Angela Elledge

MAMBO

2012-01-24T18:54:00.008-06:00

12x24 oil on canvas, sold

Now that Christmas is past, I can share what I was busy with before the end of the year. Mambo's painting was one of two paintings commissioned by a friend's husband. I love how husbands call me a couple of weeks prior to their special events...actually, I love how husbands think of paintings for special events! :)

On the day after Christmas in 2006, celebrating the holidays in Corsicana, Tx at the family's ranch, Mambo wandered up with a stick in his mouth. The young couple did the obvious; they threw the stick. He was elated. That first game of fetch lasted over an hour, and by the end Mambo had taken his hold on their hearts. After an exhaustive search for the prior owners, Mambo was adopted. Fetch remains his all time favorite activity!

I can attest to Mambo's love of fetch; Cowgirl and Mambo have had a couple of play dates, as long as there is nothing to fetch, Mambo will happily play with Cowgirl. I'll post the companion to this painting in my next posting.

MUDBUGS

2012-01-01T18:00:00.011-06:00

The so very talented, Jean Townsend selected detritus as the theme for her Texas Moleskine. I struggled quite a bit with the subject matter. I wanted to be original, but did not have a clue what to paint until I thought of painting crawfish. Hailing from SW Louisiana, I know a thing or two about the ever popular crawfish boil...served on a heaping pile of newspapers and with the crawfish and vegetable remnants left behind you have the perfect pile of detritus. I usually begin with a sketch, but since I did not know where to begin with this tangled mess of legs and tails, I "drew" a few lines with my brush and then just jumped in. It was cropped "rough" so that you could see my own detritus in the making. Thanks, Jean...this was fun!

Thank you so very much for following my blog, despite my absent postings, your e-mails, comments, and encouragement mean a lot to me. Here's to painting and posting more in the upcoming year; Happy New Year!

HOME GROWN

2011-11-12T13:45:00.011-06:00

8x10 oil on moleskine

Perhaps I need to reintroduce myself to all of you, my blogging days were put aside for a little while, but I'm back.

Since I'm playing catch up here, I'm sharing Home Grown with 2 other blogs. For our Texas Moleskin Round-Up group, this is for Carol Morgan's book with her theme of Sides...work with me here please, this woman is gardening outside And for the Some Texas Artists group, November's theme is What's for Dinner?

Take care all, I do hope to be visiting you real soon!

ROXI #18/50

2011-08-25T21:26:00.007-05:00

8x8 oil on canvas panel

Seriously, I blinked and Roxi painted herself; she was a joy to watch appear on canvas. Roxi has the distinction of being the very first painting I painted when I moved into the new studio. I will share studio photos one day; with the 100+ temps, I don't have the desire to finish the exterior painting, easel painting is more my taste and appeals to my comfort level.

CLAIRE'S SHEEP #17/50

2011-08-24T20:45:00.006-05:00

8x8 oil on canvas panel

I have many more paintings to post in this series, but I'm afraid school has already consumed all of my "computer playtime". Please take a look at Claire Beadon Carnell's beautiful blog; she was kind enough to send me my very first sheep to try and paint. Thanks, Claire, this was fun!

FIONA #16/50

2011-08-10T20:01:00.006-05:00

8x8 oil on canvas panel

Fiona was rescued by a wonderful group called Take Me Home Pet Rescue located in North Texas. I hope she finds a family to love her forever...floppy ear and all.

IZZE #15/50

2011-08-07T12:45:00.007-05:00

8x8 oil on canvas panel

Izze just happens to belong to my next door neighbors, not only is she the most delightful pup, so are her mom & dad; we seriously have the best neighbors ever!

When I began this little portrait, I knew I wanted to keep the background monochromatic with Izze's coloring; I think the end result emphasized her smiling eyes.

FRANKIE #14/50

2011-08-06T09:11:00.014-05:00

8x8 oil on canvas nfs

At four months of age, she found herself abandoned at a dry cleaners. A young man went to the dry cleaners, saw her, went home...and as we all know, could not get her out of his mind or perhaps his heart. The Veterinarian explained her age, her mixed breed status...Australian Shepherd plus Something Else...there were no explanations for her missing tail, her eyes were crystal blue, her heart was strong, but the young man already knew that because already their hearts were one, and one more thing...she was deaf. More than likely, she had been thrown away because of her deafness, but the young man did not care, he brought her HOME and loved her. Frankie was brought home to live with Lucy, you can see Lucy here. Frankie and the young man had to learn how to communicate, and Lucy had to learn how to accept Frankie's natural instinct to herd. All was learned and they lived happily ever after until a few weeks ago...for some reason, Frankie only lived to be four years old. She is buried amongst her favorite day lilies... the same day lilies she like to trample to make a soft bed. Rest in peace, Frankie, you were the best dog ever.

