Bag Lady

Bag Give-Away! 
Leave me a comment, and I will draw a winning name
for a free tote bag.  You can choose which one you
would like...the poppy, sea shell, or the teacup one!
I will draw the winner on Friday.

I got two more of my bags in this week.  The poppy design is on the green bag,
and the sea shell design is on a blue bag.  They are great for carrying all your
stuff...for the weekend, or to work, or to the beach.  They also make
great gifts for Christmas this year.  They are $25 each, and available
in the shop. 

There is one more on the way...a brown one with the cupcake design.  It is
back-ordered, and may not make it in time for the Christmas Open House.
But it will be here by December if you are interested in that one.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Christmas Open House
Downtown Winnfield, Louisiana  5-9 pm
November 8th

Rocks, Trees, and Water

Along Steel Creek

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Just a few more shots from Arkansas.  The leaves were just starting
to turn a little...a couple more weeks, and they will be beautiful. 
There is just something great about rocks, trees and water together...
just about can't go wrong.  These are all taken with a new lens...a wide
 angle one.  It gathers a bit more information to the
sides of the format...a little more panaramic..nice. 

I saw two otters playing near those large rocks in the river..fun.  They were checking me
out, and then diving under quickly.  They disappeared under the rocks..I think
their den was back behind the rocks toward the bank. 

I am trying to decide which of the Arkansas photos I will use with
the scriptures.  I will use at least one of the elk ones.  And probably a
couple of landscape ones too.  Coming soon!

sheltongail@hotmail.com
 

T-Shirt Time

I have been working on this t-shirt design for our Christmas shirt
this year.  I am almost finished.  The shirts will be black, and
the design will be large on the back of the shirt.  There
will be a small pocket design on the front that will say
"Merry Christmas".  The shirts will go on sale during the
downtown Christmas Open House in Winnfield on
November 8th from 5-8 pm. 

We started getting the shop ready today for the open house.
It takes us about a month to re-arrange, unpack and price
new merchandise, and find a place for all of it!  There will be
a Peru Art section, and the "Glory Bee Graphics" (scripture
photos) will be for sale in the gallery, along with all the
new bags, trivets, etc.  We are getting excited, and it will be here
before we know it.  Mark it on your calendar!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

In the Shot

Trying to make my "scary, spider face"

With some local chainsaw art!

Looking like Pinocchio

Hard at work on the Buffalo River

I made it all the way to Whitaker Point!



Hard at work again...in my sock feet


My good friend that went with me to Arkansas on my latest escapade
to photograph the elk herd (and other things) decided I needed
to pose on all the crazy things we saw along the way.  So, here
is a sampling.  The spider was at a dinosaur park that closed long
ago.  The chainsaw artist was along one of the backroads.  The sculpture
of Pinocchio was at the Crystal Bridges art museum.  And the
great rock ledge is called Whitaker Point...we hiked for over an
hour to get up there!  We were exhausted, but glad we made it!
And she managed to take a few shots of me hard at work taking
pics.  She especially loved that I went out once in my socks....
because I was too tired to put my shoes back on....priceless.


I got a call from another good friend who has invited an art curator of a regional
museum to come up and see my work...wonder if she would be impressed
with me here!?

sheltongail@hotmail.com
 

Crystal Bridges

On Saturday, we made our way up to Bentonville, Arkansas, to see
the Crystal Bridges Art Museum.  This is the sign
on the way in.

The entrance to the museum with a great silver tree sculpture

This building is wonderful...I have never seen anything quite like it. 
The units are grouped over the lake, with lots of glass
walls that let the light in.

One of my favorite paintings in the museum...it looked like a lot of
the landscape right outside.

Another one of my favorite paintings...I love how the
wave looks transparent..wow

Outside the building...part of the extensive gardens and a great metal sculpture. 
We didn't go outside...it was cold and raining!

This is a magnificent complex...all dedicated to American art.  It was the vision of

the daughter of Sam Walton (of Walmart).  It has been open only a year.  The crowds

were large that day...lots of families, large groups, and art enthusiasts of all kinds.

There is a large cafe and dining area, and also an auditorium for presentations.

They do some art educational activities for children.  There is just a lot going on here!

