House and Barn

These are the finished pen and ink drawings of the

house and barn that are for a local client. He wants

to give them to his daughters as gifts. I believe he

is going to pick these up, and get copies made, and

then I am going to watercolor them. We'll see.

He wanted his daughters to know and appreciate

his "roots' and where he grew up. I believe he wants

them to appreciate all that he has been able to

provide for them. A noble, parental hope.

I heard a quote once that said, "Nothing pierces the

heart like an ungrateful child". so true....

for info on house portraits: email me

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Show Entries

I found these photos of the two pieces that are
going into the show next week. I have been in
this show many times. It is always a fairly good
show, close to home, with pretty good cash
awards. Maybe one of these will win something.
I know the judge well, and he is familiar with my
work. It will be interesting to see what happens!

Info: Natchitoches Art Guild Gallery Juried show
Natchitoches, Louisiana

Quick Draw

I started this pen and ink commission tonight. It
is a log barn that belonged to a man who would
like to give this to his daughter. I am doing the
house as well. I will do them in ink, and then
paint them with watercolor. The ink is permanent,
and will not bleed when wet.

I finished framing the last piece today that is going
to be in a juried show next month. I have to take
them over there early next week. The two that
were accepted were:
1. "Tuba or not Tuba" a pencil drawing of a
street musician in New Orleans
2. "Logged On" a colored pencil drawing of some
turtles on a log
I will try to post them tomorrow.

For info on House Portraits: sheltongail@hotmail.com
www.peapatchgallery.con

Dragon Fly

While I have been doing this brown and blue series

of shells, I thought I would do a couple of other subject

matters in the same color scheme. This is the sketch

of a dragonfly design. Then I drew it off on watercolor

paper, and painted it in watercolors with some ink

accents. The black border is acrylic paint. I only

did one, and then scanned it on the computer, and

flipped the design to make the matching one. I am

going to submit some of these designs to a printing

company in New York. Hopefully, they will like some

of them, and want to do something with them. Keep

you posted!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Elephant 2 and flamingo, too

I decided to do a different elephant, and this is
the finished one. The same client wants this
flamingo, too. They are both watercolors on
canvas. But I also added some colored pencil, and
acrylic paint. I used the colored pencil to add
some texture and details in the feathers and
the elephant skin. The acrylic is on the tusks,
and the blue background, as well as any black.
These canvases do not have to be framed; you
can just hang them on the wall. I paint the
edges black, too, so it almost gives the illusion
of a frame. I seal them with a spray that makes
them waterproof.
I hope she likes the elephant; she has already
seen the flamingo.

Double Shells Final

This is the pair of smaller sea shell paintings that
I did to go with the larger one. They are in the
current decorator colors: browns, blues, aqua...
They were fun, and I will probably do a few more
in this series.

I went to Columbia, LA today to pick up my pencil
drawing, "Tuba or Not Tuba". They had purchased
the piece for their collection, but I had already
entered it into a show (having no idea they were
interested in purchasing it!). So, anyway, they
agreed to let me borrow it for the show, so I picked
it up today. And then I went into Monroe to meet
with my printer to discuss enlarging some of my
Costa Rica photos. We got all that decided, and they
should be ready in a couple of weeks. I can't wait to
see them. Will keep you posted.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

More Elephant....

More washes on this elephant...just some more
detail, and contrast. It's coming along...

Remember the Elephant....

I have several commission pieces that I have to do
for various clients, and this is one of them. It is a large
elephant on watercolor canvas, 24 x 36. The mom
wants it for her son's bedroom, that is decorated in
a jungle theme.

This is the very beginning, the initial washes. A
watercolor wash is done on a dry surface, and is a
thin application of a single color. Since it is done on
a dry surface, it does not bleed or run. A lot of people
think that watercolor is so uncontrollable, but that is
only when it is done on a wet surface. The paint will
run and blur when it is applied to a wet canvas or
paper. That technique is called "wet into wet".
However, the paint will only go where the water is,
so you can still control it in some way.

