March 10, Mica for Jen and Joel!

 THIS was a fun one for sure- so much color in there! Russian Blues have a LOT of shades in their coats-

Tho now that I'm seeing the painting on my screen, I'm realizing I need to pop the color of the purple background a little, since it too closely matches Mica's amazing coat~

And this is what Jen says about Mica~

This is a memorial commission for a rescue Russian Blue kitty who had a penchant for stealing seats and going for walks on a leash in the garden. She was a champion lap sitter and the best at-home working buddy a person could ask for. We named her Mica because her generally gray fur and warm eyes shifted tone and hue in the light, like flakes of the mineral mica.

Mica, 8x8 Acrylic on wood

sold

March 9, Frank!

 This is Frank, a green-eyed beauty whose owner says this about him...

He is an 8 year old equal parts angel and devil. There is never a dull moment when Frank is around!

I LOVE that kind of understanding of your cat!

Frank, 6x6 acrylic on wood

spoken for!

March 8, Tango!

 This is Tango! He lives with my sis-in-law and her family, and we are so happy for them!  My niece has been wanting a pet for a LOOOOOONG time, and finally wore her parents down. Dad is allergic, but has been willing to give it a try as long as he has a cat-free zone to escape to. So Tango came home and mostly lived in my niece's room and he is now all over the place and everyone in the household is completely in love~

How could you resist this creature?

Tango, 10x8 acrylic on wood

NFS

March 7, Dan Da Lion!

 This was another fun one to paint, and I was able to get up early enough to finish him on time today! Yay!

And it's sunny, and the snow is melting but its still cold, which feels more right than no snow in March in Minnesota-

Here is Dan's story!

Dan da lion was a cream colored Siberian with a gorgeous mane 

After Kasia joined Beth and Tom ‘s family, Tom said ‘ I want my own Siberian cat’

Dan joined the family , and thanks to Tom and Beth , his twin brother Fast Eddie moved in next door

After Tom passed away, Dan devoted himself to Beth for the rest of his life ~

Dan da Lion, acrylic on wood

sold

March 6, Jasper for Mary

 Ah, this one is Jasper, who belonged to Mary, who will be sending me his story for the book soon- 

I have to admit I am pleased with myself for being able to get these done and posted each day, so far...  because I have been so distracted and distressed with the world and the next big problem and what I can do about it. Having these paintings to work on is really comforting for me. 

And another comfort is PBS kids- 

Just saying!  I don't intend these posts to be political, but these days it feels like just living is a political act, and so last night after celebrating Duane's birthday at Vivir in Northeast (excellent tacos people!) we came home and I had a little work to do so we put on PBS kids, free public tv, and some of our families favorite background noise, if you know what I mean, and I blundered across "Brambletown"- Directed and animated by Eric Power (whose work I love, from Cloud Cult and Jeremy Messersmith videos!) and with original music by the Okee Dokee Brothers it made me cry and made my night and made me love Minnesota even more-  people, we NEED these videos, these stations, these emotions!  We need to be children and be simple and just love and want to be with others too~

Okay, enough of my soap box!  Just support your local public radio and television and all that!  Think of the people who can't afford cable or internet and this is who you are helping to connect to the world.

You are doing a great job!

Jasper, acrylic on wood, 8x8

sold

March 5, Smokey

 Oh this is such a beautiful cat! I worked a long time on this one, which is why it is a little late, plus we had 7 inches of snow fall and I still had to get to work...

So here's what Jen wrote about this beautiful creature, who has had something of a tragic life already...

I didn't tell you the whole story about Smokey.  His first owner was a farmer and he was left behind when he died.  My brother then took him and he was the light of his life.  Unfortunately, my brother passed nearly 3 years ago.  Thats' when Sam, my nephew took him.  Sam passes two years ago, and now he belongs to my nephew's girlfriend. 

Smokey, 6x6 acrylic on wood

spoken for~

March 4, Kasia for Beth

 I have some patrons who are particularly faithful to this project, and Carolyn and Brad are the best. This is a cat they commissioned for their friend Beth, and this is what Carolyn wrote~

Kasia was a stunning gray Siberian 

After Lupita passed away, Beth wanted another gray cat so Tom found Kasia for her.

Kasia was exceptionally beautiful, kind and smart

She was the first Siberian we knew

Friends and family were so impressed by her.

