SO, if you are someone who pays attention to these things, I neglected to include July 31 on my original list!!!! Did any of you notice and not tell me? So silly!
I was getting ready to paint Rudy who is on August 1st, and I suddenly realized it is STILL JULY for one more day!
So I painted Fozzie! She just got a haircut! Can you tell? She has one of those bouncy little trots that is so fun to watch, like an animated version of a real animal but she IS real!!!
This is another one that was a rather odd photo, that I wasn't sure was going to work, but I'm actually quite pleased with it now! I like that little paw poking out at you, and that sweet, sleepy, "pet-me" expression~
Just a fluffy pup on a couch waiting for you to join him!
This one was a fun and difficult one to paint! Lily is fluffy, and sometimes fluff makes it hard to see the actual anatomical structure of the creature, so you miss some things and it can be hard to make sure it looks like the actual critter!
I'm hoping this one looks like the Lily I see in the photos- she's got some of that Pomeranian in her with those big fluffy ears~
Bella is a beautiful dog who belongs to our friends' mom~ this photo was taken by Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis~
In answer to my On-line Query "Have You Ever Loved A Dog So Much It Hurts?", Joe sent me an email answer~
"The answer to your question is a resounding YES! My mom recently lost Bella, her constant companion of the past 12 years, to a sudden illness. Our whole family knew Bella to be the most loving, loyal, tender, and playful dog we can imagine, and there's a hole in our hearts now, too."
I hope this painting helps with the hurt some...
This adorable pup belongs to Mary's sister, and Mary said she usually exchanges silly gifts for Christmas so she's happy to be able to do this instead!
And this is just such a great looking pup- rather wiser that you'd think from his age.
Or maybe someone's just holding up a really juicy piece of bacon...
And Mary says this pup's name is Caragh, which means “beloved” or “friend.”
I kinda love this one! That sincere gaze, cuddled in and inviting you to join him in the cushions...
That lovely spotty fur, those perky upright ears, just everything!
What a sweet face!
Here's what Sara wrote about Astro~
While Astro can be quite animated when he greets new people, Astro loves to lounge as he is demonstrating here in his favorite chair. Astro also answers to the name 'my sweetie' and loves his kibble, affectionately referred to as his 'cocoa puffs.'
Happy Monday from the cool north woods! It's 55 degrees up here this morning! The pug was deep under the blankets this morning. Me too! We are near Lake Pokegama and surrounded by young trees in a sweet moist microclimate that really makes me appreciate trees. We must plant MORE of them! If you have an opportunity to plant some in your yard, please do it!
And THIS is Spaz, who belongs to my friends Raphael and John, and we are trading for the painting! Just a reminder that I do all kinds of trades for artwork, my friends! If you see a painting you want but you don't have the cash flow at the moment, let's see what we can work out!
Love that bright eye!
Miko was Amanda's great companion for a long time, and Amanda's mom asked me to paint this amazing creature for her, and so here he is. And below is an abbreviated note from Amanda for Mikko~
This is Bruce. Isn't that the best smile ever?
My piano teacher had a basset when I was ten, named Winnie, and we'd love to pet her velvety ears. Bruce's look just as delectable.
This painting was gifted to Marc and Sara, and here's what Marc wrote when he saw it~
Sara surprised me over coffee this morning with the big reveal. I am so deeply touched and delighted by the image and the way the artist captured Bruce's sweet and ramshackle soul. Thank you for thinking of me with such a generous and caring gesture.
This is Otto, the black pug, and he's a friend of Pants, that happy spotty dog! So I had to paint Otto too!
And here is Barb's little story on Otto!
I do have to say, as you probably know already if you're reading this, that I LOVE to paint BLACK DOGS! How much fun do you think I had painting this guy?! SOOOO much fun!
We are up north at Camp Mishawaka for a month, and I'm painting all my dogs up here now, which presents some difficulties in that I don't know where the "sweet spot" is for lighting for both painting the dogs, and for taking the photos of the finished paintings. That's always an issue when painting somewhere new, which is really obvious when you're trying to paint outside as any plein air painter can tell you!
This kind faced Bunny belongs to Maddy, and Bunny has the most amazing radar Ear Wings I've ever seen. She tracks Maddy with her radar constantly to track where she is and to check in with her human. I don't know that I've ever met a more attentive dog! And did you notice her tiny little dyed pink mohawk?
THIS is one of those photos that I HAD to paint. I'm sure you can see why! Just LOOK at that face! And that whole, sweet, little babe in the grass kinda thing... so much great stuff to paint!
I know Minnie belongs to my friends Traci and Todd and that she's 9 and that she's adorable!
Neville is one of those "Heinz 57" dogs, my uncle would've said. I think because the original Heinz 57 Sauce or Ketchup claimed to have 57 varieties of tomatoes or spices or something in it, and any kind of mixed breed dog would get that title from him. My friend Amy lives with Neville, and she keeps threatening to have a fundraiser raffle to guess his actual DNA and then she'd get him tested!
He's a pretty sweet dog, regardless, as most mutts are in my experience!
This dog was sent to me by a friend of his bereaved owners, who aren't aware of this painting yet. And Mary, their friend, sent me this note that Tom wrote about Cooper on Facebook. Since it was on Facebook, I'm thinking it would be okay for me to repost it here~
He looks like such a chummy guy!
Rest In Peace and know how much you were loved.
