The Gift

 11"x14" oils

This was not an easy reference photo to take. I had to be stealthy. Really stealthy. There were several female cardinals outside the window, but I only got in one photo before they caught my un-stealthy movement and flew away. At least this one photo, I did get, turned out to be pretty cool.

I wish I could have invited her in for a bit. It was just a few days before Christmas and I would have loved sharing some hospitality.

Step 2: getting the layout down.

(Step 1 was starting with a canvas that had been coated in burnt sienna)

Step 3 - started to place the branches and the bird

Step 4 - working across with the leaves and some of the woodwork

Step 5 - Added the brass window latch and more detail in the wood.

The last step, at the top of the page, was more detail and especially more leaves.

I used a palette knife to dab in more texture.

Thanks for stopping by!

Thief! But, darn. A cute one.

5"x7" oils

Our grandson, who lives in Las Vegas, refers to our place as the house in the forest.

Nope. We are just a regular residential plot with some trees. Haha! But I love the fact that from his viewpoint, closer to the ground, it appears to be a forest.

We've planted a couple of peach trees which have been kind of hit and miss with their production. In 2022 we left in July for a vacation of 5 days. When we pulled out of the driveway, the peach trees were heavy with fruit. Tons of it! When we returned, the fruit was completely gone. Completely gone. Not even a peach pit. The culprit(s)? I have a guess. But man, what I wouldn't have payed to see those guys in action. They had to have worked their fluffy little tails off to have pulled off the peach harvest heist of the century.

Jump ahead to the summer of 2025. There weren't a whole lotta peaches - just enough for a pie or two. We took our share, and I made sure to leave a few fruits on the branches for the squirrels, because I'm a soft-hearted idiot.  In payment, I got a sweet little photograph to work from, and a few instances of being able to watch them scamper around in glee, chasing each other and collecting some booty. Not a bad trade off.

Here are a few of this piece's steps along the way.

 Step One: Just some base colors (in oils)

Step 2:Basic placement of things.

                                       

Step 3: Stepping up the color and a little bit of detail.

Step 4: Detail day! Getting more detail done.

Step 5: Ditto!

Lastly, pictured at the top of the page, all the detail. 

Sorry for not posting at all in February. I went out to visit my Las Vegas grandson, celebrate my 60th birthday, and see a bit of Route 66 (a bucket list item). I did, however, work quite a bit in my studio in February, and I hope to be able to finish up a few more pieces to post this month. 

Thanks for stopping by!

This artist, now in her glorious 60s, appreciates you from the bottom of her heart!

The Beauty of the Snow - a poem by me

The Beauty of the Snow

I wake in darkness. Rise.

The world tied with a sugared bow

as promised, I now gaze upon

the beauty of the snow.

It sparkles, gleams; it beckons.

“Test my drifts, and watch me blow.

I am the winter’s blanket;

a glory named the snow.”

I reach for sound, for anything;

for birds, for cars, but no.

A muffled world encompassed in 

the silence of the snow.

Not everyone is happy.

I must hide my thoughts, and so

I pour hot chocolate, make some toast,

and celebrate the snow.

Shops close and flights delay.

Our schedules lose accustomed flow.

Ashamed, (I’m such a child at heart!)

I wish for deeper snow.

Beauty, wonder, danger?

Do you see it friend or foe?

No mind. We are but witnesses

to power of the snow.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Bulletin Boards

This is a sampling of some of my favorite bulletin boards I've done for the New Madison Library over the last few years. Many of them began as an idea I found on Pinterest, or an idea shared by another staff member. Then, I just made them my own.

Here's my most recent:

And here's a throwback to one I did for the Greenville Library more than 10 years ago. This one was really big, on a bulletin board that was (as far as I can can remember) about 4 feet or so across. I think "Light Up the Night was the theme for the summer reading program.

It's this bulletin board piece that inspired me to do a couple other art pieces.

Click the links below to check them out.

https://tracyonoz.blogspot.com/2015/09/enchanted.html

https://tracyonoz.blogspot.com/2021/05/your-invitation-to-moonlight-ball.html

Thanks for stopping by!

JOY

die-cuts, tissue paper, and modpodge with some Procreate digital editing.

