June 30, OFFICIAL LIST for 30 Dogs in 30 Days!

Wahoo!
Alrighty, kids, I'm just getting my dogs in a row!  The Official List is below! Though of course I do reserve the right to juggle things around a bit if need be.  I am only human, after all...
And I've been gessoing and Duane's cut my panels and sanded them, and they are drying~ just waiting to get sketched on and painted~
I am so fortunate to have found this way of working because it suits my nature so well.  I get to communicate with an audience, I get to practice my art of drawing and painting my favorite creatures, and I get to have a party at the end of it all! Thank you for being a part of this!
And I need to say that if you were expecting your name and your dog's name to be on this list PLEASE contact me!  I have had an amazing and busy June and I probably dropped the ball somewhere!
And I do have a couple spots still open, so if you were hoping to be in on it, let me know!
All the info on the project is HERE~

Panels being gessoed~

My Ursa Minor from Upstate MN helps hold the panels as they dry...

a silly video showing how I get this started...

And THE LIST~

1-   Zelda Banana for Julie C

2-   Olive for Melanie C

3-   Scout for Rachel 

4-   Dottie Dog for Arlene W

5-   Obi for Zanne McC

6-   Charlie for Becky S

7-   Korvia for Jules L 

8-   Birdie for Jenny B

9-   Rex for Philla B

10-Webster for Jillian D

11-Crooked Smile Poodle for Kelly E

12-Oliver for Marie S

13-Someone for Lynda F

14-Lulu for Karin J

15-Mabel for Amber J

16-Sister the Frenchie for Gina E

17-Spud for Ingrid H

18-Annie for Martha C  

19-Gus and/or Luna for Rosemary H

20- Buster and Daisy for Marcia H

21-Thor for Ashley T

22-Chumley for Laurie A’s mom

23-Henry the Cool Dog for Robin W

24-China Bella for Rita W

25-Bella for Liz

26- Cute pup for Nina and Todd

27- Baxter for Holly F

28- Izzy for Kellie Rae

29- Sandy for Dawn!

30

June 29 Doe and Fawn, Cabin Walk

This one is a rush commission that I finished and am delivering soon! It was taken by a remote camera at the family cabin, and is just so utterly charming.  It's the painting I was working on at the laundromat last week. Amazing how lovely that can be, to work in a public space like that, and chat with people as they come through, about art and painting and animals...
I'm not sure I got the doe as blurry as the camera caught her, but I love the fawn!

acrylic on 16x16 cradled black panel

SOLD

June 26, Birthday Bunny!

It's been a great birthday!  Thank you everyone who sent me greetings! We had lovely adventures all day with a sweet surprise of dinner with friends at the end~ after breakfast out and lunch with a dear, dear friend and teacher, and a shaved dog and a clean car!
SO this is a bunny!
Painted at a picnic table yesterday morning in Grand Marais!

AND I am working on the list of dogs!  There's still time to send them in!  Wahoo!

6x6 acrylic on panel

$75

click here to pet the bunny!

June 24, Water Rock Music

This is a painting I just finished and dropped off with a couple more at the Yellow Bird Gallery up here in Grand Marais!  Yay!  It's a great spot right near the library on the main road, and Ron has been working on getting it up and running for a bit now.  He's a jewelry maker and has a great eye for art- check out his website to see some of the great artists he's found!  I wasn't sure he'd be able to take any of mine, but I figured it was worth asking, since these are relatively small, and I didn't want to bring them home if I didn't have to~
I'll be doing more of these for sure! Loving the water~  and the blue!

6x12 acrylic on cradled panel

$150

click HERE for more info!

June 23, In process....

So, sometimes it's hard to find a place to paint when traveling... the camper isn't quite right, not big enough, and trying to paint on the picnic table is too bright. So I had to do laundry for us all, and I ended up painting at the laundromat!  Great big tables, not too busy, and great conversation! what more could you ask for?

a piece I finished, the lake superior rocks looking towards the sawtooth mountains...

the lovely big table...

that's the lake out there!  the big one!

A commission I'm currently working on...

June 22, Summer Marsh

Another version of my fav marsh~
Having a tricky time posting up here!  Painting just about all the time is great, but hard to find spots... I spent a couple hours this morning painting in the laundromat.... that was productive!

