Darla the Donkey

This is Darla. She is a darling donkey. I've been looking for reference material to paint donkeys, and my beautiful friend Andrea the animal lover is the proud owner of this little beauty. I have several paintings of her started and can't wait to finish them. Check out my Etsy shop, www.shellybroughtonart.etsy.com in the future for new oil paintings, and you will see paintings of Darla as well as some other barnyard beauties.

Coming to Terms with Winter

Well, many of you know that I love the snow and the silence and peacefulness a gentle snow brings. If I had to make a choice between the dog days of summer and the cold and snowy winter, I would choose winter. Sometimes it's just a matter of accepting it and finding the beauty. I sit here today in the beautiful rolling hills of southeast Nebraska near Pawnee City and I'm watching the snow flurries find their spot on the ground nestling in with the others, and as I see the ground getting whiter and whiter, it occurs to me again that no two snowflakes are alike! How amazing is that when you really think about it. God gives us so much beauty, free of charge, but we just have to take a moment to see it! I want to wish you all a cozy Christmas, and remember to enjoy the small things in life.

Great Finds

So, I visited one of my favorite little shops the other day. Great Finds owned by the spunky Maggie Calhoun is located in the little historic village of Valatie, New York right on Main Street in a wonderful old mill house. This fabulous two-story shop is situated right across the street from the waterfalls near Route 203. Maggie started her endeavor up the road and quickly outgrew her space and she and her husband lovingly restored this quaint old mill house. Now not only does Great Finds sell unique household and garden decor, but Maggie has added a boutique filled with beautiful clothing and jewelry. (By the way, she also sells the best little caramels you've ever eaten in your life; perfect texture combined with delicious bits of salt and hints of butter, sweet yet you don't taste sugar, they are perfect. I'm totally addicted!) Among all the other treasures you will find some of my oil paintings. Farm animals and landscapes are scattered throughout this lovely two-story gem. Stop in and check out this place; it's worth the trip. Or feel free to call (518) 758-8999 and Maggie or the beautiful Mandy will be happy to assist.

Simple Living

Well, it's six o'clock a.m. on a Sunday morning. I've been awake for hours and decided to sign in to my blog, something I've really neglected. When I signed in and glanced at the words in my banner regarding living a "simple life," I realized that somewhere along the line recently, my life became complicated and stressful and not so simple. Living the life of an artist is two-fold; it's wonderful in the intense moments of creation and yet stressful when you see the "bottom line" at the end of the month and wonder where your next show entry fee is coming from. Back in the spring of this year I decided it was time to get a "real job." College loans were piling up and health insurance premiums were haunting me. So I took a job with the State of New York working in a drab cubicle all day long and trying to convince myself that I liked it. I wanted to like it, really I did, that would have made things so much more simple. Steady income, health insurance, dental, etc.; it all sounded so good. But at the end of the day, I started to realize that despite all the benefits, I was very unhappy in this non-creative life. So for weeks, I struggled with what to do. Each day I would head off and do it all again knowing that this was helping my family financially, but at what cost? Then one day I started having back pain. I blew it off for a while until it got so bad I decided I better deal with it. My dad took me to the local emergency room after a month of MRI's and X-rays and physical therapy. They gave me a shot of morphine, I don't recommend it, never let anyone give you that terrible drug! Anyway, as I sat there trying to make small talk with my dad and get some simple fix, they informed me they needed all my MRI results right away. So I called my husband and he ran to get the discs and bring them in so the ER doctors could get a better idea of what was happening inside. Then the doctor started asking all kinds of questions, and the mood grew darker. When she returned, I could tell by the look on her face that she did not have good news. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but you have a lesion on your spine that is consistent with a tumor. You need to see a surgeon and an oncologist as soon as possible, and don't miss these appointments!" Dark terrifying silence came over me, my dad and my husband. What a shock!! Needless to say, the next month of my life was the most stressful I had ever experienced. Test after test after test and more blood work than you can imagine and nuclear injections...............................life was not so simple at all. Finally came the biopsey surgery and more waiting. The surgeon said it would be another eight days for the appointment and results!!! So off we went again, my Dad, my husband and me to hear my fate. I thought one of the three of us would surely have a heart attack in that small examing room as we waited, tapping our feet and again the small talk trying to pass by each minute until the surgeon came in. Well, I could tell by the look on his face when he walked in that I was going to be one of the lucky ones. As it turned out, he believed, this was all the result of an injury! Perhaps from my beloved karate class...................some answers we will never have, but one thing is for sure; when you go through five weeks of your life not knowing and fearing the worst, you have alot of time to reevaluate how you spend your days on this earth. And so perhaps this was God's way of telling me to look at my life and make adjustments. Perhaps sitting in the cubicle at a computer all day was not what He put me here for. And so after much praying and soul searching, I have to say that the starving artist life is still the best one to live. (Luckily for me, I have the most amazing husband on earth, and so I can return to this life.) I would not wish that month of hell on anyone, but it surely does put life in perspective. So today, I thank God for answering our prayers and blessing me with the most amazing, loving and supportive family anyone could ask for. So it is now time to reinvent myself as artist/mom/wife/daughter/cousin/friend/neighbor and get back to simple living!

This is one wall in one of the old horse stalls at Artful Things on Route 20 in Schodack.

Fab New Shop on Route 20 in Schodack

My life-long friend, Lorrie Tator, has opened a wonderful new shop filled with original art and antiques. This funky new addition to the Town of Schodack is housed in a wonderful old barn which is part of the old Larsen Oil Business complex on Route 20 approximately 1/2 mile from the routes 9 & 20 split. Lorrie and Fred are adding wonderful new finds each week, so stop in and spend some time in this warm and friendly atmosphere. You can reach Lorrie at (518) 729-6561, or you can email me, Shelly, at shellypanache@aol.com. The shop is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10-5.

Fabulous Fruit Paintings

I Should be a Vegetarian!

Okay, now we're rolling. Let's try to add a few more new images. These will be available at my upcoming wholesale show at Market Square. Please email me at shellypanache@aol.com if anyone is interested in the work. Thanks so much!


Shelly

I've Been So Bad

Yes, I admit it, I am sooooooooooooo bad at the technical administrative marketing part of my business it's not even funny!!! I had to let my website expire for a few reasons, and now I have no site. I need help. I have a shop on Etsy, but I don't even think I set up my paypal correctly. Now I'm having trouble sending photos with my fab new camera. Seems as though the images are too large. Ugghhhhhhhhhhhh! I have so many wonderful pieces of art to share and yet it seems so hard to do just that. So what do I do when having all these technical difficulties? I go and create new art in my own little ShellyLand. That comes easy to me. If anyone out there can help me with a new website, give me a shout out. Anyway, I'm going to try to post some new images, and we shall see what happens. By the way, I'll be showing at Market Square in Pheonixville, PA February 6-8. I'll be in the Gallery and orderwriting, too! Talk soon..........that is if I can still figure out how to use my phone!