Definition of JOY from 1984 Websters dictionary: a very glad feeling; happiness; great pleasure; delight.

Definition of JOY from google: a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.

My definition of JOY: bubbles of happiness that erupt from your heart, creating a warmth to bask in. 

An effervescence of the soul that erupts in smiles, or bursts of laughter. 

How can one define joy without the words bubbles, or effervescence? 

I have chosen the word JOY once again as my word of the year. I think it may be a permanent choice. Similar the the Golden Rule, it is an umbrella that encompasses other words I have chosen in the past:  gratitude, soul, and energy to name a few.

Joy is truly a choice.

If you have children running through your house laughing and screaming in play, you can roll your eyes and click immediately to order earplugs on Amazon, or you can close your eyes for a moment and think how lucky you are to hear children laughing and screaming in play, in your home.

If you have a party that leaves behind all the clean-up that comes with parties, you can vow to have that party at someone else's house next time, or as you clean up you can think how fortunate you are to be in a position the have people to throw a party for, and a house to throw it in.

For me joy and gratitude (my second favorite word) are very closely linked.

I wish you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year! Choose joy!

The original from my new 2026 planner/scrapbook/sanity preserver.

Thanks for stopping by!

December Calendar piece

 die-cuts

December has arrived.  Sorry folks, for being a broken record, but as I sit down to write a post - Jeez! Where did the year go?! That's all I can think about. What a year!!! - Two big family weddings, news of a baby's arrival early next year, a change of states for my son (he's coming back to his hometown!). . . so many things. I live constantly in gratitude. 

December will be busy as always. I intend to enjoy the WHOLE month - enjoy all the preparations for Christmas, enjoy the effort, and enjoy the anticipation. (I meditate in the mornings, and it helps keep me in that frame of mind. I'm not as amazing as I may sound. Haha!)

Today, December 1st, is my one year anniversary of learning guitar! I'm trying to learn classical guitar on my own, but I see lessons somewhere in my near future. There are just some times when I get frustrated on my own, and need someone to whom I can ask "just how the hell, exactly, am I supposed to do that?" But I'm pretty proud of myself for making the practice part of my daily routine. At this stage of life, my big incentive is in impressing my grandkids and hoping they'll say, "if Grandma can do it, so can I!"

Fingers crossed.

This is most likely my last post of the year. I have plans for this blog next year. Hopefully, some lessons - tips and tricks to help others with some drawing help. The year ahead doesn't look quite as hectic (I say as something enormous is barreling its way, unbeknown to me, down the path of my life's journey). So, please come back here in January.

I wish everyone a warm and lovely holiday season!

Thanks for stopping by!

November Calendar Piece 2025

 die-cuts and a little digital work in Procreate

It's so cliche´, but where actally does the time go? How are we in November? Two big weddings for our family, are in the rearview. Now I have photo-organizing projects for January!

For now, let the holidays commence! This morning, with the help of my daughter Louisa (my recently married daughter!), I put up this tree in my studio. It IS NOT a Christmas tree. It is a here-we-go-woohoo-gonna- have-a-great-season-in-my-studio tree. We used a lot of the decor from the wedding, and I sent Louisa home with another big box of the same stuff so she can have a here-come-the-holidays tree too!

As promised in October- photos of the wedding decorations:

The backdrop behind the bridal table was later lit up with fairy lights.

My niece worked on the bridal tables with my sister and mom. All that beautiful drapery! 

This is the covered area out from the barn.

Look at that beautiful landscape behind! The venue was The Willow Tree in West Milton.

Absolutely gorgeous!

And here's the bar area set up by Louisa's sister and brother-in law.

Lastly, in this photo of their first kiss as man and wife,

you can see part of the arch that was also a group effort.

My heartfelt gratitude to Enrique, Ashley, Alonzo, Juliana, Tara, Tonnya, Henry and Patty

- the best decorating crew ever!

