My Prissy Cup of Coffee -SOLD

I am submitting this to the tea cup challenge for this week on DPW.  My husband and I are living out one of our "bucket list" items by living at the beach this month and I have the most wonderful studio located on the third floor of our house.  It is called the Eagles Nest, it has wonderful light all around, it is equipped with two couches, a daybed, a covered porch, small kitchenette and bathroom.  I am in love!  I am painting, painting and painting.  I have several commissions to complete (I am so honored) and I painted this little coffee cup to warm up for the tasks.  In the mornings, I bring my coffee to the studio and read my devotional before starting the day after a walk on the beach.  Yes, it is a dream come true.

Even with all this - I find I cannot get completely satisfied with anything I am painting so today my goal is to relax and stop trying.     Today I am going to try and paint with limited strokes and limited "thinking" about what I am trying to convey.  That is when magic happens.

Wedding Bells at Sloss Furnace - GIFT

Sloss Furnaces produced iron for nearly 90 years and is now interpreted as a national historic industrial site. The dramatic scale and complexity of the plant's industrial structure, machines and tools make the Sloss collection a unique contribution to the ironmaking technology of the past.  It is an important reminder of the hopes and struggles of the people who worked in the industries that made some men wealthy in Birmingham, Alabama and contributed to creating the "Magic City". 

Today Sloss Furnaces is a unique place to have a wedding or other event.  It has six unique rental areas and each one offers the opportunity for a one-of-a-kind, memorable event.

The lovely daughter of some long time friends, Jodi Messer,  will be marrying Sean Mabry this summer.  Their wedding will take place at Sloss Furnaces and she asked if I could paint a picture for a keepsake that she could also display at the wedding.  

Congratulations Jodi and Sean!!

I Am Right Beside You - Gifted

I am very thankful for all of those people who have purchased my art this year and the wonderful comments and support I have received.  This has been a big year for me, I retired from a wonderful job where I felt I could make a difference in the health of mothers and babies and to travel all over the country and work with some of the best co-workers in all of healthcare.  Now I am blessed to be able to concentrate on my art full time and hopefully make a difference in someone's life with my art.    I have been able to study with some exceptional artists and develop my own style and technique, sometimes "dreaming" the painting.  One of my friends called me "Ms. Peaceful" this week....I think she was right.  

"I Am Right Beside You"  is a gift to one of my customers.  She purchased my male cardinal, "I Am Right Here" along with several other paintings and I just felt this little female needed to be with her partner painting.  Merry Christmas Deb!

My Lifesong Sings - SOLD

Again I want to mention Rodney Campbell.  Rodney is a photographer out of Oxford, Michigan.  Every time I see one of Rodney's bird photos I am aware that he communicates with them in some way.  They allow him to capture the most expressive moments, as if they are saying, "I know secrets about nature, weather and living that you do not know."  

Rodney is also gracious to share his photos for artists to paint which is a gift.  You might want to see more of his amazing work and you can find it here - he is also on Facebook.

http://www.morguefile.com/creative/acrylicartist

 I have said over and over again I would never paint on burlap canvas again because it is so hard to do.  You have to plan in advance every stroke and color and how you want it to lay on the material because once it is there the canvas soaks it in and there is not much room for error.  But when Rodney posted this little cardinal I told him I had to paint him and then I listened very closely and the cardinal told me how to paint him.  When he said, "burlap", I said "OK" because I know he knows secrets that I do not.  

P.S.  The name came from the song I am playing while painting by Casting Crowns. "And Now My Lifesong Sings"

Framed - NFS

I rarely ever paint for a frame but I found this frame at some quaint little shop on one of my many trips with my previous job and I loved it.  I then took a picture of some flowers on display in a flower shop and I think they were made for each other.  There is a part of me that wants to keep this for myself because it works so well with my colors so I think I will.

A Good Man - GIFTED

I have heard it said that a good man is hard to find.  Well in the spirit of Christmas, this man is free.  He is a 6" x 6" oil on gessobord and I will give him away to someone from my Facebook page.  Just visit Marcia Hodges, Artist on Facebook and share the picture and then write "share" under the photo.  I will draw the winner on Thursday, December 17 and post that page at 8:00 p.m. CST that night.

Merry Christmas!

A. Cook for Lynn - SOLD

What a sweetie!

