with the following inspirational sayings

on them:

Grace Amazes

Hope Rises

Love Abounds

Mercy Endures

I didn't know what images I would

finally decide to use. Today I tried all

these photos of white flowers: magnolia,

dutch iris, agapanthus, and lotus blossom

and I did them in black and white. I like

how they turned out. I will probably try

one other set of images (something more

masculine), and see what kind of feel that

has.

This is the printing sheet...how I arrange

the images on a 13 x 19 sheet of paper that

I use in my large format printer. I try to

get the most bang for my buck, and print

every square inch...that is why some are

square and some are rectangular. I will

finish them out in different ways. The square

ones are going on large tiles, and the others

will be matted and framed.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Flower Scripture Series Tiles $10 each

with easel $12.00 each (6 x 6 tiles)

the ancient paths...the good way

This passage of scripture is in Jeremiah...
and it is one of my favorites. It was the
text today in this morning's service, and
today is my birthday. I decided to post it
on one of my photographs that reminds
me of goodness, ancient paths,
and rest for my soul!
Have a blessed day.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

I have had a bunch of people asking me what

the winning poster looks like. Here is a photo

of it; they have the only copy. Last week I

went to Colfax and signed the release for them

to be able to print their edition for the festival.

They will be for sale at the festival in November

and at the festival office after that. I think they

are around $25.

While I was there, I picked up a few of last year's

t-shirts. They have my design on them, and we

have them for sale at the gallery. They are $8, and

I have several different sizes.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Only a Pelican

Did this little watercolor of this brown

pelican. I am going to add some kind

of background...still thinking.

They are the state bird of

Louisiana. This one was in a zoo. I

have photographed a few in the wild,

but they are hard to get close to. I have

seen them flying in groups at the seashore

and they are impressive. And I have also

seen them dive straight down into the

water to catch a fish...amazing. They tuck

their wings, point that huge bill straight

down, and plummet into the water, causing

a huge splash. And most of the time, they

come up with a wiggling fish! Just another

one of God's fabulous creations...

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Pelican Original watercolor 8 x 10

$35.00

Final Swamp Collage

Here is the finished swamp collage. The

photos were done in Photoshop, and then

attached to the canvas. There are several

printed papers, some gesso, and some paint.

I think it all works together well.

Some of the red paper in the piece was

given to me by my friend, Raelene. She had

bought a whole package of it somewhere, and

she gave it to me, and wanted me to use it in

my artwork. She was really excited about some

of the collage things I was working on, and she

just wanted to contribute and be a part of it all.

I think about her everytime I use the red paper.

(she passed away last November). I think she

would have loved this one...

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Swamp Collage $250.00

Crunch Time

It is just a little over two months till I have

to hang my Louisiana art show in the gallery.

I have lots of projects underway. The large

red swamp collage is just about finished. It

is drying tonight, and should be ready in the

morning. The stone coasters are an ongoing

project..these are being prepared to be glued.

The cathedral window turned out really neat.

I printed the image in 7 1/2 inch squares, each

1/6 of the original photo. I cut them out, and

then fit them behind the window panes, and

then glued them face down. That way the image

shows from the front side of the window. I am

going to attach some other elements...I have a

sterling cross that would look good, or I have

some other things I might attach to the glass.

I am still mulling the possibilities over! Will

try to post when finished. All of these pieces will

be for sale.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Swamp Collage 24 x 36 $250

Cathedral Window $150

Sets of Coasters: New Orleans, Swamp Set, Paris,

Venice, etc $12.00 for set of 4

An Organized Cathedral

I had the best treat today....my niece,

who loves to organize things, came and

helped get my art studio at my home all

put away, labeled, and organized!! I am

very excited...I might just be able to find

something I am looking for. And she loved

doing it...go figure. I told her it hurt my

brain just to look at, and the thought of

getting it all straightened out, baffled me.

I am glad there are people in the world that

enjoy "order"...I am just not very good at

it! Thanks Caroline!!

Tonight, I am working on this photo of the

St. Louis cathedral in New Orlieans. I have

a six paned old window that I am going to

try mounting this on, so that it is divided

into the separate panes. We'll see how it

goes. Still working on the swamp collage, too.

Hopefully some final results tomorrow.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Swamp Collage

PhotoShop can do some really neat

things to photographs. I had this collage

canvas already (with some Greek photos)

on it. So, I have been playing with some

of the Louisiana swamp photos, printing

them in reds, golds, and browns. I am

going to re-work the collage into a Louisiana

work for the upcoming show. The cypress

trees and moss were in Lake Martin. The

egret was in Blind River. I will post the

finished product tomorrow.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Driving Into Dubois

In three weeks, I am going to be

attending the Susan K Black Foundation

painting workshop in Dubois, WY. As

part of the workshop, we have to bring

two small paintings to exhibit. The

show will be judged, and the pieces are

going to be for sale. I have been debating

about what two paintings to take, etc.

I decided today that these two little

watercolors of some fine old trucks are

going to make the cut. I think they will have

wide appeal, and they would fit in in any

area of the country. So, I am glad that has

been determined, and I can relax about it!!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Birds of a Feather

As I browsed through the pages of my

new Southwest Art magazine tonight,

I came across these fabulous bird paintings

by Frank Gonzales. I thought they were

stunning so I decided to share them. He

is represented by Beals and Abbate gallery

in Santa Fe. These are from his new show,

"Fragments of Nature" opening Sept 30th.

These are acrylic paintings on canvas.
You can go to their website and see more of

his work, and the work of their other artists

as well. Enjoy!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

www.bealsandabbate.com

Preserving Preservation

I am still doing some paintings for the
Louisiana show this fall...and I want to
take a couple of them to Wyoming with
me for the show up there. I am working
on this one tonight...still tweaking.

