Like the challenge of buying a farm when I had no money and making it work, being a successful real estate agent in Venice Florida, now in my eighties and nineties I am enjoying the challenge of painting portraits again after painting only a portrait of my mother when I was seventeen years old with the supervision of my high school art teacher Mrs. Lela Cross.

I have included several paintings in my blogs so far that I have painted since starting back again with this fascinating challenge to bring a persons face to life on a canvas using oil paints.

Now I’d like to show you a few more that I have completed over the last ten years but have not been included in any of my stories so far.

In my grandson Dean Wedding’s home in Dillon Montana here are the painting I have given to him and his wife Pat of their children.   Jeffrey

Darren

Terra

And here is the painting of my grandson Dean wedding

This one is of my great granddaughter and Carole (Susie’s) granddaughter Kimberley Hires.

Now I believe I have a photo in blog of each of the paintings I have done in my lifetime that are completed. I am currently working on three more. When oil painting I sometimes leave a picture to dry for a few days and work on another one in the mean time.

Being a born workaholic, in my retirement it is interesting for me to have these hobbies of writing blogs and painting portraits to brighten my days.

AND………..as an after thought, please don’t forget to try some of my recipes. YOU MIGHT LIKE THEM!!!!!!!!!!

FRF ❤

Although I still have furniture to purchase for this room I’ll show you how it looks for our Florida Christmas.

Stepping through double doors from the family room into my studio this is the first wall you see

Turning left you then see :

And here is where I sit to paint portraits:

Close up

Other wall

How do you like my art gallery?

FRF ❤️

This is my daughter Pamela’s and her husband Tracy’s first Christmas in their Sarasota Florida home and each evening Pamela comes home lugging in more packages of decorations. Although I didn’t mention it, I’m here also.

No family are coming for Christmas for their first time ever. My granddaughter Evin and her husband Matt Bender were here for thanksgiving week and granddaughter Sarah is in France teaching English to French students. She and friends from Ohio will be visiting different interesting European cities over the holidays. And my daughter Meredythe and her husband Joey Wedding are getting ready to move to Dillon Montana in January where my grandson Dean and his family live.

But that doesn’t detour Pamela’s enthusiasm for the holidays. She is inviting many people, who have little or no family here, to come here for a big dinner on Christmas Day and will welcome the guests with holiday cheer from the front door around through the home to the pool area.

Let’s have a look around and see what our guest will see.

Entering the front door
As they enter the living/dining room

Have a look-see at the dining area

The family room to mingle

Kitchen dinette

After scrunching on a delicious meal and happy mingling with interesting conversations, everyone gathering around the piano to sing Christmas carols will give a warm and happy closing to a BEAUTIFUL CHRISTMAS DAY!!

FRF ❤️