Sunday eve~!

Whew!
i STILL have a ton of photos I want to paint from both Ireland AND England!  God help us all!  Here is a lovely urn from Ashford Castle in March, looking out over the plaza to the green islands in the lake...

This piece will be with me at the Riverview Cafe this coming weekend!  8x10, framed in a lovely gold frame, $160!
Wahoo!
Yes, do come to LOLA and see what I'm up to!  This Sat and Sun, Aug 24 and 25 from 10 to 5 each day~  more info HERE!  Including MAPS!!!!

Thursday! Aug 14-

Here's a building commission I'm working on-

and I'm still trying to figure out whether the "20 for 20" is worth it or not...  I love painting, I love getting paid for it, I love that people want my work!  I don't want to sell myself short...
still trying to figure this out-
And if you didn't catch what I was doing, up in Two Harbors last weekend, I would take photos of the dogs who came into my booth and offer to do a twenty minute "sketch" for $20-  many people took me up on this offer and I had a great time and came home with actual cash, rather than waiting for someone to contact me later about a commission...
BUT I wonder if this would prevent people from commissioning later... how can I know?  Hmmm~
And I won't do these just anywhere either...

ANYWAY~
Here are my classes' cupcakes from last night!  Pretty sweet, aye!  Hee!

August 13, tuesday!

wow~
bit late again!  SO this weekend mom and I were up in Two Harbors for a little art fair (sorry I didn't have a lot of info earlier!) and it was sweet to be there with them-  stayed at the Municipal Campground which had rather limited internet....  but great lake views!  Max loved being there with grampa and grama, and stayed up MUCH later than MY world would have allowed, in order to roast hotdogs and watch for meteors-  though Max called them "Meat-eaters" and wondered what they could possibly be doing falling through the sky...
These are all from my attempts at "20 Dollars for 20 MInutes" sketch/paintings-  seemed to work ok-  I may try it again at LOLA....

Thanks to Tracie Thompson for mentioning it to me!  She says she does it at the St Paul Art Crawl!  And you can go see some of Tracie's amazing work at Diamond's Coffee Shoppe right now!  Up through September!

MOnday!

WHERE is this SUMMER going?!?!  Holy moly!
Okay,  here's a commission I finished recently... trying to stay on top of stuff!

AND some of my amazing students' work from this session!    And some are still in progress~
YAY!

August 3, "The Lily-Apple Pig!"

So I spent the day biking over to Uptown (MAN are my legs outa shape!  And biking in traffic still terrifies me...) for the Kitchen Windows Culinary Arts Competition!  I was paired with Chef Dustin from the Lowry, and he did a great job of cooking pork~  we both had to include three ingredients, Peace Coffe (ground or bean), spices from somewhere else, and edible flowers!  Our mystery ingredient was the pineapple-  so I used the unground coffee as texture in the pig's ears and coffee beans for the tiny little eyes, the spices as texture in the background, and the edible lily in the pig's ear and snout, as well as apple rings for the nostrils!   Oh and I added another flower behind the pig's ear.  I think I should've used the yellow one...
 I also mixed tomato paste into white paint for the textured background and used the pineapple rind to add more texture there as well!  And then I had enough time to make a platter for Dustin to put the plate on!
And we WON!
Yay! So I don't know yet whether we are competing tomorrow or not...  if NOT, then I'll be at Wet Paint from noon to 3 for the Sketch-A-Thon for Paws on Grand!  Either way, both events are FUN!

August 1- Yup! Dogs!

Here's Nigel, who I painted last night at my Painting Class, because I just couldn't resist the challenge of a white dog, AND he shares an uncanny (hee!) resemblance to local roller-blading Santa, Erik Riese...

AND here are the dogs as I am prepping them for their big appearance!
Come on over to the Riverview Cafe Friday night!

6-8pm!   The wine bar will be open too!  Food and treats will be available!

"30 Dogs in 30 Days" Painting Video

July 31, the Guest Dog- Bandito!

Howdy~  here's another dog! Dang it is SO hard to decide!  I went with this because I haven't done many profiles!
No promises, but MAYBE I'll do another one tonight!  CRAZY AS I AM~...~
And below is what Bandito's owner has to add!

"He is an English shepherd who is just a little over a year old. He was born into a litter where he was the runt and wasnt expected to live because of how small he was at birth. His fighting spirit and the determination of his breeder got him though the rough patches and he turned into the biggest dog in the litter! I am so blessed to have him in my life. He pushes me everyday to find new and exciting things for us to do and experience. He deserves it and demands it!  That's my Bandito! We are a great team!"

