Sunday, June 15, 2014

Great Read and Great Movie

I especially love a good coming of age story where the characters learn important life lessons and make tough decisions that support their enlightenment.  Two such tales crossed my path this month, one being a great book on CD... I can highly recommend checking this out from your local library and see if traffic jams and long drives across town don't turn into a pleasure ride.

So, if you are looking for a great read, try The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd.  Just finished it.  ( she wrote "The Secret Life of Bees )  I foresee this book turning into a great movie as well.  It is fiction but based on a lot of facts and based on the stories of 2 real life women even though I see it as a coming of age type of book... my favorite. It takes place mostly in South Carolina during both the abolition movement and women's rights.  A beautiful, disturbing, and ultimately, joyful tale.  ( I must have the happy ending! )

 Sooo looking for a good movie too?  We just went to Maleficent last night and didn't expect nearly the great story telling that we got.  A lovely tale of betrayal, hate, jealousy, power redeemed by love and forgiveness.

Friday, June 13, 2014

Roses in a Jelly Jar

One of my favorite paintings that was started and finished in about 4 hours.  This is on auction right now on ebay.  To bid and see numerous other paintings on auction this week click here

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Peonies

This is one of this year's crop of peony paintings.  It is on ebay this week, on auction.  What a joy it is to paint them.  To bid on this or visit my ebay gallery click here  This is one of my favorites.  Also new in my gallery are some recent paintings by my husband, Scott.  Check them out.

Sunday, June 08, 2014

Prairie Girl

As you can see, this painting has taken several forms.  She started out with two arms, then only one arm and finally no arms.  I wanted her to kind of be part of the landscape and the figure kept getting in the way.  I was having fun with the costume but my fun was getting in the way of the painting.  I think i am pretty satisfied with it now.  It is up on my auction site on ebay right now.  To visit my ebay gallery or bid click here





Friday, June 06, 2014

15% off sale this week on my Originals

I am playing with my Ebay Gallery/Store and have decided to try a markdown sale.  So here is the link to 15% off any original oil painting over $200.
http://www.ebay.com/sme/artistswaygallery/Extra-15-off-when-you-spend-200/so.html?_soffid=5001634802

A Hornet's Nest, Persimmons, Blue Bird Eggs

Whose idea was it to paint this danged hornet's nest!! My adult painting class decided they wanted to create a still life using things found in nature.  My brilliant husband ( one of my students ) decided to bring in this hornet's nest.  He later regretted it and is still not finished with his painting, long after the rest of the class.  I hear him grumbling as he paints :-).  The rest of them were very glad to wave this painting good-by.  I actually quite liked it after I did my own grumbling.  It certainly got us all out of our comfort zones.  This is for sale now on my ebay store.  To bid click here

Tuesday, June 03, 2014

Oklahoma Artists League

 
This photo was taken right after setting up for our first show... at the Polo Grill in Utica Square, Tulsa.  This was the inaugural show for our newly formed group of professional painters in Oklahoma, " The Oklahoma Artists League "
Thanks to Tulsa's premier dining establishment, Polo Grill for treating us like kings and queens as we enjoyed a complimentary brunch.
Check out the work of our group on line
Members:
Alan Frakes
Anne Spoon
Louise Higgs
Joey Friscillo
Me
Derek Penix
Christopher Westfall
not pictured: Gill Adams


Monday, June 02, 2014

Jesse Aycock New CD Flowers and Wounds

This is a video link to my son, Jesse's press release for the new album.  pretty wonderful.  If you don't already have it, you should.  It is an amazing album.  to order you can go to http://jesseaycock.com

Here is a link to the video:

http://www.reverbnation.com/artist/video/12792511?fb_og_action=reverbnation_fb%3Aupload&fb_og_object=video.other&utm_campaign=a_public_videos&utm_content=video.other&utm_medium=facebook_og&utm_source=reverbnation_fb%3Aupload

Friday, May 30, 2014

Peonies in a Greek Vase

One of my favorites from last week's peony painting frenzy.
It is on auction this week along with several others.  To bid or visit my ebay gallery
click here


