tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65680216925474274962012-01-06T13:39:06.220-06:00My own virtual scratch pad for crazy art and wild ideas.ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.comBlogger3471100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-69138873547641335492011-08-14T10:45:00.002-05:002011-09-17T18:02:46.470-05:00

Hi Friends, This blog has moved! I love Blogger and have spent many years here but I'm ready for a facelift and want to try Wordpress for a while. Please join me other there for new posts about my silly art adventures and lots of new stuff about internet tools and social media. My new web site with blog: www.abrushwithhumor.com For you Facebook crowd: A Brush With Humor Google Plussers: Robin

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-68295510914571070742011-08-03T15:32:00.000-05:002011-08-03T15:32:37.192-05:00

My current favorite blog with a weekly email feed is www.brainpickings.org  One of my favorite posts is about search tools for people who think in colors as well as text and ideas. Brainpickings' best image search tools My favorite has to be the Multicolor Search Lab. Check them out and let me know what your favorite tool is! You can sign up to get Brainpickings' newsletter in your inbox

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-40542154392193233972011-07-31T08:09:00.002-05:002011-08-04T21:06:16.247-05:00

Proof here Set your Doodlebug free!  [Like] my Facebook page for other stories about art and creativity _

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-73017259921465572452011-07-30T08:28:00.001-05:002011-07-31T08:10:22.794-05:00

 Think entering all of these free art contests is a great way to promote your work and win free stuff? Be careful and read the fine print.  In many cases you sign away all rights to your work. Check out this blog post for more information: http://www.lightspacetime.com/newsletter/how-to-lose-entering-a-free-art-competition-art-contest/ Another post here talks about logo design contests: http://

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-68872197752331308852011-07-28T13:30:00.003-05:002011-07-30T08:29:11.069-05:00

Apart from composition, color choice is my biggest challenge when I'm planning a new painting. I've gathered a few links that I found useful in making some sense of color use in acrylic painting. I hope these help you too: Great blog post on limited colors and mixing effectively: http://secretsofamodernpainter.blogspot.com/2011/07/5-keys-to-mixing-color-for-oil-and.html Many thanks to Gabriel

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-10262184459920138132011-07-27T07:22:00.000-05:002011-07-27T07:22:14.583-05:00

Here's another gem from comedian John Cleese. He talks about his creative process. Enjoy!

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-29200840693376333982011-07-26T16:44:00.000-05:002011-07-26T16:44:33.497-05:00

The first resource I'd like to share is ArtBomb.  There are 5 videos so far in this collection and each has a lot to offer. The focus is on using shapes to spur creative ideas, specifically character generation. The first video uses an inkblot image as a starting point This video works through a number of figure 8 images to create some unique characters Hope you enjoyed these videos. Now

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-4605888192631599832011-07-19T10:15:00.001-05:002011-07-19T10:18:44.140-05:00

Travel back in time with me to the age when the internet was ruled by super geeks and the web was just catching on... 1993 Ny Times These days, there really are dogs on the internet. There are also cats, horses, ferrets, you name it... all God's creatures want a piece of the action. That got me thinking - how does Facebook handle it when your family dog creates his own Facebook Profile?

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-11209278503277151752011-07-15T08:04:00.000-05:002011-07-15T08:04:56.981-05:00

The last (and final) Space Shuttle launch got me thinking about NASA and the space program. I was 4 when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. I watched COSMOS on PBS as a kid and can still hear Carl Sagan's voice in my head saying "Billions and Billions of stars". It's only natural that my latest creative mashup would come to this: Space and Dogs. It started with a painting I did of a Westie

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-65595951247966412032011-06-15T13:48:00.000-05:002011-06-21T22:34:49.855-05:00

Visited with family and friends for a few weeks then got a ride home with those friends this past Sunday. My young friend Elise had a chance to paint with me and decided she really liked my "Silly Chickens" painting but it needed something extra. I said "Go ahead, pimp my painting..." Silly Chickens - original version I knew I was in for something special when Elise asked me if she could use

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-34646393560401709102011-05-29T17:18:00.001-05:002011-06-22T07:48:34.335-05:00

Sometimes I take a photo that motivates me to paint a picture. That was the case with a musician I took a picture of in St Augustine last Fall. The picture was terrible - poorly lit and out of focus but it would not get out of my head until I got it on canvas. I painted the picture late last year and put it away; not really happy with the results. I went looking for the photo the other day to

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-63813844554526153462011-05-18T08:34:00.000-05:002011-05-18T09:49:26.598-05:00

We're back home after almost 7 months on the water and it feels great to finally be unpacked and settled in the house. Check out the blog posts here Robinleigh on Sailblogs and here RobinLeigh on Blogger for photos and stories about our great season! I promised myself I would paint a LOT while we were on the boat, I brought my paints, brushes, and dozens of flat canvases. Aside from a few

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-75564427934854457182011-01-08T08:17:00.000-06:002011-01-08T08:33:14.135-06:00

Hi friends! We're back on the boat again and heading south as fast as we can to escape these cold temperatures. Underway at the moment from Jacksonville to St. Augustine with sunny skies and a fresh westerly breeze. Follow this link to read the blog post about our departure from the naval air station and our adventure getting under the bridges in downtown Jacksonville: http://

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-13208889350809407452010-12-13T16:28:00.000-06:002010-12-13T16:28:16.975-06:00

We're all busy shopping and decorating and doing the millions of other fun things we only do during the holiday season. I just wanted to take a second to show off my latest holiday card idea - The Lottery Advent Calendar: It's been a huge success this year so I'll probably do it again. There's not much to putting one together and if 25 days is too much for you, there's also the "12 days of

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-78589850969496464882010-12-03T16:12:00.000-06:002010-12-03T16:12:41.144-06:00

Just finished a great week at Cumberland Island, St Mary's and Amelia Island. More here: Our Sailblog...

