Common sense...

A penny for your thoughts....you can guess this
"Riddle Pic" with some common sense.

I am working on a t-shirt design for a client in
New Orleans. I will post some of the sketches
if I can.
sheltongail@hotmail.com

C

I am not afraid...

Here's a "Riddle Pic" with a bug that most people
are afraid of! Living where we do, we always
have lots of these everywhere. One night as I
walked across the patio, I spotted a huge wolf
spider. As I looked closer, I could see that she
was covered with tiny baby spiders, thousands
of them...ugh. Isn't nature amazing?

I am still planning on painting on location at
the Garden Tour in Shreveport this weekend.
It is called: Le Tour des Jardins and is sponsored
by the Northwest Louisiana Master Gardeners.
There are six gardens on the tour, and two
community project gardens. There are six
artists involved with the plein air painting and
we also get to have a booth at the LSUS Pioneer
Heritage Center. If you want more info, you can
contact them at 318-698-0010 or
www.lsuagcenter.com/nwlamg
hopefully I won't run into any spiders.....

My favorite color...

I have some of these little birds in the backyard,
and I can hear their sweet songs everyday.
Remember, the answer to this "Riddle Pic" is
not a sparrow...

"Riddle Pic " colored pencil SOLD
prints available $5.00

Snug as....

I hope you are guessing these...whenever I exhibit
these in a show, the viewers always enjoy figuring
them out. I had an old guy in overalls at one show
saying out loud that he wanted to meet the artist.
Not knowing what to expect out of him, I cautiously
made my way over to him and introduced myself.
He said that he wanted to meet me because this was
the first art he had ever seen that actually had a
point and made sense! Ya never know.....

"Riddle Pics" series
sheltongail@hotmail.com

This "Riddle Pic" counts

A friend here in Winnfield raised these sheep
for awhile. You could almost imagine you
were in the English countryside when you
saw them grazing in the field. I sold this
original to a grandmother who was giving
it to her granddaughter, because they
always did this at bedtime.....
night,night!

"Riddle Pic"...for the birds

Here's another riddle....Lisa Meyer has guessed
them all correctly! Feel free to post your answer
in a comment. If you want to include your
mailing address, I will send you a "Riddle Pic"
postcard.

I am working on a couple of commissions and
will post them soon. The "Destinations" show
is just about finished, and I am working on all
the academic stuff (making the labels, program,
etc). It all looks great...I am pleased with it all.

Chocolate Moose

Some more fun with the "Riddle Pics"....this is
a cartoon "chocolate moose" that I drew to
include in the "Palms to Pines" show (in the
Alaska section). Anyway, when I was at gift
market in Atlanta, Georgia last summer, I
found this candy company that can put
artwork on chocolate! So, they took my
moose drawing, and made it into a chocolate
bar...thus, a "chocolate moose!" I sell these
in the gallery, and they have been a real hit!


"Chocolate Moose" orig colored pencil 11 x 14
$200.00 chocolate bars $3.00

Another "Riddle Pic" for spring

This is another spring "Riddle Pic", at least
here in Louisiana, because these creatures
are at their peak right now, and everyone is
eating them!!
I have not gotten any comments telling me
your guesses for these riddles....send me
your answers!

Slow and Steady Wins the Race...

Another "Riddle Pic" for your entertainment..
hint...this is not a turtle.

Spring "Riddle Pic"

Another "Riddle Pic"...in time for spring. You
guess it.

I took a break from drawing tonight and
watched a little of "Mr. Holland's Opus".
As a retired art teacher, I can identify
with much of the story. It brought back
a lot of memories from my school days,
some painful, some wonderful. I am
just grateful that I am so blessed to
have been able to retire after just 20
years and pursue this art dream of
mine.

For info on "Riddle Pics" go to
www.peapatchgallery.com

Riddle Pic...you guess

Here's another "Riddle Pic"...you guess it, and
tell me in a comment!

I taught a beginner watercolor class today, and
it was a lot of fun. I had some 10 year olds,
one teenager, and a couple of adults...quite a
varied group. Everyone completed their
small painting, and had a great time. I
teach workshops once a month at the gallery.
The schedule is on the website. The current
one is just about out of date, so I will be
updating it soon with the summer schedule.
I teach some watercolor classes, colored pencil,
drawing (pencil and ink), pastel, computer
graphics, and collage. The classes last from
10:30-3:00 and we provide lunch in the cafe.
Most of them run $40.00 and that usually
includes some of the supplies. Email me if
you have any questions.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Butterfly Kisses

Seven years ago I started drawing a series
I call "Riddle Pics". They are a series that
combine an animal and an object that
together form a word puzzle or pun.
This is "Butterfly Kisses", one of my most
popular ones.
I am not working on show pieces right now,
so I thought I would post these for awhile.

