Some paintings take a little more out of you than others. I took the reference photo for this January, 2012 after I had climbed up and over a railroad trestle, across rocks strewn over water only to climb another embankment to view the creek that gives Wewoka, Oklahoma its name.

Even in winter with low water you can hear the sound of the water tumbling over the rocks. The Seminoles called this area wewoka or barking waters in the English tongue. This painting, which is SOLD, will be on display in the Seminole Nation Museum in March and April of this year.

Wisey is a wonderful Seminole woman who is known for her kindness and her weaving. I shot the reference of her weaving this fall in Wewoka. This painting will appear in the Seminole Nation Museum in March and April of 2012.

Happy Trails
Shirley

I delivered this painting to The Seminole Nation Museum in Wewoka, OK yesterday to be part of my exhibit starting in March. The painting was done from a small black and white historical photo which belongs to the museum. Wewoka takes it name from this creek which translates to barking waters in the Seminole tongue. The subjects of the painting are members of the tribe called Freedmen. The Seminoles accepted freed slaves into their tribe as members around the time of the Civil War.
30x40 oil on canvas

Happy Trails,
Shirley

Two Jacks went to stay for a time today at the Dutch Art Gallery in Dallas. We hope someone falls in love with them and takes them home. Pump jacks are a common sight in Oklahoma and I have a pile of photo references so expect to see more. Our economy should improve now that the oil industry is getting back on it's feet.

These little guys were so cute on a windy, sunny fall day in Tomball, TX. Their mother graciously allowed me to photograph and paint them.

I painted this after 9-11 but the seed for it was planted after the Oklahoma City bombing.

The Oklahoma City bombing impacted my family as it did many in Oklahoma. The blast shook my house 30 miles away. The horror of the act, the loss of innocence, the realization of our vulnerability even in the heart of Oklahoma became part of my psyche.

During the months afterward I thought often of a photo that I had taken of the son of an Oklahoma firefighter.

 Finally, the terror of the Sept 11 events moved me to paint “Remember This” using the photo as reference. As I painted, thoughts of innocent children, the horror of terrorism, feelings of patriotism and pride in being an American all swirled around me. I merely stood in front of my easel as the painting painted itself.

Today, I wanted to share "Remember This" once again. One face of evil is dead.

There have been many exciting moments in my life, but when yesterday's email brought the online edition of American Art Collector ....well. It was right up there at the very top!

Now is the time to thank the  generous artists who have helped me along the way. So thank you, Kelly Kirk, Bert Seabourn, Scott Mattlin and all the others who have contributed to this exciting and very satisfying journey.

Thank you to Laurie Pace who made this article happen and who designed my ad that also appears in this edition.

Please excuse me now, I have to go paint!

Doesn't this make you just want to go lay down in the grass and breathe in the fresh spring air? I painted it with a brush and palette knife for our small works show on April 16 at Red Palette Art Center in Humble, TX.

6x8 on RayMar Panel

All of the artists at The Red Palette Art Center in Humble (me included) have been working to get ready for our Small Works Show on April 16. This 8x6 on RayMar panel will be in the show. The inspiration was a beautiful field of wildflowers near Porter, TX last spring. I hope that we get enough rain for a repeat performance this year.

This precious child is the granddaughter of my cousin and the great granddaughter of a beloved aunt who passed away last year. I thought a lot about my aunt as I was painting and could visualize her exclamations of delight and the way she moved her hands when something pleased her. I have to believe that she would have been pleased with this painting.
I introduced some new paint to my palette with this. Transparent orange, transparent red and transparent brown oxide all create some interesting effects when mixed with other pigments.

8 x 10 on canvas