July 31, Tony!

Yeah, I can't stop now, can I?  I mean I am on a ROLL!  Got the dogs all set, working on labels and tags, getting ready for the Opening tomorrow at Diamond's!
And this little tangled head is TONY!

He's a commission, so not officially one of the 30 Dogs, but I couldn't very well leave you without a dog today, could I?

July 30, Red in the Rose Garden!

This is MA Rosko's dog, a newsperson on Fox 9 here in the cities, and she is always great to the art car artists and does a little spot at Lake Harriet on the morning before our parade and this year it was rainy and the equipment wasn't working and her knee was out of commission (I hope she doesn't mind my mentioning all this!) and yet she kept her sunny self going throughout, and I thought what the heck!  Let's do MA's dog!  And this is Red~

 I painted today at the Piazza again!  What a great place!  They have a Bocce ball court and ping pong and a giant chess set and live music!!! Many more people tonight!

July 29, Tater!

SO, the dog for today fell through (as in I didn't get a photo in time) and I met my neighbor Jess walking her two dogs yesterday and I've always loved this little fluffy-butt and since she expressed regret at not getting her dogs submitted in time, I suggested that perhaps Tater could be the dog for today!  Sometimes life works like this... the right place at the right time kinda thing!

He does kind of look like royalty, doesn't he?  King Tater...  nice ring to that!

Here's Jess' note on him~

He was a rescue- found as a stray so knotted that animal control didn't know if he was a girl or boy until they trimmed him! His people were contacted but didn't want him back. He's a happy guy, my social butterfly, loves his toys, and loves to eat. He was named Tater because he's potato-shaped.

July 28, Summer!

Ha!  This is one of those "oh my goodness, she's so cute how can I possibly paint this?!?" conundrums!
I mean, really!  What can you do?  And with that expression too, and those eyebrows, she could be considerably upset about something you've just done or are about to do, or that could be her happy face...
How can we know?

And here is what Lynda, her loving and knowing owner, says about her!

This is Summer.  Can’t tell what is on her mind, but think she is angry that I made her hold still to have her picture taken.  She is a little imp and gets into trouble all the time.

I would guess that Lynda would know best!  She looks like an imp!

July 27, P.G.!

Here is today's dog, P.G., who has a blog with her hero, Sammy Davis Jr (who I painted last year!) and lives with their very active owner, Joyce in Virgina!  Check our their blog below!

PG 8x8 acrylic on panel SOLD

Sammy Davis Jr 

Sammy is the famous greyhound from the 2013 30 Dogs in 30 Days project but we have another greyhound, PG, who is always there by his side. PG is the Tonto to Sammy's Lone Ranger, the Robin to his Batman. PG's full racing name was PG Hairspray. All of the dogs at her racing kennel were named after PG movies--PG Footloose, PG Top Gun, PG Inkheart. We just kept the PG part of it when we rescued her and took her home with us. PG is a therapy dog and is part of a "Listening Ears" program at a local elementary school. Sammy and PG walk together at lots of places in Hampton Roads. Their adventures are chronicled in our blog, Pawstcards from Hampton Roads: 

http://pawstcards.blogspot.com/ 

July 26, Lovely Luna

This one was a toughie... especially after reading Luna's story.  I had a hard time deciding whether to paint her puppy self, with those wise old eyes, or this one with her all-knowing cocked head.  And it took a bit longer than usual too.  I couldn't quite determine the eye placement and had to repaint them twice.  Do read her story~

Here is Luna's story~

"We met Luna in a bar on the island of North Caicos (Turks & Caicos). She was eight weeks old and her mother had been hit by a truck. She and her two brothers were carried in a pickle bucket, by bike, to the closest business. We met her a few days after she was found. She was quiet and sweet and very affectionate. After a crazy idea and a few emails we adopted her through The Potcake Place and she arrived in Minneapolis with tourist volunteers three weeks later. She was called a Potcake, also known as a street dog from the Caribbean. When she was 15 months old she started aggressively coughing. After four visits to four vets she was thought to have kennel cough and/or pneumonia and was admitted to the ICU at the U of MN Small Animal Hospital. Sadly, her lungs were severely damaged and we said goodbye to our baby March 21, 2014. She lived with us for a beautiful 13 months. She adored and protected our daughter, became a best friend to our Boston Terrier and tried every day to speak Human. Luna will always be remembered for her sweet demeanor, her soft fur and her lovely smile." 

