Quick Trip to the Nelson

My boss and his family are on vacation as of today and will be gone a week, so I'll be having a little staycation of my own while the auction house is closed. Today after my Etsy updates and upkeep were done, Esther and I ran over to the Nelson-Atkins museum of art. She enjoys going and, funnily enough, I do too. I haven't been in a while, and there were some new acquisitions and pieces pulled from storage to ponder.

It's always pleasant to wander through the rooms--as a student, I was over at the Nelson just about every chance I got. (It IS across the street from KCAI, so it wasn't difficult). So wandering among my favorite pieces was like visiting with old friends, comforting and familiar.

Here's some paintings that were new to me that I like very much. And of course I've forgotten who the painters are.

This is one of my faves from way back when--I love the light.

Yay for rekkids! In this case, nekkid rekkids, hee hee hee.

This is one of those recent acquisitions and I LOVE it. If I were going to break into a museum and steal a painting... But you didn't hear that from me.

Esther was NOT in the mood for picture taking. But it was a gorgeous day and I had to push the issue.

It's funny to think the ginormous shuttlecocks have been on the lawn for 15 years now--I remember when they were installed and people just thought they were a joke. I kind of like them. They're so vibrant and happy and fun-looking.

Some Paintings in Progress

So here's a few new things that I've been working on (well, NEWER, anyway--I haven't been painting much this summer). Some of these will be for that portrait show at the Blue I mentioned earlier. It opens the first Friday in September.

This is 18 x 24, I think. Oil on canvas. I'm still working on the foreshortening on her arms--but other than that, I like how she's turning out. She's still really rough, but is starting to shape up.

This little lady is just about done--just a simple portrait. She's 5 x 7, oil on illustration board.

And this is just one of those weird accidents--she sort of just happened, but I like her very much. I think it's just about done--I like this one raw, and I don't want to overwork it. Oil on canvasboard, 11x14?

This one's done, and I'm pretty sure she'll go to the Blue as well at some point. 5x7 oil on illustration board.

None of these have real titles yet--they're still too new in my head.

Catching Up

I think it's just about time for a little catching up. It's been such a busy summer: the auction house has been crazy-busy (which is pretty great, don't get me wrong--I'm glad they're doing so well), we're trying to get ready for this baby, taking care of Esther and making sure she's having a fun summer, trying to paint occasionally, reading and gardening as often as I can...

Speaking of which, here's some recent garden-y photos:

I love bumblebees. And my cosmos are as tall as me!

The front flower beds are nearly always my favorite. They're so easy--I end up doing planting the same annuals every year, some impatiens and coleus among all the perennials, but they all make me happy. And they all love this shady spot.

And here's that bed from the other side. Ignore those weeds, please. I'm really not a "kill kill kill" kind of girl. Unless there's poison ivy popping up. And then that stuff will BURN.

Some potted things on the front porch.

I need to take some good photos of the living room now that it's painted and done. These will have to do for now.

It makes our Barbara Coleman pop, huh?

These were taken right after we were done painting, so all the prep and painting crap is still laying around. It's gone now, replaced by other crap.

We found out we're having a boy and so far things are going great: I've been feeling good and trying to take it easier these days. Esther was hoping for a little sister, so she's not too sure about a brother. I told her both her father and I survived having a stinky little brother and she would too. She was not reassured.

I've been working on some new paintings for a portrait invitational show that the Blue is having in September--I need to post some photos soon! Maybe this weekend...

New Prints and a Winner!

Congrats to you, fastercat6860! You win an ACEO print of your choice from my shop--either one that's available now or one of these newbies. Thanks to everyone who commented and helped me make this huge, momentous decision (haha, I kid. Sort of. I'm bad with decision-making).

So here's the winners in order of votes: 9, 12, 4, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 (there were several ties, so I'll do 8 new prints!). Hope your favorite was in there somewhere!

I'll place the order this week and hopefully will have these in the shop on the 17th, along with some new original pieces.