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-13168757484492820312010-11-30T11:38:00.000-06:002010-11-30T11:38:20.954-06:00

I'm still here - I've just changed over to my other life and am having trouble staying plugged into to all of this technology. It is amazing how wrapped up we get in blogging, facebook, twitter, etc, when it's right there in front of us and easy to access. Move on to a sail boat and spend a few weeks sailing down the east coast and you soon realize that internet access is a mostly a stationary

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-88117901983974042872010-10-11T15:19:00.000-05:002010-10-11T15:19:58.197-05:00

I've been busy the last few weeks getting my painting gear ready for 'sailboat mode'. In a month or so we'll be sailing again and I have to figure out which paints, brushes, mediums, and canvas I can successfully transport to the boat and use as we travel. Since space is limited I am trying to come up with a material that is easy to store. Stretched canvas is ideal but there's nowhere to store

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-274766379802511482010-10-01T16:33:00.000-05:002010-10-01T16:33:38.843-05:00

This latest painting project started with the idea of a cat perched on a stack of books but as I got into the subject it became so much more. Did you know there are hundreds of 'official' library cats around the world? These cats live in municipal and university libraries and are the official mascots of many fine institutions. One cat, Dewey, has reached rock star status by having his life

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-37891833695418142602010-09-28T19:55:00.000-05:002010-09-28T19:55:58.029-05:00

My latest painting I started over the weekend - I did the sketch Sunday night while watching Desperate housewives; used colored pencil to flesh things out... Monday afternoon I painting with friends and got a lot done. I thought I was about 60% through the piece when my painting buddies yelled "STOP!" This is a blurry iPhone photo but the painting is very loose at the moment and most areas

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-7650838609888190982010-09-25T15:49:00.000-05:002010-09-25T15:50:19.305-05:00

After 6 hours of color mixing in our color theory class Friday, I was ready to cut loose and have some fun today! We got together at Jean's house for a few hours of painting and goofing off this morning. We each had an interesting subject but some were more than challenging than others. Jean was busy exploring the effect of glazes on a large landscape painting while Raffy started a new red /

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-22481940288812170042010-09-23T16:34:00.000-05:002010-09-23T16:34:45.610-05:00

I have a great collection of photos from our travels abroad over the last 20 years. Lots of landmark buildings, scenery, and bridges. I want to try my hand at painting some of them but I'm not much for boring landscapes and most landmarks are a mixture of browns and grays, also boring. I've seen artists jazz up images with bright colors and perspective changes so I thought I'd give that approach

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-55774950623799580232010-09-22T18:41:00.000-05:002010-09-22T18:55:58.208-05:00

I painted a picture of some sock puppets last year and while I liked the characters, the piece did not quite hit the mark. The title was "Sock Puppet Undressed" and I liked the idea but the picture was flat and uninspiring. The purple guy on the right also bothered me so I was determined to paint him out of the new picture.I started thinking about WHY the hand would be undressed and decided '

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-56405819339401545122010-09-12T14:40:00.001-05:002010-09-12T14:54:04.065-05:00

I've been toying with the idea for a web site for at least a year but it's always been on the back burner. The other day someone asked me where they could find my work online and I started listing all of the places I have one or more originals or prints for display or sale: This blog, ETSY, ArtFire, Imagekind, FineArtAmerica, CafePress, Zazzle, etc., etc., and I'm sure I forgot a few. If you

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-32547312083159812212010-09-07T18:36:00.000-05:002010-09-07T18:51:26.898-05:00

We had a great art show and sale over the holiday weekend. Wonderful weather and quite a few sales!Many of the paintings I did not sell are back at Scavengers. I'm going to upload copies of a few of the paintings to FineArt America to see if that will generate some print sales. Here's a sample of a link with one of my paintings called "Patritic Pup"... flag artWish me luck!