I have to say, I spent many months anticipating the wedding, buying decorations, helping Louisa with her dress, some of the planning etc. I was focused on how this was all going to come together. But, I was blind- sided during the first run-through on rehearsal night. When Louisa came down the aisle on the practice run through with her father, and Nat King Cole's voice started in with - When I Fall In Love - I lost it. Louisa saw me losing it, and lost it. Her husband Bryon was losing it and being comforted by his best man. I'm grateful for rehearsal run throughs. The three of us were able to pull ourselves together and the day of her wedding, Louisa walked down the aisle like a doggone queen. Louisa, I love you, and I couldn't have been more proud.

My Babygirl and her dad.

Also: I have to say how grateful I am to my best friend Dawn for holding my hand through some of the stressful moments this year, for lending me some of the beautiful wedding decor and for stepping in for some last minute prep situations. And to Louisa's maid-of-honor Anna, for going above and beyond in her role in making this day, for my daughter, so special.  And one more shout out to Ashley, who worked tirelessly (well okay, yeah, we were pretty tired) with me on the few days leading up to the wedding, and even the evening of the wedding! She kept my cocktails coming for 5 days (wow that's actually a lot, but it's also true). She kept my stress levels to a minimum so that I could relax in the moment and be present. I love you.

Weddings can really bring people together in quite wonderful ways.

Thanks for stopping by!

Big Fish

 This one started as an oil painting on canvas but I ended up finishing in Procreate.

What do you think it says?

This is what the painting looked like before I put it in Procreate.

Thanks for stopping by!

October 2025

 die-cuts and photo composed in Procreate

Here we are in October! -my favorite month. AND my daughter is getting married in less that two weeks! 

There has been a lot of trips to Michael's and Hobby Lobby - a lot of decorating ideas flowing. I plan to post some of the photos here in a couple weeks. The wedding has been so all encompassing that all I've been able to do in my art studio, for months, is dabble with things. Being able to share where some of my creative energy has gone will be sweet icing on the wedding cake.

Then, after the wedding,  I get more real with this blog. I hit a milestone on September 25th. I passed 100,000 hits! WOOHOO! That has inspired my to do more, and share more. Especially share more. 

Thanks for stopping by!

p.s. Here's another 3"x3" mini I finished. This is what my studio looks like early in the morning.

September 2025

 die-cuts, oil painting, and digital

This is my favorite piece in my 2025 calendar. I don't do collages. I am easily overwhelmed, and as I've said hundreds of times, one of my weaknesses is my inability to just play. Well, here I played! I used pretty paper, my Tim Holtz die-cuts, and a small oil painting of an hour glass that I had done. I took photos and put all the different elements into Procreate. Then, I played with composition, layers of transparency, etc. I'm pretty proud of it. 

Thanks for stopping by!

My 1/2 birthday! - sharing my college work

colored pencil 1989

 

Hi! And Happy-Half-Birthday to me!

Half birthdays aren't much of a thing to most people, but my daughter was a Christmas baby - smack on the 25th - so I have always done something nice for her on June 25th. Like make her favorite dinner,  prepare a nice dessert, maybe get her a small gift, etc. ( I hope she's not reading this. I forgot her this year because her upcoming wedding is taking a lot of my head space.)

And then, I often celebrate my own (when I remember it!) haha!  Just me. I have a nice dinner, treat myself to something, make sure I tell everyone it's my half birthday . . . that kind of thing.

I thought, in honor of being halfway through my year, on the way to one of those BIG real birthdays, I'd do a throwback and share some of my college stuff.

I drew and painted many, many nudes. Not wanting to shock anyone, I'll just share this one done in charcoal.

I did some some more technical kind of drawings too.

This one was quite a challenge. 

I had to draw it transparently first, trying to get all the perspective and ellipses right. Phew!

It's in colored pencil.

Here's a couple nightmare pieces I did. Approximately 18 x 24 and in charcoal:

Nightmares about being late, being naked in public, trying to run and not being able. I must have had more water nightmares than I remember. And of course - who or what might be under the bed ready to grab you, or at least your feet.

The fear of peeping Toms while I'm in the bathroom has always been there for me. Haha!

I even made it worse by turning it into a view through a camera. 

Then this one:

The two above are 24 x 36 and done in charcoal and pastel.

Here's a print that I have always considered pulling out and working on again. 

I worked for a concessionaire for two summers after high school, and have many memories 

of what it's like to be on the fairgrounds at night, after the public has gone home.

