Over the Holidays

Starbucks at Home

9 x 12 Acrylic on Canvas

NFS

Blue Hydrangea

9 x 12 Acrylic on Board

NFS

Here are a couple of paintings I did for Christmas gifts that I thought I would share. The first one was for my sister who loves Starbucks and just moved into a new home in Franklin, TN.

The second one is for my sister-in-law who lives in Birmingham. She loves flowers and does alot of flower arranging for weddings, so I thought this would be appropriate for her. I did the hydrangea painting on the new Artists' Boards and it really has a different feel.  I like it, but I don't think I would want to use it all the time. It basically takes texture out of the picture and provides an almost slick surface to paint on.  Hope everyone had a blessed Christmas and wishing you all a Happy New Year!

Barn Painting

Brownsboro Barn

9x12 Acrylic on Canvas

NFS

I have been really busy with commissions for Christmas and this is one of them. This painting is of a barn in Brownsboro with the owner's truck parked next to it. I was so glad that there were hay bales inside (because I love to paint those) and the sun light was hitting them perfectly! This was a fun painting for me, I love painting barns, I hope you enjoy it.

Boston Terrier Pet Portrait

Angus

8x10 Acrylic on Canvas

This is a Christmas commission for a friend of mine. She had me paint all three of her dogs, but this was my favorite. I also painted her Chihuahua "Peanut" and her Beagle "Buddy". It was alot of fun to do though I still have much to learn about painting dogs. The more of them I do the more I realize I don't know, funny how that works!

Different Strokes Challenge Week 10

Upside Down Walker

8 x 8 Acrylic on Board

$35

Okay, this was really interesting! This is another one of Karin Jurick's Different Strokes Challenges. She supplieed us with the reference photo and asked us to paint it upside down! So with brush in hand and photo taped upside down next to my easel, I begain my task. It was actually really freeing because you forget what you are painting and it just becomes shapes and colors. Now, I will have to say that when I was finished I did turn it over and spruce it up a little, but it was great practice and again I would not have chosen to do that on my own. I feel like I am taking a class with about 85 of my closest friends :) You have to go look at all the finished products it is really alot of fun to see everyone's interpretations. Thanks again for visiting!

Pet Portrait

Forte

8' x 10" Acrylic on Canvas

This is the first of several Pet Portraits I have agreed to do for Christmas. Therefore, this particular painting is not for sale. Anyone who has read the novel "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" will recognize the significance of the title! I love painting dogs and hope to paint many more!

From the Farm

The Shack

12" x 9" oil on canvas

NFS

This painting was inspired by the novel " The Shack" by William P. Young. After reading it, I searched for images of rundown cabins, shacks, etc.... and ending up finding one in my own backyard! Well....my husband's backyard, on his hunting farm in Tennessee. This little house sits on some hunting property and is the childhood home of the woman they rent their hunting cabin from! When I saw it I knew it was the one!!! What a beautiful picture Young paints in his novel of how we are all just like run down shacks until we allow Christ to move in and turn it into something beautiful. I hope you enjoy my interpretation!

Another Different Strokes Challenge

Shadows

8"x8" Acrylic on Canvas

$25

This is another of Karin Jurick's Challenge pictures. These are so much fun and she typically chooses things I would not ordinarily paint, so it is a great learning experience. Go take a look at everyone else's interpretations of the subjects. Thanks for looking!

Auburn Spirit

Aubie - Sold

8"x10" acrylic on canvas

Well, since I can't get excited about Auburn football I decided to paint Aubie during the football game against Ole Miss! I am glad I painted instead of watching the game!! I am an Auburn graduate and have 2 sons currently in school at Auburn. However, my husband went to the University of Alabama and he said that he thinks we have enough Auburn art now. I hope you enjoy it and War Eagle!

Saturday is for Painting!

"Ewe lookin at me?"

8"x10" acrylic on canvas

Sold

I have been wanting to paint sheep for awhile and just now was able to come up with a good source photo. Painting animals that are all white is challenging so I decided to give her some color! I have a rooster to post as well that is done in similar colors. I may put him down below. Thanks for looking!

