This is Noodle... I really enjoyed painting this one! Something about that eye, and the shading, the purples... all the stuff of a fun one!
And there's still a couple places for fun coming up this Thursday the 4th at the Ivy Building! You can come paint with me this fall and get your own brush and color groove moving! Sign up for my Paint Love Painting Class HERE!
We all could use a bit of color and joy, my friends~
Nearing the end of August already- it's still incredibly gorgeous weather in Minneapolis, and I was able to appreciate it from a Water Taxi on the Mississippi last night for my friend's birthday celebration~ she hoped to get waves from passersby, because she said every time she sees a Water Taxi SHE waves at THEM! So we called out to people on the shoreline and a beautiful number of people did wave back. It was really sweet~
And still, its a heavy day. The loss of two more children in a shooting. There are just too many thoughts... the one I keep thinking is still Be Kind. You do never know how much someone is hurting, and your attention may be all it takes. You really can't ever know the effect you have on someone else's life, but it seems most of us do try to make sure we are leaning towards the helping side, not the hurting side.
I have Wellstone's quote on my board this year, "We all do better when we all do better", and I'm talking my kids through it- I didn't think it was that hard to understand but we're having interesting conversations in the art room~
Speaking of interesting conversations, we have them a LOT in my Paint Love classes~ please come join us! Here's more info~
And this is a Christmas Commission, Franklin~
Sometimes things happen that make no sense.
Humans in pain hurt other humans.
Try to breathe, and try to be as kind as you can. And tell people you love them.
This is a kitten, a sweet kitten, for your heart today.
It has been absolutely transcendent in Minneapolis these last few days... beautiful weather, cool enough for long sleeves, and yet deliciously warm in the sun if you're feeling chilled. The air is clean, the clouds are white, the sky is blue... I've experienced these kinds of days before, but I think that back then I took them for granted, not having experienced the clogged and smuggy air of our Canadian wildfires. As I get older, I'm realizing more and more that there are many things we need to be more aware of, that every day is a gift.
Every sunset is unique.
And here is another little kitten! This one is a trade for another artist at the Art Fair at St Kate's- if you didn't know that I accept trades for all kinds of stuff, now you know! I've traded art for other art, for clothes, for gift cards, for babysitting, for dog walking, and even for private flying lessons!
It's also my first day at school with my kiddos! Here we GOOOO!!!!
Oh, and I still have space in my Paint Love Painting Lessons starting a week from this Thursday! Join us!
AND I will be at the Millstream Art Festival in St Joe, MN next Sunday! Come on up and see what's up! I went to St Ben's and this is the start of that school year as well- if you're an alum, come say hi!
This is an otter. I love otters. They swim and play and use their entire bodies to express themselves. That's a good plan for all of us, I think~
I do have to admit I don't think this is the best photo of this painting and I want to try taking another one... it really does matter how good the photo is, but it is also really hard to take good photos of actual art. It is best to see it in person! This one especially, since it is 2 feet by 2 feet, which is larger than life, and those eyes are really well done if I do say so myself!
Oh and come see us at Carpenter Nature Center's Art Fair August 23, 2025! 10-5!
Yes, I paint commissions all year round, my friends! I love it. It keeps me painting. I admit I'm a bit of a people pleaser and I tend to do those things I promised other people I'd do first, before I do the things I've been wanting to do myself. So having commissions means I PAINT. That's the important thing. I need to get my brushes moving in the paint, and then the ideas come and the challenges and the desire to translate my vision into color, and having something to paint for YOU really helps me get to that point. So never hesitate to ask me to paint something for you! It truly helps ME too!
This is the glorious Ksiusha. Those eyes are just intense, and that mane, the fluff... yes!
This is from a photo I took on the south side of Lake Hiawatha, where artist Sean Connaughty regularly works to restore the native plants to create a more natural and healthy Lake Hiawatha- I volunteered on his crew a few times this summer to help with gardening tasks, something that's a little outside my comfort zone.
You should walk over there and check it out! He's usually there on Saturday mornings!
This is another one painted on a canvas prepped by my mentor and friend Liz Sivertson!
