It Was Love at First Sight - SOLD

 14" x 11" oil on Linen panel

Mr. Snowman - SOLD

 

Sweet Angel Kisses - SOLD

 I absolutely love seeing a sleeping baby.

MaMa and Her Boys - SOLD

 

I have been asked to speak at our church this Sunday for Mother's Day and during the preparation for this talk I have been reminiscing about the experiences I have had as a Mother.  I remember all the joy, laughter, tears and frustrations of raising children.  Today I am so thankful for the amazing adults my children have become.  Time really does fly I realized when painting this picture of a Mom and her boys.

Three Little Pigs - SOLD

 

Sandra's Roses - Gifted

 

Chloe - SOLD

 

For God So Loved - SOLD

 

Little Rosa

 8" x 8" acrylic on paper mounted on wooden canvas

$200

Yesterday my husband and I were in the city of Tuskegee, Alabama and we drove down Rosa Park Avenue.  I realized what courage she had to have to be such an activist in the civil rights movement.  I am taking a painting course that relies on intuitive painting.  In other words, painting, making marks and using the process of taking away as well as adding to allow the paint speak to you as you are painting.  When this little girl appeared I felt she had the look of determination in her eye that she would come to understand even more fully as she grew up.  I found this quote of Rosa Parks that I loved that seemed to say what this little girl was saying, "I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear".

Today when my dog, Max and I were walking around the lake I found several items to paint with. I use sweet gum balls, air moss and sticks to create unique marks with.  I came upon the most wonderful stick that had moss and other things growing on it.  the colors were wonderful and I decided to bring it home and use the colors in my painting.  

My Big Brother - SOLD

 I loved painting this portrait of a little sister and her big brother.  The curls on the little girl made me smile and the look of slight embarrassment on the face of the big brother.  He looks like he really did not want to play "house" with her but he would do anything to make her happy.  She was his baby sister after all.

Just Passing Through - NFS

When I walk around our small neighborhood lake with Max, (my dog) we see this beautiful white bird.  I am not sure if he is a heron or an egret but from what I can research on the internet, I believe he is an egret.  He is alone and he stands in the weeds very close to the edge of the lake.  When Max and I walk almost close enough to get a good picture he flies to the opposite side of the lake.   We walk all the way to that side and he then turns and flies back as if we are some sort of threat.  I so wanted to get a close up shot of him but obviously that was not going to happen so I had to paint this from a very small photo.  It did bring to mind another time when I was questioned to be a threat.  Why I thought of this, I have no idea. Several years ago when I was still working, I was scheduled to speak to a group of nurses in Cincinnati with my job.  I was to meet one of the salesmen I worked with and speak the next day at an event.  The salesman asked me to attend a baseball game the night we arrived with the group.  The Indians were playing the Tigers.  I am not really a sports fan, even though I am married to a major Auburn fan.  I tried to beg off from the game but my friend told me it was really not about the game as much as socializing with the group.  So......I went.  We had great seats and I actually liked watching the game.  

The next morning in the lobby of the Marriott I was waiting for my ride to the event.  A nice man came up to me and asked where I was from.  I told him I was visiting from Alabama and I had come with a group from my work to Cincinnati and it was my first visit there and I had also just attended my first baseball game.  I told him my group and I had cheered the Indians on to a win over the Tigers! The man's smile faded a little and he said, "It is nice to meet you.  I am Jim Leyland, manager of the Tigers".  I told him I was sorry and hoped today would be a better day for him. . A big, big man who was obviously taking care of Mr. Leyland,  came up to me during this conversation and appeared to be frustrated that I was talking to Mr. Leyland.  Mr. Leyland explained to the man that he had approached me not the other way around.  I felt like the man saw me as some sort of threat which is hilarious since I did not even know who the Tigers were until the day before.

Sometimes we can be misunderstood and sometimes we misunderstand.  I have found the older  I get I have learned that there are times when I might think things are a certain way but I am wrong.  I think I know what someone else is thinking or what their intentions are but  I jumped to a conclusion that was not correct.  I am trying to stop doing that.  Not every perceived threat is real.  I hope the Egret can see that too and let me get a little closer next time.

The Little Princess - SOLD

 

My Love - SOLD

Thumpin' is Going On - SOLD

 10" x 20" on deep sided canvas - sides painted pink

Buddy Jack - SOLD

 This is Buddy Jack and he is loved by his Mom and Grandmother.  Those of us who love our animals are so aware of the joy and companionship they bring to us.  Recently my daughter told me if I posted one more picture of my dog, Max on social media she was going to have me committed to a home!  I told her people post pictures of their children all the time and Max is her brother.

