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Billie Holiday didn’t have a sister.

Hi all y’all!

Billie Holiday didn’t have a sister, but if she had one, it would have made her life easier in my opinion. She had a tough time. If being born a black woman in America in 1915 wasn’t hard enough. Her parents were 13 and 15 years old. She worked as a prostitute before she was 14 and died at 44.

I found this out when I was looking to see what Billie Holiday’s sister looked like. No sister.

However, Shotgun Angel does have a sister.

I am painting Shotgun Angel’s Sister for someone who wanted the already in a private collection, Shotgun Angel.

I emailed the owners of Shotgun Angel and asked if they would mind if I painted sequel painting. They were very nice and said congratulations on the commission and please name it something else and change it up a little. I felt free to go ahead and am totally enjoying the sister idea.

Shotgun Angel's Sister
Shotgun Angel’s Sister

My commission guarantee is… if you like it when I’m done, you can buy it at our agreed on price. (I hope they like it.) I painted this for 7 days straight. “Honey, can you make dinner?” I wanted to get it into the group of paintings that were photographed yesterday.

Shotgun Angel's Sister frame wood
Shotgun Angel’s Sister frame wood

From now on I am going to pre-soak the wood for all frames. This wood seemed especially dirty, so I put it in the bathtub with Charlie’s Soap and Oxyclean for about 20 minutes before I scrubbed it. The wood came out looking beautiful.

I bought old skeleton keys on Etsy. I need to take a handle off of something else and add it to this frame.

She is almost complete.

Rabbit being blocked out.
Rabbit being blocked out.

This Easter bunny has a message for all  y’all. Stay tuned and you will know what his important message is. He is standing to the side, so I can add the words.

We are between seasons now. Mardi Gras is over. And HANSEN’S SNO BLIZ OPENS TUESDAY! I don’t know anyone who is more excited about this than my sweet darlin’. “Pleeease, I know. Hansen’s opens Tuesday”.

My best regards to every one of you.

With light and love,

Gator Girl

This is young gator girl, before life rung her out and she ultimately reinvented herself.

 

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Gator Girl is Famous!

Hi all y’all!

Not exactly my 15 minutes of fame, but a welcome surprise. My niece, Maggie, from California texted me to say she saw Accepting New Members in Apartment Therapy. You will probably love Apartment Therapy if you don’t already.

Look on the wall!
Look on the wall!

Someone from New Orleans bought the original Accepting New Members a couple of weeks ago. They saw it at Where Y’ Art.

Cat and Collin Co-Founders of Where Y'Art
Cat and Collin, Co-Founders of Where Y’Art

 Watch a video about what these two women are doingIf you are an artist and/or a collector, you will want to check this out. 

Thanks for listening. 🙂

With a loving, full heart,

Gator Girl

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Rollergirls

Hi all y’all!

Happy Mardi Gras! I would normally be working on a Mardi Gras painting because I am moved by the seasons… Mardi Gras, Crawfish, Snoballs and Football.

I wanted to finished Rollergirls for any roller derby fans.

I love roller derby. I wish I was brave and tough enough to skate like that. This painting is loosely modeled after the Big Easy Rollergirls. The floor in the painting is more like a gym floor, but their colors are black and gold. The crowd is very close to the players and the fans from both sides are dispersed throughout. I took some artist’s prerogative. The gator is the jammer. That is why she has a star on her helmet. The other team is trying to block our star player. It is just becoming apparent to the crowd that Ms Gator has a winning move.

Every time I came back to this painting, I wanted to change someone’s expression or skin color. The 15 spectators took more time to paint than the rollergirls. I am not really this patient unless I want to complete a vision.

Rollergirls

 

Charles Wendell and Brad of Brad and Dellwen's Flag Party NOLA.com

Can you find Brad and Dellwen from Brad and Dellwen’s Flag Party on Magazine Street in the painting? (The photo is from NOLA.com) It is a mystery to me why I choose people to paint. Many of the spectators just have the attitude of people I know, they don’t represent them physically.

20160201_171255

I am going to the airport to pick up my friend from California for her first Mardi Gras! Muses rolls tonight! Muses is my favorite parade. I love that it is a women’s krewe. They have great throws and are generous. The Pussyfooters are dancing tonight, but I am going to be a spectator cheering my pink sisters on. I hope to see you on the Avenue.

Happy Mardi Gras!

Gator Girl