July 30 Dobby!

And this is the last dog of this project! Dobby!
Thank you so much for following along-  this summer seemed to be even crazier than last year, and it was a bit more of a pinch to get everyone done on time. Or maybe I'm getting more critical of my own work...
But I'm still loving it!
Hope you are too!
Wahoo!  Oh and I'll be hanging the dogs at Diamond's this Thursday (I hope) with an Opening Party on Friday August 9th from 6-8pm, to which you are ALL invited! Wahoo!

10x10 acrylic on wood

Sold!

July 29, Albus!

And this is Albus!  Can you guess who he is named after?
Such a great face!

8x8 acrylic on wood

Sold!

7/28 Dibbs

I had a hard time choosing the photo for this one, because Dibbs looks totally different in each one!  I don't think I've ever seen a dog with such completely different looks.  I'll include the "other" photo at the end here! And the great thing is that Dibb's owner, Shelley, knows this...

"Dibbs is two different dogs. Inside she is sweet and loving, demanding constant pets with a heavy paw. Outside she is all business, scanning the yard for squirrels and pretending not to hear you when she's called. She's a prolific hunter, no squirrel is safe in our backyard. Last year she achieved a personal record with 8 kills!"

I know my grama would've loved to have Dibbs over to her yard!

8x8 acrylic on wood

SOLD!

July 27, Abby!

What a FACE!  I love it when people send me more than one photo, but sometimes that makes it SOOOO hard to pick one to paint!  And Abby was no exception to that...

Here is what her loving owner has to say about her~

1. We changed her name when we adopted her. Her full name is Abberdeen Abbotsfordshire :-)

2. We chose her over quieter, more low-energy dogs because I wanted a dog with personality, and she has enough for 3 dogs—high energy, unstoppable, sassy, mischievous!

3. A portrait of our other dog, Louie, was painted by Kat for “30 Dogs” 3 or 4 years ago, so Abby’s portrait will hang on our wall with his in a position of prominence on our living room wall!!

8x8 acrylic on wood

sold!

And here is the link for Louie too(ie)!

7/26 Gabby!

It was really hard deciding which photo to paint of Gabby~ she's got such a great crazy face! So this is the one I went with, and that's a lot of tongue....

Wahoo!!

8x8 acrylic on wood

spoken for!

July 25, Darla!

How can there possibly be so many awesome dogs in this world?!?  I mean, really!
With this many incredible canines, there's gotta be so much joy on this planet!  We gotta focus on that kinda fun these days, people-  keep it canine, baby!

And yes, those feet HAD to be included...

How could they not?

8x8 acrylic on wood

Sold!

July 24, Double Deck Buddies

Here's another one I chose to paint because, I mean, come ON!  Look at those faces!  Have you ever had a friend like this?
Nothing like lying around with a great buddy in the sun...

8x10 acrylic on wood

$240

click here for purchase info!

July 23, Pudge!

How could you not love a dog named Pudge?
Especially when he looks so noble-  I love this face!  Doncha just wanna scratch that little chinny chin chin?

8x8 acrylic on wood

spoken for~

July 22, Bailey!

I just had to paint this one!  Sarah sent me a number of photos, but this is just such a happy face!  You can see it in his eyes and everything!
Here's what Sarah requested~
"This is my beloved Bailey! He passed away June 10, my ❤️still hurts and I miss him like crazy!  But he was almost 12 and failing in health.  

My FAVORITE photo is the close up, head shot, mouth open, with his shock collar on. He looks like he’s smiling right at me!! "

I am SO glad we agree!

8x8 acrylic on wood

spoken for!

July 21 Zorro!

Good LORD painting that tongue made me smile!  Do you realize all the colors that are in a tongue?  There's a lot.
This is Zorro, and the 3rd dog portrait I've done for Bethany, so I'm hoping this one goes with the others well enough!
There's just some wonderful energy spinnning off of this pup!
Wahoo!

