Rhonda Hartis Smith

Acrylic Portraits

2012-01-29T09:05:00.000-06:00

I wanted to do some "funky" "fun" portraits for gifts using Acrylic Paints. Since I use oil most of the time, there was an adjustment for me--the paint dried very fast. By the time I finished the last one, I was working much faster! These are only 6 x 6 and were lots of fun to do.

Portrait of Sloan

2011-10-25T21:29:00.001-05:00

My latest portrait--Sloan. He is such a sweet little boy, you just want to hug him!

12 x 16

Rhonda Hartis Smith

Emma's Portrait

2011-10-11T22:23:00.000-05:00

Spring has turned into Summer then into Fall, where have the months gone? This is the my latest portrait--Emma. I wanted the focus to be her sweet smile. Hope I succeeded in some small way.

8 x 10

Rhonda Hartis Smith

Sunflowers

2011-08-06T18:26:00.004-05:00

It's been so long since I've posted anything that I'm afraid that I don't remember how! Time seems to fly and before you know it, Spring has passed and Summer is almost gone. I have been painting some but just not posting. Since my last post many months ago, I have attended a Portrait Conference in Atlanta Georgia, which was fantastic, and took a watercolor workshop plus a caligraphy workshop. So time marches on and all I need to do is practice! In about a week, I am heading to the Peninsula School of Art in Wisconsin for Landscape Boot Camp taught by Dawn Whitelaw. I am very excited about this but also a little apprehensive about anything that says "boot camp". Dawn is an excellent teacher and I am sure I will learn lots.

I did a couple of Sunflower Paintings that were pretty large for me (14 x 36). They look great in their new home. Here is the first one.

Spring Fever!

2011-03-02T18:43:00.008-06:00

Spring is so close I can feel it!!! I am so excited because it seems like we had a long cold Winter with several snowfalls which is very unusual. A couple of weekends ago, my husband and I took our motorcycle out of hibernation and went on a little adventure to one of my favorite spots--Sulphur Well, Kentucky. There are two reasons I love this place, #1, The Lighthouse Restaurant--a delightful place that serves family style home cooked meals and #2, the Buela Villa Hotel. The Buela Villa Hotel was open from 1903 to 1969 as a Hotel then a Boarding House. The going rates were $5.00 per week back in the day. There is the main structure then there was a separate building that was on stilts and housed a bowling alley and dance hall. Sounds like a fun happening place in it's time. My source for most of the information is from the Metcalfe County Geneology Page. Visitors came to the area to drink the sulphur water believed to have medicinal properties. The water contains sulphur, magnesium, salt and iron--yummy! There is still a stream so next time I'm there, I'll try the water (maybe).

Remains of the gingerbread on the old dance hall/bowling alley.

The Buela Villa Hotel in it's present state. Just a little rickety.

Inside one of the rooms. They were fairly small with a little room between two big rooms (bathroom???). All of the wrap around porches have collapsed but I can imagine the guests sitting out there, drinking the water, taking it easy. . .

Rough River, Kentucky
Went on my annual retreat with several family members and friends of family. We had a weekend of quilting or whatever you wanted to do. I did a little quilting, a little painting. . . and a little bird watching! How often do you get to look at the lake/river and see an Eagle? What a beautiful sight.

Amelia was running around the cabin in her tutu so of course I had to paint her since I do love to paint ballerinas!

5 x 7

Rhonda Hartis Smith

Winter Be Gone!!!!

2011-02-14T18:04:00.005-06:00

Last week we had more snow! The snow button on my car does ok with snow but forget about ice. If this keeps up, I'll need to get a 4 wheel drive vehicle again--ouch! Fortunately, it has warmed up this week with temps in the 50's and low 60's, giving us a hint of Spring--just enough to start my Spring fever. The last signs of snow have disappeared now and hopefully we won't have any more. Here is a view from our back yard--I love to watch the cows.

Here is another portrait that I did in December. This was done from a very small picture. Her mouth was a challenge but felt like I finally captured it.

5 x 7

Rhonda Hartis Smith

portrait of Mallory

2011-01-06T22:10:00.004-06:00

This is the second time I've painted little Mallory, I love her bright blue eyes. She is quite the model and so much fun to paint.

5 x 7

Rhonda Hartis Smith

Pet Portrait for Kellie

2011-01-01T08:58:00.005-06:00

This is a Portrait for Kellie of her little dog. I'll have to fill in her name later (temporarily lost it). I thought she had the sweetest expression on her face--especially her eyes--that I hope I captured. Today is 1-1-11, ready for a new year and a new decade. Hope you have a prosperous, productive and Happy New Year!!!

7 x 5

Rhonda Hartis Smith

Little Sloan

2010-12-28T09:10:00.004-06:00

I hope everyone has had a wonderful Christmas and Holiday Season! I'm off work this week and will spend the week sewing window treatments for my son, Justin, who has been patiently waiting. . . I am looking forward to 2011 and to see what the next decade will bring. I feel very blessed and am very thankful to be able to paint, work, sew, cook--to do what I want to do. I did make one New Year's resolution but forgot what it was, oh well, I still have a couple of days to come up with my list. This year we had the first white Christmas in 15 years! We were very excited and it's so beautiful.

I've been busy with Christmas commissions and one of them was little Sloan. I love the colors of his outfit, what a cutie and so much fun to paint. I did two of these as gifts.

5 x 5

Rhonda Hartis Smith

Value Study Still Life Painting

2010-11-20T06:24:00.003-06:00

It's bright and early on a Saturday morning, drinking my first cup of coffee then I'm headed out to the Studio to finish a couple of paintings this morning and hopefully start a few more this afternoon. I have nothing on my agenda this weekend but painting, ahhhh life is good! This painting is in my current show at The Gallery at 916 in Bowling Green, Kentucky. I love the graphic quality of the fabric versus the flower and vase. With that in mind, I decided to paint this in gray tones using about 4 to 5 values.

8 x 6

Rhonda Hartis Smith

Lemons Still Life & Home Studio Tour

2010-10-31T09:12:00.004-05:00

6x8

Rhonda Hartis Smith

I painted this still life while in Nashville, TN for the Peggi Kroll Roberts Workshop. Workshop during the day, painting for the show at night. I've been spiffing up my Studio preparing for the Studio Tour (details below).

Next weekend I'm participating in the World's Greatest Studio Tour and Art Sale. If you are in the area, please come and see me. The hours are Saturday, November 6, 10am-5pm and Sunday, November 7, 1-5pm. I have participated in the past but this is the first time I've actually been in my Studio. Over 30 artists are on the tour and many sites will have refreshments.

Shadow Strut

2010-10-12T23:51:00.007-05:00

16x20

This is one of the paintings that I did for our upcoming show. I was in Key West in February and saw this cute bird just walking on the sidewalk. I think the shadow shape on the sidewalk appealed to me the most.

Angela Kuprion. . .Helen Nash. . .Marian Pacsuta. . .Rhonda Hartis Smith
The Bluegrass Painters showing at The Gallery at 916, Bowling Green, KY opening on Friday, October 15, 2010. The exhibition will be up for six weeks. If you are in the area, please stop by on Friday night for the opening that is in conjunction with the Gallery Hop, we would love to see you.

Last week was such an exciting week for me, starting with a PeggiKroll-Roberts workshop in Nashville, TN beginning on Sunday through Tuesday. Such a great Artist and teacher! We began the week doing 1 minute drawings and value studies with live models. Peggi gave us several exercises and tools to use to become better Artists--now it's time for the work to begin, about 10,000 hours should do it! I'll post more about the workshop later with some of my exercises.
The whole week was a week of celebration because the American Impressionist Society had their National Juried Exhibition showing at Richland Fine Art in Nashville. So many talented artists from all over the US entered works of art that were just beautiful. A special Congratulations is in order for two of my friends that were accepted into the show that had around a thousand applicants, Marian Pacsuta and Faye Phillips. What an honor!

