On The 18th Day of Christmas I Asked For This Gift...

"Screech Owl Family" by Nancy Cawdrey

Isn't this t-h-e most beautiful painting ever?  The cool thing it's painted on silk. 

YES, I said painted on silk.

How cool is that?  I want it. 

"Hunting Camp" by Nancy Cawdrey



Or maybe it's time to take down my Cynthie Fisher painting and put up this one, since I've got some of my own Native paintings that I have up. 

"Endless Summer" by Nancy Cawdrey

Now, I've never been much of a floral person...until I saw this.  Isn't Miss Cawdrey amazing?  Go onto her site and look at her butterfly paintings too which I thought were really great as well.

I think the better choice for me is her book, then I could have most of her paintings...just in a smaller version...aww heck if Big D got me a paint rag of hers I'd frame it and find somewhere to hang it. 

 I just may be her biggest fan!

Here's a blurb from her website:  http://www.nancycawdrey.com/index.php

"Nancy Dunlop Cawdrey is the daughter of a retired career officer, fortunate enough to be exposed to exotic cultures throughout her childhood. In whatever country her father was stationed, Nancy immersed herself in the culture, and her affection for the arts later led her to study two years in Paris and another five years in Britain.

Nancy loves color, texture and pattern. She began her painting career 35 years ago and worked predominately in watercolor. Through her pursuit for texture and passion for color, Nancy discovered the spontaneity and brilliance she could create through painting on silk, a Chinese technique that has been practiced for thousands of years. And, although silk painting is now her medium of choice, she continues to explore a variety of subjects in watercolor, pastel, oil and experimental media. Often, we see a mixture of media in her silk compositions. Through this overlaying of various media she creates buoyant color and texture with her combination of transparent pigment and the shimmer of silk."  -From her website

Keep up the good work Ms. Cawdrey...maybe we should trade Hereford paintings?

My Christmas memory is from when I was a kid.  As you all know, I'm an artist, which I feel stupid saying in the presence of the great Nancy Cawdrey, one of my favorite artists of all time.  But it started as a kid when I would get art supplies for Christmas.  I remember  one Christmas in particular like it was yesterday, I got the Crayola crayon towers (do they still have them around?).  I thought I'd died and went to heaven.  I drew and colored on everything I could get my hands on that Christmas and treated that gift like it was sent from Heaven. 

Even now when I get art supplies from my husband and kids I cherish them so much.  I ask for paint brushes every year.  Every year I get the same ones (the kids eventually find them around July and start wrecking them.  I work with them until there's one hair on them left then toss or let the kids think they are drum sticks=) ). I'm happy every year when I get that old paper towel roll wrapped up with brushes inside. 

My charity for today is this; The Dreaming Zebra Foundation    http://www.dreamingzebra.org/

Here's a little something from their website:

"The Dreaming Zebra Foundation is a (501)(c)(3) charity providing support so that children and young adults are given an equal opportunity to explore and develop their creativity in the arts.

The Dreaming Zebra Foundation was incorporated in Portland, Oregon in the interest of promoting greater access to the arts for children and young adults. Our founders recognized a pressing need in many communities for the promotion of charitable donations of art and music supplies to support individuals, schools, and other nonprofit organizations serving youth and the arts.

Core to our identity is the belief that all children, regardless of their financial circumstances, should have access to art education. As a public charity powered by volunteers, this belief drives all that we do.

The Dreaming Zebra Foundation’s supporters share a common passion for education, the environment, and community, and as such, we are able to connect the synergies between those who support the arts and those in need."  -From their website

Happy trails and color with your kids today...you never know what they may turn out to be when they grow up!
Fairchild Farmgirl