Author: virginiacmccoy

My mission statement, here at Virginia C. McCoy Fine Art, is: “Virginia C. McCoy Fine Art exists to create art which reflects the beauty and the glory of God, to use art to comfort and encourage people, and to inspire others to pursue the arts.”

Ever since I first posted that mission statement I have been struggling with the fruition of it. I know that I, along with all other human beings, were created by God to glorify Him and to enjoy and serve Him with all of our hearts, souls, minds, and bodies. Sometimes, I don’t think about it and I just carry on with my life. Other times, I think about it constantly and worry that I am never going to be able to do it. Neither one are accomplishing much in carrying out my purpose in life.

You may have noticed that I have not been posting, lately. I have not been doing any art, either. I have been struggling with aches and pains, which, in my case, works on my mental state, too. LOL! I am just getting over one of the worst cases of sciatica I have ever had. It lasted for weeks and was extremely painful. I was revelling in the fact that I had not had a migraine in a few weeks and then this past week I had three very painful headaches, while not migraines, they were almost as bad. Then, yesterday morning, the mother of all migraines slammed into me and I am still recovering from that one.

Sunday, the Lord spoke to me through the sermon about why we are healed from our aches and pains and delivered from our trials and tribulations. I want to be healed, because I don’t want to hurt anymore and I want to enjoy my life. However, I have now faced the fact that we are healed to serve the Lord and glorify Him, not ourselves. So, I have been thinking about whether I am glorifying or serving the Lord with my art (or with anything else in my life). I cannot see that I am doing that. So, I need to step back and re-evaluate my life. I am a very selfish and rebellious person. God is the only one who can overcome that in me. I am going to have to stop kicking against the goads and submit. If you are able, please pray for me.

Praise the Lord that He is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than I can possibly imagine!

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. ” — Ephesians 3:20-21

I recently encountered three bald eagles here at home. They were hanging around the field across the road from us and I had seen them flying around. At first, I didn’t know for sure if they were really bald eagles. But, after a while I knew they were. Toby and I were walking down the road one day when one came flying right for us. We stopped and watched and he flew right over us and away. Then I noticed a dead deer in the field right next to where we were standing. LOL! We were interrupting their lunch. Here is a portrait of a bald eagle. It is soft pastels on 9×13 velour paper.

“For my own part, I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen the representative of our country. He is a bird of bad moral character. He does not get his living honestly.” — Benjamin Franklin

Mr. Beloved and I have had bluebird boxes in the past, but they were always attacked and taken over by european sparrows and starlings. So, after a few years of trying to keep the invader nests out of the bluebird boxes, we have given up and no longer have the boxes. But, that doesn’t mean that I can’t have my own bluebird of happiness. LOL! This one is soft pastels on 9×13 velour paper.

Does anyone have a particular bird that they would like me to try painting with pastels? I am open to suggestions. The next one that I am going to do is a bald eagle close-up, but after that… Well, what do you suggest? You tell me what you like and I will search my reference photo sources and see what I can find.

“There never was a happier or more devoted husband than the male bluebird. He is the gay champion and escort of the female at all times, and while she is sitting, he feeds her regularly.” — John Burroughs

I finally got around to the cardinal that Mr. Beloved had been asking me to do and which had been going around in my head for a while. Sometimes, these things have to tumble around in my brain for a long time before they are given birth, if they ever do come to fruition. This fella was in a series of photos and he was very kind to the camera. They were not taken by me, but the photographer who did take them got some nifty shots. Here is my portrait of Mr. Cardinal. It is 9×13 soft pastels on velour paper.

Speaking of pastels, the other day I noticed that I was going to need to replenish my pastel stock. I use the store brand from Dick Blick Art Supplies. They are very nice and slightly more affordable than most of the name brands, especially when you buy them in sets. I initially bought a set of 30 landscape colors and a set of 30 portrait colors. Well, of course, when you buy a set of almost anything, you do not necessarily use every piece of the set, so to replace the ones I use most often, I can order them separately. Well, the only problem with that is that when you remove the label from the pastel stick, to use it, you don’t know what the color name is anymore. Hmmm… So, I thought it wouldn’t be too hard to figure out. Wrong. For example, there are 10 green or close-to-green colors. Well, there are also four shades of each color. And I had to try to figure it out with comparing what I had in my hand with the computer screen color chart. Oh, stinkweed!

