August 23, monday!

We just hung my show at the Birchwood last night! I even had my camera along but I forgot to take any photos, except for of Penny, the Shepard mix~ so fun! SO this is one of Kari Maxwell's shots- she is a wild woman with a camera, let me tell you!
And man, I am SO freaking lucky! My incredible art collective, L-7, helped me hang the show so it went up incredible fast- I was just reading something from an artist mom who felt she wasn't able to do as much once she had her child, and I was sure that would be the case with me as well, but thanks to so much incredible community support in SO many ways, I have been able to be amazingly active! Just know that I couldn't be doing ANY of this without the unwavering support of ALL of our incredible friends and communities! I mean, just yesterday there were at least 7 people over at Duane's house, helping paint in this humid heat, and climbing all over the roof and up and down ladders and sawing and grinding~ oh AND watching Max so I could help~
Thank you Jemiah and Anne and Greg and Amy and Tri and Tonya & Lily!
...and this is a painting of our neighbor's house across the street! I should probably let them know...

August 16th, Tuesday...

Thank GOD it has cooled off around here and is acting more like Minnesota.... I thought we'd have to move to Canada soon~
Here is our house and the black walnut in front at sunset just the other day. I am loving the shadows and shapes of light, filtered flickering highlights all over everything, just like my car...

August 11, Wednesday~

So, I got a piece in the State Fair! Second time for me- the first time was 2008, that magical year of marrying Duane, Kansas art cars with Jan, honeymoon in England and Wales, and being impregnated!!!!
Here's a few examples of what I'm doing in this heat~
I am somewhat enamoured of the shapes of sunlight and shadow... your basic lights and darks....

August 6th

I had to take a bit of a break earlier this week, after all the wonderful festivities and the delivering of several dogs to their owners on Wednesday~ Max helped me do the rounds. So I have a few more to get out to their owners and two need to be mailed, one to England and the other to Wisconsin, both lovely desireable locals...
So this is Mallie, who was commissioned while I was in the midst of the "30 In 30" and I thought I wouldn't be able to get to her for a while, but gosh darn it I DO so love to paint.... So here she is! Great eyes, great face...
I've been besieged lately by requests/demands for the start of my "30 Cats In 30 Days" series, and what I've said is I need to practice on my own cats first. They are COMPLETELY different from dogs, as I am sure you know, and I am not sure I will be able to get their personalities across as well as I can the dogs. So we'll see. I want to paint more Maxs and shadows... like we saw on our walk this morning as you can see in this photo... I am intrigued by the darks and the lights....

check back for what I paint today, if Max stays asleep!

August 2!

Hi all!
I was a little busy yesterday, what with the heat and getting all the Dogs ready for hanging and labeled and then heading over to Wet Paint with Duane and setting up the whole shebang and THEN spending the next three hours with four other artists sketching our little hearts out! TONS of dogs showed up for the "Paws on Grand" Event and Wet Paint was hopping! I have no idea how many dogs I sketched! Duane helped me set up the 30 Dogs on Margi's display panels and we set out my cards and an envelope for money and I was RIGHT THERE as you can see, but I had NO TIME to talk to hardly anybody!!!! It was a HOOT! I really got into the sketching, altho now that I look at the photos mom took (thank GOD for mom! I don't know what I woulda done if she hadn't been able to come up and run my booth for me!!) all the dogs look the same to me~ ah well. Sketching under pressure... never really done that before!
So if you are able to make it tonight, we'll be at the North Loop Dog Grounds behind Bunker's Bar on N Washington Ave and N 8th Ave~ from 5 t0 7pm! With some wine!!!! And maybe lemonade~

And I've also included a link to Max Hayne's Newest Website, "Tiny Tales", that I ASOLUTELY love!!! Max is the guy who took photos at out wedding and made us that glorious book! He's got lots of great things going on always! http://tinydogtales.com/

July 31- SECRET GUEST- FRANK!!!!

Can you believe it?!? I DID it!!!! I painted 30 Dogs In 30 Days!!! Of course, there has been a lot of help and encouragement, and the fact that Max is still napping twice a day for at least an hour or so, which gives me time to get started, and then there's the amazing Duane... what more needs to be said?