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-48298706186372157032010-08-23T06:51:00.000-05:002010-08-24T15:36:41.748-05:00

I'm currently on an ambitious mission to get a TON of small paintings finished for an Art show Labor Day weekend. Many paintings are older works-in-progress, some new ideas I have sketched and set aside, and a few are funny ideas I stumbled upon while surfing. Things on the web that made me giggle (and want to to paint): animal/celebrity mash-ups and snoring cats...I got this inspiration from a

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-30663119808856931442010-08-16T19:01:00.000-05:002010-08-17T08:10:07.204-05:00

George Rodrigue's "Blue Dog", maybe the most famous blue dog in the history of art was the Facebook generated inspiration for my latest painting.I wanted to do a pop-art style dog portrait and started with a sketch I thought would work well for that style:I uploaded the sketch on my Facebook profile and asked for input on what color palette I should use. I was thinking about some bright beachy

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-823270953608190472010-08-05T13:21:00.000-05:002010-08-17T08:13:17.503-05:00

The debate has been going on for thousands of years - "Which makes a better pet - a cat or a dog?"Dogs are simple and straight forward, you always know where you stand with a dog. Cats are more complicated - they act superior to their dog friends but fail to comprehend the most basic of commands. Perhaps it is their selective hearing that gives them the ability to ignore "sit, stay and fetch"

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-49299410299347327072010-08-03T22:01:00.001-05:002010-08-03T22:04:40.190-05:00

I knew it would happen eventually - wear your Keds long enough without socks and they'll get that fishy smell you can never get rid of...I never realized how bad it would really be - lolUpcycling some old Keds just for the fun of it with some fabric paint and a little imagination...

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-1655218846742937662010-08-01T13:04:00.000-05:002010-08-01T13:48:19.009-05:00

Just finished another crazy rooster painting and I can't get the song "Proud Mary" out of my head..."Rooster Tina Turner" 12 x 12 Acrylic on canvasYeah, I know a rooster can't be a girl but when I tried to give the painting another name I looked at the rooster's face and could almost see him bobbing his little head to "Nutbush City Limits". Perhaps this is my first rooster female impersonator -

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-32007885842667447922010-07-28T18:54:00.000-05:002010-07-28T19:07:12.733-05:00

There are so many things that make a good painting - composition has to top the list but there is also color selection and the use of highlights and shadow. If you're trying to convey a mood or feeling there is a challenge to get that just right.The most useful thing I ever heard from a painting teacher was "Never forget - your painting must stand on its own - you will not always be there to

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-4170976012332597652010-07-27T17:41:00.000-05:002010-07-27T17:51:22.882-05:00

Some dogs deserve to be dressed up but when I tried to imagine a shirt and tie on this poor fellow I could almost hear him saying "I'm already pretty silly looking, please don't make it worse"..."Basset Hound on Blue" was a quick acrylic based loosely on a very cute photo from a magazine. I may rework this one later and dress him like a clown, a banker, or a cowboy. What costume do you think

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-75525291431622644632010-07-25T13:26:00.001-05:002010-07-25T13:37:37.223-05:00

With pet ownership comes responsibility, right? That was my thought for this painting - neither the boy nor the dog look too thrilled about this assigned chore."Walk the Dog" 8x10 acrylic on canvasAs I was working on this painting I looked back at a painting from last week and was shocked at the similarities - it almost looks like a 'then and now' comparison. Can you see what I mean?I think I'll

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-91740306644641665612010-07-23T22:59:00.002-05:002010-07-24T15:49:31.115-05:00

This post went up a few hours ago - then a friend commented on FaceBook "Are those boys supposed to be naked?"My first reaction was "Huh?". Then it was "You're being silly". Then I looked at the painting again and realized the boy on the left did not have any pants on!He was supposed to have leather trousers on but in my big hurry to finish the painting I just swished around some brown paint and

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-42185623733811388632010-07-20T08:04:00.000-05:002010-07-20T08:20:07.141-05:00

I just got around to varnishing my most recent rooster painting and I realized I forgot to share this one!The idea for this painting came from a great picture of a very noble rooster I found:Heart ThrobHe was described as the "heart throb" of the barn yard so I decided he needed a fan club in his portrait. This one is titled "Chick Magnet"... for obvious reasons :-)"Chick Magnet" acrylic on 12 x

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-29580153941393990902010-07-18T18:50:00.000-05:002010-07-18T19:10:13.896-05:00

I promised myself I would paint today (and go to the gym and read part of a book). I'm quite proud of myself because in spite of my crazy to-do list, I took the day off and did it all!Here's the picture I wanted to paint from my earlier post:There were a few things about the picture I wanted to change but for the most part I wanted to paint it in a loose style and keep the "Rockwell" feeling

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-78081633897271804482010-07-18T06:55:00.000-05:002010-07-18T07:02:55.054-05:00

Things are crazy busy around here since we started these candidate forums - so many things to coordinate and prepare! We're working hard to give the voters some exposure to all of the local candidates before the primary election:I'm trying to squeeze in some creative time and this afternoon I might have a chance. Here is the picture I want to try and capture on canvas:I adore that little dog and

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-15039144648765106952010-07-05T21:08:00.000-05:002010-07-05T21:33:01.251-05:00

Along with celebrating the holiday weekend with friends, I took some time off to do my second favorite thing today - paint!After the tiny boxes painting (see last post) I fell back to my favorite subjects - anything in the animal kingdom!First I painted a crazy rooster, inspired by something I heard on the radio - a fast food chain out west called "Koo Koo Roos". This was a lot of fun and I think

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-87918673901913461592010-07-03T11:30:00.000-05:002010-07-03T11:46:45.212-05:00

