Beth Parker Art

What would you do with a wooden fish?

2015-01-15T10:27:00.000-06:00

Hi my friends!

Yes, it's been a very long time since I have published a blog post. My brain was trying to wrap itself around the need to be out there with my art and the need to keep some of it hidden away to keep it safe.

I have been doing a lot of painting for the Art Licensing business and I've been keeping much of that art under wraps a bit.

One November day, I decided to put all of that aside and paint for pure joy. For me. In acrylic. On wood.

Next thing I know, I am out in my work shop (here at Signs by Beth) cutting fish out of wood. My Jig saw was so comfortable in my hand! I was having a ball.

: Loving my Jig Saw

Well, the first 4 fish I finished sold within 4 hours after taking them to the gallery (Our Favorite Place) and posting them on Facebook. So I started painting more fish.

You can probably guess where this is going. No more fish sold. Christmas is over. I now have a lovely box of fish.

I have been getting creative, when I have time. Here's one that I painted the back side with my 2015 "Intention" word. It's hanging in the sign shop.

If you want to share any ideas, like Betty at Our Favorite Place, who suggested a mobile with little fish dangling below, I would welcome your ideas. I have thought of putting hooks at the bottom for keys or pegs for hanging stuff.

Let's have some fun with this. I'll share more photos, too. If you are a blog subscriber and I make something with your idea and it sells, I'll send a free surprise gift.

Thanks for reading my blog!

-Beth

Whole Hawg Day Logo

2014-03-14T09:10:00.000-05:00

“Could we change our attitude, we should not only see life differently, but life itself would come to be different.”
– Katherine Mansfield

30th Annual Whole Hawg Day Logo

I have been designing the Whole Hawg Days logo for many years. This year they said “We want pigs on the beach, wearing swimsuits, playing poker, cooking a hog, with another pig in a boat, with cards.” After I got over the shock of pigs cooking a pig… I drew this. Oh, and you must use a limited color pallet. Fun!

About Katherine Mansfield

Katherine Mansfield was the pen name of short story writer Katherine Beauchamp, who is best known for her collection The Garden Party. Born in New Zealand on October 14, 1888, she moved to England as a young woman and became friends with writers such as Virginia Woolf and D.H. Lawrence. Her writing style was influenced by Anton Chekhov; like him, she focused on intimate moments that revealed character. She in turn influenced a generation of short story writers. She died on January 9, 1923 of tuberculosis.

Cuckoo Clock Number 16

2014-03-12T08:23:00.001-05:00

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt

Cuckoo Clock Number 16 – A Watercolor Sketch

Another favorite. I like my Captain Bird.

Sadly, this brings me to the end of my cuckoo clock sketches. Since Jell-O molds is the theme for the March lesson, you will see less of these sketches. I’m trying, but I have been getting a slow start on the Jell-O molds. Stay tuned. Maybe my inspiration will come in the morning, since I do most of my painting between 5-6 am.

About Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of president Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was a powerful political figure in her own right, crusading tirelessly for humanist causes. She was born in New York on October 11, 1884 and was orphaned young. After Franklin was struck by polio, she acted as his eyes and ears. She was central to the creation of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which she considered her crowning achievement, and wrote numerous essays, including a long-running column called “My Day.” She died on November 7, 1962.

Cuckoo Clock Number 15

2014-03-11T08:27:00.000-05:00

“Excellence is not an act but a habit. The things you do the most are the things you will do the best.”
– Marva Collins

Cuckoo Clock Number 15 – A Watercolor Sketch

Another one of my favorites. I’m almost done. Tomorrow is the last cuckoo clock.

About Marva Collins

American educator Marva Collins pioneered progressive education for disadvantaged children. She was born in Alabama on August 31, 1936 and in her 20′s moved to Chicago, where she founded a school for children who were at risk. After one year, every child tested at least five grades higher. Many public schools have successfully implemented her methods. She has appeared on 60 Minutes and Good Morning America and she received the National Humanities Medal from President Bush in 2004. She believes every child is a winner until someone convinces him or her too thoroughly otherwise.

