"Sea Nymph" By:Shonna Nelson MissBarbieInPink@yahoo.com Networking SN: MisssBarbie
Special Thanks to these Awesome Artists: ~monib `lockstock ~MannequinStock ~mediaklepto ~lugubrum-stock ~buttonater =Bakanekonei ~sadestock
The Mermaid by ~fallenangelies
Look at the mermaid, how her scales shine And every sailor as he passes her by Says "Oh how I wish that she were mine" Oh how they love her without knowing why The night watchman tells them of her song Which fills the night air with untold grief She sings out her heart all night long They are drawn to her in their sleep
The mermaid combs her golden hair And admires her reflection in the water And all the sailors they stop and stare Mesmerized at a mere glimpse of her
I know why they stare; for to them she is the sun She holds the beauty of something they can never have The priceless prize that can ne'er be won The impossible goal that will drive them mad
I sit here, next to the mermaid and watch their eyes slide Past my form, and rest on her, on that beautiful face And there is nowhere for me to hide My ugly pallor; no way to take her place
I am the moon, and when the sun is shining bright I am nothing; and they pass me by But after dusk she is forgotten, and out of sight As I sing of my sorrows to the diamond sky
Sorry I haven't updated my blog in so long. I've been staying in Mississippi with my Aunt Brenda. My Uncle Raymond just passed away in April and then she received horrible news! She called my grand mother and told her that she's in bad health and has been diagnosed with Breast Cancer. It was fast growing, and she had to have surgery asap. The news hit me hard and I broke down. Aunt Brenda just lost Uncle Raymond to Cancer, and has to deal with cancer herself. There was noway I could sit here in Tennessee thinking of her while she had to battle this alone. So, Jeremiah drove me there a day after her surgery to take care of her.
Of course the whole way down there I prepared to see her in the worst possible condition. Just in case, I would be able to except it better. When we arrived and I saw her sitting up, and walking around by herself. It was a blessing!! The old saying "You can't Keep a Good Woman Down" is the truth. They removed her left breast, and she held a pillow under her arm. She has a tube that's draining the fluids off of her chest. She gets it removed Thursday.
My Aunt Ellen her sister, was also there supporting her in every way. She just lost my Uncle Jack before Uncle Raymond passed, and ironically had her breast removed too. So, it was a very emotional time spending it with them. I've become very aware of the harm of breast cancer, and I am dealing with all of the emotional strain experienced with them. They have both survived and our family is so blessed to have them with us longer.
In a dedication I painted this Breast Cancer Awareness piece in their honor. The tree is symbolic for the family tree, with the pink ribbons to indicate the survivors and those who have passed. It helped me grieve when I herd the news. Hope it helps other relate, and strengthen those who are battling. Thanks-Shonna
This is a tribute to Farrah for her fans. She's a inspiration for cancer victims world wide, and will forever be missed. Her spirits were high through all of her pain. Farrah was known best as being a Charlies Angel. She made the show work, in many ways. Just seeing her smile was enough to make your day great! She lit up the camera.
Biography:
Farrah Fawcett (February 2, 1947 – June 25, 2009)[1] was an American actress. A multiple Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she first appeared as private investigator Jill Munroe in the TV series Charlie's Angels in 1976. Fawcett later appeared off-Broadway to the approval of critics and in highly rated television movies in roles often challenging (The Burning Bed, Nazi Hunter: The Beate Klarsfeld Story, Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story, Margaret Bourke-White) and sometimes unsympathetic (Small Sacrifices). Fawcett was also a pop culture figure whose hairstyle was emulated by millions of young women and whose poster sales broke records, making her an international sex symbol in the 1970s and 1980s. While her impact was particularly strong on the teens of the 1970s, her appeal spreads over multiple generations.
It's been a shock hearing about Michael dying for all of his fans. So, for a tribute to them I made this legendary portrait of him in his best video "Thriller." My goal was to capture his facial features befor all the plastic surgery. It's the way his fans remembered him the best. Of course, I had to add the famous zombie dance behind him!
Charcoal, pastels, and graphite is what I used to paint this piece. I focused on the smooth features in his face, with a bit of a contrast with the rough textures in the back ground, and shadows. It's a must have for his fans and collectors!