So, I decided to make a color chart and then I looked up the list, on the website, of what each set contained. I then added each color to the cart on the site, so that I could see the best representation of the color and I think I got it figured out.

So, I arranged my pastels in the trays that came in the boxes, according to color, as best I could, and made labels to tell me what is in each tray in each slot. Now, I just have to keep them nice and neat and I should always know what I have and it should make it easy to reorder.

Why they don’t come that way, I don’t know. I think I will suggest it to Blick.

Also, I have been hard at work on my website. I do not enjoy working on my website, but, until I get rich and can hire someone else to do it, I will have to do it. I never feel like it is done and I decided to make a shop, because the prints that I have for sale are getting lost in the blog archives. LOL! So, instead of a monthly offering, I have a shop with categories. I will keep updating it, regularly, as I can get to it. The shop is the last thing on my website menu. If you have time or interest, please look over the site and let me know if you have any suggestions. I need all the help I can get with website design. I do not know what I am doing. LOL!

This is one of the photos I took this last fall. He looks like he is saying,

“Don’t point that camera at me. Can’t I raid your feeder in peace? Have some respect for my privacy, please.” — Mr. Cardinal

I love crows. They are loud and cocky and funny. You think they’re solid black, but they’re not. I like that about them, also. Here is my portrait of a crow. I don’t know what kind of crow. I am learning that there are so many varieties of each type of bird that it boggles my mind. As I am working on this series of birds, I am learning an awful lot about them. It’s fun! This piece is 9×13 soft pastels on velour paper. Just so you know, the digital image is never exactly like the real paper artwork. In this case, there are blues and purples in the birds feathers that I just could not get to show up very well. It also depends on each monitor or phone on which it is viewed. Just sayin’.

I am also learning that I need to make the pieces of a size that is easily matted and framed. If I make them a non-standard size, then I may need a custom frame and I don’t want to spend the money on that.

Thank you to all those who have ordered prints from me. I appreciate it. (Maybe I won’t have to get a job as a walmart greeter to pay for my art supplies…) If you need help deciding on matting and framing, what colors, sizes, or even if you want to decide whether to mat it or not, just contact me at ginny@virginiacmccoy.com and I will give you some of my great wisdom and knowledge. LOL! (Just kidding! My wisdom and knowledge about this stuff is in the arrogant youthful stage, unlike my physical self, which is in the arrogant middle-aged stage.)

“I value my garden more for being full of blackbirds than of cherries, and very frankly give them fruit for their songs.” — Joseph Addison

I could not just do one chicken. So, may I introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Chicken, also known as Golden Hen and Red Rooster? I didn’t know what I wanted for a background, but I did know that I wanted complimentary colors for the birds. So, I chose the colors and then just started applying them and this happened and I love it. It almost looks like water. Lets just call it colorful, shall we? These are 9×13 soft pastels on velour paper.

Here are a couple of pictures of our real chickens. They are still out in the pen. The coop is almost ready, but we don’t want to move them into the coop when it is raining, because it is a circus when we are trying to catch them and get them out of the pen. Chicken poop is slippery enough without adding rain into the mixture. It is raining almost every day, though. So, we don’t know when they will be going into the coop. It will be nice when it is over and they are settling into their new home. They are two months old and we think we have two roosters, instead of the one that we wanted. We will get rid of one of them. I hope we choose the right one. LOL!

The building right behind the chickens is their coop. That is a hydrangea growing against it. They also have a fenced yard with a nice big mulberry tree. They love mulberries. There is also a grape vine growing along the fence on the one side. I think they will like it.

