WATCHDOG

8x10 oil on canvas panel
This is my contribution for Some Texas Artists Like to Paint for this month's chair theme. Cowgirl (who was supposed to be a petite little lap dog, now weighs a whopping 26 pounds at 10 months) loves to do important things like watch for dangerous activities out the front windows or the back french doors...dangerous activities like neighbors walking pets and heaven forbid, leaves blowing in the wind!

The last couple of posts have been so difficult to photograph without a chalkiness or glare upon the image, please squint and pretend the chalky colors are actually rich and deep. Now that Christmas has passed, I can begin to share some of the commissions I have recently completed. Thank you for your comments and visits, I wish each of you a very Happy New Year!

DUKE

oil on canvas 8x10 sold
Do you remember Trooper (seen here)? Trooper's family rescued Duke and he has a story to tell, as well.

Duke was discovered one stormy night, when my client received a phone call from her boss. Duke had wandered onto his property and was attacked by several of his boxers. Her boss placed Duke safely in a horse stall and called her because he knew she rescued animals. She and her husband drove over immediately and discovered Duke huddled in a corner of the horse stall, covered in blood and shaking from both the thunder and lightening and the recent attack. It was obvious Duke was hurting bad, he whimpered and cried, but never once bit either of them. He was placed way in the back of the SUV where she held and comforted him, all 65 malnourished, covered in ticks and fleas pounds of him. During the car ride to the Emergency Vet, Duke never stopped licking her hand. It was discovered that Duke was heart worm positive and had numerous lacerations and puncture wounds all over his body.

As he was healing, he was given the name Duke, fliers were put out in the area where he was found, but no one came to claim him. My clients decided that because of his submissive, almost frightened personality, they did not think it wise to foster or adopt him out, it would be best for them to keep him. They simply did not want to traumatize him further and besides, they were in love with his sweet demeanor. Duke was home!

Duke lived with his new family for 9 years, he recently passed away from Pancreatic Cancer. They are not sure how old Duke actually was, he was the best dog ever, never once harming the numerous cats and dogs they owned. For 9 years his family loved him and he loved them. One of Duke's favorite thing was to spend hours and hours roaming the pastures and chasing and "treeing" squirrels. Duke got along with all of the family pets, even the cats, which apparently on cold winter nights, Duke could be found with all the cats huddled close to him keeping warm; Duke was home!

DOLLY FOR DEAN HAVEN

approx. 8x10 oil on gessoed moleskine

The current moleskine I had the pleasure of painting in for The Flying Moleskins was for Dean Haven. Earlier this year Dean lost his sweet little poodle of 17 years. I really wanted to work directly from the photo he posted of Dolly, but was unable to see enough detail. I just happened to finish a little commission project that included a white poodle. I had rejected one of my reference photos because one eye was completely covered in fur; well, little did I realize that that smiling photo might just work as a reference for Dean's Dolly.

I appreciate your comments so much. I have been very busy painting away, but just not posting as frequently as I should...more paintings to come. Take care and I do hope you are enjoying this beautiful Fall weather!

HONEY PIE

8x10 oil on canvas sold

Here's a little commission I just recently finished (yes, I've been painting, just neglected posting) for one of my favorite clients. You might remember Bandit, the Blue-Eyed Brown-Eyed Wonder Dog, Bandit's Mama and I teach together and she so kindly commissioned another portrait.

Now, first off you have to love a dog that is so special she has a first name and a middle name. Now imagine Honey Pie's name spoken with the sweetest little Southern Mississippi accent, well it doesn't get any sweeter than that. Honey Pie's story is funny in that my client and her brother grew up "pet-less"...no hamster, kitten, or even a goldfish, never mind a DOG! After the kids were grown up and gone, Mom decided she'd buy herself a little birthday present...a 6 week old Cocker Spaniel...imagine her husband's surprise/shock when he came home from a game of golf to find her birthday present. As you've probably already figured out, it wasn't long before Honey Pie wasn't Mom's dog, she was Dad's dog!

Honey Pie's favorite word is CHEESE! Not too long ago, she tore out of a screened porch to chase a squirrel. Can't you just see her family running around the neighborhood looking for Honey Pie, all the while yelling CHEESE, CHEESE? Honey Pie promptly returned home and, of course waited for her promised cheese reward. Although her days are spent with her Mom, at the end of the day, she faithfully waits at the back door for Dad to come home. Once Dad is home, it's all about the two of them, even though Honey Pie is Mom's dog, don't forget she's really Dad's dog.