Back from Chicago

2010-09-05T21:40:00.006-05:00

My blog posts have been very sparse lately but now that Summer is winding down I'm in the Studio more. A couple of weeks ago my friend Angela and I went to Chicago, IL to take a week long drawing workshop from Henry Yan at the Palette and Chisel. His book is "Henry Yan's Figure Drawing Techniques and Tips". It was very inspirational to watch his demos and study his drawings which were so well done and beautiful. Of course I already knew that to draw well you must practice and practice then practice more.

Angela and I had to eat at Gino's and have their famous Chicago Style Pizza!

The view from our Hotel--if you look closely between buildings you can see our Lake Michigan view (lol).

Yes I am still painting, here's my latest 3 hour head study from Monday night.

Young Ballerinas in Class

2010-07-08T21:13:00.003-05:00

My apologies for not posting lately but life has been a little hectic and I haven't been painting a lot--so nothing to post. . . We have been on our two week motorcycle trip out West, riding about 5,600 miles covering 12 states. Whew that's a lot of miles not to mention beautiful scenery!!! In Yellowstone we were camping in Bear country, facing cold weather and possible snow before going South to Southern Utah. I love to visit our National Parks so we went to Yellowstone, Zion, Bryce Canyon and Arches National Parks. They are so beautiful and if I could I would like to see ALL of the National Parks in America. How many are there???

I went to a local dance studio, Dance Images, and took pictures of a few classes--Jazz and
Ballet so I have lots of material for future paintings.

16 x 12 oil

The Garden

2010-05-31T21:44:00.010-05:00

I've been doing a little gardening lately. This isn't my first garden but is my first in a long long time. It has been enjoyable to harvest the fruits of the land and just being outside listening to the birds chirping. Here are a few pics. . .

Any gardening experts out there? I have some little holes on my cabbage plants. I've seen a few rabbits but I think they're innocent! Until next time. . .

The Dance Teacher

2010-05-22T08:07:00.007-05:00

After my show at the Capitol last Summer, Kathy at Dance Images was kind enough to let me display my "dance" paintings in her Lobby. I thought the "dancers" would enjoy and appreciate them. I was lucky enough to spend an afternoon taking pictures in some of her dance classes and learned what a challenge it is to get a good shot of dancers in motion. I'm used to models holding poses so this was a good lesson. Out of 500 pictures, I managed to get some good ones for future paintings--fortunately. I wanted to capture the teacher in action although it was a challenge to paint the mirror image of her.

My husband and I are preparing for our big motorcycle trip next month. We are going to the mountains (Wyoming and Montana) to Yellowstone National Park (my favorite place) and Glacier National Park. This will be a different trip for me since we will be camping instead of staying in hotels---hmmmmm. Right now we are trying to figure out how to get a mountain of stuff in our little storage compartment (lol). My goal is to have enough room to pack a few art supplies but I may have to give up my makeup.

Sheila

2010-05-05T20:40:00.005-05:00

I've been working very hard on this miniature portrait of Sheila, only a 5x7. I had to buy extra small brushes for this one, not to mention using anything small and pointy for the eyes. I'm doing a series of three paintings for Sheila's Mother, two sisters and one brother. Although Sheila is a grown woman now, her sweet smile as a child is still reflected in her smile now.

7 x 5

Rhonda Hartis Smith

Preparing for Drawing Workshop

2010-05-01T22:58:00.002-05:00

This has to be a record-setting weekend for rain! The sound of the rain was so good this morning that I slept in, which is very unusual for me, then I took an afternoon nap. . .I think you can see how productive I am this weekend.

I did manage a 30 minute drawing in preparation for a workshop I am taking in August with Henry Yan--a week long figurative workshop in Chicago at the Palette and Chisel. I am very excited about it because I certainly need it as you can see. I did a little charcoal self-portrait so it will be interesting to see how I progress on these 30 minute drawings. I don't think the lighting was a good fit for me--may have to adjust that in the future and maybe I should fix my hair, get new glasses. . . I really am not angry, just concentrating. The good news is -- I am always available for a 30 minute drawing!

3 hour head study from last Monday night

2010-04-14T17:32:00.003-05:00

Well I've been missing a little while because I have Spring Fever! Our weather has been so unseasonably warm and beautiful that I just have to spend all my spare time outside. I've planted a little garden and I have lettuce and radishes sprouting already. Having lots of fun but not painting much.

Last Monday night we were fortunate enough to get to paint one of our favorite models--Roxie. She always wears the neatest costumes (she makes many of them) and as you can tell green was the color that night. Roxie is so talented that she even made her hat which was beautiful but I didn't quite capture the beauty of it in 3 hours. I'll try to do better at posting but I still have to paint my porch, plant flowers. . .

Exploring Color Workshop with Lori Putnam

2010-03-27T07:45:00.006-05:00

Last weekend I attended Lori Putnam's Exploring Color Workshop in Franklin Tennessee. Lori is a very talented artist with a wealth of knowledge. I've spent years attempting to "paint what I see" and although I still need to work on that, now I have set personal goals to gain knowledge on color relationships, design and composition. This particular workshop concentrated on color relationships only, not composition or drawing or design.

Lori uses a limited palatte, I also use this most of the time.

Lori lecturing and giving us an assignment on color schemes and mood schemes.

Below is my Exploration 1--a painting based on using two colors on the color wheel, without regard for subject. We just picked a spot in the room and painted it using 2 colors. In case you can't tell from this picture, I chose orange and green. The subject is believeable even though you are using colors that you wouldn't normally use--such as a purple apple still reads as an apple--regardless of color.

Below is my exercise on color relationships. Note the pinkish color in the middle is the same on both exercises but appears to be different because of the colors surrounding them.

The next painting is my exercise on schemes and mood schemes. We got to choose from a basket what colors we were to use and to paint from the gray slide (see Lori's pic above for our reference). My painting was based on a "natural" color scheme. I have several of these exercises to do and eventually I want to work through all of them.

I liked Lori's workshop and teaching style so much, I have signed up for her Weekend Warrier Painting Workshop in April.

Fred's Walk

2010-03-10T20:31:00.006-06:00

This is my latest painting of Fred and his Grandson walking on the beach in Florida. I would say that this is what being a Grandparent is all about. As usual my photography is a little suspect--please ignore the "glare". Getting back in the studio feels good after my little break.

7 x 5

Value Workshop with Nashville Artist Erin Jones

2010-02-22T21:30:00.009-06:00

A couple of weeks ago I took an afternoon workshop with Nashville, TN Artist Erin Jones. The focus of the workshop was "Value Study". I was very excited about this because you have to get the values right to have a successful painting! Erin had several setups and I chose this one because of the swirls in the fabric.

I mixed about 10 gradations of the value scale. Here is my palate with my piles of paint. This was a very good exercise and I did a value scale before I started the 2 value exercise.

2 value exercise--light and dark (shadow)

3 value exercise--light, dark and midtone--a little analysis was done before deciding what midtone I would use--should my midtone be a light or a dark???

4 value study--light, dark, 2 midtones. Once again I had to make a decision on the midtones. I chose to put them in the dark or shadow area. Notice with each additional value you add dimension to the painting.

You could keep going but at this point we ran out of time. L ast week I was in Key West, FL for a beautiful wedding at the "Little White House". I'll elaborate on my next post.

Head Study from Monday night and a new friend

2010-02-01T21:27:00.008-06:00

I haven't been doing enough painting lately. Something about January makes me want to hibernate! There is a couple of things that will get me out of the house, filling up the bird feeder and my new friend--the donkey. I don't know if he has a name but I do know he loves apples and carrots. He's still a little skittish but is coming around.

This is my study from Monday night a couple of weeks ago. I tried to pile the paint on. Last week's painting bit the dust--literally--wet paint face down, not a good combination.

He sees the carrot . . .

Thinking about taking the carrot. . .thinking hard!

I know, I really need to get back in the studio (LOL).

Portrait of Peggy

2010-01-17T14:59:00.008-06:00

12 x 9
Rhonda Hartis Smith © 2010

Peggy came into my life when I was just a baby. My Mother was a young Military wife with a young child (me) and our family moved next door to Peggy and her family. We only lived next door for a couple of years but a lifetime friendship developed that kept them in touch for many years; sending letters or cards with pictures of the children and packages with gifts. Both Peggy and my Mother are gone now but I still have a wonderful friendship with her Daughter. I painted this for her in honor of Peggy's memory.