Little boxes made of ticky tacky. Little boxes on the hillside and they all look just the same...Do you have that song stuck in your head now? Welcome to my world!I decided to paint a landscape last week - a subject I rarely take on. There are two reasons for that: I find the subject BORING and probably more importantly, I don't think I'm very good at it.I saw an amazing photo of a fishing

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-79376885955487496212010-06-24T08:20:00.000-05:002010-06-24T08:35:02.330-05:00

I've been watching the show "Work of Art" on Bravo (Wed 10pm Est) and it really has me hooked. Not only do I enjoy the shenanigans of the artists and the crazy things they try to accomplish in a short of amount of time, I am also really loving the challenges. I like them so well that I'm going to try and complete them myself!The first challenge was to paint a picture of another person that

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-7708064370435085982010-06-18T12:31:00.000-05:002010-06-18T12:39:43.562-05:00

Playing around with some oil markers the other day, I realized I didn't have any scrap canvas or heavy stock paper I could afford to experiment with.I went to my garage to snoop around for something to decorate and stumbled on these paint swatches I had picked up at Lowes. At around 3 inches by 3 inches, they make a perfect tiny canvas for testing out ideas for illustrations.Here's an example of

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-67807363936155766802010-06-13T09:57:00.000-05:002010-06-13T10:24:51.768-05:00

For the longest time I've had a real aversion to painting people. I'm not talking about the mushy background people you put in a street scene, I'm talking about real live faces with skin tone and lips and eyelashes and... my palms are starting to sweat just typing this.Anyway, I was afraid to paint people. Lately I've been painting a lot of dogs and animals and I'm feeling pretty good about those

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-76371697641759987512010-06-11T22:40:00.000-05:002010-06-12T07:57:47.432-05:00

Last night I watched the CEO of BP give us a long apology for the events in the Gulf. It's easy to be angry at this man who represents an organization who is in charge of the company that is responsible but aren't we all a little to blame?I drive my car when and where I like, I try to recycle but it's often easy to toss things away and let the landfill deal with it. I'm a good steward of my local

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-45941707753835688362010-06-11T07:54:00.000-05:002010-06-11T08:35:07.396-05:00

I've just learned of a book, published in 2007, that tries to explain and put into context some of the strange events of the last few years. It does a good job of explaining, if not the reason then at least the human reaction to events like the financial melt down and the recent oil spill in the Gulf.The title of the book is "The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable."A bit of

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-50401940360647973462010-06-09T11:31:00.000-05:002010-06-09T14:23:16.461-05:00

Do you ever hear something that sticks in your head? You just keep thinking about it and it takes your imagination to strange and interesting places.A few days ago I heard a bit of trivia. Did you know that the human body is about 72% water? Maybe we're tied to water even more than we even imagined? No quantum physics or string theory here but what if you looked at a water droplet closely and it

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-72520893012120204712010-06-07T11:59:00.001-05:002010-06-08T16:16:09.413-05:00

I enter online giveaways occasionally, especially when the prize is something good. I hardly ever win anything so imagine my surprise when I found out I won a really cool set of prints from the adorable ETSY shop Mint Buttercup.Here's what they look like:I'll be stalking the mailman for the next few days waiting for these to show up... You can see these prints and other adorable illustrations

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-52628236634313139842010-06-03T10:53:00.000-05:002010-06-03T11:01:28.584-05:00

This painting project is for a friend. She has two Westies that rule her house and she wanted a portrait of them. A painting can never capture the energy or mischievousness of these dogs but I got a bunch of photos together and found the best one - then I set out to capture them on canvas.She has not seen it yet so I hope she likes it. The actual painting is a little less blue, funny how that

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-8976517292131653292010-05-26T19:12:00.001-05:002010-05-30T19:11:33.511-05:00

I went to my friend's house this afternoon with plans to paint a still life. When I got there I heard Jean say "Kumquats will not be in season until later in the year and I can't find any other attractive fruit in the refrigerator."The weather was nice outside so we gave up on the still life idea and took our paint kits outside. Without an idea, we decided to paint anything that crossed our mind.

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-82612489491515021732010-05-24T15:01:00.000-05:002010-05-29T11:28:38.312-05:00

Sitting around last night thinking about the BP oil spill I came up with a cute idea for a t-shirt. I created the image in Photoshop and then uploaded it to CafePress, I should have my newly designed, one of a kind t-shirt in about a week!You can have a shirt like this too, in any size, color or style - just follow the link to CafePress: Nothinglikeit on CafePress. You can also find it over on

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-41963130803874760522010-05-12T18:52:00.000-05:002010-05-12T19:03:25.264-05:00

I'd like to think they would all be smiling at me like this one.9 x 12 acrylic on canvas panelMy painting workshop was today and I always manage to get at least two things finished in the 3 hours we have to work so I'm continuing on my dog painting project. It seems if you get the eyes right everything else falls in to place. I found this picture of a handful of small dogs and thought they

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-16363891222371527502010-04-29T14:38:00.000-05:002010-04-29T18:02:37.500-05:00

Yes, I just did a dog painting and yes, I did a robot before that. I'm still on that kick; it seems there are a lot of cute dogs and robots out there...This silly guy just screamed 'paint me'..."Silly Blue Dog" is acrylic on an 8x8 inch canvas panel which is attached to a 10x10 inch painted canvas. It can be framed or will hang on its' own 'as-is'.The latest recycled robot is a cute viking made

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-2633858655957396862010-04-22T18:59:00.000-05:002010-04-22T19:02:07.693-05:00

I finished the Titan painting for now and will set it aside for a bit. I think he's quite a handsome guy in his shirt and tie...