Happy 60th Birthday, Ken!
Love, Cam, Jordan, Adams...and Honey Pie, too! :-)

DAVE'S CATCH

8x8 oil on canvas board

Dave is one of my plein air painting buddies and a man of many talents, not only can he catch his own fish, he can cook them up, too! This is another one of my little 1 hour painting studies and was so much fun to paint. This month's painting challenge for Some Texas Artists Like to Paint is fish, take a look here for more paintings on this subject. Thanks for the photo reference, Dave!

HENRY...for Vern Schwarz

8x10 oil on sketchbook paper nfs

This painting is for Vern Schwarz for The Flying Moleskins. Actually this painting is incorrectly titled, it should read: Henry, My Nemesis! I met Henry while painting plein air a while ago. He walked up to me wearing a blue on blue polka dot choker collar, he had a sleek short hair cut, and the wildest pompadour, complete with a topknot. His owners graciously allowed me to photograph him; Henry was obviously comfortable in front of the camera as every shot of him was perfect, all ready for a painting.

Now, for the nemesis part. Henry has been the most difficult dog I have ever painted, I should know, this is my 4th painting of him. My other 3 Henry paintings...ready for a bonfire come winter...include his full body. Something about that wild hair-do with the sleek body did not make a lovely painting, too much of a textural weird contrast or at least that's how I've justified those 3 bonfire failures. My husband (thanks, honey) has assured me "not all dogs are supposed to be painted and this one is just ugly".

I still don't know why I selected Henry for Vern's book, I just felt compelled to paint this dog and succeed for once. Cropping that wild pompadour with the topknot and focusing on Henry's face was a huge help, I am pleased with my 4th and I guess final painting of Henry.

TAKING FLIGHT

6x9 oil on canvas

Taking Flight is a companion to Tolerance. On my summer break I tried a little exercise of limiting my painting time on smaller canvases. This is one of those paintings where I layed down the brushes when I reached 45 minutes to an hour, a very difficult thing to do for someone who likes to fuss over details. I think the color seen here, at least on my monitor, is closer to the true painting than what is seen in Tolerance.

I've tried a variety of palettes and my favorite is the grey disposable palette, I like that I can write directly on the paper with a sharpie. For a while I saved those palettes because there were important notes I liked to reference. Well, that soon became a pile of papers that was difficult to flip through and I eventually trashed it all, including my notes. I just happened to have an extra moleskine and realized that would be the most perfect place to include color studies and my notes. So two fruitful things this summer, limiting individual painting time and recording my color studies and notes in a more organized manner. What did you learn this summer while painting?

GREAT AUNT TEE #2

6x12 oil on canvas board nfs

A while back I posted my first painting of Great Aunt Tee (seen here). Some important things you should know about Aunt Tee, she loves the Lord, loves to fish, rides a little grown up tricycle and a scooter with a license plate that reads "Here Comes Trouble", and has been known to take a shot or 2 or Crown Royal! Oh my, did I really just share that?

The original Great Aunt Tee painting brought a very pleasant surprise to my family. A very long time ago my father and his siblings lost touch with a cousin that they had not seen in 60+ years. That cousin and his wife were each on a computer one night working on different search engines searching for any relatives they could find. They had very few names to work from, but the one name Michael could remember was Sister Charlita Wills - Aunt Tee. He typed in her name and my blog came up referencing my painting. Michael took one look at the painting and knew immediately that that was his Aunt from his childhood! They contacted me through my website, I put them in touch with my Dad, and I believe there is a plan to get together next summer. You just never know what happens when you post a painting!

Thanks to my brother I have hundreds of photos of Aunt Tee doing what she loves most. Here is a short little article and a wonderful picture of Aunt Tee on her tricycle, which just happens to be fully loaded for the unexpected fishing excursion! I do hope you read the article, it's a quick little read and she's oh so cute!

COWGIRL

6x9 oil on canvas
A few months ago we adopted this little puppy (6 months old this week) from the Tzu Zoo Rescue group, which we found through Pet Finder. In addition to painting during my summer break, I also took a lot of breaks to house train, play, clean, play, pull things out of her mouth...the same mouth with the very sharp teeth...play, house train, and play!

Her name is Cowgirl and we love her. My summer break is over, but when I come home, Cowgirl is waiting for me with her whole little body wagging, and we play, play, play!

