. . . finished the third

Baptist Church Bus III, 11.5 x 14", mixed media on canvas




in the Baptist Church Bus paintings. . . definitely not my favorite, but it was time to move on to other things. Actually, up close, the texture and depth of this painting is interesting. Perhaps all three of them together would make a good grouping. I am not done with that blue church bus, no, not at all.




I haven't heard yet if I need to switch my focus to large large large canvases. . . haven't yet spent the money to buy new canvas. I am trying to use up the odd bits and pieces that I have left over from other projects, and I find that I enjoy making the smaller pieces. I think of them as studies for potential bigger canvases. And I have lots and lots of paper to use, too. But I have been distracted from art the last few weeks because of the nice weather and the weeds in the garden, the blooming peonies in the most marvelous colors (deep deep maroon, purple, clear apricot, golden yellow), and now the roses just starting to bloom . . . always something new outside to check out. In just a few weeks, the weather will be in the 90s and the humidity will be in the 90s and the bugs will be in the millions, and I'll be back inside.





Yesterday I went to a new nursery near my home and found the most wonderful, beautiful country drive; hilly, twisty roads with the newly-green treetops meeting and forming an archway over the road; then, suddenly, flat, flat, flat, empty Kansas River bottom land, not a tree in sight, farmland stretching to the actual river. Of the half-dozen places on that road, four parcels were for sale. It used to be my dream to live in the country in an old barn converted to a gorgeous open living space. Of course, reality eventually overcomes fantasy. I am already far enough away from the things that make everyday living simpler; I am already too much of a hermit; I hate bugs and snakes. Now I wouldn't mind living in a maintenance-provided one bedroom condo. However, my husband, the former Future Farmer of America member, still has dreams of acreage and raising exotic animals (llamas? miniature goats?) One of the places had been for sale for a while, because the weeds had all but hidden the signs. It was a wonderful old country farmhouse. All the glass in the windows had been broken out, the front porch sagged, the paint was peeling off in sheets. I could see taking on this project with an unlimited money supply and assistance from Candace Olsen on HGTV.