10/31 A Bat for Halloween...

I'm reposting this one...  it seems appropriate...

6x6 acrylic on wood

$65

click HERE to nab it!

I also will be sending out a note tomorrow about postponing the "HOME-vember" Painting Challenge-  I'm a little crazier than I'd expected to be this weekend and it is just going to be too hard to get it rolling.  PLUS I'd prefer to put my energy into keeping Minnesota BLUE so I'll be painting what I like for the next few days, and will start this HOMEvember project on November 7th!  Though I still would love you to send me more images!!!  I'd like to paint about 20!

Thank you so much for following me!

10/30 Lena, a Commission

Yes, another commission! Always painting, that's me! Pretty darn lucky, if you ask me too~
I do have to say, I'm thinking of postponing HOME-vember until after next Tuesday... I'm just a bit wrung out and haggard at the moment, and need a little breathing room- so I'll start the paintings on the 7th, and go until the 27th of November!  how's that?  Any thoughts?
Lena and her owner Sarah came to my studio a month or so ago, which was fantastic because I LOVE meeting the critters I paint, if possible!  Lena had just recently been rescued and was a bit shy, though certainly better behaved than my two dogs.  I'm hoping I caught her shyness and courage in this one...

8x8 acrylic on wood

sold!

10/29 Artists' Point The Other Day

One of my favorite places on the planet, where I always feel at home...

Think of YOUR place like this!  And send me a photo!  I need more for the HOME-vember project!  Starting on THursday! 
I love audience participation!
ANd thank you those of you who have already sent me yours!  Wahoo!

10x20 acrylic on cradled wood panel

$395

click here for purchase info~

10/28 Ripple Sticks

More water, more marshes, more darks and lights... so much fun to paint, people!  You got to get your brush moving, is what I say!

6x12 acrylic on wood

$144

click here for purchase info~

10/27 More and More

So, I couldn't not paint the crow again...
there's something about those black creatures, and the negative space, and the gleam of feather...
Yay!
This is another version of the first crow,,,
and there's a raven I'm working on too!

9x12 acrylic on wood

$216

click here for purchase info~

10/25 The Mug

So here is another painting demo, this one intended to demonstrate the tricky ellipse, I believe... I kinda like it!  and I'm marking it it way down because I'm liking the feeling of shipping things off to people!

So there!
And DO send me your pics of fav places!  SOON!

6x6 acrylic on wood

$15

click here for purchase info!

Yay!

10/24 Alert~

The Sentinel is a painting of a crow that I painted for a show at the Phipps last spring, and it sold this summer, and the show it was in at the Phipps (which was a poetry/art show, in which the poets chose a piece of art, and the artists chose a poem, and we created our new piece based on the other media). I was asked to include my paintings in a revisit of the original show, so I painted this guy from the original photo, which is of that lovely crow at the Great Lakes Aquarium. Pretty darn fun!

9x12 acrylic on wood

$216

click here for purchase info

though the painting will not be available until after this show!

10/23 Drive-By Brilliance

I took a bunch of photos out of my car window as I was driving along the river road last Saturday, and this is from one of those shots!  It was just such a gorgeous day
Hope you are enjoy fall wherever you may be!

5x6 acrylic on wood

$65

click here for purchase info!

10/22 Lulu Redo

I had a request to repaint Lulu for a client, and am still working on it but I thought I'd share it with you!
And don't forget to send me your fav architectural pics!  I may end up scavenging through FB to find some... or I'll take random photos around my hood and post them and see if you recognize them...

More details on that later!

8x8 acrylic on wood

spoken for, I think...

10/21 Screwdiving Otter! FREE SHIPPING!

This guy was spinning his way through the water past me as I snapped as many pics as possible~  I am not sure I got his eye right and may go back in to play with that...
Whew!
And I will be making a larger call for homes for this year's HOMEvember project~  I'd really like to kick that in again, and I may just start trolling though the internet for interesting places.  I'm working on an Architecture unit with my 4th graders, talking about how houses are built for humans, and how different environments require different structures too.  Pretty fun!

8x16 acrylic on cradled wood panel

$256

FREE SHIPPING!

click here for purchase info!

10/20 Orange you glad?

Yes. An orange.
A clementine, actually, I think.  The label calls them "cuties"~
This is from a couple demos ago, now that I think of it...
And I am GIVING THIS ONE AWAY again! Well, actually selling it for $1 because DPW needs a price in there~  First come, first serve!  Just pay shipping (and $1) and it is YOURS!