If you're thinking of a new pet for your family, please check out Pet Finder, it is a great way to find a rescue group near you.

SOMEONE'S HOME

8x10 oil on canvas panel

My husband is pretty tolerant of my need to photograph things as we are driving and this painting is an example of his patience and tolerance. Several months ago we were driving back home and stopped in central Louisiana at the same restaurant we always stop at for breakfast. Just off the interstate, across from the restaurant, is a winding road that we've always wondered what was down there.

Score! We discovered horses and cows grazing, beautiful aged barns, old rusted trucks, and a swamp with nesting white herons...a plethora of painting opportunities! After an hour of picture of taking, which felt like 10 minutes, it was time to continue the 7 hour drive home. This home with its private dirt road, and the rickety little fence was among one of my favorite shots. I wonder what is waiting to be discovered on all of those other off roads?

DO-SI-DO for Edward Burton

This is for Edward Burton's moleskine of The Flying Moleskines and my response to his music theme. Until I read Edward's introduction in his book, I had no idea what I was going to paint for his music theme. When I read "people dancing", I knew immediately I would attempt this painting.

At my school, after studying Pioneer times, 2nd grade has a day where they celebrate the Pioneer life of long ago. The children are dressed in period costumes and have fun experiencing Pioneer times. One of our grandmothers dresses the part and tells "stories" of her travels West. After her stories, she plays her autoharp and the children dance. This is Jules dancing with one of our parent volunteers. I don't have favorite students, instead I have a whole school (250 students) of favorites. Jules is special, she loves art and I love her!

I posted this video not too long ago, here it is again, you can see a real quick shot of Jules drinking milk in the dining hall and then later eating a sandwich. As sad I as I am for my summer vacation to end, after watching this video again, I cannot wait to see my students!

DUFFY

11x14 sold

I don't know a lot about Duffy, but I do know Duffy has a very important job. Duffy goes to work everyday with his owner, offering snaggletooth smiles and hugs to the customers...at least that's what he gave me when I visited their incredible antique store this past Christmas in Opelousas, LA.

This was my first Pomeranian to paint, there sure is a lot of hair on such an itty bitty dog, and not just long hair, but very, very thick hair. Anyway, there had to be a perfect balance of showing Duffy with not too much hair and not too little hair, all the while showing the depth of his coat. My brother deserves a great big thanks for taking new pictures for me (when I met Duffy he was a young pup), thanks Shane!! This portrait is going out in the mail this week so Duffy and his Mom can enjoy it together!

Thank you all for your comments and encouraging e-mails. I have more pet portraits to share with you, it was a very busy summer with lots of pets on my easel. I would love to take a break and do a little plein air painting, but painting outside is impossible in 100+ temps. I hope wherever you are the weather is a little cooler and you are enjoying your summer. Take care!

JOLIE BLANC

8x10 oil on canvas sold

Before I begin this story, let me explain that this memorial portrait is for a family that lives in SW Louisiana where many people speak French.

Many years ago a puppy was needed for the perfect Christmas surprise for my client's daughter. A visit was made to an older gentleman's home and my client sat with all the puppies trying to make a difficult decision. Can you imagine them climbing on top of her, playing with each other, and giving her sweet puppy kisses, you can only have one, but you want them all! One puppy in particular caught her eye, this puppy stayed close to her mother and was very, very calm. She asked about that puppy, and the gentleman responded, "Oh, that's my Jolie Blanc". He went on to explain that she was the only blonde puppy in the litter full of darker colored puppies. He named her Jolie Blanc, which is french for Beautiful Blonde. She was the perfect Christmas present and her name would remain Jolie, because she was the most beautiful dog this family would ever know.

Jolie remained a very calm dog her entire life, she was easy to train and brought her family years of love and enjoyment. One of Jolie's favorite things to do was fetch the morning paper and deliver it to her Dad each morning while he remained in bed. I don't think I've ever met anyone who keeps a bag of dog treats right beside their bed, but there they were kept and every morning Jolie enjoyed her Beggin' Strip while Dad enjoyed his morning paper.

TROOPER

8x10 oil on canvas sold
Trooper was on the euthanasia list, weighing in at only 31 pounds when the most wonderful family adopted her and gave her the loving home she deserved. She was one of many rescues this family would grow to love, but she was the most loyal and loving dog this family has ever known. As her family rescued countless puppies and kittens, Trooper was known as "mother" to each rescue that came to live with her. She was incredibly intelligent and infinitely patient with the entire home, from critters to kiddos, this family could count on unconditional love from Trooper; she even once protected the house from an intruder. Trooper weighed 100+ pounds when she died of leukemia, never letting her family know how badly she felt until the very end.

