Thanksgiving!

Stella and Sadie

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

From the Smiley's

Torrie

Miranda

Courtney

Stella and Sadie

Two New Paintings!

The Arrival of Winter

5" x 7" Oil on Canvas Panel

***SOLD***

The days are getting shorter, the leaves have fallen from the trees, the sun has given way to cloudy and gloomy. The morning paper is laying in a bed of frost. The birds have gone south to live at the beach. Winter is here. This is a small painting of the color of winter. A mixture of blue, turquoise, and yellow create an abstract winter sky with an empty bird nest remaining in a tree with bare limbs.

Coffee on Red

5" x 7" Oil on Canvas Panel

**Sold**

I have been planning to paint cups of coffee for some time. I might even branch out to tea with lemon. I am a fan of red, so I had to use a background of red for my first coffee painting. Please enjoy viewing my cup of Joe.

New paintings are also available for purchase in my Etsy.com store.

I still have not finished my President-elect Obama painting. I am soooo running out of time! I might have to give up and paint something else political.

Well off to dinner, Courtney is home and the girls cooked....we are having sandwiches. Then off to the studio to paint!

Torrie

I have been tagged by Kari Tirrell~~

Frankie

8” x 10”

Soft Pastels on Suede Matboard

by Kari Tirrell

TAGGED!!

I just got tagged by Kari Tirrell.

Here are the rules:

1. Place a link to the person that tagged you.

2. List seven unusual things about yourself.

3. Tag (and link to) seven other artists at the end of your post, and post on their blogs to let them know they have been tagged.

This took a lot of thought, and then I cheated--- I asked my daughter, Miranda, to help me. It seems, in her opinion, there are a lot of unusual things about me. When her sister, Courtney, sees this post I am sure she will have her own list.

Well, here goes:

1. I am a shameless Diet Coke-a-holic. Got to have it! I didn't even drink water until July, when I went on a diet and now I have to drink 64 ounces of water a day....yuck! I still manage to drink too much Diet Coke along with the water. ~~ I have lost 45 pounds so far, 20 more to go. I don't want to be fat and fifty....I have until June 2009!

2. I paint because Oprah told me to--I am not a rabid Oprah fan, I catch episodes when I can, especially when Dr. Oz is on~I have a small crush. No really, one day around 2000, she had a show about having passion and following your dream. I thought, yeah right--I am a single mother with two teenage girls, I don't have time for passion or hobbies. I was beginning to think about painting again, she even said something about doing what you think is impossible-only a dream- and give it a shot. Well, of course I ignored it. A year or two later, there was an artist in town giving a lecture at the Arts Council. It was free so I thought I would just check it out. I attended and she said she had recently started painting again after a long absence, focusing earlier on photography, because Oprah had told her to. I'm sorry, but I thought that was a sign. HA! Well, the rest is history.

3. I sometimes sleep with my eyes open. Doesn't everyone. I think it comes with having two daughters.

4. I organize my colored plastic hangers in the laundry room by color going from light to dark, left to right. No, I don't have OCD...it just looks better. Just in case I have a massive amount of traffic flowing through the laundry room, I want it to look nice.

5. In 1977, I performed in the Macy's Day Parade in New York City. I was a Cisco Junior College Wrangler Bell, Cisco Texas. There is video footage of it somewhere.

6. I am addicted to the Internet and an information junky. I work at home as a medical transcriptionist (real job) and I keep the TV on in the background with various cable news shows on-- I rotate the different channels to get a variety of slants on the same news. I love being able to google whatever and get immediate answers and information. My girls often say, "I wonder"... and that sets me off....I google it.

7. I don't consider myself an artist and couldn't tell you anything about painting. I am primarily self taught and originally got most of my information from books at the local library until I read all of them and started buying art magazines and more books.

Well, that is about it.....I am saving the good stuff for Courtney when she writes her first book. (She is an English major at UNC Chapel Hill.) I am sure she will write about how funny and fabulous I am.....and I paint pictures too. : )

Thanks Kari for tagging me...I am your biggest fan.

Here are the artists that I plan on tagging, they are all fabulous! It may take them a while, or they may not want to play, and that's okay, too. But, take the time to check their blogs ~ you will not be disappointed, they are all wonderful artists with great talent!

Madelaine Fedorowich

Naquaiya

Staci Rose

Renee' Gandy

Blenda Tyvoll

Tina Bohlman

Betty Refour

Thanks for stopping by, there will be more new paintings soon. My President-elect Obama painting was a disaster.....I will be trying again for the EBSQart show this month. Running out of time!

Torrie

Why do bad things happen to good pups?

Sadie Mae on a perfect sunny day....refusing to come in the house.

This is her "I don't think so" face.

Sadie Mae with her neck booboo....resting comfortably.

