Art in Progress: Bon Vue

There is a little magic in this place; Santa Rosa Beach, Florida... and even a little more in this house, Bon Vue.(How can there not be magic in a place with a beach that looks like sugar?) That might explain why the clouds accidentally turned orange in my painting and the palm trees sprouted some especially colorful fronds. Oops. 

Bon Vue is available as a vacation rental & I love going here with my whole family. Santa Rosa Beach, Florida has quiet beaches & unobstructed views thanks to a city ordinance banning highrise buildings. It looks a bit like something out of a movie. It is 15-20 minutes from Destin if you want to go into town for shopping or entertainment. I also love Grayton Beach, which is a quirky little town about 10 minutes away on 30A.

I'm a sucker for a sunset

I do love the beach- for many reasons, but one of the best is the sunsets. The sunset over water in general makes me really happy, makes me quiet & makes me want to stop whatever I'm doing to watch the show. I'm a sucker for a sunset. I was lucky enough to see this one from a boat on a recent trip to the gulf coast. Check out the color changes in the clouds... makes my hands itch to paint!

  

Feature Art Friday: Tatum the beach bum

Lessons from Jimmy Buffett

 

Last Thursday night, I found myself in the middle of 14,000 adoring Jimmy Buffett fans at his concert in Little Rock, Arkansas. Miles from the nearest coast- although you couldn't guess that based on the sheer number of grass skirts, leis and coconut bras.  Here's the funny thing- even with such a large crowd, it felt like he was playing to a small group in a bar by a beach somewhere. It took a while to figure out how he was managing that & then it hit me. It felt so real because even alllllll the way at the other end of the arena, I could feel how much he loved what he was doing. I honestly think he might have been having just as much fun if he had been in a little bar by the beach & I couldn't help but wonder if he is one of those people who wakes up & laughs every day at the luck of getting to make a living all these years doing what he loves. It was the best concert I think I have ever attended- in part because I could feel it, not just hear it & see it.

 

I can't wait to have that feeling myself. (not sing, trust me- it is a public service that no one ever have to hear me sing.) I can't wait to make a living doing what I love. I don't know how & I don't know when but it's going to happen. Someday I'm going to look back at this & smile... when I'm making art & rescuing homeless dogs & cats... when I have a therapy dog I can take to nursing homes to make people smile. So thanks for the reminder, Jimmy Buffett... oh & the great concert too. 

As I was typing this blog post, Jimmy's song 'Here We Are' came on the radio... check out the lyrics...


Here we are 

Who would have thought this game, this flame would still be burning 
Who would have guessed that all these blenders would still be churning 
Not even we on our bended knees could have ever blessed it 
Not even I with my head in the sky could have ever guessed it 

But here we are, for a family reunion, costume barbeque 
All the black sheep, family outcasts, and a freak or two 

No the hat tricks and the gold bricks still don't have us down 
Still a party, we are the hearty when we come to town 
You're still grinning and we're still winning, nothing left to say 
I'm still gliding as I go flying down this endless wave 

And here we are, we're the offbeat Uncle Freds who spill their wine on you 
And the in-your-face Aunt Rachels with an attitude 
All the ones that use your bathroom then eat all your food 
We're the dreamy Deadheads who just like us and Dave Matthews 

Here we are, maybe it's because in spite of all the work we do 
It's the child in us we really value 
Here we are, with our fins up and our feathers flashing 
Here we are, with our coconut shell brassieres chanting 

Here we are 

sketchbook diary feb 26 - mar 3

Far and wide

Sunrise leaving Arkansas

Have you ever heard the saying “you get two families- the one you are given & the one you choose”? A member of my “chosen family” just did something very brave: she accepted an amazing job near the beach, which is her favorite place in the world. Here’s where the brave part comes in… she moved 19 hours from anyone she knows. I rode with her as she set off on her new adventure, with the clouds thinning & the temperature rising as we neared the coast.

What a difference a day makes... first Florida sunrise...

Prior to her departure, I heard people tell her repeatedly how brave she was & I heard her tell another good friend that she was a little scared. Her very wise friend pointed out something I hope I will always remember. She said, “Being brave doesn’t mean you can’t be scared… it just means that you are scared but do it anyway.”

