Art for the day - Celebration Of Life And Art

© Betty Refour - Untitled #127 - Acrylic on Canvas - 16 x 20

My painting, Untitled #127 will be part of the Celebration Of Life And Art exhibit opening June 1st at the Troy and Dollie Smith Cancer Center. The Center is located at the INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center Complex, Building D, 3300 NW Expressway, Oklahoma City, OK. The exhibit is a tribute to those whose lives have been touched by cancer. The show will run through July 13th. Opening reception is June 1st from 6 - 8pm. The reception is open to the public but you must RSVP at 405-951-2277 indicating the number of attendees. There will also be a luncheon on June 3rd to be held at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd Street, Oklahoma City, OK. The luncheon too is free and open to the public but you must make a reservation at the above number. The luncheon will include a presentation "Medicine, Marathons and Miracles: Turning a Diagnosis of Cancer into Personal Victory" by Roger and Kathy Cawthon. Roger is a former CNN sportscaster and Kathy is an award winning author and photographer. They are co-founders of the Cancer Crusade, an organization dedicated to fighting cancer with hope and humor. They were diagnosed with cancer within six weeks of each other. Their frankly hilarious take on the world of medicine blends seamlessly with a powerful message that energizes and inspires audiences to laugh, love and live in the moment, every moment.


All artwork is available for sale with the proceeds benefiting the Art Therapy Program at the Troy and Dollie Smith Cancer Center. There is a wonderful array of art, all by artists whose lives have been touched by cancer. Please stop by.


Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Art for the day

© Betty Refour - Making Connections - Acrylics on Canvas

This is a 5 x 5 x 1.5 inch painting done on gallery wrapped canvas. It's available for purchase in my Etsy shop. And speaking of Etsy, you are invited to a Virtual Card Party. Click here for all the details.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Need A Gift?

Why not select something from the WWAO Group of Artists on eBay. The WWAO is an international collective of women artists showing and selling our original art online. You are sure to find something to suit your needs no matter what the occasion. Happy shopping!

Art for the day

(c) Betty Refour - Waterfall - Acrylics on 8 x 10 wrapped canvas

This is a new painting that will be available in the gallery at the Lazy Frog Company.

Have a great day everyone and have a safe weekend. Thanks for stopping by.

What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

Pencil and Ink on Illustration Board - 1970's



Pencil and Ink on Illustration Board - 1970's

My 30 year class reunion is coming up. Yes, 30 years. But it got me to thinking about what I wanted to be when I grew up. A lot of you have heard the stories about how I started drawing geometric shapes on notebook paper and then graduated to drawing fashion and how CoCo Chanel was my idol and how I transferred those geometric shapes to canvas when I started painting and how I wanted to be a Fashion Designer and how I started designing note cards after a friend asked me to design a card for her baby shower and on and on. But very few of you have actually seen any of those Fashion Illustrations.

I would cut out pictures from magazines and newpapers and draw them. I also would use the bodies as templates to draw my own designs. These drawings are from photos I cut out.

I went to a small art and design school and got an Associates Degree in Fashion Design. But then I couldn't find a job as a Designer. I was offered pattern making and sewing positions and my attitude was like "Are you kidding me, I Can Draw why would I want to sew or make patterns."

Thinking back on it, although I said I wanted to be a Fashion Designer I think what I really wanted to be was an artist. I hated sewing, and making patterns and all the other things that are part of designing, but I loved to draw. So in fact I may be doing exactly what I set out to do when I grew up and just never even realized it. How about you, are you doing what you wanted to do when you grew up?

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by. Sorry I don't have better pictures, I just scanned what I could.

Art for the day at the Lazy Frog Company in OKC

Digital Art Note Card by Betty Refour



© Betty Refour - Untitled - 12 x 12 Acrylic on Canvas

Hop on over to the Lazy Frog Company and see their newly remodeled, newly reartfilled location. There you will find art, jewelry, handcrafted bath and body products as well as hand made mosaics, mosaic tile and mosaic tile supplies plus much, much more.

Featured artists include Gina West, Vicki Smith, Sheldon Shapiro, Trent Lawson, "Stephanie," Minnie Pack and of course me. They are located in the Paseo Arts District at 2410 N. Shartel and are open Tuesday - Saturday from 3 - 9 pm. Whether you're looking for a gift or something special for yourself you're sure to find it at the Lazy Frog Company.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Art for the day

(c) Betty Refour - Untitled #129 - Acrylics on Canvas

This is one of the first paintings I did years ago. I wanted to create something with texture as well as have the colors kind of intermingle. This is what I came up with. It's available as a print from Art.com.

Have a great week everybody.