So this is Frank, who is the sibling of Grey Girl (7-2-10) who came to the top of my waiting list. Don't worry if you are on it- I will get there now. I have a show at the Birchwood from the end of August to October, and then another show with my mom from September thru October at the Women's Building in St. Paul. I have a few paintings I want to get done.

We're watching "Moonstruck"- I'm signing and wrapping cards, and Duane is attaching rafia wigs to four giant heads for the Specs window display he always does~
Max is crashed out-- he had an incredible time at our great family dinner- get-together in Rosemount at our Aunt Bobby and Mark's~

See you later~

July 30~ Beans!

Wow. It is already July 30th. I am SO not done painting dogs yet... but I am getting a hankering for more trees, and a few Maxes too. So here is our 30th Dog, little Beans, who has a sibling named Frank that we were supposed to be doing together. I mean, how cute is THAT? Frank n- Beans, the Weiner Dogs. And this is such a great puppy shot~ I love the little shoulder hunchy bit, and there was a stick in his mouth but I took it out because I didn't want anyone worrying about the puppy's safety. No actually I removed it for the composition, but that's a better story.

And here is a shot of my studio space as it looks right now- I am preparing all the dogs and getting them ready for their outings to the public this weekend, with hanging wires and signatures and dates and all that official stuff.


And I also included a Max from Grand Marais that I finally finished and like~

AND I don't know who I will paint tomorrow, so if you asked to be on the waiting list, stay tuned because it could be YOU!!!!

xokat!

July 29- Ms. Garcia

THIS was a very fun dog to paint! What an incredible face! I didn't get to meet her in person, and this in an example of a great selection of photos to choose from~

Really fun to paint~

July 28- Papillon #1!

And today we have my friend Mel's Papillon, one of a pair, but I can't remember which one, so I think I will have to do the other too~ Actually, I'm pretty sure this one is Rupert... this is what Mel sent me to help me tell them apart...

"Rupert Fritillary Cathcart is the larger one with the bigger ears.
Che Comma Cathcart is the smaller one with the less fancy ears.
Fritillary and Comma are types of butterflies (a lot of butterflies have been named after punctuation marks).
Papillon, of course, means butterfly in French."

And for a punctuation mark, you couldn't ask for a better exclamation point than these dogs! We had a really fun photo shoot in Mel's front yard, with Max running after the dogs and Mel lifting their ears up to show how they SHOULD look- Dogs are SO great! I'm going to try to paint Che now... we'll see~

July 27- Marq

Marq has been really satisfying to paint- all those golds and purples! I love the long elegant face, the nose and sleek cheeks~

So good to be able to paint in the morning! A lot more relaxed this way. And don't think I'm just sitting around with nothing to do, either! Already this morning we went over to the Birchwood to rehang the two pieces I had to take down so they could put up their big screen tv for the Tour De France, and the big ol' metal rack that the tv sat on would NOT come off the wall, so Duane helped Jason man-handle the monster off. I had been wondering why there were such huge holes on the wall there, and THAT was why. So we'll see what I can find to cover those holes with when I get to hang MORE stuff there next month!

And now I am thinking about sweeping the floor and doing some yoga... and then maybe painting some more...
...if Max will let me...

xokat!

July 26- Penny!

Penny is a beautiful german shepherd. This is what her owner has to say about her~

Penny Beer Night (b. 1996 - ?), known to many by simply “Penny”-

Penny entered my life – unwillingly at first – in 1997 at the Vanderburgh Co. Humane Society in Indiana. She has been an amazing influence in my life every day since. While she was untrusting and scared at first, flinching at the slightest movements, I finally earned her willing and unbreakable loyalty. She loved learning new things in those early years, even hand signs for basic commands from 50 yards away, and enjoyed a long life free from the restraints (and fashion hazards) of a collar or a leash. Her long-time partner, “your-boyfriend-Riley,” moved to Chicago a few years back, and has since passed away. Her love for him was grounded in one of their first encounters – when he taught her how much fun a mud puddle could be! (Riley’s mom and I are still good friends.) She was supportive of my move to Minnesota – especially when she discovered that every fall would promise a fresh season of endless beautiful white stuff on the front lawn available for snacking on all winter!