Bio about "Thriller"
Michael Jackson's Thriller is an almost 14-minute long music video for the song of the same name released on December 2, 1983 and directed by John Landis who also co-wrote the screenplay with Jackson. The mini-film music video was broadcast on MTV three weeks before Christmas 1983. It was the most expensive video of its time, costing US$500,000[1], and Guinness World Records listed it in 2006 as the "most successful music video", selling over 9 million units.[2]
Thriller was less a conventional video and more a full-fledged short subject or mini-film: a horror film spoof featuring choreographed zombies performing with Jackson. The music was re-edited to match the video, with the verses being sung one after the other followed by the ending rap, then the main dance sequence (filmed on the 3600 block of Union Pacific Avenue in East Los Angeles) to an instrumental loop, and finally the memorable finish: the choruses in a "big dance number" climactic scene. During the video, Jackson transforms into both a zombie and a werecat (although makeup artist Rick Baker referred to it as a "cat monster" in the "Making of Thriller" documentary); familiar territory for Landis, who had directed An American Werewolf in London two years earlier. Co-starring with Jackson was former Playboy centerfold Ola Ray. The video was choreographed by Michael Peters (who had worked with the singer on his prior hit "Beat It"), with Michael Jackson. The video also contains incidental music by film music composer Elmer Bernstein, who had previously also worked with Landis on An American Werewolf in London. The video (like the song) contains a spoken word performance by horror film veteran Vincent Price. Rick Baker assisted in prosthetics and makeup for the production.
Jackson, at the time one of Jehovah's Witnesses, added a disclaimer to the start of the video, saying:
“ Due to my strong personal convictions, I wish to stress that this film in no way endorses a belief in the occult. ”
Contact Info: Shonna Nelson Email: MissBarbieInPink@yahoo.com SN: MisssBarbie
Free Wallpaper for your desktop, just download it!
We were on our way to a family cook out, traveling from my great Aunts house in "Thaxton" Mississippi when we got caught in this super storm!
I have always watched the sky, from the time I was a small kid. My great grand parents were farmers, and my Native Ojibway roots are nature lovers. From earlier in the same day, I noticed the weird cloud formations. We were outside McDonald's, when I noticed the clouds at a distance were forming a multiple layer effect. Seems like they almost "stacked" on top of each other. The colors were bright at the top, and "Black" at the bottom. I could honestly say it was "night fall" black when you went through the storm. It was around 4-5pm when we drove through it, and it looked as though it was 1 or 2 am.
When I saw the storm from a distance, I wasn't worried thinking of it as a "typical" thunderstorm. Also my interest for these things, didn't help. Next time I will be more cautious. The storm is so fast and powerful that it's impossible to "not" get sucked into it. Trees were being up-rooted while we were driving. The traffic lights were crushed and not working! After crying for my life we pulled under a car dealers garage. I would have taken a video clip, like I usually do for these weather occurrences, but I was terrified!
Here's some video clips explaining in more details of what a Derecho is. I thought this was interesting, and would make a beautiful painting too. Very scary memories. Just so happy that I am still here to share my experiences with my awesome friends! Love-Shonna
Just got back from Thaxton Mississippi. We took a trip to the Dam and I caught these short clips of the backwaters. The water level was too high to drive the car up to the dam. So we ended up exploring the green swamp areas. Watching the waves hitting the water gives you a calming sensation. Caught a short clip of a local fisherman going out to fish. Hope it helps calm you during your stressfull day!
He's hanging on my Aunt Brendas plant getting a good view of the world upside down! The sun was setting enough to capture a good shot of his slime. He balanced up the small stem of the plant. It would be cool to be able to do that. So cool watching them crawl into weird places. Hope you enjoy.
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This little guy is so cute. Sorry for the shaky cam, it was the only way for me to zoom in on him. It is so awesome, how he shakes his head to catch his balance. He also has a cute mustache! Snails are so facinating and have the biggest personalities to be so small. This brings a smile to my face every time I watch this. Hope it cheers you up too.