A Little Christmas Angel

2010-01-03T08:04:00.005-06:00

It's about 9 degrees this Sunday morning in Kentucky and I am trying to get motivated to move away from the warm fire and venture out into my cold studio. Tomorrow my vacation is over and it's back to work--starting the new year in a frenzy. I have my usual New Year's resolutions that I haven't really started yet (I always start everything on a Monday for some reason). So far for 2010 my art focus is going to be "inspiration and growth". We all have a certain amount of self drive when it comes to self improvement but sometimes external resources are needed and I'm looking--any suggestions on reading materials, DVD's, Workshops etc.?

We do have a two week motorcycle trip planned for this year to venture up to Glacier National Park in Montana, which is supposed to have one of the most beautiful stretches of road in it--Going to the Sun Road. Needless to say I am very excited about this trip--only about 3300 miles from home (lol). I'm going to pack my paint box if I can get my husband to stop long enough for me to paint. And of course we will have to go through Yellowstone National Park--one of my favorite places to visit.

This is my latest painting and what a little Angel he is. In case you can't tell, he had tinsel around his hair and I found this a little intimidating. I just tried to remember less is more. Such a sweet little face. . .

12 x 9

Mother & Daughter

2009-12-28T20:20:00.014-06:00

Hope everyone is ready for a new and exciting 2010! This is my 100th post and I can't believe how fast the time has passed since my first post in June 2008. Thanks so much for taking the time to visit my blog and especially to leave a comment. I've been so fortunate to have comments that are both encouraging and uplifting. As an artist, I am looking forward to the next year and what experiences it will bring and hopefully will continue to learn and grow.

Happy New Year from the Smith Family

I haven't posted lately because I've been visiting with family, doing a little entertaining, working and of course painting! This is a portrait that I have been working on of a Mother and her Daughter. They look so happy and I hope that is an emotion that I have captured.

Play Ball

2009-12-06T20:51:00.007-06:00

Yesterday I took an art workshop with Jason Daniel Jackson sponsored by the Hopkinsville Art Guild and we painted a still life. What attracted me to this set up was the rim light on the dog. Can anyone come up with a good name for this cute little pooch?

10 x 8
Rhonda Hartis Smith © 2009

Deep in Thought--Head Study

2009-11-21T14:46:00.009-06:00

I've been a little lazy lately, well not really lazy just concentrating on cleaning and organizing my house, watching movies, cooking, enjoying this beautiful Fall weather--ok maybe lazy! This is my last Monday night head study and our model looked a little wistful, hope I captured that feeling in the painting.

On one of my previous posts, I said the view behind my house is ever evolving. I took this picture just a few minutes ago, such a beautiful day today--in the 60's with a little brisk wind.

This shot is of the cutest donkey that hangs out with the cows in the field behind our house. Correction, I think he's cute until he starts braying in the middle of the night--have you ever heard a donkey talk???

Latest Head Study plus scenery

2009-11-08T22:35:00.005-06:00

I've learned my lesson, take a bigger canvas to my live model sessions!!! I ran out of room on this one so I just improvised and painted on the tape. This model had the greatest hair with red gold highlights (wish my hair looked that good).

Today was so beautiful with the sun shining and temperature was in the mid 70's--very unusual for this time of the year so we just had to take a motorcycle ride and as we passed these mules we had their undivided attention.

I have several pictures of these corn stalk stacks (???) and I love the way they look. I hope everyone has a great week!

Fall is in the air

2009-10-28T19:52:00.017-05:00

It's finally Fall, one of my favorite times of the year! It was so pretty the other day that my Husband and I went walking around the farm and ran into my Father-in-Law George, his dog Presley and friends!

Sunday morning I was up early and decided to drive through the campus and take a few pictures--I always carry my camera with me just in case you hadn't noticed.

This reminds me of my Father because he would decorate the graves of soldiers every Memorial Day with little US flags to honor them. I thought the light was beautiful.

Driving up College Street to Cherry Hall on Western's Campus. I love the shadows across the road, lots of wires & cables too.

My sweet dog Lucky is feeling frisky and checking out the yard. He likes to keep an eye on everything. I have a few small pumpkins for Fall!

I snapped this picture of a barn that pays tribute to the mighty Kentucky Wildcats--a lot of basketball fans in Kentucky!

I was walking around the farm and saw these big round bales of hay, they looked so interesting that I had to take several pictures at different angles (LOL). I love to paint them with the sun shining on them.

This is the view from our back yard, I love this pond because there is always something to look at. Sometimes there are cows swimming (do cows swim?), ducks or cranes on the pond, wild turkeys--you never know.

Pre-Ballet Class

2009-10-28T19:39:00.004-05:00

20 x 16

I observed and took pictures of a pre-ballet class and even though this is a small portion of the dancers, they were all so adorable. I'm sure there will be more of these paintings since I love to paint dancers! I'm not used to painting in such a high key but it was challenging for me.

Emily--study from life

2009-10-20T21:48:00.004-05:00

This is a study from life of Emily, she dressed a little "retro" for us. She was an excellent model and needless to say she got lots of oooooohhhhhhs and ahhhhhhhhhhs. I spent about 3 - 3 1/2 hours on this study. I'm still concentrating on watching my edges.

Rhonda the "Model"

2009-10-14T21:07:00.006-05:00

I've always wanted to know what it feels like to be the "model" and now I know. We have a group of artists that get together from time to time and paint each other or our spouses, our children, etc. My friends said that I did a good job modeling and didn't move too much but they didn't ooooohhhhhhh and aaaaaaahhhhh over my beauty, guess I'm more of a character model. My friend Angela painted this and I think she captured a good likeness--maybe a little younger but that's good!

Monday night live model session

2009-10-06T23:11:00.004-05:00

As I was going to work this morning, I noticed the sunrise and had to pull over, get my camera out of the trunk and take pictures of the golden sky. What a glorious sight! It was the prettiest part of the day, especially since it rained all day.

We had a wonderful model last night, she had the best outfit on, black pants and lace up patent leather boots. What a perfect figurative painting! But I took a teeny tiny canvas to paint on, don't ask me why but I've learned a lesson here--always take a larger canvas than you think you will ever use!!! So I had to force myself to paint her lovely face, life is rough (lol).

Tribute to my Dad

2009-09-29T21:12:00.011-05:00

Marion G. Hartis

World War II Veteran

Korean War Veteran

20 year career in the US Navy

Retired United States Postmaster

My Father passed away on September 19th at the age of 83 after a long battle with Alzheimer's. He was a man that enjoyed life to the fullest, a family man, an outdoorsman that taught my sons to hunt and fish, a dreamer and a romantic, a poet, a songwriter and a singer. My family and I will miss him so much. The following is a poem that he wrote while in the Navy that shows a beautiful spiritual side. I will definitely be thinking of these words as I celebrate the Holidays this year.

"Let Christ be with you this Christmas"

As the bells ring out so clear, spreading joy and Christmas cheer,

Let us all recall the holy birth of Christ our Lord this year.

While the bells of Christmas rings and an Angel choir sings,

May we all praise Christ our Lord and loving Master in all things.

We'll bow our heads in silent prayer, on that Holy Holy hour,

And thank God for all our blessings and the joys we have to share.

May the Christmas spirit be close to every Christmas tree,

And with every gift we give, Oh Lord, Let us give thanks to thee.

May Christ be with you all the way, on this joyful Christmas day,

Let him share the joy you feel in everything you do or say.

Though you be poor or rich with fame, Christ has borne your sin and shame,

So let him join you on the day of days, that bears his Holy name.

written by Marion G. Hartis on December 12, 1954, Memphis, TN

Ballerina from the Capitol Show

2009-09-12T23:03:00.003-05:00

After the show at the Capitol last month, I pondered on what to do with my ballerina and flamenco dancer paintings. I wanted them to be shown in a setting where they would be enjoyed and maybe even inspiring to those that love dance! Kathy at Dance Images in Bowling Green was kind enough to let me hang my "Dancers" at her dance studio. I've also taken pictures of some of the classes there and I have some wonderful shots that hopefully will become paintings.