I love painting memorial portraits, but they can be some of the hardest to paint because I usually have limited photos to work from. I am including a close-up scan of Trooper's photo, surprisingly she was easier to paint than I thought, perhaps she was mothering me along because happily her painting seemed to just happen. Thank you so much for looking and reading Trooper's story.

SUMMER SLUMBER

8x8 oil on canvas

For those of you who were wondering what my husband looks like, here you go! This was painted for the Summer Time theme for our new blog, Some Texas Artists Like to Paint. You can read why Jay became a subject for this little painting here.




My summer is going by so very fast, once July gets here it's time to start thinking about returning to school. Last week I had lunch with some great blog friends: Gwen Bell, Ann Rogers, and Nancy Medina, after lunch we checked out the awesome art at Southwest Gallery. If anyone has an extra $40K, there's an incredible John Cook painting I'm coveting! To see Mr. Cook's paintings on the SW Gallery website, click on events, then his name, you won't be disappointed, I promise!

TOLERANCE

6x9 oil on canvas

You might see more paintings of this couple, the cow did not change her posture very much, but her friend flitted about displaying her fine plumage for all to see.

Isn't summer great? My summer has been filled with a lot of painting and a lot of lunch dates with friends. Today began with a few hours of painting, then a 5 hour lunch with a long lost friend. Later this week I am joining some very special blogging buddies for lunch, two I have already had the pleasure of meeting and two I look forward to meeting.

Like I said, summer is great...painting and lunching...lunching and painting! ;-)

BALLERINA BELLA

9x12 oil on canvas board nfs

Summer before last a wonderful friend came for a visit and she brought her granddaughter, Bella with her. Bella arrived dressed in her little ballerina outfit and happily posed for the camera. Not only was she creative with her poses, she had most expressive eyes that seemed to match each pose she struck. For once I enjoyed painting a hand, especially her little knuckles.

Happy Fourth of July to all of you!

LONGHORN LADY

8x8 oil on board nfs
It's my turn to paint in Sheila Tajima's book for The Flying Moleskins and Sheila has requested we paint something that we love, for me that would be cows! I have always loved cows, but it was not until we moved to Texas that I fully appreciated longhorns. Of all the different cattle breeds, the longhorn breed is one of my favorites; they are massive in size and so elegant with their huge set of horns, to see them up close and in person is amazing. Thank you for visiting and please visit here to read more about this particular longhorn lady.

THE COWBOY ARTIST

8x10 oil on canvas

I'd like to introduce a new blog called Some Texas Artists Like To Paint . We are a small group of Texas artists who have agreed to paint and post monthly challenges established by each other. This month, our first month, has 2 themes, I have chosen to paint something for our Anything Texas theme. We'd love for you to visit our blog and become a follower to see what else we will be painting in the weeks and months to follow.

This Cowboy Artist was quite the character, he was dressed in complete cowboy attire, all the way from the spurs on his boots to a turkey feather in his cowboy hat. In addition to his beautiful art, he even had his white horse saddled up right next to him at his booth. He definitely knew how to draw a crowd to his art. I have quite a few references of him, so I plan on painting a little series of this cowboy artist. Thanks for visiting!

GOLIATH & SCARLETT

8x8 sold

I don't have the opportunity to paint a lot of cats, so when my newest client approached me about painting her 6 cats, I was more than pleased! So as not to overwhelm you with all 6 paintings, I am showing you the first and the last one that I painted.

At 3 weeks of age Scarlett, with the olive green background, was an itty bitty thing living on the side of the road at a vacant general store. My client's family was passing through Kendalia, TX as a major thunderstorm was approaching when Scarlett and her brother, Paxton were discovered. Too tired and weak to even try and run away, they were rescued and are now 3 years old.

Goliath (light blue background) came to live with this family only 6 months ago. Goliath is about 12 years old and came to live at a local vet's office after his owner died and his foster mother fell and broke her hip. He is arthritic and has several medical issues, but he can rest easy because he has found a wonderful forever home.

