A Pirate at Heart....

I just can't let go of the girls and their pirates, the sailing ships and the ocean :) This painting is the last one I made to hang at the Water Street Gallery. She's called "A Pirate at Heart":

These next few days are going to be crazy busy. I can't wait to share it all with you. But I have to get it done first ;) Many, many adventures are on their way! I also wanted to share with you a couple of other 'ancestral' photos on mine. These are from my mother's side, where everyone seems to have come from the hills of Tennessee and Kentucky to live in the hills of Missouri. Funny, Oklahoma seems to be as far west as these people ever came ;)

This first one is one of my very favorite family photos. On the back they are listed as Mary Melinda and John "Hoot" Reid. I have no idea exactly how Im related to them....this branch of the family tree has yet to reveal them. But I love that she is this fantastically old mountain granny....Judging from the age of the photo and her age when it was taken, I think it would be safe to say she was born between 1800-1825. Can you imagine? And why would you call a sweet baby "Hoot?" Hmm....
This is another photo of some Reid's. I believe the couple on the far right are my great-great grandparents, Mary Jane and George Elbert. I was shocked to find out through my research and own moderate math skills that she was all of 13 years old when she was married to him. She was 14 when she gave birth to their first daughter, Rosetta, on New Years Eve. She went on to become the mother of 12, giving birth and being pregnant pretty consistently for a good 25 years. Sheesh.
I wonder how she got anything done? She certainly didn't have the leisure time to start a folk art business or blog about it. Color me grateful. My great-grandma was their third child, Emma or "Emmy" as she's listed as a 15 year old girl on the 1920 census. Emmy left school early on to take care of her family's constantly growing brood and didn't marry until she was in her mid-20s. She wisely limited her own brood to 3 children. Its amazing to think of all the children she cared for....for 80 years. And I am proud to say that I was the last one in her charge. She cared for me from birth until she passed away when I was four.

Anyhow....enough of the family tree rambling. My free trial at Ancestry.com is about to run out! And I've got a gallery to hang....a road trip to take....but at least I dont have to do it all with 12 kids bawling at me ;)

Blessed Harvest Paintings

Last night I finished a pair of paintings that I have really enjoyed making. They are sort of a pair, but also stand on their own. I guess they compliment each other. They are both called "Blessed Harvest" with the girl in red being "Honey" and the girl in white being "Wheat."

I'm sorry these images are coming up so small. I'm not sure why that is. But feel free to click on them to see a larger version.

Anyhow, "Honey" is a red version of "Bee Kind" in essence. "Bee Kind" was sold and so these ladies will be taking her place at the gallery exhibit on May 1. I have also been thinking a lot about the prairie women of the past---both white and native. Because long before there were blue-eyed lasses wandering the prairies, the native women were calling this place home.
You might be shocked to know that I have never attempted before just very recently to paint a native woman. And me, from Oklahoma. It's a shock! We are steeped in Native history here, the words and names of things as much Cherokee or Creek as they are English. I live in the midst of the Creek Nation. My town is the headquarters of the Euchee Tribe. But I'd never attempted to paint Native Americans before I think mostly because I didn't want to get it wrong. I didn't want to create anything that was like a stereotype or was incorrect. However lately I've had a change of heart--- not in losing my respect for the epic-ness of native culture, but in my fear of approaching it. And so "Wheat" was created"

I think the break-through came when I realized that in a way it is my culture too--- its where I live, its in my family, it's in my immediate surroundings in a way that it probably isn't for many people living around the country.

I'm still plowing my way through the giant novel "Sacajewea" (more than 500 pages in...and just approaching the half-way mark!) and researching images of Native American women and their beautiful traditional clothing and jewelry and the amazing art of their cradle boards. All of it has really made me consider other paths in my art that I might not have considered otherwise. Here are a couple of my favorite images, of Shoshone women:

I hope you enjoy the paintings! And of course, if you're local, I'd love for you to come see them and the others on display at Water Street Art Gallery through the month of May.

Thanks for coming by and visitin'!

~H

Past into the Present

It will probably come as no surprise to you that lately I've been channeling the past to get inspiration for my artwork. Specifically, my own past-- or connection to the past. With bare facts and a few photos, I've started tracing my own prairie past.