Another lovely fluff of a dog! This is Gretchen's dog Rio, and here's what she says about him~
Rio is a ball of love and fluff who, at only 6 months old, loves to live life casually in the danger zone. Wild playfulness is often paused for a luxurious belly rub. He likes blueberries and broccoli, and anything that squeaks or that he can chase. There’s only one Rio and we are so happy he found his way to us.
I just LOVE this face!... this sweet face and that open and trusting gaze, and those half-mast ears and that just about to open mouth, and that scruffity-scruff-scruff you just want to rustle! And I love her name!
And here's what Barb wrote about our Pants!
I have painted a few of Alison's dogs, who are all shelties like this handsome grinning fella here!
Who can't love a sheltie?
Here's what Alison wrote about him~
Becker came to us from Minnesota Sheltie Rescue after his loving family surrendered him due to health issues and we had lost 2 of our older dogs. He is an energetic and joyful boy and keeps me and my 12-year-old sheltie, Jax, on our toes. We are in the process of therapy dog training to help occupy his very busy brain.
Our friends Shelley and Julian had a lovely old pug named Milly Pig who unfortunately couldn't live as long as we wanted her to. And eventually they realized they needed a bit more pug-love in their lives, and so they found these two delightful imps!
And I realize this is the THIRD Double Dog painting in three days! My dog- count is going to be a bit more than 30 Dogs in 30 Days!
This is Bubbins and Georgia, and if I can find better stories about their names, I'll post them here!
Good lord, I loved painting these two!! Susan has a great story about them too~
Maggie and Gracie came to live with me in mid-February, at the ages of 16 and 11, after they lost their family to Covid. . Teeny Tiny Maggie was Gracie’s Mom, and a total diva! She was a Yorkie-Poodle mix with full on terrier behavior: in constant motion with very strong opinions! If she wanted you to do something, she would tell you…very loudly. And then she would argue with you a bit about how to do it…and finally smile sweetly with gratitude for your kind help, dear servant! What a character! She died in June of kidney failure. At nearly 11 1/2, Gracie is learning to be an only dog and loving it! She is coming out of her shell and trying new things like stealing art tools, tearing up tissues and raiding the dirty laundry. She is becoming a “real dog.”
Here's my first of a few "Double Dog" paintings! So really, I AM painting more than 30 dogs in this 30 days, people- wow. Aren't you impressed? Well, I hope you are by the end!
Here's what Grace wrote about these two!
Freddie (Great Pyrenees/border collie mix) and Lucy (lab rescue mutt)are inseparable! They are devoted to their humans, especially the small ones and follow and protect them wherever they go. Lucy the Velcro dog can always be found directly below your chair and Freddie the goofball enjoys playing dead while napping at the same time, preferably in front of the air conditioner. Spoiled and beloved. 💗
And this is today's dog! I'm trying to get in the habit of painting early in the morning so I can get the dog done before all the rest of the day collapses in on top of me, and I think I'm done with Coco but I may go back into her eyes a bit...
Here is what Judy wrote about our Coco Puff!
"Coco was going to be named Coco Chanel. But when she arrived we realized right away that she really was Coco Puff- from the Pomeranian part of her. Shih-tzu body and poodle nose, hence a Pom-Shi-Poo. Always a character, just like her expressive face. She died of lung cancer in late 2019."
There always has to be a first one, doesn't there? This is Rio! He looks like an elegant and intelligent old soul.
And Mary just sent me a story about him, and he WAS an elegant and intelligent soul, from Costa Rica no less!
Hi Kat,Brad Moore told me you wanted some words about Rio to accompany his painting.. it’s tough to think of just a few… he had a long and storied life… my friends called him the Cary Grant of dogs… he was such a gentle handsome soul.Here are a few things that came to mind about him. If it’s too much, feel free to cut as you see fit:I found Rio starving on a beach in Costa Rica. He was swimming out chasing the shadows of birds and butterflies on the water and body surfing back to shore where he would dig for tiny sand crabs and gobble them up! He followed me home that day and never left. His first winter in Minnesota he shook like a leaf from the cold and I had to buy him a jacket. He visited Spanish classes to show off that he was bilingual with commands…when I wanted him to take notice, I spoke to him in Spanish, his native tongue. He loved pineapples and coconuts, and when I opened them, he did a happy dance, remembering his homeland…he never got used to swimming in cold Minnesota lakes, and he never left my side during my long period of grief after losing my son and his quiet presence saved me then.I miss him every day…Thanks for capturing him with your talent! Can’t wait to see the painting! I still treasure your painting of my other dog Bimo.Best regards,
Mary
Thanks for being a part of this project!
here it IS!!! I know you've been so excited you can hardly stand it! I'll post our Dog of the Day in a minute but I wanted to get this out in a separate post!
Thanks everyone for the AMAZING PHOTOS of your precious, humorous, brave, silly, beloved creatures~ if yours did not get in and you meant to have me paint it so you could buy it, PLEASE let me know! I can possibly extend for a few more days, what the heck?
Follow along for the next 30(+?) days and see who I paint! WAHOOO!!!
Here's the list!8- Hugo for Elizabeth V
9- Mika for Alina!
Summer in Minnesota is an explosion of green! I've been loving how much the trees are growing and how they are taking up sky space and it is cool in the shadows below them. We are so fortunate to be in a state that has people who take care of the trees. I don't think our Urban Forest is as robust as it was in the eighties, but I'm happy to see boulevard trees being planted and growing and filling in with green!
It makes me feel protected and safe and held.
Like these trees~