When we were up in Grand Marais in June for the Summer Solstice Pageant at North House Folk School., I was invited out to my friend Liz Sivertson's house because she was moving studios and had some materials to let go of. She gave me a lovely pile of boards and canvases and a sta-wet palette and some oils and acrylics, and that was so wonderful because I hadn't packed my own painting supplies for this trip! So i was able to sit at our picnic table and paint some stuff~
Because I hadn't packed my own paint supplies, I didn't have my usual black ground so I used the prepped canvases as Liz had left them~
Here's one of them!
My sister picked this little guy up during an early spring storm in the parking lot of the Whole Foods in Duluth. She let him warm up in her car for a bit, took a few photos and the let him go.
Yes, I had to paint him too.
I have finished up my dogs and am now wiring and signing and finishing them up, and I have a few other paintings to post here for you~
This one is one I did in the Perl De Lak park sitting with Kelli in the 90 plus degree heat in Switzerland in early July~ the trees were so wonderfully spiky and tall, and the light coming through them caught me. This woud be a plein air one, and I haven't had the chance to look at it since I painted it, and I kinda like it!
I also have several art events coming up soon, with the Carpenter Nature Center Art Fair the first one on August 23 from 10-5! Duane and I will both be there- it's across the river in Hudson, just about 45 minutes from our house and should be a lovely weekend! Hope to see you soon!
And this is Daisy!
She's the last dog of this year's 30 Dogs in 30 Days project, and she's got just the sweetest face. There's something about that relaxed, open smile of a happy dog.
I am so grateful for you all for your support and sending me your photos and thoughts on your dogs, and I hope following along was as fun for you as it has been for me painting these pups every day. There is so much awfulness in this world, there always is but it feels thicker and meaner these days, so it helps me to remember there are always dogs that love us and are willing to be loved.
Like Daisy~
I'll be hanging all the dogs at Diamond's Coffee Shoppe this Friday and they'll be hanging there until Sunday September 14th when we have a Pick-Up Party from 2 to 4 and you can come by and see the pups and say hi and pick up a book or a postcard! You can also visit Diamonds (1618 Central Ave NE) any time during open hours, 7 to 4 daily, and see the pups too!
I LOVE this one! And I'm sorry it's so late but I kept playing with the background!
Molly Dog – Asking for Forgiveness Not Permission
Kids do the darnedest things. Like when they are in college, adopt a puppy, and then keep it a secret for a few months. And then one day, you are invited into their rental house to meet someone, and it turns out to be a dog (a pittie mix that we call a boxer) named after their aunt (who is still very much alive). That is how we met Molly, or Molly Dog to reduce confusion with my sister. He didn’t ask permission; he asked for forgiveness. She is my first (and currently only) granddog. She holds our hearts hostage. I buy her Christmas pajamas and let her sleep in the middle when she spends the night. I love her. We all love her. We love the perfect bond she has with her Daddy, how she calms him, and how he cares for her every need. She loves to swim and needs to be reminded to put on her listening ears. She likes rocks and sticks and the toys that she destroys so quickly. She runs fast, but not as fast as she used to. That’s fine, we’re not running races in this house. She searches her food for the tasty pill pocket with her daily meds and will give you a look if it isn’t there. Now all the other dogs think they need to have their medicine when they eat. She rules our roost and never hesitates to “tell” our silly dogs that they are getting too rowdy. Everyone listens to Molly Dog, and everyone celebrates when she comes for her playdates. Who needs doggie daycare? She completely changed my opinion on her breed, and I will forever be in love and indebted to our Molly Dog. No forgiveness is needed, and permission is over-rated.
And this is the delightful Zeppelin! She has her own Instagram too~ she's such a star! She also knows my beloved Key Largo loves Monica and Frank- it's such a wonderful small world sometimes!
And she has the best smile ever no matter what angle it comes at!
Here's another incredible face. This is Picasso, and Amanda asked me to paint him because they just lost him recently~
Picasso came into our lives on Valentine’s Day in 2013, an adorable 10 lb bundle of energy who quickly grew into a 90 lb bundle of energy. He loved running along bike rides, running at the dog park, running into lakes and rivers, and running in circles around our yard. His very favorite thing was being with his people. If he couldn’t see us he was not happy. He loved us completely and we feel so lucky to have been his.
