CREATIVITY at it's best...

I was asked if oil painting was hard to learn. I said, "Yes, it is."

Now those of you who know me, know I could never stop there.

Me, the person who loves information dumps, whether giving or receiving them. But the question made me think hard about it. The person who asked the question, Karoline Barrett, is a writer with a new novel, The Art of Being Rebekkah, it's hot off the press. If you like woman's fiction, check it out at her site— http://karolinebarrett.com/

Several of us, as yet unpublished writers, were telling Lizbeth ( aka, Karoline Barrett ) how happy we were for her, and we teased that we were green with envy. ( Really, we were just teasing... )

Lizbeth came back and said she wished she could paint like I do—and asked the question about learning to paint.

It shouldn't matter whether a subject is hard. Life is hard. A love of learning, time for study, and with a strong desire, any given subject can be learned.

Meet my young art student, Lesly King.

I really don't teach much anymore, but I couldn't say no to Les. He's eager to learn and is willing to erase and make changes as many times as needed to improve his work. He never whines or complains.

Les is ten-years old. He may decide any day that something else is more exciting than art lessons, and that's the way of his age—it's what growing up is all about—learning,  making choices and exploring. It's an exciting time.

But, as adults, we can have the same excitement and spirit of learning as children do. And if you don't have that excitement to write, paint, photograph, sew, garden or whatever you choose, every single day ( there'll be days you must do laundry ),  then maybe you should take a lesson from the kids—search for that thing that excites you. You'll know when you find it, cause' when you do, it won't let go of you. :-)

Yes, it's hard learning to paint, to write, and all the above mentioned.  But, if you really want to do it, you can. And who knows, you may end up with something really nice.

Like Lesly did with this pastel painting. Les is a man's man, and he not only draws well, he sometimes leads singing at church on Wednesday nights.

God's blessings on all your efforts,
    Mare:-)

A TRIBUTE TO SPECIAL FRIENDS.

Recently two of my friends experienced the sorrow of losing their beloved horses.

Kay Marshall's Stormy and Marsha McDonald's Tango.

Stormy and Tango were not just horses. They were friends to Kay and,  Marsha. Companions.

If you've never confided in a beloved horse or dog and for some people their cat, you don't know the closeness you can feel for these large hearted friends.

Stormy was fun to photograph. I remember his spirit and energy and the glow of his copper coat. kay commissioned me to paint Stormy's portrait. it was a fun painting to do. The photo of me working on it was taken by Scott Myers.

Tango was one of my first 'bare-back' rides. He was so easy and kind to me, a novice rider. He seemed to know my fears and carried me gently. At Pecan Valley Ranch, Tango become known as, 'the baby sitter' because he looked out for the new colts and fillies.

I was fortunate to know both these wonderful guys. When I first heard of the loss of each, I found myself thinking of them through out the day. I knew the sad feelings my friends would be dealing with.
Both Stormy and Tango had good homes, maybe even as close to 'horse heaven' as could be found here in this world.

I imagine Stormy and Tango now with pegasus wings, still full of spirit and showing off together in that special pasture. These wonderful creatures were put here to serve in loyalty and friendship to mankind.

I believe God created special rewards for these servants, just as He has for us, when our service is finished in this world.

                                  Marsha and Tango

FAT CAT & BLACKIE ( aka BIG & RICH )

My sister, Ruth, and I are having a garden party in 'our' back yard in a couple of days. Our yards run together like one big yard. All our daylight hours for the past two weeks have been spent working to get the yard up to par. The weather doesn't care about our party, and is not cooperating with us.

Neither is Fat Cat. When we humans are in the yard, it should be for one reason. Head scratching or feeding. Fat Cat has an attitude to start with, and it's not pretty. So when he's ignored it gets worse. He has a buddy, Blackie. Now Blackie is much nicer than Fat Cat. That's really not their names, their real names are Big and Rich.
But when people come to the house they all say, "My what a fat cat" so we started calling him Fat Cat.
I don't remember how Rich became Blackie? Duh.:-)
Fat Cat plops down right where you're working, even grabs at the hoe—A real nuisance!

He doesn't mind being called Fat Cat, he looks at me like, "yeah and don't you forget, I'm big and mean, I am." I shake my head. When I bought my home, Big and Rich already lived here and the owner hated to move them to the city where he was going. He asked me if I'd keep them, I said sure, no problem. I'd never owned cats before. I never questioned why two cats were named 'Big and Rich'. With Big it was obvious, and Rich looked like he was wearing a tux, you know, all dressed up—rich like?

Several weeks after I'd moved in and was telling my friend, Katy Measures, ( animal lover ) about my new cats, she asked their names. When I told her, she laughed and thought that was funny. I was puzzled until she explained there's a country music group called Big and Rich. That must be where Big and Rich got their names.

So anyway, I wanted you to meet Big and Rich ( aka Fat cat and Blackie ). They're in my new novel.

In the novel, one of the characters is a young girl named Brooke Montgomery ( eight years old ). She's wild about animals, especially cats. I've decided to give Big and Rich to her. She'll love them and I bet she can turn  Fat—I mean, Big into a sweet loving guy. Not that he's not already loving, he just likes having his own way—all the time!

Brooke is an only child. I believe the responsibility of caring for two cats ( or being cared for by two cats ) will be good for her. Brook is a smart, strong willed little girl and she likes to have her own way too. Watch out Fat Cat! Her father, Jackson Montgomery, ( antagonist in the story) is probably way too lenient. Just my opinion, and I admit he has his reasons.

Back to the yard. I decided to take pictures, proof of the trouble Fat Cat causes and how difficult it is to finish the job when he's around. Blackie was a good boy, taking his nap.

I'll ask Brooke to keep us posted on how Big and Rich are settling in—oh, and by-the-way, Big and Rich are brothers.