SOLD -Lady in Waiting

"Lady in Waiting" 8x10" oil on gessobord

"Love is always bestowed as a gift - freely, willingly, and without expectation. We don't love to be loved; we love to love."—Leo Buscaglia

I wanted to share a recent painting of my youngest daughter, Allie. She's all grown up now, married, and so excited to be expecting their first baby in August. 

For this painting, I worked from photos I took of her sitting in the dappled light filtering through the trees beside my garden. I intentionally wanted the design to echo the gentle nurturing curve of her protruding belly throughout the painting. Curves can be found in the lines of the deck edge, in her hat, chair, bushes, in the bend of her knee, wrist, neckline of her dress, lips, folds of the shawl, and shoulders. 

As you probably guessed, this painting is not for sale; I gave it to her at the baby shower today. 

Thanks for coming by, I should have offered you a glass of lemonade. 

 

nancy
_____________________________________________________
To see more of my art or to contact me: 
Online Gallery  • E-mail  • Graphic Design Studio

SOLD -Sand Pipers

"Sand Pipers" 8x8" Oil on gessobord

CLICK TO PURCHASE

"Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies."

– Aristotle

After spending the past month caring for my best-friend husband from a total-knee replacement—which left me zero time to pick up a brush— I'm back in the saddle again! Whoo-hoo...now that's freedom!

Feeling like a fish out of water, thought I'd dive right in with a beach scene. Today's painting is of Marion and Allie, girlfriends sitting side by side on the cusp of ocean's edge. This scene was very late in the day as a drooping golden sun captured them exploring in silence the mystery of sand and hermit crabs in complete abandonment. 

Friends laugh with us, cry with us, accept us as we are, even when we make mistakes. Friends walk beside us through it all. Albert Camus had this to say about friends, "Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend."

Thanks to all for "walking beside me" and my paintings.

nancy
_____________________________________________________
To see more of my art or to contact me: 
Online Gallery  • E-mail  • Graphic Design Studio

My Side

"My Side" 10x8" Oil on gessobord

CLICK TO BUY

"Every closed eye is not sleeping, and every open eye is not seeing." — Bill Cosby

I just got back from my first trip to Orlando and Disney World with my high school girlfriend. We spent one entire day running all over Epcot, Magic Kingdom and MGM parks. We must have walked 15 miles. So here's my side of the story, there I was having this wonderful relaxing vacation only to be totally traumatized. First I was baited with this euphoric and exhilarating ride called "Soarin", however that was just a setup. Then my (so-called) friend dragged me kicking and screaming onto several terrifying rides, like something called "Tower of Terror" where you are taken up 13 floors on a creepy old elevator to the top of this haunted hotel to then—suddenly and without warning—drop 13 floors over and over again. I kept my eyes closed and somehow survived the experience, but came home from this 3-day trip needing lots of nerve calming rest, thus the subject of today's painting. ; )

I had taken the photo for this painting of my bedside a while ago; the path of light really caught my attention. I wanted to continue working in Colley Whisson fashion, using the new techniques and materials from my recent Austin workshop. I am really happy with this new painting which just seems to me to have more of an emotional impact...just downright poetic...don't you think?

Okay, with the exception of that one ride, I really did have a wonderful time at Disney and was totally pampered staying in such a beautiful resort.

Thanks for stopping in today unannounced. If I'd have know you were coming I might have even made my bed.

nancy
_____________________________________________________
To see more of my art or to contact me: 
Online Gallery  • E-mail  • Graphic Design Studio

Graceful Grazer

"Graceful Grazer" 16x20" Oil on stretched canvas

CLICK TO BID

"Horses make a landscape look beautiful."

—Alice Walker

Horses are so beautiful...they don't even look real. This landscape had little redeeming value, but this stepper totally charmed me.

I came across this beauty while searching for a place to park at Old Town Spring. This is a 1900s historic railroad town featuring antiques, galleries, gift/specialty shops and restaurants, located not far from where I live. 

I stopped there briefly over St. Patrick's Day weekend while the whistle-stop was crammed full of tourists. I had to park way in the back on a field near the railroad tracks. As I was getting out of my car, I looked up and was stopped dead in my tracks by this graceful creature grazing in a small pasture behind a little cabin/house. I'm lucky I didn't get shot walking around—basically trespassing—to snap some photos. Oh well, what's life if it's not a daring adventure? I had to take a chance, or miss an opportunity that might never trot my way again. 