12x12 acrylic on wood

spoken for~

July 20 Sparky

My dad had the nickname of Sparky too, because he was an electrician.  And I love this name for this dog!  Isn't that perfect?
This is Molly's pup, who taught me how to make my amazing Pathfinder shoes up at the Northhouse on my birthday!  Wahoo!

8x8 acrylic on wood

$192

click here to purchase

July 19, Angus!

I met Mary and her husband this summer when we were making shoes at Northouse Folk School in Grand Marais, with Molly Grant of The Cordwainer Shoe Shop, and Mary (along with Sandra, actually, whose son's dog I painted yesterday, Oliver) was part of the fun of the class!

This is her pup, Angus~ and here's what she wrote for him~

Rescued as a puppy from a puppy mill auction

Angus may not a perfect representation of a French Bulldog

But he is a bossy, sassy, playful and devoted companion that can’t seem to stop chasing his big red ball

8x8 acrylic on wood

spoken for!

July 18, Bentley!

I love puppy paintings! I love puppies too!  It's hard not to, even when they are nibbling on your skirt and peeing on the rug... that must be why they are so adorable...

this is Bentley!
“This lemon walker coonhound was rescued off the streets of North Carolina. He is a very sweet, adventurous boy!  He’ll be a year old in August~"

8x8 acrylic on wood

spoken for!

July 17, Keti!

I loved painting Keti!  This was an early photo of this pup, I think, and slightly blurry and so a bit of imagining to fit some bits in, but those eyes!  It is the eyes that make the painting work, really.  That's why I tend to paint them last. And in my years of experience, I've also learned that less is more, especially when it comes to dogs' eyes.  They don't need as much paint as you think. And you need to look closely and see the color there, not the color you think is there!
Here's what Amy says about Keti!
"When I named Keti, I thought it meant “cow” in Swahili. Turns out it means “cricket”- which is also fitting since she likes to jump on visitors and family alike! Keti has been a part of our lives for over a decade and is an avid protector and snuggler. "

10x10 acrylic on wood

spoken for!

July 16, Gwen!

So this lovely piece of hound is Gwen, who lives in the Dales in the UK, I believe~  isn't she something? I got to choose from Emma's instagram account to pick the pic I wanted to paint, and this is it!
LOVE those ears!  And that coy tilt of the head~  what a face!

8x8 acrylic on wood

spoken for!

July 15, Berit!

Yay!  Another incredibly fun face to paint!  And her owners sent a LOT of photos!  Here's a lot of what they also wrote about her~  love it!

Boss Kow, Scuzzlebutt (from South Park), Schmoopie (from The Goldbergs), Wriggle Puss, B$ or Can’t Touch This (rap names)
Our dear Berit who is almost 10 and has been with us almost 9 years. Another rescue with a lot of anxiety, as well as a lot of bravery.
Berit is my first-ever female dog and our second rescue golden adopted from RAGOM (Rescue a Golden of the Midwest). The first time I saw her at an adoption event, she sat like a statue behind her foster mom. Berit has come a long way since then and is still evolving after almost 9 years. She is at her most animated inside her furever home and backyard: trying to score people food off her dad or making sure I wake up every morning at 5 a.m.! We like to give our goldens Scottish names as the breed originated in Scotland, but while Scottish male names are great, Scottish female names are kind of harsh-sounding. We settled on Berit as it was Northern European and a longtime favorite name of mine – and it shares the beginning sounds of her former name, Becky.

8x8 acrylic on wood

$206 (tax incl!)

click here to purchase!

July 14 Oliver for Jimmy and KyLee!

This was a fun one to paint!  I haven't met Oliver, but I met Sandi when I was making my shoes at the Northhouse a couple weeks ago in Grand Marais, and she showed me this photo of him, and I was like, "I HAVE TO PAINT HIM!" so she sent me this pic and I painted him today!
I'm hoping for a story...

8x8 acrylic on wood

spoken for!

July 13, Linus the Pug!