Lastly, I took illustration courses at the Art Academy of Cincinnati and this little beauty was one of my favorites. It's done in colored pencil, and illustrates a short story about Marilyn Monroe that our professor read to us.

So, there's a peek at old Tracy. Well, actually young Tracy. 

Thanks for stopping by!

AUGUST 2025

 Die-cuts and digital art (Procreate)

I've been reminiscing a lot lately. So much of my hometown has changed since I was a kid. I'm feeling very nostalgic. Shouldn't I be able to buy a ticket, somehow, to go back in time for a day? To see places no longer standing. People no longer here. It's so close. I can see it when I close my eyes. Just out of reach.

On that note, I'll talk about myself as a child artist. Haha! Not a prodigy. Just a kid who had a knack for it.

I come by it honestly, with several older family members who were artistically talented. I admired what they could do and I wanted to do it too.

I took art classes every year of high school. Then, went to college where I started with a major in graphic design, spent some time pursuing art education, and ended up with a degree in fine art just to be able to graduate and get the heck outta Dodge.

After graduating (with that lucrative fine art degree) I got a job waiting tables, met my husband, and life took off. With the exception of a gig illustrating for Gooseberry Patch that lasted for a few years, my career as an artist hasn't been much of a career. I've exhibited in local shows and worked on several commissions, but it's been more like a habit that I can't break. If I'm not painting, or drawing or doing something, I'm not happy. You've heard the saying "happy wife, happy life", or "if Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." (That's the one I hear around my house all the time). I have to have my creative time. It's how I "fill the well," and then have more of myself to give to others.

I've reached a point in my life where the pressure of even considering an art career is in the rearview mirror. But, that does absolutely NOT mean I'm done. I just feel free to do whatever the heck I want. It feels wonderful, and I think I'm doing more now than ever. And I'm so happy to have this space to share what I do with YOU.

Sicking with the nostalgic theme, here are some of the pieces I did in high school. Again, no prodigy. But, not bad if I do say so myself.

My first painting - in acrylics. I would have been 15. This hangs proudly in my current studio.

My Daniel Boone guy. I think I was 15 or 16. 

This may have started as a grid drawing from a magazine image.

And here area few random pieces from high school. A scratchboard crystal glass, a pen and ink of a seahorse (I've always loved seahorses!), a drawing of a cute guy that I drew with no reference image. -This guy existed only in my head. I had it hanging in my dorm room my freshman year and a boyfriend at the time was jealous, thinking it was someone I had waiting for me back home. Haha! Lastly, roses. These may have also come from my head because I remember drawing a lot of roses.

I don't think I've shared my college work here. Check back in a couple weeks and maybe I'll have some of those to share.

Thanks for stopping by!

Mini oil paintings

I just wanted to share these completed pieces from my last post.

Both  are approximately 2" x 3".

Have a great day, and thanks for stopping by!

 

JULY Calendar Piece

die-cuts 

 

The year is half way over! It's been a busy year so far, but goodness, it's going fast! I took a girls' trip to NYC in May, 

went to my niece's wedding in Jamaica in June, and now my focus will be on the wedding of my own baby girl in October! I just saw the gorgeous venue this morning. I'll be spending a lot of my time over the next few months getting wedding decorations done!

However, I still have to make time for my own creative interests. Right now I have several things started. Here's a little peek at a few ideas I'm working on. 

This is a 12" x 24" piece I started.

It's inspired by this cute little flower shop in NYC.

(See it down there in the corner?)

This is a fun challenge because, though I have the reference photo,

I'm having to figure out a lot for myself - color, perspective, etc.

Also, I got a great deal, in February, on a nice little Christmas tree for my studio.

I'm planning to hang my own miniature paintings on it.

Here's a couple 2" x 3" pieces I started.

One of my favorite cocktails - an Aperol Spritz.

Ellen - our very missed, furry kid.

I have two more paintings in the works - inspired by the Jamaican trip,

and a few more miniature ideas for the tree. So, I'm busy, and putting my studio to good use.

Here's one more thing I recently did, the wedding card for my niece and new nephew.

Thanks for stopping by!