Art Journal

This is a blog to document one-off artworks and anything else related to art in my life.

Horti-Sculptures a flowerpot and planter art show at Smith's Gardentown here in Wichita Falls was successful! We had the art show in the tropical greenhouse which is gorgeous. There was wine and live music, and it was a lovely time.

Mucha Bunnies

11x 14 Water Color & Gouache

2nd Place at the CTAC Art Show in Duncan, OK

Ears to Hear

5x7 Scratch Board

I love arches and how they make everything in them sacred.


5.) Bison & Bunny by Night

Sept. 3, 2020 My friend, Lex, commissioned this painting.

8x10 acrylic on board.

5.) Mosaic Mural Concept Approved

August 27, 2020 Steve Hilton, Midwestern State University Ceramics Professor, and I were asked by the Art Alliance of Wichita Falls to do a mosaic mural on the corner of a downtown parking garage. The corner is 38 ft. high, 8 ft wide on one side and 16 ft wide on the other. We were asked to come up with a design that somehow represented Rally, Recovery, and Resurgence. I came up with the initial idea of having animals stacked on top of each other and working together to hang the moon. There are several local animals such as the bison, jackrabbit, coyote, armadillo, mountain lion, and raccoon, along with animals from other continents to represent togetherness. Steve loved it! I learned how to use Illustrator and I drew in the animals and played with the colors. The animals will be created in ceramic, and the background/light and stars will be painted. I think this mural and the whole process to create it is going to be special. Here is the link for the approval announcement. https://wichitafallsarts.org/4b-board-gives-approval-for-new-downtown-mural/

4.) Ghent Prairie Dog, 5x7 Scratch Board

August 4, 2020 While looking around in the galleries in Taos, I saw some really high quality scratch boards. I did scratch boards a little while I was teaching high school. They were actually my ace in the hole for state competitions. There is something about them that are just stunning. So, I researched and purchased a few nice scratch boards. Then a friend of mine sent me an article concerning the restoration of the Ghent Altarpiece, and voila! I have a Ghent prairie dog. While I worked on this, I listened to a lecture series on vikings, so my next prairie dog might just be a viking.

2.) Drawings from my New Mexico Trip

July 28, 2020 This past week I went on a quick trip to Red River and Taos with my mom and aunts. I went hiking on my own up to Lost Lake one day and then to Middle Fork the next. I hadn't been to either of those lakes since I was a kid. It was gorgeous.

We spent one day kicking around in Taos. I didn't really see a chipmunk by a church gate...I just felt inspired to draw it.

1.) My Great, Great Grandmother's Sewing Machine

July 22, 2020 Last weekend, I went and picked up this sewing machine that had belonged to my great, great grandmother. She's the one circled in yellow, and my great grandmother is circled in blue. Aren't they fun looking ladies? According to my mom and cousins, they were both talented seamstresses. Remember needle art is just as valid an art form as painting or sculpture. The sewing machine itself is a beautiful work of art. She used art to make art.