Ed - 24 x 48 Original Art Acrylics on Canvas

The earliest memories I have of my maternal grandfather are from when I was about 7 or so. At the time he and my grandmother lived here in Oklahoma City and we lived in Chicago, so we came for a visit. Rose was not quite a year old. We didn't know she had autism yet. But I remember my grandfather singing to us. He had a beautiful deep voice and he would sing Christian hymns. I would look so forward to summers before we moved back so I could hear his voice and be engulfed in his kind spirit.

Later when we moved back and learned that she had autism I remember how he would sit and rock her for hours. When she would have meltdowns he was always so kind and patient.

This painting is from my 2013 solo show "Think Pink - Remembering Liza" dedicated to my maternal grandmother who lost her battle with Breast Cancer. It's titled "Ed" because my grand dads name was Ed and you can find it for sale on Daily Paintworks.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

BINGO!

One of my sister Roses' favorite things at her program is Bingo. There are times when I forget it's Bingo day and go to pick her up before they've played or during play and she doesn't want to leave. Most of the prizes are donated and I am surprised sometimes at the things people give away. Beautiful heirlooms that I would never part with are donated for prizes.

Rose got this strand of beads as a prize and that day when I arrived to pick her up she handed them to me and said "fix it!" I'm not sure how long they were but they wouldn't fit over her head. We added some chain, jump rings and a bead and they're fixed:) Not the best photo but you get the idea.

Have a great day everybody thanks for stopping by.

What Are You Doing This Year?

2010 ended as badly as it started for me but I'm determined to not let it get me down. We had four, yes four deaths in our family between Thanksgiving and the end of the year. I take it especially hard when someone dies of cancer. It seems so unfair. And one of the deaths was due to cancer. But enough about that.

One of the things I wanted to do in the New Year was open an Etsy shop for Rose. She has been in my shadow so to speak and her art deserves it's own space to grow and flourish.

She amazes me how quickly she creates something. I have to look at my work a million times and tweak and change and ponder before I consider it complete. But not Rose. She creates, it's done and she moves on to the next project.

For as long as I can remember she has been obsessed with smoking. Both my maternal grandfather and my uncle, moms' brother smoked and she has always wanted to do so as well. She would grab their cigarettes from the ashtray and run while trying to take a puff before anyone caught her. As a result her drawings often depict smokers. She also loves to draw hearts and flowers and every now and then she will render something abstract. Her art is always happy and cheerful and because she is mostly nonverbal I hope it's a reflection of how she feels.

You can find her shop at http://RoseRefour.etsy.com. I hope you'll visit and come back and tell us what you thought.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

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.

More Presents And The Diva Herself!

Last week it sleeted and the temps were in the teens so I decided we would stay home that day. Rose doesn't like to miss going to her program but I don't like cold weather:) We hadn't started making presents yet so I decided what better day to get started since the holidays are so close. Rose did ACEO's/ATC's to go in the cards and here are a few of my favorites. She took the photo with Santa at her program and I think it turned out pretty good.

Did you do ATC's or small gifts to slip into your cards? I'd love to see them. Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Did You Make Any Presents?

My sister Rose and I made all of the presents we are giving this year and these a just a few of them. I picked the white bead for the last bracelet you see pictured here. It's vintage twisted glass and I wanted to make something with it. Rose picked all the other beads for the bracelets and strung them and I tightened and crimped them. They're all contemporary glass beads. A short time later when I came back to put them away I couldn't find them. She had placed them in her jewelry box.

I feel confident that none of the recipients will look at my blog so I'm not concerned about posting them. Do you have items that you've made? I'd love to see them if possible. We had a lot of fun making items this year and I'll post more photos later.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

I'm Featured!!!

I was featured today at Art from the heart. Take a look here

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Happy Birthday Rose

Purple Glass Beads and Gold tone Findings

Ok so today is my sisters birthday and with all the anxiety, she hasn't slept in about a week. About 3 am every morning she has come into my room to wake me up to give me a note or to tell me that Friday is her birthday. She made a list of about 100 items that she wanted. Earlier in the week we went out and did some shopping and yesterday our Aunt took us to the movies. When we tried to buy popcorn we were catapulted into a version of "Who's on First." My Aunt, "We would like one large and one xlarge popcorn." The concession attendant: "so that's two larges and one extra large." My Aunt: "uhhhhh no, one of each."Attendant: "so two extra larges and one large." Aunt: uhhhhh no. This went back and forth until I had a headache. When we finally got to the drinks, before my aunt could say anything, I jumped in and ordered 3 of the same so that it didn't take another twenty minutes, even though we had decided something different beforehand. I expected the credits to be rolling by the time we finished but luckily the pre show was lengthy.

When we got back to our house my Aunt gave Rose the presents that she and my Uncle bought. She received various nail polishes and lip glosses along with a few other items. This morning I gave her this bracelet I made for her along with a dvd, a cd and the cutest angels a friend had sent. She didn't get nearly all the items she had hoped for but all in all I think she is happy.

Being her caregiver still scares me but I pray for guidance and we go to the cemetery often to keep our mom updated on our progress. On our last visit, in addition to her flowers, she received a note reminding her of the significance of November 7th.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping

Autism Awareness Item Of The Day

I am a 29 year old mother of 2. Ethan 6 was diagnosed with high functioning autism 5 months ago. Ryann, my daughter, is 4, and is a ray of sunshine. She is a constant companion for her brother. My husband is an Active Duty Navy Submariner, and we have been married for 9 years, and together since I was 16.

Up until mid February, I was a working career woman, and between the diagnosis and upcoming therapy appointments, my husbands vast deployments this year, and needing to give my daughter more hugs and kisses, I decided to leave my career as a retail inventory planner to stay home. I have always dreamt of growing my own craft business, but never had time. I knew by staying home, and dealing with our complex issues, I needed to keep something in my life for me. That is "Bubba & Rye", my craft business.


Thanks Deb! To visit her Etsy shop click here.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Art For The Day

© Betty Refour - Intertwined - 2007 Private Collection - Acrylic on Canvas

My sister Rose and I went to Dallas for a few days and we had a great time. She loves to stay in hotels and have room service so that's what we did. When we got there she got out the phone book and made a list of all the places she wanted to go. She added to the list a visit to two friends neither of which still live there. She wasn't too happy about that, but we kept pretty busy nonetheless.

This is a painting that I did for a couple that bought two paintings from me at my solo show back in July. I had to deliver it to their office and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that they had hung the other two paintings in their office and planned to do the same with this one. I always wonder what people do with my work after they purchase it. Some people keep in touch and purchase more or send referrals but some don't so I am often left wondering what happened with the painting. If you purchased one of my paintings and haven't kept in touch I'd like to hear from you.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Art for the day

© Rose Refour - Untitled - Ink on Paper

Rose sold her first piece of original art yesterday! It was an ATC. Whenever something of hers sells I am always so excited. Most of the time she looks at me like "what's all the excitement about?" but once she said "Let's go shopping!". Well yesterday she didn't make any comment but then a short time later she came and handed me a list. On it were the following items: royal blue headband, brown belt, fingernail polish, turkey, white short sleeve blouse. I think she wants to go shopping again:)

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by. We will probably put this drawing on a card in case anyone is interested.

© Rose Refour - Color - Acrylic on Canvas

I encourage Rose to paint so I have an easel set up for her that I leave a canvas on. Usually she removes it and places her sketch pad on it but this time she actually painted! Rose is my sister and she has autism.

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

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.