Here is another ballerina painting from the Capitol Show. I chose this pose because of the light and the gracefulness of the dancer.

7 x 5
Rhonda Hartis Smith © 2009

Sports Fan-Three Hour Study

2009-09-05T07:36:00.007-05:00

This is my study from a couple of weeks ago from my Live Model Session on Monday night. This was challenging for me because doing the whole figure instead of just the head required a lot of drawing and measuring to get the proportions right. Because of the time constraint, I was not able to develope her head as much as I would normally. The very last touch was her toes!

Sunday afternoon figure study

2009-08-28T20:51:00.006-05:00

This is a quick study (about 30-40 minutes) of a model from life. I was pleased with it but I had wiped down the three previous attempts at other poses. I think it took me a little while to get warmed up.

Misty Morning

2009-08-18T19:16:00.004-05:00

A couple of years ago my husband and I went to South Dakota on a motorcycle trip and this is one of the beautiful rivers that we saw. I believe the atmosphere is what attracted me to this scene. I'm ready to go back to see Mount Rushmore, Iron Mountain, the Needles Highway. . .

I don't know why but I had to take a picture of every fly fisherman that I saw (and there were several).

10 x 10
Rhonda Hartis Smith © 2009

A Ballerina and her shoes

2009-08-11T20:09:00.006-05:00

7 x 5

Anyone that follows my blog knows that I love to paint Ballerinas. So here is another one of my favorites. I think for me, it's all about the shoes in this painting.

Flamenco Dancers

2009-08-06T18:53:00.012-05:00

I've already posted one of these but decided to post the series of 4 dancers. I love red-I believe I interited this love from my Grandmother Mazie that loved red and purple. She would always use lots of color in the quilts that she made. She made me a brown & white quilt (at my request) and for years she said it was the ugliest quilt that she had made--ouch!

I was striving to lay the paint on thick and to show movement in the paintings.

7 x 5
Rhonda Hartis Smith © 2009

7 x 5
Rhonda Hartis Smith © 2009

Catching up--3 hour studies painting from life

2009-08-02T12:44:00.008-05:00

I'm back from vacation all rested, sunburnt and rejuvinated from my trip to the beach! My husband and I took a motorcycle trip to South Carolina--Folly Beach--and I just disconnected for the week. I did manage to sneak in a trip to Savannah GA and Charleston, SC while relaxing. While in Charleston, I spent the day visiting several Galleries on "Gallery Row" admiring the beautiful pieces of art on display there. Such a treat and a reminder that I need to PAINT MORE! I'm still attending my Monday Night sessions in Franklin TN, although I did miss a few while working on the shows. Here are my four latest paintings of models from life.

The first painting below is from 2 weeks ago. I've just finished a 6 week drawing class with Dawn Whitelaw and Erin Jones and tried to incorporate what I learned in the class. I'm trying to spend more time in the designing stage instead of diving right in but when you only have 3 hours it's very hard to wait.

On the model below, I tried to capture the weight of her beautiful thick hair in this study.

This model had great hair and lovely lips!

I like to think of this model as my Greek Goddess. She has the perfect profile.

Once again, I value your opinion and your visit to my blog!

Practice Makes Perfect--yes a Ballerina!

2009-07-22T21:44:00.008-05:00

Faye and I were "Posing" in front of the Gallery in a spare moment during our opening reception. We had a wonderful crowd and lots of fun.

I named this painting "Practice Makes Perfect", another one of my ballerina series that I did for the Capitol Show.

7 x 5

Bouquet of Roses

2009-07-17T06:25:00.007-05:00

20 x 16
Rhonda Hartis Smith © 2009

here's a closeup

White roses are a favorite of mine so I wanted to paint a bouquet for the show and I have to admit I really struggle with florals. This is from life but before I could finish it I had to buy more roses and really needed to get a 3rd batch but refused to (lol).

"Richie" and "Petals and Poses" Exhibition

2009-07-14T22:39:00.008-05:00

I have a new neighbor and I'm so excited about it. It's this beautiful horse whose name is Richie. He is a Rocky Mountain Horse that is known for being even tempered and good natured. Sometimes in the morning when I leave for work, he's standing there waiting for me to say "good morning Richie". I know you think I'm crazy, talking to a horse at 6:30 in the morning but he is so adorable. I have a great view of him from my studio, so sometimes I take a break and watch him. If the sun hits him just right, I grab my camera and head outside to take pictures (I have several already). This particular painting is from one of my first shots where he was running towards me. I tried to capture the movement but this is my first attempt at this so . . .

10 x 8

I have my car loaded up and ready to deliver my paintings to the Capitol Arts for my show "Petals and Poses" that I'm sharing with fellow artists Faye Christian Phillips and Susan Lackey. The opening reception is Friday, July 17th from 5-7 pm at the Capitol Arts, 416 East Main Street, Bowling Green, Kentucky. We would love to see you and there's a "Concert in the Park" that night starting at 7-7:30.

Petals & Poses Show Ballerina & Blog Anniversary

2009-07-04T16:25:00.009-05:00

7 x 5
Rhonda Hartis Smith © 2009

This is one of the ballerinas that I have painted for our Petals & Poses show at the Capitol Arts this month. I wanted my focus to be the light. I have worked on it more since this picture was taken so it's better now (hopefully). I have five ballerina paintings so far. Our model was in this beautiful white costume with a scarf that attached to her hair with a dramatic drape that wrapped around her arms. What caught my eye was the light filtering through the costume and scarf.

Blog Anniversary

My Blog is now a year old and I feel that I have made good friends all over the world via the blog experience. I've even met one of my Blog Friends--Paz of Paz's New York Minute when I was in New York last February. I've received a lot of positive feedback and comments, not even one negative experience. I've branched out into Facebook now, who knows what the next year will bring. A big "Thank You" to all of you that visit and leave your lovely comments.

Dancer in Red

2009-06-29T22:44:00.010-05:00

I've been working on several figurative pieces and I hope a little "Chi" is conveyed in this painting. As usual I'm looking for smart witty names--any suggestions?

7 x 5

Onion Still Life

2009-06-21T12:50:00.007-05:00

I haven't been a very attentive blogger lately but time hasn't allowed it. I've been painting ballerinas lately in anticipation of my next show with Faye Christian Phillips at the Capitol Arts. This post contains an onion still life that is part of my show at The Gallery at 916. Onions are very interesting to paint; lots of thin layers and colors.

Since it's Father's Day, I went to see my Dad early this morning then my hubby and I went on a little motorcycle ride. It's a beautiful, hot, humid, sunny day in Southern Kentucky and I recharge my batteries by riding (as the passenger of course) and looking at farm land, cows, horses, goats, hay bales, corn crops etc. etc. I'm a country girl at heart, what can I say!

10 x 8
Rhonda Hartis Smith © 2009

"A Slice of Life"

2009-06-07T22:35:00.005-05:00

10 x 8

I've been focusing on still life paintings from life. This painting is all about the "orange". I tried to pay special attention to light and edges.

Martini---It's Showtime!

2009-06-04T22:42:00.008-05:00

You're invited to The Gallery at 916 on June 5th from 5-8 pm for the Opening Reception and Gallery Hop. Featured artists are Bill Guffey and Rhonda Hartis Smith (yours truly). The name of the Exhibit is "Sizzling Summer" and I hope to see you there.

Doesn't this look delish?

16 x 8
Rhonda Hartis Smith © 2009

Apple Martini

2009-05-23T22:36:00.006-05:00

I've been diligently painting for my show at The Gallery at 916 opening on June 5th. I'll be sharing the spotlight with Bill Guffy, a very talented artist, check out his site via my link. I've been painting a series of "martini" drinks. Personally I don't care for the taste, but they look so cool. This is my Apple Martini and I adore the greens. The glass and the liquid was a challenge to paint and I'm still tweaking them. This is one of four for this series.

16 x 8

Rhonda's Lilly Pads

2009-05-14T21:49:00.007-05:00

I've really enjoyed using my palate knife lately. I love impressionalistic paintings so I've been working on painting with less "crispy" lines and using more paint. Not really sure if I'm finished with this one but this is where it is right now. I took the picture in the Florida Everglades while dodging the alligators on an air boat, what fun memories. When I was in New York City, I stayed in the Monet area for a long time looking at his lilly pads (of course mine don't begin to compare but I can dream. . .)