Tuesday, May 27, 2014

My Childhood home work in progress






I ran across a faded photo of the house where I grew up and decided to paint my memory of it.  It is getting close to being finished.  I am having fun painting my memory... the tree that I can still remember where to put my hands and which leg goes over which branch in order to climb it, the winding pathway to the dirt road that lead through the corn patch down to the river, and the tall mountain that we loved to climb across the street.  There was a spring that came right out of the bottom of that hill.  I used to take a little cup, climb under the barbed wire fence and fill my cup with the freshest, coldest, best water I have ever tasted.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Vegitarian Lunch from the garden

I encourage everyone to have something planted in a garden, even if that garden is a bucket on the patio.  This is what we had for lunch yesterday.  It was so pretty ( and good) that I just had to take a photo of it.  I might add that we had mint and wood sorrel tea to go with it.

more peonies and primroses

set up in an east facing window

Transparent wash with general shapes and colors
Start adding opaque paint with areas of medium values and then darkest values within those larger medium value shapes.  Try to hold on to the beautiful transparent lights where you can and where they benefit the work.
Soften some edges and sharpen those in the focal point area/areas.  Sometimes less is more in my book anyways.  I don't like to have things look to tightly rendered.  I am going for a more painterly look in my work..... sometimes achieving my goal.

I think I am done painting peonies for the season.  This is my 10th painting, and I believe it will be my last till this time next year.  For those of you who are artists I thought I would include the process.  Although it is an oil painting, it starts out very much like a watercolor.  With peonies you have to work fast.  You pretty much have one day per painting as by the next day they have started to droop.  It sure is nice to stand on my breezy back porch and breath in the scent of all these beautiful flowers and then on top of that, get to paint them!  This painting and the others are in my ebay gallery.  I will sporadically put them on auction from time to time as I do my other paintings.  As always, you are free to make an offer, especially if you desire more than one painting.
To visit my ebay gallery click here 

Friday, May 16, 2014

Another Peoney Painting

To purchase and/or visit my Ebay Gallery click here
These are so much fun to paint and I suspect there are more of these little paintings to come as the weather has been so cool that the season seems to be lasting a little longer and we haven't had horrible winds and rain storms to knock all the blossoms off.  I am so lucky, I get to be surrounded by beauty and get to breath in the beautiful scent as I paint.  Keep checking as I will post more as they come. 

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Painting Peonies

I have been painting as fast as I can.  I just listed this painting and 7 others on ebay.  All peonies. 
                                                                                                   



To visit this painting and the others just posted click here


Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Peonies and Primroses by Margaret Aycock 11x14 Oil on Canvas

I have been painting peonies as fast as I can this week.  I haven't even had time to put any of them in my ebay gallery until today.  This Painting is an original oil on canvas painted from life of Peonies and Primroses.  They have both traveled with us from house to house over 30 years, the Peonies having traveled through time even longer, coming from the home of my husband's grandmother in Arkansas.  I love painting them every year and having their sweet scent fill my house as I do so. It lists for $350 on my ebay website but for my blog followers it is $300  to purchase:

To visit my ebay gallery  click here


Wednesday, May 07, 2014

Red Roses in a Jelly Jar

One of my favorite paintings on auction this week.  To place a bid or just visit my auction site Click Here
To visit my painting blog Click Here

Tuesday, May 06, 2014

Peonies

The peonies are in bloom and I expect to be painting them all week.  This is my first run at them.  Once finished, they will be for sale in my ebay gallery or feel free to contact me privately.  Here is my step by step process.  Since my light is gone for the day I figured I would post what I have and take a big step back from the work.  To visit my ebay gallery where I have many other paintings for sale, Click here








Monday, May 05, 2014

Deer in the Woods

This week I am revisiting some of my paintings and repainting portions of them.  This is one of several.  It is now on auction through my ebay gallery along with many others as this week I am posting 5 paintings per day to celebrate having a positive feedback score of 800.  I That was a lot of work... or should I say, fun.  :-) To visit my gallery auction, click here.  
Feel free to make that score turn from 800 to 801.