"Lookin' Out My Back Door"

By: Mary C. Aikens, Artist

     It snowed last weekend in the Eastern part of the United States - especially in the Carolinas.  This particular snow storm was known as "Snow Storm of 2016".  Both my husband and I live in the northeastern part of Charlotte, North Carolina where we received about three inches.  Like any other times when we received snow, I tend to take pictures of snow scenes for any painting ideas.  It was earlier on that Saturday morning, when I took out a left-over waffle, crumbled it on the snow, saw those birds landing on the snow, and took pictures of them eating those crumbs.  

     Fast-forward a week later when there was warmer weather with the highest degrees were in the upper 50's.  I decided to pick a photograph that I took a week earlier and started to sketch it.  Aha! The title of that song "Lookin' Out My Back Door" (sung by Credence Clearwater back in 1970) came to my mind when I was making a sketch of the scenery that I photographed a week earlier.  

     In this painting, there was the time when the snow was in its waning period due to the sun's reappearance started clearing the skies.  It was very windy that day which was the reason why the tarp which was used to cover the fire wood was half-way blown off of the patio table, several Sycamore balls were blown onto the ground, patio, and table; and not to forget, I remembered seeing a strong gust of wind blew off any of the left over snow off from the trees. As I was finishing up sketching that scenery for this painting, I still had that same song, "Looking Out My Back Door"  still playing in my mind.

* Title: "Lookin' Out My Back Door"

* Artist: Mary C. Aikens

* Size: 12" W X 9" H

* Media: Watercolor On Sketch Paper

* Price: $108.00 (USD)

* S/H: $15.00 (USD)

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            my e-mail address at marycaikens@gmail.com.

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"Five Flavors Of Nik.L.Nip"

By: Mary C. Aikens, Artist

     Do you remember those days when there were many packages of  Nik.LNip were on the candy racks at many dime stores around the 1960's and 1970's?  I do!  Those tiny bottles of sweet, flavored,

sugar water were such a neat idea at that time. However, that fluid in each bottle tasted so sweet and funky at the same time, but I enjoyed them anyway. Plus, those wax bottles were also meant to be chewed as though they were gum.  Sometimes, I chewed those wax bottles, and other times, I saved them after I washed out the juice residue from them for times when I played with my dolls. There were other ideas that I heard from what various people said that they used those tiny wax bottles for other things such as candle-making, to put on orthodontic braces, and etc...

   

      It was around New Years Day of 2016 when I saw this posting on FaceBook about Nik.L.Nip and wondered if anybody remembered these tiny juice-filled bottles during their childhood.  Yes, I certainly remembered them, re-posted that particular post, and was inspired to paint a picture of these tiny juice-filled bottles. Within a few days later, I painted the first and original painting on this subject is called "Nik.L.Nip" with those Nik.LNip "juices". (Please see that original painting at the bottom of this page.)  Needless to say, I was not really pleased with the results of  that "tested-and-tried" type of painting because the colors started to fade during its drying stage.  On the next day, I started on the second painting that I painted in watercolor called "Five Flavors Of  Nik.L.Nip" impressed me very much because of the stronger and more durable colors over the original one. Now, I realize the importance of sticking with traditional art materials when it comes to paint a painting for the most part considering with some exceptions at times.

Title: "Nik.L.Nip"

Artist: Mary C. Aikens

Measurements: 9 7/8" W X 7 7/8" H

Media: Watercolor on Matte Board

Price (Painting Only): $75.00 (USD)

S/H: $15.00 (USD - Including Insurance & Tracking)

"Ugg Trio"

"Ugg Trio"

It has been at least for the last seven years that I noticed that there has been quite a great love for these unusual style of boots that has the name of "Ugg".  I have heard that many ladies of various ages swear by this type of boots and that they do not want to come back to the other styles again due to that bed room slipper type of comfort that Ugg gives them.
  

This painting's subject matter came in a somewhat unusual way.  When I was going through FaceBook on one of my friend's site, I noticed that I saw several ladies were sporting their each one of their feet with painted toe nails on the beach.  Voila! That idea came to me, and I thought that I should use my imagination with three ladies sporting off their Uggs in a setting at a mall.  

Title:  "Ugg Trio"

Media:  Watercolor

Size: 6" W X 6" H

Price: $36.00 (currency converter)

Note:  Please see this and my other painting, "Bootiful Winter
           Leg Wear" on the Daily Paintworks at the "Non-Dominant"    
           Challenge about a couple of weeks ago.