No painting today....Sadie Mae was bit by a friend's Labrador last night. They had played well together all week, but for reasons only Cody, the Labrador, knows; he bit Sadie Mae. He seemed upset that she had been hurt and I don't think it was intentional on his part. She has a wound on her neck that needed two staples. She will be taking antibiotics for the rest of the week. She will make a full physical recovery, I just hope she recovers her sweet loving nature of people and animals. During our evening walks in our big dog walking neighborhood, she thought every dog and owner she passed was her best friend and wanted to play. She has been a wonderful blessing to our family since the first day we brought her home from the pound.

Thanks so much Dr. Nic for leaving your evening with friends to meet us at the clinic. Stella said she knows Sadie is your favorite.

Our mini-dachshund, Stella, has been keeping close watch on the patient with frequent snuggling and kisses. She was standing right next to Sadie when Sadie was injured.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and give your family pets a big kiss from Sadie Mae.

Torrie

Fresh Orange, New small oil painting!

Fresh Orange

5" x 7" Oil on Canvas Panel

Available for Purchase

$25.00

This is the newest of my small oil paintings on canvas panels. I am trying to paint daily, which finding the time is the biggest challenge, but I am having so much fun and learning so much.

I am always painting pears. I thought I would branch out a bit and paint an orange. I really like how this one turned out. I am thinking of branching out to more food groups!

This painting is available for purchase from my gallery and in my Etsy.com store.

I have errands to run but, hopefully, will have time to paint something new tonight.

Thanks for checking in~

Torrie

Two Little Pears ~ Another new pear painting!

Two Little Pears

5" x 7" Oil on Canvas Panel

~Sold~

Another little pear painting. I love painting pears. This is a green and red pear on a vintage blue plate. (These would stand up-- but, they are also artificial fruit.) I started buying realistic looking artificial fruit when the family kept eating my still life composition fruit before I had a chance to paint them. The family joke was "Mom, is the painting fruit or eating fruit." I do like working with the real thing....but sometimes the fake will have to do. This painting is available for purchase in my EBSQart.com gallery and my Etsy.com store.

Thanks for stopping by...

Torrie

The Lazy Pear - New Painting for today!

The Lazy Pear

5"x 7" Oil on Canvas Panel

Available for Purchase

$25.00

Okay, from now on, I test drive the pear before I bring it home from the grocery store. I picked out my pear and had planned to stand it up, spotlight it to get a heavy shadow and paint a standing pear with a long heavy shadow.....it refused to stay standing. I finally gave up and just painted it laying down. Now, I will test every fruit for its ability to stand before I bring it home.

Next up, look for another new pear painting tomorrow. I will be finishing it up tonight.

Thanks again for checking in ~~

Torrie

Taking a Break~~

Off to Chapel Hill!

Time to go check on the baby. I will be spending a couple of days with Courtney at college~~shopping, eating, and having fun! I did not get any painting done before I left, I will have to get busy when I get home.

See you all when I get back!

Torrie

The Red Creamer ~~ New Painting!

The Red Creamer

6" x 6" Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Canvas

~SOLD~

A new little painting! I had to work in the yard today to trim everything back for the winter and get rid of a few million leaves. I worked in the yard for four hours then thirty minutes later, the wind blew and there were another few million leaves on the ground. I gave up and painted the The Red Creamer. I have had this little red cream and sugar set for so many years, I can't even remember where I found it. I was cleaning out the china closet the other day (trying to make room for new treasures) and saw the little creamer and decided I had to paint it! Maybe next time I will include the matching sugar bowl. The painting is available for purchase in my gallery or my Etsy.com store

I have to work for the hospital this weekend. Twelve hour shifts means no time for painting~~ Well, I might squeeze something in--you will be the first to know!

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy The Red Creamer!

Torrie

Happy Fall!

Holly's Flowers, Shelby, North Carolina

This is a wonderful time of the year! The trees are turning such beautiful colors. This is on the list of things to paint! Holly's Flowers is decorated for fall complete with turning trees in front! I love the flower cart and will probably be doing a series of paintings. This will be the first~~ Fall at Holly's Flowers. I will post it as soon as it is done!

I will be roaming the streets of Shelby again tomorrow to get more pictures of the fall colors before the autumn breeze blows them all away!

Thanks for stopping by!

Torrie

Flow Blue and Three Lemons

Flow Blue and Three Lemons

12" x 12" Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Canvas

~Sold~

Flow Blue and Three Lemons is finished and currently in my Etsy.com Store. For those of you who have not seen Etsy, it is time to check it out. A website with only handmade or vintage items for sale. Great to do your Christmas shopping. I have had my Etsy store for a little over a year now and I love the wonderful things you can find there.

This is going to be a busy week! Cleaning out closets, getting the yard ready for winter, and finishing up some paintings before heading to Chapel Hill to see the baby!

Well, off to get busy!

Torrie