Last summer I started a slow, usually frustrating process of trying to trace my family tree through a vague line. It was a little romantic and a lot sad--- my great-great grandparents were a young couple living in a wild prairie town. He died young, after some long illness that I have yet to find a name for. They had one son together, my great grandfather. And though my great-great grandma (Lula Mae!) married several more times, he was her only child.

After inheriting a photograph collection of young Lula Mae and her little family, I couldn't help but become curious about her. I followed her trail from Oklahoma to Kansas, with little information. Then last week I decided to look her and other family branches up on Ancestry.com and oh my goodness! Lula and her family suddenly started fleshing out. I found her parents, her siblings, a sister-in-law she was apparently very close to....
It's been a fun adventure and I admit, a little addictive. On my other side of the family, I'm trying to find out more about a great-great grandmother who was supposed to be Cherokee. Like many native women that married white men, however, she seems to have just appeared full grown with no past in the census records. According to stale government facts, she was just another white woman keeping house in the early 1900s. However, her family remembers her as a strongly Cherokee woman who wore her hair in the traditional braids. Who was Elizabeth?

I've come to see that its no wonder I love the rural mountains--- nearly all my family, on different sides even, hailed from Tennessee and Kentucky, and then seemed to all pack up and head to the rural Missouri Ozarks. My mom keeps hoping I'll uncover an heiress or princess ;) but what I've found seem to be humble mountain folk, a long line of preachers, a proud civil war soldier, and ironically, a lot of Williams-- my husband's name ;)

It all goes into the art, of course. Can't wait to show you a pair of paintings I'm working on now. Thoroughly inspired by the prairie, and the long line of women who lived and worked here. Even though they are long gone, they are still an inspiration.

Mother's Day Art

I am very pleased to have these little pieces finished and ready to offer, just in time for mother's day :) these are two little but sweet paintings. The first is "Greatest Treasures":

And, of course, "Cherished One"

I admit, I'm still not used to being a 'recipient' of Mother's Day. This will be my fourth official Mother's Day as a mother. It is by far the most life changing event in my entire life. And while I've only had four...it's like I can't remember a time when I didn't have my little one. She is, of course, the magic behind Audrey Eclectic :) she is the inspiration behind it all.

If you'd like to see these paintings and others, please visit the shop HERE.

Also--- if you'd like a custom piece done, I am taking commissions for the summer! Turn-around is fairly quick since I keep that pretty organized. If you'd like to see some of my past commissions or get other info such as pricing, you can get it all HERE.

Thank you all so much! I hope you know how much I love reading each and every one of your comments. It is so nice to know that others love something that you love to do~

h

Bee Kind

The other day I finished another bee themed painting and I think she turned out really sweet (if I do say so myself). I painted her on a scrap piece of wooden plank that had been piled under my art desk for....forever, probably. This is "Bee Kind":

She's done in dark rustic shades of blue, green and cream with a big golden bee skep with teeny tiny little bees flitting around. I'm sure these are very friendly bees ;) I think she's the third in my series of bee paintings.

I'm putting the finishing touches on two small mother's day themed paintings today. As soon as they're done and dry, I will list them here for you to check out :) I think they're coming along very nicely and they're small, perfect for the mantle or a little shelf. Or where ever you'd like your mother's day art ;)

Anyhow....its a nice day here. Clear and sunny for the moment, with a breeze coming through the screen door. I think rain's coming in a bit though. I am so glad to see all the green coming back though, I don't mind the rain.

Hope you have a lovely day....

~H

August's Angel

I literally came up with the title for this painting about 5 minutes ago. Finally. I've been staring at her trying to come up with something for days now. Sometimes the titles come so easily, other times....its hard to know what is the right thing to call a little piece of art, by which it will be called forever and ever...

Obviously, I skipped spring and landed splat into the heat of summer. August. I love those big brown-hearted sun flowers, don't you? Sun flowers seem like the perfect flowers for angels. Plain and simple, but what a statement they make!

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On the home front, we finally got a clear dry day after a solid weekend of raining. I don't know that it ever stopped. It was a constant, uninspired drizzle the entire two days. Because of that I'm about 400 pages in to Sacajawea ;) Only about 900 more to go ;) But truly, it is an amazing story.