There were many challenges I had to balance in this assignment. Because I do not have as many cats under my belt as I do dogs, I really had to concentrate on the individual and unique features of each cat. This collection will hang as one group and the client requested that each background be a different color. In addition, I had to make sure that the cats were all about the same size so one would not stand out from another. Whew, I learned a lot about cats and certainly fell in love with each of these precious babies.

Thank you for visiting and commenting on Gus' portrait. I will post and share the companion portraits to Gus one day soon. If you hear any whooping and hollering in NE Texas, it's only me celebrating because school is out and I can be a full time painter for a little while!

GUS

8x10 oil on canvas sold

This is one of 3 portraits I recently painted for a client. Without a doubt, it was difficult for me to part with this portrait. As I began my blocking in process and began to see his portrait develop, I could not help but feel that it had an old fashioned and nostalgic quality to it. I loved his one floppy ear, his warm eyes and the way the light fell across his face.

My client's children found this bulldog mix sleeping next to a gas pump at a gas station outside of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The owner of the station thought he had been dropped off by a trucker. They tried unsuccessfully to find a shelter that would take him, but there was no room for him anywhere. The only thing they could do was bring him home to, you guessed it...Mom in North Texas. Promises were made that the bulldog mix would only stay with their Mom for the weekend and then first thing Monday morning they would contact the Dallas area shelters. Somehow this bulldog mix dog knew he only had the weekend to win this family over. He got along beautifully with their little terrier, bonded with Dad on his evening walks, and Mom, admittedly a sucker for a cutie, fell in love with him. Well, come Monday morning, this bulldog mix had found a home and a name, Gus.

JOLIE FOR DANA COOPER

approx. 5.5" x 16" nfs

oil on gessoed moleskine

For Dana Cooper's moleskine titled Dreams and The Flying Moleskins blog, I chose to paint this beautiful retriever named Jolie. This is a preview for an upcoming memorial portrait I will be painting for Jolie's family. She was named Jolie Blonde after a very well known and beautiful Cajun song. There are many versions of the song Jolie Blonde and you can search ITunes to listen a bit. When I complete Jolie's official portrait, I'll tell you more about her and the joy she brought her sweet family.

Thank you so much for your kind comments and e-mails about the video I posted for my school. It is truly a special place, filled with the most wonderful people! Take care.

West Dallas Community School

I'm taking a break from posting a new painting to share this video of my school. It would mean so much to me if you would take a couple of minutes to watch this short video. West Dallas is one of the 8 poorest areas of the United States and we are funded through private donations. These are the smiling faces I get to see and teach every day. Thank you so much for watching, Enjoy!!

TAHOE

8x10 oil on canvas sold

One of my very favorite clients commissioned me to paint Tahoe for a friend of hers. As I painted this portrait, Tahoe was in the battle for his life. Despite their giant size, Great Danes are known for their affectionate and gentle temperaments.

Memorial pet portraits are the hardest to paint because I cannot meet the pet and sometimes I am limited on whatever photos are available. In all of my pet portraits, I really try to capture the uniqueness of each family pet, and I hope, in this case, that Tahoe's portrait speaks of sweet love and gentleness.

LAKE MARTIN AGAIN BETTER PHOTOGRAPH

This is the same painting for Dominique Eichi's moleskine, just re-photographed, and a much closer representation to the actual painting than the previous post. Thank you so much for your earlier comments, as always your visits are much appreciated.

More pet portraits and other paintings to post soon. Take care; I do hope you are enjoying a beautiful Spring wherever you live!

LAKE MARTIN PATHWAY FOR DOMINIQUE

oil on watercolor moleskine sketchbook paper nfs

This is my contribution for Dominique Eichi's moleskine and for our blog, The Flying Moleskins. The theme for Dominique's book is landscapes/pathways. Dominique is from California and I'm not sure if she has ever been to SW Louisiana, but now she has a painting of one of my favorite locations called Lake Martin. Please go to the flying moleskins blog here and you can read all about this colorful swamp. Thanks for visiting my blog; I appreciate your comments and e-mails very much. Take care.

BUDDY & IZZY

11x14 oil on canvas sold

I received several photos to work from for this portrait. In each photo sat Buddy, ever proud, faithful and solid as a rock and then there was the other little guy, Izzy! Izzy was all over the place in the shots and I could not help but think of him as a child's toy. Wind Izzy up and watch him pop up out of the bluebonnets! Speaking of bluebonnets, soon we will have fields of the most beautiful display of Texas wildflowers, a gorgeous sight to behold. Take care and if you're on Spring Break, as I am, I hope you are having a great start to this beautiful Spring season.