I'm not sure what makes me happier, the palm tree or that beautiful sky.

A couple of years ago, this adventurous friend’s funny, smart, independent child announced, rather matter-of-factly that she would be going to college 17 hours away, where (you guessed it…) she knew no one. Not much doubt where she got that brave streak. I admire each of their willingness to make such huge life-changing decisions- it takes more self-trust than I consider myself capable of.  Each of their willingness to follow their dreams reminds me of this Diane Ackerman quote:

A heart-shaped seashell from the first trip to the beach. How cool is that?

“I don’t want to get to the end of life & find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.”

 So here's to all of you following your dreams... far and wide!

If you are lucky enough

If you are lucky enough, you will meet someone who will change your life; and that someone just might happen to have four legs and a furry coat. We fall madly in love with dogs and cats of all sizes and shapes, these amazing creatures we rescue, some with years of knowing and weariness in their eyes, others still new enough to this world that they carry with them that magical child-like optimism as they breathe puppy breath on you or “make biscuits” with their paws while purring a song for you. They may trust you immediately or not, but ultimately they will love you beyond measure.

If you are lucky enough, you will have the patience and do the work necessary to draw the terrified rescue dog from under the bed, or car, or house, one treat at a time. You will learn not to open the newspaper with a quick snap before you read it because the sound makes your seemingly tough rescue dog cower, remembering his life before you came along.

If you are lucky enough, the cat that showed up on your doorstep too sick to stand will always remember who saved him. He will rub his face on you every chance he gets, reminding you just exactly who owns whom.

And if you are really truly lucky, lucky enough to pick just the right day to go to the animal shelter, you will certainly meet someone who will change your life. You will show up on just the right day to pick out a border collie/cocker spaniel mix who got her beauty from the spaniel side and her brains from the collie side and she will be your very best friend. She will love you unconditionally and be thrilled to greet you every time you open the door.

She will chase ducks off your dock by the lake; sprinting down the stairs and out the dog door as if she has been shot out of a cannon- letting those ducks know they are not welcome on her dock. She will enjoy the lake and the sun and years later she will enjoy the beach and the Gulf, running out into the waves and chasing birds that might remind her a bit of those ducks on her dock years ago. She will roll in the sand while you laugh because at that moment she looks more like a powdered donut that the smartest dog on the planet.

On one very important day, she will wait expectantly at the door as you bring your miracle baby home from the hospital and she will spend the next nearly seven years dutifully guarding the child, because she inexplicably knows that child is part of YOU.

She will spend her whole life knowing that you believe you rescued her, when she has known the truth all along- it was really always the other way around…

if you were lucky enough.


Written for Mollie Bowden (1995-2011), and the people she owned- Gayla Bowden & Kat Crimmel.

Tank tops & flip flops

I love that teeny tiny little crooked palm tree in the middle. It lives on a private island in Mexico.

There are so many things to love about vacations… no alarm clock, no phone, no email, no meetings. Wearing shorts, tank tops & flip flops. Being in the sun, or on a beach. Experiencing new places & finding all sorts of creative inspiration. My hands itch with creative inspiration.

Want to know the funny thing? Guess what always seems to be one of my very favorite parts of vacation? Coming home. (Clearly there is something wrong with me.) It’s actually pretty simple… as much as I love all of the things I just mentioned & as much as they all make me smile, even as I sit here typing far away from the nearest beach, walking in the door to my own home makes me so happy.



I also loved the colorful houses we spotted from the catamaran, although
I spent most of the boat trip to the island staring at the water.

Mexico was beautiful & I have the feeling I’ll be incorporating a lot of blue in my art in the near future. The color of the water in Cozumel is absolutely mesmerizing. I’m still convinced that if you dipped a hard-boiled egg in that water it should come out looking like the most amazing Easter egg on the planet.