I will continue to build up layers of washes in greys,
blues, and browns, and add some shadows and depth
as I go, as well as details. Since watercolor is transparent,
you work "light to dark"...you can always get darker,
but you can't put a lighter color over a darker one...it
just won't show up.
So there, an entire watercolor workshop in one paragraph!
If you do have any questions about watercolor painting,
I would be more than happy to try to answer them.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

More Sea Shells ...

I decided to do some more shells in this series
while I had all the same colors mixed~ these
are a pair that can hang side by side. They are
16 x 20 on canvas, painted in acrylic. They are
not quite finished; I have to add some more
brown accents, and some black outlines.

Finished shells

I finished the shell painting tonight. It was
done for someone specific, but I am going to
do several, and see which one she wants.
I am doing some smaller coordinating ones
to make a group.

I guess this is regarded as "decorative" art.
There are a lot of artists that refuse to do
anything in this genre. I don't have a problem
with it; I believe in doing all kinds of art.
And since I have the gallery to run, and
overhead to pay, I will do almost anything
a client wants, as long as they are willing
to pay for it. Some of the artists that I
know of, only want to do what they
consider "fine art" and often their work
is very un-marketable. Then they wonder
why they are not selling anything. I am
very lucky to be able to sell my work, even
in the small town that I live in. But I also
know some of the things that people are
looking for. Right now, I hope they are
looking for blue and brown seashells!

Down by the Seashore orig acrylic on canvas
32 x 40 $500

Costa Rica Photos

I am still working on the seashell painting,

so I thought I would post a few more

Costa Rica photos. I walked right up to

this huge lizard...it is not an iguana. He

was shedding his skin; as they grow, they

do that. The leaves had fallen in a lake,

and I did not arrange them. They were

huge, too, about 15 inches long or so. I

love the reflections of the sky in the water

as well. The butterfly was one in a butterfly

house located at one of the hotels. And the

sunset is on the Pacific coast.

I have started planning our trip for next

year. We are going to go to Paris for 9

days in April. I have been there before,

but only for 3 days, and the weather was

terrible. I want to really go and paint on

location the whole time. I already have a

couple of people interested in going with me.

If anyone would like info on the trip, just

email me.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Shells in progress...

I started working on this large canvas of the shells.
It is 32 x 40, and I am doing it in acrylic, in shades
of blue, brown, tan, and aqua. It has been fun so
far..it will take me another couple of nights to
finish it.

I have several commissions pending, too.. I have
to do a large elephant painting for a little boy's
room. It is going to be 24 x 36 and painted on
canvas. I also have to do two pen and ink
drawings of an old homeplace, that a dad wants
to give his daughters. And I have to do a couple
of small Costa Rica paintings for a friend who
went on the trip. So, I have my next couple of
weeks planned!

For info on commissioned art:
sheltongail@hotmail.com

Another shell sketch

Still working on these shell sketches...will let you
know what she decides.

seashell sketch

I have been asked to do a large painting for
someone with shells in blues and browns. I am
working on some sketches for her. This is just
the first one. I might do a whole series of these
for possible submission to a decorative art
printer I met in New York.

Cooking and Drawing

I think I mentioned that my cook was on vacation
this week, and I have to do some of the cooking. It
has gone really well, but I have not had a lot of time
to draw. This is all the progress I have made on this
drawing this week.

I did fix an amazing dessert today, and thought I
would share the recipe with you:

Fluffy Caramel Peanut Pie

1 roll refrigerated chocolate chip cookies
2 pkgs cream cheese
1 jar caramel topping
1/2 c creamy peanut butter
1/3 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 8 oz cool whip
1 1/4 c honey roasted peanuts

Press cookie dough into springform pan or
deep dish pie pan sprayed with Pam. Bake
16-23 minutes until golden brown. Cool
completely.
In large bowl, beat cream cheese, 2/3 cup
caramel, peanut butter, & powdered sugar
with electric mixer till smooth. Beat in vanilla
cinnamon, and nutmeg. fold in cool whip and
then 1 cup of peanuts. Refrigerate until crust
is cooled.
Spoon cream cheese mixture over crust.
Freeze at least 30 minutes.
Serve with caramel and peanuts. yum...

