Wake Up Woodbury
DECEMBER 28, 2020
ART BLOG
THE PEOPLE YOU MEET ALONG THE WAY: “Wake Up Woodbury” The story of a commission
The music side of my life has blessed me with some treasured friendships. I met Delyn Christian in the 90’s. He was, and is, a working musician/songwriter with a wealth of experience, musicality and cultural depth. He has also been an excellent DJ for over 30 years. My idea of a bonafide crowd pleasing troubadour. He loves music to the core and is deeply passionate about performing and songwriting. He is most definitely one of the good guys in our business and always fun to hang with. Most recently, I had the pleasure of meeting his beautiful wife, Ann, while we were all on the Decades cruise last February. I could instantly see why these two people were together sharing their love for nature, music, art and living on their farm in the wide open spaces. I always look forward to seeing Ann’s posts about their farm, their pets, her butterfly projects and wildlife. They are a beautiful pair.
Delyn messaged me on the down low about doing a painting for Ann for Christmas. Ann’s favorite picture of him was a shot taken on their farm including their beloved dog, Katy. Though I have met Delyn and Ann, I have yet to meet Katy. As you will read in Ann’s words below, she came from noble stock that had a noble cause. I’m sure she takes guarding their farm very seriously. Delyn wanted me to do a likeness as a surprise gift. I held off posting the pics til now because I keep a lot of secrets around Christmas time so as not to blow surprises. I got word from Delyn after Christmas that Ann loved the painting. Yay. Big Time YAY. Then I got a message from Ann yesterday with some pictures telling me she really dug the painting. Double Yay. Nothing makes me happier. So I proceeded to get a little more info about their dog Katy, her journey with Delyn and life on their farm.
Ann’s words:
Katy, (their German Shepherd) was the last of a litter that the owner had not been able to sell. He offered her to me for free and we got her July 3, 2012. Her mother was a protection and companion pet for a veteran who had severe PTSD. Katy also arrived here a week after we moved into our Tennessee hills place that Delyn named “Fretnot Farm”. Five acres of country living utopia. We got married in our back yard on June 30, 2012. It was 114 degrees. We toasted with local moonshine and bought everything from our wedding rings, booze, catering and hay bales here in our small county.
My Summary:
I was absolutely honored to be asked to do this painting by people that I admire so much. Ann continues to bless our ecological balance by tending to nature on Fretnot Farm. Delyn continues to please audiences with his electrical performances and DJing in Tennessee. He signs on his early morning radio show by saying “Wake Up Woodbury, can you smell the biscuits?” 107.1 FM Woodbury,Tennessee streaming at www.wbry.com. His gigs and other info can be found on http://www.delyn.com/ . Check him out.
THE PAINTING:
8x10 watercolor painting on canvas. Combo of watercolor crayons, pencils, ink and watercolor pans.
I decided to title the painting “Wake Up Woodbury”. It just seemed right.
If you are interested in a commission, PM me on Facebook or email smithgirlarts.com
To see my other work, go to smithgirlarts.com
Thanks for reading.