It's been our Homecoming week at my school, and today we had the Blessing of the Animals where we sit and paint and draw the critters after they've been blessed, for an hour or so. My new colleague and lower school art teacher Lara joined me today, and we had a lovely pile of kids showing up with beautiful dogs and cats and hamsters and parakeets and stuffies! I'll post one a day for a few days here, and then in October I am going to paint an otter a day for as long as I can!
I don't think I posted this one yet- I often forget with commissions, because I need to wait long enough for the gift to be given so I don't blow it, not that I think this blog is that widely viewed... but you never know, and I'd hate to spoil a surprise.
I know this one has already been given, and I just wanted to make sure I'm posting more images! I'll probably do another "Otter-tober" and a "Home-Vember" because I need to have a source of daily painting to draw on. I'm working on a few paintings of my son and his friends, but those aren't ready to be seen yet... and might not ever be.
People are so tricky!
So I had actually painted this one during the summer, and didn't mind him/her hanging on our wall for a while, so I only recently contacted my friend Shelly Thrall to let her know I had completed it. And we're gonna do a trade because Shelly makes beautiful jewelry!
I have to admit there are some photos I just have to paint. Especially of dogs- there's a couple I've come across on friend's feeds on social media lately, and I want to paint their pups so bad. I'm thinking I need to add onto my series from 2010 that I titled "My AutobiDOGraphy"... I actually copywrighted (copywrote?) that title so I own it because I think it is really clever. And I'm thinking I need to get that book together and publish it too. Originally, the idea was that I did paintings of dogs from my past, and I included the stories of how much they meant to me and when in my life I loved them. Because I would not be the person I am today without all the dogs who loved me.
I imagine you know what I mean.
More on this later...
We had a long lovely weekend! Thanks everyone who came to Diamonds yesterday for the "30 Dogs" Celebration! Such a great group of people. I pretty much always enjoy hanging out with people, and it's just SO nice to be able to be with people again!
This is another painting from my Mishawaka horse series- it's the light that I love so much- those long shadows~ and those long legs!
It's been a busy start to the school year and I actually was able to take this past weekend mostly off. I do want to make sure and invite you to the "30 Dogs in 30 Days" Celebration this coming Sunday, September 11 from 2-4 at Diamonds'! I'll have the NEW BOOKS with me and also the postcards of all the dogs! And I'll also have some snacks and maybe a little wine....
This is a pup from earlier this year!
Her name is Kitty~
Here's another horse from Mishawaka- Siena maybe? Or it could be Mr Blue... I need to spend more time calling them by their names!
I just loved the light in this one, and how the fence line pulls you right into that eye...
Happy National Dog Day!
You can always hop over to Diamonds and bask in all 30 of the dogs (well actually there are 34 if you could all the double dog paintings!) for this wonderful celebratory day!
And here is a commission of a dog as well!~
You know it, you've seen it. Undoubtably, you've either given it or gotten it. And this horse has got the skills for it, darling!
The eye~
And it was also really fun just to shape her in paint...
In this one, yes, it is looking a bit tight in that water trough for all three horses to fit, and I think the next photo Jenni showed me had the middle horse (Sienna?) nipping at one of the others... You can tell a lot by watching horses' ears.
I also have to admit it is really fun to work to get that anatomy right on their heads. They are just so LINEAR! Long sharp planes with the soft squishy nose at the end, and those super liquid eyes framed by it all.
Dang. I do love horses!
Here's more horses from camp! I have to get in touch with Jenni to see who these are- she knows all of them well, since she's the one who took care of them and taught riding all summer long!
It's really fun working out the negative spaces and the water on these- Horses and water! What's better to paint!
Well, lots of stuff is darn fun to paint, but right now, this is what I want to paint!
I used to go trail-riding when I was a kid, with my big brother who also loved to ride and wanted to be a cowboy, or at least a Western singer... and I was afraid and in awe and in love with the horses.
There are horses at Camp Mishawaka, and I would walk to see them most mornings with Bunny (the pug) and attempt to take photos of them, depending on where they were in the field or near the gates. Jenni took these photos of the horses and the water trough, and I was SO enamored of the combination of horse and water! This is the first of a series of three paintings- maybe more!
It's Sunday, and we're back in the cities, and it is lovely and cool and so green here! Our backyard is an absolute jungle- I'll have to do some paintings of the tangled greenery back there! This however is a painting I did up in Grand Rapids of the swimming dock in Lake Pokegama. I love the angles...