Simply - SOLD

This is my wreath for Christmas.  I want to keep it and the whole season simple.  I want to enjoy every grandchild's smile, every pecan pie, every Christmas story and every moment without distraction from what is really important in my life.

Little Angel Boy - SOLD

I have been spending some wonderful times with my little grandsons so I guess I have "little angel boys" on my mind.  The model for this painting was actually a doll that is an angel.  I know those of you who paint will understand this but this painting was just in my head just waiting around to come out onto the canvas.  I still find it very hard to capture exact color on digital pictures so the colors are a little off from the original painting - usually the people who buy my art tell me that they love the painting "in person" even more than the representation on the computer screen.    I am very happy about that but I sure which I could the color more exact.

Enough about that --I hope all of your enjoy your angels this season - even if you do not have kids or grandkids.....you have an angel hovering about.

Santa Checking His List Again - SOLD

Santa, Santa, Santa......he is checking and rechecking

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree - SOLD

I had so much fun last night and this morning.  I had 3 little four year old boys spend the night.  We have gone to the park, played baseball, played Go Fishin', ate graham crackers, ice cream sandwiches, watched Paw Patrol and Alvin and the Chipmunks, painted and talked a lot about the Christmas tree and every ornament.  There is a story for each ornament and they want to know them all ----some of them really don't have a story but they do now.  These little guys make Christmas so special.  I did have to talk to my daughter about her son though, he is a little confused - not only was baby Jesus in my manger but also baby Moses?

Innocence - SOLD

This little girl captures innocence to me and that has been on my mind a lot this week with all the terrible problems of terrorism we have seen this in the news.  This morning on the Today show,  I saw a interview with a young child who was describing how his teacher taught his class to respond if a "bad person" came into their school.  This breaks my heart that children have to even think about that as a possibility.  My prayer this season is for Peace on Earth.

The reference photo for this painting came from a wonderful photographer, Jim Little.  This is actually his little granddaughter, Evie.  Jim Little's Photography can be found at 

http://www.jimlittlephotography.com

Jim has years of experience and is an artist of photography.  I am lucky because his daughter is married to my son so I get the advantage of wonderful photos of my grand children.  Check him out!

Angel Friends

Today I worked on something totally different.  I rarely ever paint with acrylics but since I have been taking a class from Chantel Barber I have become interested in them again.  Today I worked on a group of angel friends and experimented.  I am meeting an old friend for lunch tomorrow and she and I lost a dear friend last year....we were good friends for many years.  I wanted to bring her a gift and because my oils take forever to dry - I thought I would use acrylics.  I hope she likes it. 

There are a couple of things I would have changed about this painting and if I had painted with oils I think I could have done them but with acrylics it is a little more of a challenge for me.  I think you have to wipe them down to the canvas and "redo".  I have to spend a little more time with acrylics.

I'll Be Back-SOLD

Today I cleaned up my flowers in my yard, cut back my knock out roses and generally cleaned up the plants that have died for the winter.  I washed and packed up y hummingbird feeder several weeks ago.  They seem to leave around the first week or so of October.  I love this time of year but I realize I look forward to flowers and everything turning green again and the hummingbirds returning. 

I read that they are known as hummingbirds because of the humming sound created by their beating wings which flap at high frequencies audible to humans.  they hover in mid-air at rapid wing-flapping rates, typically around 50 times per second, allowing them also to fly at speeds exceeding 15 m/s (54 km/h; 34 mph), backwards.  Their heart rate can reach as high as 1,260 beats per minute and they have a breathing rate of 2560 breaths per minute, even at rest.  During flight, oxygen consumption per gram of muscle tissue in a hummingbird is about 10 times higher than that seen for elite human athletes.

They have the highest metabolism of any homeothermic animal.  To conserve energy when food is scarce and nightly when not foraging, they go into torpor, a state similar to hibernation showing metabolic rate to 1/15th of its normal rate. 

This is a 6" x 6" on gallery wrapped canvas.

Hello - SOLD

I really like this Robin and think she would look good on my wall.  It is amazing to me how some paintings just appear out of paint and knife and brush.  It is a mystery - like the subject wants to be created.  This is the second little bird in my series of gallery wrapped bird portraits.  This is a 6" x 6" gallery wrapped canvas.  