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-79626249474367364112010-04-21T20:25:00.000-05:002010-04-21T20:34:49.226-05:00

It's been a really busy April so I have not found much time to paint. I did manage to get the beach mouse finished but not in time for the silent auction. Now I'll just give it to Topsail park in the hope it will raise awareness about this endangered mouse. Click here to read more.After the mouse I started another dog painting. This one was inspired by a terribly cute and ugly photograph I found

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-70568798718745194902010-04-03T17:38:00.000-05:002010-04-04T15:43:20.274-05:00

Robots, dogs, robots, dogs, I wonder if I will ever tire of either...This week I started an 11 x 14 painting and a few nights ago I think I finished it. I'll take it to my art workshop next Wednesday to see what our art teacher Steve has to say but I'm pretty happy with it."Warm Blue Dog"Acrylic on 11x14 canvas panelGuess what? My next project is neither a robot or a dog, it's a Choctawhatchee

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-19257104583266608332010-04-01T07:21:00.000-05:002010-04-01T07:28:11.521-05:00

Minutes seem like hours to a dog... Didn't she say she would be right back?Acrylic on 8 x 8 inch canvas panelI decided to make this painting available on Imagekind as a print and I thought this frame and matting looked quite nice - what do you think?

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-49148480105860308852010-03-30T10:58:00.001-05:002010-05-22T07:21:51.648-05:00

I'm really enjoying painting silly robots and there's lots of inspiration out there. Check out these wonderfully original creations on Flickr: Robots, more Robots, even MORE Robots!"Feed the Dog"Acrylic on 8 x 8 inch canvas panelI saw two robot sculptures, one of a dog and the other of a robot holding and oil can. That put a thought in my head - What would a robot dog drink?... Oil, of course!

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-15717294521017625352010-03-26T19:22:00.000-05:002010-03-26T19:35:38.534-05:00

Things are always crazy around my house but with the latest project I've taken on things have gone completely wacko! Today myself and a group of civic minded friends and homeowners threw a luncheon for 260 people to give them information about issues and candidates in the hope of 'Getting out the VOTE' this fall. Here's the link to our web site: SandestinVotersBetween politics and a lot of hand

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-68364313541696726022010-03-19T10:05:00.000-05:002010-03-19T10:09:10.259-05:00

Update from my weekly painting class - A silly robot car!This acrylic painting is on a small 6x6 inch gallery canvas with deep edges, it gave me a chance to run his car off the page and make him look even sillier than he already is!

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-74394773627174204822010-03-13T19:27:00.000-06:002010-03-13T19:31:42.656-06:00

An acrylic on gallery stretched canvas...This painting is on its way to our friends, vacation and ski buddies in California! I hope they like it.

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-34294417639645995972010-03-10T15:50:00.000-06:002010-03-10T16:07:11.598-06:00

Life can't get any crazier at the moment but my good friend Jean has talked me into taking a painting workshop once a week this month and I'm so very happy I'm doing it! From 10am until 1pm every Wednesday I get to play and if I get stuck I have master artist Steve to bail me out!Steve has helped me finish 3 paintings in two sessions and I'm really excited about trying some new subjects.I finally

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-42126147483536174362010-03-07T21:19:00.000-06:002010-03-07T21:36:37.000-06:00

This blog post is a few weeks late but I've been waiting for my "iMovie Whiz" husband Charles to put together a great collection of photos and videos from our marvelous ski trip to Sun Valley, Idaho.Here's the link to that page: Sun Valley holiday 2010Rick and Ruth were wonderful hosts and their friends Jon and Jane were a riot. We had so much fun that week we're still recovering...I most

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-22650172632202793942010-02-27T20:50:00.000-06:002010-02-27T21:09:54.614-06:00

I rarely talk politics on this blog but this latest "sack of S%%^^$T" from the Florida legislature really has me riled!The Florida state senate has introduced a bill, 2622, which will allow for oil and gas drilling from 3 to 10 miles off the crystal white beaches of our emerald coast. Since a similar bill passed the house last year by a fairly large margin, it seems likely that this bill will go

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-74135926938280793682010-02-09T19:11:00.000-06:002010-02-09T19:16:51.989-06:00

My kitten Tucker is not only smart, he's incredibly talented. Here's a video of our most recent accomplishment...Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!There's a nasty rumor that Tucker is dropping me for a cute little Russian skater - he swears it's not true...