Thanks for please not turning me over to the authorities. :  )

nancy
_____________________________________________________
To see more of my art or to contact me: 
Online Gallery  • E-mail  • Graphic Design Studio

The Oasis Patio

"The Oasis Patio" 16x12" oil on Ampersand gessobord

CLICK TO PURCHASE

On the final day of the workshop, we finally got to paint from real life en plein air on the patio at The Oasis Restaurant which perches along the cliffs high above Lakeway in Austin. 

In the early morning the wind was quite brisk as we watched in awe of our instructor, Colley Whisson, masterfully paint a demo. By 10:30 a.m. the sun was bright and warm and we selected our own locations to paint from on the patio entrance to the restaurant. 

Below is a photo of my chosen subject matter. You can see there was a lot going on and much detail, but part of an impressionist artist's job is to filter out what isn't necessary, or might detract from the piece. My main objective here was to capture the strong light hitting the side of the tall building in the background and cutting through the arched walkway portal onto the patio. Of course, the sun was constantly moving and the light changing, which made the process very challenging. Oh and did I mention, there were people wandering all over the place watching us and making comments.

Although I was standing in the shade of big tree, by the end of the day I walked away with today's painting and a fiery sunburn on just one shoulder...a hazard of the trade. :  )

Thank you for following my workshop experience. I still have lots of information to process which hopefully will help me to grow in my painting skill.

nancy
_____________________________________________________
To see more of my art or to contact me: 
Online Gallery  • E-mail  • Graphic Design Studio

Austin Workshop Day 3

"Bridging Gaps" After Colley Whisson,  9x12" oil on gessobord

This is the painting I did on Day 3 of the Colley Whisson workshop. It was another landscape from Australia of a river and road resting quietly under a busy bridge. Again we worked indoors at the Anderson Mill Museum from demos and photographs. 

We began each painting by blocking in the large areas of color and values, and then redefining these same areas in the next stage. In the final step, all that was needed was to add a few perfectly placed accent lines and marks here and there to simply indicate details.  Then suddenly...abracadabra presto chango...the painting took on a life!

Of course, this was all a lot harder than in sounds. Colley made the process look so effortless, but trust me it was extremely challenging and required much thought and diligence every step of the way.






Thank you for taking a moment to drop by.
nancy
_____________________________________________________
To see more of my art or to contact me: 
Online Gallery  • E-mail  • Graphic Design Studio

Austin Workshop Day 2

"The Lobby" after Colley Whisson, 12x16" oil on Ampersand gessobord

On Day 2 of the Colley Whisson Workshop, we again painted from Colley's painting. This time a larger panel of an interior shot from the inside of an old hotel lobby in Australia.

Step-by-step, Colley demonstrated each of the three alla prima layers, pausing in between for us to complete each step on our own canvas. Then he would come around and help us individually correcting as needed.  

Copying is a great tool to help step out of your box, go inside the artist's head, and understand his process. This forces you to leave your comfort zone and explore new approaches. 

Hope you enjoy the painting as much as I did painting it!

nancy
_____________________________________________________
To see more of my art or to contact me: 
Online Gallery  • E-mail  • Graphic Design Studio

  

Austin Workshop Day 1

"Seascape Drama", 12x9" After Colley Whisson

I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to attend a 4-day "Impressionist Painting in Oils" workshop in Austin last week. I returned home late Sunday evening exhausted, but loved every moment taught by internationally recognized Australian painter, Colley Whisson. Colley paints very loose and is a master of light which totally hooks me. His paintings almost look more like watercolor than oils. I learned so much over the 4 days my head is still spinning. 

The workshop was very challenging working 9-4:00 each day with just a short lunch break. We used paints, solvent and a lean medium all of which I've never used before. I usually work with small 1/4" and smaller brushes, but in this workshop we used a 1" hog hair brush, and an enormous 3" synthetic brush that looked more like you could paint a house with it. At the very end of each painting, we were allowed to use a fine brush for just a few final details. Here's one of his U-Tube painting demos.