"Butterfly Kisses" available as a print
11 x 14 $45.00
Mousepad $8.00
Nightshirt $20.00

Cathedral in New Orleans

I drove to Monroe, LA today to pick up
another couple of enlargements from my
printer. This is one of them. This is the
St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans. I took
this photo in the spring of the year when
I was down there painting a few years ago.
It will be included in the "Destinations"
show. (I keep adding more...I hope they
have room!)

St. Louis Cathedral black & white photo
11 X 14 $75.00

The Pencil and Kristen

I have been working on this portrait of my
niece, and I am getting closer to a good
likeness. I am never satisfied until it
looks just like them.

I was given this neat little story about a
pencil this week:

The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside,
just before putting him in the box. 'There
are five things you need to know before
I send you out into the world."
1. You will be able to do many great
things, but only if you allow yourself to be
guided by someone's hand.
2. You will experience a painful sharpening
from time to time, but you will need it to
become a better pencil.
3. You will be able to correct any mistake
you might make with the help of someone's
hand.
4. The most important part of you will always
be what's inside.
5. On every surface where you are used, you
must leave your mark. No matter what the
condition, you must continue.

The pencil understood and promised to
remember this advice, and became the best
pencil he could be. Great advice, huh?!

for info on portraits: www.peapatchgallery.com

New York Views

I have been going through my negatives and
trying to organize them. These are two photos
from New York that I have decided to add to the
"Destinations" show. The top one is the
reflection of the street in a glass building; you
can see the yellow taxis, a crosswalk, people,
and someone on a bicycle. It is very abstract,
and quite interesting. The second one is a
bread counter in the Grand Central Station.

I was in New York this particular time in March
of 05. I was with a group from our choir who
were there to perform in Carnegie Hall. We
joined the whole group, about 150, from all
over the nation, and sang "Vesperae Solennes
De Confessore" by Mozart. It was in Latin,
and we had been practicing for months. It
was a wonderful experience, and we are
getting ready to repeat it. A group from our
choir is preparing to go again at the end of
May to sing Brahm's "German Requiem".
I hope to get some more great photos of
New York, and try to hit all my notes!

"New York Reflections" photograph
16 x 20 $150.00 SOLD
"Got Dough?" photograph
11 x 14 $75.00

Finished Home

This is the finished home of a couple here
in my town. I finished painting it this
evening.
I have a couple of other commission things
to do, and will be working on them for
the next few nights.

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

"Le Tour"- Garden Tour Shreveport, LA

I guess you can tell I am on a "flower kick" this
spring. I do love them. These are some of my
favorites, and they are being printed to be sold
at the upcoming "Le Tour" garden tour in
Shreveport, LA. It is a sponsored tour of several
of the beautiful gardens and homes in the city.
They have asked a few artists to paint on location
in the gardens that day, and I am included. We
also get to have a booth in which I will have some
flower photography, watercolors, and colored
pencil drawings. The tour is May 3, and we are
hoping for good weather! The paintings that I
do that day will also be for sale as I finish them.
That's the beauty of watercolor...dries fast, and
is very portable. Will let you know how it all goes....

More Ink...

I have just about finished the ink drawing of
this home. It has taken me awhile. I will
try to get it painted tomorrow night.

I have been drawing tonight while watching
"Ben Hur"...I have seen it at least 20 times.
And I still tear-up at the end each time.
I used the movie in my classroom when I
was teaching art history. I used it as an
example of Roman art and architecture,
and Roman society. They always loved it.
I've even seen big, tough football players
get a little teary at the end as well.
I was saddened at the news of Charleton
Heston's death...I am a big fan. He will be
missed.

For info on house portraits: email me
sheltongail@hotmail.com or go to the
website: peapatchgallery.com

Commission time...

It's back to the drawing board, and this house
portrait. It is a beautiful home, and I had to
take these photos before the trees budded out,
or you couldn't see it! It is a large piece, 16 x 20,
and it will take me several nights to just do the
ink drawing. And then I will watercolor it.

I am getting excited about my Costa Rica trip.
I am taking a group of 11 with me for 10 days
all over the country. We will tour the rain
forest, an orchid farm, a butterfly house, and
the volcano. We go into the tops of the rain
forest and down a river. I will be painting and
sketching along the way. We leave on June
7th.

"Not all who wander are lost"

for info on house portraits: email me
sheltongail@hotmail.com