I have to share good news, my son Justin is graduating from Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green Kentucky, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture, his area of concentration is in Agronomy. We're are so proud of his accomplishment and we're going to C E L E B R A T E!!!

I have to name this for my show, but I don't have the energy right now!

12 x 12
Rhonda Hartis Smith © 2009

Fountain's Beauty

2009-05-10T22:18:00.005-05:00

I'm painting for my next show at The Gallery at 916 opening on June 5th, so please forgive me if I haven't paid you a visit lately. This is my latest "fountain" painting and I think it's my favorite. I used a palate knife for the sky, I have blue paint everywhere in my studio. As usual, if you have a title suggestion, I can use some help.

16 x 20

Live Model Session, Monday night

2009-05-05T23:11:00.011-05:00

Last night I painted in Franklin, TN and this is my study of Becka. The lighting was dramatic, shadowing her eyes. She has wonderful pouty lips which were fun to paint. I need to lighten up the background to make this a stronger painting. I was a little challenged because I had my canvas reversed and I was painting on an unprimed surface. Guess I was really in a hurry. Being the optimist that I am, I realized that this forced me to use more paint. I'll make sure I have my canvas on the primed side in the future though--much easier!

This is the same model painted previously. Her hair color was different.

I thought a little motivation was in order so I posted several of my head studies from the Monday night sessions. I really like it, I can look up and see years of head studies and hopefully some progression in the right direction.

More studies and I still have room on the other side for new ones!

Thanks for joining me, can't wait for next Monday night!

Abstract--thinking outside the box

2009-04-29T21:57:00.011-05:00

I spent the day with my friend Betty, a fellow artist, to attempt to paint abstractly. I met Betty when we went to New York City to Mr. Kinstler's class. Betty is a fountain of information and very enthusiastic about her art. This is very inspiring to me, thank you so much Betty!

Abstract painting is totally the opposite of my normal thought process so I thought it would be a very good exercise. Betty prepared the panels that we worked on and I just went with the flow. Here is my panel, ok I'm jump starting my creative juices--where is my inspiration??? We are using acrylic paints, which is new for me since I paint in oils.

Ahhhh my inspiration! As I've said many times before, I love fabric and this color combination appeals to me so let's go.

Prepping the surface, looks like the surface of the moon right now, looking for a little excitement. One thing that I liked about the panel is the feeling of movement.

As soon as it dries, I'll start applying color. I can't wait!!!!

I begin applying color and playing with the feel of the panel surface to find my focal point. It's very relaxing and fun!

After trying all of the colors in my "inspiration fabric", I decided to tone down the pinks and bring out more of the blue and brown. Betty had a beautiful gold paint that I couldn't resist.

I basically ran out of time and was still tweaking. I think I could still be working on it and it's been 3 weeks. I was surprised at how long you can work with the color. Since it's abstract, I can work on this panel as long as I want until it looks just right!

Any title suggestions for Rhonda and Betty's art?

lemon still life

2009-04-14T19:05:00.006-05:00

I'm gearing up for my show in June and I'm painting from life. I don't think I'm finished with this one yet, I still need to put highlights on them. Tonight I'm painting pears! Any suggestions on a title for my lemons?

8x10
Rhonda Hartis Smith © 2009

Moose Portrait

2009-04-11T07:32:00.004-05:00

You never know what I'm going to be painting--I don't like to limit myself (obviously). This small painting is for a very dear friend that is a "Moose" fan. When we travel, if we have to buy a Moose item for her if I see one. She is celebrating a very special Birthday today and I painted this for her.

6x6

Fountain Square Park Bowling Green Kentucky

2009-04-07T22:30:00.004-05:00

I just love to paint the Downtown Square area and The Fountain is a favorite of mine. Everytime I look at it, I notice something new. For those that are familiar with The Fountain, it was renovated a couple of years ago but my reference pictures were taken before and there was a greenish patina on it. Once again I have stellar photography on one of my paintings; across the top is a shadow so please ignore. This was a commissioned piece so I was concentrating on delivering on time, hence the photography. I forgot to post on my abstract but I'll post soon--not quite sure that's my calling but you can be the judge.

16x20

More sketches

2009-04-03T19:15:00.004-05:00

More sketches, I'm branching out now drawing more of the figure. He looks pretty sad on this sketch--guess I could have put a little smile on him. He was a little under the weather.

He was feeling a little better for this sketch. The nose photographed darker than it was drawn, I'm not sure how to avoid this. Still need to take that photography class. . .

Last Saturday I went to a friend's studio and I did my first "abstract". It was a lot of fun--stay tuned for my next post. I don't usually think outside the box so it was a stretch for me.

Sleeping Model

2009-03-26T22:06:00.003-05:00

I went to visit my Dad tonight and he had just eaten his evening meal and I think he was ready to go to bed! Needless to say, he was a great model as he sat in his recliner and we watched old shows on TVLand. Well I'm not sure he saw any of the show. This is probably a 20 minute sketch.

Monday's Live Model Session

2009-03-24T19:47:00.006-05:00

Last Monday night we were delighted to paint Roxie. I've painted her many times in the past and she does such a good job. I do see Roxie's likeness in this study but there's something not quite right. . . maybe if I had three more hours I might figure it out! It did seem like I had lots and lots of time with the 3 hours when you compare to the 5,10,15. . .30 minute sketches last week. Oh well, practice, practice and practice more.

This is my Dad. I have decided to sketch him each time I visit him, if possible. I have a special sketch book just for him. He was a very good model tonight, I was able to capture him watching "funniest videos". This is about a 30 minute sketch, I wish now that I had just used charcoal but this is the first sketch of many. I think his nose is a little big and a few other errors but it does look like him (a little?).

Spring is in the air in Bowling Green Kentucky!

2009-03-22T08:25:00.018-05:00

This morning I was struck with an illness--Spring Fever!!! I took my dear Dad for a little ride in our charming downtown area to see the beauty of flowers blooming and trees budding. Here are a few pictures of my favorite place--Fountain Square Park.

Such a beautiful day. . . we started at the fountain

another shot of the fountain

beautiful daffodils

Fountain Square Park

one last shot of the fountain before heading to campus. . .

driving up College Street to Cherry Hall. . .

The Hilltoppers did a great job in the basketball tournament this year--Go Tops!

our final stop was "The Depot" to see the old Louisville & Nashville train.

When we were done, my Dad had a little spark that wasn't there before. I'm guessing he has Spring Fever now! Thanks for joining me on my little trip.

Quick Sketches--a week of practice

2009-03-21T21:43:00.010-05:00

It has been a while since I have pushed myself with quick sketches and when you see these you will know that I need A LOT OF PRACTICE! My wonderful artist friend Marian Pacsuta was kind enough to invite me and a few others to her studio to paint from life. We did several quick studies (actually all of them were quick to me) with the model changing poses every 5 minutes, then 10 minutes building up to 30 minutes. My ongoing goals are to work on my drawing skills, my light dark patterns, improve my values and I would like to loosen up a little with my brush strokes.

We have vowed to paint together more often (goal is once a month minimum) -- from life -- either by hiring a model or plein air (painting outside). I'm looking forward to a fun Spring and Summer!

below--5 minute sketch

10 minute sketch

10 minute sketch

20 minute sketch

30 minute sketch

Magical Dragonfly

2009-03-16T21:38:00.004-05:00

This small painting is a little whimsical painted for a beautiful little baby girl. Hopefully the painting will grow with her over the years.

6x6
Rhonda Hartis Smith © 2009

Nursery Painting--Teddy Bear

2009-03-11T21:26:00.006-05:00

I've been working on some 6x6 paintings for my friends with new additions to their families. The fabric below and a teddy bear were my inspirations for this painting. The nursery is decorated in greens and browns and the fabrics are fabulous!!! Fabrics always inspire me, I love to look at the colors and how they coordinate together. I never ever get tired of going into a fabric store--I can't help it. Now fabrics are inspiring me in my art.

