Christmas On Hickory Hill Folk Art Painting

Welcome to Christmas on Hickory Hill.  

I've slowly but surely been working on this painting and finally got it finished today.  I decided to cool things down by having it snow in this little scene.  Guess what?  It worked!  It cooled down and we had perfect weather in the 60's today!  You can find this painting in my Etsy Store and at the top of my blog by clicking on the "Original Paintings" link.

In the cozy cottage at the top of Hickory Hill, Christmas is being celebrated.  Children gather around the piano as grandma plays Christmas carols and tiny voices sing merrily along to the melody.  Grandpa reads to the children about Wise Men following a star and bringing gifts as the children listen quietly.  Tired from a long day outside building snowmen, the children snuggle up warming themselves by the fire.  

Sleepy heads nod as little ones are carried up to beds and tucked in under warm quilts as they dream of a little baby in a manger born in a stable. 

Are you Christmas shopping yet?  I saw Christmas decorations on the shelves at Walmart this week.  I haven't even started my fall decorating yet!   I guess I'm just as bad as the retailers, but it takes a while to do a painting and I would love to have more than one new Christmas painting this year.  I do apologize and hope you can forgive me for having so much fun with these little scenes.

Sunflower Lane Folk Art Painting

Some of you who have taken classes from me over the years or purchased my instruction books will recognize that several different paintings over the years are combined into this one painting, 

"Sunflower Lane".  

I don't enjoy repeating paintings, but it was fun to take some of my favorite parts from the past and combining them into this one colorful summer design.

Sunflower Lane comes to life every summer with it's beautiful blooms rising high above the white fence reaching for the sun.   Bright colored aprons swing in the breeze on the clothesline as a kitten sleeps in the basket below.  Dogs and cats live happily together in this little neighborhood where children run and play outside.  Clara who makes and sells confections directly from her farmhouse kitchen, loves to make extras for the paperboy who delivers her news right to her front step.

Summer is quickly coming to an end as the beautiful shades of autumn start to arrive.  I'll miss those flip flop days, green grass, and fragrant flowers.  What's you favorite part of summer?

Pirate's Cove Halloween Painting

As promised, here is my new Halloween painting:

"Pirate's Cove Halloween"

In Pirate's Cove as soon as the moon rises high in the sky,  tiny goblins run from house to house giggling and gathering treats of caramel apples, popcorn balls, candy corn and various sweets and surprises.  Adults and scared pets warm themselves by an inviting fire as they supervise their surroundings.  Pirates anchor their ship in the cove curiously spying on these shenanigans as a ghost slips over the bridge chasing a very tiny witch and her suspicious black cat.  This scary evening includes tiny tots and their bewildered dog dressed in strange uncomfortable attire being pulling by the wagon load through a small cemetery.  Bugs and various creepy crawlers, pirates, mummies, and a superhero swarm the streets. A sweet princess being escorted by a mouse standing on two feet is about to magically fill her treat bag when she taps on the door, demurely smiles, and chants "trick or treat!"

This painting was so much fun to paint!  Like I've mentioned before, it's hard to know when to stop painting.  I have this painting for sale on my blog and in my Etsy shop.  To locate it on my blog, click on the tab at the top for "Original Painting".

Annual Autumn Barn Dance & Hayride Folk Art Painting

This painting, Annual Autumn Barn Dance & Hayride, is one of my most looked at prints on FineArt America.  I do, however, need a better image of this particular piece so that I can sell larger prints.  Back in the day when I first started selling my artwork on eBay, I never stopped to think about reproducing them for prints before the paintings were sold.  

I may just have to paint this one again.  I will probably make a few changes here and there to make it new and fresh though.  

I also have a new Halloween painting to share that I finished last year and have been hanging onto it.  

Have you started decorating for fall?

Halloween Folk Art

I am ready for those little signs of fall to begin.   Pumpkins, brightly colored leaves, mums, sweater weather, and hot cider are a few of my favorite things.

Autumn has always been my favorite season and it's here and gone before you know it.  I want to take the time to fully embrace it this year.  

What is your favorite thing about fall?  Do you take the time to count your blessings or rush through the season?

These Shoes Could Do Some Talking

I'm sure you must think this story is about how many miles and the wonderful places theses shoes have taken me, but you would be mistaken.  These shoes were purchased just a few days ago while in the little town of Salida, CO while we were on vacation.  I had searched for just the exact pair of hiking shoes that would suit my feet because comfort is all I care about at this age.

Rick even snuck in a couple pair of $20 socks that he knew I'd never pay that kind of money for, but I have to admit that I love the stripes.  But, that's not the story either.

After leaving Murdoch's, a great store by the way,  I quickly put my new shoes on in the car before we got to Walmart in search of the butter we forgot to buy.  I kept hearing this clicking noise behind me with every step and looked down to see a the price tag hooked to the back of one shoe.  Rick saved me by the flick of his knife, slashing through the string of the tag.  Once we arrived back at the car I realized that everyone in the Salida, CO Walmart now knows my shoe size because the stickers stating my size (which I'm keeping to myself now) were still stuck on the toes of my new Keen hiking shoes.  As a young chick, I woul have been mortified and red faced.  At this age, it's good for a laugh!  In my defense I'm not used to buying shoes without boxes that are sitting on a shelf with tags stuck on the toes and the price attached to the loop on the back of one shoe.  

It appears that poor Rick is in for lots of good old belly laughs in our future!

Rainbow Lake Resort Vacation

Good Morning!

We've been gone on a wonderful relaxing trip to Colorado for several days.  This sweet little guy came up to our car on the street in Cripple Creek to greet us.  Such a friendly place!

We stayed at Rainbow Lake Resort in Buena Vista and this was our little oasis for the week.  See that beautiful lake beyond our cabin?  We could see the lake from the window behind our dining table.  I would open the curtains each morning and sit there with my coffee.  Occasionally I'd see an early riser with his fishing pole walking by my window and they would wave to me. 

I was busy fishing while Rick was cooking hamburgers and he snapped this image from our deck.  What a beautiful view to wake up to each day!

I love this place!  Life was going on around us and we were tucked away here with no phones, tv, or internet.

Who needs constant entertainment when you can have this?

We took a walk around the lake, watching out for the yellow, black bear that had been making an appearance at the resort.  I didn't know there was such a thing as a yellow, black bear.  We never saw him, but this is what the resort looks like from the other side of the lake.  Our cabin, Little Bear, was to the left of that red cabin and up the hill a little.

Sunset on the lake was amazing too!  This is the little cabin we reserved for next year.  It's a little bigger, much older and has actual logs.  It sits tucked in behind some birch trees and has a little pond with a creek running into it and the lake is in front of this pond.  Can't wait to return!  How was your week?