"Derby Time"

Living in central Kentucky, one quickly comes to realize....Derby madness is alive and well. I live in the heart of horse country, surrounded by some of the most beautiful farms imaginable. Barns nicer than many homes. Horses that earn their owners hundreds of thousands of dollars in a single day from stud fees.

Do I ride horses or know anything about them?

No.

Other people have animals that make them money.

I, on the other hand, have Eddie.

The closest I get to anything horsey would be painting silver shiny things (does that count??) So it seemed fitting in this moment of horse mania that is the Kentucky Derby, to showcase the painting "Truth", which sports the famous mint julep cup. That's as close to a horse painting you are likely to see coming from me...:)

This painting is quite large (24 x 30) compared to my blog paintings. It is loosely painted, but looks "tighter" when shrunken down to photo size--one of the things that happens online and in magazines to larger works. If you would like to see a little larger version, click here.

Happy Derby Day!

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"Shindig at Frames on Main.."

Me and Bobby McG....I mean Shiflet...:) Friday night in Paris at the artwalk was a blast--per usual. Bobby is the owner of Frames on Main and an incredible photographer as well as an awesome host. I know Bobby likes me 'cause he is letting me have two workshops at his place, again...after we crowded him out of his own space last year! I got to see old friends and made new ones.

Artist Mary Louise Dean and her hubby, Woody, with owner Bobby the Great.

Some sweet music was made by the likes of Dale Pyatt (aka "Greasy Chicken"). Original songs with distinct country bluegrass flair, hot pickin', mandolin madness!

Here I am chatting it up with new friend, Kathy Werking. Kathy is Kentucky Green and had beautiful artful jewelry along with Bourbon and Mint Julep Handmade Soaps (I got both!)

When you put art, music, food and people together---you always have a winning combination!

I just put together No. 13 of my email newsletters. If you haven't signed up yet, you can

click here and do so now. Signing up automatically puts your name in the drawing each month for a chance to win one of my petite paintings. I am heading to California this week--who knows what I will get into. But you can bet I will tell all in my blog..:)

Also, I now have a "like" page (as opposed to "crazy about this person" page) on Facebook. I have started some discussion there and would love to hear your thoughts. The one I have up at the moment is this: "What is the biggest limiting thought you have concerning your ability to be a successful artist?" Search under The Art of Dreama Tolle Perry on Facebook. Or you can comment on the blog as well, if you like.

Well, off to the studio. Remember paint always dries as to where it is located and how quickly you need it to dry. On palette in big globs...will dry overnight. Needing thin coat on painting to dry for show......weeks into months. I really think oil paint is alive and has a perverse sense of humor, just like Eddie.

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"A Taste of France...." SOLD

"A Taste of France..."

6 x 6in, oil on museum quality panel

$150

This sweet little place offers up boissons (drinks) for refreshment while thirsty eyes drink in the surroundings! I'm in this painting. Just inside the door with a cool drink in my hand. Is that you I see across the room?? Well, for the love of pete (l'amour de pete) come on over and sit with me....:)) How in the heck have you been??

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"Just One French Window...." SOLD

"Just One French Window..."

6 x 6in, oil on panel

$150

They say the first step in getting help is admitting you have a problem. Well, I am admitting I have a fixation on windows. Especially French windows. However, I am just gonna go ahead and say it. I don't want your help. I can handle this. I am still in control. Just a window a day. That's all. Well, on a day I am feeling nervous, maybe a window and half. But that's it. Seriously. Okay. If you see me post two window paintings in one day, then call for help.

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"Eddie, Me and Hemingway"

Wow....you know you've gone too long between posts when your sister calls you to make sure you're okay...:)

So in the interest of not having an all- points bulletin put out on me, thought I would post tonight to say....er actually at 2:45 AM! For pete's sake, when I am writing or painting I lose ALL concept of time!

At any rate, as I was saying before I realized what time it was, I wanted to let you know

A) I am fine.

B) I have been holed up writing like Ernest Hemingway---except he had 25 cats and I have Eddie. Actually, I think that probably makes us even. Eddie has enough attitude for 25 cats. He just doesn't have enough toes (Ernie's cats were known for having an extra toe--a little factoid for you--not sure how you can work that into a conversation today to impress your friends but you're clever, I am sure you will think of something.)

Now what have I been writing you may ask. Or maybe you don't care. But it's my blog so I'm gonna tell you either way. I get paid the same so it doesn't really matter to me. I have this awesome, fantastic, mind-bending, cutting-edge, highly intensive motivational/business one day workshop I am teaching this Saturday, April 10 in Lexington, KY. I am like a woman possessed compiling all the stuff that I intend to cram in the brains of those who are brave enough to show up.

Are you one of the brave, the tough, an ARTIST?

Can you handle the TRUTH?

Can you eat PIZZA?

Well, if you can answer "Yes" to at least one of those questions you qualify for my workshop. And there is time to sign up.

Check out my video here. (Scroll down to the April 10th workshop)

Read further on it here

Or maybe you just go ahead and do it while you have your nerve up....