Kingfisher -,SOLD

I am completing a series of birds painted with the palette knife.  I am enjoying the way the paint can be moved about with the knife and I love the texture.  The paint is thicker than I normally have on a canvas so the drying time if longer but the effect is nice.  These little birds are 6" x 6" pm gallery wrapped canvas.  That simply means that the sides are 1 1/2" deep and they are painted so the painting does not require a frame unless you just want to frame it.  Recently someone did purchase one of my gallery wrapped birds and did frame him in a wonderful frame.  I am including that here as an example of how they an be framed.

I AM RIGHT HERE - SOLD

Today I decided to complete a Cardinal "portrait" using the palette knife only.  It is a challenge to paint with only a knife but I love the texture.  

This is a 6" x 6" oil on board.

Love Birds - Redbirds - SOLD

A couple more redbirds that showed up.

Heavenly Messengers - SOLD

It is said that cardinals symbolize hope, joy, health, rejuvenation and celebration. There are also those who believe that when a cardinal appears then an angel is near. The male is the most colorful one of the couple. Both male and female sing all year round. It is through a song that females sing from their nest that informs the male when to bring food. The pair shares some melodic phrases but the female has a more elaborate song, which is unusual in singing birds. The melody is pleasant and it resembles a whistle, but sometimes they make more mechanical “clinks”. As cardinals do not seem to need a lot of sleep, you may hear them singing in the morning well before sunrise.  Cardinals are good parents. The male cardinal shares in the duties of parenthood with his mate, feeding and caring for the mother during and after incubation. His fatherly instincts direct him to protect and care for the mother and babies until they are safely out of the nest. Young cardinals frequently follow their parents on the ground for several days after leaving the nest. They tend to remain with their parents until they are able to find food on their own. 


It is interesting to note that while the male is caring for his family his bright red color will change to a duller shade of brown and his appearance will be more like that of his female counterpart. This transformation of color occurs as a camouflage helping him to fulfill his duties as a dedicated parent. http://www.thecardinalexperience.com

Northern cardinals appear to have a longer-lasting marriage than most songbirds. During winter, the two are not very nice to each other, but come spring, the male’s fancy takes a new direction. Instead of chasing the female away from the bird feeder, as he did all winter, he offers her a sunflower seed and the courtship starts again. Whether they are the same male and female as last spring, we can’t be sure, but most of us would like to think so. After all, it’s nice to have the ending, “and they lived happily ever after.”

http://www.birdsandblooms.com/birding/birding-basics/birds-mate-life

The reference for these two again came from Rodney Campbell.  

This is an 8" x 10" on stretched linen.  $100 + $5 shipping...email me if interested in giving this couple a home.  paintingbythelake@gmail.com

Time to Come In

Another study from my class.  One of the members of the class told me this looked like the early evening light after the sun has dipped pas the horizon and the little girl has been told "it is time to come inside".  I have really enjoyed painting several portraits these past couple of weeks as I have been taking Chantel Barbers class.  She is an excellent teacher and provides valuable critiques to learn from.  Visit her website if you would like to consider her class.  It is well worth it.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/476081

Chantel Barber Class

These pasts two weeks I have been on a quest.  Several of my artists friends suggested I take a course with Chantel Barber because they said we painted in a similar fashion.  Well I hope so because Chantel is a wonderful artist.  She uses acrylics is a masterful way and creates wonderful loose renditions  of portraits and other figurative works.  The class I am taking is a four week class and it is online so I have the advantage of painting when I find the time.  I have already learned so much from her - she is an excellent teacher and provides many learning opportunities related to our specific assignments and her critiques of those.  If you would like to see more of her work please visit her website at http://www.chantelsoriginals.com/home.html

The second part of my quest has been to read books that I have not been able to read with my past traveling schedule so I am engrossed in one this week suggested by my dear friend Susanne.  The book is entitled A Million Little Ways by Emily Freeman.  The secondary title is "uncover the art you were made to live".  The book is so inspiring and not only to artists who paint or sing or dance but it inspires everyone to find the "art" in them - to consider our deeper desires - those things that make us come alive.  One of the quotes at the beginning of chapter one is by Seth Godin and says, "Art is when we do work that matters in a creative way, in a way that touches (people) and changes them for the better."   I love that and hope in some small way my art (which happens to be painting) does that.