I increased it all by 1/2 and put it in a 9 x 12
pan, and cut it in squares. You could also use
sugar cookie dough. It is really delicious;
we sold out, and I made another one tonight!

Uncle Earls' Pea Patch Cafe
www.peapatchgallery.com

Food for Thought

As some of you know, we have a cafe in the
gallery that serves lunch 5 days a week. My
full time cook is on vacation for the next 2
weeks, and I have to help do some of the
cooking! I made red beans and rice today,
a South Louisiana favorite, and it was
delicious (even if I say so myself). I am making
broccoli cheese soup tomorrow, to be served
with a sandwich and fruit.

I thought I would post this little bakery
watercolor sketch from Costa Rica that is in
my sketchbook since we are talking about
food. We stopped here on our way to one
of the volcanoes. A German man had settled
in Costa Rica, and opened this little German
bakery which served things like apple strudel,
right in the middle of the jungle....great fun.

More Birds....

I am still working on the coconuts, but don't really

have anything to post, so I thought I would put up

some more birds. Birds were on my mind tonight,

because they were all around today. This morning,

there was a guinni hen in the yard (I don't know

how to spell it?!) Anyway, it probably wandered over

from someone's farm nearby, and the cats were intrigued.

Upon spotting it, they instantly went into their "Simba

the Lion" modes, stalking it across the lawn,

creeping on their bellies, actually believing they were

invisible in the freshly mowed grass. It just kept moving

away and clucking frantically. When I left for church,

the standoff was still in progress. At church, when

discussing phobias, there were two friends who were

afraid of birds, deathly afraid. I told them they could

never go to Costa Rica...it is a bird paradise!

Enjoy these photos of some of them...another hummer,

a green parrot, and a Barbet, I think.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Going coconuts....

This is the overall view of the current piece I have
been working on....some coconuts on a palm tree in
Costa Rica. It is large, 22 x 30 on watercolor paper.
I put down some watercolor washes to put in some
base color, and then I have been adding colored
pencil on top of them.

I love to have movies on while I draw. I don't always
watch every minute, but I do listen to them. "Bucket
List" is on right now, and I am enjoying it. I think
when I turned 50, I started thinking a lot about
things to do before I die, not in a morbid way, but in
a "I need to hurry this along" sort of a way. I have
been very blessed in the last year to get to mark
several things off the list. Getting this drawing done
may turn in to one of them!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

This Land is Our Land

I had to do a power point presentation for

our church patriotic musical this coming

Sunday, so I thought I would post a few of

these photos of our beautiful country on this

4th of July. The "golden valley" is from the

area between Santa Fe and Taos. The rocks

are in San Diego, and that is the Yosemite

river valley.

I am watching the Boston Pops on tv, and

enjoying visiting with family members. We

went outside to watch some fireworks we

could see in the distance, and look at the

stars and the lightening in the night sky.

Quite a fine 4th....hope yours was great as

well.

Complicated Coconuts

I have been working on this large piece
of some of the coconuts on a palm tree
from Costa Rica. This is just a small
section of the entire piece. I did some
watercolor washes first to lay down
some base color, and now I am doing
some colored pencil on top of that. I
may add some pastel before I am
finished. May take awhile....

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Birds of a Feather

Since I posted the painting of a bird from

Costa Rica, I thought I would post some

of the other birds I photographed there.

This is a pelican on the beach, a humming-

bird in the banana leaves, and a boat-billed

heron along the river. I think there are

thousands of bird species in that country.

I saw and heard lots of them, and they were all

beautiful.