Penelope and Cleo - SOLD

 

I Love You Moo - SOLD

8" x 8" 

oil on linen

$125

 The reference photo for this painting came from Tricia Pegg, a great photographer.

https://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/marcia-hodges/i-love-you-moo/859735

The Beach Boys - SOLD

 Sometimes having a brother is better than having a Super Hero.

A Beacon of Hope - SOLD

 I am always amazed at how God brings people into our lives that we never would have met except for that moment when we were sitting in a meeting together and started talking and felt an immediate connection.  Our ages were way different, in fact I could have been her mother but we connected over a similar circumstance where we understood each other's pain.  She was a college student and I lived in a nearby city so we started visiting.  Virginia came to hang out with me on my pier at the lake and I got to appreciate the unique young woman she would become.  Several years have passed now and she is married, has a beautiful little daughter and has a dream.  She and her husband share the same focus.....to be a Beacon of Hope to the world and I know she was always destined for that calling.

Motherhood - SOLD

14" x 11" on deep canvas (sides are 1 1/2" and painted)

 

If you are a mother or grandmother you might have read the book entitled, Love You Forever by Robert Munsch.  The little children's book is about a young mother who holds her newborn son and looks at him lovingly.  She sings to him:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I' living

my baby you'll be.

It is about the enduring nature of a parents' love and how it crosses generations.  I have found this to be true.  Today my 44 year old little boy came over to help move some furniture for me.  We sat and talked and shared a couple of moments.  I no longer see him as "my baby" but I do love him and I am so thankful and proud of the husband, father and son that he is.  I will love him forever.

Me and Dad - SOLD

Recently my husband told me about a particular day at the beach from many years ago when our children were small.  He said it was a beautiful, sunny day.  We had all of our kids with us and the day was perfect.  We laughed and played on the beach and went home and watched a movie and everyone was tired but content.   He could remember it like it happened yesterday. It is amazing how particular experiences stay in our mind and we can recall them even down to the last detail.  This young lady is about to go off to college but I bet she can remember this day with her Dad and the way the sun was shining and the way she felt safe just holding his hand.   My prayer is that she will always feel that love and remember that moment when everything seemed right with the world just holding his hand.

Sassy CiCe - SOLD

 

Three Gifts and the Sea - SOLD

The peacefulness found in sitting by the water with my two best friends.

She Kissed the Face of God - SOLD

 I love the song, "Mary Did You Know?"  I have been listening to Carrie Underwood's new Christmas album and that song in particular stands out. One verse says, "when you kiss your little baby, you've kissed the face of God."  It is a different kind of Christmas this year but the first Christmas story is still the same.....".the sleeping child you are holding is the Great I Am."

Marabel - SOLD

 

The Sandhill Cranes - SOLD

 I have fallen in love with sandhill cranes.  When reading about them, I discovered that they raise one brood per year and both members of a breeding pair build the nest using plant material from the surrounding area.  The female lays one to three eggs and then both parents incubate the eggs for about 30 days.  

Special Santa - Sold

 

It's Mine - NFS

Cats make me smile.  I am allergic to them so I don't pick them up even when I want to but I do think I speak their language.  They say so much with their eyes.  

I would like to credit a wonderful photographer for the picture of her cat, Sandrine Puisais Pastelliste.

He Leads Me By The Still Waters - SOLD

 

Now I Am Found - SOLD

 

Geronimo - SOLD

 These fun times are what life is really all about.

Everything is Just Ducky - SOLD

The relationship between a child and an animal is special.  They receive unconditional love, affection and loyalty.  This little guy has gone the extra mile with his ducks.  He has taken on the responsibility of caring for them.  He has a duck condo where they can go to get out of the weather or feel secure.  He feeds them, cares for them and gives them attention to make them feel special not expecting a lot in return.  We can learn a lot from a child's heart.

Beach Boy - SOLD

 Some of my favorite memories are right here.

Magic- Sold

10" x 20" acrylic on deep sided canvas

For all of you artists out there I have found Magic! There is a little lady in my church who crochets these amazing little pieces out of a coarse, plastic type of material. They are originally used as scrubbers for your dishes during washing but they are wonderful for getting paint off your hands, brushes, floors, tools, etc. I teach my little grandchildren art every week and it can really get messy around here. I tell them to go get the magic and the paint comes right off. If any of you are interested I have a picture below and they are $7 for two. You can email me and I will get them to you.   paintingbythelake@gmail.com 

A Daydream -Sold

10" x 8" acrylic on linen stretched canvas

Sometimes I dream in color.