One thing that has been a constant in my family from generation to generation is sewing. I have a quilt square framed and hanging in my home from a quilt that was made by my Great-Grandmother!
Some of my earliest memories are of my Grandmother Mazie piecing quilts and making sure that she added just a little red to every quilt since that was her favorite color.
My mother quilted also and made doll clothes for me when I was a girl.
All of my Aunts quilt and sew and many of my Cousins.
I also sew and I have pieced a few quilts and for years I sewed custom window treatments and accessories. I eventually chose oil painting over sewing since there are only so many hours in a day.

Well I have two sons so I guess the family tradition ended with me -- unless I have Grand-daughters some day. . .

Guess what!!! I need a title for the painting below--any suggestions?

My inspiration (above).

6x6

Monday Night Painting from Life--3 hour study

2009-03-03T20:01:00.003-06:00

On Monday nights I go to Franklin Tennessee to paint from life. I choose to travel an hour and twenty minutes to and from for the "experience". Not only do we paint from life, but we critique each other's paintings--in a nice but honest way. As an artist, it is so important to have a support group to get honest feedback and I feel very fortunate that I have this talented group of artists to paint with. I also have local friends that are artists and we get together from time to time to paint and talk about art. We have a relationship that allows us to critique in an analytical and impartial manner since we've been painting together for about 9 years (time flies). I know, I feel blessed! And now I have my friends in blogland to help me in my quest to be a better artist. Win Win Win

Weekend Retreat

2009-02-24T22:39:00.011-06:00

Last weekend I was invited to a little retreat to a cabin hosted by my cousin Terry and her daughter Jaime. There were 19 of us in all (including 5 children) and we were instructed to bring our sewing machines. Terry is an excellent quilter and we were to make 6 blocks each out of strips of fabric. The triangle in the middle was for our name since these squares will go into a memory quilt. We had such a good time, laughing, eating, sewing and catching up with family and friends that we are going to do this every year. Now that we have some experience in quilting, I'm sure next year's quilt blocks will be much more complex. I believe that quilting is an art form and you can get very creative with the fabrics.

These were the blocks for one of the quilts--very colorful!

I was very excited because it snowed while I was there. This is the view of the lake from the cabin.

I had to take my paints with me and I painted three small paintings while I was there. This is for Terry, signifying her landmark birthday with the cupcake (purple is her favorite color).

And this little painting was for Jaime.

In January, Kentucky was hit with a severe ice storm and I saw several trees that were broken on my journey to the cabin.

Another beautiful view from the cabin.

And now It's time to go back home to the hustle bustle of the work week!

My Kinstler Workshop Study

2009-02-17T21:04:00.003-06:00

This is my study of the model on the first day of Mr. Kinstler's workshop. My goal was to make sure that I got my values right in addition to my light/dark pattern (the light side of the face versus the dark side). Mr. Kinstler wiped out the right eye with his thumb as I tried to remember to simplify, squint and paint exactly what I saw. In the 2008 workshop, I didn't even get far enough to get a critique so I'm looking at this as an improvement over last year (yes I am an optimist at heart). My focus wasn't to get a finished painting but to concentrate on what Mr. Kinstler was saying and to watch his demos and critiques of others in the class.

Art Student's League New York City

2009-02-12T21:31:00.014-06:00

Last week I traveled to New York City with several of my friends from our Monday night Open Model Session to attend an inspiring workshop with Mr. Everett Raymond Kinstler. Mr. Kinstler is an amazing artist that has painted several US Presidents, John Wayne, Katherine Hepburn and Tony Bennett to name a few. The workshop was at the historic Art Student's League of New York City. This is the second time I have made this journey and I do feel that I have grown as an artist since the first workshop and hope that I'll continue to learn, improve and evolve as an artist.

Since I haven't painted anything in a little while, I'm sharing a few pictures of my trip. I have hundreds of pictures but most of them are of works of art from the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET), The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) and The Hispanic Society of America in Harlem. I've narrowed hundreds of pictures down to only 12--a very difficult feat.

I was so excited when we approached New York City that I had to take a shadow shot of our plane, the clouds had to be just right!

This is the famous Statue of Liberty, I've only seen it via the air.

The Big Apple--isn't this awesome?

Can you tell we were ready to eat some New York Cheese Cake? This small piece fed 5 of us.

This is me at the gates of The Hispanic Society of America. There were beautiful paintings there by some of my favorite artists.

Inside The Hispanic Society of America Museum. You can see a small portion of the gorgeous paintings and sculptures.

Here I am getting ready for my workshop, packing all my "stuff". Our hotel was less than a block away--very convenient.

Inside our classroom at the workshop. There were about 40 participants in two rooms so needless to say it was cozy but lots of creative juices were flowing.

If these walls could talk. . .

The famous and bright Times Square.

My absolute favorite--Central Park, Mall area.

View of the city from Central Park.

Thanks for joining me on my trip and if (I mean when) I get busy, I'll have more paintings to post.

Winter Forest

2009-02-04T20:24:00.004-06:00

I had a few goals in mind before starting this painting:

one day to paint it

PAINT BIG

pile the paint on

subject matter was trees

So I jogged over to some trees next to our house and snapped a reference picture and began painting. It was such a beautiful day with a gorgeous blue sky. I really had a good time sloshing the paint on with my palate knife and used my brush a little. Every once in a while I would lose a glob of paint but eventually found it, in the wrong place of course. The painting is a 30" x 40", much larger than usual. I am going to try to step out of my comfort zone in 2009 and do more of these challenges.

I have entered my painting in the ART WORKS 2nd Annual Members Fine Art Exhibition from February 13 -27, 2009 at the Gallery at 916, 916 State Street, Bowling Green, KY

http://www.artworksinc.org/

Please see the exhibition if you get a chance, we have so many talented artists in our area.

Monday Night Model Session

2009-01-30T21:53:00.006-06:00

I've been away for a few days, had to escape the cold and relax while visiting my dear friend Sandy. So I went to sunny Florida to hear the sound of the ocean waves gently hitting the lovely white beaches . . .

then returning to a winter storm watch with snow and ice brrrrrrrrr!

Erin was our lovely model for the last Monday night open model session that I attended a couple of weeks ago. My camera battery died so this pose is off a little from my painting but it's close.

This is my 3 hour painting of Erin, I would have loved to do her full figure but I didn't have enough time and my canvas was not big enough.

Grandchildren on the Beach

2009-01-14T20:39:00.009-06:00

These were paintings that I was commissioned to do for Christmas gifts. It was fun working with Lora on these two paintings; going through her wonderful beach pictures of her Grandchildren. I went through several pictures and came up with a painting of the three children and with Lora's help, we came up with an acceptable composition.

5 x 7

I'm afraid once again my photography of the painting does not do justice to this adorable little girl. Lora has another Granddaughter that has the most beautiful white blond hair.

Portrait of Aiden and Amelia

2009-01-08T19:37:00.005-06:00

Two of my very best and oldest friends, Tom and Carol, were blessed with a new granddaughter this year. Little Amelia was born on big brother Aiden's Birthday, what a special Birthday gift! One of my goals for this portrait was to capture that proud big brother smile that Aiden had for his little sister. Tom surprised Carol with this portrait for Christmas. I hope they will always enjoy this very important "moment in time".

Portrait of Kristina & April

2009-01-01T17:31:00.003-06:00

I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year! 2008 has been a year of growth for me as an artist and I hope 2009 will see even more growth. I was commissioned to paint these two lovely Sisters, Kristina and April, as a gift for their Father. This portrait was challenging because of their beautiful smiles; teeth are difficult to paint. I'm happy to say that Dad was very happy with the results.

11x14

Portrait of Jim & Lisa

2008-12-27T09:59:00.007-06:00

I was commissioned by a young couple, Adrienne & Tom, to paint this as a thank you gift for Tom's father Jim and his wife Lisa. I was honored to be chosen because I know this was a very special gift for them. Their excitement and enthusiasm was catching and I wanted to make sure that I delivered in every way possible. I have to admit that I made a couple of changes after taking this picture--just can't help myself.

