October 29, National CAT DAY!!!!

Can you believe it?!  It is NATIONAL CAT DAY!  Well, for another 2 hours anyway-  and I just finished (I think) painting this lovely kitty named Maisy!  Cuz I just HAD to paint a cat today!
I love black cats, and dogs...
And my opening at Track29 went SO GREAT on Thursday!  THANK YOU everyone who managed to make it there!  I am currently working on the Book Of Track29 Paws and Portraits, because that has to happen, and I am just finishing up my "30 Dogs in 30 Days; July 2016" book too!  That will be available on my Blurb Bookstore SOON-
AND we went to Regina's Candy's in St Paul today for their Factory Tour!  I brought Max and Lucas, two seven year old boys, to a candy store for a tour.... how do you think THAT went?  My girlfriend Cindy's family runs the business- we were super buds in High School and have recently been reconnecting which has been awesome and warm and sweet!  And she gave the tour, and the boys loved it!  Of course, the pound of candy each of them had helped too...
Get over there for candy!  They make their own candycanes  the traditional way!

9x12 acrylic on wood, sold

October 25, Buddha Again!

This is another version of one of my "30 Dogs in 30 Days" from this past July's project!  I had done the first Buddha the wrong size, and I am so much happier with this version!  It's terrible that its taken me this long to get it finished, but I have to admit that there are times when its just some tiny little part of the piece that isn't QUITE right yet... and it can take a while to figure out which bit it is!  And with this version of Buddha, I couldn't quite finish his eyes.  They are the part that took a while to finally click-  it is a bit crazy, because everything else might look fabulous and finished but there may be just one little area that still bugs me, and sometimes I have to just step over those bits and hand the painting off or it might never be considered FINISHED.  That ever happen to you?

Anyway, I LOVE this one!

12x12 acrylic on wood, sold

October 24, The Depths...

I've been absent again!  Dang-  sorry about that!  It hasn't been because I haven't been painting, because I have!  I've been working on a few commissions, trying to catch up before the holiday rush, which should be a subtle reminder (or perhaps not so subtle) that if you are hoping to have an original painting of a specific companion animal (or house!) then now is the time to be thinking about it and get in touch with me ASAP!
That said, I do hope you can make it on Thursday to Track29 (2841 Bryant Ave S!) for the "Paws and Portraits" Opening Reception!  I am super excited about this one!!!  It is a lovely catered event (great food and drink!) in a pet friendly facility, with live music and super fun people!

And back to this coffee cup~  it was a sweet demo for my Saturday morning class, and everyone went on to paint more delightful mugs, so it must've been an okay demonstration!  I'm particularly happy with the shadow and the rim!  Funny what things stick out in my eye...
And I'll make this one an auction too~  because those are so much fun!

6x6 acrylic on wood, $25 auction, click here to start bidding!

October 16, Fruit Buddies

This is my demo from yesterday, talking about value and seeing the changes of value across a surface... and I chose a super saturated tangerine and a dusky grey-brown bartlett pear... like opposites in terms of color, and a bit fun in terms of texture~  I have to say I'm pleased with the shadows, especially that stem and its shadow~ too fun!
And I brought all 30 paintings over to Track29 for the show!  Wahoo!  it's always such a treat to see the paintings placed in a gallery~  love it!  Please come to the opening on October 27th!  It will be GREAT!!!
And I brought a Tapir and a black Poodle Painting up to Wyoming, MN for the "Black and White" Show at the Hallberg Creative Arts Center!
Yes, way too much going on!
And the Barebones Halloween Extravaganza is on THIS WEEKEND!!!

6x6 acrylic on panel, $75 click HERE to purchase!

October 13, Cecil Again...

Sometimes you come across something you want to paint over and over again, and sometimes that something is a view, or a mug, and sometimes it's your beloved black mutt named Bingo whose sleek black coat teaches you to see color in the dark, and sometimes it is an incredibly whimsical corgi named Cecil, whom you just can NOT seem to stop painting!  Really!
And I LOVED painting this!
That slight tilt to his head, those gigantic ears!  That ruff around his neck, like a ruffled collar in a Vemeer painting, and that reflected light on his shaded side... dang! It was so fun trying to make the right grey!
I am SO LUCKY!!!!