July 30, Allie! the 30th DOG!

Though technically I think Allie is the 32nd or 33rd... and I will be doing another one tomorrow!  Thank you for your submissions!  I'll be going through and picking my favorite to paint!  Yay!  And I ain't telling you til TOMORROW!
Oh and I've made a video (finally!!!!) of me painting Allie here, which I will figure out how to post hopefully before the end of the day!

Here's what Lynda has to tell of Allie~  I love that these dogs are from so many different backgrounds!

"Allie will be 8 the end of December and is a retired show dog.  This picture was taken in a studio when I was having photos taken of her puppies.  She climbed into the chair I had been sitting in and the photographer snapped her picture.  She is quite photogenic and an all-around beautiful girl.  She shares my pillow at night and snores in my ear!  She is a real sweetheart and I am blessed to have her."

July 29, Louie!

And here is LOUIE!!!
I loved painting this sweet little guy!  I'll see if I can get a longer story...

Louie is our new family dog. He is a 9 month old Yorkie mix, about 6 pounds. 

We love your work!

July 28, Luna!

 "Luna is a 2 year old, 12 pound American Eskimo Dog who thinks she is either a human child or a cat or both. Her BFF is a 6 year old, 20 pound Maine Coon cat named Ziggy and they do everything together. Ziggy even bathes her and we say that's why she stays so white!  Many people think she is a white fox.   Luna is incredibly smart and extremely affectionate.  She lets out a soft cooing sound when she snuggles and has a large vocabulary.  We swear she knows what we are saying because she will respond appropriately with either a smile or will shake her head no.   I had another "Eskie" 30 years ago and felt I could never have a better dog.  So I waited 30 years for Luna and she is such an amazing friend....just like her predecessor.  I don't know why I waited so long.  My FB friends love seeing pictures of her.  You might say she has a FB following!"

Luna and Ziggy Spooning~

Darcy is a lucky owner to have such a joyous spirit around!

July 27, Lily!

Wow I think this is the latest I've posted yet!  It's been a busy day~  we had to go drop art off at the fair and then to a parade to collect candy for Max, and then have ribs and then all of us had to nap...  just one of those kind of days!

And here is Lily's story!  Always be careful about going to pet stores that have real puppies...!  Though I imagine there are a lot of kids who would prefer a puppy to a snail, given a choice...

When the boys were little we went off to Petco one day to get a snail for Jack's aquarium.  They were out of snails so we came home with a puppy instead.  Lily was truly Sam's dog and she saw him all the way through school, from kindergarten to 12th grade when we had to say goodbye to her.  This painting is for him so he'll always remember.

July 26, Boomer!

This is a great example of an Oldie but a Goodie...

And what Evan has to say~

Well...Boomer is on her last leg. Thirteen years old and still too loyal to let me shower alone. We got her soon after we were married and proved to be great training for having "real" kids. She is a great dog who let my kids ride her and pull her tail. When Emmett was too rough I would say, "Do what you got to do, Boom."  I trusted her...

July 25, K9! Happy Birthday Tom!

Ha!  A bit of a departure for me, painting a metal dog rather than a fluffy one, but darn this was fun!  I know, I know, I say that all the time.  I don't ALWAYS have fun.  Really.  Sometimes traffic gets me down, or those mosquitos at night, or the sun shines right in my eyes and I don't have a hat with me...
Anyway, this is a Birthday Present for my darling younger brother, who was the biggest Dr Who fan I ever knew~  we all loved Tom Baker, and my mom knit a scarf for my brother when he was in high school that was yards long.
So let's all say "AFFIRMATIVE" for Tom's birthday!

And I am including the original request for this painting, as I think it is quite amusing~

Hello Mrs Corrigan,

I would be interested in a commissioned painting of my dearly beloved companion.  I've abandoned versions of him at different points in the time-space continuum and I would like a picture to remember him by.  I would like the painting to be 3*pi x 3*pi inches (9.424777" x 9.424777").  Please don't paint him on Thursday.  I never could get the hand of Thursdays.

July 24, Moonie...

AND the story of MOONIE is below!
I still didn't get the part of how she got the name...

When our daughter Maura was in fourth grade, we learned a valuable lesson: Never let your child sleep over at a friend's house where there are newborn puppies!  We met 8-week-old Moonie and, after a family discussion, we took her home the next day! Moonie has been an important part of our family ever since. She's half Jack Russell and half Sheltie -- the vet told us the Sheltie part of her calms her down!  At 11 years old, she's gotten to be pretty calm, though we still see the puppy in her sometimes!