By the way, in my last post I mentioned a Feature Art Friday post featuring Ron Burgundy. Let’s just say there was a little calendaring mishap & the vacation was actually scheduled a day longer than I previously anticipated. Oops! Ron Burgundy & his ‘in progress’ photos will be featured this Friday. (I really mean it this time…)

Marcie Grace: the last of the beachbums

You can see the photo I used to paint this pet portrait on my website

Here is Marcie Grace, the last of the beach bums. I chose this group of paintings for the first round of ‘Feature Art Friday’ because I love the beach. I actually had a vacation scheduled for the gulf coast just before starting the blog, but it was canceled due to the oil spill. When I think of the effects that spill on the animals, and the environment, and the fishermen and an untold number of others, I still cringe. I’m happy that the recovery effort is still moving forward but I wish we could go back and erase the need for a recovery effort at all. The beach bum paintings reminded me of fond childhood memories from the beach so I put them first.

There is a conference in southern California in a few weeks and I am counting down the days. It is a work trip but no matter how long you have to sit in a conference just knowing that you can be at the beach in 15 minutes makes it feel a little like vacation. That and the palm trees… I can’t be in the presence of palm trees and feel like I’m at work…even if I am.

See? I wasn't kidding... this is 15 minutes from the conference hotel.

What is it about a large body of water that makes me feel so peaceful and centered? Even a lake has a very calming effect on me; I used to live right by a lake with friends, and I loved to sit on the dock in the evening and watch the sun make the world blush before dipping behind the trees. In the quiet that comes with night I could lie in my bed and listen to the water lapping at the sea wall. That was the most peaceful sleep.

The thought of sitting on the beach in California with sand between my toes and the sun on my face fills my mind and spills over into my heart.

A yorkie and a moped

She looks a little startled, doesn’t she?

Maybe it’s her first time on a moped… and an awesome pink one, at that.

Maybe she sees a Great Dane hurtling toward her on rollerblades.

Can you imagine?

That would startle anyone.

You can see the photo used to paint Gabby as well as other pet portraits I have painted here.

A poodle and a surfboard

Why the funny look?

What, you’ve never seen a poodle on a surf board?

This is Jett, another one of the beach bums commissioned by Charlotte.

In case you are wondering why my Friday art posts are all beach photos it’s because I am looking forward to a trip to San Diego in a few weeks.

You can see more of the pet portraits I have painted here.

Wesley: A yorkie, a palm tree and decision-making envy

I met the person owned by Rosieday in the parking lot of an art supply store to deliver the completed art. It didn’t surprise me that Lili drove a teeny tiny convertible because she loves the beach, and I immediately had a mental image of Rosieday in the passenger seat (buckled in, of course), with the top down. Maybe on the Pacific Coast Highway, miles away from a rainy parking lot in Arkansas. Lili reported that she was taking the pet portrait immediately to show her friend Charlotte… who loves the beach as much as Lili and, as I soon learned is clearly a very well-organized dog person.

By the time I made it home with a load of canvas an hour later, I had an email from Charlotte inquiring about commissions for a Christmas gift. She not only attached photos of each dog, but she also knew exactly what she wanted each dog doing in each painting.

In less than one hour, Charlotte found her favorite photo of each of the dogs, looked at my website, decided on sizes, chose backgrounds, decided what each dog should be doing and emailed me.

Did I mention that there were 4 dogs?

I am still somewhat astounded at her ability to make such quick artistic decisions, or any decisions for that matter. Seriously. I’m overwhelmed when I have more than three options for anything, including what to order for dinner in a new restaurant. You should have seen me when it was time to buy a house. Charlotte clearly has my respect with her snap decision-making on the art.

I think I hear the Jimmy Buffett music cranking up again.

Back to the art supply store for more canvas.

To see a photo of the pets featured on my blog or other pet portraits, please go to my Meow Bark Art website.

Rosieday the Beachbum

This pet portrait was commissioned last November as a birthday gift by a self-described procrastinator.

If I remember correctly, I had less than two weeks to complete the painting.

When I saw the photo of the dog and Lili suggested a beach-themed background I couldn’t say no...how often does one get an opportunity to paint an Old English Sheepdog on the beach?

Anyone else have Jimmy Buffett music playing in your head? Just me? Ok...