Kasia’s Legacy : 12 Siberian cats joined households of our community ~

Kasia, 8x8 acrylic on wood

sold

March 3, Timmy for Melissa and Jen!

 Okay, so they don't know I'm painting this for them, but my sister Beaner asked me to, and so I did- Melissa and Jen are her great friends in Duluth and I met them a couple years ago when I was stuck at Beaner's house in Duluth on my way up to Grand Marais for a Solo Art Residency at the Art Colony and there was a winter storm and everything was super icy and I was afraid to leave until the next morning.

And this is just the most adorable cat, ever!  I think Timmy is a female, and I always love that sense of humor in naming critters like that~

And thanks for following!

Timmy! 6x6 acrylic on wood

spoken for!

March 2, Emmett!

 This is Emmett, who lived with Julie, who i believe walks dogs for people and knows animals pretty well. I'm hoping for some sweet words from her soon for this lovely creature, because he sure deserves some kind of a story with a face like this and a name like that!

I do need to check in with Julie too, because I'm not 100 percent sure his eyes were green... they may be more gold so I might need to step back in there...

And I'm sorry to be so late posting today!  My intention is to post right away in the morning but I had to spend some time today getting organized and it took longer than I intended, and then I had to go on a lovely long walk with a beloved best friend, and that took some time too, so here we are!

Oh and the Official List has more adjustments! I'll include it below again-

THank you!

Emmett acrylic on wood, 6x6

spoken for!

30 Cats in 30 Days March 2025

1- Pipin for Duane 6x6

2- Emmett for Julie O, 6x6 Comm

3- Timmy for Melissa and Jen 6x6

4- Kasia for Beth 8x8 COMM (Carolyn and Brad)

5- Smokey for Julie O 6x6

6- Jasper for Mary H 8x8 COMM (Carolyn and Brad)

7- Dan, Fast Eddie’s Twin for Beth 8x8 COMM (Carolyn and Brad)

8- Tango for the Malamens! 8x10

9- Loki for Julie Olson 6x6

10- Mica for Jen and Joel 8x8 COMM

11- Jilly for Kelly E 6x6 COMM

12-Odin for Julie O 6x6

13- Ragnarok for Julie O 6x6

14- Mia for Molly 8x8 COMM (Carolyn and Brad)

15-Coya for Chrissy 8x8

16- Rag Doll Kitten for Laura 8x8

17- Tommy Toes for Ashley 8x8 COMM

18- Rocket for Charlotte and Cora- For Trish

19- Josie for Marcia 20x16 COMM

20-Lily for Jennifer L

21- Miss Gracie for Kara L

22- Camilles friends cat

23- 

24-

25-

26-

27-

28-

29-

30

30 Cats in 30 Days Starts NOW! with PIPPIN PIPER MCGEE!

 Wahoo!

It's a beautiful sunny brisk 13 degrees today, and Pippin is the first cat of this year because she is our new kitten and we are all absolutely enamored with her! She is spunky, brave, silly and sweet and fits right in with the crazy pups and large active 16 year old~ 

And I do still have some space left in the month if you're suddenly realizing you have a cat that needs to be painted... 

I love these month-long projects because they force me to up my game, to make sure I'm getting in the habit of painting every day. It's just a great way to kick myself in the butt and get working, and I also jive with the community aspect of knowing YOU all are keeping an eye on my progress too! 

SO help me out and let me know how I'm doing!

The OFFICIAL LIST is at the end here, and I'll update it as I go!  It's already been updated twice since I posted it yesterday!

6x6 acrylic on wood

spoken for!

30 Cats in 30 Days March 2025

1- Pipin for Duane 6x6

2- Emmett for Julie Olson, 6x6 Comm

3- Timmy for Melissa and Jen 6x6

4- Kasia for Beth 8x8 COMM (Carolyn and Brad)

5- Lily for Jennifer LeClaire

6- Jasper for Mary H 8x8 COMM (Carolyn and Brad)

7- Dan, Fast Eddie’s Twin for Beth 8x8 COMM (Carolyn and Brad)

8- Tango for the Malamens!

9- Miss Gracie for Kara L

10- Mica for Jen Christiansen 8x8 COMM

11- Jilly for Kelly Everding 6x6 COMM

12- Fritz for Colin

13- Fattoush for Us

14- Mia for Molly 8x8 COMM (Carolyn and Brad)

15-Coya for Chrissy

16- Rag Doll Kitten for Laura

17- Tommy Toes for Ashley 8x8 COMM

18- Rocket for Charlotte and Cora- For Trish

19- Josie for Marcia 20x16 COMM

20-

21-

22-

23-

24-

25-

26-

27-

28-

29-

30

A Commission!