Below are two of the paintings I did this week:

Jonathan

She Speaks to Angels

Friends and Flower Pots - SOLD

In case you haven't noticed, I am painting like a mad woman.  I recently retired and have attended two weeks of art instruction from two separate artists.  Each artist will tell you that it takes painting miles of canvas to get better and I am knocking out some miles these days.  I even dream in color!  I had lunch with a friend recently and we found the cutest little colorful pots on sale and I thought they would be great for setups for still life painting.  I am not sure why I even thought that as I do not even like to paint still life but I wanted to "branch out" and get some miles.  I added a few pink gerber daisies, set up the still life and got started and hated it!  Then I remembered a technique taught by a fellow artist, Julie Oliver.  The technique is called Fracturing.  Julie uses a palette knife and a little squeegie tool to complete the process.  It takes longer to paint the painting but I love the results.  As she states, it creates an active surface. You can order a short video on her site that describes the technique and she will instruct you on how to create the simple tool.  If you have any questions email me and I will try to help as well.

If you would like to see more of Julie's wonderful work visit her website here  http://www.juliefordoliver.com

Hello Kitty - SOLD

There is a photographer on Paint My Photo that has some very good photos for reference for animals and her name is Janruss.  This was a cat she has named as All Eyes and I was drawn to those eyes.  I love to watch cats and am amazed at their cunning natures.  I do feel they have the most expressive eyes and they make me wonder what are they thinking.  This little painting is for all the cat lovers out there ---you probably know what they are thinking.

Hovering - SOLD

It makes me sad every year for the hummingbirds to leave.  This year especially because I moved to a new home and I felt that I had left old friends at my lake house and finally after a month or so of filling my feeder every couple of days, they came.  I love watching them even when they fight.

Still Life

This week I painted with an awesome group of ladies from Rome, Georgia and with artist, Guido Frick.  Guido is from Germany and is an impressionistic artist whose mentor was Sergei Bogart.  He paints with a very loose, colorful style that is very unique.  Everyday the class took place outdoors and Guido's speciality is Plein Air painting.  The very first day we painted a still life and even that was set up outdoors.  I found him to be a very generous artist, one who shares freely and is able to give constructive, individualized critiques.  I would highly recommend his class.  If you would like to see more of his work visit his website at guidofrick.com

Cruze - SOLD

This little family has the cutest kids ever and I am so honored when asked to paint one of them.  This little boy has a spark in his eyes that makes you think he is full of life.  Recently when I met him he even said to me, "I am a mess".  His family is anxiously waiting for their brother to join their family from Haiti and I find myself praying while painting for the arrival to be soon.

My Bouquet

This was another painting from the Art Colony from last week. This painting was completed entirely with a palette knife. I love using the knife as it gives a completely different look and texture to paintings that I respond to. This is a 9" x 11" oil on canvas. 

 Next week I am off to Rome, Georgia to study with Guido Frick. The German-born painter, lives half of the year in Europe and travels the other half almost exclusively through America´s western states. I am fortunate that he will be in the South and I can study with him. In the early 1980´s he met with famous instructor and painter Sergei Bongart, and still considers this encounter as the most influential experience he has ever had as a painter. I look forward to studying with him as I love his work and that of Bongart. If you would like to see more of his work visit his website GuidoFrick.com

Reflecting

I was so drawn to this reference photo by Jane Ann Robertson that I wanted to paint these two pelicans.  I love the bright color of the water but I must tell you that some blues will take over your palette, your clothes, your hands, your brushes and anything else in close proximity.

Lauren

This was actually my personal favorite painting from my week at the Sarah Towery Art Colony.  We had a beautiful model in a white dress sitting outside on a wall near the lake.  We had approximately 2 hours to complete the painting.  I like the white area left on the canvas board.  Sometimes I really do not feel the entire canvas needs to be covered to have a finished painting.  This is very impressionistic but I felt I was able to say what I wanted to.

The Blue Cup

This was a still life completed at the Art Colony.  I do not paint still lifes very often but I liked this one.  My favorite time of morning is when I sit down with my coffee.  Again, Julee helped me here as she assisted us in cropping our scene noting that you do not have to include everything you see.  Interesting concept - one that adds interest to me.