Here is a progress shot~  there's just something about some creatures that suggests their wisdom is much deeper than ours, and it is evident in their eyes.

July 25, Asha

This is one of those dogs that I just HAD to paint-  I mean, really-  the eyes, the ears, the stance, the black against the pale clear blue... what is not to love?!

8x8 acrylic on panel, available for purchase HERE!

And here is what Samantha has to say about Asha~  great story!

My boyfriend Joe and I had been looking at dogs on Petfinder for a couple weeks and none of them were perfect. That was until we found "Chessie" the fluffy 4 month old puppy described as a Malamute/Husky mix. We contacted the rescue immediately and met her a couple days later. She had been found in a dumpster on Red Lake Indian Reservation absolutely covered in ticks. And she was SO shy. You couldn't walk within 2 feet of her without her laying down and cowering. We took her home immediately and have been loving her ever since. It only took her a week or two to be comfortable walking on the leash right next to us! She is now 2.5 years old, renamed Asha, and resembles more of a Husky/Shepherd/Border Collie bundle. Asha accompanies all of our outdoor activities such as backpacking, canoeing, rock climbing, and any other excuse to get outside. She's the perfect dog!

And here are a few progress shots...  I so love painting black dogs!  Though you may notice I didn't include the snow on her nose...  hmm... I may pepper some in later...  what do you think?

July 24, Josie!

And here is a sweet faced dog, Josie!  Painted on Wabasha this morning during the Block Party!  It was so fun!  I can't even believe all the people I saw!  I gotta hang out in St Paul more often!  And at the end just as Duane came back to get me and help me pack up, I was visited by one of my former St Mark's Elementary Students who is now going to be a Senior next year, which was absolutely WONDERFUL!  And THEN ANOTHER former student from a bit longer ago ALSO stopped by!!!! I LOVE Minnesota!!!

So here she is!  SOLD!  Wahoo!

Oh and don't forget the Art Car Parade is THIS SATURDAY at LAKE HARRIET!  Starting around 6pm!

July 23, Zephyr!

I love it when I get a cool name that matches the dog!  I mean, LOOK at this face!  Doesn't he just LOOK like a ZEPHYR!?!?  The photo has Zephyr in front of the wheel of a boat... I like the halo effect... let me know if you think it works or not!

Here is what his loving owner, Ellen, says about him~

My little Papillon, Zephyr, came to me when he was 3 years old - a timid, terrified dog.  My heart went out to him and there was no there was no question about it, he had to come home with me.  He became a brave little guard dog, still kind of shy but also full of fun and eager to play and run.  At 14 he is still as fast and lively as ever.  He will run through the house or the yard for the sheer joy of running.   He's a beautiful sight with his ears laid back and his tail straight out behind, flying along, a red and white streak in the grass.  Light as a feather and gentle as a soft breeze, a zephyr.  And that's how he got his name.

July 22, Mercury!

Oh good lord this dog made me laugh!  Sometimes I just have to paint one because they are SO FUNNY!  Mercury makes me think of Muppets... and you may not know this but I am a HUGE Freddy Mercury (of Queen) fan, and since his name is Mercury I just assume it's all about Freddy, so that helped too!

And I need to track down Brian, Mercury's owner, because I don't know if he knows I've painted him!

here's what Brian says about our dog of the day~

This is Mercury, a black and white Italian Greyhound. He was with us for 15 and a half years, and was the sweetest most wonderful guy in the world.