Linus has his own instagram account- which isn't a surprise to me!  And I picked the photo I wanted to paint from, which is always super fun for me! And now that we own a pug too, I completely see why everyone would want one.  Linus looks as much of an absolute charmer as our own little booger!
And I may have to paint more Linus paintings, just because he is so dog-gone CUTE!!!

Oh and by the time you read this, I will be set up at St Kate's on the lawn for the Art Fair on The Square (or something like that...) from 10- 5 today!  Come on over! Corner of Randolph and Cleveland, parking on the street and in some of the St Kate lots! It'll be cool on the lawn, and my mom is set up right next to me!  Corrigan Alley!  Wahoo!

8x8 acrylic on wood

spoken for!

July 12, Murray

So this is Murray!  I love that name!  And I love that he has so many nick names too- and I love that he's lying in that patch of sunshine... so many delicious contrasts!

And this is what Robin said for him~
"I have admired your portraits for awhile and would love to commission a painting of my dog Murray (aka Mur-man and Murlicious D)."

12x16 acrylic on gessboard

spoken for~

July 11, Roxy!

Another awesome pup!  I mean, really- look at that smile!  Wahoo!

8x8 acrylic on wood

spoken for!

July 10, Kai!

Hey there!  It is the 10th of July, and this is Kai!  Who is actually 13 now, and this was when she was a puppy~  so fun!  I love those ears and those EYES!!!

8x8 acrylic on wood

Spoken For!

July 9, Panchan!

Panchan lives in England with our friends Andy and Kathy, who are fantastic puppeteers and performers and who have their own puppet company called Thingumajig Theater and who tavel the country with Panchan, performing at festivals and street events. We've gone over several times to play with them in the Hebden Handmade Parade, which we love!  And I first painted Panchan ten years ago for the first project~  this is him, a little bit older but no less cheeky, according to Andy!

“We went to the dogs’ home in Manchester and Andy said ‘let’s have a look at that ugly one!’ The ugly one became our beautiful Panchan, so named as he is made up of exquisite morsels of this and that, just like the Korean side-dishes. He’s been our constant companion for over eleven years and has travelled to fifteen European countries, keeping us happy, grounded and always in search of a beach or a park.”

10x10 acrylic on panel

Spoken for!

the first Panchan painting!

July 8th, Omo!

I just love these sweet faced critters that you all have been honoring me with allowing me to paint!  I mean, look at this one!  This is Omo, and I'd love to hear more about how the name was chosen-  I'll see what I can get Gretchen to tell me...

"A story about him...my daughter asked Santa for a puppy so he was delivered under the tree on Xmas morning. My daughter had him named before she even knew she was getting a puppy. When she was about three and first learning to write letters, sometimes instead of m-o-m, she’d write o-m-o. That stuck! He’s a Havanese, and just the best family dog...the perfect balance of spunk and love. He’s captured all our hearts. "

8x8 acrylic on wood

spoken for~

Avi for Kelly's Sister!

This was a tricky pup to paint!  All that fuzzy fluff, and her coat matches the carpet... and I loved that expression, her soulful eyes with her head resting on her paws. So sweet!

This is Avi~

8x8 acrylic on wood

Spoken for~

Dobbie for Jake W!

I painted Dobbie a little earlier today, and only just got to posting her now! It's been a busy time here- and now the skies area strange color and the air is smokey... there are wildfires in Manitoba that are causing the air to get schmuggery. It was our last class at the Art Colony today and my students did an excellent job!  For a 3 day class, they kicked out a lot of effort.
So this is Dobbie!  I chose this photo because of that ear and those eyes... and this is what Cat sent to me about her~

"This is our new pup!  I think the top photo - head tilted, ears on full alert - looks the most like her.  Classic Rat Terrier. Her name...is Dobbie (yes, like the Harry Potter house elf she resembles)-

She is sooooo sweet and perfect."

I love a happy rescue story!

8x8 acrylic on wood

$192 

click here to purchase~

Tettegouche Visitor Center ART OPENING TONIGHT!