Cuckoo Clock Number 14

2014-03-10T08:12:00.002-05:00

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”
– Helen Keller

Cuckoo Clock Number 14 – A Watercolor Sketch

I hope you can see the crown on the bird’s head. When I resize these for the internet, it is harder to see some of the details. This one was fun!

About Helen Keller

American author and activist Helen Keller was born in Alabama on June 27, 1880; she became blind and deaf after a childhood fever. When she was 7, Ann Sullivan famously coaxed her out of her sullen, angry shell and taught her to communicate. From then on, Keller took on the world. She graduated from Radcliffe, traveled the world visiting sweatshops and speaking out for the powerless, helped found the ACLU, and wrote eleven books. She died on June 1, 1968.

Cuckoo Clock 13

2014-03-07T09:13:00.000-06:00

“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.”
– Michelangelo Buonarroti

Cuckoo Clock 13 – A Watercolor Sketch

Yes, it’s a quilted cuckoo clock. Who wouldn’t want to live in a quilted house?

About Michelangelo Buonarroti

Michelangelo Buonarotti, the Renaissance sculptor and painter, is considered one of the world’s greatest artists. He was born in Tuscany on March 6, 1475. He apprenticed to a painter at age 13, infuriating his father, who considered art menial work. By age 25, he had sculpted one of his finest works, the Pietà, in St. Peter’s. Working alone, he took four years to paint more than 400 figures on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. He also designed St. Peter’s dome and is perhaps best known for his iconic statue of David. He died on February 18, 1564.

Cuckoo Clock Number 12

2014-03-06T08:48:00.000-06:00

“Make voyages! — Attempt them! — there’s nothing else…”
– Tennessee Williams

Cuckoo Clock Number 12 – A Watercolor Sketch

This one is really my favorite. I don’t know why I didn’t use it on the cell phone case. Oh well. Did I mention that March’s project so far is Jell-O molds? I haven’t drawn a single one… yet.

About Tennessee Williams

Tennessee Williams was the pen name of Thomas Lanier Williams, the multiple-award-winning Southern Gothic playwright best known for his plays Streetcar Named Desire and The Glass Menagerie. He was born on March 26, 1911 in Mississippi, where he had a difficult childhood with an abusive father, a smothering mother, and a schizophrenic sister. His emotionally honest plays often feature sensitive souls who don’t fit into a confining culture. He spent most of his adult life in New York City. He died on February 25, 1983.

Cuckoo Clock 11

2014-03-05T11:31:00.001-06:00

“If you want a place in the sun, you’ve got to put up with a few blisters.”
– Abigail Van Buren

Cuckoo Clock 11 – A Watercolor Sketch

Maybe a little of grandma’s house on this one.

About Abigail Van Buren

Pauline Phillips, better known as Abigail Van Buren, wrote the syndicated “Dear Abby” column for 46 years. She was born on July 4, 1918 in Iowa. She had never written professionally when she contacted the San Francisco Chronicle’s editor and said she could do better than their current advice maven. Her version was an instant success. Her twin sister, Esther Lederer, became an advice columnist under the name Ann Landers. Phillips retired in 2002; her daughter, Jeanne Phillips, took over her column. Phillips died on January 16, 2013.

Cuckoo Clock Number 10

2014-03-04T15:43:00.001-06:00

“What the caterpillar calls the end of the world the master calls a butterfly.”
– Richard Bach

Cuckoo Clock Number 10 – A Watercolor Sketch

I know I saw that kitty cat somewhere. Where did he go?

About Richard Bach

Richard Bach, the American pilot and author, became hugely successful with the publication of the slim novel Jonathan Livingston Seagull, a spiritual quest about a bird who loved to fly rather than seeing flight as a means to an end. He was born in Illinois on June 23, 1936, a descendant of composer Johann Sebastian Bach. He has been an Air Force Reserve pilot, a flight instructor, and a barnstormer; most of his books involve flight either directly or as a metaphor.