And this is an 8x8 Acrylic on panel, available for $160, just click HERE!

And here is me painting Mercury at Diamond's!

Ain't the green great!  I LOVE green!

July 21, Walter AND Harley!

SO I somehow lost track and signed up two dogs for today, and I don't really have a story from either one so I guess that works out!  Less words, more dogs!  I also repainted Oban from July 6th because I wasn't happy with how he turned out...  he is MUCH cuter now!

Walter 8x8 Acrylic on panel, SOLD

Harley, 8x8 acrylic on panel Available here for $160!

Oban, 8x8 acrylic on panel,SOLD

July 20, Morning Star! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MOM AND DAD!

I do try to keep my personal life minimal in this blog, but you may want to know the story behind this wizardly looking pup~
After my parents' loving shepard/shelti mix died, they were a bit lonely for a dog.  My mom had fallen in love with a neighbor's yorkie-poo and she quietly suggested to me that it wouldn't be a hardship if one happened to find its way into their home, and if such a puppy were to be given to my DAD as a present then he couldn't very well refuse such a gift, right?!  So Duane and I searched and found such a pup and picked it up a day or two before Easter with the thought that we'd give it to my dad as an Easter present.  Of course, mom knew and already had a name, "Morning Star" that had come to her in a dream from her deceased brother.  We added "Dragon" to the name because the pup was SUCH a lively brave little bugger, romping around the yard with the neighbor's giant hound mix Sully!  And on Easter we brought him down to my parents' house in a big silver bucket (decorated with mirror bits like our cars) with tissue paper on top of him and handed this bucket to dad, who said "Thank you!" before he quite realized what he had, and he hasn't regretted it since!  Morning Star Dragon, who now is better known as "Star Bug" is a great, sweet, active personality who happy zigs and zags around the house when anyone arrives and rolls to his back for belly scratches.

Though I have to admit I think we were misled on the actual breed, because Star looks more like a Schnauzer-Poo than a Yorkie poo....

SUCH a great dog!

 Yes, I paint precariously at our dining room table...  notice the donut holes from the Baker's Wife-  those are Max's.  I am gluten free~

And yes, I need to go jump in the shower...  silly hair style!

July 19th, Shiloh!

And here is today's dog!  A bit earlier in the day because we have a TON of stuff to do to get ready for my mom and dad's 50th Wedding Anniversary Party TOMORROW!!!!
LOVE those greens and blues!

8x8 acrylic on panel, $160 click HERE to purchase!

And here is the story Jolene sent me!  And yes I DID love to paint her!

My friend Kristin sent me your email and I gasped, because I am a fan of your work and attend the Deviant Art show to support A Rotta Love Plus. I would just love if you picked Shiloh for your 30 dogs project.

Long story short, I'm a single working mom who only ever had fluffy little dogs until I started doing some volunteer work for local dog rescues and fell in love with "pit bull" dogs. So overlooked, so misunderstood, so many being killed right here in Minneapolis for the crime of having a blocky-shaped head. When I saw a picture of a very shy pit bull mix dog, 9 months old, fearfully plastered in the corner of her kennel at Minneapolis Animal Care and Control, I knew she was mine and I was able to adopt her through Secondhand Hounds. Shiloh is still shy, but improving after a couple of years with us. She even earned her Canine Good Citizen title through ARLP. She is now a beloved family member and sleeps with my daughter every night. Because of her, I have become active in working to improve policies at MACC to level the playing field for all dogs - this is how I met Rachel and Michelle at ARLP. Dogs like Shiloh deserve a CHANCE. 
Shiloh is a lovely deep espresso brown and has a goofy grin and little white toe tips, wouldn't you love to paint her? :)

July 18, Ruby!

