Considering - sold

'Considering' sold

6" x 9.5" watercolor

Earlier this summer we took our boys to the beach for the day. And since we live in Utah, without you know, an ocean or anything, we had to go to a lake. We live really close to the Great Salt Lake, which is not exactly the kind of lake you want to go swimming around in, but is really fun to visit and explore the beaches. 

In this area the water was really shallow, just a couple of inches over the sand, plenty of room for wading and doing other fun kid things. Like squishing your toes in the sand, or collecting little tiny shells, or smooth as glass rocks.

My youngest son was torn between wanting to stay close to me, and wanting to follow his brothers out further into the water. Especially after he had decided to be brave and clomp way out right into that lake when we very first arrived, only to have his sandals sink into the wet sand and get stuck.

He did not like that. Not. At. All. :)

Eventually, after much persuading from Dad, he decided to follow his brothers after all and explore out a little farther with them. But not until after much considering on his part!

Huzzah for being brave little Cook boy!!

This painting is my answer to mine and Carrie's (Carrie Waller click on her name to see her water painting) painting challenge which was, water. :)  

First Up - SOLD

First Up SOLD

6" x 6" watercolor

This year I made a promise to myself. It happened last week while I was outside clearing out the withered brown corpses from last year.

It's pretty hard not to promise to try a little harder when you're doing such a grizzly task. Poor little unsuspecting flowers.

I really don't try to kill them, it's more like death by neglect, or indifference. So, sometimes I forget to water them? I really don't mean to, I just. . . sort of. . . forget.

But this year? This is the year that I no longer wear their blood (sap?? I don't know what to call flower blood. Do they even have such a thing?) on my hands! Huzzah!

"I will not kill any flowers this year. I will not kill any flowers this year. I will not kill any flowers this year."

:)

This is my painting in response to the Cook-Waller monthly painting challenge. The theme was: New, chosen by me.

The first, new crocus peeking its head through the snow in the spring always makes me feel so hopeful, like no matter how bleak or dark the winter gets, sunshine and warm days are coming closer day by day.

And just in case you were wondering, these are indeed flowers from my garden, and I did NOT kill them. Of course crocus are kind of hard to kill, they're pretty self sufficient little buggers. That's another reason why I like them so much. :))

Here's Carrie's paintings:

                            

'Sam, newborn' by Carrie Waller 8" x 10" watercolor

'Steven, newborn' by Carrie Waller 8" x 10" watercolor

These are paintings of Carrie's two sons as newborns. Aren't they beautiful? She did a wonderful job, painting a newborn is no easy feat let me tell you. I love the soft gradations of colors in their full little cheeks. And I just love Sam's little hands. Such a classic newborn gesture. :))

Until Thursday my friends!

P.S. If any of you garden whizzes out there have some suggestions for me for hardy (as in, hard to kill) but beautiful flowers I can plant this spring let me know in the comments. I could use some help with my promise. :))

Love Letters For Mom

Love Letters For Mom

6" x 6" watercolor

click here to bid

This month's Cook-Waller Challenge theme was 'Love Letters', as picked by Carrie.

Some of the best love letters I've ever received have been given to me by my children. I keep every single one of them, some are stuck in the pages of scrapbooks, others are tucked away in boxes, and some of them I keep out where I can see them at all times. So that I can read them any time I need to remember that for all that I may do wrong as a mother the one thing I do right is love my children with all my heart, and they know that.

And here's Carrie's painting:

Love Letters by Carrie Waller

12" x 12" watercolor

visit her blog here

Carrie paints still life's like nobody's business, and I really love the story that is told here. These are love letters that her husband (who is stationed in Afghanistan right now) has written to their two small sons. A truly meaningful and beautiful painting. :)

See you later friends. :)

In Which I Paint a Landscape For the First Time - SOLD

'The Storm Breaks'

6" x 6" watercolor

SOLD

This month's theme for the Cook-Waller challenge was winter.  I chose the theme this time and can I just say how hard it was for me to finally pin down what I wanted to paint??

I had all these ideas from pink bottles of children's cough syrup and asthma medicine (a constant in my house in the winter for my youngest son) to kids building snowmen, and finally settled on this landscape (cloudscape?). I was driving my boys to school last week and watched these big dark clouds get broken apart by the sun rising over the mountains and it was SO pretty.

It had a very optimistic feeling too I think. The light was stronger than the dark and was smackin' it upside the head. Take that darkness!! Hi-yaaah!

Seriously though, I love images and themes that have to do with light overcoming dark. It makes me feel hope. Because I think that all of us, whether we're aware of it or not, are fighting our own internal battle of light vs. dark.

And I have pictures of another artist's work that I simply have to share. Here's a shot of the artist at work:

My middle child (who's seven)  painting a project for his first grade class about Komodo Dragons. He worked so hard and was so proud of himself. He had the choice of how he wanted to represent his animal from dioramas to sculptures, and everything in between, and he chose painting.

Can you tell how proud I am? :)))

And here's the finished painting:

Komodo Dragon by MC (middle child) Cook 

acrylic on canvas panel 11" x 14"

Hope you all had a great weekend! See you guys on Thursday. Huzzah! :)))