Alice - SOLD

 The second day of the Art Colony we had two lovely models.  This is Alice, a beautiful young lady who was an excellent model.  For me the hard part of portraits is the balance between "saying too much" and saying "just enough".  Julee was excellent at instructing us how to give the viewer enough information without painting details to eyes, lips, etc. that take away from the finished portrait.  The portrait can become outlined and stiff.  I have studied and painted and painted to try and perfect a looser, more impressionistic approach to my portraits.  I was pleased with my Alice.

Flowers for a Friend -SOLD

 

Sarah Towery Art Colony - I have been studying all week with a wonderful, giving, artist ---Julee Hutchison.  Check out her work at JuleeHutchison.com    Julee is one of those artists who instructs with years of wisdom and she possesses the ability to "hone in" on the needs of each artist she is instructing.  Her work is amazing and she has the ability to speak volumes with her paintings with limited strokes that are calculated and meaningful.  I have attended the colony for 11 years and found this year to be the most rewarding.  I painted with 20 other artists that I feel privileged to know and learn from.  Expect to see more here!   Thanks for visiting. 

Sweet Dreams - SOLD

I recently painted a little girl from Uganda and Kelly Anne Lee contacted me.  Kelly  works for a non-profit in Birmingham, AL called Sozo Children. They have four children's homes in Uganda where they care for 80 children.  They also have a store where you can purchase items from Uganda and also recycled items.  All proceeds help their organization.  Those of you who live in Birmingham consider visiting - it is located in the old Mazer building at 4 41st Street S. Birmingham, AL 35222.

Kelly is especially close to this little guy and me to paint this picture...he looks very comfortable in her arms.  Thank you Kelly.

Bama - SOLD

 To be fair to my Alabama friends, I painted this elephant in time for football season.  Those of you who know me know that my husband is a huge Auburn fan and he has even trained our children and grandchildren to follow in his footsteps.  No one around my house seemed impressed with an elephant only the tiger I painted earlier.

If you would like to give Bama a home you can email me at paintingbythelake@gmail.com

Bo - SOLD

The family I love goes crazy at football time...they even have the days counted down until the first game.   They are all Auburn fans.  Today I finished this tiger painting and asked my husband and son to name it.  Both of them simultaneously said, "Bo".  I told them that name made no sense to me at all but they assured me any good Auburn fan would understand.  Hope so!

6" x 6" on art board  $50  - you can email me at paintingbythelake@gmail.com if interested in "Bo"

Three's Company - SOLD

This week the challenge was to paint cows.  I have wanted to try this for a long time but really do not feel very confident painting an animal that I have never tried before. I decided to try a little different technique with the background and I found that I really like painting cows.  I do admit I feel slightly guilty because we had hamburgers on the grill last night.

Courage - SOLD

Courage was a very special dog to someone.  His owner took him everywhere and even dressed him up on occasion.  I painted this commission for his owner as a gift from her niece.  I am thrilled when someone would ask me to take part in the creating of a special gift.  Thank you Jennifer!

Beach Buds - SOLD

 One of my sweet friends just returned from spending 3 months in Costa Rica.  Her Lab, Bella got to enjoy the experience also and quickly met a good friend to hang out at the beach with.  This is a picture of those two enjoying some beach time after a jog.  Thanks Jenna for the picture!

This is a 6" x 6" oil on gessoboard.  If you are enterested you can purchase on ebay at http://www.ebay.com/itm/111746496891?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Last Day of Summer

This is a little 5" x 7" on panel that is a submission for the Daily Paintworks Challenge, the Seaside Challenge.  The photo reference is one of my granddaughter and I love the muted tones.  I want to paint a larger version so this little panel was a good warm up.  This painting is $40.  You can email me at paintingbythelake@gmail.com

Cousins and Snakes - NFS

These two little guys were watching a snake - they are the grandchildren of a dear friend.  She gave me a photo for reference and told me it was one of her favorites of these two little cousins.  I love painting children - they remind me of how life should always be full of wonder, excitement and love.  However, I can do without the snakes.

Mom's Favorites - SOLD

 

There is great honor in having a friend who has purchased a painting in the past to ask you to paint another for her especially since this one is of her Mom's favorite flowers.  I sincerely try to "feel" what the person feels when looking at a particular subject.  I found this very moving to paint with the thoughts of what a special relationship this Mother and Daughter shared. 

