June 30th, the OFFICIAL LIST and "Sunny Smile"!

Hi kids! YES it is time to post the LIST!!!!
Sorry it is so late in the day!  Man!  I went to get my Driver's License renewed this morning and that turned into an adventure! and of course I had to go through all the e-mails and facebook notes and photos I've gotten over the past few weeks and make the final selections!  If you feel you were missed on this list or you MEANT to commission your dog to be done and forgot, please let me know!  And we'll see what we can do!

Scroll down for today's DOG painting and auction!

It is my intent and challenge to make sure I paint each dog on the day I have it listed and that's part of your fun of watching to make sure I do, though please forgive me if I do miss a day, though that hasn't happened yet... and to make sure you don't miss any, please subscribe to this blog if you haven't already!

Also, I would like to try painting in public, and so I am listing some of the dates with a time and a coffee shop or park that I intend to be at while I am painting so you can come and watch me!  If you have any ideas, let me know~  I'd like to support local businesses.. oo I have to do the Citizen Cafe too!  Hmmm....

AND if you ARE one of the lucky owners, please do check in with me with any questions!  I meant to send out a pre-list before now but wowbangers life sure gets in the way!
SO without further ado, 
HERE IS THE LIST!

1- Daisy- Dan the Accordian Player  8am Riverview Cafe!

2- Bonsai- Erica W

3- Griffon- Libby H 

4-  Victor- Eve S 

5- Bailey- Shelly C  7:30 am Mayday Cafe

6- Oban- Kathryn R

7- Annie- Barbara BK

8- Bailey- Jenn W

9- Sandy the Pug-  Susan B

10-Salaama- Kelli C  7:30 am Grand Marais Campground! In the pavilion with the hanging stove!

11- Buddy- Deanna P

12- Molly the Library Dog- Connie P -11 am Lake Hiawatha by the playground if weather permits!

13- Max- Cheryl H

14- Trixie! - Abbie K

15- Brody- Michael O-C  9 am Somewhere Northeast-ish...

16- Sadie- Dianne H  Plazza on the Mall, Nicollet and 13th Downtown MPLS!

17- Ringo- Nelli J

18- Ruby- Andrea S  11am at Psycho Suszies

19- Shiloh/ Matt- Jolene B

20- Morning Star- Rita and Don

21- Harley- Lori M

22- Mercury &/or Rusty- Brian F  9am Diamond's Coffee Shoppe

23- Zephyr- Ellen S

24-Josie- Toni C

25-Asha- Samantha B  

26- Lovely Luna- Jenn N

27- PG- Joyce M

28- Abby- Lynda F

29-Shiloh- Lorraine I

30-MYSTERY GUEST!   Plazza on the Mall, Nicollet and 13th, Downtown Mpls!

Hee!

6x6 acrylic on panel, click here to BID or BUY!  Auction starts at $35!

June 29, "Red Leash"

Hi all!  Here is a pretty little sorta practice pup to stoke you up!  I don't know her name-  took the photo back around 2009 at one of the first LOLA's at Fireroast Mountain, so if you are in South Minneapolis and recognize her, tell her owner and she can bid on it too!

I am pretty darn happy with this as a start, since I am having such a darn hard time with the people!!!!

6x6 acrylic on panel with UV varnish and hanging system, bid now for $35 or BUY for $75!

June 29, Max and Gus!

Alright, this is one I started at the Art Colony last week and I've been working on it.  I'll post another smaller for sale piece later today but just wanted to throw this one out there because I like it!

Though I am still working on both their faces... Gus looks a little cross-eyed, and Max has better skin tone than originally but still has a funny twist on his face.  It is amazing how looking at them smaller can really help see the issues!
I'll be posting the Official Final LIST tomorrow!!!!!  Wahoo!!!!

June 27th, "Second Street, Grand Marais"

Wow!
Internet connection was tricky up north this past week!  And yesterday was my birthday too, and we were driving for a lot of it~  so sorry!  No posts!
Now, this was painted this morning, with Maxie helping out and painting his own paintings of komodo dragons and mixing all my paints up so I had no yellow by the end, but he was making these glorious pinks and I then saw that the path through the woods was really pink too!
So here is the secret path in Grand Marais, Second street, becomes a footpath for a couple of blocks and it is the quickest way to get to the Art Colony from Lund's cabins where we were staying!

