ANOTHER SUNDAY AFTERNOON

6"x12"

Well, school has started and once I adjust from my summer to school schedule, I am hoping I can paint again and post a little more often. This was painted a little earlier this summer from an itty bitty photo of my Mom's friend and her sister.

The fellowship and friendship that has developed amongst this blogger community is incredible. Nancy Medina stepped up to the plate this week for me and delivered one of my paintings for a show that we were accepted in...Thank you tons Nancy! I wish you could all see Nancy's paintings in person, they are absolutely beautiful and she is a most versatile artist with a variety of subject matter. What she does with paint and a sunflower is amazing! In addition to her outstanding art, she has these 3 cutie pie darling babies she calls pugs. How Nancy gets any painting done with all that tail-waggin' and pug-lovin' is unbelievable. Please visit her blog, if you have not already, and if you think about it, please tell her I said thanks!

OLIVE

8x16 oil on canvas sold

I don't know anything about Chinese Crested dogs, except to say that they are very happy little pups and they remind me of very miniature ponies. When my client came over on Saturday to pick up this portrait and the portrait of Lizzie, Ranch Girl du Jour, she just happened to have all of her dogs waiting for her in the car. I am so sorry I did not run back in the house for my camera, the ever graceful Italian Greyhound, Grace was in the front seat and 3 petite Chinese Cresteds...or in my opinion, 3 little petite ponies, were in the backseat waiting for hugs, kisses, and words of affirmation...too cute and could have been a great photograph!

I've painted a Powderpuff Chinese Crested before, not really a big deal, just a whole bunch of fur, but a hairless Chinese Crested is something else, most definitely a challenging subject.

JENNIFER'S PRAYER

8x16 oil on canvas

I painted this at the end of the school year with the intentions of going back and working on the hands. Well, time has passed and it is no longer the end of the school year. I just returned to school this week to begin the new school year and I still have not returned to these hands.

I always return to school reluctantly, but the minute I walk through the doors, I know that is where I belong. This is Jennifer one of the precious students I get to teach at West Dallas Community School. Jennifer is a delightful 7th grader, soft spoken, very polite, and quite the artist!

I am continuously amazed with the fellowship and friendship that has grown from all of our blogs; thank you so much for visiting and commenting, you are the best!

RILEY

10x14 oil on canvas nfs

I love this story, so I hope you will bear with me because I'm a little long winded.

A couple of years ago I was in a plein air painting workshop offered through SMU, I met some great artists who all around are just terrific people. Our last class was a weekend trip to a lakehouse owned by one of the SMU artists, and now another great friend. It was a fantastic weekend and 2 of my all time favorite landscapes came out of that last class. Since it was about a 2 hour drive to the lakehouse, my husband and I decided to make a weekend out of it and we stayed at a beautiful Bed & Breakfast. After painting all day Saturday, we had a party at the lakehouse where we enjoyed a great evening and all the spouses finally got to meet. One of my new friends from the class was a gentleman named Ron and he brought his wife, JoEl for the weekend trip. They just happened to be staying at the B&B with us, but at the time we didn't know that they were across the hall from us. So, we're all hanging out, drinking wine, eating great food and someone asks JoEl where they live in the Dallas area. I was listening to the conversation and was surprised to learn that they live in the neighborhood right next to ours and the way the 2 neighborhoods nest together, we're almost backyard neighbors! The next thing I knew the 4 of us were involved in a very long conversation, busy learning more about each other.

The next morning we had breakfast together in the B&B dining room downstairs and as we enjoyed the "it's a small world" conversation, we learned that in the last 25+ years our paths had crossed many, many times, but it took the last class of a 6 week semester class at SMU and a 2 hour drive outside of town for us to finally get to know each other. Since then we have become the best of friends, we've dined together, traded recipes and parenting tips, and Ron and I have painted together many times. It's such a small world after all, and there's just plain good folks in this world!

So, what in the world does this painting of Riley have to do with that long-winded story? My husband, Jay contacted Ron about purchasing a painting for me as a surprise. Well, when Jay tried to purchase the painting, Ron would not have any of his money and insisted Jay had to take the landscape as a "gift". So, of course my ding-bat, but adorable and darling husband, accepted the gift and I was mortified...but happy, too. You can see my beautiful Ron Sullivan landscape here and the rest of Ron's outstanding website here.

So, my "gift" to Ron and JoEl is this painting of their cat, Riley!

SAN FRANCISCO

4x10 oil on canvas panel

I don't think I have any words to describe my attempt at this painting; this was the most difficult and challenging subject matter for me. Thank you Karin Jurick for posting this photo, if you had not, I would never have tried to paint this on my own.

LIZZIE, RANCH GIRL DU JOUR

11x14 oil on canvas sold

As you read my client's description of Lizzie, I'd like you to keep in mind that all of this is accomplished by Lizzie while sporting a 3-strand pearl choker with a sweetheart charm. This commission is a birthday present for Lizzie's Mama in October. My client requested a real girly pink for the background because, although Lizzie is a ranch girl, she is really a ranch girl du jour! I loved my photo reference of Lizzie, she's on high alert and the following explains why!

Lizzie lives on a ranch with her Mama Wynona, Granny Valli Pearl, and Ricky the parrot. She also lives with several peacocks, emus, egrets, ostrich, cattle and longhorns (did ya'll see that...longhorns, my favorite kind of cattle), horses and miniature horses, goats, sheep and Jonas sheep, antelope, deer, and a multitude of cats...WHEW!

Allowing her to maintain her girlish figure, Lizzie has a list of duties she performs daily from runnin' off coons to roundin' up dogies, a motherless or neglected calf. Lizzie is most interested in FOOD, barkin' at critters, EATIN', chasin' said critters, FOOD, and of course, sleeping under Mama's porch swing...I mean after all, a girl deserves to rest!