LAKESIDE PARK

8x16 oil on canvas

After a very difficult week, I joined several artist friends today for a much needed respite from school and home. This painting did not begin easily, it began as a different view of Lakeside Park, but it soon became a lovely color of mud after wiping down my first start only to begin anew. As beautiful as it was in Dallas today, my mind was on information overload. This area in Highland Park is lovely, trees are beginning to bud, children were romping through the park, and dogs were happily tugging on leashes, but boy did I struggle. This painting almost became another wiped out canvas until I picked up the palette knife and attempted to try something a little different.

In addition to my regular painting friends, I had the pleasure of painting with Ann Rogers. This was Ann's first time to try a little plein air painting, and despite my painting difficulties and whining because I was cold, Ann happily painted and her amazing results can be seen here. Apparently I did not whine that much, because Ann has agreed to meet up with us again.

Thank you so much for your thoughtful words of comfort for our little Zoe; you have each helped my family more than you could ever know. Take care!

OUR ZOE

8x10 oil on canvas nfs

15 years ago when our daughter was 5 years old and in Kindergarten, our little Zoe came to live with us. Today, Zoe died peacefully in her sleep. Our hearts are broken and empty, but full of the most wonderful memories and unconditional love that only she could provide. One of the many things I will miss about Zoe is her company while I paint, but tonight, I missed her 7 p.m. bark demanding her evening treat.

Rest in peace, Zoe.

SOUVENIRS OF MY CHILDHOOD

oil on moleskine journal nfs

Do any of you remember Golden Book Encyclopedias? I absolutely loved those books when I was a little girl and constantly entertained myself drawing from the whole set of books. This is my contribution for Michelle Burnett's journal's Souvenirs and Postcards theme, and for The Flying Moleskins Blog. Several years ago my Mom gave my brothers and I each a box filled with school papers and mementos of our childhood. Inside the box were some of my little drawings, so it seemed fitting to include those drawings with my favorite illustrated book covers.

This is oil on lightly gessoed watercolor paper and was so much fun to paint. In order to paint these covers accurately, I had to pull out some paint colors that I never ever use, but have them because they were on some workshop list that required specific colors. In addition to my regular palette, one of the colors that I had to rely on was Pthalo Blue...whew, can you say a little goes a long way with the Pthalo. Please take a look at The Flying Moleskins blog to see what the other artists are painting and sharing with each of us. Thanks for visiting!

AMAZING GRACE

8x10 oil on canvas sold

Thank you for your recent comments and e-mails it truly means a lot to me. I try to visit as many of your blogs as I can, but I seem to always run short on time.

I had to go out of town unexpectedly this week and am just getting back to viewing all of your paintings and catching up on a pile of e-mails and other business. I spent 8 hours in the car today with 4 of those hours viewing the most beautiful rural landscapes. Most of my day was spent painting in my head while I watched the changing landscapes right before me. Next Saturday is our first Spring plein air day and I feel ready to begin painting landscapes again.

This is Grace, hunting dog extraordinaire. She is such an awesome family dog, that Grace was given the nickname Amazing Grace. Grace's portrait was a birthday present for her owner and his favorite color in the whole wide world is orange. I don't think of orange as a typical favorite color and I have to admit I could not wrap my head around orange as a background color for Grace's portrait. I was pleasantly surprised at how happy orange is and I, and my client, both liked the final results. Thank you again for visiting, take care!

WINSTON & OTHER NEWS

8x10 oil on canvas sold

Winston is a 2nd commission for a couple of outstanding actors in New York. Brian originally had wanted this portrait as a Christmas present for his wife, but my commission list could not accommodate him, so he agreed on his 10th wedding anniversary for his sweet wife, Ashley...congratulations Brian & Ashley! Winston is a little black pomeranian and his portrait will join the portrait I did of his brother, Little Sweetheart Emmett.

As you can see Winston was another one of my black dog commissions, but painting this black dog was a little different from the others. Unlike the other black dogs I've recently painted, Poms have a dense coat so I had the added challenge of not having the sleek shiny coat to paint...instead, I focused on Winston's "come play with me" smile.
February 12, 2010

So, by now I'm sure ya'll are sick and tired of hearing about our snowfall last week, but this was big news for us in Dallas. We received 12-1/2" of snow and it resulted in a day off from school and an appreciation that I know I love snow for a couple of days, but not a real winter's worth of snow like some of you experience.

