Varnish

Varnishing new paintings today.

I only varnish when I'm as sure as I can be that I am really finished with the painting.  Varnish enhances the painting - makes the colors a little brighter and deeper, helps protect it from sun and aging and it makes it easier to dust and keep clean.  

These will be going to Merison's and T.F. Rice & Co. next week.

It's Fall Y'all!

Click image for a better look.

One of my favorite’s from North Poplar Street in Paris, Tennessee.  Available as an acrylic or metal print or on canvas or as a greeting card from my online gallery at http://lee-owenby.artistwebsites.com/featured/fall-on-north-poplar-street-lee-owenby.html

Hope you have a happy Fall!

Birthday Sale

Because September is my favorite month and it's my birthday, I'm having a 30% Off SALE on all my prints, note cards and original art at T.F. Rice & Co. and Merison's.  This is for items in-stock only and does not include seasonal art (like for Halloween or Christmas).  Sale runs from September 17th through September 30th ... so hurry!

T.F. Rice & Co. is on the lake highway out in my neighborhood at Paris Landing, Tennessee.
11620 Hwy 79 North
Phone 731-336-1290
Visit them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TFRiceCo

 Merison's is located in Paris, Tennessee
202 Memorial Drive (right across from Lowe's)
731-641-2800
Visit them on Faceook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Merisons/306191319408944

Happy Birthday To Me!

In The Works

This is what I'm working on now.

More Happy Trees!!!!!!

It's not finished yet.  It needs more contrast and maybe some yellow at the top.  And then of course, I'll need a title for it.  This is on a 10" x 30" gallery wrapped canvas, which means you don't have to frame it - woo hoo!

Coming Soon! Fall!

It's September!  One of my favorite months because I know before the month is over, it will start to look like Fall in my neighborhood.  

I took this photo a few years ago over at Sweetvalley.  I love all the Fall colors in it, the leaves scattered across the road ... and the curve in the road that makes me want to see what's around that corner.  

I love Fall at the Lake. 

First Time Painter

One of the things I really like about helping people paint (sometimes I hesitate to use the word "teach") is when they tell me  ...

• how much fun they had 
• and how much they learned 
• and that they want to paint some more.

That's the way it went today.  We only had one student for our Saturday morning class.  It's  Saturday of the Labor Day weekend and most folks around here are out playing in Kentucky Lake.  But Debra Zemanek came to paint a sunflower - so it was just the two of us.  She told me what colors she wanted in her painting and kind of how she wanted it to look and then .... she told me she had never painted anything, ever before.   Nothing.  Zero. Nil.

Debra Zemanek with her first ever painting.

I love this sunflower that I helped her paint.  No, it's not a Rembrandt, but I love the whimsical, loose style of it and her color choices.  And for her first ever painting, I think it's fabulous!  But what I really, personally like is that before she left she told me ...

• how much fun she had 
• and how much she learned 
• and that she wants to paint some more.

Teaching People How To Paint

I never dreamed that someday I would be teaching people how to paint.  I never dreamed I would teach people how to do anything.  Teaching just isn't in my DNA.  But apparently I can teach them a little about painting and a lot about having fun at it and experimenting.

And this makes me happy and apparently it makes them happy too - as you can tell from the above photo.

Partnering with Cindy Rice at T.F. Rice & Co. to have 2 hour painting on canvas sessions has turned out to be a challenging and fun creative outlet for me.  You may have seen these classes in larger cities.  If you haven't, just Google "canvas painting classes."  They are everywhere because they really are fun.  In these classes the students actually finish a painting on canvas by the end of the 2 hours.  We use wrap-around or gallery styled canvases where the painting goes around the sides, so no frame is necessary. It's ready to hang.  Cindy provides the space and all the tools and supplies for the classes.  I provide the ideas, instructions, how-to's, and get to inspire people to be creative.  I get to have all the fun!

Sometimes the finished art all looks pretty much the same from a distance, but if you get in close - 

You can see the difference in each painting.

We all had a lot of fun making fluffy white clouds in "Bridgeview."

And on other times - no two paintings look alike.  This class was "Still Life on a Black Canvas."  

