lighthouse

Maud Lewis

~ thepurpledogpaintingblog ~ Leave a comment

Maud Lewis was a Canadian artist who created beautiful folk art despite suffering terribly from rheumatism. The film “Maudie” detailed her life. I think it’s still on Netflix.

She was a talented folk art painter even going to the extent of painting every surface of her tiny one room home. Her entire house is preserved inside the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. There’s even a virtual tour which is worth looking through.

On WetCanvas, which is still alive despite the owners, we have a monthly challenge in the acrylics forum. The theme for May’s challenge (I know I know I’m late posting but I don’t think anyone is reading this, blogs seem to be passe but I’m good with talking to myself!) was to either do a study of one of her paintings or do your own inspired by one of her paintings.

Folk Art seems easy but funnily enough more people had a hard time with this than with other genres or subjects in past challenges.

These are mine. The first one is based on her “Snow dog” but instead of her white dog I used my Tallie. This is 2.5 x 3.5 inches.

A happy folk art painting of a yellow labrador retriever, dog, in a garden of tulips with plum blossoms overhead
Tallie in the Tulips

The second is a copy of “Eddie Barnes and Ed Murphy Going Fishing” 13.7 x 12.5 inches. I used some crackle on it as I had a tonne left from another project.

Folk art painting of a ship going out to fish. A landmass with a lighhouse and several other buildings can be seen in the background.
Study of Maud Lewis’s “Eddie Barnes and Ed Murphy Going Fishing”

The big one is 20 x 16 inches and is the top half of the inside of her storm door as seen in the museum. I had fun painting the canvas to look like wood!

Folk art painting of a door with a painting of a blue bird and flowers in a red vase.
Maud’s Door.

I enjoyed this challenge so much. Folk art is a genre I rarely do but appreciate more than any other.

I hope you enjoyed looking. As always, if you have a question, please ask in the comments below.

©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2022

Hummmmm….

~ thepurpledogpaintingblog ~ 9 Comments

There’s a humming in my ears…

No, no, not the lightning strike, that was a ringing…

This is a definite hum…

hummmmmmmmmmmmmm….

Couldn’t figure it out but then I stumbled into this conversation.

.

Two hummingbirds walk into a bar..

Left hummingbird:   “HI!”

Right hummingbird:   “Hello.”

.

Left Hummingbird:  “I can make a feather on my head stand up!”

Right Hummingbird:   *blink * *blink*

.

Left Hummingbird:   “Try it, Dude!”

Right Hummingbird:  “That’s too weird for me.  I’m outta here.”

.

Left Hummingbird:  “Hey! Where you going? Can I have the rest of your drink?..Dude?…”

.

.

Sparrow:  “Was that supposed to be funny?”

Nuthatch:  “I didn’t think so.”

.

.

Hmmm.

Anyway.

Did you know that peacocks can fly?

I didn’t know that until I saw this guy.

.

.

And when peahens sleep they look like they’re dead.

And if you go kick them to see if they’re okay, they bite.

.

.

And sometimes Meerkats act real trampy.

.

.

And my neighbor thinks this sculpture is a lighthouse.

.

.

Don’t look at me like that.

I’m not judging..I’m just saying…

Hey, look at the pretty flower!

.

.

🙂

.

.————————————–

©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog, 2012

Twitchy eyes and pirates

~ thepurpledogpaintingblog ~ 24 Comments

I’m suffering from eyestrain. My eyes are hot and dry. And the right one keeps twitching.

twitch twitch twitch…

I also pulled the arch in my foot.

limp limp limp…

It’s so bad now that when I went to get the mail with my hair unkempt, limping and twitching, small children and animals ran away from me.

It probably doesn’t help that I call the mail “My Precious”.

So I need to take a break.

I could put a patch on my eye. But then I would have to say “Arrrr” and “Matey” and get a parrot. I’d also have to get my boat out and float up and down the Mississippi pillaging and looting.

But the boat is still winterized and Sampson is not fond of parrots (he has met a parrot and it mocked him). And to boot my mother would be mortified if I pillaged and looted.

All together it’s just too much work.

But that’s okay, I’ll be back in a week or two. In the meantime Dummy has decided he’s capable of helping me out. He played a couple rounds of golf with some doctors and now he thinks he knows everything.

I just hope he doesn’t try to use his stethoscope.

It’ll break his heart to find out that he doesn’t have ears.

I did this little acrylic, ATC size 3.5 by 3.5 inches before my eyes went buggy. It’s of the Chicago Lighthouse that can be seen from Navy Pier. As always it will appear bigger than it actually is.

So I hope you all have a nice couple of weeks. Enjoy yourselves. Run amok.

But if you do happen to see a wild haired limping twitchy person, please be kind. Really really kind…

——————————————————-

©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog, 2012

I accidentally “liked” myself…

~ thepurpledogpaintingblog ~ 2 Comments

Yes I did, I’m not even sure how I liked myself. But I did. I mean I do like myself, that’s not a problem. It just seems a bit presumptuous to “like” myself on the internet.

Here’s a little lighthouse scene. This was done based on a lighthouse I saw while whale watching in New Brunswick near the Maine border.  It’s an acrylic miniature, 2.5 by 3.5 inches.

 NB lighthouse by Virginia Spencer

©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2011