EVELYN & MAURICE #13/50

2011-08-03T21:58:00.004-05:00

8x8 oil on canvas panel

I don't think Maurice is enjoying Evelyn's hug.

SAM #12/50

2011-08-02T21:20:00.006-05:00

8x8 oil on canvas panel

This is Sam who belongs to the incredibly talented, Dana Cooper. I love Sam's intense gaze and his ready stance to jump off the ottoman and bark at the cat across the street/fetch his ball/attack his squeaky rat...oh wait a minute, I got carried away and was thinking of my little Cowgirl pup. I'm certain Dana's Sam is well-behaved with impeccable manners, unlike Cowgirl.

KYA #11/50

2011-07-27T11:56:00.004-05:00

6x12 oil on canvas sold

Kya, a long hair calico, lived to be 18 years old and she adored her owner, Ethan. One of Kya's favorite activities was seeing the world from Ethan's vantage point...that is on his shoulders and even the occasional piggyback ride around the house...but only on Kya's terms...kind of how she lived her whole life.

MISSY #10/50

2011-07-26T09:46:00.008-05:00

oil on moleskine journal nfs

Missy for Ann Rogers and our Texas Moleskin Round-Up. Missy was a much loved family pet, so loved that to this day, her framed photo sits on Ann's bedside table along with her children's photos. Painting loved family pets that have passed is always rewarding, usually the photo references I have to work from can be a little problematic. I must thank Ann for the old and fuzzy snapshot, anything for a sweet friend. :-)

UPSIDE DOWN #9/50

2011-07-25T17:04:00.007-05:00

8x8 oil on canvas panel

Although I have not been posting, I have been painting...many more of these to come...The studio is almost finished and I've learned a lot of information I'll probably never need to know again. We've had triple digit temperatures for 24+ days now, so some minor details will have to wait for cooler weather, but move in for me might just happen later this week! I'm also posting this little painting on Some Texas Artists Like to Paint for July's theme: Upside Down.

NATHAN & MICHELLE MUSE #8/50

2011-07-12T21:15:00.004-05:00

8x8 oil on canvas panel
Or perhaps I should call this one, "It's cool to hold your pet chicken".

NOAH & LUNA #7/50

2011-07-08T09:12:00.004-05:00

8x8 oil on canvas panel
I hope #7 speaks for itself!

MAGGIE MAE #6/50

2011-07-06T14:01:00.010-05:00

8x8 oil on canvas panel
Maggie Mae is one smart dog. She lives in Oxford, Mississippi with her loving family; however, while her family is at work, Maggie Mae has adopted the family next door. By day, she receives and delivers all kinds of affection to a family of 3 little boys and 1 little girl. By night, her loyalties belong with her family; good going Maggie Mae, you're living the good life.

MISS 68 #5/50

2011-07-02T18:50:00.011-05:00

8x12 oil on moleskine nfs

This is Miss 68 painted specifically for Sharon Hodges' moleskine over at Texas Moleskin Round-Up and #5 in the 50/50 series. Miss 68 belongs to friends of ours, I don't know what I like better, the amazing hospitality when we visit their gorgeous lakehouse in Corsicana or the bevy of bovines grazing outside our bedroom window! John has a wonderful variety of cattle, including some of my favorite longhorns. His cattle approach him easily making it a wide eyed adventure for myself and my camera toting husband. I hope you like cows as much as I do, Sharon.

BARDLEDOO #4 of 50

2011-06-30T19:53:00.006-05:00

8x8 oil on canvas panel

#4 in the 50/50 series is Bardledoo, a sweet little baby who had a very, very short life. Bardledoo died last month of an unknown virus, but lived life to the fullest in her 4 short months as a cattle working dog and a great buddy to a family of longhorn ranchers. As a cattle dog in training, one of her favorite things was to play with the baby calves. She was particular about people, but was loyal to her favorite person her dad, Mark. Bardledoo's fav foods consisted of june bugs and ice cubes, yum, yum!

MICHELLE MUSE #3/50

2011-06-29T21:48:00.008-05:00

8x8 oil on canvas panel

This is #3 in my challenge series of 50 pets this summer. You might be wondering what happened to #'s 1 and 2...it's quite simple, they ended up in a most disgusting way and will have to be re-painted at a later date. Michelle Muse is a family (not mine) chicken and you'll soon see another painting of her very soon.

The summer is fading quickly. We have decided to build a little art studio and the last several weeks have been busy with decision making, so as decisions are made, I'm still managing to paint each day; I'll post photos soon. Thanks for looking at my blog, hope you are having a great summer, too. Take care!