10x10 acrylic on cradled wood, $275 click HERE for purchase info!

October 12, Frankie!

I wanted to paint another dog for the Track29 show (Opening Reception is Thursday Oct 27, 5-9!  DO come!) because I think I said I would paint 30 dogs/cats/pets and this will make it 30, plus I just couldn't resist this face when my friend Kat posted it!  Seriously, can YOU resist it?  Dang!  

And it's another one of those paintings that really painted itself-  this is why I truly believe in painting every day, even if you don't like a few days here and there-  keeping that painting muscle moving allows you to flow when the creative river hits you!  You never know what will come next, but you have to trust that something is going to come!  That's how it works~  life is good!

10x10 acrylic on cradled wood, $275 and this one won't be able to be claimed until after the Track29 Show comes down in January, but you CAN let me know if you are interested!

Moose Afield

And here is another moose!  Send me those photos if you have any!  And do take a look at my auction for THIS moose!!!  It's from earlier this week and the auction is ending very soon and it's only at $25 bucks and I was hoping for a bit more because its a GOOD one!
Not that this is a BAD one....

But this one isn't for auction-  but you can have it NOW!

6x6 acrylic on wood, $75 click HERE to make this yours!

October 10, Blue Moose

Hmm, so yes, I am busy, and I'm trying to get a painting done every day, and yes it is difficult!  Yesterday was spent with a lot of driving, but it sure was a glorious day for it!  And I DID get this guy painted today, and I am really pleased with the negative space behind those massive antlers.  This is from a photo my friend Kelly took up in Anchorage a couple years ago when she was living there and saw this beast walking down the street.  I love it!  There may be a few bears and wolves showing up... maybe some deer.... got any photos of any of the above you want to send to me?  I may paint them!

10x10 acrylic on cradled wood, $225 click here to purchase~

October 7, Standing Moose

And here's another moose!

10x10 acrylic on cradled wood, $225 click HERE to purchase!

October 5, Moose Walk AUCTION!

Ha!  I'm going off in another direction!  Bet ya didn't expect THAT, did ya?!
Yes, it is October and I'm painting animals OTHER than pets for a bit-  got a few Holiday Sales I need to get some paintings going for, though I thought I'd cast this one out into the Auction World!  So if you like it, bid on it!  And it could be YOURS!
Meanwhile, I'm busy getting all those paintings that you can see from September ready to bring over to Track29 for the Paws and Portraits Show!  Opening is Thursday Oct 27th!  5-9!  Come and say HEY!

6x6 acrylic on panel, $25 click HERE to join in the bidding!

October 4, Gus the Loveable

I've been the usual busy, with a good dash of crazy thrown in there...  Max was great about taking photos of Gus near the end of his life, last Wednesday, and this is painted from one of them.  I actually took this one, and Gus was leaning into Max's embrace while Max watched PBS over his head.  I think they both enjoyed this position~

This one will be at Track29 for the Paws and Portraits Exhibition as well-  Opening reception is Thursday October 27th!  Come if you can!

10x10 acrylic on cradled panel, $275

I know it's October- Emma!

I meant to post this one yesterday, but of course I ended up way too busy...  I'm in Beaver Bay with my mom tonight- we hung a gorgeous show of her work at the Tettegouche State Park Visitor's center today- her Opening Reception is NEXT Friday, October 7th from 7-8:30!  If you can make it, take a look-  the work will be up through November and if you haven't stopped at that Visitor Center, do!  It's all new and beautiful!

and this is Emma!  I will be going back into her a bit to straighten out her eyes-  something's funny there and I can't quiet figure it out~ but I do think I've gotten her soft, subtle greys pretty well...

10x10 acrylic on cradled wood

September 29, Finley LEAPS!

I really like this one!  It is essentially the last of my Track29 paintings-  I'm finishing them all up and getting them ready to get over to the gallery next week~

It's been a bit rough around here, and I'm sorry for my absence yesterday.  We had to put our Gus down.  He's been slowly failing for a couple weeks, and yesterday morning he had a hard time just standing up.  So we took him in last evening, around 6, and it was really hard, as these things can be.  Max came along, we all cried into his fur, and we had a bit of a difficult night.

