About Me

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I LOVE to design and to paint whimsical items that will put a smile on your face. Each day I share my simple life with you as I try to encourage, to inspire and sometimes JUST to make you smile as I recount my life growing up on a dairy farm! I've never had many material items in my life, BUT I have been blessed beyond words with love and encouragement from WONDERFUL Parents who instilled in me WHAT was important. I have had EVERYTHING that I needed and WAY too much of what I wanted. I am slowly learning to be a better person each day through my interactions with my friends on Facebook. Some day I hope to be as good as people seem to THINK I am! I am BLESSED! Welcome to my little corner of the world...Please stop by and visit often!

Friday, April 28, 2017

Love Canvas~~Mixed Media

I love watching videos to see what others are creating.

Creative Hearts Monday by Cyndi Cesare 
created this project this week.
I wanted to put my twist to it using 
DecoArt Products
This is what I came up with.

I used a 4x4 wrapped canvas.
I carried all of the design over to the sides.









A Little Froggie stopped by for a visit this morning
He just wanted to visit my beach



I painted some paper with the Red 
and cut out a heart.

I cut out LOVE from the paper.



I added some more texture with 
gesso and the bubbles stencil.
I also used some 
punchinello and White 
for more contrast.
I think most things need a bit of
White.
Also, since the heart was Red,
I added Red in the background.




I outlined the heart and letters with a pen.

Oh, look, Ralphie made his last guest appearance.



Hey LADY...
Thanks for letting me stay 
at your house.
Tell that Big Ole Dog HEY for me
....and thanks for not eating me.



It was a joy to host you, Ralphie



I hope you give this a try.
It is very FUN

I am simply blessed to create~~charlotte

Friday, April 14, 2017

I am a Chicken

What another beautiful day in Middle Tennessee!




Charcoal and I walked around the pond for the second day, and I tell ya, my pj bottoms (yes, I was in my "uniform") got hung on a blackberry stem, and I didn't think I would get loose! Charcoal FINALLY came to check on me. I escaped with only one briar in my finger.




Ah, the antics of my life.

A few days ago, I was chatting with a painting friend, and we got on the subject of chickens.

For most people who have painted for a long time, you have painted lots of different subjects, with most coming in batches. 

Chickens was once about all I painted for a year. I painted them on everything--pots, jars, birdbaths, small tables, stools, signs, plaques, 6 feet signs, glasses, tiles, rocks, bricks, cut outs--just about anything you can imagine, in many different sizes and colors.



I got pretty good at painting them, but had no idea if I could still paint one.

So, today was the day.

I would try to paint a rooster.




I am showing pictures of the steps. It is painted on an 8x10 canvas. Most of it is painted using a dirty brush. That means that I painted wet-on wet and mixed the colors as I was painting my surface. This is how I taught myself to paint and is still my favorite way to paint.




So, why did I paint so many chickens?

I had a customer who collected them. For every holiday, her husband stopped in to buy her another one. I was seldom without a new one.

The customer told about having to get an electrician to do some work in their house. He explained what the electrician was about to see, but not to worry. He could move whatever he needed to move. 




The moment came and they walked into the house. The man froze as he looked around. He then said, "well, cock-a-doodle-damn!"

That was one of mother's favorite stories.




Oh, how we all need to laugh more! 

It is fun to see the people who have moved in and out of my life AND the thousands of pieces of art I have painted.




Maybe more chickens will be in my future--one never knows, does one!

Have a Blessed Easter as we REMEMBER. 




I am simply blessed to create ~charlotte ♡