6x6 acrylic on panel, click here to bid starting at $35!

June 24th, THIS time, the turtle!

Sorry-  not great internet up here, go figure!  This is the turtle I meant to share with that last post, and since I missed yesterday I figured what the heck?  I can post twice today!
This is one of the red-ear sliders from the Mn Zoo~  a bit trickier pose than I'd anticipated....

6x6 acrylic on panel, 

starting bid of $25, click here to get in on the auction! OR to buy right NOW at $65!

And this is Teddy again.  Dang that fluff!  WHY, oh why did we get a beige, fluffy dog instead of a nice shiny tight skinned black one that would be SO much more fun to paint?!?!  Ack.  I see SO many problems with this painting.  It may get gessoed over today.

June 24th, "'Nother Terrapin"

I was absolutely exhausted yesterday.  I've been painting a lot, it's true, and trying to push my understanding of the human mystery...  so frustrating and kinda fun too!  I am also planning on teaching a class up here next summer, at the Art Colony, which has been one of those personal dreams of mine... ain't that funny!
So I've been struggling with humans, Max mostly, and here is him with Fatouch- and another one I'm working on of Max and Duane looking at Frank's little stream at his and Monica's house in Key Largo two years ago when Maxie was still in diapers!

June 22, Teddy Fluff

I have been really pushing myself these past couple days... being in Grand Marais seems to do that.  I want to figure out how to paint people, and I want to push myself to become a better painter, and I know it comes down to practice and experimenting and being willing to be a newbie at something.  You can never know it all.  Anyone who says they're an expert is lying.  You can be extremely knowledgeable about something and even have a degree (or a PHD) in it but it is impossible to know everything about it especially in a subject as personal and fraught with emotion as art.
And I like to paint dogs.  I think I know how to paint dogs.  But I have a really hard time painting my own damn dog.
Here's Teddy.

6x6 acrylic on panel, auction here, starting bids at $25~

My other really hard subject is my muse of a son.  He's just too damn adorable.  So I have to paint him.  What am I suppose to do?

I have to admit I like this one.

June 21, "Duluth Terrapin"

So we stopped at the Duluth Aquarium on our way up yesterday because I wanted to see the otters, but I don't think it's the best place to see them unfortunately...  however there are some other pretty darn cool creatures there!  I am up in Grand Marais at the Art Colony painting with Liz Sivertson and am looking through my images for inspiration. Tricky.  I painted a couple otters today, starting with this turtle and a Max.  I really do want to get better at people.  We are tricky subjects...  Max took this photo of himself with my i-phone on the ride up-  I was letting him play some games on it because he'd been mostly good and this series of selfies was a little surprise for me!  Ain't he sweet?  So the perspective is a bit scewed but I like the gaze... I'll try more later, with a blue/green ground.  And it is funny how the beginning of a class can still set me on edge and make me feel like I don't know what I'm doing, which I suppose is the point in trying to learn... make yourself a little bit uncomfortable and you'll step out of your habits...
Anyway, a turtle~

6x6 acrylic on panel, auction starts at $25, click here to bid!

Maxie Selfie 1

June 19th, "Catalpa Sky"

Yup, I sure love my catalpa!  I just love saying the word "catalpa"....  try it yourself!  And the flowers and the pods, and those big heart shaped leaves..
We had a catalpa next to our driveway when I was a kid, with a huge trunk.  My brothers and I would draw up plans for our underground cavern hideout that would start with a hidden door in the trunk of that massive tree.  Never got further than the plans, but boy did we spend some happy hours planning!

6x6 acrylic on panel, click here to start a bid for auction!  Starting at $35!

June 18th, "The Catalpa Breeze"

I wanted to paint something GREEN today, seeing as it is so BLOOMIN' GREEN here in Minnesota!  We've had such great rain and some good thunderstorms (which I define as that low distance rumbling and some flashes of lightning but nothing TOO loud and close and scary...) and this is from my Mother's Day Catalpa tree that Duane and Max planted for me last year, blowing around this morning.  I LOVE catalpas and was asking for one for a long time-  Duane doesn't want the backyard to be too shady because he loves growing our veg out here, but I want the shade to keep the house cooler...
See how much he loves ME?