July 23, Burkley, or "Mr. Burkles"!

Burkely mysteriously appeared at a woman's home on the Mille Lacs Reservation one day and would not leave. Because he was a puppy and did not belong to any of the packs, the woman thought he was a spirit dog, sent down for a specific purpose. Turns out the purpose was to be my guide. He was a very unique dog in the fact that he was more human-like than dog - truly - ask anyone who knew him. And throughout his life many "spirit dog" things happened. Like - he healed a cracked tooth (the vet was astonished) and he survived getting hit by a car - cracked his skull but rebounded in 2 weeks! Sadly, though, he couldn't survive hemangiosarcoma (blood cancer) and had to be put down in Nov. His favorite things were our morning run on the Parkway and canoeing/camping in the BWCA.

Written by Melanie, who was the fortunate one who lived with Mr. Burkles...   It always pleases me how well dogs can be both elegant and goofy...

 I love when the eyes still speak through an image...

And I apologize for the not-the-best photo-  I'll take another later-  this was taken with Photo-Booth on my Mac because I forgot my camera!

And we are getting geared up for NEXT FRIDAY'S 30 Dogs Opening Party at the Riverview Cafe!  Yippee!
I am glazing and gluing and prepping the pups for their debut!  Be there!

July 22, Gus!

And this isn't MY Gus!  This is JENN'S Gus!
Such a great name for a dog, you know!

SO hard to resist a grin like that, ain't it?!!

Here's Jenn's story about her friend~

"14 years ago this week, I picked up a yellow lab puppy who was 2-1/2 months old. I had to drive about 70 miles to get him, and I brought my friend Jen, who held him in her lap on the way home. Earlier in the day as I was walking out of the bathroom at work I knew I would name him Gus instead of Oscar, and when I saw him that night, Gus fit perfectly. 

Once home, I was talking to my boyfriend on the phone while walking in my backyard, and remarked, "The puppy won't stop following me up and down the driveway."

 And the boyfriend replied, "Well, you're everything he has now."

 Years later his need to follow me from room to room would sometimes drive me crazy (the digging of his toenails into the hardwood floors made me cringe). I put him down at the end of this May, a few weeks after he turned 14, and the house is so much emptier without him - I wouldn't mind hearing his toenails on the floor once in a while."

Funny those things you remember, that drive you nuts at the time and then you miss the most...

Thank you Jenn~

July 21, Ryder #1~

Yes, this is the FIRST version of Ryder, for John~  I'll be painting a second version this afternoon!

Ryder is a lovely collie, and I've been charmed with John's selection of dogs-  I painted two last year as well!

July 20, Jax!

I haven't had the opportunity to paint that many yellow dogs, I realized as I painted Jax~  This was quite a fun little challenge, trying to keep him looking more yellow than orange and figuring out where to put the shadows and reflected light-  I LOVE his nose... and his fuzzy little puppy chin. 

I imagine he's much bigger now!

Jax.  He's not just your average lab. He's very sophisticated. He loves traveling (to 30 Johnston Hall, to visit his best friends!), he loves taking long walks on the beach (when I say beach I mean along the good ol' Mississippi River), and he is quite the ladies man, full of affection (he gives excessive, slobbery kisses whether you want them or not.) All in all he's a great pup, always on the look out for new friends!

Jax is a fun, energetic, 7 month old yellow lab. He is curious, loves snuggling, and enjoys chewing on empty paper towel rolls. His favorite treat is to lick ice cubes and he absolutely loves swimming or rather lounging in his puppy pool. He's 43 pounds of love and is becoming great friends with the family golden retriever. Together they make a naughty puppy team of digging and stealing the hearts of all who meet them! 

July 19, Trinket!

Dang, I think this is my fav so far-  though of course I've said that about all of them...  her gaze is so fun and knowing, and I love the texture of her face, the sheen-

And here is what her owner, Jessica, adds about her~

Wrapping up her racing career July 19, 2012, this sweet girl has seven wins and five second place finishes to her name and is now thoroughly enjoying the retired life! Trinket joined our family last October and has since discovered she loves peanut butter, belly rubs, chasing squirrels and being around people. She particularly delights in finding bits of crumbs underneath our seven-year-old’s chair after dinner. She adds so much joy to our life!

I gotta admit, I love when people rescue dogs, and appreciate their new joys!  Yay!