Lake of the Ozarks at sunrise. 

I have painted this scene so many times and the colors are so different each morning.  I look across the lake to a resort with a fishing dock.  This is an 8x12 acrylic.  It scanned in a little dark and more colorful than it really is.

This is the other painting that I did for my son and let him pick the one he liked the best.  This is also a 16x20 oil but left a little unfinished, with less detail and quite a bit of the red underpainting showing through in places.  Very little time in this one but sort of liked it and left is more unfinished.  I have such a hard time getting good photos of my oils.  This one looks so much brighter than the other painting but really isn't.  My watercolors are so much easier to photograph.  I seem to always get a glare on the oils.  I take them in the shade, and then the sun and there is so much difference.  This is also on a Fredrix linen canvas panel.  My son really liked the other one the best so that is the one he chose for his boss.  He has a wonderful boss.  But of course, my son is just pretty wonderful also so he gets to keep this one.

My son went fishing in Colorado with his boss and other friends last summer.  He took a photo of his boss and his dog and  commissioned me to paint him a picture from that photo.  This photo was very dark so had to imagine just what colors would be there at that time of the year.  This is a 16x20 oil on a Fredrix linen canvas panel, framed in a wide, oak and gold frame.  I like the linen panels as I don't worry about them getting punctured in shipping like I do a canvas.  I painted two for him to choose from, one vertical and one horizontal.  He chose this one as it is so much more detailed and that is what he likes in a painting.  It was fun and especially fun since my son really liked the finished painting.  He sent it to his boss.  I will post the other one next.

This is an 8x16 oil painted on a linen canvas board.  I painted it from a photograph that I took when we went to Maui in 2009 for my granddaughter's wedding.  We drove up the rough coastal area and it was magnificent.  I took lots of pictures.  I have painted this area twice before but in a different format.  The others were oil except about 11x14 and painted on gessoed  watercolor paper.  Just fun stuff, nothing serious.  We had such a wonderful time.  Everytime I paint it, I just sort of relive the wonderful week that we had.  My daugher, her husband, their son, husband's mother, and I went over with our granddaughter and her husband to be.  The wedding was on the sandy beach and it was just beautiful.  They decided to "be mauied" so away we all went.  What fun!!!!!

Better photo in a different light.  Oils are so difficult to photograph.  At least for me.

I just finished this painting of Legacy.  It is a 16x20 oil, painted on a linen canvas panel.  This dog won the 2013 National Bird Hunters Association Futurity.  His owner is Jim Wirths, Conifer Bluff Kennel, Boonville, Mo.  This competition was in the spring and this painting is to be given to this winner at the next competition.  This painting will be framed in a wide rustic frame.

Lennies Fireworks

This is a little watercolor that I just completed this a.m.  It is 7x10 and matted to an 11x14.  Every year our neighbor at the lake sets off a beautiful display of fireworks for us all to enjoy.  Living right next door, we didn't really have a good view because of a big tree, so we took the pontoon out in the lake and viewed them from there.  The fourth of July is my favorite time at the lake.  There are fireworks going up all around us and with the beautiful reflections in the water, it is a sight to behold.  Such fun!!  Family, friends and home made ice cream to share with all.  We also have a neighbor that makes the most delicious cinnamon rolls in the world and has a morning coffee for all the neighbors to enjoy.  What a wonderful fourth of July we all had.  My little painting is a bit gawdy and colorful, but it was just a wonderful, colorful time,
This little painting was very popular with the neighbors in the cove that I did several of them, each a little different, due to watercolor misbehaving some, and gave several away.  Not excellent painting but one that brings back lots of memories as to what fun we all had when Lennie set off his fireworks for us all to enjoy.  What memories!!!!!

Bob's Elhew Jill

This is the 2012 NBHA Champion.  Her name is Bob's Elhew Jill and her owner is Bobby Phillips.  This painting will be given to the owner at the next field trial in March.  This painting is 16x20 and painted on a linen board.  It is framed in a wide rustic frame.  I haven't painted for quite awhile so was good to get the oils out and get busy. 

Pomme de Terre River

I have finally gotten out my paints and played around today with them. I have not painted for some time due to another knee surgery. With my studio in the basement, it is not too easy to get down there to work. I did two small watercolors today in a couple of hours. One will have to be a greeting card as it isn't worth a matt and frame. I think this one turned out a bit better than the other. This is a 6x8 watercolor of the Pomme de Terre River, just below the dam near Hermitage, Mo. It is such a beautiful spot and I have photographed it so many times. And I have painted it before and put some children playing in the water under this big old tree.

