Granny for Mother's Day

I was asked to do this portrait as a gift for Mother's day.  It is 11 x 14, done in
colored pencil.  The wrinkles are very interesting...much easier to
draw in fact than smooth skin.  I am using Polychromos pencils
on Fabriano watercolor paper.  It has a great smooth surface, and holds
the pencil well.

Second day...a little more progress.  There is not really a flesh
color; I have to mix colors to achieve it.  I
am using a gold underneath, then some peach color,
some rose pink, and some unber for the darks.  I
will continue to add color and detail as I go.

sheltongail@hotmail.

Tom Peyton Memorial Art Show

A photograph at the Tom Peyton show...I thought
this was from a foreign country.  Actually, the artist
said they posed this in the backyard, and set off a smoke
thing...ha!  Great job

This piece is by Nippy Blair.  He does these Cajun compilations
with a story behind each one.

This is my friend, JoAnne Thompson, who recently
had a solo show in my gallery.  Great smile!!

This is during the awards presentation.  This was the 50th anniversary of
this show!  The man in the foreground in the blue shirt was my
Biology teacher at NSU.  Now he makes pine straw baskets!  You
can't make this stuff up!!

Me and my "Basket of Blues"

Me and "Street Music" watercolor.  That tiny red dot means that
it is SOLD!!  yea!!

This is by Judi Betts, from Baton Rouge.  I love the way
she does watercolor.  She is very well known, and a great painter.

Had a good time at the reception.  It is a lovely venue,
and there was a wide variety of art represented.  The overall
winner was a photograph, the first in the show's history.
It was a photo of a blacksmith's hands making something.
Interesting...

sheltongail@hotmail.com

A Family Affair

I had to deliver some art to a show today in Alexandria, LA,
and this pond is on the way home.  I had put my rubber boots
and camera in the car, hoping the birds were still nesting
there.  I found only a few.  Our recent floods likely washed
away a lot of the nests and young birds.  There were only 4 nests,
and 15 birds.  There are usually 200 birds nesting here.  They do
respond to the weather when it is strange.  I remember when we
had a hurricane several years ago, you couldn't find an egret nest
in any of their usual rookeries.  I believe they went west to Texas,
and nested there.  They did return eventually.  So hopefully,
next spring, there will be more nesting birds here.  In the meantime,
you can enjoy peeking in on these growing families, and
their fuzzy young.

sheltongail@hotmail.com