Push - Contemporary Abstract Painting Supporting Breast Cancer Awareness

This has been a rough year for me. Just when I thought that soon I would be able to feel the ground under my feet again and not cry when someone asked about my mother, my uncle died suddenly of an apparent heart attack. A few weeks later a friend was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and not long after that another. Then, just last week another dear friend was diagnosed with cancer.

It would be easy to sit back and feel sorry for myself or allow myself to drown in my grief but I refuse to do that. Instead, I choose to paint, something that I have not done a lot of this year. I choose to continue to push no matter what.

There are people around me that have no idea how much their kind gestures have meant to me. Words of encouragement from members of Etsy Project Embrace and of The Etsy Twitter Team. A compliment or purchase of my art. Including me in treasuries. An unexpected present or card in the mail. Someone bringing over dinner...little things can go a long way.

With Breast Cancer Awareness month upon us, this painting is dedicated to my maternal grandmother and countless others who have lost their battles with Breast Cancer. Everyone involved with Etsy Project Embrace. My friends on The Etsy Twitter Team. Everyone that took the time to do something nice, not only for me but for anyone. The survivors, friends, family and everyone that continues to PUSH no matter how insurmountable the obstacles seem...until there's a cure for all types of cancer.

You can find this painting for sale in my Etsy shop with a portion of the proceeds being donated to support Breast Cancer Initiatives. Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Unexpected

My earliest memory of my uncle, moms brother, is from the summer after our parents divorced. Mom, Rose and I came to Oklahoma City to visit her parents. My uncle and his family came over to our grandparents for a cookout. There was so much food I couldn't imagine how we were ever going to eat it all. My uncle and grandfather grilled for what seemed like hours while my cousins and I played in the yard. Rose and my youngest cousin were both infants at the time and we delighted in pulling them around in a wagon. There were many such cookouts over the years once we moved here and always so much food and fun. We never thought about how at some point those days would be gone forever.

My uncle was a kind gentle man much like my grandfather. He served in the Air Force first in active duty and then in the reserves for more than twenty years. He had nine children, seven stepchildren, numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren but he treated Rose and I like daughters. Then quietly, much as he had lived, he died on April 7th.

I spoke to him everyday since I moved back home four years ago, sometimes three or four times a day depending on what was going on in the world. At first our conversations were mostly about mom since she was battling cancer but after she passed away we mostly talked about sports, he was an avid sports fan just like mom was. He would also call about things he heard on the news, I don't like watching the news so he wanted to make sure I knew what was going on. The morning of April 7th we talked about the fact that he wasn't feeling well when he woke up. I asked about his blood sugar and his blood pressure. They were both high but he had taken his medication and was going to take it easy he said. The day before he had been running errands and on Monday he had worked in his garden. I didn't think much of the fact that he said he didn't feel well but asked that he call me later to let me know how he was feeling. When my phone rang at about 7:00 pm and I saw on the caller id it was him I answered the phone by saying "hey how ya feeling?" but, instead of his voice it was my aunt saying he was not breathing.

We rushed to the hospital but I knew that if paramedics had left their home with him not breathing they were unable to revive him. When I told Rose that he was in heaven with mom, grandma and grandpa, our favorite cousin Thomas and our Aunt Julia she said she wanted to go to heaven too. I didn't know how to respond at first but then I said that I hoped she would stay with me because if she left there would be no one to take care of me. She didn't respond but I hope we both live a long time, I'm not sure what I would do without her.

There are things in life that are expected but yet when they happen they are often unexpected. Death is one of those things. And even though I have lost all of the people who made me who I am and the pain of that will never go away, I am grateful for being born into the family that I was born into.

This is my first painting since my uncles death and I titled it Unexpected for all those things that I should have seen coming a mile away but never did.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Special Populations Indeed!

Today I had the pleasure of going to the opening reception for the Special Populations art show at the City Arts Center. Special Populations is a program of the Allied Arts Council of Oklahoma City that brings multidisciplinary arts education to children and adults with special needs in the metro area.

There are five special needs programs that participate in Special Populations. Two adult programs, one high school program and two children's programs. The art was absolutely beautiful and the turnout spectacular.

There were so many people there that the reception was planned for one area of the facility and had to be moved to another. Some of the participants from the high school program were videotaping and interviewing artists as I ducked in and out trying to take pictures oblivious to everything except my mission. Needless to say I had to be asked more than once to get out of the way and was asked to sign a release just in case they couldn't edit me out:)

These are the three paintings that Rose did along with a shot of her painting with several others. I have to go back before the show ends and take my time looking at the exhibit and get more photos. It was hard to do with so many people. If you live in the area I highly recommend you visit the exhibit. It ends on the 30th.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Oh and PS. Rose was initially a little nervous because of the crowd, hung close and held my hand. But once people started complimenting her she forgot I was there:)

Clouded In Secrecy - Artist with Autism

From the moment she entered the room all eyes were on her. No one knew who she was but they all whispered and stared. She smoked to calm her nerves but her presence was clouded in secrecy.

