Artist of Week My Son

I am not one of those moms that tell their children "Your art is great" if it is not. I point out what I like about it, but I am not about to tell them something is great if it really isn't. My daughter is the artist of the family, but sometimes my son does some really nice work. This project was a family effort when he was in 1st grade. He had to make a map of the state that he was researching. Add to the map what he learned about the state. He include a track (Indy 500) The giant dinosaur was from the Children's Museum, and the cars were given out to each of his fellow students. He worked really hard writing letters to get information about the state. I was really proud of him! Do you tell your children they are great at what ever they do?

Craig Nelson

This is one of the paintings that I own from painter Craig Nelson. I really enjoy his paintings... warm tones and just an old world feel to the painting. I admired this painting from a far for a while before I purchased it. Every time I went to take a look at the gallery collection this one kept my attention so long. It has a special place in my home. As I decend the steps in the morning I see her on the second floor.

What about the woman in her home? Well, her dress does not scream "field worker", but her surrondings are simplistic. Is she sitting in the sun to take a break. Her dress is not party elegant but it is pretty. The window reminds me of a basement window. What do you think? I love her hair, and it looks as though it is long.

Craig is not only a painter, but also teaches. I invite you to take a look at some of his other paintings. I am sure you will get lost in the paintings. Just a joy to behold. http://www.craigzart.com/index.html

C.M. Cooper

Yet another artist that I only have one piece of work. I love this piece since it reminded me of my daughter when it first caught my attention. It looks as though she is just as hard to get to sleep just like my daughter. This painting just an impressionistic feel with the the heavy strokes that are used. I also like how she has used light and shade. The feeling for me is the baby finally made it to sleep, but not without a fight. She has to have two bears instead of one to pacify her to sleep.  Her little afghan that covers her body that is all balled up, is her favorite blanket.

If you want to find out more about C. M. Cooper here is her link. No, I don't get paid or compensated in any way for telling you about her art. As an educational feature an artist that I have collected, and inform you where you can find out more information.

Nita Leger Casey

Nita Leger Casey water colors are so beautiful. I bought two of these little 3x5 paintings. I just fell in love with her work. I have several of her pieces. I have some oils and watercolors. The watercolors just have so much skill for so many details. The little lamp posts are my favorite. I have a hard time passing a gallery that has a painting with a lamp post. Look at the flower post...and the umbrellas.

If you are interested in seeing more of her work go to her Gingerbread Art Studio.

Book Art

Have you walked into an antique store to find art that is found in books? I am sure if you have gone to an antique store then you have ran across some images that were originally in books.

This image was suppose to be Mary Magdalene she is talking to a skull in a cave. Many cultures had relationships with the dead. We still do today as we visit graves, and talk to our ancestors. The relationship they had included making a mask, and even decorating a skull. Which leads me to think that at one time someone decided to allow the skull of a family member to be interred, but make a skull out of rock.
What is it about skulls that has made such an impact on society today. I must admit I love skulls. I have dreamed of having a skull in my library since I was a little girl. Although I thought about having a real skull for a hot second...then I thought about it the next second...that belongs to someone else. I am not sure how this image came to me. I really wanted a crystal skull! Did I see it somewhere in the Encyclopedia in our house? I must have seen it somewhere.

One day I was sharing this image with my husband. He said it was creepy. I kept justifying to him..."it is a crystal skull, not a real one." He said "It is still creep." Years have passed since I told him that I wanted a crystal skull. I do have one, and so do each of my children. I have a life size crystal skull, my son has a green one, and my daughter has a rose quartz. I want a few more. There are artist creating these with great skill.

The next time you are in an antique store go for the whole book instead of just an image. It is a much better deal!

Something to Share

Today, while the two big dogs were barking at the mail man, and the little dogs were barking because the big dogs were barking. My son was sick lying on the couch watching something about cars. I went upstairs and went through a couple of old Bibles that I have collected over the years. I began to wonder why I haven't shared some of the beautiful images before.

I love the shadowing of this one of the Annunciation.