Good life for a dog~

July 25- Max

This is Max, the sweet yellow lab~ owned by Pastor Jim, a friend of my uncles', they dropped by one afternoon with Max along and he posed very regally in our backyard by the gate and I hope Nick doesn't mind that I chose this photo despite the wide selection he offered me!

It really is the darks and the lights that interest me the most in painting, finding the edges between the contrasts and outlining them, and looking for the actual color, not the color I think is there but the REAL TRUE color that my eyes see. My brain often has to be coerced into letting someone else do the driving.

And yes! I will be showing the dogs twice this next week, first on Sunday August 1st at Wet Paint during the "Paws On Grand" Event from noon to 3, and then on Monday August 2nd at the North Loop Dog Grounds from 5 to 7! If you have commissioned a piece, you can come and pick your dog up there! But just come to see all of them together and to celebrate with me!
Yay!

July 24- Nikka!

This has been a VERY busy day and it isn't over yet! I started Nikka this morning and just finished her now- Duane and I are taking an Encaustic Class this weekend over at the Grain Belt Brewery Building with Jeff Hirst which is a first for both of us, neither of us ever trying out this medium before. It is really incredible, basically painting with wax from a hot surface so the was is melted and wet and then dries almost instantly so you can work really fast with it! We are having a HOOT! It's kinda a date thing too, since we are OUT OF THE HOUSE without MAX! Not that we wouldn't love it if he were along too, but you know... some privacy is a good thing.

So Nikka is a black lab and this is a photo from her puppyhood, I think- I do love painting black dogs with all the refracted light from their pelts!

And below is my first encaustic piece! We'll see what happens tomorrow!

Oh and there's an art opening tonight at Frameworks in Highland Park from 7 to 9 and they just hung a pile of my stuff up too, so I may swing by there for a minute after the Art Car Parade which is starting at the Rose Garden over by Lake Harriet at 6:30 and we need to leave very soon for that- the car is full already and Duane is planning on walking around the lake with Max since he may not sit still for the full parade....

More Later!
xokat~

July 23- Alex My Mechanic's Boxer!

This winsome sweetheart is the resident dog at Cedar Avenue Repair and belongs to my favorite mechanic, Alex and her name is Rylie! Alex had to hold her so I could snap a few shots when Max and I were there back in June for an oil change and she is quite the active little booger! I didn't paint in Alex's hand holding her collar... but I highly recommend these guys for any car stuff at all~ I used to go see Alex's dad over North Loop but he's retired now and great engine doctoring runs in their family!

So fun to get that fuzzy, wrinkly, schnuffly muzzle in there!



And today I feel like painting so here is another version of Sara Belleau's beautiful Borzoi, Calypso. I just couldn't resist that profile! Man, what a face~

And make sure to come see me at Wet Paint on Sunday Aug 1st during "Paws On Grand"- I'll be there with four other artists doing FREE pet sketches from noon to 3, and I will also have as many of the 30 Dogs as I can bring!

July 22- Mary & Kevin's Daschund with his Mom

I have the incredible honor to actually paint from one of Mary Ludington's photos of her daschund~ this was a bit trickier than the usual snapshot since the photo is already a work of art, and all I can do is attempt to translate it into my vision. And actually, this is kinda funny because I had just bought Mary's new book, The Nature Of Dog at Corazon a few weeks ago and was thinking of seeing if I could get in touch with her somehow since I was aware that she and her partner Kevin (Kling!) were dog-owner/lovers and I thought it would be nifty to paint a portrait for them (since Kevin had done a gorgeously hugely generous favor for my former boyfriend but that's another story) and when I got home with the slick new book and checked my e-mail there was a note from Mary asking if I would be interested in painting their dogs!

Doncha just love universal righteousnessiness...?

