Crap. I didn't mean to post this yet b/c I wasn't finished working on it. But since I don't want to delete and upload all those pictures again, it stays.

These are all fan-friggin'-tastic!

The first one I absolutely adore.

Wow!! The details on these are excellent, I love the first two.

Rated.

WOW! These are amazing! What a talent you are! They take my breath away, honest to God!!

Apache Savage, Oh, Girl this art is is just beyond words! Really,really something beyond fantastic!
My older daughter uses oils and she says by far it is the most difficult medium to work with. Do you think so too?
Rated for beauty!

Just amazing! Your talent knows no bounds.

Awesome! This is so beautiful, thank you for posting these. Bookmarked and rated for beauty.

This is a great post, not just because of the quality of the art and photos, but also because of the number and variety. You gave us a whole banquet, not just an appetizer.

This should be on the cover, but being the weekend I don't think that any OS staff are working today.

I am always amazed at the extremely talented people here on OS, and you are one of those gifted ones. You can express yourself so way in so many ways, I´m in awe! Fantastic Apache, thanks for sharing.

The first charcoal of the young boy smoking makes me think of my dad. He's 78 years old and he started smoking when he was 9. I, thank God have never smoked (cigarettes). He was raised in a day and age when kids smoked, period. They were bored, it was "cool" and much less was known about the ill effects. At 59 he had a heart attack and quadruple bypass and hasn't smoked since. This photo evokes an image of my father as a young child, smoking and being the cool little cat he was.
Great work.
Rated

You have been given many gifts, thank you for sharing so many with us. You blow me away with your talents.

your art is stupendous! what a renaissance woman! thank you so much for sharing this!

{{{{{{{{{{ BEAUTIFUL }}}}}}}}}

GORGEOUS ... I am in awe!

Kind of Blue -
Hey,
I wanted to share with you that I drew that picture of the smoking kid after my dad died of lung cancer. Like your dad he started smoking as a child. You're absolutely right, in those days the ill effects were unknown. There was even one brand that targeted women, then thought to be the only or at least most common sufferers of asthma, and claimed their cigarettes were a treatment for asthma. They gave away a wooden flapper looking doll who had a cigarette in her mouth as a promo. I want that doll! Only, because of it's bizarre history, they are very expensive - around $1000.

My dad smoked until his dying day. He officially died of a heart attack, but it was caused by his chemo cocktail earlier that day. He had already been given the death sentence, "6 - 12 months to live, get your affairs in order," but he only lived 2 weeks after that. I didn't get a chance to say the things I wanted to say. I didn't get to say good-bye. So this, the smoking boy drawing, is for him. Notice the smoke puff to the right of the boy's head in the photo I am drawing from. It's shaped like a heart.

Mishima666 - Thanks. I did try to toss in a variety of stuff to look at with close ups that show the texture, brush strokes, chalk edges, and even finger prints. I always think that is the coolest part when looking at art.

Junk1 - Oil paint is a joy to work with. Man, don't I love that smell! You just gotta get used to it's personality as it is so different from other mediums. You gotta think in layers regarding your composition. Like, in painting the background to Midnight Sun. I painted the whole canvas in white. It was white already and I wasn't just trying throw $ away, but this makes a great blendability for my next color which was black, Then because I did not want the tree and the moon smeared with black I had to wait a couple or 3 days for the background to dry them painted the tree and background for the moon, iridescent white. Let that dry for 1 day so it still blends but leaves brush strokes, then add the man in the moon craters and other vague shading. I found oils difficult when I first started using them, but when I learned to see my composition in layers it was cool.

AnniThyme, Tinkerertink69 - thank you so much. I am flattered.

MiddleAgedWomanBlogging, Cartouche, Marcela - Y'all are making me blush! ;-)

Psychomama, Buffy, Kmbearden - awe thanks guys, though I'm not sure I deserve such praise.

Wonderful. Loved 'Dreamin'.

Stunning work. Thanks for sharing.

My feet are propped. I am outside overlooking the creek, and I just spent the beginning of afternoon with a great spread. Thank you and rated for treasure.

Great stuff!

Fantastic! Wow, you are amazingly talented. I'll keep coming back for a closer look!

I am breathless. WHOA, you are GOOD.

Holy cow, are you talented! Drawings. Paintings. Photography. Makeup! And I love your writing, too. All of it is amazing. You seem to be equally proficient at different media. Thanks for sharing your many gifts with us.

I'm just in awe. The photographs are fabulous (those beautiful, beautiful children!!), but the works that really captured me were the closeups of the 2 girls done in charcoal. Just can't imagine what it must feel like to be able to create something like this!!!

Wow. I really like this. Particularly the red painting and your photography of the kids.Thanks for posting this.

These are awesome! You are really, really talented.

WOW!!!

Jheart, Mother, Brie - thank you so much. I am humbled.

MissOjib - Dreamin' is one my favorites also

Scupper - You are so welcome. I only wish I could have gotten the music coded before hitting update, by accident.

Marcelleqb, Verbal - Thank you, I am overwhelmed at all the positive response to this. It's a good feeling.

Lisa- it is weird, isn't it. Which would explain why **I** am so weird, I suppose. ;-)

Annette2009- The 2 girls are one of my favorites also. They are sisters and the photo I worked from was taken around 1930's in Germany. They are now deceased.

As to what it feels like to "create something like this?" ........It hurts. The smoking boy was a tribute to my dad after I lost him to lung cancer - he started smoking as a child. The drawing helped me grieve.

Dorinda - thank you. Red scream is from a comic book that wasn't so funny. The horrors in my life. That's all I'll say.

DeliaBlack, Marple Fank - you are too kind, thank you.

Wonderful! You are so talented! Thanks for sharing.

you are obviously a very talented human being. Do you sell your art ?

High Lonesome- Thank you

Sao Kay - Thanks so much

Peaches - thank you and yes sometimes I do sell the art. See anything you want to take home?

Wow...! I'll comment on a few favorites. The painting right after the Boy Smoking reminds me of a young rendition of Robin Hood and Maid Marianne. You captured young romance. They are too young to realize their magnetism, at that age where romance is blooming but you don't know what to do with it. The emotions and facial expressions are subltey intense. She is beautiful and shy, he would be the boy I had a crush on in my childhood. :-) I also loved the "Two Face". The left side looks like a gentle prince, very handsome and calm and collected. The right side....who needs to even try to describe the anger and evil in that one. Very, very good! Rated.

That is one of the best posts I've seen yet on OS. I hope you have a money-making gallery someplace-- your pictures rock! You are very very talented. And I love the photos too.

These are stunning! How did I miss these when you posted them?

Wowzah! I'm glad you linked to these. They're amazing. Lots of talents goin' on there...

Nice work. You make the painter in me jealous. Rated.

WOW! These are amazing! What a talent you are! They take my breath away, honest to God!! Technology Articles