Art for the day

(c) Betty Refour - Somebody's Watching - Markers on Watercolor Paper

This is an ACEO that I did. It is available as a Limited Edition at Art Cards Wanted.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Art for the day

© Betty Refour - Take A Load Off - Pastels on Paper

I started going to thrift shops years ago in the hopes that I would come across things that noone else noticed the beauty in. I usually came away with frames but then one day I found this duo. I have never found anything quite like this since but I still go just in case.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Art for the day

©Rose Refour - Markers on Cardstock - Untitled

© Betty Refour - Watercolor on Paper - Winding Road

Yesterday morning we had rain for several hours and then for a short time the weather became severe with high winds, thunder and lightening. It lasted just long enough to knock the power out so Rose and I had to entertain ourselves for a time. One of the things we did were these ATC's. Artist Trading Cards or ACEO's - Art Cards Editions and Originals as they are also commonly known, are small works of art 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches. They are considered an inexpensive way to collect art.

It's funny how you get into a routine and may not even notice. We were sitting outside when the gentleman from the power company came by and asked us to check to see if our lights were working. I checked and gave him a thumbs up and told Rose we had power. I headed for my easel and I could hear the sweet sound of music and finger popping coming from her room.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by. BTW for anyone who may not know, Rose is my sister and she has autism.

Art for the day

© Betty Refour - Flowers on Red 2 - Acrylics and Fabric Paint on Canvas

I hope everyone is having a great week. Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Mother's Day

(c) Betty Refour - Flowers on Red - Acrylic on Canvas

Have a great day.

Art for the day

© Betty Refour - Untitled - Acrylic on Illustration Board

This is another painting from the class I took a couple of years ago. For this exercise we were each given three sheets of paper, one black, one white, one grey. We were instructed to make three collages using only the paper we were given. Once that was done we had to vote on which one we liked best from each student and if we thought an element should be moved in their collage we could move it. Once all that was done each student had to paint their collage that received the most votes. Of course I couldn't paint the background grey could I?

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Light The Night Art Auction And Cocktail Party

My painting - Woman In The Scarf

I was part of a group show that was held at the Ft. Worth Community Arts Center from April 14 - 28th. The show culminated in an Art Auction and Cocktail Party on the 28th with the proceeds benefiting the North Texas Chapter of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education and patient services. Some of you may be aware of the fact that I lost my mother last June to Myeloma so this was a very important event for me. Myeloma is cancer of the Bone Marrow, it is very rare and only has a 30% survival rate. My hope is that future generations will benefit from their research so that someday if there is no cure the survival rate will be higher.

I was delighted to learn a few days ago that $30,000 was raised from this event. Over 200 artists participated some of whom along with the coordinator of the event are cancer survivors. These are a couple of photos from the exhibit. Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Art for the day

© Betty Refour - The Wall Hanging - Acrylics on Canvas - 20 x 24

Although I had been painting for years I took my first painting class a couple of years ago. We did an exercise where each person was given two items and they had to use the shapes repeatedly in a painting. I got a square piece of paper and a straw and this is what I came up with. I intended for it to look like a wall hanging that had been created to compliment the wall treatment but everyone thought it looked like a robot. What do you think?
Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Art for the day

© Betty Refour - Untitled - Acrylic on Canvas - 18 x 24

This is another painting I did for my upcoming show.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Art for the day

I just found out yesterday about eBay To Go so I just had to use it. These are some earrings I made. A portion of the proceeds go to the Komen Foundation. Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Art for the day

This is a drawing by my sister Rose who has autism. It's pen, colored pencil and crayons on paper. This will be available on a note card in my eBay store.
Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Art for the day

(c) Betty Refour - Untitled - Acrylic on Canvas - 24 x 36

I have a solo show coming up in July so in addition to all of my other projects I've been working on that too. Here's a peek at one of the pieces.
Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Please Consider Standing With Me

http://www.standing
women.org

Mother's Day Note Cards

Need Mother's Day Note Cards? These are two that I did. On both of the cards the artwork was done using pastels. The first bouquet is printed on 110# white cardstock. The second bouquet is printed on acid free photo paper and mounted to green confetti 80# premium cardstock. Both cards come with envelope in a clear cello sleeve. To purchase visit my Etsy Shop. Don't like any of the cards I have? Do a search for WWAO and Etsy Greetings and you will find lots more.

Happy Shopping! Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Art For The Day

(c) Betty Refour - Going in Circles



(c) Betty Refour - Disconnected




(c) Betty Refour - Take The First Right

My work will be exhibited at a new gallery that opens this weekend. The gallery is called Taina's Art Gallery and is located in Montgomery, Alabama. These are the pieces that will be exhibited there. Opening reception is Friday May 4th from 4-8 pm. The gallery is located at 2055 Carter Hill Road.
Have a great day everybody. Thanks for stopping by.