And it is definitely worth seeing....so plan a trip to Bentonville, Arkansas (of all places),

and enjoy a great time, communing with art and nature.

Mission Accomplished

We got up before sunrise this morning, and made our way out to Boxley Valley
where the elk usually browse.  They told us that early morning would be the
best time to see them...and they were right!  The elk were there and they were
stirring around.  It was cold, about 34 degrees, and the crisp mountain air
was filled with the bugling and whistling of the bulls.  We were not alone;
there were about a dozen other photographers there, whispering and
moving their tripods around.  The elk didn't seem to notice.  A few of
the bulls chased each other a little...but we didn't get to see any challenges.
All in all, it was a great morning, and I have many more wonderful
photos of these beautiful animals.

I will print some of these, and they will be available in the gallery.


sheltongail@hotmail.com

Elk Herd   Boxley Valley
Ponca, Arkansas
 

Elk in Arkansas

We managed to find the elk herd in Boxley valley, near Ponca, Arkansas yesterday.
It was an overcast day, and rainy, but these pics still came out ok.  
The bulls were chasing the females around  quite a bit, and feeling rather
frisky!  They were magnificent, and we got to hear them bugle as well...the
whistling call they make.  It was great to see them...they were right near the
road.  There were lots of other people watching them as well. 

We are going back in the morning, to see if we can get them in a different
light.  Hopefully, we will see some sunshine, and some elk!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Along the Way

We ate lunch here on the way to Harrison, Arkansas

yum....peanut butter and chocolate ganache pie..

"Patsy's Antiques in Ozone, Arkansas   This cute store was next door
to the diner.   I found an adorable quilt here for $25...wow

We stopped along the Buffalo River...just beautiful

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Can you see the little snails on the rocks?



We made it up into Arkansas yesterday, and spent the night in Conway, above
Little Rock.  We drove on farther north this morning, into a cold front
moving through the state.  The temperature dropped, and it rained most of
the day.  We managed to get a few good shots on our way to
find the elk.

We did find the elk late in the day...and I got some great shots of some
really big bull elk.  But I will save those till tomorrow! so stay
tuned!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

On the Road...Destination Arkansas

I am excited about getting to leave tomorrow for northern
Arkansas to try to photograph
some of these elk.  These photographs are located on a blog:
www.arkansaswildlifephotography.com
His photos are for sale, and you can visit the blog to find
out how to purchase
these images on Christmas cards, prints, etc. 

I will be posting during the trip.  So stay tuned...there may be some
elk in my future.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Photographic Interpretation: Peru Flower Pot

Pretty pot of flowers down in Peru

Work in progress: colored pencil on canvas board

The finished piece

I started working on this little piece this morning.  The
photograph was taken during my trip to Peru. 
I wanted to play around with the techniques
that I learned from my last workshop....
colored pencil and gamsol on watercolor canvas board. 
I started drawing with the pencils, and used the gamsol to soften
them.  I didn't like how that was going, so I added some
watercolor on top of the colored pencil.  And then finally, I used
some acrylic paint to add the small white baby's breath flowers,
 and a few details here and there.

So, it ended up "a little of this, a little of that". 
But it turned out ok.
I will include it with the Peru art show in the gallery
that is going up soon.

sheltongail@hotmail.com
"Peru Flower Pot" 
8 x 10 Canvas   Mixed Media
$100

Art in the Foyer

While I was in Baton Rouge, I managed to visit a shop called

"The Foyer" on Perkins Road.  It is an eclectic shop, filled with

antiques, collectibles, decorative accessories, and lots of art.  I

was impressed with several of the artists displaying there.  The

artist at the top paints birds on pages of music or books, including

the bible.  Rhea Gary paints the colorful marshes and swamps.  I

think I have posted her work on here before.  I love her use of

color, and her commitment to save the marshland of Louisiana.

Her prints and originals are available on her website.  Terri Dakmak

is the last artist, a watercolorist.  She also does colorful work, with

lots of animals and patterns....very cool. 

 

If you are in Baton Rouge sometime, check out this shop.  They also

have a Facebook page. 

 

sheltongail@hotmail.com

 

www.terridakmak.com