For The Beards : A Wedding Keepsake

The time has come... I can finally post a pic of the painting I was commissioned to create as a wedding gift for the Beards!! 

With the help of the bride's aunt and mother, I gathered items from the actual wedding (flowers, programs, ideas, etc) and turned them into a one-of-a-kind keepsake from their big day!

The theme of the wedding incorporated peacocks (which, of course, is right up my alley) so depicted are the two love birds in front of their unity cross (similar to the one they used during the ceremony). The "eyes" of the left peacock are torn from copies of the program (with the names of all the special people in their wedding - and lives - showing). Tiny pearls are in each of the "eyes" - though I didn't use the actual pearls the bride wore for her wedding. The quote and paper flower in the bottom right are from the program, as well. The real peacock feathers in the bottom corner were used in the bride's arrangements/flowers. Baby's breath from the bridesmaids' flowers adorns the peacocks' crests. The swirls in the peacock on the right's tail is made from pieces of the program, as well. And the last ingredient: tons of LOVE for these two awesome people!

Thank you, Pam, for letting me be a part of this wonderful day in a most unique way!!

I Wanna See Your Peacock

I'm excited to announce.... From October through December {almost} all of my peacock paintings will be on display at Cups on County Line Road in Ridgeland, MS.

 

 

Cognac

Cognac

vanité

vanité {14 x 14 Mixed Media}

Loyal Love

Loyal Love 12 x 12 Acrylic on Glass

Another one of my "Painting in Reverse" on the backside of a sheet of glass / FRAMED in a 3/4" sliver frame

The title for this one comes from the symbolic meaning of a Daisy: Innocence, *Loyal Love*, I'll Never Tell, Purity...

[SOLD]

Intangible Substance

Intangible Substance {11 x 14 Acrylic}

Giraffish

First in my Tangled Series

{16 x 24}

SOLD

Little Prince

10 x 10 Acrylic

Of course, the kanji symbol means "Little Prince" - and hopefully the choosing of this title is self explanatory, being as the subject is a frog... He's just waiting for his smooch so he can become a prince.

[SOLD]

Neutral Safari

So, I haven't actually finished this series yet, but my good friend Mitra requested I put up the two paintings I have done so she can 'pin' them.

{If you don't know about Pinterest yet, you are missing out!!}

Strength {24 x 36}

Grounded Vision {16 x 20}

I don't have a back story for these either; I've just been 'feeling' this color combination lately (greys, blacks, browns, tans, etc), and I'm thinking I want to decorate my living room in them. 

*Shoutout to Mitra for suggesting I paint a giraffe!! Mina, your safari pick is coming soon!!*

More to come!!

Update: Here's the third painting in this series... a zebra {16 x 20}

Balance {16 x 20}

Rex

"Rex"  16 x 20 Acrylic / Framed

My son was my inspiration for this one. He's still at that age where he LOVES dinosaurs - especially Tyrannosaurus Rex - and I know he'd love nothing more than to have one as his pet.

Paint Party!

Here are a couple pics from the paint party I led for some really great ladies who stand beside the men who are serving our country. Thanks for the wonderful evening, ladies!

FRG Ladies & their Eagles

My Eagle

Buddhamals

Remember my meditating elephant I posted a while back??

Well, that led to a small series I entitled Buddhamals, which consisted of a monkey, a lion, and an elephant - all meditating in their own unique way.

Buddhamals

Find me on Facebook to see the meanings behind the Monkey & Lion.

But that's not all...

My Buddhamals went on to become the inspiration behind my cousin {and fellow creative soul}, Julie's nursery.

To inspire another with one's work has to be THE best compliment!! Thanks, Cuz!!

Check out the finished product at Build Sew Reap, along with all her fabulous DIY tips and find her on Facebook, too!

"une maison rose à Paris"

I'm extremely proud of my lil' redhead à Paris...

As soon as I posted this one on Facebook, she was SOLD! A fellow designer scooped it up as a birthday present for his girlfriend. 

"une maison rose à Paris"
{a pink house in paris}
16 x 20 SOLD

And he even let me suggest the frame he had to get... Magnifique!

Fabulous frame from Hobby Lobby

Om Mani Padme Hum

I finally took the time to do another painting!!

I love everything about this one: the bright colors, the peacefulness (that I hope it envokes)... Here are some symbolic meanings to go along with it (cause I love me some symbolism):

"The main characteristics of the elephant are his strength and steadfastness. There for it becomes a symbol of physical and mental strength, as well as responsibility and earthiness.

"In buddhism the elephant is a symbol of mental strenth. At the beginning of one's practice the uncontrolled mind is symbolised by a gray elephant who can run wild any moment and destroy everything on his way. After practising dharma and taming one's mind, the mind which is now brought under control is symbolised by a white elephant strong and powerful, who can be directed whereever one wishes and destroy all the obstacles on his way."

-taken from here.

Duo

This painting was sold in a local gallery. When the owner told me who bought it, I was shocked to find that I actually new the proud new owner:  Her mother used to babysit my sister and I when we were younger, and we grew up knowing each other's families.

Small World.

Buddha Nature

Here are two of my Buddha paintings (both of which have sold)...

Psychadelic Zen

This was a custom painting for a friend of a friend. I was given the color scheme and told the recipient liked buddhas... This is what I came up with. It's hard to see, but the white "lightning" marks are cracks throughout the coating.

Tranquility

This painting is another one of my first paintings (2003); it was taken from a picture that one of my cousins took of a buddha statue.

Cloaked in Corked Therapy

My clown obsession continues...

Cloaked in Corked Therapy - my depiction of the affects of alcohol (specifically, wine, in this one). Wine can have many affects on us - make us silly and happy, like a clown... She's waving with her right hand, foot up on the side of the glass - totally basking in the wine. And it can also make us lustful (see how she's puckered up)... But there's a tear on her cheek (for depression) & she's crossing her fingers, hoping no one will see what's really going on inside.......

Ma Chérry

"Ma Chérry" like "ma chérie" in French... [translation: "my darling"]

Boast

Boast boasts the kanji meaning for Pride / Arrogance.

This shot, taken with my camera phone, doesn't do this 8x24 Acrylic painting justice.

This canvas was one of many I stretched in odd sizes while working at a graphic design company. I love the long narrow size of the painting, as well as the red on bright yellow. 

Blasé Blue

This was at the start of my peacock obsession...

Blasé Blue 36 X 48 Mixed Media - DONATED

It was a group effort; My daughter's 1st grade class had an art auction, in which each class was supposed to donate something. Her teachers asked me to work with the kids to create something, and this is what we came up with. 

I had the children make the "eyes" of the tail feathers for me. I instructed them on how to paint their eyes, but I let them do it on their own and didn't alter their work.

We were all really proud of the finished product. I hated to see it go... But I did receive an incredibly sweet email from the winning bidder at the art auction. 

It was an amazing & humbling experience, and I would love to do something like this again in the future!