It was all about painting on a black canvas.

Lot's of fun and very individual.

You can find out more about our creative and fun painting classes by clicking on the button

at the top of the page that says "Painting Classes" or following me on Facebook.

Come Paint With Us!

Lake Photo

No rain for a change is nice.

Photo Work

I love the looks of the Rice Barn down behind T.F. Rice and Co.  Cindy Rice took this photo the other day.  It really is picturesque but .... that tree has always bugged me.  So I just took it out.

Click here to to see a slide show on how I did this.  

New Art For Canvas Painting Classes

Just a few new items for our painting classes at T.F.Rice & Co.  I'll be posting some more in the next week so be sure to check back.  To see all the painting classes I offer,  please just click on "painting classes" at the top of this page.  To schedule a class just contact Cindy Rice at T.F. Rice & Co.

Still Life On Black

We start out by painting our canvas black.  Something different and unique.

Acrylic on 16 x 20 gallery wrapped canvas.

  

The Lake

Whipped cream topping?

Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer

The weekend after the July 4^th weekend has always seemed to me as the time that summer really sets in.   Around here it usually gets really hot and sometimes pretty humid. The days are kind of lazy and long.  A great time to sit back and enjoy the scenery of life.  

 

 

Let's Sit

Buy a print in my online gallery or in Paris Landing at T. F. Rice & Co.

 

 

There’s an old song by Nat King Cole that has always made me think of summers on Kentucky Lake.

“Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
Those days of soda and pretzels and beer
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
Dust off the sun and moon and sing a song of cheer

Just fill your basket full of sandwiches and weenies
Then lock the house up, now you're set.

….. You’ll wish that summer could always be here.”

-Words by Charles Tobias and music by Hans Carste

 

In The Works

In the works in my dining room studio. I gave up a long time ago on having a formal dining room and just turned it into my studio.    Unfortunately, folks who don't know me and come to my front door hardly ever get to see my finished art.  Instead, they see things like this.

And I know they must wonder about me.

Backing up doesn't help.  You just see more stuff "in the works."

Sometimes I hang unfinished work on the wall - to study it and decide what to do next.  I forget it's hanging there until I catch a visitor looking at it and wondering if I'm crazy.

This morning it's really deep in here and I need to stop and dig my way out.

Every now and then it looks a little neater.

I have to stop and clean out a spot to take a photo.

Of course this is just the table top where I work.  You did notice that I didn't show the rest of my "studio" didn't you? 

Bird Feeding and Petunias

Bird Feeding is a major activity here at Paris Landing. 

New Art

My latest works ...

"Mid Autumn"

Acrylic on 12"x12" gallery wrapped canvas.

Both of the above are available at Herron & Wills Co.

on court square in downtown Paris, Tennessee.

100 East Washington Street - 731-642-2494

 

They also have a few of my art prints and a couple of my "Paris" signs like this.

On 8"x24 gallery wrapped canvas.

 

Thank you for coming by!

 

 

Busy, Busy, Busy

 

 

If you haven't checked out my painting classes and the craft classes at T.F. Rice & Co. - you are really missing out on a lot of fun.   The "Margarita" class was a great success.

 

Last Thursday we played in the "Craft Room" and painted on canvas to make banners. 

 

 

Kathi made a banner with paint and buttons.

 

 

Sharon (a.k.a. Superwoman) mistook the banner as her cape.

 

Susan painting dragonflies.

 

The finished "Dragonfly" banner. 

 

Come Play With Us Every Other Thursday. 

Next Play Date- Thursday, June 20th.

 

Our last paint "Paris" class was a major success.  Everyone chose these panaromic canvases that are 8" x 24" and got REAL creative in their lettering.  I love that each canvas came out different.  Lot's of folks are afraid to do artwork with lettering but you would be surprised at how easy (and fun) this project is.  Click on "Painting Classes" at the top of the page for our other classes.

 

New Stuff at Merison's That's All About Paris

I have some new things at Merison's that I wanted to share with you. 
There are all about Paris, Tennessee.