“If I hadn’t started painting, I would have raised chickens.” — Grandma Moses

I took many liberties with this heron, but I think he turned out very nicely. He is only standing on one foot. He must have the other tucked up in his feathers to keep them warm on this chilly morning. I don’t know exactly what kind of heron he is, but I think he is a grey heron. Or at least the real live one probably is. Mine is a rare beautiful multi-colored one. LOL! This is 9×13 soft pastels on velour paper.

I was going to give a book review, but I am going through so many books at such a pace that I cannot really remember them all. I am working my way, slowly, through The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I’m sure that most of you have read this and it is old news, but it is all new to me. Wow! I am having to take it in slowly and I am going to have to go over it again several times. I think everyone ought to read this, even if you don’t agree with everything, you will get something out of it. And no-one, especially me, is effective as they need to be. Give it a try. I have the audio book and the paperback book. I listen to the audio while doing my thing and then, if I need to go over something over again, I read it.

I also just finished an old book of short stories about cats, The Lords of the Housetops. I downloaded it from Project Gutenberg to my kindle reader. Lots of nifty stories. However, there was one HORRIBLE one! I didn’t know, until the end, that it was Edgar Allen Poe. If I had known, I probably would not have read it. Whew! That man had issues! The rest of them were very good, funny, interesting, sad, etc. I just tried finding the book so that I could link directly to it, but the page was down. You can search on the Project Gutenberg site later.

A while back, I posted photos of our little baby chicks. Well, they are growing up and they have been out in the moveable chicken pen in the yard. I need to get out there and get some good pictures of them, before we move them into their coop. They are certainly enjoying the grass. Just thought I would let you know they are still around.

“If you are in a beautiful place where you can enjoy sunrise and sunset, then you are living like a lord.” — Nathan Phillips

I must admit that when I think of a flamingo that I think of Florida and plastic lawn flamingos. I lived in Florida for many years and I don’t remember ever seeing any live one. I may have, but I don’t remember. But, then again, I didn’t spend a lot of time in South Florida. Flamingos can be a wide variety of colors in the red family from the lightest, almost white, to deep orange or pink, almost solid red. This one has a little bit of them all. I don’t know why, but I love the little water droplet on his beak. He took the time out from his feasting to pose for the camera. LOL! I appreciate it.

This piece is soft pastels on velour paper. The more I use it, the more I like this paper.

“I painted the picture, and in the colors the rhythm of the music quivers. I painted the colors I saw.” — Edvard Munch

I have come across many photos of swans and, of course, they are very lovely. But, when I came across this one, I just loved the earthy tones of the watery background. It was different and I love different. I also loved the coolness of the body and the warmth of the head and neck of the swan. Swans are so beautiful, but I have seen some photos of them acting like derps. LOL! Just keepin’ it real.

This is a 12 3/4 by 18 1/4 pastel drawing on velour paper. I determined, before I got started, that I would try not to blend at all and to keep the strokes loose and free. I think I have succeeded. It was very enjoyable and relaxing and I am very happy with the result.

I am not selling my originals right now, because I am hoping to have an exhibition in the near future of my bird series. YIKES! I can’t believe I am telling the whole world! Yeah, like the whole world is looking at my blog… LOL! Well, if I do have an exhibition, will you come? My originals will be for sale then.

“Being born in a duck yard does not matter, if only you are hatched from a swan’s egg.” — Hans Christian Andersen

I was immediately attracted to the photo that I used for this drawing because of the owl’s intense reddish orange eyes and the beautifully colorful background against the black and white of his feathers. A snowy owl, when he is perched is rather majestic, but when his wings are spread and he is gliding across the sky… Wow! Mesmerizing to watch.

---

This morning I was waiting for Toby to do his business and staring at a tree trunk. I thought it was lovely with all the moss and lichens. So, I snapped a few shots with my phone. Lichen and moss on the river birch tree:

And the boy:

I don’t want to appear to be the complainer that I really am, but I am ready to be done with rain for a week or two.

---

“The rain began again. It fell heavily, easily, with no meaning or intention but the fulfillment of its own nature, which was to fall and fall.” — Helen Garner