Today's painting was the first one we worked on from a beach scene in Australia. If you zoom in close you'll see there are a couple of figures sitting in the sand in the dark shade. 

Colley's methods are a unique approach for me, so I sucked it all in like a thirsty sponge. I can't wait to see how my future work will be impacted by my new wealth of knowledge. 

I'll be posting the 3 other paintings we completed over the next few days...to be continued.

Thank you for tuning in. 

nancy
_____________________________________________________
To see more of my art or to contact me: 
Online Gallery  • E-mail  • Graphic Design Studio

  


 

Long Shadows on Longmire Road

"Long Shadows on Longmire Road" 16x20" Oil on stretched canvas

CLICK TO BUY

 "Dreaming or awake, we perceive only events that have meaning to us." —Jane Roberts

This stretch of Longmire Road, where I walk my dog in the early evenings, never ceases to stop me dead in my tracks. If you think I'm making this up, here's the photo I snapped on my phone. I admit I've taken a little artistic license in the painting and did push the colors a tad, but isn't it an enchanted spot?

This is a place where if you become very quiet and listen carefully you can hear deep within a melody of gratefulness begin to arise.

It's also at this mysterious and serene time of day, that two age-old antagonists—light and darkness—enter the arena for another showdown. Light grabs hold tight, while the determined opponent attacks in quick jabs, stabs, pulls and stretches. When little resistance is left, darkness delivers one final death defying blow that flattens into dark rivers and flat puddles of flickering shadow. Light, admitting defeat, lays lifeless until dawn.                                                                                            "In the twilight of life, God will not judge us on our earthly possessions and human success, but rather on how much we have loved." —John of the Cross

       Thanks for coming along on my walk today.
       nancy  
       
       © 2013 nancy parsons

_____________________________________________________
To see more of my art or to contact me: 
Online Gallery  • E-mail  • Graphic Design Studio

SOLD -Sacred Heart Church

"Sacred Heart Catholic Church" 12x16" oil on gessobord

         "Home is where the heart is."—Pliny the Elder

NOT FOR SALE

I thought I'd share a painting I am donating to Sacred Heart Church's "Annual Spring Festival" fundraising event next Sunday here in Conroe. 

I've been an active member of the parish since 1984. Over these years we were blessed by five pastors, and have seen families come and go as Sacred Heart has continued to grow by leaps and bounds. While it's wonderful we've totally overgrown this campus—serving near 5,000 families—and have broken ground for a larger church on the grounds, there is still something a little sad about trading in this cherished sanctuary for a newer model.  

My husband and I were married at Sacred Heart, we've had children baptized, attend school, take instructions and received the sacraments here, my mother sang in the choir for many, many years, and my father's Celebration of Life was shared inside its doors. Sacred Heart has been a big part of my family. 

I painted this to commemorate all the years of service to our community and to the thousands of lives that have been touched and impacted at its welcoming wide-open doors inviting all to worship. 

Thanks for letting me share.

nancy 

© 2013 nancy parsons

_____________________________________________________
To see more of my art or to contact me: 
Online Gallery  • E-mail  • Graphic Design Studio

 

Out On A Limb

"Out On A Limb" 8x10" oil on gessobord

Painting from a photo by photographer and avid hiker, Angela Fletcher.

 CLICK TO BUY

"Life's not the breaths you take, but the moments that take breath away."—George Strait

I didn't get to paint or post last week due to the graphic design work load along with an attack of annual oak pollen crud. But, I'm back in the saddle now...or at least have a paint brush in my hand again. 

I love the George Strait quote above. It was the answer to yesterday's Celebrity Cipher puzzle in our local newspaper. By my own admission, I am a Cipher, Jumble, Crossword addict. 

When it comes to choosing a landscape to paint, I literally can have the breath knocked right out of me when encountering beautiful scenery sitting in perfect light. It's then, stopped dead in my tracks, that I hear the signal telling me I have got to paint it. I may be out on a limb here, but maybe it's the other way around? Perhaps when a landscape grabs my eye and pulls so strongly at my heart strings, the scene is really choosing me out everybody else in the world, at that one moment in time, to paint its portrait? Hmm...What a honor and a joy to be an artist!