Yay!
Painting with a Bloody Mary outside on the river at a lovely friendly tater-tot pushing establishment is my favorite way to start the weekend!  PLUS Ruby and her owner Andrea and Andrea's dad Wayne all came along too, along with many workers from downtown who needed a fun place to have a meeting!  And Susan and Jill and Bob too!  Thanks all for coming!  And wow was the parking lot packed when I left- so if you ARE going to go to Psycho Suzi's on a weekday for lunch make sure you send someone EARLY!!!!  To save a table!
And so HERE are the lovely results!

And here is what Andrea says about Ruby, including her namesake!

I found Ruby on the Golden Retriever rescue organization website (RAGOM) in 2010.  She was 5 months old and, along with a sister and a brother, was in doggy foster care and was waiting to be adopted.  I fell in love with her photo and description immediately (she was curiously but intently looking through a railing at something--her head with triangle ears, sticking out between the rails).  RAGOM had named her "Twig" (she likes to chew up sticks), and her foster mom nicknamed her "Sassy" (which she IS sometimes), but I wanted to choose a new name for this golden retriever/ lab/ hound dog puppy of mine.  After much thought, I named her RUBY--after "Rhubarb" (such a beautiful, amazing and delicious red-stalked plant)!  Ruby is a loving, curious, smart, wiggly girl who adores people, loves chasing squirrels, and if she can't be with “her people” or hanging out outside, she loves LOVES LOVESlooking out the window at the world!!

 Necessary painting materials... note the Bloody Mary...

 Getting into it!

A better long shot of the view we had on the river!

And a final kiss from Ruby!  Thank you Andrea for these photos!  I often forget to take any!

July 17, Ringo!

Yay!  Okay, so there was something really wrong with Ringo's nose (in the painting I mean!) and I couldn't figure it out and I just FIXED it and I really LOVE him now!  Isn't he great!?  I love thinking that all these dogs remind me of people I know!  Wouldn't you love to have Ringo tell you some great jokes?

And here is the story Nellie sent me about him!

Ringo is a Shephard Husky, one of 5 in the liter named after the Beatles!  We rescued him a few years ago.

He loves to go on long runs with his mom, loves to play football in yard with the kids, loves when mommy bake cupcakes and waits patiently for his Red Velvet Cupcake each time!

July 16th, Sadie!

So I went to the Piazza on the Mall, armed with my basket of paint supplies and a small table, and set up near where Greg Beyers was playing on his cello with another talented young man and it was absolutely delightful!  I can't believe how great the weather is lately, and so many nice people stopped by to see what I was doing, and in no time at all I had a friend named Janet on each side of me!  It was great!
And here are the results!  Sadie!  I wore a hat this time too, and feel that helped my light situation- I want to go back and tweak a few more dogs...  I already repainted Sandy (July 9th) and touched up Buddy (July 11th) and I'll be going back into Oban too (July 6) because I don't think I got his eyes right, or his fur...

 8x8 Acrylic on panel, $160  click here to purchase!

And here is what Sadie's owner says about her!

 We recently adopted a 6 year old Border Collie named Sadie from Border Collie rescue.  She  is an absolute sweetheart--the love of my life.  She is well-mannered and tons of fun.  We are learning agility together and having a blast doing it.  Sadie loves being outside:  playing fetch, going for walks, running through the lawn sprinkler, or just relaxing in the yard watching the squirrels.  She is my constant companion.

July 15, Brody!

Yay!  I've known people who smile like this dog, and they have the BEST personalities!  Doesn't she look like she could tell you one heckuva great joke?!

8x8 acrylic on panel, $160 click here to purchase~

And here's what her human, Michael, says about her!

Brody was born in Ohio in 2004.  My daughter, Cadence, bought her as a present for her ex-boyfriend.  She named her after the lead singer of the Distillers, Brody Dalle, who looks as if she could be a daughter of mine.  The ex-bf took a pass on the newborn English Bulldog so Brody went back with Cadence.  Before too long, Brody made her way to the bucolic hamlet of Wayne, Illinois, where she has lived with me ever since.  She is my constant companion and quite the magical little pooch.  She has three feline siblings -- Harlem Nocturne, Pedro Francisco (mostly known as "PeeWee") and Stewart Douglas-Ewart.  Brody had three canine brothers who have passed on -- Miles, Django and Tank -- and two canine half-brothers, Sid Vicious and Johnny Rotten.  (Every one of the above-mentioned pets sing, btw.  Only one, the long-passed canine, Mingus, played an instrument.  Mingus, of course, played bass.)  It is fair to say that all humans adore Brody and her overly cute visage and infectious nature.

