Do you ever see something, an object that is fairly common, but it reminds you of earlier times? That is what I think every time I see one of these old metal chairs. My grandmother, we called her Big Mama, had chairs like this in her yard. When we were small kids we would go visit at least once a week, and Big Mama, Papa and Mama would sit and rock while the three of us kids ran and played in the yard. I can still see them sitting there each time I see one of these chairs.
I just found this great old metal chair at a yard sale in West Virginia a few weeks ago. I snapped it up for a mere ten bucks and promptly painted it red. Big Mama, Papa, and Mama are all gone now but every time I walk past this chair or sit in it to rock I think of them. I think it was a small price to pay for memories that special.
The Art Walk last night was great! It’s the first time since we started over a year ago that I have actually been able to get away from the shop (Delilah’s) and see what the other artists and shops are doing. And boy was it fun. 
And I love how people really get into describing what they like about paintings to their friends. 
Some artists were set up on the street even though it was a very HOT evening…
And some really smart artists, like Michelle, were set up inside in an air conditioned shop painting beautiful works of art. (You know I am especially fond of dogs so I loved this one!)
And we even had a group of ladies from Winchester who were making one of a kind greeting cards that were just lovely. 
When you paint for a living you often spend a lot of time doing things other than painting. Marketing takes up a great deal of time – working on the blog and website can take hours of time that I would rather spend painting but that’s part of the deal. 
They were a very nice group of girls, and along with their chaperones, they were curious about how I got to this point in my business. It’s always fun to speak to a group of people who have the same interests. Good luck girls with your “business badge”. And come see us again at Delilah’s.
I have always believed that anyone can paint. Many people say to me that “I don’t have the talent or the gift to paint”. My response has always been that you don’t need “talent”, just desire. You can learn techniques; you can learn about color theory; you can learn about composition. But you can’t learn desire. You have to want to paint. I have a terrific class of students currently on Wednesdays from 5 – 6:45. This is one of the painters, Shelly, working on her landscape.
And here is Yvonne working on a mountain and river scene. 
I took a ride yesterday out to Philip Carter Winery in Hume, Virginia. It is a lovely area with the beautiful vines all green and lush and the mountains in the background. 
There will be many great scenes to paint as they have buildings, ponds, and lots of vines to paint. I can’t wait.
These paintings are available by contacting me at 
Jordan and I became friends in the short time that I was there.
Jeffie, who was the sweeting little guy that ever lived, jumped the back fence at our yard at the house and caught a skunk in his mouth.
Green Onions I is an oil on canvas panel measuring 8″x10″ and is framed and available for $195. This painting can be seen at Delilah’s on Main Street in Front Royal, Virginia.
Green Onions II is an oil on canvas panel measuring 8″x10″ and is available framed for $195. It also can be seen at Delilah’s.
Here’s the start. I covered the entire paddle with acrylic paint making it look like a scene from the river with the sky above.
Next I sketched in the details that I wanted to paint on the paddle and started painting them in.
This is the finished detail of the paddle with the “Boys” on the front and Canoe Capital on the back.
The completed paddle and, of course, everyone’s a critic!
Jed came to live with us on January 5th of this year. He was found as a stray in St. Clairsville, OH and was at the shelter there. We found him on Petfinder, a wonderful website that helps thousands of pets find homes each year. 
The vet estimated that he was about 1 1/2 years old when I got him so we decided that his birthday would be in July. Since I was also born in July and to make the celebration especially fun for both of us, it came to be that Jed has the same birthday that I do. 
The Studio 