MELLO YELLOW

6x9 oil on canvas

September is all about cats on James Parker's fun blog. There were several photos I wanted to try and paint, but the month has zipped by so fast, I barely got this one in on time. My husband and I have a favorite coffee that we drink called Mello Joy, it is only sold in Louisiana and comes in a bright yellow package. We buy it by the case when we visit family and for the first time in several years, we have run out and have had to substitute another not so adequate brand of coffee. As I painted this fellow, I could not help but think of how much I miss my Mello Joy coffee and I wonder if I might look just like this after that first great sip of Mello Joy! Thank you for visiting and letting me ramble; take care.

LADY LAUREL

10x10 oil on canvas nfs

This little beauty is a possible Italian Greyhound & Jack Russell Terrier mix, lovingly adopted by a friend. She was the last dog to be adopted at the grand opening of a Dallas animal shelter, all it took was for her to lay her little head with those mouse-like ears on her new owner's shoulders and she immediately had a new home. Way to go Laurel, you've come a long way from shelter dog to diva dog!

This was one of those paintings where I struggled with the composition. Initially I tried to place Laurel within an 8x10 format, but she would not have it, such a diva that she is, I finally settled on the square canvas and felt that that helped to highlight her special ears.

GINGER

8x10 oil on canvas nfs

A Pit Bull & Brittany Spaniel mix, Ginger is 2 years old and is very much loved by 2 young teenager girls. I have not had the pleasure of meeting Ginger, but I understand she is the kindest pet and apparently has fur as soft as a rabbit. I especially love the little polka-dots on her face and the tufts of hair on high alert perched on top of her ears. Thank you for visiting!

MOCHA ROCKS & AWARDS CEREMONY

Yesterday was lots of fun; I attended the awards ceremony for the Unconditional Love 1st Annual Juried Pet Portrait Competition in Irving, Tx. I had a great time visiting with Nancy Medina, (I'll spare you the photos Jay took of Nancy & I having a deep conversation about all things art. Nancy, you can thank me later), but how I loved sharing ideas with this very wise painter of all things great and lover of all pugs! Judy Mackey won an Award of Excellence for one of her paintings (sorry did not get a shot of her painting, but did photograph Nancy accepting Judy's award). I've also included a picture of Nancy and her beautiful painting, Winnifred WigglePants. My painting Mocha Rocks placed 1st in the Works on Canvas category, a very big surprise!

Thank you all for visiting. Nancy & I met through this thing called an art blog and I sincerely hope I get to meet more of you. Take care.

PINK DOTS

5x7 oil on canvas panel

Another cupcake for the current Different Strokes From Different Folks challenge commemorating the 1 year anniversary of Karin Jurick's fun and challenging blog.