I haven't had painting time in the past couple days- Max is in the Barebones Halloween Extravaganza this year, which is turning out to be a much bigger time commitment than I was thinking... though if I'd paused to think about it, I woulda known that this is why I have been waiting til he was older...
Ack.
But you should come see it! Here's the LINK! This weekend, 7pm, next weekend, and Halloween night!

6x6 acrylic on wood

FREE

click here to nab it~  just pay shipping!

10/18 SlipStream

Slick and determined- it's those eyebrows an the intensity of that gaze~ you know this fella is set and ready to get to that goal, whatever it may be- stick, fish, leaf that just fell to the surface, whatever it is, he is ready to deal with it!
Yeah!

5x6 acrylic on wood

$65

click HERE to nab this one!

10/17 An Apple...

Hi sorry, been crazy busy, too tired to paint an otter, so here's an apple instead!
XO

6x6 acrylic on wood

$75

click here for purchase info!

10/16 "Peek-y"

In following my trend of naming these otters with cute descriptive names, I've created a new one for today! Not any part of the actual current language, but I couldn't think of a better name for this one- isn't he peeking at you? Would "Glimpse-y" be better? Or "Glancy"?
Actually, I kinda like "Glancy"...
I am thinking I will be taking a break after the 20th Otter for this month of "Otter-tober"~ I'm getting a bit of a back-log on my commissions~

And I also wanted to mention that I do believe I'd like to give a go at another version of "HOMEvember" this November.  It's a difficult month for me (maybe for you too) and having a distracting project (not that I don't have enough other things going on, but you know...) always helps keep my mind off things.
SO if you have a house or a place where you've always felt completely at HOME, then find a good pic and send it to me. Think "that old family place" or the cabin you spent two weeks in out west, or your grama's house, or that tree-house you built when you were 10...
I'll send out a general invite soon, but thought I'd let you know first here!  Ha!

5x6 acrylic on wood

$65

click here for this little bugger!

10/15 Twisty

I'm liking this guy!  Those feet are all so fun!  So often it's those slight little details, those tiny specificities that truly engage the eye and tell us what we are seeing!  I love it!

6x6 acrylic on wood

$75

grab this one for your holiday gifting!

click HERE!

10/14 Magical Toes

Maybe not the best name, but this one seemed to paint itself, and those toes were difficult to paint until I just went with the values ~  there is a bit brighter pink in there somewhere too~
This is also a larger version of "Diving Left" which has not such awesome toes!

Sorry I missed yesterday!  Busy day!  New painting class in the morning at my studio (fabo class!  One of my biggest and very enthusiastic!) and then we had the "Waterways and Otterways" Happening at MWMO, which was not as well attended, but also very enthusiastic!  And then we went to the gallery opening at 801 to see friends and art, and then we were called away by a bit of a family emergency, (everything is fine now) which kept me occupied until this morning, and then we had a lovely bit of an early snow (exactly 6 months after our last snow in April!) and I had my lovely painting class at the Phipps, where my brave students painted clementines and fall leaves!
It's been BUSY!

9x12 acrylic on wood

$216

click here for purchase info~

10/12 Winky

Hee!  I liked naming this one!  He's just such a cuddly looking little booger, even though he's probably bigger and stronger than me, especially in the water... but just look at that sweet little face! You can go see this guy in person at the Minnesota Zoo, in the Russian part outside~  near the grizzlys...
And do come see us tomorrow at the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization!  The Otterways and Waterways event is 1-4, and there's activities and snacks and two showings of our puppet show! 2pm and 3:30!

6x6 acrylic on wood

$75

make it YOURS!  CLICK HERE!

10/11 Snow Shy Otter

Hmmm...  this one I decided to paint on an ungessoed panel, so the brown could come through, but you don't really see it. Except maybe by her tail.  I like it, though I'm not sure I got the face to the point I wanted it.  It's really hard when they are facing away from you, because you have to suggest the eyebrow ridge, and the nose indentation, and where the fur changes color on her throat. 
And darn it!  The photo has some glare where her head is-  it's actually darker there- on her fur I mean. 
I am very happy with the shiny color of her coat, and that back webbed foot, and the fun color of the snow to the top left...
It is just so much fun to PAINT!!
I wish I had more time in the day to do it!  This is the only thing I was able to paint today~
Ah well~

6x6 acrylic on wood

$75

Click here to own this~

10/10 Bubble Toes

Seems a pretty apt title for this one, yes?  Another one I had to try- how many toes DOES an otter have, anyway?  It seems there's an awful lot of them back there... it was tricky to get them all in to such a small space!

