Back to Work

Shell Sketches

I got back to work today on some artwork,
for licensing or manufacturing on some products.
I got away from the birds and played around
with some shells.  just fun....

Show Time at the Barnwell

Mardi Gras show at the Barnwell

Some of the carnival costumes...

My friend, Karen Harrington, with one of her colorful pieces

A jazz ensemble added their musical touch
to the reception

Another one of  Karen's paintings

I really like this one of hers

Me and the Sunset at Lake Martin photo

The opening reception for the Mardi Gras
show at the Barnwell was today.  Shreveport
artist, Karen Harrington and I are the featured
artists in the main gallery.  The show will run till Feb 25.
The Barnwell Center Hours:
Tuesday -Friday 10-5
Sat 10-3  Sun 1-5

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Louisiana Saturday Night

White Chocolate Bread Pudding..yum

Roast Pork with Creole Mustard
and Honey Plum Glaze

Our dinner guests

Mardi Gras decorations

Blackeyed Peas and Jalapeno Grits

Shrimp Remoulade

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

 The "Night in Louisiana" dinner party and gallery talk

went well last night.  Pete and Hannah prepared some

great food from all around the state.  The guests enjoyed

it all.  I finished the evening with a short presentation

about my photography and artwork from the Louisiana

show, and my trips down into the swamps and plantations.

We can't wait to do another one!

A Bird in the Hand

Still playing around with the whole bird theme...

These two little watercolors are teamed up with

some teal damask..will keep working on them.

We are busy getting ready for the dinner party/gallery

talk tomorrow night.  Hope to see you there!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Eye on the Sparrow

I am still working on these little sparrow paintings.

I did the bird in watercolor, then scanned and assembled

the little collages.  Still tweaking them...will post some

more. 

We are still doing the dinner party/gallery talk this Saturday

if anyone is still interested.  Please let me know asap is you

would like to come. 

"A Night in Louisiana"  Dinner Party Gallery Talk

Pea Patch Gallery  Winnfield   6 pm  $30.00

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Grace

In addition to some of my scripture photos, I am

planning to print some of my art as well.  Here is one

that I put together last night.  I will do a companion

piece, too.  I did the bird in watercolor and the nest.

I painted the stripes.  I scanned them all, added the

background, and arranged them all together.  These

will make nice prints and notecards. 

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Barnwell Pre-View

I was in Shreveport today to deliver some of these
Louisiana-themed artwork for an upcoming
exhibit there.

They are preparing a "Mardi Gras" exhibit for the
month of February.  These costumes, etc are
going to be in the center of the exhibit, and the
artwork will be around the edges.

Downtown Shreveport is decorated with lots of colorful
murals.  This one is beside the Revel grounds
and depicts some of the area activities

more of the same wall mural...


On my way home from Dallas, I dropped off this artwork.
The show will open this Sunday, with a reception from
2-4:30 at the Barnwell Garden and Art Center in
downtown Shreveport, LA.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Black Swan

This beautiful black swan was among the birds that I took the
other day in City Park in Baton Rouge.  I am always interested in
the reflections in the water.  In the top photo, he was swimming
near the bank, and the dark areas in the water are the trees
and shrubs along the bank.  In the second photo, he had moved out
into the open water, and just the blue sky is reflecting in the
water, along with his own reflection.  So, depending on
what I want in the photo, I can wait while the bird
moves around, and get different outcomes from the same
photo op. 

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Creative Finds

These great little reclaimed sculptures were done by
Gloria Burson.  She had them for sale at the Vintage section
of the Dallas Market.  I wanted to buy one, and they
were already sold!  You can see more on
her blog: www.amodernglo.blogspot.com

I also loved this booth.  Her name is Nancy Elaine Davis
and her business is called "Ella Elaine".  She also does
some reclaimed items as well.  I bought a little sign from
her that spelled out "joy" in re-claimed bits and pieces.