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-81631650172024926992010-02-06T18:37:00.000-06:002010-02-13T23:12:47.959-06:00

I spent some time this past week with a friend doing what I really love - painting. For 3 hours Thursday afternoon we just painted and shared stories and forgot about everything else...I managed to finish a piece that has been sitting around for a month or two. With all of my volunteer efforts rescuing cats you would think that would be the last subject I would ever paint - not so...I think my

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-53433959965616402432010-02-02T18:58:00.000-06:002010-02-02T19:18:05.441-06:00

Crazy coasters and silly paintings have taken a back seat lately. I've been working on a project we began in the Fall of last year and things are going so well I'm determined to make it all a complete success!I live in a beautiful private community in NW Florida. 2500 acres of golf courses, beaches, beautiful scenery and abundant wildlife. Mixed in with the wildlife are an estimated 200 feral

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-56792220937221677952010-01-10T20:49:00.000-06:002010-01-10T21:03:58.219-06:00

Our cat is very shy. It takes him WEEKS to warm to a stranger.This evening our friend Anne came over and brought her miniature toy poodle "Captain Morgan". Yes, that's the infamous Captain Morgan of Rum bottle fame.Morgan immediately went looking for entertainment and found our kitten "Tucker". Tucker backed up in a defensive stance, hissed, slapped, and looked generally annoyed.After Morgan gave

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-24571743948563381642010-01-09T20:14:00.000-06:002010-01-09T20:37:40.546-06:00

Actually under-cat. But that sounds funny...Today around 2:00 I got a call from someone in our community. "We have a cat in trouble and our friend said we should call you." What else do you say to a statement like that except, "I'll be right there."We arrived on the patio with a trap and some towels to find a beautiful brown tabby, about 5 months old, nervously looking around for an escape route

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-26301853609166853642010-01-04T09:12:00.001-06:002010-01-04T20:05:31.212-06:00

Reading? I can hear you mutter to yourself - "Who's got TIME for reading"!?!I know, it's a decadent past time that few of us have the luxury to enjoy these days. That being said, here's my list:Emails - Too many of them. Most come from people who've never met me and probably don't want to. I'm getting much better at sending many to the trash without opening them but to do that I still must read

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-60230109170409827492009-12-19T20:37:00.000-06:002009-12-19T21:22:30.149-06:00

Let it snow! In North Carolina, in Washington DC, in New York. Just don't send it to Florida please...The weather in Florida is consistently wonderful. We have an occasional streak of rain (this December has been very wet) and the odd hurricane now and then, but for the most part the weather here is delightful. It's so good that we take it for granted. Only in Florida will you hear people

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-50777636650124603842009-12-13T15:14:00.001-06:002009-12-13T15:19:19.294-06:00

I swore off custom orders this Christmas season but when I got this request from a friend I could not resist!I've done a few dogs before but I think this is one of my best! One thing I learned making this coaster - wrinkles take a long time!!! LOL!GO DAWGS!

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-10684615784999785232009-12-05T09:40:00.000-06:002009-12-10T16:18:27.569-06:00

The holidays are upon us and many of us will be sampling those delightful sounding drinks like "Frosty Noggin" and "Gingersnap". I don't know about you but if someone offers me a drink called "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer" I'll HAVE to try it and I WILL regret it.I think someone jotted down this happy jingle after one too many "Candy-cane-tini's"...Starkle, starkle, little twink,Who the hell are

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-3756809005288144192009-11-30T09:25:00.001-06:002009-11-30T09:32:01.330-06:00

OK, this was not the easiest coaster I've ever created. I must have issues with 'rat-like' creatures, I remember it took me a few weeks to finally work out the design of "Hammy the Hamster".I battled with color blending and it took me forever to get the face right. I hope the next flat squirrel is a little easier!

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-44841118905011121312009-11-29T08:51:00.000-06:002009-11-29T12:55:07.876-06:00

It seems like I've been making these flat critter coasters forever. I've flattened everything you can imagine -from bears to zombies .I got a request the other day to do a new coaster and I was shocked to realize I'd never flattened this critter before. Can you guess what it might be?Shocking isn't it? Of all of the critters we all would most like to flatten, the squirrel has to be at the top

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-53338173378215877182009-11-24T11:27:00.001-06:002009-11-24T11:34:01.352-06:00

I said I wouldn't do it again this year... but I feel obligated to set the record straight.It's just my way of giving something back to the Gingerbread community. We see them as cute, tasty treats for the Holidays but they have real lives. Families, pets, careers. Here's to you Gingerbread...

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-38838521128517633522009-11-22T21:20:00.003-06:002009-11-23T09:25:49.030-06:00

And the new gingerbread ornaments are here! Here's a sneak preview of some of the ornaments coming to my ETSY and ArtFire shops this week:Dog & Cat Gingerbread Ornaments

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-43325091188538444802009-11-21T19:31:00.000-06:002009-11-21T19:42:51.466-06:00

It's Saturday afternoon. I need to make a bear coaster. Someone really wants a black bear coaster.I had made a few cow coasters already that day and I was ready to change gears but as I sat there looking at my left over white and black clay and idea struck me. Lots of black and white clay, ready to go, and I've never made a PANDA BEAR coaster!I pulled out my panda bear sketches from this summer

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-10472132155176117252009-11-19T15:42:00.000-06:002009-11-19T15:56:09.348-06:00