Cuckoo Clock Number 9

2014-02-28T08:30:00.000-06:00

“Action without study is fatal. Study without action is futile.”
– Mary Ritter Beard

Cuckoo Clock Number 9 – A Watercolor Sketch

This is very fun, I think, with the bird sitting on the dash. Notice I didn’t let him drive. He is only a passenger.

About Mary Ritter Beard

The American historian and suffragette Mary Ritter Beard was best known for the acclaimed two-volume work, The Rise of American Civilization, which she cowrote with her husband, Charles Beard. She was born in Indiana on August 5, 1876. She became a spokeswoman for the importance of women’s history with her books, On Understanding Women and Women as Force in History. She and her husband were controversial, dynamic figures who helped frame the way we view American history. She died on August 14, 1958.

Cuckoo Clock Number 8

2014-02-27T09:58:00.003-06:00

Good thoughts bear good fruit, bad thoughts bear bad fruit – and man is his own gardener.
–John Leonard

Cuckoo Clock Number 8 – A Watercolor Sketch

This is the one I submitted for the class gallery. The image I submitted is a cell phone case design.

It was fun!

See the gallery here. Over 400 artists submitted their cell phone cases.

Cuckoo Clock Number 7

2014-02-26T12:45:00.003-06:00

“Think it more satisfactory to live richly than die rich.”
– Sir Thomas Browne

Cuckoo Clock Number 7 – A Watercolor Sketch

This one is a Cuckoo Clock Starship. That little bird looks ready to fly! If you want to see over 400 cuckoo clocks turned into cell phone cases…. check out the MATS Bootcamp gallery here.

About Sir Thomas Browne

The erudite English doctor Sir Thomas Browne, who wrote a number of books on science and religion, was known for his baroque prose style and his controversial opinions. He was born on October 19, 1605 in London and settled in Norwich to practice medicine. He wrote his most famous book, Religio Medici (The Religion of a Physician), an intellectual autobiography, in 1635. A friend published it in 1642 without his permission, embarrassing him, but the book’s popularity encouraged him to write more. He died on October 19, 1682.

Cuckoo Clock Number 6

2014-02-25T09:05:00.002-06:00

“Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you’re going to do now and do it.”
– William C. Durant

Cuckoo Clock Number 6 – A Watercolor Sketch

I wasn’t too fond of this one until I added the color. I love the colors!

About William C. Durant

William C. Durant, founder of General Motors, consolidated much of the fledgling American auto industry under one roof. He was born on December 8, 1861 in Boston and grew up in Flint, Michigan. His innovative business model was to buy out vendors and acquire competitors. Forced to resign from GM due to this management style, he founded a new company with his race-car driver, Louis Chevrolet. He later regained control of GM but lost everything in the Great Depression. He died on March 18, 1947.

Cuckoo Clock Number 5

2014-02-24T09:55:00.000-06:00

“Life is not the way it’s supposed to be. It’s the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.”
– Virginia Satir

Cuckoo Clock Number 5 – A Watercolor Sketch

This one is my Cuckoo at the Theater version. I know… it’s very weird here in Bethville.

About Virginia Satir

American psychotherapist Virginia Satir played a central role in shaping family therapy. She was born in Wisconsin on June 26, 1916. While working as a teacher, she became deeply involved in the lives of her students and their parents. This led to graduate school and a career change. She took on the mission of inspiring therapists to work with families. She cofounded the Mental Health Research Institute in California, where she held the first-ever family-therapy training program. She died on September 10, 1988.

Cuckoo Clock Number 4

2014-02-21T13:28:00.001-06:00

“Simplicity is not the process of “dumbing down”; nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, when we embrace simplicity our lives, and bake it into our businesses, true genius is at work as the efforts to make the complex simple is an example of superior thinking.”
–Gary Ryan Blair

Cuckoo Clock Number 4 – A Watercolor Sketch

Fun to do, but not one of my favorites. I do like the bird, though. Looks like she’s gossiping with the bird on the other side of the street.