I had a great time at market in Dallas.  I learned a lot from several
other vendors and had a chance to meet with the leasing department.
I got a feel for some of the best selling items in the art arena,
and I have lots of ideas.  I will be home later tomorrow, and
will get to work!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Art at the Market

I am at the gift market in Dallas, and wanted to

post this booth I found today.  The artist is Mary

Gregory, and this is her line, Fig Marmalade.  She

does these adorable oil paintings, and then prints

them on tea towels, canvases, pillows, and aprons.

I am going to try to meet with her tomorrow and

get some ideas about marketing.  I love her whole

look here, and I am interested in trying to do

something similar with my artwork. 

sheltongail@hotmail.com

January "Blossoms"

 The Susan K Black Foundation "Blossoms" show

is opening in Florida today.  This is the show that I

entered that made me eligible to attend the workshop

in Dubois last fall.  The show has been at the Norton

Gallery in Shreveport for the last couple of months.

It is a beautiful exhibit, and you can view some of it

online at: susankblackfoundation.org 

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Forging Ahead

I am moving forward with my efforts to

produce and sell some of my art this

summer at the wholesale gift market in Dallas.

I met with my cousin who has connections

in this field, and he is helping me to finalize

some of the canvas art pieces.  These are

the first two I have finished today.  I have

been having to re-size, re-work the text,

etc to get them in the correct format to be

printed as 16 x 20 canvases. 

I like these scriptures; I think they will

"speak" to people, and the color schemes

go well with some of the current decorating

trends.  Hopefully, some retail gift shop

owners will agree!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

A Day with the Endangered

We started the day in Kaplan, LA at the
Sunnyside Motel...it was not sunny

White Lake in south LA;
home to the whooping crane project

Me, Mr. Bob, his son, Mark, and Lee all went to
see the cranes

With Sara, the crane coordinator of the project

We arrived at the site, and these young cranes soon
appeared...breathtaking

As the landed, you can see their leg bands that
identify them.  These young birds still have some
of their brown feathers.  When they mature, they will be
all white

This is an adult male from the program last year.  He
still stays around the compound

These are the blinds that we observed the birds from...
very nice.  We had to be quiet and fairly still so we
would not disturb them

Sara donned her "crane habit" and entered to restock their
food.  They eat a pellet with all the nutrients, etc that they
need.  They are making every attempt to keep the birds as
wild as they can.

This is the adult male again, preening.  They develop
the red marking on their head when they mature.  He
was about 4-5 feet tall.

This was our transportation coming and going, very
nice ride

Mr. Bob had always wanted to see the whooping cranes in
person, and planned to go to Aransas Pass, Texas.  When
he learned that this new program was here in the state,
he was able to arrange for us all to go.  They are not necessarily
letting many people in there, but were considerate enough
to allow us today. 
These cranes come from Maryland, where they are hatched, and
then transported here to White Lake.  They are acclamated inside
the marsh enclosure gradually, and begin to venture out as they
mature.  This is the second year of the experiment.  The goal is
to establish a non-migrating flock.  There are only about 300
living whooping cranes in the world.  When I was growing up
in Texas, there were only 15!  They have made some great strides
in trying to help this species recover.  It was thrilling to get
to see them, and encouraging to know that passionate people
are there trying to help them.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Black, White, and Blue

Favorite shot of the day...this small snowy egret standing

on the submerged log.  I was dicussing with a business

partner today about the reactions to art:

some are intimidated

some are inspired

some are insulted

some are intrigued

And we were also discussing the difference in interpretation:

This photo could mean "peace" to some..."solitude" to others,

"loneliness", "isolation" , or "stability" and "security".  Each

viewer brings their own feelings and meaning to the table...that

is part of what makes Art such a fascinating thing.  Many people

can see the same thing, and all see it differently. 

I see "peace" and "simple beauty"....symbols of God's perfect

creation and His infinite creativity.  I enjoy finding these quiet

moments and capturing them for others to see as well.

Let me know what it says to you!

sheltongail@hotmail.com