That sounds funny. As if I'm about to bake a canine using nothing but a little flour and eggs.What I really meant to say was that I managed to photograph a painting, in stages, from start to finish. I usually get on a roll and forget to capture the process but this time I remembered and I thought it would be fun to share!The sketch and the background are completed firstNext come the shadows and

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-89110658373676433922009-11-18T06:52:00.000-06:002009-11-18T16:15:04.664-06:00

It's JUST a cold. That's what the doctor said. Ha Ha! A cold is not JUST anything, It's everything! Sniffling, sneezing, itchy eyes, runny nose, couching, and all around feeling of poopiness. I know I'm not the only person suffering from this particular affliction today so I dug up this poem to make me (and you) feel a little better...This cold is too much for my shortsleeve.Go get me a Kleenex--

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-7723678434166558092009-11-15T14:17:00.000-06:002009-11-15T20:19:19.727-06:00

I took a lot of time off this summer and fall, exploring other forms of art and really learning a lot. I've improved my drawing and painting skills and even managed to get into a few gallery shows!I haven't given up painting and drawing and will continue to work on a few planned (and commissioned) projects, but lately the polymer clay has been calling my name... I really wanted to pull out some

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-68127344045631489832009-11-05T15:58:00.000-06:002009-11-05T16:15:14.439-06:00

Out and about this week - traveling and visiting friends and family. I'm at Mom and Dad's for a few days and while out with Mom shopping on Wednesday, we talked about their need to replace the windows in their house.25 years old with single pane windows that badly need to be re-glazed - it was time to do something. A few phone calls to window companies had been a bit discouraging. $19,000 for 13

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-17587480014223939652009-11-01T13:03:00.000-06:002009-11-01T15:14:14.195-06:00

I'm not a photographer, but I played one this weekend...Charles and I volunteered to setup and run a photo booth to benefit Friends of Topsail Park here in Florida. It was a big fund raising event Friday and Saturday night with a Scary trail, a Trick-or-Treat trail, and a Fantasy Land game area where kids could win lots of prizes. Our photo booth was setup to the side of the game area and boy

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-45953627634905769602009-10-25T19:48:00.000-05:002009-10-25T19:54:46.439-05:00

I thought he would never catch up with those giant ears and that extra long tail but I'm amazed at how fast my kitten is growing! He eats constantly (when we let him) and continues to delight us. Here's his growth progress, in photos, over the last two weeks:Tucker - 10 weeksTucker - 11 weeksTucker 12 weeks

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-39774432503570659972009-10-20T09:44:00.000-05:002009-10-22T19:36:37.279-05:00

That's what the older gentleman said while scanning the newspaper headlines. "It's a wonder we don't blow up the entire planet with all of this science and technology and stuff."He's right you know. And he's wrong. And then there's every possibility in between.The human race has learned more in the last 50 years than it did in all of the time before that combined. Also amazing - The more we know,

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-86645977677632145422009-10-14T16:00:00.001-05:002009-10-21T18:51:12.103-05:00

OK, being an artist and running a gallery was a blast. It was an exciting 10 days (actually 2 months if you count the prep time) but now I'm eager to get back to my other activities. In the next few weeks I'll start listing some of my original art in my ArtFire shop and may even have a few silly coasters completed to bring my ETSY shop back to life as well.Efforts with our local feral cat "

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-39170965536791310682009-10-10T08:07:00.000-05:002009-10-10T08:12:13.469-05:00

The holiday weekend is upon us and a big car show is scheduled in the shopping center where our gallery is located. We're hoping that will bring lots of people in to see our art!Dixie's not worried, she says she's already famous enough...Modern Art Museum by dumpr.net

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-39600877703229185082009-10-09T07:30:00.001-05:002009-10-09T07:30:59.668-05:00

Tucker is settling in nicely. He let me crash on the couch with him last night. Very considerate kitten, don't you think?Worked on another 'dressed up' pet painting last night. Tucker was a little upset that he was not the subject of this one. I had to promise him a portrait fitting his tiny 2 pound stature... the pressure's on now.

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-89341349373428020932009-10-08T14:59:00.000-05:002009-10-08T15:11:56.430-05:00

This week has been crazy busy with the art gallery and the introduction of "Tucker" into our household. He has decided to keep us so we'll be making room for him and spending way too much money at Petsmart in the coming months."Tucker day 3"I've found a little time to get a few more paintings done in time for the big car show this weekend (more traffic in the gallery we hope)."Westie" 8 x 8"

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-55343580229234008522009-10-06T07:38:00.000-05:002009-10-06T07:49:59.906-05:00

My newest feline friend. We're not exactly sure where he came from, someone dropped him at the vet when he was about 4 weeks old.He got the name "Tucker" because Dr Flynn (the vet) carried him around all day tucked under her arm. He's about 8 weeks now and still weighs just 2 pounds, I'm hoping he'll get a growth spurt soon because at this rate he'll never catch up with those ears!Tucker will be

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-88712715877359559132009-10-04T07:58:00.000-05:002009-10-04T08:19:29.834-05:00

ArtForTheHeart ArtistsFriday night was our grand opening party for the Art Gallery show and sale that we've been planning for the last few months. The weather was wonderful, the gallery was gorgeous, and the turn out was great! We could not have asked for a better night and it was a wonderful way to start the event. Thanks everyone for coming out to support us!Here's a slide show of some of the

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-67048493974741912472009-09-27T19:41:00.000-05:002009-09-27T19:47:49.921-05:00

I finally found a few hours today to work on my guitar player painting and it turned out better than I expected it would! Here's the original photo of my subject Kyle:And here's my version:I'll let it sit overnight and take a peek in the morning. If I can't find anything I need to change I'll varnish it and take it to the gallery!