Gary Ryan Blair helps business owners, corporate executives and sales professionals manage their time, set their priorities, and stay focused so they can achieve their goals, grow their business, enjoy more success and greater freedom.

Cuckoo Clock Number 3

2014-02-20T08:21:00.001-06:00

“Excellence begins as a decision – one where you look at your life, business, and relationships and decide that everything you touch is going to better, that the example you set is going to be inspiring, that the performance bar is going to be raised higher, and that the legacy you leave will be memorable and long-lasting.”
–Gary Ryan Blair

Cuckoo Clock Number 3 – A Watercolor Sketch

I like the bird standing outside of the designated bird window. A bit of a rebel, don’t you think?

Gary Ryan Blair helps business owners, corporate executives and sales professionals manage their time, set their priorities, and stay focused so they can achieve their goals, grow their business, enjoy more success and greater freedom.

Cuckoo Clock Number 2

2014-02-19T08:09:00.002-06:00

“Striving for perfection is the greatest stopper there is.… It’s your excuse to yourself for not doing anything. Instead, strive for excellence, doing your best.”
– Sir Laurence Olivier

Cuckoo Clock Number 2 – A Watercolor Sketch

I like this one. It just makes me happy.

I love that quote today. If I were to strive for perfection, I’d never be able to do little things like this. The joy is in the creation, just for the sake of my love for art.

About Sir Laurence Olivier

The brilliant English actor Laurence Olivier, known for roles in such films as The Entertainer, Rebecca, and Wuthering Heights, was central in founding Britain’s National Theater, and was artistic director there for ten years. He was born on May 22, 1907 in Surrey. Not a Method actor, he used external attributes to create a character. He craved performance and was depressed between jobs. He was the first actor to direct his own Oscar-winning performance, in Hamlet. He died on July 11, 1989.

Cuckoo Clock Number One

2014-02-18T13:27:00.001-06:00

“The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but thought about it. Be aware of the thoughts you are thinking.”
–Eckhart Tolle

Cuckoo Clock Number One – A Watercolor Sketch

Yesterday I mentioned that I was going to share some cuckoo clocks I sketched for a class I’m taking. I’m sharing them on my blog just for for kicks and giggles.

Keep in mind… these are rough sketches to come up with creative little cuckoo clock ideas. I only picked one to post to the class gallery. This was NOT the one.

Eckhart is a spiritual teacher and author who was born in Germany and educated at the Universities of London and Cambridge. At the age of 29, a profound inner transformation radically changed the course of his life. The next few years were devoted to understanding, integrating and deepening that transformation, which marked the beginning of an intense inward journey. Later, he began to work in London with individuals and small groups as a counselor and spiritual teacher. Since 1995 he has lived in Vancouver, Canada.

Eckhart Tolle is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Power of Now (translated into 33 languages) and the highly acclaimed follow-up A New Earth, which are widely regarded as two of the most influential spiritual books of our time. http://www.eckharttolletv.com/about/eckhart/

Hunn Funeral Home – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor & Ink

2014-02-17T09:19:00.002-06:00

“Forgiveness is the economy of the heart.…forgiveness saves the expense of anger, the cost of hatred, the waste of spirits.”
– Hannah More

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2014

Hunn Funeral Home – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor & Ink

It’s been quite a while since I posted anything on my blog. I seem to be doing a lot of art for my licensing portfolio and that’s stuff you just don’t show until it’s time. So many issues with copyright and so on.

I am taking a MATS Bootcamp class for the next few months and I have decided to share some of that fun with you. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be sharing a bunch of cuckoo clocks I came up with for the class. They are mostly creative experiments and will never see the light of day, beyond this blog. Some will be developed further. We’ll see. Until then….