Me and You and Our Life We Love - SOLD

 

Alive! - SOLD

16" x 20"

Heartsong - SOLD

 I listen to a lot of podcasts when I am walking.  One particular podcast by The Oprah Winfrey Show dated October 19, 2001 was entitled, "How Does That Feel?"  The show focused on an interview with Oprah talking to Mattie Stephanek, an 11 year old boy who had muscular dystrophy. 

His goal in life was to be a peacemaker .  He wrote several books of poetry that he described as "Heartsongs".  The wisdom this little guy possessed touched my heart.  I just cried listening to him describe his life and his philosophy.  You can google his quotes and I think you will agree that he was full of wisdom much greater than his age.  I have included a couple of his quotes here:

"A heart song doesn't have to be a song in your heart.  It doesn't have to be talking about love and peace.  It can just be your message.  It can be your feeling.  Some people might even call it a conscience, even though that's not really what it is.  It's your message, what you feel like you need to do."

"I would not have lasted a minute, literally a minute, on this Earth with God and angels by my side, because I was born.  And right as I was born, I went into a respiratory arrest.  So, big things that keep me going are friends and family, God.  And another think is looking forward to what's going to happen tomorrow."

"I want to be remembered as a poet, a peacemaker, and a philosopher who played."

This painting is my heartsong.

Lovely Life - SOLD

 

"Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking."   Marcus Aurelius

Welcome Home - SOLD

I am never completely sure why a particular photo, old house, a particular bird at my bird feeder or a child playing draws me in and almost “calls” me to paint it.  I felt that way when I saw this reference photo by Denise McQuillan of a giraffe and her baby.  The love was palpable and real, so I pulled it up on my computer screen and happen to have the perfect canvas to use to paint it.  I have entered a contract with a business who has provided me with a list of potential pieces to use on their products so I really needed to focus on that assignment but the giraffe won out and I started sqeezing out paint on my palette.

Before I could get to work, our friend Nancy called to tell us her mother, our dear friend, had suffered a massive stroke and she asked that we come over.  I have written about Biddy Blessing Stewart before.   She was my husband’s third grade teacher but more than that, Biddy has been a friend, an encourager and a spiritual icon for us, especially in the last 15 years.  I have never known anyone exactly like her.  I would go to visit Biddy with the intention of trying to bring some joy to her but I would find that within minutes she was asking about me, my children, my grandchildren and what was going on in my life.    I felt that I was special.  I was the subject of the moment, her full attention was on me.  I felt loved unconditionally.  Wow, that is what everyone wants.  To be seen and loved.  To matter to someone so completely that you walk away feeling better about yourself.  Feeling empowered.

 The doctors had suggested that it would be best to take Ms. Biddy back home.  They stated that the stroke was an end of life event and they felt she would be more comfortable at Nancy’s home with her family in attendance.  

We walked into the bedroom where Ms. Biddy was lying in the beautiful antique bed, the same bed she was born in 100 years ago.  Even though she was unresponsive she was beautiful.  Her son Jeb and his wife, Eleanor and  her son in law, Keith  and Nancy,  her daughter,  were all sitting around the bed with us.  Jeb described his mother perfectly as intelligent, always making someone feel special, totally real and very humorous.  He told us how each grandchild had phoned and Nancy would put  the phone to Ms. Biddy’s ear so they could tell her goodbye.  Eleanor, his wife was wearing a pin that had been given to Biddy by her son Jeb many years ago.  Keith who has always pampered Biddy also told stories of how she was always appreciative of their hospitality.   And then there is Nancy, her daughter who has always had a deep relationship with her mother that I marveled at.  While traveling together I never remember a day when I did not hear Nancy call her mother and tell  her how much she loved her.  On this day, everyone wanted to honor Biddy in some small way as she had honored us.  

Her gift of looking straight into your eyes and making you feel special and unique and loved was not lost on anyone.  We laughed as they related the incident that occurred on one of her last visits by ambulance to the hospital.  She had fallen and they thought she had a broken arm.  When the ambulance attendant was trying to help her on the stretcher, Ms.  Biddy looked up at him and said, “my name is Biddy, what is yours?”  

Now, I am not sure what the message here is, but as I glanced around the room I saw it was filled with giraffes!  There were wooden giraffes, ceramic giraffes, stuffed giraffes, old and new giraffes.  I told Nancy I had no idea that she loved giraffes and she said, “Yes, in fact right before her stroke she asked where were her giraffes.”  It felt a little strange to know that I had giraffes on my easel at home, maybe a little wink from Biddy.

