Brave, 10 x 10 Original Art

There are times when we have no other choice but to reach deep inside of ourselves and be Brave. This was done using acrylics on 10 x 10, 2 inch deep wrapped canvas. Sides are painted grey so no need to frame. You can find this for sale on Daily Paintworks.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Breast Cancer Awareness Day At The State Capital

I had the pleasure of being asked to help select artists for Breast Cancer Awareness Day at the State Capital. Here are my sister Rose and I at the event. The five paintings that are directly in front of Rose are the ones she did. Rose has autism. We had a great turnout for this event plus I found a face painter that painted images of hope on attendees faces. Rose got a heart and I got a pink ribbon. It was held on April 30, 2013. The pieces we did were in honor of our maternal grandmother who we lost to Breast Cancer.

I've been incredibly busy the past 8 months or so. I've done a couple of shows, Rose has been in a show and a storm knocked over a tree which took part of the house with it. Luckily we were safe and the tree didn't do as much damage as it could have.

This painting is from one of the shows I did "GUMBO." GUMBO was held at the Living Arts Center in Tulsa. The painting is titled "Neighbors" and was done using acrylics on 16 x 20 canvas.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah

I'm not a horn tooter. I don't find myself interesting in the least bit. But other people do and for that I'm grateful. I am contacted all the time by people wanting to write about me. Thank goodness because I really don't like writing about myself!

Lately I've been trying to come up with ways to Pay It Forward. And one of the things I've come up with is to blog about other people. People who have been kind enough to blog about me and people I find interesting. So look out world! I'm going to be mixing it up around here!

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Journey

I started drawing geometric shapes on notebook paper when I was about six years old. I was fascinated by color and the visual appeal of different color combination's. I would sit for hours drawing lines, circles, and squares.






I loved fashion and as I got older I started drawing images from magazines. I decided I wanted to be a Fashion Designer but after obtaining a degree in Fashion Design I pursued other interests.




Through the years I did some freelance illustrating, but never painted until I was off work for a year recovering from a back injury. I didn't take a class, I just went out and bought paint and canvas and started to paint. I got commissions almost immediately.

Earlier this year I decided that instead of painting geometric shapes, as is most often the case, I would paint something different. I painted a small canvas with shades of red and waited for ideas to come. But, every idea involved geometric shapes. And so the canvas sat there waiting. One day after Rose was done painting I added the yellow she had left from her palette...still nothing. So there it sat.







Then one day, after days had turned into weeks and weeks had turned into months but before months could turn into years, I painted what I felt in my heart from day one.....geometric shapes. I titled it Journey, in honor of myself and all you other creatives out there who have a tendancy to get in your own way. It was done on
7 x 5 inch wrapped canvas and you can find it for sale in my Etsy shop with a portion of the proceeds benefiting cancer initiatives.


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.

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.

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.

More Gifts Yet Again!

I was trying to think of another idea we could do for stocking stuffers and found these gold frames for aceos' at Dollar Tree. We framed some for our local recipients and I think it makes them look really nice. Rose did these drawings too.

I also bought die cut cards for aceos' at Hobby Lobby. I did these drawings and some of my friends will get these instead of a traditional type of holiday card. We are almost done with everything, thank goodness.

Don't forget to tell me about the gifts you made.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Art For The Day

Untitled #111 - (c)Betty Refour

If you would like to purchase some of my Giclee Prints Art.com is having a sale! Visit my gallery here and use code FLORA25. This discount is good sitewide so even if you see something else you like you can use this code. It's good for 25% off and lasts through Thursday March 5th.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Art For The Day

The Blue Pitcher (c) Betty Refour - Pastels on Paper

Our mom had quite a few vintage items that we inherited so I thought it would be a good idea to draw some of them and sell reproductions to raise funds for Blood Cancer initiatives. I'm not sure the origin of this pitcher but it's one of my favorites. You can find reproductions of this drawing for sale in my Etsy shop.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Art For The Day

Looking Out (c)2009 Betty Refour - Acrylic on Canvas Panel

This painting was done using acrylics on an 8 x 10 canvas panel. You can find it for sale in my Etsy shop.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Art For The Day

Bounce (c)2009 - Betty Refour

The most difficult part of painting for me is coming up with a title. I've been watching the Australian Open though for the past couple of weeks and this reminds me of the computer generated images that are shown of where the players ball landed. I think mine is a bit more colorful though. This was done using acrylics on 8 x 10 wrapped canvas. The sides are painted dark blue so it's ready to hang. You can find it in my eBay store.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Art For The Day

Fleeting 2009 (c)Betty Refour

This painting was done on a 7 x 5 canvas panel using acrylics. You can find it for sale in my eBay store.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Art For The Day

The image for this card was created from a drawing I did using pastels. This would be great for Valentine's Day or anytime you want to send a note to your sweetheart.

You can find it on my Noteworthy Crafts website or in the Noteworthy Crafts Etsy shop. Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Art For The Day

Melt - (c)Betty Refour - 2009 Acrylics on Canvas Panel

This painting was done using acrylics on an 8 x 10 canvas panel. You can find it for sale in my Etsy shop.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Art For The Day

Paths - (C)Betty Refour 2009 Acrylics on 5 x 7 Canvas Panel

Another new painting. Available for sale in my Etsy shop.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Art Of The Day

Listening 2009 (C)Betty Refour

This painting was done using acrylics on an 8 x 10 canvas panel.
You can find it for sale in my Etsy shop.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Visit My eBay Store....

where most items are on SALE 20 - 50% off. Free Shipping on some items too. http://stores.ebay.com/Art-By-Betty-Refour


Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.

Join In The Etsy Greetings Blog Carnival

I am participating in the Etsy Greetings Blog Carnival. The EtsyGreetings team is hosting a carnival from November 17 - 21st. To participate in my giveaway all you need to do is visit my shops Art by Betty Refour and Noteworthy Crafts and leave a comment here telling me your favorite item from either shop and why. Sorry but you must live in the US to participate in my giveaway. The winner will receive your choice of a set of six of Holiday Tree Note Cards or a $10.00 voucher to be used in my shop so that you may select something of your choice. Be sure I have some way of contacting you in case you're the winner. Contest ends on Friday November 21st at Midnight CDT. The winner will be announced here on Saturday. To find great prizes from other members of EtsyGreetings visit the Etsy Greetings Blog.

Have a great day everybody, thanks for stopping by.