Charlie O'Shields

Kari, it is so nice to “meet you”. I love your beautiful art and enjoyed reading about your journey. Thank you so much for sharing.

Beautiful, beautiful, BEAUTIFUL!!
And thank you!
I never managed to paint while I was homeschooling my kids and although getting to it in the morning before “class” started would have been smart, I gave that time to other things.
This is a new day though — so let’s paint together! 😄

Love your paintings and your philosophy! Thank you for sharing!!!

Kari, your work is amazing. So lively and a delight to the eye! Thank you for sharing your artistic journey with us.

Beautiful! Look forward to connecting and following! Thanks for sharing, Charlie!

I did see the original Toy Story and loved it!!!! I’m always making up stories for inanimate objects or even animals that seem to be on an adventure…I mean, who’s to say they aren’t. (I may have been influenced by Tom Robbins’ book Skinny Legs and All…one of my all time favorite books…just sayin’ 🙂 )

Great picnic Charlie. When people comment about not having talent I respond that it is just learning to see and being willing to put in the time practicing but most importantly is to relax and have fun! I usually get “not likely” looks.

Sweet little picnic!

I have to admit I’ve not seen any of the Toy Story movies. As a child, I was convinced that toys came alive when we weren’t looking. I’d lie awake, afraid to close my eyes because they might sneak up on me when I did. I don’t have that problem anymore, but I’m still vaguely creeped out by the idea of living toys, lol.

People are very kind about my art. Kinder than I am to myself if truth be told. I send a lot of my paintings away to people who like them. I call them refrigerator art. But then I see one framed and hung on a wall and it turns out the painting was good. Funny how that works. My friend who was here last week reminded me about how when we lived together she took up drawing. I don’t remember all the circumstances, but she did mention that she studied Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain and had a breakthrough when she began drawing things upside down. I’ve been artsy from the get go, but she wasn’t, yet she figured a way.

Love the lunch! My family (parents and 5, then 6, then 7 kids!) piled into the station wagon or later, the van, and would go on a trip. The picnic stops looked more like a medieval feast laid out at the rest stop! Dad was a black and white photo nut and we have some hilarious snapshots.
We all do have that creative spark; maybe we have to search for it, but then add some tinder and watch the fire take off! You urge us to try a sketch, maybe read about perspective or color or another art topic, try the lessons and we can be surprised at what follows. Thanks for the encouragement!

You’re right Charlie, life is too short to be grumpy. Cool doodlewash by the way.

Your painting of little Charlie skipping stones is adorable! Alas, I never managed to get even a single skip when I threw stones. I was usually lucky if I managed to get it in the lake at all, lol.

I lived a mile from Lake Michigan and you’d think I would be a good stone skipper. But alas, I’m in the bottom echelon of that sport too. I my have talked about this before, but I went out for the track team. I was going to be a champion shot put thrower. Dad even bought me a shot ball to practice. I showed up at my first practice raring to go. Then I found out that even the shot put people had to run laps at every practice. That might I put my shot ball away and never returned to any organized sport but bowling!

Great post Charlie! Hold on to your dreams as you never know what the future may bring.

Great sketch of little Charlie! I remember my Dad teaching us how to skip stones. Have to admit I still like skipping stones…just takes me back to being a kid.

This is adorable. I love the way you painted the hair….just too cute! Skipping stones was a lot of fun even if I never mastered it.

Lovely piece of writing! I never played skipping stones – maybe because we don’t have many lakes or ponds in So Cal. Sounds like a fun and contemplative pastime, even for an adult.

This is adorable.

I haven’t done this prompt yet. I was actually ahead of the game until recently. I am going to copy your sketch. 🙂 For one, it is so cute, two it reminds me of skipping stones on Lake Superior(they had an abundancy of flat stones) and three it will get me to finally do some water painting. Thanks!

Great topic and doodle! That little guy got several skips, must have been practicing. It never worked for me, as a leftie. I think most of the stones I tried were right handed….