Artist mix

Cat folk art painting, Vietnam folk art painting

"Every child is an artist.  The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up."  ~Pablo Picasso

Today I am posting a commissioned painting. It was commissioned by a Vietnam vet (door gunner on a Huey), a cat lover no doubt. People around these parts know my husband is a folk artist, but few know that I too, am a folk artist. I began in the seventies and have sold hundreds of paintings. 

I seldom paint these days, but once I get my photos organized and some travels in, and get the house ready for market, I will get back to my roots, so look for my work on Etsy in the future (photos and greeting cards too!).


Back to the photo. Why is there a cat in the photo? Remember, I told you the person who commissioned the painting is a cat lover? He knew that I was a folk artist too, and so wanted me to put my touch to the canvas. Because cats are such a large part in the lives of those who love them, I made him the central point, and let my husband take over from there. He added some spiritual symbols to his normal icons because the owner is a minister. It is not the first time we have teamed up to create a painting.

Collectors look for 3 items in my husband's work: his White Dog; there was a white dog that hung around his hooch in Vietnam. He considered him one of his lucky charms. A fireball that he calls  "Message's from Nam"; the interpretation is left to the viewer, and a squiggly in the form of a "D" with two hatch-marks inside that represents his high school friend who was killed in Vietnam. This is placed directly under his signature and is the last thing to into  the painting. All of these symbols can be seen painted on the Vietnam-era Huey, on display for many more years at the Price of Freedom exhibit at the National Museum of American History located on the National Mall in DC.

And yes, I signed the painting but is hardly visible. My husband is the star artist.