I've taken some of my most popular (and personal favorites) from my "Windows On The Square" series and created a 16" x 20" collage.  It is printed on archival paper with a matte finish.  Ready to frame, no matting necessary.  Just pop it into a standard 16x20 poster frame.

 

The one above is shown in color with a light sepia overlay but it can also be ordered in black and white or full color as shown below.

 

 

Also ....

 

 

An entire alphabet created from photographs taken in Paris and Henry County. 

A great conversation piece.  You and your friends will have fun guessing where the photos were taken.  It is 16" x 20" and ready to frame.  It may also be ordered with a

black background as shown below.

 

 

 

And the pièce de résistance ...

 

"Paris" on 12" x 30" gallery wrapped canvas.

 

I paint these signs myself in acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas (no frame necessary).

No two are alike.  The letters are even different on each one as you can see below.

 

 

You can order them in whatever colors you like and they don't have to say "Paris."  I can paint your last name or your favorite inspiration word like "dream" or "laugh" - whatever you like. 

 

They come in different sizes:  large 10" x 30", medium 8"x24", small 6" x 12".

 

Questions?  Check with me or the folks at Merison's. 

 

 

 

 

On mornings like this -

On mornings like this ....

It's easy to think you might have the whole lake to your self.  And then the peace and quiet is broken when you catch this.

Thanks to John Peddy for the photos.

May Painting Classes

I just posted my schedule for painting classes at T.F. Rice & Co.  You can see it here or by clicking "Painting Classes" at the top of this blog. 

These classes are a lot of fun.  We provide everything you need - canvas, supplies and an instructor (me).  In about 2 hours or less you will have a painting ready to take home and hang on your wall.

Just look through the selection of paintings and contact Cindy Rice at T.F. Rice & Co. or 731-336-1290 to schedule.  Cindy can also set up a special date for you and a few friends (at least 3).

Hope to see you soon!

Little Thrills



Fitzhugh & McWherter

Today when I was checking in at my dentist’s office, I gave my name - Lee Owenby - and just as I was about to sit down in the waiting room when another patient ask, “Are you Lee Owenby - the artist?” I replied, yes and she proceeded to tell me had some of my artwork. Her latest acquisition was a print of “Fitzhugh & McWherter” she had purchased at T.F. Rice & Co. and she also had some of my jewelry made from recycled art paper. We had a brief, but wonderful conversation all about my artwork. I thanked her and told her how much I appreciated her and she left.

Hours later I still feel the afterglow. This has happened several times lately - strangers, upon hearing my name, recognize me as an artist. I just can’t explain the thrill this gives me. To think that someone was so impressed with my artwork that they actually remembered my name - well - it just makes me feel … wonderful!

Sailing In The Moonlight

My latest .....

Buy Prints or Notecards

 

Buy The Original

 

I'm having a lot of fun with these playful, whimsical paintings.

The inspiration for this one was the McWherter Bridge crossing over the

Tennessee River at Paris Landing.

 

What to paint next?  Trees or flowers?

 

 

 

 

 

Weather Report

We've had some very foggy mornings lately.

I promise ... there is a really big lake out there somewhere.

The sun trying to come through.  If you look close you can barely see a fisherman

right in the middle of this gorgeous ray of light.

Then .... all of a sudden -

The fogs lifts and you wonder where all those boats came from.

Painting Classes at T.F. Rice & Co.

I'm going to be teaching painting classes at T.F. Rice & Co.!!!!

I'm excited!  I know this will be fun!  So if you are going to be in my neighborhood - please join us.
Call Cindy at T.F. Rice & Co. for prices and more information.  Her number:  731-336-1290. Classes are $30 and include all supplies.

We are starting with Paris! at 6 pm on Thursday, April 11th.  There are 2 different color versions shown below.  I'll be teaching with the top one.  But you can use whatever colors you like.  We'll be painting on 16x20 gallery wrapped canvas - no frame necessary!

 

 

 

Saturday, April 13th at 10 am.  we'll be painting this adorable pair of

flip flops on a 12x12 square, gallery wrapped canvas.

 

 

Friday, April 19th at 6 pm ~ "When Life Gives You Limes"

on 16x20 gallery wrapped canvas.

 

 

 

Hope you'll join us!