Thanks for checking in.

About Hannah More

English writer and philanthropist Hannah More, one of the most influential women of her time, is seen as a proto-feminist because she argued for true education for women. She was born near Bristol on February 2, 1745. When her long engagement to a local landowner ended badly, he gave her a yearly stipend in apology, which allowed her the freedom to move to London and write plays. She later shifted to philanthropic work and writing popular religious tracts. She died on September 7, 1833.

Merry Christmas from Lake Eufaula

2013-12-24T10:44:00.000-06:00

“A man can do only what he can do. But if he does that each day he can sleep at night and do it again the next day.”
– Albert Schweitzer

Merry Christmas from Lake Eufaula - 4″ x 6″ Watercolor Postcard

Have a very Merry Christmas!

About Albert Schweitzer

Albert Schweitzer, the German medical missionary, won the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work at a hospital in French Equatorial Africa, where he treated and operated on thousands of people, including hundreds of people afflicted with leprosy. He was also an organist, famous for his interpretation of J.S. Bach’s music. Late in life, he worked with Albert Einstein and Bertrand Russell against nuclear proliferation. He was born in 1875 in Kaysersberg and died in 1965.

My Watercolor Christmas Postcard This Year

2013-12-23T11:23:00.002-06:00

“It is the heart always that sees before the head can see.”
– Thomas Carlyle

My Christmas Postcard This Year

I painted this little card to send out this year. I love the idea of Santa having a nice break at his vacation home after delivering all those presents. And of course, he takes the elves along. Mrs Claus is probably inside making the margaritas.

Have yourselves a very Merry Christmas!

About Thomas Carlyle

Scottish historian Thomas Carlyle is best known for his biographies of Frederick the Great and the German playwright Schiller. He was born in 1795. The first draft of his acclaimed two-volume work, The French Revolution, was accidentally burned by his friend John Stuart Mill’s maid; he rewrote it from scratch and imbued the rewrite with more passion and immediacy than was common at the time. This made his writing very popular in Victorian England. He died in 1881.

A House Portrait - My Big Brother’s Christmas Card

2013-12-20T09:14:00.000-06:00

“The most successful people are often very intuitive. Consciously or unconsciously, they follow their gut feelings. Following intuition puts us in the flow – a very alive, productive, and desirable state.”
~ Shakti Gawain

My Big Brother’s Christmas Card – His House Portrait

I was so excited to get my brother’s Christmas card yesterday. I painted this portrait of his house as a surprise when I visited him in Idaho in August. It brought tears to his eyes then… and to my eyes last night when I opened the card. I really love what they did for their card. It made my Christmas. (Love you Dine & Cari!)

It sure has been a long time since I posted here. Of course I’ve been busy at the sign shop, but I also have been preparing collections for art licensing and I’m saving the reveal of those until later. I’m headed to Atlanta in a few weeks and am excited about my trip to AmericasMart Home & Gift show. I was there a couple years ago, but got temporarily way-layed by that whole flying thing. I am now excited and back to business!

I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday time and are avoiding all the stress that comes with it. My hubby has recently had a hip replacement, so we are laying low and having a quiet Christmas. No stress there.

Shakti Gawain

Shakti is a pioneer in the field of personal development. For over twenty-five years, she has been a best-selling author and internationally renowned teacher of consciousness. Shakti has facilitated thousands of individuals in developing greater awareness, balance and wholeness in their lives.

Shakti has written numerous books considered classics in her field. Her distinguished publishing history includes best sellers Creative Visualization, Living in the Light, The Path of Transformation, Four Levels of Healing, Creating True Prosperity, and Developing Intuition. Her books have sold over 10 million copies and have been translated into more than thirty languages. She is the co-founder, with Marc Allen, of New World Library Publishing Company.

She has appeared on such nationally syndicated programs as The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, Sonya Live, The Larry King Show, The Leeza Show, America’s Talking and New Dimensions Radio, and has been featured in New Woman, New Age Journal, and Time Magazine.