5x7 acrylic on wood

$85

Click here to nab this sweet little pool~

June 20, Marsh Light

We are up in Grand Marais yet, til early next week, and I'm attempting to get things done sitting at the campground office on their internet. Pretty funny trying to update things without internet access!  Makes ya think, don't it?
Plenty of beauty to paint, though, and it's also plenty cold!  We bought down comforters for each of us at the thrift store (with the help of our great neighbors who love a good hunt!) and I am so glad we have them!  It's below 50 degrees at night... the dogs help.

This is a marshy-bit- working on more!

9x12 acrylic on wood

$195

click HERE to own this lovely piece of color!

June 18, My Class!

I just finished teaching an awesome crew at the Art Colony in Grand Marais and haven't had a chance to post til now!  I've got limited access to the internet up here- very interesting... especially for the 9 year old...
This is Sonja's wall, showing her awesome apples, and her Lily the corgi, and her landscapes, and the other giant apple is Melissa's-  isn't it gorgeous!

 These students were absolutely amazing and they worked their little butts off from 9am Friday morning til they packed up yesterday afternoon at 4!  I was so impressed!  Wahoo!

June 16, Skydive

And here's the OTHER peregrine falcon I painted for the show at Tettegouche!  here's a lovely mention in the North Shore Art Scene, which lists all the great and crazy things happening each week up north!  Just scroll down and there's a photo of a woman with a peregrine falcon and you can just spot my two blue paintings behind her on the wall...
Wahoo!

10x20 acrylic on gallery-wrapped canvas

$400

click here to nab this one!

Though it will be late July before I can get it to you!

June 15, Peregrine in Flight

This painting is hanging at the Tettegouche Park Visitor Center in Silver Bay, MN, along with a gorgeous flock of fellow peregrine falcon art, as a celebration of the fact that the peregrine, once endangered and near extinction, has now been making a great recovery.  Stop on by and take a look if you come by!

10x20 acrylic on canvas

$400 

click here to purchase!  though you'll have to wait til August for me to ship it to you!

Wahoo!

June 14, Boo!

It's on days like this that you probably understand why I consider myself the luckiest person.  I have the best job in the world!
Yay!
Oh, and this face belongs to Boo! Ain't it the sweetest!!!

8x8 acrylic on wood

Sold!

June 13, Redo of Beatriz

This is one of those commissions that brought a bit of "Oh NO!" to it!  I was SO happy to paint Beatriz, and I just grooved through her face, and the fun abstraction of the background and all, loving the SHINE of that beautiful dark coat!  And then I sent the image to her owner, who responded with a short note, "she was brown"-
AAAAAAAAAA!
So I was terrified I'd messed it all up and I sent him a note immediately, apologizing and saying is there anything correct about the painting, can I redo it? And then he responded in more detail, saying he'd been traveling with friends and couldn't communicate long for that first blurb, but that yes, I'd captured everything about her EXCEPT that she was a Chocolate Lab and not a Black Lab!

SO I am hoping that THIS one reads more chocolate....

I'm sending her off today, so cross your fingers!

June 12, Millie!

Here is one of those dogs that you just can't quite believe is real, because she is just too freaking ADORABLE!!! I mean, come ON!  She looks like a squishy, sweet, cuddly toy~  and those eyes, and that smile!  Who could resist?!
Not me!
Though I do have to admit I am not crazy about the background color. Especially that big purple blob behind her... I painted it all blue first, that turquoise-y color you see below her feet. I'm thinking of trying my fav magenta/yellow combo...
What do you think?

8x10 acrylic on wood

Sold!

June 11, Yesterday's Class

We had a great time at Crossings at Carnegie in Zumbrota yesterday! My friend Donnarae and my mom Rita and her dog Star rode with me down, which was nice, and then we had a group of six join us for the class. Everything worked really well, and of course I was impressed with their work, though as well all know we are our own worse critics and I had to do some convincing ~  it's hard to be brave about your work, I think. And it is super hard to not compare your stuff to someone else's! Though I did admit on the drive back that it is easier to support someone being humble about their work easier than someone being way over-confident about it.  Hmm... gotta think on that one too-  is confidence in what you are doing a bad thing?  Even if to onlookers, the work isn't finished or complete?  Because who is to judge, right?  Hmmm~
Oh and it is TIME for you to send me your DOGS!!!  I need dogs for July!  Send em on in!  More info HERE!

the excellent paintings~

And the people who painted them!

June 9, An Otter Less for Me!

I was able to deliver a painting today, to a beautiful fellow artist!  This is one of my all-time absolute favorite paintings and I've held on to it for a couple years now, so it is time to let it go and move on to another home, and I am so honored to be able to call Suzanne a friend!
Thank you for picking The Intercessor to live with you!