July 14, Trixie!

And here is TRIXIE!!!!  Abbie sent me these photos of Trixie running to her across a parking lot and at first I thought "that's too crazy!  I can't paint a dog at full run!"  and I wanted to crop her smaller so I could just do a portrait, you know... but that looked even crazier without the body language to explain the strange face distortion!
SO I went over to Abbie's house this morning to meet Trixie and Happy (who I was lucky enough to paint last year!) and they are a very active pair of fun and LOVING dogs!  Wow!  High energy and great smiles!  So Abbie and I worked to get a good head shot of Trixie, and in the end (as so often happens!) we decided I'd go ahead and try this full body shot on a more elongated panel and see what I could do!
And here she is!

Does it work?

I like it!  Ha!  I even got that flapping ear!  Whahoo!

July 13, Max!

I LOVE it when I get a sweet faced Corgi who shares a name with my son!  Dang this one was fun to paint too!  I may have gone a little crazy with the background colors and I'll have to check with his owner Cheryl and see what she thinks but I like it!
I also need to ask Cheryl for a story!

There's something I just love about Corgis... they have that wonderful intelligence so clear on their faces!

July 12, Molly the Reading Dog!

I gotta tell ya, this was one of those wonderful, serendipitous experiences that you SO appreciate!  I meant to paint Molly the Vizsla at Lake Hiawatha so that Molly and Connie (her owner) could come watch, but it was so humid and buggy and the marathon was on, and I thought it might be easier to go to Molly and Connie instead, so Connie agreed and invited me out to their "Estate" in Shakopee!  AND I was fed an amazing lunch after I finished painting Molly, and got to meet Franklin the sheltie as well, who is also a Reading Dog- here is the link to READ (Reading Education Assistance Dogs) and I am NOW all super excited about this and want to get Gus and Teddy trained into doing this!  When you click on the link, Molly is the top photo and Franklin is the bottom one!

And I learned to much about how the opportunities for dogs and their owners to work with others in a volunteer service situation, I am wanting to get started with my dogs!   All dogs need a job!  So do humans-  we feel so good when we are of use to someone!
Here is Molly's Library Dog story- with a little excerpt so you know why you should read it all!
""One day a boy in first grade came to read to Molly. His father whispered to Connie that his son was having trouble reading and that he did not like it too much. Then the boy proceeded to read three books to Molly!  This boy was pleased with his reading and did not stumble on words as he read aloud. Molly laid her head on his lap as he petted her and read. The boy said he would practice so he can read to Molly again! This is just one of numerous examples of how children enjoy reading to Molly and why Connie finds it so rewarding.

I had SUCH a great time!
Here's some photos Connie took of the process, and a link to more!

July 11, Buddy

Today's dog is surprisingly similar to last night's dog, probably some of the same wolf genes...  and those EYEBROWS!!!!!
This is Buddy!  Painted at the Black Dog Cafe this rainy morning, with a lovely audience!

And here is what Buddy's loving family has to say about him-  I LOVE this story!

Their poster read, "Please give our dog a home. He's Free!" A friendly little mutt danced around their feet, greeting everyone that entered the St Paul Farmers Market in Lowertown. This young family had fallen on hard times and the responsibility of a pet was too much. They were honest, explaining he'd bitten once and so a shelter would have to put him down. Buddy has been with DeAnne for 10 years now and he's never bitten anyone. He's a social butterfly with both dogs and people. He has a mane like a Carin terrier, body like a pug, snout like a chihuahua, a black wart on his nose and a wayward tooth. When folks ask, "What kind of dog is that"?, DeAnne says, "He's a Wart Hog Terrier"and they are always satisfied with the answer.

