Best Friends

Once in a while, I'm asked to do something special. I love recreating a special memory in paint, of a special bond.  If only our pets could live forever.  Painting number 5085 in 5085 days. 

Freya

 

I was working on this while introducing all my daughters to pastels!  It's been MANY moons since I've picked up a stick, and it sure was fun to explore the medium again.  I sketched my composition first with a pastel pencil, then a base layer with my pan pastels.  I followed with hard then soft pastels, and will hit just a couple more spots before framing.  I like the paper tortillions for blending, so far.  Who knows where this adventure leads? Painting number 5069 in 5069 days.

Libby

 I love getting to paint special requests for others - especially when it is for one of my best friends from high school!  Commissioned by her husband, this portrait is of her horse, Libby, an equine therapy horse. This one was a bit of a challenge, as the reference photo had a lot going on in it.  I simplified the masses to bring the focus back to Libby, and painted this one in acrylic.  I've been doing acrylic paintings lately, stretching my boundaries again.  I use it full strength now with no water, almost in a dry brush technique way, and am enjoying that process. The best part is the quick dry time - allowing me to add layers the same day.  I hope this this painting will be a treasure for all the years to come. 

Jake

I love getting to paint a beloved pet portrait, to be cherished when they are no longer at one's side.  This sweetheart is striking a signature pose on this canvas, and was given as a Christmas gift.  I have lately painted a few of these in acrylic, after a pretty long separation from this media.  I do like it's layering and crisp lines, and the almost instant dry time is a big bonus.  I use a dry brush technique, never wetting those brushes until I am washing them out. Heavy body paint gives me strong pigment, even in the lightest areas.  I hope this painting will be cherished for many years to come. 

Brandy

I really love painting animals, especially beloved pets.  This darling is a commission painting, with beautiful markings, and has been a joy to paint!  In the business of the season, it sure is nice to spend a little time with the paint and create something truly meaningful for a family.  This is the very best part of this artist life. Painting number 3256 in 3256 days.  So happy I can share this painting as we drive back from Michael's graduation from college, Cum Laude, at Missouri S & T.  What a busy wonderful day of celebration and moving him home! 

Heidi

This year for Christmas, I have been busy painting special portraits for the special people in my life.  For those in the family who do not have little babies in the family - they are instead getting their favorite fur baby portrait!  It has been fun having the time to work on portraiture, even during the busy season.  So many times, painting is my solace, and I'm so fortunate to get to share this passion with those I love. Painting number 2913 in 2913 days. 

Sweet Kitty

Oh, I love drawing a sweet kitty face after such a busy day!  I've been making and writing cards for hours, so unwinding with a little drawing is so relaxing!  Graphite is my first art love, the first thing my little hands picked up from a child's desk my Grandma Frank had loaded with supplies at a north window in her kitchen.  I remember the color of the light, the smell of the old pencils when I sharpened them, and the way their marks spread across a paper.  I remember the tactile feel of the lead on that thick, yellowed paper.  That desk was tiny and I wasn't in school yet, and those memories are embedded in my soul. I even remember a black and red diamond checkered box that all the writing supplies and antique child's scissors were kept in, inside the desk.  I haven't thought of these things for years, but drawing takes me right back to that joyful time.  Painting number 2901 in 2901 days. 

Beau

This sweet boy has gotten into more trouble than all of our other dogs combined.  Very accident prone, he's had life threatening injuries more than once, and he has bounced back each time.  All that pampering while injured really turned him into a 110 pound lap dog, with so much personality!  So, tonight, Beau is on my easel, as he lays around waiting for snacks!  The light is a bit blown out on this portrait, so I'll try to take another pic tomorrow in the daylight.  Love this gentle giant!  Painting number 2878 in 2878 days. 

Two Goats

SOLD

What started as a suggestion from a dear friend to help her friend find goat artwork for a tattoo, has quickly become an ink and watercolor obsession!  I've not painted many goats before this month, but now I'm drawn to them!  With their rich coloring and bright personalities, they are irresistible!  If only they'd stay out of my many flowers - I'd have goats of my own!  Painting number 2507 in 2507 days. 

Hugo!

SOLD

What started with the painting of a single goat, has now turned into a collection of treasured farm animals from a dear friend's place in Texas.  I have been compelled to do them all in ink and watercolor, which lends a whimsical feel to each.  I don't think I've ever painted a cute little piggy face before - it is super fun!  Charming and cheerful, how could anyone resist smiling at this little face?  Painting number 2503 in 2503 days. 