It's always so fun to bring a painting to its "Forever" home!  And get to see the other work that will be sharing aesthetic space with it. I have to report that I am quite satisfied that The Intercessor has landed well!

And I hope Suzanne doesn't mind that I've included this shot of her quote in her studio, complete with an amazing photo of her at two years old with an incredible head of black hair.  I love this quote!

June 8, 30 Dogs 2018!

Hey!  I've been a bit busy, and it's finally the LAST DAY Of SCHOOL and I'm a bit whipped but I just wanted to mention that it's TIME to send me your PUPS for this July's 30 Dogs in 30 Days Project!!! Send me your DOGS!

8x8 acrylic on wood

sold!

June 6th, Trio of Kitties~

Yes, I need to ship these home now!  I finally was able to put the whiskers in... something that I think most people who paint cats will admit is one of the toughest parts of painting a cat... putting in those WHISKERS.  One wrong sweep of the brush and you have a redo with some gesso to figure out. These went in fairly easily...
Not always!
I also have to admit that this was one of those photos I just HAD to paint!  You don't often get such a lovely collection of cats, posed so beautifully with one another! They are so sleek and gorgeous, with such different expressions~

12x12 acrylic on wood

sold!

June 5, Student Work!

Actually, these are adult students' paintings that they did for homework.  I finished my Thursday Evening Session and my Saturday Morning Sessions last week and am going through a bit of withdrawal.  It is amazing (maybe not?) how great every person who shows up to paint with me is! And the groups do this incredible process of getting to know one another and stay in touch and show up again and again! It is so beautiful~
So I'm posting some student work-  because these are also beautiful!  I hope they don't mind, and if they do, they can tell me!  I'm keeping their names private as well, though if they chose to make a comment and reveal themselves, that is up to them!
Oh and I am teaching a One-Day Paint Your Pet class in Zumbrota this Sunday, if you are needing something to do! Click HERE to take it!

 A couple before's- not quite done's, and the afters!

 Here too~  a BEFORE and the AFTER!

 And some lovely paths in light and shade~  yes it is summer in Minnesota!

June 4th, Sky Reeds

I'm just a little obsessed with reflections on the water, again- I'm seeing it everywhere!  And the colors are amazing- there's the depth and texture of the water's surface, what is reflecting on it, what is above, what is below. What is the truth?  The reflection?  It is real too~
Hmmm~
there is so much philosophy in painting~  it is good for my soul~

12x16 acrylic on cavas

$380

Click here to invest in color~

June 3rd, Poppy

I happen to really appreciate corgis. They are friendly and cheerful, and don't appear to be intimidated by beings who are quite a bit bigger than they are. This one is Poppy, I think, and lives across the street from my sister, and who is an escape artist.  That's one thing you don't expect from a corgi- to be able to escape from things!

I had fun with the abstract green shadows in the background. Sometimes that bit can be the most fun!

Tho I have to admit that this isn't the best photo because of the glare on the upper left corner, but if you didn't notice it, then forget I said anything!

And do think about joining me for my painting class in Zumbrota next weekend!  More info HERE about that~

OR come on up to Grand Marais in mid-June and paint with me!  More info about THAT HERE!  I'd love to have you join me!  It's a beautiful space to paint in a beautiful town~

8x10 acrylic on canvas

$75 auction for this one!

Be the first to bid and win yourself a painting!  Wahoo!

click HERE to bid!

June 2, The Bridge

It's been a lovely day!  and this is from Monday's painting session on 46th St and Nokomis Ave~ I wasn't sure about those bright colors, but I think they work~
It's really awesome to have other people to talk to about color, and painting, and mixing colors and how that works and all~
I am so lucky!!!!

8x10 acrylic on wood

$160

click here to own this!

June 1, Superior Rocks Looking North

Here's the last of the series of three plein air paintings I did in May in Grand Marais, with Jill and Bean~ I do like them! I think it was while I was painting this one that I was looking at the water's surface, observing the movement and the shapes the water made, and the sparkles of color, and it made me think of watching "Moana" with Beaner last fall and how the animators made the water look so amazingly real, and what an art animation really is~ and how DO you make the water look like that?!
So this is my attempt to suggest that movement of water and seeing through it to the below parts and how the surface is still there as well- hmm.... so much to learn!

8x10 acrylic on cradled panel

$160

Click HERE to buy now!

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