Rose did this drawing using ink, colored pencil and pastels. You can find reproductions for sale in my Etsy shop.

I am a member of the Etsy Twitter team and one my fellow members, Lois Stifel of FoxyGKnits wrote an article about Rose and I for Autism Awareness Month. I hope you'll stop by and take a look.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Subliminal Messages - ACEO - Artist with Autism

This is an artist trading card by Rose. It looks to me as though there's some hidden message here, what do you think?

You can find it for sale in my Etsy shop with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Autism initiatives.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by

Bridges - Original Painting - Artist with Autism

This is a painting by my sister Rose who has autism. Rose is mostly non verbal, so when I ask her what she would like to name her work oftentimes I don't get an answer so I name it myself. I named this piece Bridges because it reminded me of people reaching out to one another.

April is Autism Awareness month so all month I'll be featuring art by Rose and other artists on the spectrum.

You can find this for sale in my Etsy shop.... I think it's time Rose had her own Etsy shop!

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Elsile - Upcycled Vintage White Glass Bead Earrings Supporting Cancer Awareness

My maternel grandmothers name was Elsile but everyone called her Liza. I found a broken necklace amongst her belongings after she passed away made up of these white twisted glass beads.

I made these earrings for this weeks Etsy Project Embrace Team challenge. The theme was "recycled". I added sterling silver beads and findings to the beautiful vintage glass beads.

Etsy Project Embrace is comprised of a group of sellers spreading awareness, raising funds and offering hope and embraces for those whose lives have been touched by cancer. To find out more visit the team blog at http://etsyprojectembrace.blogspot.com/. You can find these earrings for sale in my Etsy shop. I lost my grandmother to breast cancer and so a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the American Cancer Society in her honor.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Working On Resolutions

As some of you may know one of my resolutions for the new year was to paint more. Two other resolutions were to create items with all the beads I have and to work on my photography skills. I've spent the past week taking photographs of some of the items I made with the beads. And while I still have a ways to go on my photography skills at least I'm working on it.

You can find these earrings for sale in my Etsy shop with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the American Cancer Society as part of Etsy Project Embrace.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Mother and Daughter - Artist with Autism

Last week Windows crashed and I have spent the majority of my time since then restoring my computer. While I was busy with that Rose painted. Mother and Daughter is one of the paintings she did. I really like this, it's looks very happy to me. She used dimensional and acrylic paints, glitter, vintage text pages, paper, ink and crayons. You can find it for sale in my Etsy shop.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Turmoil - Abstract Painting

The original image was done using acrylics on 10 x 8 wrapped canvas. You can find reproductions for sale at Fine Art America.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

With Purple On Top

This painting was done by my sister Rose who has autism. She is a self taught artist and will often use art to express herself. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to support autism initiatives and the rest goes to Rose for supplies and shopping excursions. The moment I let her know something has sold she makes a shopping list, usually for lots more than the sale:) She is mostly nonverbal.

Title: With Purple On Top
Size: 8 x 10 Canvas Panel

Medium: Professional Grade Acrylics

Date: 2010

Artist: Rose Refour

You can find it for sale on eBay. Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Name That Painting

The hardest thing about painting for me is coming up with a title, and since I have joined a daily painting group that task is even harder. What I have decided to do is have a contest! Help me come up with a name for this painting and if I decide to use your suggestion for this painting or any of the paintings I do this year I'll send you a reproduction of one of my works. So put those thinking caps on and help me out.

This was done using acrylics on 8 x 10 x 1/2 inch wrapped canvas. The staple free sides are painted purple. It is signed and dated on the back, wired and ready to hang. You can find it for sale in my etsy shop, with a portion of the proceeds being donated to support Breast Cancer Initiatives.

Please, please, please leave a comment with your suggestion and make sure I have a way to contact you if I like your idea. Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Red Flowers with Pink Vase

Red Flowers with Pink Vase (c)2010 Betty Refour

Another painting for the New Year. You can find it for sale in my Etsy shop where a portion of the proceeds will be donated to support blood cancer initiatives.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Bloom

Bloom - (c)Betty Refour - 2010

One of my resolutions for the new year is to paint more. In order to help me with that resolution I joined a daily painting group here in Oklahoma. This is my first painting of the new year. I'm not sure that I will be able to keep up the pace of painting daily but I'm sure going to try.

You can find this painting for sale in my Etsy shop with a portion of the proceeds being donated to support blood cancer initiatives.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.