Hunter and Hank

I love drawing those special bonds - this one of a young man and his dog.  Using my favorite Levenger Raven Black ink in this new turquoise Conklin fountain pen, I first ink in my composition. Next, I take a brush with a little water, and coax out those mid tones, returning with more ink as needed.  The best part is when the recipient is overjoyed!  I love being an artist!  Painting number 2191 in 2191 days. 

sold

Charlie in Ink

Charlie in Ink
Pen and ink on paper, 6x5

I have a personal pet theme started in the last couple of days!  After a busy, busy day - my birthday - with the boys helping me plant countless summer bulbs, I am very tired as I finally slow down tonight!  I have commissions, I need to paint, but all I want to do tonight is draw.  So, I pick up my Pitt pens and start with loose, sketchy strokes.  I play in my journal with a few borders, and then settle on painting one of our favorite cats, Charlie.  He is getting older, and this spring he seems to be showing his age just a bit.  His long, glorious fur is perfect for paintings and drawings alike, and his royal carriage makes his every pose a work of art!  Such a sweetheart is my subject du jour!  This pen and ink drawing makes 1190 pieces in 1190 days, and some days it seems like a miracle that I can keep this roll going :)

Chewy

Chewy
Oil on gallery wrapped canvas, 10x8

I started this painting with the intent to use bright and bold colors.  As I started to lay paint, I found myself going to the natural shades of his coat.  He has such wonderful tri color hair, with creamy whites, red oxides and gray pushing to black on his tail - I just had to paint him as he is!  I still want to paint him in bright colors - but I’ll do that another day!  I have been in the watercolors and acrylics these last weeks - and it feels good to be back in the oils!  My brushes need to be cleaned well, as does my palette, before I head to Augusta and the long days of plein air painting!  This painting makes 1189 in 1189 days.

Bold Beau

Bold Beau
Oil on gallery wrapped canvas, 8x8

This sweet little lab weighs over 100 lbs - and thinks he’s a lap dog!  His head is larger than mine, and his feet bruise mine when he happens to step on them as he goes outside first thing in the morning!  So full of energy, he has certainly been a handful - but he is so full of sweetness and love, that all is forgiven.  My husband’s “special boy” is my muse tonight, as I push the colors in a bold direction.  It was a little harder for him than it has been for the cats and Ray.  He is such an unusual red lab color, and it was hard to translate that into the vivid hues.  I started with highlights, then dropped in bolder colors a little at a time, testing them against their neighbors as I went.  So much of the energy of a painting is in the relationships of the hues - what lays next to what.  He has the most unusual light green “people” eyes - they seem to glow in real life (it was a little creepy at first)!  I’ve mainly used my brushes for this one, but I did do a little topping off with my new catalysts - which I love!  If you don’t have one, you simply must try one!  They make marks unlike any other tool.  This painting makes 1155 in 1155 days.

Contemporary Cat

Contemporary Cat
Oil on gallery wrapped canvas, 12x12

Goodness me - I have taken a trip to crazy town!!  Painting with such vivid color is exhilarating!  When approaching a painting in such a way, my biggest question is what color to choose.  I am letting my intuition guide me, as heaven knows I have not done anything like this before!  I start first with colors that are really there, the whites, the warm yellows, cool shadows - and then exaggerate those colors.  I pushed the yellow to cad orange and cad red light, the shadows to purple.  The landscape in the background has it’s roots in the true colors, the foliage is green - although I’ve pushed that to yellow green with cad yellow highlights.  The sky blues are also present - turquoise to violet blue.  As I block in the masses, I try to be mindful of how I use the warms and cools.  I’ve used the catalyst again here - and I am loving the variety of strokes that I can achieve.  I have more on the way - I can’t wait to take them out for a spin!  Painting number 1153 in 1153 days.

Surprise!  Another secret landscape underneath this first sketch of contemporary cat!! 

Thoroughly Modern Charlie

Thoroughly Modern Charlie
Oil on gallery wrapped canvas, 12x12

Oh my!  My wild side is showing on this painting!  I don’t think I’ve painted like this since I was 12 years old....so I must be channeling my inner 12-year-old!  The desire to get into some bold paint has been nagging at me for a couple of weeks.  Ideas for paintings will pop into my head - and they are not my normal stuff!  Unable to resist the urge any longer, I have painted over an old landscape on this gallery wrapped canvas, and my country cat is now a city cat!! I have used brushes and catalysts here, and some little used colors, yellow green, perm. rose pink, turquoise, and cad orange AT FULL STRENGTH!!  Super fun.....and crazy!  My youngest son affectionately refers to this as my “acid trip art”!  This crazy painting is my 1152nd in 1152 days.

first marks - surprise landscape underneath!!

in progress

Faithful Friend

Faithful Friend
Oil on canvas, 10x8

What pet is more faithful than a dog?  Belle was such a wonderful, patient, cheerful presence ever by our sides.  She would always put herself between any of us and the neighbor dogs, constantly our protector.  She did the same for our cats - in fact, they all slept together in a ball of tangled legs, heads and tails!  Many times, she let the babies climb on her, patiently putting up with their antics.  I never saw her growl or bare her teeth, though she would "murmur" a warning to other dogs getting too wild in our vicinity.  This is the first time I have painted a pet no longer with us, and it is a hard thing indeed.  Painting number 383 in as many days and Day 18 in the 30 day painting challenge.