$95 (I am only keeping $90 of that. Eddie is now charging $5 an hour for modeling fees. You knew it was bound to happen.)



Or just call me and tell me to save you a spot....:) (859) 509 -9694

Miss you guys! I should be back to my regular painting and posting this week.

Hugs! Pin It

"Afternoon with the Artist...(that's me...:)"

This was such a special day for me. Gallery B (pictured below) hosted "Afternoon with the Artist" which gave me the opportunity to spend time with some of my collectors and share some behind the scenes info on the making of the art for Let There Be Love....

Art friends Dana and Linda with moi...:)

Just trying to give you a sense of scale on some of the paintings!

Who could resist buying a painting from these two??? Me with John and Lora Lea, who added one of the pieces from this show to their collection.

Lynda and me with her new painting, "Love" (alternate title, Evan).




Tricia and me hanging out with her newest art acquisition, "Kisses". I should mention here that Tricia kept reminding us all that it was her painting...not her and Darrell's painting. Guess who won the drawing for my painting "Cup of Miracles"??

Darrell, of course!

It was an altogether satisfying day in every way, on every level. Thanks to everyone who came out. It was a great time to share and feel the love!

P.S. My talk about the work was videoed so I may end up posting it later--have to see if I can figure out the editing part...:)

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"Sunny Day Italian Style" SOLD

"Sunny Day Italian Style"

oil, 6 x 6in canvas on panel

$150

One of the nicest ways to visit Rome. No lines at the airport, no lost bags.

The perfect transportation?

A paintbrush.

P.S. And you can make it back in time to visit Gallery B on Saturday (I am giving an informal talk about my show and giving away a petite painting....life is good!)

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"Provence" SOLD

"Provence"

oil, 6 x 6in on canvas panel

$150

Sun-dappled streets, story-book dwellings, pink flowers blooming....all on a morning's stroll. Provence...

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"French Blue" SOLD

"French Blue"

oil, 6 x 6in on canvas panel

$150

The color of the sky embraces flower filled windows---whether you are looking within or looking without--- the view is picture perfect in French blue.

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"Something Borrowed, Something Blue" SOLD

"Something Borrowed, Something Blue"

oil, 6 x 6in canvas panel

$150

This window is in France. I "borrowed" it just long enough to paint it.

Pure and simple. Blue shutters, old stucco, bountiful geraniums in pinks and salmons. And warm sunlight to make it glow. Ahhh, such are the pleasures of life. Pure and simple.

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"Abundance"

"Abundance"

oil, 16 x 12 on canvas panel

$1025/ Framed

Thanks to everyone who commented on my new video I posted yesterday--I am having fun, so who knows what it could lead too...:)

Don't you just love the periwinkle blue in the umbrella above? I bought two shirts to sleep in this past week-end simply because they were that color---it's a happy, feel good color. Like sky and ocean it just conjures up all manner of things that connect me back to the pure joy of life...:)

"Cheap Thrills"

oil, 8 x 8in on canvas panel

I love my job. Seriously. In so many ways it is almost impossible to pin it all down....:)

Today I get to give away something that makes people happy. The winner for February of the painting give-a-way is...(here are your hints)...... She is a watercolorist. She is a really sweet lady. She has a home in the Bahamas (I have had to work at not holding that one against her this winter...:) And she was in one of my workshops last summer.

Ann Greely of Lexington, KY. is the winner. Congratulations Ann! Pin It

"To the Oscars and Beyond...."

"Joy"

30 x 24, oil on canvas panel

Just when you thought it was safe to visit my blog. ...(can you hear the Jaws music playing?)....life as you know it, will never be the same. Because..

I am now the proud owner of a Flip video camera. I have always wanted to be in the movies and now thanks to modern technology and 200 bucks.....your worst nightmare has happened. You now will have a voice in your head to match what you have long suspected....they will let anyone have a blog. Even me.

I profusely apologize in advance for the nasal, twangy, mountain voice. I know you probably expected something different. After all, if you have read much about me, you know I am from Paris. You should have read the whole thing. It's Paris......Kentucky.

Tomorrow I will post the winner of the February painting give-a-way...:) and a new painting.

So here for your viewing pleasure, live from my office in Tuscany....

Information Video about my Upcoming Art Business/Motivational Workshop (I had been calling it Dreamatology--The Art of Thinking Like Dreama----but it seemed to be scaring people off...go figure!)

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"Under the Tuscan Sun...." SOLD

"Under the Tuscan Sun....."

oil, 6 x6in on canvas panel

$150

What is it about Italy that sets us off? Could it be the homemade mozzarella? The abundance of good wines served at every meal? Incredible art? Statue of David? The staggering oldness of it all?? The graciousness of the lives we see hinted at with every curtain moving in the breeze, every scented splash of color hanging from a balcony?

Maybe it's only the gelato. That would be enough...:)

Another slice of Italy served up for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy~

IN OTHER NEWS......

Enquiring minds want to know. Or then again---maybe you can't handle the truth. My interview with Daily Painters has hit the stands---click here to go to the Daily Painters website and check out the DP cafe link at the top of the page (you'll see a photo of me). I am the second interview on the page. Feel free to leave a comment. Just remember---I will be reading them and I know where you live....and if I don't I soon will. It's the Internet. There are no secrets.

