Oils and Pastels by Margaret Dyer

No tornados here last night. I am due east of Birmingham, AL, about an hour and a half away, well into the state of Georgia. The storms which passed through Birmingham last night headed northeast, into north Georgia. My heart goes out to all of you who were in their paths. THE ATHLETE! is a 5x7 pastel on PastelBord, at auction on ebay. Retail value $450, but bidding begins (and many times ends) at $100. Ten percent of my ebay sales go to World Vision.

BATTER UP! is a 5x7 pastel on PastelBord, at auction on ebay. Retail value $450, but bidding begins (and many times ends) at $100. Ten percent of my ebay sales go to World Vision.

THE FORMIDABLE PITCHER is a 5x7 pastel on PastelBord, at auction on ebay. Retail value $450, but bidding begins (and many times ends) at $100. Ten percent of my ebay sales go to World Vision.

Just busy working today; not much to say. I just finished this one. We're expecting rain today and tonight, so this ought to add a little sunshine to my room. A FINE DAY TO GO FISHING is a 12x16 pastel on PastelBord. My 12x16's retail at my galleries for $1500.00. Ten percent of my ebay sales go to World Vision.

Already, this kid can catch a ball better than I can. PRETTY IN PINK is a 5x7 pastel on PastelBord, at auction on ebay. Retail value $450, but bidding begins (and many times ends) at $100. Ten percent of my ebay sales go to World Vision.

I grew up in a mostly girl family--5 girls (I'm #2) and one boy, who came along at the very end. I have two daughters. So most of my experience with children has been with girls. I always fretted that I might have a boy and wouldn't know what to do with him--nobody ever taught me how to throw a ball (yes, and I catch like a girl too), much to my chagrin. When watching children playing, my eyes always followed the little girls. Until my daughter had a little boy. Now my eyes follow the little boys and I think of little Victor, in Alaska, 3400 miles away. BIG BROTHER is a 5x7 pastel on PastelBord, at auction on ebay. Retail value $450, but bidding begins (and many times ends) at $100. Ten percent of my ebay sales go to World Vision.

Happy Passover to everybody. It's a holy time. I love watching fathers with their children. INTRODUCTION is a 5x7 pastel on PastelBord, at auction on ebay. Retail value $450, but bidding begins (and many times ends) at $100. Ten percent of my ebay sales go to World Vision.

It is spring. My favorite time of the year. Open windows, brilliant color everywhere, children playing outside. Just love it. This is a 5x7 pastel on PastelBord, at auction on ebay. Retail value $450, but bidding begins (and many times ends) at $100. Ten percent of my ebay sales go to World Vision.

Well, it looks like it's going to be another wonderful time in France in June. Both of my classes are filling, air fares are dropping. I'm practicing my French with language CDs in my car. Or ma voiture. There are a few spaces left and I'd dearly love to fill them. If you want to get an idea of what to expect from the trip, you can view my 2010 May and June blog archives, (start at the bottom and go up if you want a chronological journal). The trip is a no-brainer, since you'd be picked up at the airport and returned, with everything taken care of in between. I'll be blogging my way through the trip again; blogging has proved to be a wonderful way for me to record my own memories (what incredible technology we have today). But I think the more the merrier, so I'd love to encourage anybody who can to consider coming along.

"Bathsheba-A Study" is an 18x24 pastel on pastelbord. I'm on my way to Chattanooga this morning, about a 2 hour drive from Atlanta, to deliver this and a few more pieces, and to retrieve work that didn't sell. I've just agreed to teach a class in San Miguel de Allende next January!!!!! More info to come.

I don't know if you can see him in this image, but there's a man kneeling in prayer in the middle of the street outside a little cafe in Troyes, France. I think he was actually a beggar pretending, but I found the image compelling. The Penitent is a 12x16 pastel on PastelBord, available from River Gallery, in Chattanooga. I must tell you about my little family get-together last Tuesday night. My 4 sisters and I planned to celebrate my Dad’s 87th birthday with a simple dinner at his retirement home. Because Dad’s apartment is so small, we decided to set things up in the common sitting area on his floor, a relatively private place off the main hall. Catherine was supposed to make lasagna, but at the last minute couldn’t, so Francine substituted with a little frozen pasta dish, enough to feed 4, the box said (she decided she wouldn’t eat). Emily was to bring paper plates and plastic forks, which she hurriedly purchased en route to Dads, after teaching her high school English clas...