February 16, 1985

Yesterday, my husband and I celebrated our 25th anniversary and well, I'm feeling a little brave so, why not show you what we looked like way back when...

Thank you all for visiting; I appreciate your comments very much! Take care. :-D

KARIN JURICK

5x7 oil on canvas

Last year (or was it the year before) Karin Jurick created a blog called Different Strokes From Different Folks where artists joined together to participate in some inspiring challenges. The year end challenge is a fun exchange of artists painting artists! In an effort to thank Karin for her extraordinary efforts, Jill Polsby (thank you Jill!) requested we paint a portrait of Karin Jurick, 118 artists have participated and you can see the entire portfolio here.

Thank you Karin for DSFDF and creating a wonderful network of artists and friends!

BEAGLE IN WAITING

8x10 oil on sketchbook moleskine nfs

It was my turn to paint something in Camille Olsen's moleskine, and this is my contribution for her theme of peace. There is more information about this little painting on The Flying Moleskins blog; you can read about it here.

TUX

8x10 oil on canvas sold

This little painting was commissioned as a special anniversary present for a husband who dearly loved this little guy. Tux came into the family when their 3 little daughters, all wanted a Cock-a-poo puppy. Tux was purchased with the understanding that he was a Cock-a-poo, but the vet determined a Cock-a-poo, he was not! Regardless of the mix-up, Tux became the most loved dog in this family of 5.

For 16 of Tux's 17 years, he ran leash free all over Dallas at his master's heels. People had become so accustomed to seeing the 2 running buddies over the long span of time, that when Tux could no longer run, strangers would come out of their homes to ask about him. He befriended a little Burmese kitten, often sleeping together and he tolerated a wild rabbit that hung around the family's yard, but the one thing that Tux was not fond of was other dogs...he would simply ignore all dogs.

Tux, the little Cock-a-poo-Not was loved by this family of 5 and for his 17 years Tux loved them right back with the biggest heart ever.

Having 17 years of photos to choose from for Tux's portrait, I really liked that a long ago puppy picture was selected. Once again I found myself painting another black dog, but this one offered an interesting challenge in trying to portray that super soft puppy fur.

For those of you from the Dallas area, a group of us have committed to do a little Spring plein air painting beginning the second Saturday of March. Turtle Creek is a favorite place and I'm sure we'll plan some painting time in that area, in addition to other places. We'd love for you to join us, e-mail me and I'll send you the details, I promise we're fun folks! Thank you for visiting. I do try to visit your blogs and comment, but right now I have fallen behind, hopefully I can catch up real soon. Take care and enjoy your Super Bowl weekend!

IGGY

8x10 oil on canvas sold

Iggy was a commissioned portrait I did before Christmas.

Today was so busy, I worked on a landscape commission, tomorrow it will be an animal painting and some time this weekend I have to begin painting in Camille Olsen's moleskine. I have put off working in her book long enough, time to brush off the intimidation and just move on. Camille's portrait of her husband in her moleskine is amazing, take a look at it on her blog or on the flying moleskin blog.

Today, my parents adopted a little Shih-Tzu just like this one. Her name is Bell, but Mom likes to call her Miss Bella. I'm certain Miss Bella will be on canvas shortly. Thank you for visiting, take care!!

LADYBUG

8x10 oil on canvas sold

About a year ago, I was commissioned to paint a portrait of a little pug named Catfish, here is Catfish's little sister, Ladybug. Ladybug was brought into the family because it was decided that Catfish needed a playmate. (Actually, my client says they were tired of Catfish biting them when he was a puppy and decided with another pug, they could just bite each other.) It has been reported that sweet Ladybug never bit Catfish, nor has she ever growled, scratched or bit anyone. She is very gentle and their children love her, especially her little tongue. Ladybug's tongue is about twice the length of her little pug snout, so it constantly hangs out of her mouth. Most days Ladybug can be found sneaking naps while she lounges on the furniture - a place she knows is off limits to her.

Take care all and thank you for visiting and commenting, it is most appreciated. I think Ladybug has the right idea, a nap on the couch sounds like a very good idea on this cold, crisp Sunday afternoon.

