Stepping into Klimt's Shoes

It's amazing how much you can learn by doing your own version of a master's painting. Layer upon layer, detail upon detail. I wonder if Klimt's layers look at all like my own...did we take similar steps to end up at a similar ending point? Gosh, I'd love to know.

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Embracing my Inner Klimt - Part 2

Sometimes I'm quite sure the poop gods are smiling down on me.

Here's how I know...a few days ago when I was walking our dog, Hazel, in the neighborhood, I saw something in the gutter. It was covered with leaves and a bit of caked mud, but that didn't stop me from picking it up. Well, it was one of those doggie poop bag holders that you clip onto their collar. Cool! I'd always wanted one but I was too cheap to buy one and I just ended up using bread bags and such stuffed into this zipper pouch thing Dave had gotten at a conference.

Well, this morning as Hazel and I were walking around Town Lake I saw something on the side of the trail, covered with leaves and a bit of dirt. It was a brand new roll of poop bags! It still had a sticker on it holding the roll together. I picked it up, tucked it into my new-to-me poop bag holder and kept walking.

I felt prepared for anything! And what did Hazel not do on our walk? Poop. This marks the first time I've every been disappointed in that happening.

And I finished my Klimt inspired piece. What fun! And how amazingly sparkly! Here's the completed piece and the last few stages below it.

"Embracing my Inner Klimt"

I added more swirls.

And more swirls! I also added more details to the blanket.

I took this picture to show just how much it sparkled
in different spots. I love sparkles...and in some
circles I'm actually known as the "Sparkle Fairy".
True story.

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.

I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

I'm running a big sale on my paintings through the end of August. Almost everything in my gallery is 60% off. I'm only keeping my most current work (paintings on page 1) at the listed prices. If there's something you'd like, please let me know by message or comment so I can manually adjust the price. Thanks!!! http://www.dailypaintworks.com/artists/kali-parsons-3935/artwork

Embracing my Inner Klimt - Part 1

I have absolutely no recollection of what Dave and I were talking about, but a new word came out of it. I love when we increase our vocabulary!


Dave: "You're making a persumption."

Me: "Persumption! I love that! Presumption plus perception equals persumption!  That's awesome!"

Dave: "I didn't say that. You need to clean out your ears."

Me: "Then I came up with a new word. That makes me awesome!"


Feel free to use my new word. Unlike Dave I don't copyright my invented vocabulary.


And I started working on a painting inspired by Gustav Klimt. I fell in love with Klimt when I first saw a poster of one of his paintings in a girlfriend's house. It was stunning. Lucky for me, as part of a class I'm taking I began creating a Klimt inspired painting of my own.

I sketched out my design...yes, I borrowed a lot from Klimt.

I painted the background.

I forgot to take photos along the way, so this is after I'd
added a lot of color and gold on the swirls.
I love how the gold sparkles!

I'm feeling the need to add a lot more sparkle!!! Tomorrow....

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.

I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

I'm running a big sale on my paintings through the end of August. Almost everything in my gallery is 60% off. I'm only keeping my most current work (paintings on page 1) at the listed prices. If there's something you'd like, please let me know by message or comment so I can manually adjust the price. Thanks!!! http://www.dailypaintworks.com/artists/kali-parsons-3935/artwork

High Five-and-a-Half - Part 2

So this afternoon as I was leaving a parking lot I heard a noise. A buzzing noise. Then I saw something fly by my face. Something big. I pulled over and jumped out of my car. Then I saw it. It was the biggest, goldenest, fuzziest bee I've ever seen. And it looked like it had absolutely no intention of leaving my car. I'm not afraid of bugs as a rule, but I am afraid of being stung. So after a few "hmmmmmm"s and a quick post about it on Facebook (typing that makes me feel quite dorky), I reached in and opened all of the windows. The HUGE fuzzy bee? Nope. No interest in going anywhere. I very bravely got in the back seat...the bee had taken up residence on the headrest of the front passenger seat...rifled through the pouch behind my seat to see if there was anything I could use, and found a brand spankin' new bulk pack of gum. I quit chewing gum a month ago so this was quite the surprise. I used the pack to gently maneuver the bee onto a piece of paper and then shook the paper out the window. And as I drove away bidding my fuzzy friend adios, I opened a pack of gum and relished in the sweet delicious mint I felt I had totally earned.

Now to something much less huge and fuzzy. I finished my cousins painting. Here's the finished piece and below it are a number of stages leading up to it. A rather large number. I kept changing my mind about different things...and then there were a few goof-ups, too, of course.

"High Five-and-a-Half"

I added stripes to their shirts.

I decided to redo a number of shoes and a leg.
I moved the blue shirted boy closer to the purple shirted boy
I also had the child on the left put his arm around his cousin.

I reworked the shoes/feet and started
adding some background details. I
made the child on the left facing the same
way as everyone else. I also moved the child
on the right closer to his cousin.

I added a flowering tree and worked more on the background.
I also redid the blue shirted boy's neck.

I added more sky and clouds and had the child on the
right keep his right arm down.

I changed the child on the left's shoes so he was more in
line with the others.

I added details like watches and bracelets and
highlights in their hair. I also added some background
features on the right.

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.

I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

High Five-and-a-Half - Part 1

Cousins are awesome! They're like siblings, only maybe better. You get to see them during special times and when you're with them "work" is even fun just because you're together. I only occasionally saw my cousins as I was growing up and I was a lot younger than they were, but when we'd gather together it was wonderful. And whether it was going for a boat ride or sitting around shucking corn for that evening's meal, blissfully good times were had.

I started working on a painting of six cousins, though they've named themselves "High Five-and-a-Half" because number six is half their size. Or at least he was. He's catching up now. But just last night I heard that he'll always be known as "half". What a lucky little guy who will likely be the biggest of them all one day.

I'm not as far along as I would have liked to have been because I painted over my first run at the image. That's my favorite thing about acrylics...you can just paint right over what you're not a fan of.

Here's where I am so far.

I painted the basic colors of he background
and sketched the image on top. I started painting
some of their shorts before I remembered to snap a pic.

I began adding some basic colors. I have a lot of work
to do with their basic shapes and tons of work to do on
details, but I'm much happier with how this version is going.
I promise it'll move past the ugly cartoon phase.

I think this is my seventh painting of children positioned looking away from me. I think it adds such fun and whimsy.

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.

I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

The Lover Archetype

I just finished my most recent project in the "Dancing With Your Dreams" course I've been taking.  I've learned so much about myself as a woman, a dreamer, and an artist. 

This sweet creature represents the lover archetype.  It's the first in a series of four that I hope to complete sometime this year.  Felt drawn (I'm so punny!) to create her first what with Valentine's Day right around the corner. 

If you have any interest in joining this wonderful class, lovely Amy Burke O'Toole is giving a spot away on her blog.  Photos of student work (mine, too!) are also on her blog.

Click here to check out my gallery.