God's Dinner Table- SOLD

I have a friend, Rodney Campbell who I have mentioned here before who is a fantastic photographer.  Rodney recently sent me one of his photos to paint.  I love the way he captured the hummingbird and the little bumble bee in the same shot and the colors are wonderful.  His photo is a brighter green - I toned the green down and then realized this painting would work really well in my house :)

Art class with Casey Baugh

I am in Woodstock Georgia this week taking a portrait class with Casey Baugh.  I have loved the teaching style of this young man.  His work is amazing and his philosophy of painting is like none I have every known.  He changes EVERYTHING that I have previously learned and I think I have always known in my heart that the way to a great painting is to listen to your "gut" not rules.  He gives wonderful advice about the most important things to remember and of course, number 1 on his list is what you find on most ---Value - Value - Value.....get that right and everything else will follow.  We are painting from models in the studio and he dedicates individual time to each student.  There are some amazing artists painting with me.   Casey told us he is taking time off from teaching for the next couple of years to dedicate time to his painting.  I am so glad to have gotten in to this class.

Little White Church

This weekend my husband and I traveled back in time. He had the privilege of conducting the funeral of a long time friend, Jack Pettus. We have known Jack and his family for over 35 years. We first met when my husband, Audie was assigned as the Pastor to Jack's little church in an area we would call "the country". We had both grown up as "city slickers" and we were amazed at the way a little town can remain simple, laid back, family focused and where church is the center of the community. Audie asked me on the way to the church what I remembered most about Jack.....that was so easy....I usually saw Jack every year at the United Methodist Church annual conference. Jack always threw his arms around me and told me he loved me and how he thought I was beautiful. Wow ----that would make anyone feel great and it sure worked for me! I told Audie that Jack and I had a special relationship. Well during the funeral everyone had a chance to share memories of Jack. Guess what? EVERY single person from young adults to big, strong, manly men to older (even older than me) individuals said the same thing! Jack always hugged everyone and told them he loved them and they were special. The stories were amazing how that simple act had actually changed some lives and helped some feel special when nothing else did. This was not just a recent event..these acts of kindness from Jack spanned at least 35 years that I know of. I cannot get this legacy off my mind. Jack knew a secret - love is the most important gift anyone can give to another person.

20" x 24" on stretched canvas - acrylic  $200 + $12 shipping and handling 
You can purchase here:
 http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/marcia-hodges/little-white-church/372531

Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay. -SOLD

I have had a couple of requests for Pelicans.. this guy has been on my radar for a while now.  I found a reference photo by Robyn Lovelock - she is a wonderful photographer and artist and she freely shares her photography with other artists.  I used the colorful beak and breast to help me create the background color.  

Touchdown - SOLD

This is a swan splashing around in the lake.  I entitled it "Touchdown".  I spend so much time on airplanes and experiencing touchdowns that I had that on my mind when I painted this one for the weekly challenge to paint "splashing".  I was actually unsure if swans could fly but guess what?  Swans that are seen around marshes, lakes and ponds can actually fly only 60 days after hatching.
This is painted on 6" x 6" board.  I really like the way the paint lays on these boards and I really cannot get an adequate picture but the painting is always so much better "in person".

Little Red Haired Angel

"Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it."  Hebrews 13:2

I want to start a series of paintings of angels.  I had a beautiful friend pose for me a while back to help me create the paintings and I am just now settling in to get started.    This little girl's sweet face inspired me so I wanted her to be my first.    Next month I will be studying with Casey Baugh.  Baugh's work can be described as narrative impressionistic realism. His series and exhibits are thematic and he uses his art to narrate.  I find his style so appealing and consider him one of my favorite artists.   His work can be found at  http://www.caseybaughfineart.com

I am very excited to be a part of his class and wanted to get a headstart on some portraits prior to class.

Little Beach Beauty - SOLD

 I love, love watching children, especially at the beach.  This little girl happens to be the granddaughter of a new friend who asked me to paint this for her from a photo she had.  I loved the finished product (can you say that if you are the artist?).  Anyway,  I feel blessed that it turned out so well and I loved it so that I made cards from it and send those out with my paintings that are sold.  There are a couple of things I like - the little muffin top that is over her diaper, the hat (of course), her pose and the way she is looking out at the ocean.  This week I am submitting this to the "Shadow Challenge".  Shadows are tricky to paint.  The large hat cast a shadow on her upper body in a nice way.  I would love to be at the beach with this little beauty.