I'm working on a few little things to display at the Water Street Gallery next month, and I also am planning to make some little paintings just for mother's day. They'll be little and sweet. Maybe you'll want one, or know someone who needs one? ;)

I'll be back with more paintings to share....

~H

a friday musing

I don't know if this happens to other artists or creative people, but my art tends to go in cycles. Lately, I've found myself drawn to the subjects that I started out painting when I made this little blog and business in 2007. The idea of angels and motherhood. Nurturing souls, I suppose. I don't know if it's because its springtime....or that my little one's birthday just passed....or if I just need a change. But the angels just keep flying onto the canvas....

Can you spot the angel in this disaster area of an art table? (hint, she's on the easel on the left!) I really love this painting. I can't wait to get her properly photographed and show her to you. Today is rather gray though....and rain is threatening....so I think the photographing will have to wait. Besides, I don't have a title for her yet.

With the impending rain coming and the skies so gray, its a very lazy day. I have lots of good things to read as well. I got a large book about Sacajawea at the library the other day and I'm enjoying it even if it did have a bit of a slow start. Sacajawea, in my humble opinion, is one of the most amazing women in our history. Her story is beyond amazing.

I also finally managed to track down a copy of Simple Abundance after searching three bookstores. I have heard so many amazing things about this book, that it is life changing and recharging. Have you read it? I cant wait to start.

Well, there's a little girl cuddling on the couch watching Yo Gabba Gabba looking awfully cute. I think I'll get a book and join her and wait for the rain. I hope there's thunder ;)

Have a great weekend!~

h

New Spring Art

This evening I've been sitting in the studio scanning some new paintings, making images for prints and listing them in the shop. Its a nice quiet evening....we cuddled up with Lizzie B and Mr. Darcy for a bit, cleaned their hutch, and now sitting here with old Henry dog writing to you. Obviously, life here is full of art and critters--- just how I like it!

I just finished this painting today. It's called "Bee Handsome" and it was so fun! Usually you see flowery springtime paintings featuring girls. I wanted to paint one with a good farm man-- they are important to spring too!

Bee Handsome is now available as a print

There's also this girl, which turned out so delicate and sweet. I hope you can almost hear the wind blowing through the prairie grasses. This is "Angel of the Prairie." She is also available as a print.
These two paintings are just a couple in a series of bee-themed paintings I've been coming up with. I'm going to display them in a couple of weeks at the Water Street Art Gallery in Sapulpa, Ok. I am so thrilled to say that I've been asked to be their featured artist for the month of May. The opening is May 1! So obviously....I'm a busy mama bee. Maybe that's where the bee theme came from ;)

Hope you like the new pieces.....

~H

PS: I am now a moderator over at this fun blog "Folk Reveries" which is for an amazing etsy group of the same name. The group features some of the most amazing whimsical artists on etsy. You MUST come check it out!~

Tasha Tuesdays Post # 30

Welcome to our 30th Tasha Tuesday. Since last autumn, we have been musing together about Ms. Tudor. As you may have read last week, this is going to be my last Tasha Tuesday for a bit....with the rush of spring and summer, I feel that its time to take a break. But I am also very sure that it shall return.
Thank you all who have participated in this with me, or have written to say how much you enjoy the posts. It is always so nice to know that there are others out there that enjoy the same thing that you do, no matter how obscure.

If I have gleaned anything from Tasha, its that life is for the living, and living as you want to. Be unapologetic about your passions, strive to make your dreams a reality, and just be yourself. When I first discovered Tasha Tudor, I was a newly wed in a tiny little apartment at a job that stressed me out and didn't inspire me. It took years to accomplish, but I really think that Tasha had a big influence on my wanting to pursue art and family and not feel like I was asking too much.

If she could do this starting in the 1940s, why can't I do it today?
I hope that Tasha and these posts have inspired you in some way, whether you were already a Tasha Tudor fan or you had never heard of her before reading about her here. And I hope that in some way, you too are able to 'live the life you have imagined.' And that you 'meet with a success unexpected in common hours.'

Happy Tasha Tuesday~

New Little Ones...