Through her seminars and her books, Shakti helps people heal and develop all levels of their being — spiritual, mental, emotional, physical — and access their intuitive inner wisdom. Sharing the ideas and practices that have helped her the most in her own life, she guides others on their path to living more consciously. She facilitates us in finding deeper meaning and purpose through developing our unique gifts and abilities.

Shakti is a passionate environmentalist, who believes that as we bring more awareness to our daily lives, we can learn to live in balance on our planet.

She and her husband Jim Burns, live in Mill Valley, California.

Thank You!

2013-09-30T09:19:00.000-05:00

“I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it.”

– Pablo Picasso

Thank You!

I painted this for my new friends, Val & Mary Easley. They have been friends of my hubby’s for decades, but I just met them.

We drove to Clinton, OK this weekend and spent time with this wonderful couple. Mary is a die-hard crafter. She has a sewing room that made me drool! Then, outside is another whole building where she crafts all kinds of things. I loved seeing all that, but more than anything, Val and Mary are two of the nicest people I have ever met. Val is almost 82 and Mary is a young chickie of 72 and they have been married for 31 years. They were awesome!

If you follow this blog, you may have noticed that I have been missing in action. I’m still here, but I have had to exercise some self restraint, where the computer is concerned. I’ve been so busy in my sign shop that it has had to come first. It’s amazing how much I can get done when I don’t spend the first 2 hours of my day on blogging and social media. Since 2007, I have blogged 5 days a week. I’m just going to cut that back to maybe once a week. I am going to try anyway. I love doing this and I love being part of a larger art family, for sure.

I am still painting every morning between 5-6 am. That will never stop.

About Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso, the Spanish painter at the forefront of Cubism, is perhaps best known for his painting Guernica, which depicts the hopelessness and violence of war. The masterpiece hung in the Museum of Modern Art in New York until democracy was restored in Spain; the painting was then sent home, where it hangs now at Reina Sofí a, Spain’s national museum of modern art. Born in Spain in 1881, Picasso spent his adult life in France. Although he’s known for his abstract paintings, his realistic work, particularly his Blue Period, was equally accomplished. He loved to be surrounded by friends and had multiple love affairs. He died in 1973.

Rusty Old Truck Layered into Posey Park Painting

2013-09-24T09:57:00.001-05:00

“I’ve learned that people whill forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
– Dr. Maya Angelou
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Rusty Old Truck

I painted this from a reference photo by Skappy at WetCanvas. I left the background empty on purpose, so I could do this….

Maya Angelou

Dr. Maya Angelou is a remarkable Renaissance woman who is hailed as one of the great voices of contemporary literature. As a poet, educator, historian, best-selling author, actress, playwright, civil-rights activist, producer and director, she continues to travel the world, spreading her legendary wisdom. Within the rhythm of her poetry and elegance of her prose lies Angelou’s unique power to help readers of every orientation span the lines of race. Angelou captivates audiences through the vigor and sheer beauty of her words and lyrics.

Zentangle and the Orange Alpaca – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor

2013-09-23T08:08:00.000-05:00

“Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.”
– Truman Capote

Silly Little Orange Alpaca – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor

Mary Y. over at WetCanvas posted the cutest little Alpaca youngster on her WDE a couple weeks ago. I painted this from her photo. In fact, the Halloween Cat was also from her WDE. Of course it was a white cat. I’m sure Mary won’t mind her white critters becoming orange. She knows what happens at Bethville.

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About Truman Capote

The flamboyant American author Truman Capote is best known for his book In Cold Blood, the true story of the murder of a wealthy Kansas family. Written in a literary style, it spawned the creative nonfiction genre. Born in New Orleans in 1924 and raised by relatives in Alabama, Capote moved to New York when he was nine to live with his mother. He was a larger-than-life personality, known for his colorful attire, his lisping voice, and his outrageous statements. He died in 1984.