LOOK FOR ALLISON'S WORK ON THE GULF COAST IN MAY

We are so excited that with the end of the school year and summer approaching, the Alabama Gulf Coast is celebrating its comeback since the BP Crisis.

The Hangout Festival in full swing on May 20-22 as well as Memorial Day will bring lots of people flocking to the shores.
Check out the MULLET WRAPPER FOR UP TO THE MOMENT COVERAGE ONLINE OF EVENTS and to see the article.

Allison's work will be featured at a new restaurant in Orange Beach during the celebration weekends.

Rotolo's, a well established restaurant in Louisiana offering authentic Italian Cuisine opens in Orange Beach at 25755 Perdido Beach Blvd. (across from the new Hampton Inn) on Thursday, May 19.

Allison's paintings will be featured/for sale until June with 10% of the sales for The Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo. Drop in during the Hangout Festival and Memorial Day events for casual italian dining!

Allison lived in Gulf Shores just prior to Ivan and opened a seafood restaurant with her husband, Chad (CPA, Mortgage Broker) in Mt. Brook, AL. Chad still works locally with Kiva Dunes/ Ft. Morgan.

Allison, author of Birmingham Sketchbook, has many ties with the Gulf Coast, not to mention that she vacationed there from teh time she was small.

Last year she was a featured artist at the Orange Beach Art Center (be sure to check that out as you travel along Canal Road in Orange Beach, the mossy trees on the water make it a magical artists retreat and gallery space.

Her work is also currently at LUCCA Boutique-The Wharf. There you will find the GIRLFRIENDS SERIES. Be sure to stop in and tell Lisa we sent you.

Allison still says her claim to fame is her musician son, Brent McCollough, who got his start on the Gulf Coast's Sunny 103.7 at the age of 8 singing Piano Man.

Visit Allison's website at to purchase prints at Fine art or click HERE

and contact Rotolo's at www.rotolos.com or at 251-223-9104.

SO WHAT ARE YOU UP TO NOW?

THIS MONTH WE ARE GETTING READY FOR
a fun low pressure, family filled week with Thanksgiving gaining on us and Christmas JUST AROUND THE CORNER.

I have written a book called THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS GIVING

available for a peek at THE BLOG (CLICK HERE TO GO THERE)

and have had booksignings in Homewood, Livingston and Vestavia.

SIGNED BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE AT OUR STORE~ CRESTLINE SEAFOOD CO. as well as NEW ARTWORK~

A portion of the sale of each book goes to local charities.

If you are in Crestline, hope you will stop in~

Chad just got a thumbs up from Birmingham's own B-METRO MAGAZINE

Click here for the article about SOME OF THE BEST GUMBO IN TOWN~

HOPE TO SEE YOU SOON!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Allison

THE ALABAMA GULF COAST

A recent painting of Alabama Gulf Coast CRABS to inspire

while the oil rolls in, the spirit of the gulf lives.

Painting a Day THE EXPERT

Duane Keiser is the ULTIMATE in painting a day!

Click above to view his latest oil paintings!

I have been painting...not EVERY day but wow what a GREAT challenge to do to get your creativity in motion!
Even if you do NOT meet your goal, it surely gets your creative juices flowing!

I got up the other night at 3:00 am and went down to the paint room...
blasted my tunes (the "big kids" are spending the holiday with their dad so I get full rule of the "creative space" with little complaint).

Anyway...
I cranked out two more and then slipped into bed as the sun was rising.

What a GREAT feeling!

I include the last of the painting a day's for Allison...
as tomorrow we take our little pumpkin, Ann Kathryn to
the world of Disney in Orlando...
for a fancy holiday "before her holiday"
which will begin on Dec. 26 when we pick up her sisters and brother
to begin our OWN Christmas EVE...

The 27th...my sister's birthday too!
so Christmas here will last here all the rest of the year!

But the painting will end...maybe, unless I get a chance to do some
brushwork in South Florida, pool-side :)

Paintings:
Water Series continues....
Water glass
Swimmers (may have seen before, one of those I "worked on more")
The wine bottle and glass on abstract

And the painting I did of my sister for her birthday
(party TODAY) at my house so LET ME GET GOING HERE!

It came from a dream....

Enjoy!
See you in 2009, as we embark on a new venture!

Crestline Seafood Company
HAPPYMESS ice cream
and a space in Crestline to showcase my artwork!
and watch for a booksigning for Birmingham Sketchbook in Homewood in February.

Paintings still at Wildflower Wax as well, so if you need a last minute gift..
grab one of their candles...they are amazing!

Blessings!


Allison

Painting a Day

So the goal has been to do a painting a day...in DECEMBER,
based on inspiration from an innovative artist who said he would paint 365 paintings in a year...
and he proclaimed that he failed...as he only did about 350 (don't quote me on the number...but get the idea)

And as an artist....
I say, HE DID MORE THAN SUCCEED!

This week has been SO funny as I keep in my mind,
that EACH day I will be working on a painting...

so I include the above two, that I must admit, I had started earlier and not finished, earlier in the year and now they are FINISHED.

(Actually the one with flowers in the girl's hair I began as a sketch for my sweet husband after we went to France...sorta like the one I started for him of poppies in Italy....it still lies on the floor...almost complete, a collage of tickets and maps from places we have been together...I just kept adding things to it....be looking for THAT one too on this "painting a day" journey.

The other is one on paper of an angel.

Maybe, as artists, we only need BIG deadlines to meet the smaller ones we seem to drop to the side.

The great thing is...
instead of leaving things unfinished, I am completing works "started"...
to me already a success, as it is now December the 5th...
and I came up with this idea on the 2nd....

So as an ENTJ...I feel pretty sure that I will have 25 (I said til Christmas in my original proclamation!) finished paintings....some might be finished just before my art show next week. I can no longer promise the PAINTING A DAY THOUGH, as I started painting a BIRDHOUSE yesterday for my painting of that day...
and I have a frame in line next....

So whatever goal you set for yourself, DON'T get locked into "what if I fail",
plan to succeed and if you fall short, you may just have done 350 paintings in a year!:) or a birdhouse or two!

Blessings this Christmas for CREATIVITY galore!

Allison

ARTWEAR

I have added ARTWEAR to my list of things to do.

Check it out!