Wow! We just got home last night from Camp Mishawaka, where all three of us were working our little butts off for the past 4 weeks, and more intensely this past week... Max didn't sleep at all on Thursday night, so Duane and I shared driving duty home. It's pretty adorable to have a 16 year old fall asleep in the back seat, with a kitten and a pup on his lap...
SO I'm really slow today. Doing a huge pile of laundry, running errands, and I have yet to take the nap I wanted to take at noon... and I JUST finished painting Coco! What a cutie-patootie!
Here's what Coco's loving dog mom Natalie said about her~
Coco was a very good girl for all 17 years we were blessed with her ~
She stole our hearts as a tiny puppy - once we saw her there was no way she wasn’t coming home with us. She was the queen of our family her whole life and she knew it.
Here's another one I had to paint- I completely respect a dog with a full lengthy descriptive name. And here's what Brian said about him~
This is Russell T Coltrane, LLC (Limited Liability Canine).
This is Rocky, and here is Rocky's story!
Rocky
It was L-O-V-E at first sight. Rocky is a sweet, lovey 4 1/2-year-old boy who tucked himself into
Juliana Soltis’ side straight-away on a rainy, February morning at Greyt Love Retirement. He
made it clear that he was going home with her to be little brother to brindle greyhound Ceci.
Rocky quickly became known as the Velvet Ninja for his stealthy ways. Juliana Soltis is an
internationally acclaimed cellist and when a new cello came into her home; Rocky immediately
had to investigate and there may have been some licking…but Rocky admits to nothing!
People often ask if the hounds can recognize her playing when they hear her on a recording —
and the answer is yes! The hounds definitely know mama’s “voice,” so when a new cello came
home and was played for the first time, both hounds popped their heads out of their beds because
*this* was not their usual cello!
You may have never heard of this breed of dog, and she was a delight to paint! Here's Jill's story about her~
And it's Tuesday! And I am nearing the end of this uplifting (for me anyway) month of painting your beautiful dogs!
Today's dog is no exception to that- What an incredible face! here is her story~
Millie is a Leonberger dog. They are a bit rare, and gentle giants (millie is 110 pounds). Its an old breed originally made up of newfoundland, St Bernard and Great Pyrenes. They are very sweet, playful and dont drool! Millie is 1.5 years old and a great ambassador for the breed. Most people are drawn to her and love meeting her and she loves everyone. Very sweet personality. Training to be a therapy dog currently.
This is Milo~ I was sent a wonderful collage of all sorts of photos of Milo in all kinds of positions, and it was fun using those to create this final painting. It seems Milo is s sweetheart of a 16 year old elder, and this portrait is to accompany his young owner to college.
I appreciated the sweet note that came with the request~
We live in Powderhorn and can pick up Any chance it could be ready before Sept 20 when my daughter heads off to college? I hope you still enjoy doing these paintings. It’s such a sweet way to remember such a beloved part of our family.
It's amazing how tricky this much fur can be to paint... it's kinda all over the place, wonderfully fluffy, and you have to get the undercolors as well as the over layer of top hairs. Plus there's that position of the nose, long and elegant and slightly to the side, so I have to make sure I'm getting the mouth in the proper angle under the nose... I think it worked. There's also the sublte shading in the eyes- I know they are probably brown, but the glint and shine look grey and blue. It's really fun figuring it all out!
And here's Lance's story- one I have NOT heard before!
One of Lance’s favorite activities is climbing up grassy or snow-covered slopes then sliding down them on his back. At first, he slid spontaneously; now he (sometimes) slides on command, especially if he has an audience of passersby and their dogs.
Every so often I meet a dog that I just have to paint, and a number of the pups in this year's selection are among that bunch. This is one of them. I don't know who she or he is, I don't remember what the owner even looked like, I think it was a woman...but this little face just caught me. She seemed youngish and puppy-ish, but that look in those eyes speaks of wisdom passed down through generations.
Or maybe she was just hoping for a treat...
I love these eyes!! and the shape of her head-and those tiny little teeth in that tiny little smile! and here is Luna's story!