Also, Gallery B has begged me to come in on Saturday, March the 20th, and chat about my inspiration for my show, "Let There Be Love.....". I will be there from around 1-3 to tell my story. I know that everyone of you now reading this will be there. Even if it means you have to fly in for it. And because of your extreme loyalty I felt the least I could do was to have a drawing for a small painting created specifically for this occasion to be given away at 3pm that day. Only those who have purchased a painting from the show at Gallery B and those in attendance (they are hauling in the red ropes for crowd control as we speak) will be eligible. I may have exaggerated when I said that Megan at Gallery B had begged me....but everything else is true....except for the red rope part. Okay, nothing is true except I will be talking at 1:30 and giving away a painting at 3 pm.

I only promise to entertain you here on the ole blog--I never said anything about telling the truth. Even if I had, it would most certainly have been a lie.

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"Momma Mia--It's My House!" SOLD

"Mia Casa Italiano"

oil, 6 x 6in panel

$150

I have long wanted a home in Italy. A big yellow house with a walled garden. A place I could share with all the talented people I know and love. Giving them room to expand and do their creative work while I did mine. Over a fine wine with the aroma of fresh bread baking we would talk way into the night about art and life and love. Eddie would sit on the sill of the open window and our laughter would spill out into the night. And the next day we would get up and do it all again...paint, write, laugh, share, and love.

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"Paris Backyard Retreat" SOLD

"Paris Backyard Retreat"

oil, 6 x 6in on canvas panel

$150

Do you remember reading the book "The Secret Garden"?

I first carried the thick pale green book home from my school library when I was eleven.

I was so mesmerized by it. Visions of walled gardens, tangles of roses, hidden ---just waiting for me. To this day, it is one of my favorite reads ever.

This little secret garden is right here in Paris. It's also the home of Ozzie, a cat I painted back in the fall of 2009. Ted and Gretchen have created a naturalized area just outside their door that is teeming with birds, butterflies and 3 cats. The day I was there I could have been a million miles from home. So quiet, the hum of bees, sunshine playing hide and seek amongst all the plantings---a very special place. Sometimes we don't have to travel far to feel like we have run away! Thank you Ted and Gretchen for creating such a special place on the earth....and for having open hearts to share it.

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"Paris Garden Cottage" SOLD

"Paris Garden Cottage"

oil painting, 6 x 6in on canvas panel

$150

Sheds and garden houses are often a thing of beauty within themselves. Parked on the edges of lawns, tucked away in back yards, they give way to more color, more whimsy, more personality than the demure homes they hide behind. They always seem like people to me. The inside beauty that lies behind that initial covering we see....:) Being a lover of flowers and all things home grown, the quiet beauty that little garden houses offer up are a never-ending source of delight!

This fairytale place could be anywhere---it just happens to be at home here in Paris. I have admired it and photographed it more than a few times as it backs up to a public garden in town. This last gallery hop afforded me the chance to meet the owner---a beautiful soul and obviously, a lover of beautiful flowers!

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"A Day at the Beach" SOLD

"A Day at the Beach"

oil painting, 6 x 6" on canvas panel

$150

Now at first glance this looks like a carnation in a simple glass. However, if you squint, you can see the ocean, sunshine, and a big umbrella with yourself spread out underneath it.

See---I told you it was there!!

Now, squirm you toes a bit in the sand. Ahhhh......

Don't forget your sunscreen.....:)

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"Summer Dreamin'..." SOLD

Summer Dreamin'

oil painting, 6 x 6in on canvas panel

$150

It doesn't help that my daughter sent me a photo of the perfect 75 degree Malibu beach she was doing her writing at today. I know, I promised my Canadian artist friends I would not whine.

So I lied like a dog.

Even Eddie is acting depressed. He has built himself a "man cave" under the covers and is pretty much refusing to come out. I am thinking about joining him.

In other news, painting is easy. I just stand in front of the easel staring at a white canvas until drops of blood form on my forehead.

(I know, I stole that line from the quote about writing....but it fits as well for painting these days....)

Feel free to borrow it. In fact, feel free to do or borrow anything that helps get you through winter.

And for those of you living in warmer climates like my daughter (I am not mentioning any names but you know who you are...Irit, Jill, Leslie, Mia, and others) I am trying my best to remain friends and like you, but with every snowstorm that moves in, I am finding it increasingly difficult.

Now, at the end of all this ---a bit of irony for you. I have been awarded the "Sunshine Blog Award". Usually awarded to those with optimistic, uplifting posts. I may be the first to have to hand it back over....:)

P.S. My mood did improve after I did this painting. I know you are relieved. I promise to do my best to not turn up as a local news blurb with captions like "artist snaps, shots fired....film at eleven...."

P.S.S. Not to worry you further, but I was also doing the whole dance thing with the Bee Gee's "Stayin' Alive" ....red pajamas and a paint brush. It wasn't a pretty sight. No wonder Eddie is hiding in the man cave.

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