I can almost hear the angels singing just looking at this.

This is one of the color plates.

Another color plate.

Another beautiful one, there are so many of them it was hard to choose.

Tomorrow I will have to share a family Bible that I have had for several years. I will have to share it with all my twitter friends so maybe someone can identify the family.

Art to Wear

As much as I love art for my walls, I also love art to wear.  I have purchased all of these bracelets and three necklaces from Rutha Aaronson. Honestly, Temple St. Clair has nothing on her. The necklace is Pink Peruvian Opals and 18Kt gold. I really enjoy quality gemstones, and real gold instead of plated pieces.  The 18Kt gold beads between each one of the gemstones allows me to add an enhancer. Since I usually have any of my pendants modified to enhancers the necklaces look different each time I wear one.

The bracelets are Pink Peruvian Opals, Gray Agate, White Agate, and Turquoise. Rutha added a beautiful little charm on each one. I wish I would have taken a photo of the tiny charm. Take my word for it, they are just so beautiful! One would almost expect a little ring from the charm because they look like tiny bells that were used in the Roman Empire. Much of the designs that Rutha makes have an old world ancient quality to them. I just love the ancient look of jewelry from Egypt, Greece, Etruscans, and Romans.

I recently bought one of my favorite gemstones Rutilated Quartz, and just the other day I purchase yet another necklace of Citrine. I have not got my Citrine necklace, but Rutha gets the packages out quick and to my door in no time. In fact she is one of the fastest shippers I have ever bought items from as of yet. The Rutilated Quartz is very unusual stone. It has little "Golden Angel Hairs" trapped inside the gemstone.  Here is  what the necklace looks like with an enhancer. I just got out of the shower, so give me a break. The enhancer is a Venetian piece by Taglimonte.

Go check out the other pieces that Rutha makes, I can almost guarantee there are going to be pieces in her Etsy store that you are going to love.

You will have to let me know what you think.

Kevin Beilfuss

This is the only painting that I have by Kevin. The brush strokes are heavy handed, and very thick. I love paintings that depict women reading.

The title of this painting is "A Lamp Unto My Feet".  What caught my eye in the light behind her. The light falling upon her big open book. Her very old world look, and the innocent and delicate demeanor that she displays. Although her pose looks stiff, she has a relaxed look about her with her hand placed on the her lap ever so gently.

If you want to view other works by Kevin Beilfuss go to his website. No, I am not being paid for this. I enjoy art, and sharing it with all of you.

Hye Seong Yoon

I believe I own 5 pieces from Hye. I am sure this is my favorite painting I own of San Francisco. The painting screams "San Francisco". There really is no other place in the world that looks likes this.

I love the colors she uses. The blending of the colors to create such a warm mood. This painting ought to be a post card for S.F. The painting lures you into the painting with such a strong pull. The street car is full, as they usually are every day. There are people full of desire to ride the attraction that only S. F. can fulfill.
The rails tell their own story too. They may look bright and shiny in the sunset, but they are old. The rails have been there for more than 100 years. Transportation that was created to carry people up the steep hills. The horses could not take the repetition of the hills. The hills are way to steep, and the mud...the horses would slide back down the hill. Many horses lost their lives before the cable cars. The cable is what pulls the car up the hill.

It is beautiful, and has so much heart and soul. What do you think about it?

Manfred Rapp

This is one of my favorite paintings in the hallway. The colors are so vivid, it is almost like you are there among the people of Milan. This painting was on my list of "must haves" for a while. As anyone that has visited my blog knows...I love Italy, and all things Italian. I love the architecture of the church. This is sometimes called the birthday cake because of all the spires on the building. This is the third largest church in the world. The first stone for the building was laid down in 1386, but it was not completed until January 6th 1965 when the last gate was inaugurated.

If you are interested in viewing all the paintings that Manfred Rapp has available at Willow Gallery. I am not compensated for posting about any artist that I post about on Thursday. I enjoy art and collect it as a private collector I enjoy sharing the art that I have purchased. There may be other galleries that sell his art, the link I provide is there for insight.