Can anyone else relate?
Here's me looking very pleased!!!
I am so happy that "Cheap Joe's" art stuff... finally came to Asheville, NC...  This artists favorite store...

I thoroughly enjoyed creating this image. Using Pen and Ink on canvas board... I found the Turkey Vulture image on "Paint My Photo" months ago... had sketched the image on the canvas and hadn't decided how to proceed. I was figuring an oil over acrylic... Last night I was in the mood to do something creative and I got down my sketch on canvas and decided just to start outlining using Sharpie... got to a stark black and white.. Then I decided that it needed color... so, I just started playing w/my PITT pens... and Viola! Turkey Vulture developed into what you see today.... which I love!!! and it turned out way better than I would have imagined... This is the first time that I have used these mediums on canvas... and I didn't think that it would work... I am very pleased with the outcome... Enjoy!

A friend of mine told me that the Turkey Vulture was a great powerful totem... So, I did a little google search on it and found that indeed... the Vulture is a very powerful positive totem... The following is a little snippet that I wanted to share...

The scientific name for the Turkey Vulture is CATHARTES AURA which means GOLDEN PURIFIER because as it goes about it's lifetime business it purifies the landscape and environment in it's own natural way, ensuring the continued health and life of other living things. The Vulture is a promise that all hardship was temporary and necessary for a higher purpose.  Once a Vulture enters your life as a totem or guide, it will remain with you for life.
Vultures live and work together, both in cooperation and friendliness. They communicate with friends and neighbors when they find something to eat. They let the others know where the food is. And when there is a big feast they communicate with neighboring flocks in distant roosts. Also, Turkey Vultures that range within California Condor habitat areas, when they find food they will go to the Condors and lead them to it. One roost was observed when they had a dead cow in their neighborhood. They somehow contacted a roost of 100 vultures about 30 miles away to come join them. Several days later, before they finished their feast, two more cows died. Within a day the vultures had contacted another roost to join them. At night all the birds visited together in the same or neighboring trees. There were now three different roosts living together. When the cows had been cleaned up the several visiting roosts went home. (Source - http://sped2work.tripod.com/totem.html)

Had a lot of fun with my facebook friend, David C Kehs, August 1st Self-Portrait challenge. It's no where near perfect or my favorite artwork ever... but I did enjoy myself and it is very good for my to have art challenges with deadlines. 
Below are some process pics of the work in progress (WIP)

So excited to get started on this portrait of my sweet cousin Stephanie at her hip Barn Wedding. She is beautiful! and I aim to capture a likeness of that beauty and special day as a wedding gift for her and her new hubby Troy! 

Newest WIP painting "Madison Co. WNC Field of Poppies" that I'm working on every Thursday when I meet with a group of fellow Madison Co. Artists at the County Community Center on Long Branch Rd.

More than being excited to see this painting develop of a lovely poppy field I photographed while traveling the Marshall/Weaverville Hwy a few weeks ago.. is the excitement I have at finally meeting and getting to hang out with fellow artists from my home county in WNC... 

All my new artist friends are so fun, creative and supportive... and they are a blast to be around... I've been back in my home town about 2 1/2 yrs now and I was feeling the need to connect with local artists... I knew they were out there somewhere.

I can really see us creating something together... like an Artists Collective... we might start with creating a group Facebook page... we shall see... but there is no limit to what we might do...

Feeling unlimited today! Yipee!!

My sister Carrie is so beautiful!!! and I love her so!
I came across an older photo of her from the early 90's ... on of those "Glamour Shots" if anyone remembers that those were popular around that time.
Anyway... I wanted to take advantage of the lighting and extra makeup and hairdo that got laid on her for her Glamour shot and use the image to create my newest abstract portrait.... I really love the way it turned out and had a fabulous time creating it and using all that vivid color... 

Check out the WIP photo's below... you can see that at first I was sweatin it a little and Carrie initially looked like a medusa before transforming into this final Goddess!

I have so much enjoyed my newest abstract portrait that was commissioned by Lori Valentine. This young handsome man is her talented son Logan Jayne.

I so appreciate the positive words from Lori on the completed artwork.. I am happy to report that she absolutely loves it!

Below are some process photo's of the work in progress (WIP). I hope that you enjoy!