Rocky Hollow Firecracker "Cracker"

I am replacing a previous posting of this dog as I took another photo with better lighting and it does show the color better. This female pointer is last year's winner in the 25th NBHA Futurity Championship and the owner of the dog will be presented with this painting in March, 2012. The owners are Brian and Georgie Casey of New Columbia, Il. The dog was handled by Brian. It is a 16x20 oil, painted on a linen canvas panel.

Rocky Hollow Firecracker

This is a painting of the Futurity Champion. I painted this to be given to the winner's owner at the annual competition in March 2012. I am blogging it in the frame as I think it adds so much to it. My frame came from laframe.com. They are always so prompt in getting frames to me. I ordered from them on a Monday and got the order in on Friday and that is with a few custom sizes. This is a 16x20 oil on a linen canvas panel.

Fall Trees on Lake Ozark Hill

If this one looks familiar, I painted this same scene in watercolor and posted it the other day. One simply can't capture the brilliance of the trees with the sun bouncing through the leaves with camera or paints. But I like to try. God sure made these Ozark hills a beautiful place to behold. This is a 6x8 Golden Open Acrylic, painted on a Pintura panel from ASW. Nice surface! And inexpensive. It really looks nice in a wide gold frame, sitting on a gold table easel. I just finished this one. It seemed to take me longer but when I go back to these acrylics, I sort of "fight" them for awhile as they dry so much slower than my regular acrylics and faster than the oils. Oh well, that is what is fun, painting a variety of subjects and in a variety of mediums.
This one really looks bright. I think maybe part of the reason is I had my panel coated with a red wash.

Red Tree

I painted this tree from a photo before going to Big Cedar and I sold it there so wanted to try it again. As usual, my second try at a subject never turns out as good as the first one. It does not have the spontaniety the other one had. I hated I did not get a picture of it as I felt I got it a bit more impressionistic than I usually do. I wish I could loosen up more but it is hard for me to do. This is a 5x7 Golden Open Acrylic, painted on a Pintura panel from ASW. They are neat little panels. I had fun doing this. The trees are so beautiful right now but I guess soon I will probably be painting snow scenes. UGH!

Fall on Lake Ozark Hill

Well, I am sort of into making little greeting cards again. I decided to matt this one though. It has a mate but it will be in the greeting card pile. This is the best of the two. Watercolor is especially fun for these small paintings and I really think most people like receiving an original painting as a greeting. Like I said, this is a watercolor, started with some dry brush to get texture, even using a little sponge, then washes over and into, carving out areas that just show up with the watercolor sometimes going just where it wants to go. So much fun!! This started out to be the hill to the side of my little cabin but as you can see the land got flat. Oh well, the other one still has the hill but the composition in this one is the best. This one is 5x7, on 300 lb. Arches wateracolor paper.

Autumn Colors

I liked this one best when I got done and started to cut a matt for it and liked the raggedy edge, which I leave on greeting cards sometimes, so I just mounted the painting on a piece of gold matt board, then cut a matt to go around that, leaving a thin area of gold. Sort of neat, huh? This one is barely a 4x8 but I left a big matt on it so it can be cut down to whatever frame one has. Watercolor is so fun, so quick and easy. I took a lot of new fall pictures this weekend, can't wait to try some in watercolor, then get serious again with some oils or Golden Open Acrylics. I just love them! Well, I just love it all.

Road in Fall

This is just a quick little watercolor. Not too fond of it but did like the autumn colors. Looks like I got a spot on the liner. It's really not there, my scanner must have had a speck from an oil that wasn't quite dry. This one is 6x8 and matted to an 8x10.

Pomme in the a.m.

I have been making little watercolor greeting cards but when I get one I like better than others, I matt it, sometimes frame it. I like the morning light on this one so matted it and decided to blog it. It is just about 5x7 but matted to an 8x10. When I don't want to get out the "oil mess", I just sit and do some little wateracolors. I made about seven the other day and decided to matt three. This is the first one. Nothing serious and good, just fun.

Lunch at the Truman House, Big Cedar

I did this one very fast and furiously as the light was changing so fast. I started to redo it today but thought I would just leave it and maybe use it as a study for a larger one later on. This is an 8x10 oil on Fredrix linen panel. I very seldom do anything like this and it was really fun. I took a photo of this same setting in a different light later in the day and will try something from it someday. I sat in the yard of one of the restaurants and painted this looking toward the other restaurant. People were having such a good time on such a lovely day. And so was I.