Thanks for pausing for a breath or two.

nancy 

© 2013 nancy parsons

_____________________________________________________
To see more of my art or to contact me: 
Online Gallery  • E-mail  • Graphic Design Studio

Touch of Spring

"Touch of Spring" 16x20" oil on stretched canvas

CLICK TO BUY

"Green is the prime color of the world, and that from which its loveliness arises."

—Pedro Calderon de la Barca

 

This large 16x20" painting was taken from my friend Angela's photograph on a hike through the woods about a month ago. I always love that magical time of year when you first begin to see soft tender tufts of green emerging on bare branches high in the sky hinting at the promise of spring on the way.

e.e. cummings sums it up so perfectly, "I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural which is infinite, which is yes." 

Thanks for pausing with me for a moment to salute another spring.  nancy 

© 2013 nancy parsons

_____________________________________________________
To see more of my art or to contact me: 
Online Gallery  • E-mail  • Graphic Design Studio

Morning Headlines

"Morning Headlines" 10x8" oil on gessobord

CLICK TO BUY

"The breezes at dawn have secrets to tell you; 
don't go back to sleep." 
— Jalaluddin Rumi, mystical poet

How I love being present to witness the first light of day as it streams in my east facing kitchen windows. Stepping boldly into the center ring with awesome power and majesty, this mighty force pummels it's way in through every crook and cranny, splitting open a gaping gash of light across the surface of dark wooden table. Instantly this force to be reckoned with, delivers another swift jab resulting in a death defying knock-out blow! Sun, the "winner and world champion" is silently proclaimed as rooster erupts in unabated joy. Darkness, has once again been trumped by the hope and resurrection of new day. 

John Ciardi summed it up so perfectly, "Cry anything you please. But praise..."

Top of the morning to you. I hope you've enjoyed this not-so-still life. 

nancy 

© 2013 nancy parsons

_____________________________________________________
To see more of my art or to contact me: 
Online Gallery  • E-mail  • Graphic Design Studio

Hanging Out

"Hanging Out" 6x6" oil on gessobord 

CLICK TO BUY

"Rest until you feel like playing, then play until you like resting, period. Never do anything else." — Martha Beck

Easier said than done. How about changing that quote to, work until you feel like resting, then rest until you feel like working? Sometimes we have to admit defeat and give into what our bodies are telling us.

I felt compelled to paint these blue jeans hanging in quiet repose "with nobody inside 'em." They're doing a terrific job of relaxing on a hanger until someone to comes along and pours life back into them. 

I don't know why sitting still and resting is so impossible for me? My mom swears she never could get me to take a nap when I was little. To this day, every time I tell myself I'm going to sit down and escape into some mindless TV show, all I can think about is what I should be doing and what all I'm not accomplishing. Now I have no trouble sleeping, so if I sit there more than 15 minutes, I'll doze off. I admire people who can simply sit and rest, it makes me fidgety and restless. Gosh, I really need to work on that!!!  : )

Thanks for hang'n around with me today. 
 nancy 

© 2013 nancy parsons

_____________________________________________________
To see more of my art or to contact me: 
Gallery  •  Blog  • NEW Website • E-mail  • Graphic Design Studio

My Little Corner of the World

"My Corner of the World", 6x6" Oil on Gessobord

CLICK TO PURCHASE

  " Light is the first of painters. There is no object so foul that intense light will not make it beautiful."                  

 — Ralph Waldo Emerson

Time for  a coffee break! You deserve it. 

 
Step right in and have a seat. Welcome to one of the cozy little corners in my world. The big blue hand-me-down stuffed chair is calling you to stop whatever you’re doing, to pause for a moment and relax in quiet mindfulness.

Arlo Guthrie said, "You can't have a light without a dark to stick it in." Can you feel the morning light as it breaks through the slats of wooden blinds to warm your heart right where you sit?  Like a rooster waving sticks of soft yellow pastels, the sun breaks in —without the need of a key—to illuminate this sleepy corner of my family room every sunny morning. I love the play of light on the walls and wood floors, but especially the striped pattern it creates on my red pillow.
 

Would you care for coffee or tea? It’s moments like this that souls thirst for.

nancy

© 2013 nancy parsons

_____________________________________________________
To see more of my art or to contact me: 
Gallery  •  Blog  • NEW Website • E-mail  • Graphic Design Studio