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This is a clip of some ants I ran across, while taking pictures. They ran up my legs when I walked over their nest! And they have one heck of a bite. My toe swelled up, and started itching and burning at the same time. It was a weird feeling. I took the stick to poke in their holes to get a reaction. They're very territorial and aggressive when the nest is bothered. Hope this doesn't make you itch too bad!
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It's that time again, and I am packed up ready to go! Hopefully, the weather holds up on us while driving down to Mississippi. Weather forcast says showers off and on. But, I noticed Mississippi has some storm cells toward the southren part where we are going. I am sure going to miss hearing from everyone within the week. Hope everyone takes it easy during these rainy, and muggy days.
Mississippi is full of humidity and ferns. So, I know I will capture some beautiful pictures to share with you when I get back. I am so excited! Also, I bought "Light in August," by William Faulkner and I plan on making another trip to his house so I can read it there. It will feel great to think of him writing this book at his beautiful plantation. I want to get better pictures of the front of his house. If you noticed all the pictures I took last time were of the back and side. There were a group of students, conducting a play while we were there. Hopefully, this time I will be able to get a good shot. Wish me luck!!! Miss you all.
This is the white tiger, that I am being recorded painting on youtube.
I finished painting it today. I made the fur with a medium fan brush, and detailed strokes in the fur with a liner brush. Each hair has a swift, fast stroke. Layers on layers, for the fur! Hope you like it. Let me know what you think.
Shonna Nelson MissBarbieInPink@yahoo.com Medium: Oil Size: 18x24" Date: June 3rd 2009
I was inspired to paint a Zebra optical illusion, because of the Dogwood Arts Festival Chalk Walk painting I did. It was a disappointment because it rained the night after I worked on my zebra and palm. So, the next day everything was washed away. That's why I painted this picture, so I could keep it!
Every stroke in this piece has a long delicate flow. And getting lost in the painting was nice. I got this idea from the animal patterns I've been studying. I positioned each head to look like a Bigger zebra from a distance.
Each hair is painted with a Size:2 Series:2050 Script Liner brush. Windsor and Newton oils, is the brand of paints.
Making my picture flow was the biggest challenge. I've had some interesting reactions from various people who have watched me paint it. My favorite part was watching their eyes get lost in the flow. My perfectionist nature, slowed the painting time down. After I painted the rough draft, my lines weren't dark, or curvy enough. So, I painted the stripes over again until I got the bright white lines I was looking for.
Let me know what you think, and anymore optical illusions I can pant. I am constantly inspired and can't wait to hear how this piece makes you feel. Thanks for all the compliments.
Japanese Love is being sold on Ebay! It's a limited Edition like the cards I sold. Each print is hand-signed and numbered. The best part is FREE SHIPPING!!
About Painting: This painting took two weeks to complete. Which, is actually too long for me, mostly. The main reason for me to paint this faster was, the base coat not being the crimson red! It was a fuchsia color. So, I had to buy the fast drying medium for my oil paints. Took it a full day to dry white. After it was dry I painted the alizerin crimson on top. That made the VIVID Red instead of Fuchsia!! LOL
Calligraphy was learned by me, and practised before painting. It's Japanese for "Love", the main feeling.
The lace was the most time consuming detail. It was very meticulously painted, in circles. The Japanese designs focus on a lot of circular patterns. So, the lace adds that authentic feel. All flowers are specific Japanese designs.
Water drops add a refreshing sensual feeling. Heart shaped rose petal has a romantic touch. I created the water drops by focusing on the light reflection on each drop. Wanted a alluring spiral effect to lure your vision into the center of the rose!
In Europe, during the Middle Ages, insects were destroying the crops, so the Catholic farmers prayed to the Virgin Mary for help. Soon the Ladybugs came, ate the plant-destroying pests and saved the crops! The farmers began calling the ladybugs "The Beetles of Our Lady", and they eventually became known as "Lady Beetles"! The red wings represented the Virgin's cloak and the black spots represented her joys and sorrows. This is how I came up with the name.
The process was insane making this! This was so time consuming and detailed. I started seeing spots, after working on it for hours. It's awesome though, when I framed and hung the piece up, it looks as though the ladybugs are crawling up my wall!!