July 10, SALAAMA!!!!

Ha!!!! I DID it!  I painted this one TODAY!!! Whew~!  and I bet everyone is off-line now and going to bed and has no idea I've accomplished this incredible task, after four solid days of family fun and mosquitos and a stunning eight hour drive home with a rather patient and exhausted five year old watching Dora the explorer in the backseat... I know, I am rambling, but it is 9:30 and I've completed SALAAMA!  Who belongs to my sister, who lives in Miami and was along on this marvelous and fun-packed family trip and so who would have understood if I'd stalled out and crashed and not painted this dog today.

But I had to, because I said I would.
Salaama has the most marvelous long tufty eyebrows and ears, and last night we had another eyebrowy dog visiting who I may have to paint as well!  Or is is whom?  Dang, I'm tired.~
Here is Salaama!  I can't remember exactly what her name means.... maybe you know...
Oh and I am painting Buddy tomorrow at the Black Dog Cafe in Lowertown at 9 am!
Come watch!

8x8 acrylic on panel!  $160 click here to buy!

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July 9, Sandy!

Wow!  Sorry about the delay on this one!  I started it this morning but had a LOT of distractions and wasn't happy with it until now, and I still see some issues I have with it, so there will probably be a bit more done to it later...
Anyway, THIS is SANDY!

THIS is the redo-  I just couldn't live with the painting below!  Everything is just OFF!  So I repainted Sandy...  hope she likes it!

And this is by Sandy's owner... LOVE this story!

When I first looked for a Pug I found a breeder that was earnestly contributing to the breed (Hill Country Pugs) and asked if they had older dogs available. They thought I would be a good fit for a 4 year old, recently retired brood bitch named Precious. When we met she ran across the room and jumped in my arms! Mutual adoration describes our relationship although she was really mad at me when, two months later, I brought home her 9 week old granddaughter Bug lol. My husband was ok with the Pugs but just couldn't handle the name Precious hahaha. We settled on Sandy, short for Sandbag. :) She is a sweet dog, loves children even though she was never around them until my grand kids came along. She's not the most obedient dog ever but her comic character wins every heart. We love our Sandy Girl.

July 8th, Bailey

Here is today's dog, Bailey!  We got here last night, all my family, camping in the wonderful cool damp woods of Northern Mn, trying to figure out how to put up a rented pop-up camper... you know how many opinions an entire group of people can have about how to do something...  we still managed to figure it out!  With only googled directions!  Yay!
And this is an adorable dog with excellent lighting!  Her story is below, along with a photo of me painting her at the damp picnic table~

 Bailey, a Rat Terrier/Chihuahua,  was relinquished to the Humane Society by his first owner before he was a year old.  His posting on Petfinder was up for months and months.  We had a Chihuahua who was getting fat and lazy because we didn't get out to exercise him, so we adopted Bailey as a companion dog.  

To say Bailey had issues would be mild.  He was terrified of men.  He had no idea how to interact with other dogs, and responded inappropriately to their normal social cues.  He was a Mini-Cujo-Terror Dog any time we took him out in public.  
Fast forward a few years, we moved to Phoenix and discovered Dog Agility.  Bailey, now 11, is an AKC Canine Good Citizen who loves agility.  This year he will be competing at the DOCNA Nationals. He was my entry dog into the world of dog training, and I've learned bunches about both dog behavior and people in my years as an assistant trainer.  

Our journey together as been a great experience for both of us!

Me painting at the picnic table with my damp family!

July 7, Annie

And here is Annie!  For Barbara's birthday!
I think she looks like a fascinating personality-  we'll get the story later from Barbara!  I had to do this one early as I am heading north for a few days...  I like to get my work done in the morning so anything else I get to do is icing on the cake!
Wahoo!

I LOVE that shiny, shiny coat!