Landscape @ Big Cedar

This is a 6x8 oil on a Raymar panel. I love these panels also. This is the view that was behind me, so turned around and did this one. I painted three from my spot by the car but sold one and forgot to photograph it. And of course, it was the best one. I think this one is crying for a little more help so I may add to or take away to make it stop crying. Hopefully. It seems a little "stiff" to me. But then again, I may just start with a fresh one and a photo. I sold three paintings at the show they had for us and forgot to photograph any on them. I painted about seven small paintings in our three days there, with the largest being two 8x10's. I started another 9x12 but it really needs some "brain surgery". If I succeed making it better, I will blog it later. What a wonderful experience!!

Landscape Flowers @ Big Cedar

This is a 5x7 oil which I painted at Big Cedar at the paintout last week, near Branson, Mo. Since I don't walk too well, I have to park the car, set up my stuff and just paint what I can see in each direction. This was close to me so I just painted some of the flowers that were along the walk to one of the restaurants. It was quick and fun. What a wonderful 3 days of painting with over 100 artists on the grounds of Big Cedar. This is painted on a Centurion linen panel from ASW.

Autumn Road in Cedar Co.

This is a small 5x7, painted with Golden Open Acrylics. It looks nice in a gold frame and sits on a gold easel. This was painted from one of many road scenes photos that I take a lot. Most of the time, there are a lot of changing and rearranging. I have a habit of doing too much "refining". The scene was not as "manicured" as I always seem to do to them. Oh well, that is just me I guess. This is on a Centurion linen panel. Just love these for the oil or acrylic.

Lane From the Cabin

This is a 5x7 on a Centurion linen panel. I love the surface of these panels and they are quite inexpensive for linen. As we were leaving the cabin one day and the trees were just beginning to turn, I took this photo. It made a nice little painting and looks real nice with a wide gold frame around it, on a little gold easel. Lots of fun! I sort of feel sorry for people who don't paint. When one starts to paint, they start seeing everything in terms of a painting and colors and ideas emerge and they begin to see things so differently.

Yellow Tree

This is a 6x8 oil on a panel. Again, I started out with a photo of the trees down a road and it just wasn't working so I wiped out the road, added some greens and a stream where the road started through. I had the dominant tree too close or something. It just didn't balance. So it had to have "major surgery". I think I will leave it alone now. I have tons of photos of trees along roads in the countryside that I have taken through the years. I get them out, choose one, and try to make a painting from it, sometimes doing a lot of changing and sometimes using the photo almost "as is".

Pomme de Terre River

I have taken so many photos in this area through the years and this is one of my favorite. I can't seem to capture the real beauty of mother nature but I like trying. This is another 6x8 oil. I may try a larger one later. I took lots of photos to work from and did very little changing. I painted this scene in a small watercolor one time with two little girls wading in the water. There are always lots of people around this area, admiring the beauty, and doing some fishing also.

Road in Fall from the Cabin

This is another little 6x8 oil (I just love this size to play around with). Again I started with photos of the trees from the cabin. It wasn't working, so I wiped most of it out, started again, changing areas, and just making up a lot of it. I think maybe it is still crying for help so I may have to work on it again. The fall colors are fun to play with, but can be difficult for me. Fun though.

Fall Trees at the Cabin

This is a 6x8 oil, which has been worked, worked, and reworked. I kept playing with this thing, took it upstairs and looked at it over and over and discovered I had the composition split right down the middle with no dominant tree. So I brought the left one forward and to the right and made it the dominant one. I moved the other back, killed the intensity of it so now I have a dominant tree, and the painting is not split right down the middle. Sometimes I have to study one for awhile, then "bam" it will hit me what the problem is, so I get the paints out again and see if I can fix it. It is still rather plain but I now have broken up the area so there is a dominant player. I was working with photos of the area and let the photo "take over", instead of just "spinning off of it" to get started, which I try to do.

Turnback Creek

This is painted from a smaller one that I posted earlier. I painted a 6x8 off of the photos that I took at this scene, then I painted an 11x14, sold it, so painted another and this is it. This is aother 11x14 oil. I would love to go to this spot and plein air paint the scenes around it. It is such a lovely spot. I love to paint outside but I guess I am a fair weather painter. Can't be too hot, too cold, too windy, or too many bugs. Some of my painter friends don't let these things bother them and their plein air paintings are getting better and better all the time. I find it a bit difficult. Lots of equipment to move and I have a way of getting more oil paint on me than on my canvas. This is painted on a linen canvas panel.