I chose a neon green jelly roll pen, to contrast the black and red. It also gave it a realistic affect of the spring season! The lady bugs, are actually magic marker. It was the easiest to paint with on the road to Mississippi. I also painted the Tiger-illusion with them too. So glad to be finished with this one! It was very complex making the ladybugs spiral up in the middle. But, it payed off to achieve the 3d effect. Please let me know what you think when you see this. I really would like to know how it makes you feel. This is the whole reason I paint. And if anyone has any great ideas for more wildlife patterns let me know!!
Shonna Nelson Date: May 11th Media: Ink and Magic Marker Size: 8x10" Matted and Framed Signed
This was a idea that I had from the optical zebra stripes, when I did the Dogwood Arts Festival Chalkwalk 2009. The whole objective was the lure the attention from the people walking in the park. What better way was it, making a optical illusion? Everyone has to look closer...
The method was simple, but the pattern is complex. When I worked on this, I was in the car taking my grand mother to visit family in Oxford Mississippi. So, I was using magic markers, and charcoal for the shadows.
Getting the tiger face to blend, flow, and its perceptions right was a challenge. But, I love a challenge and get bored with simple situations. Eventually, after sketching between the stripes as soft as possible to not over power the stripes, I created the face with charcoal. The whiskers I drew to extend out of the stripes, toward the viewer. It's a good contrast between the vertical tiger stripes.
Anyway, my plan is to observe and study specific patterns of animals to create my own optical illusions. The reactions from my viewers are what the whole purpose is. I am so curious to see how others respond. That makes all the patience and determination making these, worth everything! Be sure to let me know what you think. Zebras are next up...
This is the last video of the Chalkwalk episodes. Here's a description of what I am doing. First off, I started from the top blending in the black hairs in its mane. The leaves are finished, so applying the tape to accent the trunk of the tree helps keep it straight. I am trying hard to finish the whole upper part of my painting so I wont smear it after it's blended.
Made short abrupt strokes of light brown, of the trunk to give it more texture. The grass blades were long pulls of med. green. I finished the bottom with them, to fill in the bottom. Leaving the top open created a larger illusion. The darker corners at the top, lead your eyes to the vocal point the zebra.
Hope everyone enjoyed watching these as I got the uploaded. It's been so fun hearing the positive responses. The next event I have is coming up. So I will be sure to record them also. The white tiger final vid will be made soon.
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After watching the rain shower, off and on all day, I captured this video of a small snail crawling up my Irises. It was almost impossible to notice this with the naked-eye. Being an artist, helps me out. These things I notice are amazing. Little snails have such a pleasant presents. Notice how curious the one I recorded is? I guess they don't care for the sun. Before I end this clip, he crawls underneath the leaves. I imagined him crawling, and digging his way to the earths dirt. Thanks for letting me share these beautiful moments of Spring with you all. This little things, help make it great.
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Full of beautiful golden flesh, with wispy black hair, our Native Americans are battling a war that their elders fought long before them. alcoholism, is killing my people. Not, only is my Ojibway tribe being affected from this, also my Irish decent is dying. The temptations of drinking is controlling my life. It either makes or breaks us, with the after effects of our binges. The reason why we drink is to, "drown our sorrows." Even though in reality it's making us "depressed." Marijuana is also another drug commonly processed by the Native Americans, to stimulate happiness, appetite, and anger (usually cause from alcohol).
Instead of dwelling in a depression for all man kind we have to "make a stand." For instance instead of letting the depression take over and drowning in alcohol, we need to voice our reasons! If we constantly keep this inside, then we're only letting the drug kill us. It's now or never to have this attitude, or our next generation will suffer for our actions.
Our land is dying, right before our eyes. And yet we habitually fall back into a cycle of bad habits. We act as though, we're systematically programed. We're "not." The Great Spirit has blessed us with "free will." As I like to say "we're our own, artist." We have the ability to "make ourselves."
If anyone else that's having problems with the pressure of alcoholism and it's affect on loved ones lives, let me know if I can help with encouragement's. Life is hard, and these test all of the best of us. It's up to us to be stronger and overcome these obstacles!