So I did paint a few other things besides dogs this last month... here's a view of one of the docks, just past the swimming bouys looking out to the island. There are so many loons here, it is amazing. Families with little babies calling out and fishing together. I love it so much!
We are still at camp, loving the cool mornings and the starry nights. And the fact that Bunny the pug can run free through the woods like a chipmunk seeking missile... a rather stubby and flat-faced missile, but still, she's on target. I'm not sure what she'd do if she actually caught one- probably try to get it to play with her.
So I've got a few events coming up and this little painting of the road into camp will be there at some of them! First, I'll be hanging the 30 Dogs in 30 Days Paintings at Diamonds on Monday the 15th in the morning, so anytime after that please come on over and check them out! We'll have a BOOK PARTY on September 10th from 2-4 at Diamonds so put that on your calendar too!
Then if you and your kids are looking for some fun art stuff to do next Wednesday, I'll be teaching at Wet Paint! Two classes, August 17th, for ages 11-15 from 10-12:30 and from 2-5pm for adults ( and ages 16 and up!)- there's still room in both!
AND Duane and I are both at the Carpenter Nature Center on Saturday August 20th from 10-5pm! This wonderful outdoor VERY ARTISTIC event (as in ALL the work is by ARTISTS hand selected by Steve who runs the fair!) is in Wisconsin just south of Hudson past the old greyhound race track and we'd love to see you! Duane will have a pile of his wooden birds and I've got paintings! NEW ones!
And just to throw another one at you, I'll also be doing Millstream Arts Festival in St Joe MN by my alma mater, St Ben's on Sunday August 28th from 11 to 5! Worth the hour drive north from the cities, come on up! I haven't been in this one in a while and decided I'd love to give it a go!
Thanks for reading all this! I'll post more images now!
Ha ha! Isn't this the best Last Dog photo EVER?!?
And isn't Hugo just the bomb? Here's what Elizabeth wrote about him!
Hugo is a true baby old man: pampered, pensive, likes his schedule, needs lots of naps. When my son gets out the saxophone, Hugo's musical side shows itself. He howls soulfully, endlessly. He's the kind of dog who will politely "ask" you to pick up the ball he dropped from the ottoman instead of getting it himself. He'll just softly woof-whine, and his people know what to do. Hugo is absolutely obsessed with tennis balls, but his most prized possession is "Wolfie," a large stuffed wolf that can stand up to Hugo's toughness on toys. He wrestles Wolfie and flings him around. But at night, Hugo likes to nurse on Wolfie's nose for an hour or so to relax after a hard day of being a Frenchie.
And here is Rosy! Another amazing face~ I am so fortunate to have so many people send me such amazing creatures to paint!
Here's what Heather says about her Rosy~
Rosy was adopted in 2020 by her third and final owner (3rd times a charm!). She spends her time chasing leaves, stealing toys and barking at anyone other than her mommy. She makes people work hard for her affection, so many give up… but the reward of snuggles is there for those who keep at it!
You can read so much from a face. This gaze speaks volumes, I think~
This is Rocky, and he lives with JR, who I know through the Moto Mutts from my motorcycle riding days, and he had another Pom back then, named Xena, whom he inherited from his mom. There's something sweet about a big guy and a little dog. Their toughness and vulnerability contrasts and compliments each other...
I just love Great Dane faces- I mean, really! Look at that face! What's not to love! As I was painting him, one of my campers said "He looks like an anime creature!" and I said yes, he does, doesn't he!
Here's what Rachel says about him!
Viggo came home during the early stages of the pandemic. His sweet and goofy disposition kept spirits high when we were all in a low place. He has grown from an awkward big pawed puppy into an even more awkward and big pawed dog, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. These days you can usually find him sleeping on the couch, but he’ll always shift over if it means he gets cuddles.
I love the light in this one, and the elegance of that long noble nose....
And here's what Alicia wrote about her!
Britta is an extraordinarily loyal pup and the most precocious member of the family. She loves to problem solve and has been known to move a step ladder into the kitchen so that she can get to food on the counter. She also loves normal dog activities like chasing her ball and going for walks.
This is Finn, sent to me by Grace for her auntie~ Finn passed recently, sadly, and this is a gift to her aunt.
Here's what Grace said about Finn~
"He was always hiding under blankets and cuddled in a ball. And he fiercely protected everyone from any scary animals that came upon a TV screen. Finn was the sweetest chihuahua you’d ever met. "
Brave boy!