We've had some new arrivals here at the ol' homestead. We decided to adopt some baby Holland Lop rabbits, instead of going the Angora route. We are quite smitten with our new little ones. meet Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy....Or just Lizzie and Darcy ;)

They are so precious and the little gal and I are loving them. We drove to a tiny tiny little town in eastern Oklahoma to get them. We're hoping they'll fall in love and have a whole cast of Austen-esque babies. Oh, the names are endless...... ;)

Ironically, too, they each have a "P" tattooed in one ear by the breeder. So together, they are "P&P". If you're a book nerd like me, you'll thrill at the coincidence with their names ;)

(Pride & Prejudice is the Austen novel that features the characters Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy)

Now off to do some spring cleaning, burger grilling, and bunny cuddling. I've got some great news to share with you soon, too......

~H

Some new little ladies

I recently finished up some little paintings that I've donated to some good causes around here. First is this "Drama Queen" who is being auctioned off tonight to benefit Theatre Tulsa. Isn't she saucy:

Another great cause that I'm happy to support is the Creek County Literacy Program, which teaches people of all ages the incredible ability to read. I think this is so important...a love of reading is the gateway to so many things in life. Of course a beloved book character was called for....so I painted Dorothy--- "We're not in Kansas any more":
This painting is going to be auctioned off for the CCLP tomorrow at their annual spelling bee. So lots of opportunities to do some good with art :)

On the home front, I'm sorry to say our bunny hunt isn't going very well. Angoras are few and far between out here, it seems. It's been a little frustrating..... Just trying to stay positive that the right bunny will come our way. Perhaps we weren't meant to do angoras, but I'm sure we'd have fun with any sort of fuzzy friend. Where ever he or she may be ;)

PS: Wanna see our set up for our future rabbit? come see at Mama Says Vintage!

Print Sale!

Oh, I need some spring cleaning! And in the spirit of all this spring newness, I've decided to have a print sale!

A large number of prints have been marked down--- for a 24 hour period! Get that favorite print you've been hankering after...you know you want to!

Here is a link to all the prints currently marked down. Happy Spring!~

H

Tasha Tuesdays Post # 29

No, I didn't forget! Tuesdays are becoming busy days here at the Little House. So many projects coming up now with the arrival of spring. AND, Audrey and I have decided to take skating lessons, just the two of us, on Tuesdays. I'm trying to relearn to skate and its a slow going, exhaustive process. I nearly knocked myself silly on a jump called "the bunny hop." Lol, doesn't sound like a jump that would send one to the chiropractor, does it? Well...we'll call it a triple lutz in all further conversation ;)

And speaking of bunnies....something has happened to me. I got the fever, bunny fever that is. I even have a large 2 story bunny hutch waiting in the back of my truck as we speak. Oh yes....I think if anyone would understand my critter mania, it would be Tasha...
I've always loved the fact that this proper little girl from high Boston society grew up with a passion for farm animals, wandering the fields barefoot, and just generally being a down-home bohemian before it was cool and 'green' to do so.

A girl after my own heart, she saved for her own cow at the tender age of 16 (working a children's nursery school in Bermuda, talk about an interesting job!) and later went on to raise all sorts of beasties and birdies. I'm not sure if Tasha ever raised rabbits in her brood, but I think for a backyard homesteader in a neighborhood and little grazing ground, these furry gentle creatures will be perfect.
My real hope of hopes is to obtain a pair of angoras--- or any rabbit that can be used for their fibers. I love the concept of keeping rabbits not just for pets, but as a useful member of the household--- and in a way that does not require it gives its life. I've been reading a little about Angoras on the farm blog Cold Antler Farm and also have her book. I also think it would be neat to, in effect, raise my own yarns as a little wannabe-knitter.

So any advice? Any angora raisers out there? I have had rabbits before-- the general easter rabbits that we got as kids, and when I was first married we kept a pair of dutch lops in our little apartment. I've done both inside and outside rabbit keeping....these rabbits will be outdoors. I feel safe in doing that because I am home all day and have a good sheltered place where they will be protected from the elements for the most part.