Cattle in the Field

Well, here I am back with the little ones. I have done about 6 this week. I go through my many files of photographs and see if I can make a painting out of one. This was just a field with the autumn tree, so I rearranged the trees in the background and added the cattle. This is a 6x8 oil on a panel. One of my son's friends liked this painting so I gave it to him while at Big Cedar this past week. So the new owner is Clay Self, who is an entertainer at the resort. We really enjoyed him and his sons. He gave me one of his T-shirts, which I will enjoy wearing while reminding me of the fun time we had there.

Floatin' on the Pomme de terre River

I photographed this last year. Don't you know these people were having a ball on this beautiful autumn day. This is a 16x20 Golden Open Acrylic. It looks quite bright as I photographed the painting in bright sun. I never quite know if sun or shade is the best. I think this one is painted on a Fredrix linen panel. It was fun, especially after doing so many little paintings lately. It is $450.00.  Note:  This painting was hanging in Fresh Gallery in Springfield, Mo. and these people in this canoe visited the gallery.  They recognized it as themselves and called me to verify the location, time of year etc.. Of course, they had to have it!!  I had met the woman at Evening Shade Farms, Osceola, Mo., where they make all kinds of wonderful natural soaps and other products.  I buy my soaps there a lot.  They have a website and you can order from there online.  Of course, I did not recognize her in the boat that day as I used a zoom lens to photograph such a lovely scene.  Such a small wonderful world we live in.  I hope they are enjoying the painting.  It made quite an interesting story.

Sycamores on the Pomme de Terre River

Well, I had posted this one before and didn't really like it. I went into my studio one day and it was crying for help, so I reworked it. I like it better now. I deleted the old one and am blogging this one. It is an 11x14 oil. I photographed this place last year along the river, took a drive there last week and it is getting so beautiful, I just had to try and make my painting better. Who knows, I may pick it up again if it crys at me again. I do that with a lot of my work it seems. It is $400.oo.

Little Path wc

I just finished this little one. Another watercolor, that is only 6x8, matted to 8x10. I did a lot of dry brush scrubbing for a textured look starting out then washes to build up the different colors, darkening as I go. It was fun and fast. About one hour or just a little more.

Missouri Stream 5x7 wc

This is my third "intended greeting card" which I decided to matt. This is just a scene we view so much in Missouri. It was a very quick little watercolor, about an hour probably. I can't seem to get interested in doing big paintings lately. Just this quick little stuff where there is not much work or thinking. Just fun stuff!! Again, this is a 5x7, matted to an 8x10.

Sunrise over Pointview wc

This is another "intended greeting card" but decided to matt it. The tree tops kind of "bled" into the sky but sort of like the "happy little accidents " that one gets with watercolor sometimes. I thought the bright sun behind the treetops might be glowing with red. I paint this scene so much as it is the view from my little cabin on the lake and it changes each day. This is 5x7, matted to 8x10.

Sunrise over Little Island wc

I posted one like this the other day that I did in the Golden Open Acrylics. I liked it so I tried it in watercolor. This started out being a greeting card but decided to matt it. I did about 10 little paintings intended for greeting cards, but then I matted three of them, which I usually do for the best ones. I still think I like the Open acrylic one the best. The image is just 5x7, matted to 8x10.

Wildflowers with Queen Anne's Lace

This is a very small watercolor that I did some time ago. I was going through some of my boxes of matted watercolors and didn' t think I had blogged this so decided to do just that. I did it some time ago, but sort of liked the effect I got and decided to just keep it. It is probably just about 5x7.

Big Cedar Early in the A.M.

I previously painted this in oil, an 8x10 but this is just another small Golden acrylic, 5x7. It was so lovely last fall as we left the little cabins and headed to where the painters were painting. I am looking forward to going again in October. I will get to see a lot of my good painter friends.

Sunrise Over Pointview #2

Just another little quick 5x7 Golden Acrylic that I tried to do and get my colors softer than the last one and still get the glow in the sky. It is matted the same as the other one. I think I accomplished what I wanted to do. One of these days I will use these little studies and try to paint something sizeable. I haven't done much of that for quite awhile.