 Painted on a magenta ground, 6x6 acrylic on panel, auction starts at $35, click here to bid!

June 17, Rosie

Good morning!
I have been struggling for the last two hours to paint a 6x6 painting of my son, and I can't get the expression right, and I have to go and take care of other art-business associated things (collecting art from the end of an exhibition) darn it so I can't keep struggling and I am NOT going to post the crappy thing until I've figured it out and succeeded so just forget about THAT, but here is a lovely commission I am delighted to share with you~  Rosie!

Sold!

June 16th, "Satisfaction"

So, yesterday we had a great Father's Day Brunch at our house, and after the brunch Max received the Chima Lego set he'd been being good and keeping track of his behavior for over a week in anticipation of getting-  wow what a clunky sentence but I'm not sure how else to say it!
Anyway, while two adult men helped him put it together for two hours, he was nothing but a face of complete contentment.  We are lucky that he is usually like this~!  pretty easily satisfied!

Maybe it looks like he got jelly on his cheek...
6x6 acrylic on panel, bid for the auction starting at $25!  Click HERE!

June 15th, Happy Father's Day!

Duane is actually IN the photo I used for this painting, but I wanted to try focussing just on Max...  I am working on people, looking at those skin tones... dang!  SO much is going on is a FACE!  Why do I have such a hard time with people, and find dogs and cats to be such a joy?!
This is painted on pink... may try painting on blue instead to get those skin tones to pop...

Whadaya think?
6x6 acrylic on panel, up for auction!  Starting at $25~  click here to BID!

June 14, "Honey Moon Tree"

I started painting these "Negative Space Tree" a number of years ago, I think after seeing Timouth's trees up in Grand Marais...  scroll down on his blog link there to see some of his work!  I have two of his trees hanging in our house.  It was the way he paints the sky around the trees that I love!  And Liz Siverstson does this too!  AND I have a few of HER paintings TOO!  AND she has one of MINE!!!  AND I am going up to Grand Marais next week to take a class from her again!  Wahoo!!!!  I'm not sure if she realizes this yet or not....  but it will be a gas!
Anyway, this is a little tree I did yesterday as a Demo on how to paint a Negative Space Tree, and everyone loves painting these so much I think I'll offer some Sat afternoon or maybe even Friday evening classes (wine included!) just on painting these!

And you can try to get this one on this auction!  Starting bids at $25!  or buy outright for $95!

6x8 original acrylic on panel-

CLICK HERE to BID or BUY!!!

good luck!

June 13, "Mug O Love"

The last day of our Painting Lessons Class!  And I am giving a demo on how to post to my blog, so that's what this is!  I will add that you CAN also bid on this one if you'd like to!
I heard that today is the full moon, and it is known as the Honey Moon because it is on a Friday the 13th...  so Happy Honey Moon!

This is a 6x6 acrylic on panel, click here to bid for $25!  Or to buy for $75!

June 12, "Minnehaha, June 2014"

So, Tuesday we went for lunch at Sea Salt by Minnehaha Falls after Painting Lessons class and I took photos of the falls so I could do a painting demo on how to pull up a photo and crop it and then use it as the focus of a painting~
SO here is the painting!

And I rather like it!  Pretty darn fun!

It is an 8x10 acrylic on panel, for $160~  click here to purchase!

June 11, "Nectarine"

...and I can tell ya, I ate this one as soon as I was finished painting it and it was as JUICY as it looks!  I dripped juice all over the studio floor and got it all over my paintbrushes!  Good mornings work at the studio!  This was a lesson in how to create a new color for every stroke-  trying to keep your brush work thoughtful and your colors more conscious!

6x6 acrylic on panel, this is another auction!  Click here to BID $25!

And this is another demo for class, looking at skin tone~  lotsa colors in there!