And in case you got my postcard (or not!), here's a reminder that this weekend's Second "WATERWAYS and OTTERWAYS" Party is on Saturday, Oct 13th from 1-4 at the MWMO, 2522 Marshall Ave NE, across the street from Betty Danger's!
We'd love to see you there! Puppets, paint, coloring books, OTTERS!
Wahoo!

6x6 acrylic on panel

$75

click here to nab this one!

10/9 Otter Go The Distance

Those feet are just too much!  Can you see how many toes otters have? Lovely big, many toed feet, with webbing in between~ perfect for swimming fast underwater! with those front feet tucked up under the belly, and bubbles streaming from that lush, thick fur coat~

9x12 acrylic on panel

$216

click here for purchase info!

10/8 Belly ROLL!

This otter was spinning through the water, rolling the entire time I watched, as she ran her circle around the pool~ bubbles flying, paws stroking, obviously darn fun!

4x12 acrylic on canvas

$96

snap up this slick pup! Click HERE!

10/7 Nosy Sea Otter

Ha!  This one was submitted by my friend Robin!  Isn't it a riot?  Hee!
I couldn't resist the challenge of making a slightly silly photo read as real~  and I just love those noses!

6x6 acrylic on wood

$75

click here for purchase info!

10/6 Otter Speed Ahead

Great day today!  Cool, dark, soccer in the morning, SO cold! Pizza lunch for the un-triumphant last game, and lots of bouncing on the trampoline, which I had to go in from so as to not micro-manage as a teacher is apt to do despite all intentions to stay out of it....

And this guy has such an intense focus~  I loved painting that face!

6x6 acrylic on wood

$75

click here to nab this!

10/5 Muscle Otter Push

Another tricky one-  otters' faces are odd, because they close their ears and noses when underwater, and I wonder if that messes with the anatomy a bit because they really are tough!  Though after repainting bits of this one three times, I am now happy.  I do like that intense look on her face!  She's staring something down...
Maybe a fish?

 4x12 acrylic on canvas

$96

click here to nab this one!

10/4 Otter Side-Eye

Wow, was this one tough!  It is from a blurry photo, and I got in close on it, thinking I could figure it out but dang it was hard!  Still not sure about it, after two or more redos... I may have a video of it.  I'm trying to figure out how to record myself painting so I can try teaching on-line...  just not enough time in the day!
So I'm happier with this one~
The highlights are just SO bright, it got tricky trying to get the values correct...

6x6 acrylic on wood

$75

click HERE for purchase info~

10/3 Bubble Face, Heading Right

It gives me peace to paint.
I'm hoping everyone has an opportunity every day that gives them some of what I feel when I paint. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls it FLOW...  
When I paint, I am working with all of myself- and really, it does feel as if the painting is already there, I'm just finding it and bringing it into the light.  Of course, not all paintings work quickly or easily, and I do believe it is because I practice painting every day that more work out than not.

This is another otter~ sweet aquatic carnivore!

6x6 acrylic on wood

$75

yours if you click here!

10/2 Diving Left

This one is still from one of my photos, and I'm happy to be getting a few from other people!  And YES I would love to paint more sea otters as well as my beloved river otters!
And I do also have some room yet in my upcoming Painting Class at the Phipps Art Center in Hudson WI~  this one is just three Sundays, Oct 7, 14, and 28th from 1-4!  Click here for more info on that one~

I have to admit I am paying attention to more details on these little otter paintings-  it's the bubbles and those whiskers that add the bling!

6x6 acrylic on wood

$75

click here to nab this one!

(I'm rather pleased with it!)

10/1 OTTER-TOBER!!!!

Okey-dokey, my sweet folkies!

Let's do up some OTTERS!
It's time for me to do another daily painting challenge, cuz I've been too preoccupied with other things and this is one of those things that I really need to do for myself, for my self-care, because painting is one of the ways I connect with a part of my internal ME, and I don't feel the same when I'm not painting.
SO if you have any otter photos lying around, or if you happen to be going to a zoo (like the Mn Zoo!) where we have otters who may be swimming around like fun, take some pics and send them to me!  I do have lots of my own, but I'd LOVE to see what other people have around!  I'll be attempting to paint an otter a day for at least the first 20 days of October- I mean OTTER-tober!

SO here is DAY ONE~

6x6 acrylic on wood- 

FREE to the first person who claims this!

though actually, I had to make it cost $1 to be able to use my DPW site...

click here to nab it and pay $1 plus shipping!