"The North Forty" By C Caton

I've just completed this one - April 2013 - and it is the largest I've done to date 24"x36".

"The North Forty"  Who doesn't long for a place to "get away from it all"...This farmer has his very own paradise to escape to flush with wildflowers, a fishing pond with cattails, trees and a lush green carpet, just on the other side of the windbreak. 

(As usual, I've had some glare issues here...It really isn't as easy to take a picture of a picture as you might think.)

"Springtime Prairie Cabin" by C Caton

"Springtime Prairie Cabin" By C Caton

Just completed, April 2013 -  A beautiful Spring day at the little prairie cabin...The trees have leafed out, the wildflowers are blooming, and the grasses are coming out of their winter doldrums!

I can't really tell you how other people paint, but when I do it, it's pretty much a "paint-as-I-go", unplanned thing.  I've never sketched out anything ahead of time, as there is usually a quite elaborate story going on through my mind as I paint, much of which I actually leave out of my paintings so that you can imagine your own.    In a sense, I suppose that most of my paintings are just a backdrop...Here is a beautiful day - for a picnic?  Flying a kite?  Reading your favorite book under the tree, surrounded by wildflowers?  Children running about?  Taking a stroll down the lane?  Collecting a basketful of flowers for your vase?  

Abstract #9 - "Who's Got the Blues?" By C Caton

Abstract #9 By C Caton, completed March 2013

Who's got the blues?  I do...I don't really know how I came to have so many tubes of blue paint, but they are each represented here all at once!    I wish that you could see it in person, as some of the colors don't really come across properly in the photo - it really is quite eye-popping!  

"Maple Valley" By C Caton

"Maple Valley" By C Caton, Completed January 2013

A peaceful country home tucked in among the hills, wildflowers, and trees - just a quiet, simple life.  SOLD

Clyde, my trusty sidekick

I have now, 19 adult guinea fowl, 1 dog, 3 cats, and who knows how many fish in the pond(I started with 10, but they had babies this summer).   All but the fish follow me everywhere outdoors.  Everywhere I go, I feel as though I'm leading a parade!   And then there is Clyde.

I do not normally let "my girls" sit on their eggs, unless I know someone who wants some guinea keets in advance of them hatching, but this year I made an exception due to the aging of my little flock (they are 6 years old this year).

I do not know what was going on down there, but it seemed that I kept finding only dead or nearly dead keets this time around.  I rescued Clyde and one other baby, but the other one seemed to have some sort of neurological damage from the start, as his little legs would barely hold him upright. 

Keet #2 soon died, and that left only Clyde, who was thriving.  

Feeling rather sorry for the little fellow, being left all alone in the world, I promptly took on the task of surrogate guinea mom.

Which leads me to where we are today.  I now have a spoiled rotten little adolescent guinea keet who loves classical music, has his very own bedroom, and who loves above all else, to perch upon said mother's head.  

 Going out for a walk

Clyde is a special little bird, that's for sure and for certain.  He does not make the loud noises that most guineas his age and older are famous for.  Only a songbird-like peeping, which I like to believe indicates his contentment.

I can't possibly send him down to live with the "general population" down at the coop, given the fact that he is a male guinea, and, well - they are a little bit scrappy to put it mildly.  He being the smallest at this point, would make a most excellent target for their aggressions I'm afraid.

If he were a female, it probably wouldn't be an issue at all - but he is not, and so at least for the time being, he is here in the house. 

I can't really complain too much.  He has been a perfect house guest actually.  He's quiet, not too messy and has been quite entertaining as he learns about his surroundings. 

Both of my daughters boyfriends think that he is the coolest thing ever, and so I am hopeful that I may be able to find him a permanent home as a house guinea.

Back in jail...

Abstract #8

Abstract #8 - "Red Sky at Night" By C Caton -

Black and red abstract - SOLD

(Still unable to eliminate the glare - apologies)

Price increases and some random thoughts on art

Those of you who have either dealt with me before, or who perhaps check out my blog here well know that I am totally unschooled in art.

The one thing that I have attempted to "study" - albeit on my own and primarily on the internet - is pricing of art.  And I've got to tell you right here and right now, that I don't "get it".  There seems to be very little rhyme or reason to it. 

But, I do know that the time has come that I must raise my prices - I simply cannot afford to sell them so inexpensively any longer.  Ebay/Paypal fees being what they are, plus the shipping costs, and well - that doesn't leave a whole lot leftover.   I love to paint - I really do - but, my urge to paint is not greater than my urge to eat and have a roof overhead.

So - if there is a piece that I currently have available on Ebay that you like, this is the last week that you can get one at the lower prices. 

Painting artwork is sometimes such a contradictory thing...on the one hand it is a joy and a delight, and finishing a painting is always a bittersweet ordeal.  Then comes the decidedly not fun part for me - the photographing of the piece, listing it online, getting it loaded up onto this site or that one so that others can see it. 

And then finally, another bittersweet moment when your work has sold, and the realization that you'll probably never see it again sets in - but also the realization that some other person or people may glean some measure of enjoyment from it.  And you can't help but hope that your creation is headed off to a "good home" - much like sending a child out into the world. 

Other strange contradictions that I've found regarding art - Now I'm the first one to admit that I don't know a lot about art - but I do not understand how it is that some of these pieces sell for the prices that they do.   I've seen pieces that couldn't have taken more than an hour to paint, that consist of very little skill - some literally are just splotches of color - sell for thousands of dollars.  Why?  Am I missing something? 

Which I guess brings me back to the pricing increase (no, it isn't going to be thousands of dollars) - but really, I just can't afford to spend so many hours working on something to sell for $40 or so, though I really wish I could.     

If I actually lived in my perfect little world that floats around in my mind, I'd give them away to whoever wanted one - but unfortunately even us dreamers have to pay the bills in the here-and-now!

So here it is - last call at the lower pricing.  Just click on the "Items for Sale" under my picture here to see all that I have available at the moment.  
http://myworld.ebay.com/ccatonart