 I thought I'd post a few commissions here, as I'm starting to get ready for another "30 Cats in 30 Days" Project in March and I need you to send me your kitty photos!

This is Henry, a sweet little Christmas commission!

6x6 acrylic on wood

sold!

December Rocks

 This is from our little family Solstice Vacation in December, and I didn't adventure out quite that far... Duane and Max went out on the rocks and took photos for me, and told me once they were safely back. That's what I get for having a family of boys... they know I'll freak out and get all worried, so they don't tell me until AFTER they've done the scary thing...

But I get to make cool paintings, so I guess it all works~

10x8 acrylic on canvas

$160

click here for purchase info!

Slick

 This is a little otter painting on a sweet oval panel, just 8 inches by 6 inches, from a photo Duane took at the Minnesota Zoo a few years back. He takes the best photos for some reason!  I'm not sure if its because he's more patient that I am or what...

But I'm pretty happy with this one!

6x8 acrylic on wood

$98

click here to nab!

Otter Twist

 This isn't the first painting of the year... I haven't kept track. And I've done one post for a 21 day posting challenge and let that one go too. Yup. It's a busy life here. I mean, it's good for sure! Just kinda full-  and this is a sweet painting that I did a bit ago... when DID I paint this? It's been a bit of a blur, all told~ and I think I need to take a better photo too...

Hope you are well!

6x12 acrylic on wood

$150

click here for purchase info~

Another Commission from 2023!

 I'm not posting what I'm currently working on because these are meant to be gifts for Christmas, so you'll have to wait!  And I'm telling you, my studio space is FULL right now!  So many paintings! And I really love it~ I'm so lucky!

This ones from 2023!

8x8 acrylic on wood

sold

Kitten commission!

I thought I'd just keep posting a few of these- I've got a stack of commissions I'm working my way through, really enjoying them actually!   I realize how lucky I am that I enjoy the whole process of creating commissioned work for people... it is a bit of pressure, having to have something done on time and to someone's whims, but for me, most people are asking me to paint their pets because they are familiar with my work already and want something like what they've seen. I think the more difficult commissions are when someone is gifted one, or when someone isn't familiar with what I do.

This little peanut is from a few years back-  I was realizing I have a lot of work that has never made it into my blog!

8x8 

sold!

Busy busy!!!

 I am learning how to give a discount code on my Dailypaintworks site, and I haven't had a chance to tell anyone about it yet!

Mostly because I wanted to make sure I had marked all the ones as SOLD that are no longer available- so if you'd like to try this out for me, and to snag a good deal, AND because you are reading this writing, I'l going to give you the code!

So what you do is you go to my Dailypaintworks gallery, find what you want to buy, and where it says "discount code" you type in my code for you!

Do you want to know what it is?

I also wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who came out and bought the lovely work I had with me at the Highland MS Sale this Saturday!  I had a great time!

Alright, here it is-

the code is....

LOVE24

Have fun!  Tell me if it works!

this is one of the pieces you CAN"T buy because someone else already did!

Another Commission!

 yes, i'm painting a lot right now!  I love it!  Send me more!

This was a darn fun one- I love the forthright gaze- straight at you! Isn't he something? I do often wish that I could hear what they're thinking, but it probably isn't anything like what I'm imagining... anthropomorphizing our pets is something we all do, isn't it? I have a lot of conversations with my dogs...

8x8 acrylic on wood

sold

Clouds and Waves

Happy Thanksgiving to you!  I hope you are able to find something and someone to be grateful for today~ it really does change the flavor of your mood when you are able to think about something that has made you feel good, or something someone did for you, or something unexpected that made your day...

Life is always an opportunity to improvise...

Just like painting!  

This is from my painting class last weekend- we were working with landscapes and contrast, and this is a scene from Grand Marais...

I love it up there!

10x8 acrylic on wood

$175

click here for purchase info~

Free shipping in the US!

A Commission~

Have I mentioned that i love to paint black dogs?

This is Nala~

There's still time for me to paint your pet before the holidays, but you gotta let me know soon!

8x10 acrylic on wood