12x16

Happy Holidays and Baby Mallory

2008-12-20T18:35:00.004-06:00

This is my unofficial shadow shot for Sunday (LOL). We were riding in the Great Smokey Mountains last Fall when I snapped this picture. I hope everyone enjoys the Holidays with family and friends!

This painting is little Mallory, what a cutie. The challenge on this painting was, of course, getting a likeness but also using a magnifying glass and tiny brush to get the detail. I think I need to paint BIGGER!!

6x8
Rhonda Hartis Smith © 2008

Portrait of Susan

2008-12-13T23:42:00.005-06:00

6x8

This is a small but prescious portrait commission that I've been working on. I spent several hours on her arm, trying to capture those cute rolls. I hope that her parents will cherish this for years to come.

TAGGED & Yellowstone National Park

2008-12-03T21:24:00.031-06:00

Since I have been working like Santa's Elf on Christmas Commissions, I haven't been a very good blogger. Hopefully I'll be back on track soon but you know how busy the Holidays are. Meanwhile,

I'VE BEEN TAGGED (twice)

Deborah of Pictures Pots & Pens http://picturespotspens.blogspot.com/ tagged me right after I started my blog, also, Artist Joan Breckwoldt http://joanbreckwoldt.blogspot.com/ has tagged me to reveal 7 little known things about myself. Please visit their sites if you get a chance. I have to say that there really isn't a lot that is exciting about me but here goes--in no certain order:

1) I absolutely LOVE Yellowstone National Park. my first visit was several years ago and I've been back every other year since then. I can't see enough of Old Faithful, buffalos, eagles, love all of it (see pictures below), 2) I'm afraid of needles, 3) I married the boy next door, 4) I love to collect stuff, 5) I'm a motorcycle enthusiast--we travel all over the United States with our friends. We've had lots of fun on it--from coast to coast, north to south, beach to mountain--last year we went to--you know where--Yellowstone. 6) I love to visit museums--art, history, nature, etc. 7) Did I mention that I love to travel?

I'm tagging all of my blog followers to reveal 7 unusual things about themselves if you choose to participate.

Rules:1. Put a link to the person who tagged you in your post.2. List 7 little known facts about yourself.3. Tag 7 other bloggers and let them know.

My first trip to Yellowstone was in the mid 80's. I was on a trip for work, staying in Laramie, Wyoming and stayed a few days extra to visit the park--after that I was hooked! I can honestly say that Bowling Green, Kentucky is no where near Wyoming so I must love it to travel so far. Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872 and here are some of pictures of my last trip in July 07. This was a motorcycle trip and we stayed in Idaho around the West Entrance.

Old Faithful is the most famous and consistent geyser which erupts every 45-90 minutes and is located in the Upper Geyser Basin. There is a webcam that you can see on their website.

These beautiful mountains are the Grand Tetons a little south of Yellowstone. Jackson Hole Wyoming has a great view of the Tetons. The Tetons have their own national park (love this one too).

Back to Yellowstone now with a lovely scene within the park--breathtaking actually.

A waterfall in the park.

Here is the eagle we passed quite often.

You can't visit Yellowstone without seeing the Buffalo.

This is just a little playful bear we saw in the park. I was just a little nervous since I was sitting on the back of a motorcycle with no protection. Fortunately, he ignored us.

This is a beautiful steaming pool (hot pools). The intense colors come from two sources--water temperature and chemistry (pigments with microorganisms). There are over 10,000 thermal features in Yellowstone of which only 3% are geysers.

More hot steaming pools, we had to see every one of them (as a matter of fact all thermal 10,000 features--LOL) on our first trip there together.

Thanks for joining me on a trip to my favorite place and I'm thinking about 2009. . .

For all you basketball fans. . .

2008-12-03T19:20:00.007-06:00

12 x 16

This is my first official "sports" painting and everyone loves college basketball! The couple that commissioned this painting are BIG North Carolina Tar Heels fans and wanted a painting to go in their room devoted to -- you've got it, The Tar Heels. So they gave me several items and I came up with this still life. My favorite part of the painting is the basketball, it was in a plastic box and there were lots of neat reflections. I'm not crazy about painting the lettering and had to work really hard on them. This is my contribution to basketball season!

Tropical Sunset

2008-11-28T23:14:00.007-06:00

This painting was a little harder than I thought it would be--as usual! The sunset was so beautiful and I really had a difficult time capturing it. Wouldn't it be great to see this scene every evening? If that was the case, would one take it for granted?????

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We had our usual family gathering with lots of good food and of course lots of love, we have so much to be thankful for.

The River Hat

2008-11-21T22:29:00.006-06:00

My reference for this painting was a small snapshot taken while on vacation in Mexico many years ago. My husband and I were in a boat also and we passed this boat with an adorable little boy with the white hat. I love the palm trees and the bank of the river as the back drop for the boy. I spent a lot of time on this painting trying to get it "perfect". Well I didn't succeed but I certainly tried! This painting is one of my favorites and will stay in my private collection.

16 x 20

New Site Coming. . and Help--Still Life Paintings that need names

2008-11-16T19:40:00.007-06:00

I'm ready to start the new year with a new and exciting site thanks to my wonderful webmaster so stay tuned. . . I'll send a link to my subscribers and will post on my blog when it's ready.

I've taken a few days off to regroup after my show and now that I've rested up, I'm ready to paint again to complete my Christmas commissions. Since I haven't finished one yet, I'm posting a few still life's that I painted a little while ago that are unnamed (poor paintings). As usual I need help and you creative folks do such a good job . . .

11x14

I want to say a big "Thank You" to those who visit me on a regular basis and offer words of wisdom and make me feel warm and fuzzy. The blog wouldn't be any fun if I didn't have any visitors------next post A W A R D S!

Main Street 24x36 painting & Opening Event

2008-11-09T10:01:00.009-06:00

Our opening was last Friday night, November 7, and before it began, Faye and I were taking a few pictures. I am standing in front of a long wall that was devoted to my works of art. Faye's art was on the other wall. I would like to say a big "Thank You" to Lynn and Melissa at "The Gallery at 916" for a very nice opening event. Several attended and fun was had by all! I'm sure Faye will have pictures also so visit her at her blog Faye Christian Phillips (I have a link on my favorites list).

On my previous post, I showed a small snippet of our Main Street and "Fountain Square Park". Although I have painted Main Street several times before, here is my latest and largest painting. I was working hard to get it delivered before the show and I made it--yeah (at noon the day before)!!!

24x36
Rhonda Hartis Smith © 2008

Southgate Studio and Fine Arts Student Exhibition

You probably remember "Roxie" from a previous post. Southgate Studio and Fine Art in Franklin, Tennessee has an annual student show each November and Roxie was my entry. Unfortunately, I didn't get to attend the opening due to a previous commitment so I got to see it for the first time last Monday night. Please stop by and see Pat and Jody, the show looks great and there is so much talent, amazing!! Roxie really pops doesn't she--with all those pink feathers.

November Show at The Gallery at 916

2008-11-04T22:41:00.008-06:00

Here are some pictures of our beautiful downtown area in Bowling Green, Kentucky--"Fountain Square Park". The first picture is the Fountain that I have painted a couple of times and I have to admit that I adore our little downtown area. It's full of personality and as I have said before, there is a sense of pride here. This is the same composition of the night painting of the fountain that I did.

The next picture is "Main Street" of which I am currently painting and should finish it tomorrow night. I have painted Main Street several times and everytime I look at it, I see something new.

This is "The Gallery at 916" on State Street in Bowling Green, Kentucky and this is where my show is for the month of November with fellow artist Faye Christian Phillips. If you get a chance, our opening is Friday, November 7 from 5-7 pm. Hope to see you there!!!!!

You may recognize "Blossoming Friends" named by my friend Pat from Brooklyn New York. This is part of the show at the gallery.

Three Sisters

2008-10-31T22:08:00.006-05:00

16 x 20

My niece is a photographer and she took this picture of three little girls that are sisters. I fell in love with it and asked her if I could paint it. I have to admit that I've never painted such little legs (middle baby sister) with such cute little pink toe nails!!! Any suggestions on names for this one? I know you can come up with something better than mine (Three Sisters).