What I'm particularly interesting in is the raising of rabbits for fibers...any advice on cleaning, harvesting, special care.....and perhaps raising rabbits if in the future, we have kits (awww) I'm thinking ideally I'd like a pair of females, since they can live together in harmony un-spayed. I don't want them to grow up and reach puberty and go crazy on each other, as I know males can do ;)

So...exciting times here at the little house! And always inspired by Tasha....

Also, I wanted to gently announce: next week will be my last Tasha Tuesday for a while at least. I think it will be nice to leave things at an even 30. That's a good amount, don't you think? I think a little rest will be nice and then at a calmer season I can pick up again. So dont fret, as my little girl likes to say ;)

~H

A new season

Hope you had a lovely Easter this weekend. I spent mine with this little Easter Fairy....I found her frolicking in the flower beds!

I'm looking forward to this week to finally turn my attention to some projects that have been stewing in my brain for a while. I've got some things I've been working on to show you soon...but til then, I'm looking forward to a bit of relaxing, some spring cleaning, getting the garden started, and painting some new things. What are you working on this spring?

I'm also very excited to announce that the book I was asked to be a part of a while back, Sharing Stitches, is now available to pre-order on Amazon! Last I heard, it's scheduled to be available in the fall. But I was excited to see the cover:
The book is all about fabric art projects to create and then share, in the round-robin tradition that is so popular online. I have a quilt square that features my painting Celestine (the girl with the crow on her shoulder) called "Rusted Remembrance." It was a fun task to figure out how to use rust as an art medium! I cant wait to see the book....and lovely artists such as Danita and Noodle and Lou who are also featured.

Anyhow....its a gray day here, and it makes me feel a little sleepy :) Its so nice to really have spring here to stay (I hope?), and I'm even looking forward to some good prairie storms (without tornadoes, of course) Hope you are enjoying the new season as well....

~H

Meanwhile, back at the ranch....

I guess it's only fitting that the first day I feel like I've been able to slow down and take a deep breath and enjoy the month of march...It turned out to be April 1. I just plain ran out of March, I guess!

I have been so busy. A lot of it my own fault ;) and a lot of it a very good busy. But I am one of those people that need a rest and recovery from busy times. Wasn't that my new year resolution? Well, better to start in April than not at all ;)

A modern "ma" and her little one at the Little House replica cabin

Don't laugh, but recently I watched an epic documentary (I love a good historical documentary, and am so glad to have a bearded man who will endure the hour after hour happily with me) on the epic Lewis and Clark expedition and felt the urgent need to go traveling. It was so moving and inspiring! Made me want to hitch up the ol' wagon (er, truck) and follow the sunset. This traveling itch ended up with my luring a good friend and native Kansan across the boarder to visit the Little House on the Prairie site near Independence. I LOVE it there!

It is so amazingly untouched....the wind rolls over the plains and the grasses, the trees sway and the birds sing....we first visited the site last year and I knew I had to get back. I even bought my own copy of the Little House on the Prairie Cookbook. My first dish was homemade baked beans!

The farmhouse turned Little House store that now sits where the Ingalls family made their prairie home

Aside from random road trips, I've also worked on two gallery shows....a large commission....a grand shop update and just this and that. Put a house on the market and took it off...celebrated a little girl's third birthday.....Hmmm, no wonder I am tired!

But amongst the busyness, I did receive some lovely little trinkets I wanted to show you! Aren't these the sweetest?:

I was the lucky winner of a giveaway at The Gritty Bird a while back, and the lovely Becky made me my own pretty necklace with the inspiring word of my choice on a handmade pendant. I chose "blessed." I was so thrilled to get not only the necklace but also these amazing vintage photographs that immediately stole my heart! Aren't those bows the neatest? Wonder if Audrey would hold still and let me do her hair up like that ;)

Also, and most fittingly, I received this dear little Alice in Wonderland necklace (bottom center) from the ever-sweet and talented Theresa from Faerie Moon Creations. She even used an image from one of my most favorite illustrators-- Arthur Rackham in the pendant. I love it so!

And so...surrounded by these beautiful things, a little dog and an intrepid little girl, I'm looking forward to a beautiful spring on the prairie filled with rambling walks and lots of leisurely painting. I have no many ideas spinning around. I feel hopeful and refreshed after this very, very long winter.

Spring is here!~

~H