Ack!  I hope this isn't too late!  Hey you!  If you happen to be up north for the weekend and are nearby, come on over to Tetteguche Visitor Center tonight for my Art Opening!  I've got some yummy snacks and Kurt will be making me do an artist talk at some point as well-  this show features some of my newest work including deer and landscapes, and I know a couple pieces have already sold!

Tettegouche Visitor Center is on Highway 61 just north of the Palisades and Silver Bay! We'll be there from 7 to 8:30~

Hope to see you soon!

July 5, Diya for Michelle

I had the great good fortune to be able to paint this morning at the Art Colony in Grand Marais! It is gorgeous up here! I highly recommend it to everyone!  THough maybe not on the 4th of July... the campground is a bit like a parking lot, actually...

So this is Diya!  A beautiful shiny black dog, my favorite subject ever!
And this is what Michelle sent about Diya~
“Diya started this life as a street puppy in Gurgaon, India. She’s now a Frogtown queen, ruling over a blue heeler brother and two blue-eyed kitties in St. Paul.” 

8x8 acrylic on wood

spoken for!

UPDATED Official List!

Hi there!

I've updated the list and some things have changed a little!

1- Pixie for Marie S

2- Izzie for Kirsten R

3- Kimber for Connie P

4- Wiley for Tanya

5- Diya for Michelle

6- Dobbie for Jake W and Cat C

7- Avi for Kelly E

8- Omo for Gretchen

9- Panchan for Andy and Kathy

10- Kai for Kelly E

11- Roxy for Anne W

12- Murray for Robin T

13-Linus for Kate T

14- Oliver for Sandi

15- Berit for Laurie E

16- Someone for Emma G

17- Keti for Amy J

18- Her Daughter's Pup for Joanne W

19- Angus for Mary H

20- Sparky for Molly G

21- Zorro for Bethany W

22- Bailey for Sarah K

23- Coko for Kurt

24- Double Dogs on the Deck for Anne Winkleworth

25- Rusty for Tom’s Birthday

26- Gabby for Shandy and Joe

27- Abby for Jeffery S

28- Dibbs for Shelley

29- Bella the Boxer for Laura J

30-

July 4, Wiley!

I kinda picked Wiley thinking he looks like an All-American Dog.  Like the one in your neighbor's backyard, or your grama's best friend's dog, or the one in that pick-up truck over there.  This is what Tanya said about her Wiley~

This was our boy Wiley at 13 years old in 2015. He was our second Chesapeake Bay Retriever and first rescue (we brought him home in 2003). He was fierce but a lover!

8x8 acrylic on wood

$192 (plus tax)

click here for puchase info~

July 3, Kimber!

I painted Molly for Connie a couple years ago, and am now painting Kimber! Molly is a reading specialist dog, and was super fun to paint, and Kimber was just as beautiful and a delight!

Kimber is one year old. We got her at 9 weeks old. She has been working hard  in obedience classes. She has 4 Trick titles already and shows in conformation dog shows. She enjoys hunting and being with her humans snuggling. Her breed is Vizsla. She also has a 9 year old sister Vizsla in her home named Molly. Kimber has brought joy and fun into our home. 

8x8 acrylic on wood

spoken for!

July 2, Izzie!

And this is Izzie!  I imagine her owner Kirsten will send a bit of a story soon... as it is, I was given a great variety of photos to look at of the fetching Izzie, but I loved this one, of her in profile with that gentle eye and the shape of her nose, and those sweet, sensitive pawpads...

8x10 acrylic on wood

sold~

July 1, Pixie!

Today's first dog is Pixie~  I couldn't resist the fluff and that face~  so lovely~  I'll see if I can get more of a story from Marie!
I'm thinking maybe she wasn't as serious of a dog as this painting may suggest-  I love those eyebrows but I may have overemphasized them- speaking of dog eyebrows, have you heard about that extra muscle our domestic dogs have developed? There are a ton of articles about it and here's one for you! No wonder we feel like our dogs are reading our minds... they are manipulating our emotions!  What an evolutionary skill...

8x8 acrylic on wood

$206 tax inc

click here for purchase info~