"Cock a Doodle Doo" - Sold

9"x 12" oil on canvas

My love for animals continues

"Alabama Cow"

8"x8" Acrylic on Canvas

$35 - Sold

This is another Different Strokes Challenge from Karin Jurick. I was so excited to see the reference photo named "Alabama cow"! I really enjoy painting animals and the cow was alot of fun to paint. So go check out all the other cows on her site. E-mail me if you are interested in this or any of my other available paintings: KSmith6454@comcast.net

Another Nest

Lover of Soft Winged Things - Sold

10x10 oil on canvas

Yes it is another nest and I am sure there will be more to come. I love nests, eggs and birds so naturally I like to paint them too. I love the speckled eggs particularly and they were really fun to paint. I like to think of the nest as our home here on earth and the eggs as us in our human form, waiting for God to make us into who He created us to be in our heavenly bodies. Kind of like "The Now and the Not Yet". I hope you enjoy this.

Fields in Tennessee

"The Harvest"

16x20 oil on canvas

SOLD

This is one of my favorite times of year when all the hay is being cut and rolled. I took this picture between Huntsville and Fayetteville one day as I was driving and I looked over and saw the sun hitting the hay bales and I just whipped my car around and got out and started taking pictures. I love the way they looked all scattered around the freshly cut field! I hope you like it too!

War Eagle!!!!!!!

"Nova" - Sold

18x18 Acrylic on Canvas

For all you Auburn fans....this is Nova in his pre-game flight. Can't you just hear the crowd cheering WAAAAAAR Eagle Hey! This is a tradition at Auburn University  before the start of every football game. Nova is released in the top corner of the stadium and circles above the field and then takes his landing, mid-field as the crowd cheers the battle cry "War Eagle". I painted this for my son who is a junior at Auburn University. Auburn is my alma mater as well. Thanks to Carole Foret for her help with this project!

Cloud Gate

"Cloud Gate Sculpture" - NFS

5x7 oil on board

This is a real stretch for me! I am participating in a weekly painting challenge created by Karin Jurick called "Different Strokes from Different Folks". Every week Karin chooses a different reference photo and everyone paints their own interpretation of the subject and she posts them all on her blog. Karin is a fabulous artist and this is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about painting and get some exposure. This sculpture is located in Chicago and if you haven't seen it you should go see it in person, it is fabulous!

The Nest

"Feels Like Home" - Sold

10x10 oil on canvas

If you see a bird theme emerging, I think that is true. I keep coming back to birds, nests and eggs in my painting. I love all the colors and shapes as well as the spiritual ties birds and eggs represent. I will talk more about that later.

Childhood Memories

20" x 16"
 oil on canvas 

"McDonald's Barn"

When I was growing up my Grandparents lived on a working farm right outside Huntsville. I spent many hours as a child playing in that barn as well as all the animals. The barn is no longer standing, they "paved Paradise and put up a parking lot".  That barn was the inspiration for this painting, and I will probably paint more red barns because they are very dear to my heart! I hope you like it!

New Bird Painting

"Set Free" - $40

8x16 oil on canvas

I just finished this painting and it was inspired by one of my favorite Christian music artists, Derek Webb. I absolutely love his CD entitled "She must and shall go free" and I listen to it over and over again. I love the symbolism of being set free from all the "junk" that keeps us from living the way Christ intends for us to live. Christ has given us freedom from sin, guilt, shame and fear but so often we forget that and live as if we are still bound by those things. I hope you enjoy this painting as much as I enjoyed painting it!

My First Post

"Comfort" - Sold

10x10 Acrylic on Canvas

Well, about six months ago I decided I wanted to paint. So I went out and bought all the supplies I thought I needed, along with several books about oil painting and off I went. Since then I have ordered instructional DVD's from Johnny Lilliedahl, Hall Groat II and Erin Pendleton and I loved them all! Then I signed up for a real class! I have been on a spiritual journey with 5 women that I have grown to love and we have painted together for 8 weeks. Carole Foret in Athens has been our awesome teacher and she has taught me a lot. So, it seems that the natural progression for anyone who wants to be an artist is to start a blog.....so.....here I am!  The first painting I chose to post is a still life I set up in my kitchen. I love coffee and I love the Starbuck's coffee bags! The colors just draw me in, like the smell of freshly brewed coffee. I know the Lord created coffee to comfort my soul!