The Fountain at Night

2008-10-30T20:45:00.004-05:00

16 x 20

This painting is of the Fountain in Downtown Bowling Green, Kentucky. I was on the square for a musical event one night and took a night shot of the Fountain and really liked the way the buildings had a golden glow behind it.

There is a lot of history on our Downtain Square, the square originally had a courthouse built on it in the early 1800's. But eventually a new bigger, better courthouse was built in another location and in May of 1872, the area was officially named "Fountain Park" by our city's leaders and a fountain was placed there. The original fountain was replaced in 1881 by a 6,000 pound precast Fountain from J.L. Mott Ironworks of New York City. The Fountain is crowned by Hebe, the Goddess of Youth. Statues surrounding the Fountain are Mythological figures of Flora--Goddess of Flowers, Ceres--Goddess of Grain, Pomona--Goddess of Fruit and Melpomane--Goddess of Tragedy. There are two arch entries into the Park made of Bowling Green limestone. The landscaping is beautiful and buildings surrounding the park have been renovated. Very charming and a source of pride to the citizens of Bowling Green.

tea cup series # 3

2008-10-29T22:37:00.004-05:00

12 x 16

This will be the last tea cup that I finish before my November show--yes it's time. This was very challenging for me because of the two glass pieces. The candy dish was a very thick glass and not very transparent so I struggled with it. The cup & saucer was more transparent so the process was easier to get the feel of glass.

On my previous post, I received several very good suggestions of names for the paintings, thank you so much. It was very hard to make a decision but I decided to name the painting "Blossoming Friends" because the yellow rose signifies friendship.

Now get your creative juices flowing again because we have # 3 to name (please. . .).

Blossoming Friends

2008-10-27T21:41:00.004-05:00

3 panels 12x16 each

This trio is for my November Show at The Gallery at 916. I wanted to use 3 panels and have a continuation of the roses from one panel to another. My Mother-in-Law was kind enough to let me have a couple of roses off her rose bush. I tried to keep it soft and delicate.

Ok guys we have more paintings to name. . .

3 pear still life

2008-10-19T22:40:00.006-05:00

8 x 10

Pears are sooooo much fun to paint, they have the odd little shapes--kind of bulging at the bottom or side and in a certain light they have all kinds of colors. Here are my three little superstars posing for me. The actual painting has more color to it--I need a photography class (in my spare time)!

WORLD'S GREATEST STUDIO TOUR AND ART SALE REMINDER

Don't forget I'll be at The Gallery at 916 on November 1 from 10am to 5pm and November 2 from 1-5pm and look forward to seeing those of you that can come.

2nd in tea cup series

2008-10-19T22:24:00.004-05:00

12 x 16

This tea cup has special meaning to me because the tea set belonged to my Mother. She passed away at the age of 40 after a long illness and I was 19 at the time.

When I was a baby, we moved to Northern Ireland where my Dad was stationed in the Navy. We lived there for about 2 1/2 years so I learned to speak with an Irish accent and dance the Irish jig (according to my parents--I don't remember it). My Mother bought this tea set while overseas so of course I cherish it very much.

Now I depend on you guys to come with suggestions for names. What do you think?

Cityscape--"Dusk in the Big Apple"

2008-10-18T08:53:00.007-05:00

12 x 16

This was from my trip to New York City last February, it was at dusk so that's why it's a little grey, at that point in the day when you finally turn on your headlights. What's a good title for this one? I know you can do better than my "The Big Apple". I feel like this painting needs something but I'm not sure what--any suggestions?

My Cousin, Jr. Hartis

2008-10-16T21:50:00.008-05:00

My cousin, David Hartis Jr. (known as Jr.) age 63 was buried today after a long battle with cancer. He was an avid outdoorsman excelling in hunting and fishing. He was a master at many things--bow maker, call maker (turkey, ducks), knife maker, fishing lures, carpentry, excellent marksman and was also very artistic. But most important he was a family man and he loved his wife Loretta and daughters Lynn and Tia and their families very much. He was loved by many and will be dearly missed!

The image above is a painting that Jr. painted and gave me of an American Kestrel, I love the detail of the bird, flowers, even barbed wire. I keep it in my studio as one of my inspirations. Below is a painting he did of a turkey. My son is also an avid outdoorsman and when he killed his first turkey, Jr. mounted the feathers and painted the turkey on the leather piece. The bottom image shows the feathers also.

Roxie in Feathers

2008-10-14T22:25:00.003-05:00

On Monday nights I travel to Franklin TN to Southgate Gallery at the Factory to paint from life. We have painted Roxie many times in the past and she always has great costumes to wear, some of them she has made. Usually we only have one session of about 3 hours but every once in awhile, we get two sessions. We got to paint Ms. Roxie 2 nights and she was splendid in her purple feathers (a little challenging I might add). The next image is my finished product after about 6 hours of painting. I'll do a slideshow with my different Roxie's in a couple of days.

Enchanted Forest

2008-10-12T18:28:00.004-05:00

8 x 10

This is a little plein air painting called "enchanted forest" that I painted in Murray Kentucky. This one really has a lot of mystery and atmosphere in it. I haven't painted plein air in a while and I really enjoy it so I don't know why I haven't. Now that Fall is in the air and it has cooled off some, I may get outside and paint!

Pop Art--Flower Power

2008-10-09T19:35:00.003-05:00

This piece of art was one of the first commissions that I did. This consists of 4 16x20 canvases. They can be hung together as pictured or you can separate them and put space between. The bedroom is accessorized in pink and black and is gorgeous. The flower has the black background and a pink square was painted on the wall to highlight the "painting". What a great focal point for the room.

Miniature series

2008-10-08T21:03:00.004-05:00

These four paintings are the last of the miniatures that I have painted so far. . . I may do some ballerinas. I think my favorite so far is the one of my father-in-law on his tractor and the sheep. I believe that makes me a country girl (I already knew that though). When I was a girl, I used to go with my neighbor (who is now my father-in-law, yes I married the boy next door) and feed the pigs and cows. He would pull a little trailer behind his tractor and that is where I would ride. I moved to Kentucky from Nashville, TN and I thought it was wonderful to feed the cows, chickens, pigs, climb trees, ride horses. . .

A little nautical painting--this is for my Dad, a retired Navy man of 20 years!

My little "Tuscan" like scene--love those little trees that grow there.

Kentucky scenery, a lone barn in the middle of a wheat field. I took this picture on the back of our motorcycle on a weekend ride.

miniature beach paintings

2008-10-07T21:59:00.006-05:00

Here are more miniatures that are about 3 x 4" in size. I wouldn't mind being under this palm tree right now!

This is from one of my vacation pictures--I love the reflection of the bird on the wet sand.

My friend Sandy relaxing on the beach (she does that a lot--I'm jealous).

Just some lone beach umbrellas waiting to shade someone!

Any suggestions on names for these little jewels?

Miniature paintings with easels

2008-10-05T21:22:00.004-05:00

I have a fascination with these little easels made out of forks. I've gone to all the antique stores around and collected quite an assortment of forks and my husband provides the labor to transform the forks into these lovely little easels. Well I had to paint little paintings to go with the easels. Here are a few of the paintings, the first one is a vineyard, the second image is a better view of the easel, the third image is my little still life of three pears and finally I painted my father-in-law on his tractor and some of his cows (his big pets). So far I've painted eleven so stay tuned for more.

tea cup still life 1

2008-09-27T22:17:00.006-05:00

10 x 12

This is the first of my tea cup series. So far I have 6 to paint. I found this cup and saucer when I went antiquing last weekend. It has a beautiful purple on the outside but the inside is gold, like lusterware. You know how I am, if the painting is in my studio, I will continue to work on it so it may change. Any suggestions on what to name this? I can never come up with a witty title so I need help! Hope to see you next Saturday at the Lost River Art Show, I'll be there from 10:00 to 5:00.

Pet Portrait--Mattie

2008-09-24T22:30:00.004-05:00

5x7

This is my little pet portrait of Mattie, a very energetic Cairn Terrier. You would never know she was so hyper because she was posing like a little angel when Sandy took her picture. She was so much fun to paint and she's cute as a button (whatever that means).