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-70314708325803026622009-09-25T07:19:00.000-05:002009-09-25T07:25:38.748-05:00

We got the keys to our new gallery Thursday morning and spent a few hours cleaning up the place. It looked so good we decided not to waste the day so after lunch we all brought in some paintings to try out the layout. It didn't take us long to start hanging things and before we knew it we were looking like a real art gallery!Click here to see the first day's photos.

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-15806947099072806532009-09-24T07:57:00.000-05:002009-09-24T08:12:57.631-05:00

This painting was a hard one to begin. I wanted to give my guitar playing friend an appropriate stage to play on; something in the flavor of grunge with color. Here's the picture of Kyle I've selected:For his stage I selected a 16x 20 gallery stretched canvas and grunged it up a bit. Here's what I have so far:Now I'm ready to sketch Kyle in and start working out the details!

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-49611440034552589332009-09-22T07:19:00.000-05:002009-09-22T10:09:03.122-05:00

I've recently been labeled a 'cat person'. With good reason I might add, I do like kitties.To show you that I'm an equal opportunity artist, I painted this picture last night:"Woof" 9x12 AcrylicYep! you guessed it - I like doggies too.

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-6526225465526031532009-09-21T09:32:00.000-05:002009-09-21T13:00:32.177-05:00

I think I'm finished with the painting I started Sunday morning. I decided to add a cat and bird to my 'Predator and Prey' series. The cat looks a little cartoonish but I think it turned out OK.I think I'll lay off the cat paintings for a while. Maybe I'll try something more ambitious like this...Just in case you're confused - I intend to paint this guy, not take up guitar in a grunge rock band.

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-4714105968748677052009-09-20T15:34:00.000-05:002009-09-20T15:43:30.077-05:00

OK, not really, but it has been raining a lot and we have been dealing with a lot of cats. So far in September we've trapped 17 cats (all to the vet for shots and spay/neuter) and 6 kittens (all in foster homes at the moment). Check out my other blog for pictures of those cuties.Since I have cats on the brain I've decided to make the most of it. I thought of this painting idea the other day as I

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-55207933457236863892009-09-14T16:26:00.000-05:002009-09-14T16:29:17.262-05:00

Sock Puppets 12 x 12 AcrylicThese sock puppets are either getting ready for Halloween or they're top secret double-agent spies. I can't tell, can you?

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-67212282538908708002009-09-12T07:51:00.000-05:002009-09-12T08:02:15.503-05:00

That was the question...and after 48 hours of hiding in my garage this little tiger decided to take the bait: ♫ I'm in the Jailhouse now... ♫We are more than a little pleased with this happy event. We've been banned from our garage for 2 days and I've been unable to drive my car or ride my bike for fear that an open garage door would mean an escaped kitty. This kitten had been in foster care for

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-82689636092394840762009-09-10T20:46:00.001-05:002009-09-10T20:50:31.183-05:00

They say there is a fine line between genius and insanity. I think I might have gone over the line tonight. Introducing a new painting... "Sock Puppet - Undressed"I'm starting to think I might need professional help...

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-56033221817153269392009-09-09T14:58:00.001-05:002009-09-09T15:16:01.211-05:00

That's was what I was thinking last night when I painted this picture -Magic BusAcrylic 14 x 18 inchesBetween cat trapping and deliveries to the vet for our Feral Cat "Trap - Neuter - Release" program (see my other blog) and getting ready for our big Art Gallery Show and Sale in early October, I'm wearing myself out! I'm amazed that I have found the time and the creative energy to paint anything

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-17068235531905462072009-09-08T17:35:00.001-05:002009-09-08T18:41:54.486-05:00

Each Labor Day, we 'beach bums' get together and have a party to celebrate the end of tourist season. After Labor Day things slow down a lot - We get our beaches back, there's no trouble getting a table at our favorite restaurant and it does not take forever to drive from point A to point B.The party is always great and each year Hal, my neighbor, writes a short poem titled "Wave goodbye to the

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6568021692547427496.post-54277665076048325592009-09-01T19:26:00.000-05:002009-09-01T19:32:52.402-05:00

This spring I started a few paintings where I would create a realistic looking animal or bird and then add a smaller cartoon-like creature to the painting as potential food. I called the series "Predator and Prey" and had big plans to expand on it.Other things happened and I lost interest in that project but last night I was inspired again. Here's number three in the renewed series:To see the

ABrushWithHumorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193639645794045859noreply@blogger.com6