We visited and prayed and my husband Audie read scriptures from her Bible that she had indicated to be her favorites.  They had spoken years ago about the fact that my husband would be performing her funeral service so we found it humorous that Ms. Biddy had written a note along with her scriptures that she would like for him to use the King James Bible at her funeral, not the RSV which he was holding in his hand.

It is hard to adequately describe this woman but maybe this will give you another example of how she affected us.  Two weeks ago, my husband and I visited Biddy and he had provided the Lord’s Supper for her. She was so happy as she said she had not been able to participate in this sacrament for a long time.  After Audie offered the bread and wine, Ms. Biddy sat very still with her eyes closed and a smile on her face.  She remained in a meditative state for a period of time.  We felt we were in the presence of a holy moment.   It was obvious that she was communing with God, she was talking to someone she knew intimately.  I have never seen anyone take communion like that.  It made me want what she had.  The peace, the relationship and the understanding.

That night,  Ms. Biddy Blessing Stewart took her last breath on this earth as she transitioned into the next life.  As hard as it is for all those she left behind who knew her, I can imagine that she was met by the One she knew so well, the One who taught her how to share her gift of making others feel so beloved.   I am sure He took her in His arms, looked into her eyes and at that moment she knew she was the beloved. She had His complete attention and unconditional love.  She was caught up in His presence and heard Him say,  “Welcome Home”.

His Grace is All I Need -SOLD

The Garden Shed - Gifted

8" x 10" oil on linen panel

During our quarantine time at home I have only visited one place regularly and that is the Garden shop near my home.  It is a cute little green building with flowers all around it.  I love to buy flowers and I love to see them grow and bloom.  I am the worst gardener ever and have to remind myself to water but visiting this little landscape place makes me happy.  One day I saw the owner walking in with his hat and red shirt and I could not resist a picture with the idea in my mind, "I wonder what that would look like painted".  Now I know.  

Our Little Nest- SOLD

I'm Still Standin - SOLD

8" x 10" oil on linen panel

I have recently heard Elton John sing his song, "I'm Still Standin'" and I cannot get it out of my head.  I thought of that song when I came upon the reference photo for Maplesville United Methodist Church.  This is a typical little country church and it reminds me of the little church I attend.  I have had a lot of Sundays away from our church while attending via Facebook and I realized how much I missed the warm hugs and friendly smiles that I have been greeted with every Sunday for 3 years.  Our little church is like a family.  Most of the people who attend have known each other all of their lives and for some of them that has been a long time! For instance, Ms. Edna is in her 90's and she watched most of the members grow up in Arnolds Chapel United Methodist church.  She still makes time to come every other Monday and play dominoes, not any dominoes but Mexican train dominoes and that takes skill.  Life looks different on Sundays now but last week we met in our cars while the preacher and the song leader led from the carport and the back of a pick up truck.  Instead of saying, "Amen" people would honk their car horns if they liked particular parts of the sermon or song.   Max, my constant companion got to attend and he liked it too.  Even though we are not meeting in our little building, the church is still standin.  Members reach out to each other by phone and facebook, one member makes masks for those who need them, my daughter and her family work with a group that feeds the homeless twice a week and my neighbors have reached out to each other with assistance for grocery and food delivery.  That is the church and it is still standin.

Sister Sister - SOLD

Summer in Alabama - SOLD

6" x 6"

Acrylic on linen panel

This is my first magnolia bloom of the summer sitting in my window in my favorite little vase.  I now know summer is here.

This is Us -SOLD

I love experimenting and I have been working with acrylics and missed media on a couple of whimsical paintings.  I love the freedom.  I use paper, patterns, acrylic paint, house paint and charcoal.  After the piece dries very well I polish it with polish about 4 times.   I polish, let dry, buff and repeat.  This is a timely process  but I love the finished product and the "finish".  
This piece is 12" x 24" on a deep canvas.  The side are 1 1/2" and painted.  It is so colorful and it makes me smile.  Hope you like as well and it makes you smile.

Sweet Life - SOLD

8" x 10" acrylic on linen panel

During this challenging time it is hard to stay positive at times.  The news is full of negative statistics and there seems to be an overwhelming insecurity around our future.  I came across one blog entitled,  10 Simple Things You Can Be Grateful for Even When Times are Tough. (grateful-when-times-are-tough)  by Henrik Edberg.  I will list the 10  here but the entire blog is worth the read.  I am grateful for this sweet life.

1.    A roof over my head and a warm home.

2.    Plenty of drinkable water.

3.    I don't have to go hungry.

4.    I can enjoy the small and free pleasures of life.

5.    Access to the internet.

6.    My friends and family.

7.    My health

8.    The kindness of people I have never met before.

9.    The setbacks that have formed me and made me stronger.

10.  I am alive