And I may try another one of another view of their basset, but not tonight...

And I am FOR SURE having a one-night-show at the North Loop Off Leash Dog Grounds on August 2 from 5 to 7-ish of ALL THE DOGS! Possibly the only chance I'll have to display them all together since some are going away~ so mark that on your calendar!

Painting "Calypso" July 21, 2010 Video

so this is the second try... the music comes in a little loud...

July 21- "Calypso"

Yay! Another white dog! This is Sarah's Borzoi Calypso, a graceful, intelligent, crowd-stopping dog. Sarah says anywhere she goes with Calypso people have to stop her to talk to her (at her?) about how gorgeous her dog is and I have to agree. It was difficult to decide which photo to choose from for this dog! There is still a profile I may do when I have time, maybe during Max's next nap...

This was just incredibly satisfying to do, maybe because it is morning and I am not wiped out and exhausted. I did a video of me painting this too which I will attempt to post if I can figure it out.

I also worked on a couple more previous dogs- here is a redo of "Henri and Friend" from July 14th-

The shape of Henri (the darker dog)'s head is better, and the position of his eye, as well as the background colors are toned down a notch. See how different the time of day is? It really affects my work. I mean, back in the day I wouldn't start painting until after 10pm, with the fortification of three to six beers, and then I would continue as late into the night (or early morning) as I wanted. Of course at that time I was also going out most nights, and sleeping late, and just generally being a little ol' fun-lovin' gal.

I am so much more serious now.
xokat!

July 20- Bella

This is Bella on the couch~ She's a sweet, shy, rat-obsessed border collie~

And again it is late, and it has been a rather long hot day, full of potatoe flings and skyping my sister in England and showing her Max in his element. This time he was digging into the bin of wax candles, trying them out for taste. I DID accomplish much in the way of paperwork things that MUST be done in the absence of a chair-climbing, bright-object grabbing, pen-chewing toddler. Of course, he is also a sneezing, projectile-boogering baby on the move... it is amazing how viscous flem actually is. I wonder if there is any research being done on the possible benefits of flem to society.

Okay, I am going to BED. Maybe.
xokat~

July 19- Cami's Collie!

This is Cami's friend's collie, I don't know the name, and I just finished it so again I am taking the photo at night under artificial lighting and I included both of the "good" shots so you can have an idea of the actual painting... man. It is just really hard to get the real image across in a photo. And I am tired. Still. I know. Other people can handle marathon weeks of working with other people's children all day and coming home to a toddler and preparing for a weekend art show and then actually DOING the art show and having a parental anniversary in the mix... yup. Just life, in the big city.

But it is a good life. Maxie has a bit of a cold and I was tired all day so I napped when he did but he woke before I was ready, so you know, mac-n-cheese distraction, junk drawer fall-out, pull all the boxes out from below my desk and excavate the materials (mostly old printmaking stuff, mostly non-toxic so don't worry), but STILL he has energy so dad comes home and sneaks up on us as I am trying distraction-tactic-# 35-"GO OUTSIDE" and Duane pitches green walnuts and carries Max around the block and Max loves the ramp at a neighbor's house on the opposite side of our block and walks/runs up and down it six times while Duane is inviting the neighbors over for the National Night Out (August 3rd! Come on OVER! 6-9!)-

Anyway, that is my glorious doggified life~
stay tuned for more~

xokat!

July 18- SURPRISE GUEST DOG!

...painted this one out at the Woodbury Lakes Art Faire this afternoon and I am not quite sure about him yet...
His owner doesn't know I have this photo of him, and I didn't tell her I was going to do him either, since the person I had scheduled for today didn't send me any images. So if you THINK you know who this dog is, and who his owner is, let her know and tell her to e-mail me. If I hear from her within the week, she gets this painting FREE!
How about that for a challenge?
And here's a hint- the photo was taken last summer while this dog and his lovely owner were at our house to work with Duane on a project...
Hee! I LOVE challenges!

And the part of his face that concerns me at this point is the snout and shading on the left side (above his little paw...)

Tired now. Time for bed.

xoxoxokat!