June 10, "Backyard Visitor"

Ha!  Recognize that pointy little nose?  Those bright little button eyes?  Those naked pink fingers?!?!  Yes, this little bugger was hanging out in our backyard this winter quite a bit, maybe living in our compost heap.  At least bunking in the gap between ours and the neighbors' garages at the least!
Do you see a spark of intelligence in there?  It didn't run away when approached... I don't think they have the greatest eyesight...  but I didn't want the dogs to mess with it regardless!

The fur was a bit tricky to render... but I'll still offer him up for auction!  Maybe you have some love in your heart for a possum!
6x6 original acrylic on panel, $25 starting bid!  Click here to bid!

June 9, "Small Blue Mug"

I started a week-long Painting Lessons today, and this is my little demo painting of a sweet little blue mug on our round wood side table...
It is always fun to go back to painting from life after painting animals and landscapes from photos!

I'll put this one up on auction too!  Starting bid at $25!  Snag this mug for your morning dose of ART!
Click here to bid!

June 8, "Two Harbor's Dog"

And the boys all just went to the park at Lake Hiawatha, so I could PAINT!  This is the lovely dog at that wonderful house/shop on the scenic route up to Two Harbors from Duluth, B.E. Nelison isn't it?  I love his work!  But I can't find him on google... I wanted to set up a link~
Anyway, this is his dog, and she was beautiful and shiny and he said he'd just had her down in the lake and that's why her coat is so glossy.  I love painting black dogs!  Look at that shine!
Wahoo!
Oh and I've added a page to this blog about the 30 Dogs in 30 Days Project!

And I thought perhaps I'd try offering this one as an auction~  so 6x6 acrylic on panel, auction starts at $25!  Click here to BID!

June 7, "Gus Straight on"

What a great morning to sit around and paint, though that never lasts as long as I'd like...
This is Gus, Max's favorite dog, who doesn't seem to mind a five year old draped across him like a cape...  Max was putting my necklaces on Gus this morning at 6:30 while I was trying to stay asleep.  WHY does he have to wake up earlier on the weekend when I can actually sleep in til seven?

I do love Gus' gaze in this piece-  those eyes really speak of distances and warmth and affection... to me anyway.  I don't know what you see!

And he's available now!  And YOU can get in on the 30 Dogs in 30 Days of July  by sending me a photo of your dog!
6x6 acrylic on panel, $75~  click here to PURCHASE!

June 4, "Shadowed Glance"

Yes, I know I am kind of all over the place right now-  I have a bunch of toads I want to paint and some tortoises and our new dog Teddy who isn't so new anymore and I haven't painted her even ONCE!  That's gotta be some kinda spiritual deficiency there…
This dog is gorgeous, and I believe I stole the photo from my cousin Alexis' Facebook page so maybe she can identify it if she is reading this…  I honestly am not sure how far these blog posts are read so maybe just maybe I am testing the internet world to see how much people know and how fast word can travel…
At any rate, the "30 Dogs in 30 Days" July 2014 Project will be commencing in less than a month and I am looking for photos of dogs to paint for this!  I suppose I better make a page on this blog with more info… great idea Kat!  So send me your dog photos, folks!  I'll look through all the submissions and select the ones I love the best to paint-  if you want to commission YOUR photo, then I will paint it for sure but may have some discussions with you if I need a better shot!  I will be painting all the dogs on 8x8 panels unless you want a 10x10 or a 12x12 but no bigger because I need to be able to complete it in a day!  Usually I paint in the morning…

So that's why I had to paint this dog today-  I've been wanting to paint her for a while (not actually sure of the gender…) and this was one of those joys of being able to get it done!!!

Thanks for allowing me to be better and better at what I love to do!

This is an original 6x6 acrylic on panel with a hanging system on back, for $75-  click here to buy!

June 3, "New Legs"

Hey all!  I am BACK!  Wow!  I had a great time in DC with the 6th graders, though I got sick and was left at the hotel to sleep most of Friday, despite my wanting to keep moving… sometimes it is better to give in to sleep…
SO here is another lamb from Dee and Adam's farm!  Maybe Dee will chime in on this one and let us know her name too!

6x6 acrylic on panel, ready to hang, $75!  Click here to ! purchase