Life is too short~

But then, there's the joy of living!

18x36 acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas, $1550

September 27, Prince Charles

I haven't yet had the honor of meeting His Royal Highness, Prince Charles, but I am delighted to be allowed to paint HRH's likeness!  There was just no way this one could be painted in a 10x10 inch square.  THIS face calls for stature, dignity, largesse~  I'm pretty happy with it!

18x36 acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas~

September 26, Juno

And this is another lovely dog!  Juno is a gorgeous brindled hound, with a great attitude! I may need to go in to define those ears a little better...

10x10 acrylic on cradled wood, $275

September 25th~ The Blessing of the Animals~

SO last Saturday was a very busy one-  and I didn't have a chance to post anything about it until now!  My fellow art teacher, Carol,  and I, along with a lovely and talented crew of our former art students, gathered under a tent to do 10 minute sketches of the pets and loved stuffed animals that Breck's community brought to be blessed.  We are so lucky to have this incredible community of chaplins and loved animals and the people who love them~
And these are a few of the portraits I painted that day!  I had mostly dogs, with a couple guinea pigs and a sweet stuffed bunny~

September 24, Brutus!

Look at this guy!  Doncha just wanna CUDDLE with him?!?!

And here's what Lisa says about him~

I was the smallest pup of the litter amongst 8 (!) but earmarked as having a kind, calm temperament.  I was born in mid-winter, November 29, 2013 in the middle of Wisconsin, and gladly scooped up by a family from Madison, Wisconsin.  They named me Brutus.  I enjoy going on long walks around Lake Calhoun and having my teeth brushed.  I have swallowed a wooden chicken skewer and lived to bark about it.  Looking forward to lying down in Minnesota snow!

10x10 acrylic on cradled wood, $275 click here to purchase!

though you can't have him until after November when the show comes down!

September 23, Tulip and Gitta!

They are actually Bergitta (Gitta) and Tulip (Tuli), and I met them with their owner Sarah, in the lobby of Track29, where we had a bit of a time getting them to settle down!  I believe Gitta is the older calmer dog, and Tuli was more recently adopted and a bit more of a hyper little girl!  I loved painting them in this red chair, because their different personalities are quite extreme and so was the
chair!

And here's what Sarah has to say about the two of them!

Gitta and Tuli are two peas in a pod-- full grown and weighing in at a combined 7.4 pounds! Gitta comes from the land of Iowa and Tuli was rescued from a Cities shelter. Both pups love chasing squirrels around the streets of Uptown and ducks while camping Up North. Gitta is a mama's girl, while Tuli loves to spread her love via puppy kisses to all the folks that cross her path.

10x10 acrylic on cradled panel, $275 click here to purchase!

September 22, Nani for Hilary and Scott!

Nani is a super sweet and very active dog whom I had the pleasure of also meeting in the lobby of Track29!  Her owners, Hilary and Scott, were also super sweet and very active!  Great combination!
Here's what they say about their sweet dog~

“Nani is a foster rescue from Kentucky through Safe Hands Animal Rescue! She loves hiking, swimming, and she is easily identifiable by her spotted feet and her constantly wagging white periscope tail. Adopting her was one of our best decisions and we encourage anyone interested in getting a dog to adopt a rescue.”

And I loved painting the light across her face, those wonderful crazy highlights and shifts of color~  and that concrete floor at Track29 just lends itself to amazing grey tones!

10x10 acrylic on cradled panel, $275 click here for purchase info!  Though you'll have to wait till after the show at Track29 comes down to get your paining!

September 21, Pappy for Jasmine!

And this is Pappy!  She is a mini-golden doodle, and Jasmine also wrote this about "my puppy Pappy. She just turned 1 this past July. She is the sweetest pup, loves people and dogs!"

I want to know how she acquired the name Pappy!  Guess I'll have to get back to you with that!

10x10 acrylic on cradled panel, $275, SOLD!