I did get some great news today: My
poster was selected by the Louisiana Pecan
Festival for this year's festival poster. I
have to go to Colfax next week and sign
a release so they can begin printing.
Exciting!! and there is prize money too!!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Painting the Town

Been painting some little watercolors of

New Orleans tonight. I am inspired by

Robert Guthrie's bright colors. I like the

beignet one..could be a little looser. The

other two are getting there. I need to

be messier!! They are all for sale. And

they will be in the fall Louisiana show at

the gallery (if they don't sell now!)

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Beignets original watercolor $45.00

Cafe Du Monde original watercolor $40.00

Pirate's Allery original watercolor $45.00

French Quarter ART

I spent part of the day today down in the

French Quarter (one of my favorite places

on the planet!) I checked out some of the

art going on...in the galleries, on the street,

and in the windows. The large pelican painting

was in progress, and they had it posted in

the window along with paint and palettes, etc.

It is a great "art deco" style...really cool.

The young artist on the street was hard

at work and certainly concentrating on her

piece.

I noticed the murals painted on the wall

inside this restaurant's courtyard. And I

purchased the little watercolor print at

Gallery Rinard. It is by Robert Guthrie,

one of my favorite New Orleans artists.

The gallery is located at 738 Royal Street,

and their phone is 504-522-6536 You can

see more of Guthrie's work at:

www.robertguthrie.com

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Canvas and Coke Floats

We had our last "Art Party" of the summer

last Saturday at the gallery: Canvas and Coke

Floats. As you can see, we had a great class

with young and old both enjoying the painting

activity and then a nice cold Coke float in the

cafe. They painted a large, bright red crawfish

design on a yellow background. We did it all

together, step by step. I had a crawfish pattern

for them to trace, and then they each had

a canvas, brushes, and paint. The class lasts

about an hour and a half, and then we share

our refreshments.

I will be scheduling some more Art Parties in

the fall. I will post the schedule here and on

the gallery website. I hope some of you will

come and join us...lots of fun.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

pea patch gallery

gone antiquing

I am down in south Louisiana again, and I
got to do some antique shopping today.
There are many shops in the town of Denham
Springs, just outside of Baton Rouge. My daughter
was shopping for a couple of pieces, and we were
able to find just what she wanted, at a great
price. I picked up a few things to use in some
of my crazy collage pieces, so stay tuned to
see how I work them in.
sheltongail@hotmail.com

Beside Still Waters

Another painting of Wyoming...inside
Yellowstone National Park. Will keep
doing some more!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Practice, practice, practice....

I will be attending the SKB workshop in
Dubois, WY in a month. I will be studying
with Stephen Quiller, a renowned watercolor
painter and teacher. We are encouraged to
bring two small paintings, framed and ready
to sell, for a show by all the particiapants in
the workshop. I am torn between bringing
some paintings of the area, or some paintings
of MY area (two vastly different landscapes!)
Since I was in Jackson Hole, Yellowstone, and
Grand Teton just last November, I have lots
of reference photos. So, I may do one of the
western scenes, and then one New Orleans
something. we'll see what turns out the best!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Nothing but Egrets

I finally got around to putting the

finishing touches on these two little

paintings. They will be included in

the upcoming Louisiana images show in

the fall. I will probably frame them.

They make a nice little pair of bird

paintings for a spot on your wall!

I am in the process of cleaning out and

organizing my art room at home...it is

a mess. I am not the most organized

artist. The problem is I have too many

catagories of "stuff"....from materials

and tools, to reference books and photos

(millions of photos...), to equipment, to

artwork, to framing supplies, etc.... I am

not very good at figuring out a system to

keep it all in. But I am tackling it with a

passion...so hopefully, it will all be together

and in place in a couple of days!

Thanks for the info about the flower. I

like the name..."passion". I guess we should

all have one.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Name this Flower?

What is It?

This flower grows wild along the

road near my house.

I pass it when I walk

in the evenings. I thought it only

bloomed at night, but yesterday, it was

blooming late in the afternoon. Does

anyone know what kind of plant this

is? The blooms are fascinating....such

symmetry of design, and varying

shapes and textures. I have wanted to

dig it up and move it to the patio...is that

possible? I am asking all these "botany"

questions...I am just the artist interested

in the beauty of it. I know nothing about

the logistics! If anyone out there knows,

please let me know! Thanks!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

(my brother, the encyclopedia, will

know!!)

Back in the Saddle

I spent the morning in Bossier Parish

doing a watercolor inservice for the art

teachers there. We had a good time. I

tried to share with them some lessons

and techniques that they could use with

their students. I did, however, not miss

the whole "back to school" routine. I remember

trying to sit through some inservice (that

usually had nothing to do with art!) at the

beginning of the school year. But I wished

them all well, and hope they have a great

year with their students.

Now I am going to bed really late, and sleep

really late in the morning!!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

V Vaughn and the Beginning

Oil paintings by V Vaughn


August starts the 5th year of my blog. And I

thought I would give a shout out to who

helped me get started. I met the artist,

V Vaughn at an art show. She is from central

Texas...near some of my old stomping

ground. I absolutely love her work. She

paints in oils, which I have never quite

conquered. But the most interesting thing

about her for me was her blog. I had never

really heard of one before, especially an

art blog. At the time, she was doing a painting

a day, and posting them on her blog. After

reading and exploring hers, I decided that I

thought I could do one as well. And here I am,

still at it! Please visit her wonderful web page

and blog, and check out her lovely paintings.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

v-vaughn art