Sunrise Over Pointview #1

Just another 5x7 Golden Acrylic on the watercolor paper. This one is looking the other direction from the cabin. There is a beautiful, different sky each morning to enjoy. This is also matted with an off white matt with a dark blue liner.

Sunrise Toward Little Island #2

This is more of a close-up of the same scene as the last one. I also is a 5x7 and is the Golden Acrylics on the 300# watercolor paper. Again, it is matted with off white with a dark blue liner.

Sunrise Toward LIttle Island

I have painted a few little Golden Acrylics on 300 lb. watercolor paper. It is a totally different texture and was so much fun. This is a 5x7 and matted with a off white matt, with a dark blue liner. The sky was so beautiful. I can't seem to go to the lake without photographing the skies each morning. Such fun!

Yellow Tree

This is a quick small oil that I did, trying to save the oil on my palette before getting out the Open Acrylics to play with again. I just can't seem to scrape it all away. So I guess this is a salvage painting. It is 8x10 on a Fredrix panel. Quick and fun.

Sunset with Heron

I also got this one scanned. If you look real close you can see my little heron on the bank. My husband says it looks like a turkey so just take your choice, turkey or heron. He is always telling me to put "life" into my paintings, so here it is. I like plain landscapes myself. This is also just a small 5x7 Golden Acrylic and it was so fun as I got in there and squished around with a sponge for the trees. Kinda messy, but fun.

Sunset Through Trees II

Well, I remembered to scan this little one and see how bright it is. The other last two are just as colorful. This was also a fun little painting. Just a 5x7 Golden Acrylic again. It doesn't take me long to turn out one of these little things. I just have fun with them, and don't have to think too much. That is good sometimes.

Sunset Through the Trees

This is my other goof-up. I really liked the way the painting came out, but had it completely framed, then thought, "I didn't get it scanned". So tried to scan through the glass so there is a glare and it is way darker than the painting. But at least this lets you know I am at least doing some little paintings. I can't seem to get stirred up to start something serious and big. Just lazy I guess. This is a 6x6 Golden Acrylic also. Sure dries slow compared to my other acrylics. Sure fun though

Early Morning toward Camdenton

I was pleased with how this little painting turned out, then I did a real stupid thing, I forgot to scan it. So I tried to scan it through the glass while framed. I already had it framed, even with the paper on the back with hangers on it and everything. Well, anyway, it is a 5x7 Golden Acrylic and was lots of fun. I did two of these and goofed on both but will blog them anyway. They look so dark but are quite colorful.

Dildery Mill, Greenfield, Mo

This is a small 6x8 oil that I painted from a photo taken at this beautiful spot at Turnback Creek near Greenfield, Mo. My son saw this on the way home from a ballgame so my husband and I drove there. There is the remains of the old mill just behind these trees on the right. I did this in about an hour, in preparation to do another larger one. I am finishing an 11x14 oil and will post it when it is dry, although I like the freshness of the small one better than the larger one. These small ones are so fun to paint.

Big Cedar early a.m.

I painted this from a photo I took at Big Cedar in Missouri last fall. My husband and I were coming from our cabin, going to breakfast and the morning light was so beautiful. The hazy blue over the Ozark hills and the light streaming over the treetops, onto the road was breathtaking. Pictures and paintings just can't do Mother Nature justice. It was such a beautiful week to be out painting. My painter friends were painting all over the place and it was so exciting. I am looking forward to the paintout next year also. This is an 8x10 oil.

Dogwood at the Lake House

This is another small painting I just finished. It is a 6x12 oil on gessoed board and the paint is still wet and thick. It was fun. This is our hill in back of our cabin at the lake. The hills were just aglow with the dogwood this past weekend. Such beauty! God did good on these here hills in the Ozarks!! Love it!
I had an internet friend come see me from Canada as she drove through the states.  I gave her this painting so she would have a remembrance of the Missouri dogwoods

Heron at the Whistle

I have photographed this area so much as it is close to where one of my painter friends live. Such a pretty area and there is usually a heron around close. I got some good photos of the heron, just rearranged the photo and trees a little to improve on the composition. This is a 6x12 oil on a canvas panel.

Evening Shadows

This is a small 6x12 oil which I painted last evening. It was quick and it was fun. I have been digging through a lot of my old photographs and trying to make a painting out of sort of whatever I pick up. Challenging sometimes. I tried to leave this a little loose and not paint every leaf on the trees. Hard for me to do.