BAILEY

10x10 oil on canvas sold

Another black dog for me, I recently wrote on facebook how the last 5 or 6 dogs I've painted have all been black and I have 2 more black dogs this weekend waiting for their turn on the easel. Bailey's portrait was commissioned for her owner's birthday, it was important her collar be part of the painting because she goes no where without her jewels. I have not painted a lot of square canvases; I like this format and hope to do more in the future. Take care and thank you for visiting!

THE FLYING MOLESKINS

I've been invited to join a group of artists that will share their moleskine journals for a little traveling adventure. This is a sketch of my painting/working space that I did in my moleskine sketchbook. I don't do enough drawing, so thank you for this opportunity, Dominique! This was done with a black pen and Derwent watercolor pencils.

On Saturday, my sketchbook will be dropped off in the mail and James Parker will have his turn creating something in my book. Check out the new blog here to see the other artists that are participating in this exchange. We'd love for you to click on the follow link and see what we will be creating in each other's journals.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BOOTS

10x20 oil on canvas nfs

This is Kate, the first grandbaby of one of my very dear Louisiana friends, Tina. When Kate was born 2 years ago, I wanted a very special baby gift and when I saw these pink leather, silver tipped cowboy boots, I knew this was the perfect "welcome to the world" baby gift. Never mind the pink boots would not fit her until she was about 4 years old, a girl can dream and wait for the perfect day and the perfect outfit. Several months ago Tina sent me photos of Kate posing in her favorite pink tutu pajamas (yes, those are p.j.'s minus the pajama bottoms) and the pink cowboy boots! Kate is absolutely beautiful and not only does she know how to put an outfit together, she's a natural in front of the camera, lucky for me (and Tina) I have more photos and hopefully more paintings.

I sketched this little painting out a few months ago, but did not get around to painting it until Dec. 23, thankfully it came together very quickly as it was a Christmas present for my sweet friend. Merry Christmas, Tina.

MY AFRICA

6x9 oil on canvas sold

My commissions come from many different sources, but I have to say receiving a commission from your daughter’s long time friend is a first for me. My daughter is 19, soon to be 20, and I've known her friend, Laynie since she was a little gap-toothed 5th grader. Laynie commissioned me to paint something from her mother's mission trips to Africa.

Cyndi received her painting on Christmas Eve and very kindly shared her journal entry about where the original photo was taken for this painting. As I read her journal entry, I was in tears thinking of my own family, how very different our lives and circumstances are and it’s only by the grace of God, I live in the United States and not someplace else.

Through Cyndi’s church in Dallas, Watermark Church, she and a group of lawyers go to Africa annually on a mission trip in the fall. Among many things, their mission is to assist Congolese lawyers, visit prisons, and spread God's word. The following is an excerpt from Cyndi’s journal upon visiting The Women's Sexual Violence Treatment Center:

"We stopped in front of a small house with a sign in front and picked our way carefully down the rocky slope to the front door. There were people to meet us at the door, and a happy group of women who clapped and sang their welcome to us after we had found a seat in the tiny gathering room. It was hard for me to wrap my brain around the reality of their circumstances. They were counselors to the women who had been violated, but my gut tells me that they too had been brutalized as well. Shara opened the suitcase full of bears and blankets and explained why we had brought them, and they were so appreciative - again they sang and clapped their thanks. Then Rick stood up to speak for us all and explain why it was important to us to be there with them, that we wanted to remind them that God had not forgotten them, that the world had not forgotten them. Then he pointed to a box of Healing the Wounds of Trauma books, to which again we heard the clapping song of gratitude. And then he leaned over and opened an ordinary looking cardboard box packed with Swahili translations of the Bible. And the women literally leaped for joy, they squealed with excitement, they were exultant, and their gratitude was uncontainable. I began to cry and did not stop crying for a long while. We prayed together and one of the women prayed for us. She sang the prayer, and the women joined in the refrain. I joined hands with a woman with a beautiful infant swaddled to her back. Our eyes never met. One squeeze as we said "Amen". I never heard the translation for this but I knew for certain this to be true, GOD was in that place. He was filling their hearts, our hearts, with His Spirit, and the conviction that His word is true, that there is power in His work and that He is able to accomplish His will with those who seek Him and trust in His word.

I was humbled and convicted. They knew what I often forget or take for granted, that the LORD God has revealed Himself in His work, and His greatest desire for us is to seek hard after Him, whether it is at the kitchen table in the suburbs, or the desolation of a place like Goma."

I know this was a long post, thank you for visiting and commenting. Thank you Laynie and Cyndi!