THE POSER

2011-05-29T16:26:00.016-05:00

8x10 oil on moleskine nfs

The Poser is for sweet Linda Popple's moleskine with The Texas Moleskin Round-Up. I had so much fun painting this guy that I think I may have to commit to painting a few more roosters and chickens over my summer break. The background was a bit of a dilemma, I was aiming for dull, but sophisticated, something that would allow his plumage to stand out. I am happy with the end results, but we'll have to wait and see what Miss Linda thinks for herself.

And now I have a special favor to ask all of you...I have just recently lost 50 pounds...YAY!...Ok, that's embarrassing to admit that I even needed to lose that much, but it is what it is. I want to celebrate those 50 pounds with 50 pet portraits of animals of all kinds during my 50 days of summer vacation. In order for me to do this, I need you to send me photos of your pets, and I mean pets of all kinds...from dogs to piglets, I'm on for the challenge and am hoping for a variety of subjects to work from. The photos must be your own pictures and, you will be under no obligation to purchase a painting. In order for me to work from your photos, they must be clear and in-focus, along with good lighting; jpegs can be e-mailed to me at jaledge@aol.com . I am beginning this challenge within a few days, so it is important I get your photos soon.

Happy Summer to all of you, school is officially over for me and I'm ready to paint...Please help me celebrate my 50 with 50!

PACO & THE END

2011-05-07T13:11:00.011-05:00

5x5 oil on canvas paper
This is for my fellow Texas friend, James Parker. James sent me photo references of his dog, Paco and I could not help but think that this funny sideways glance was a perfect depiction of Paco responding to another one of James' tall stories.

5x9 oil on canvas paper
I'm sad to say this is my last painting for the ever talented group of Flying Moleskins. Because this journey has come to an end for me, and with James' wonderful sense of humor, I thought it fitting to end James' book with The End.

WASH DAY

2011-05-01T14:11:00.007-05:00

8x10 oil on canvas panel

April's challenge for Some Texas Artists Like to Paint was tools. Our students in the second grade experience Pioneer Day each Spring. The children dress in costume and experience a wide variety of activities, such as washing clothes with a washboard or a very useful tool prior to the invention of the automatic washing machine.

And speaking of school, I'm thrilled to say we have only 20 days left. These last 2 months are the hardest and most definitely the longest. Once again I'm looking forward to summer vacation and some serious daily painting.

NIPPER

2011-04-04T20:34:00.006-05:00

This dog belongs to Liz Holm and is part of The Flying Moleskins paint journey. I don't know Nipper's story, but I do know Facebook was most helpful in helping me find photos of her beautiful pets.

Thank you all for your comments and e-mails. This is the time of the year I begin counting down the number of days until school is out and I begin contemplating the many projects I have lined up for Summer...oooh Summer, doesn't that sound just perfect?

ROUGE RED

2011-04-02T22:57:00.007-05:00

oil on moleskine paper nfs

This is for Kay Wyne's moleskine at Texas Moleskin Round-Up. If you know me, then you know I love cows, so when I learned Kay's theme was Holy Cow, it was a matter of finding which one I wanted to paint for her. Rouge Red or Red Red if you prefer, is from SW Louisiana, thanks to my brother, who constantly provides me with photos filled with gorgeous landscapes dotted with cows.

ORANGE TIPS

2011-03-23T21:09:00.012-05:00

8x10 oil on canvas

Last Saturday was my first painting class with Jerry Hunsinger, an artist I've admired for a very long time. Ann Rogers and I drove an hour North of Dallas to Howe for Jerry's class. The countryside was beautiful and filled with lots of grazing cattle. I had forgotten my camera, but Ann assured me she would take all the photos I wanted with her camera, that is until she took it out and realized she had a dead battery...so, there we were in "cow country" with not a camera between the two of us!

Jerry's class was wonderful, I began this painting there, then finished it up when I got home. Among other things, I know that foreleg is too small and need to go back and make some adjustments.

After our class Ann and I enjoyed lunch together about 3 miles from my house, as I was leaving the restaurant I saw a sign that said "Cattle Collection" pointing to the Hilton Hotel. As you probably already know, I made a quick U-turn and crept along the service road of the freeway and discovered longhorns in the parking lot behind the Hilton. My husband and I went right back, with the camera, ignored the private event signs and pretended to be a cattle buyer, all the while taking a ton of reference shots. The light was beautiful and many of the longhorns had brand new baby calves...score, a perfect day...painting a cow in the morning and discovering longhorns 3 miles from my house in the afternoon...most definitely a perfect day!

MIA

2011-03-18T08:34:00.006-05:00

8x10 oil on canvas sold

A few postings back I began to share 5 commissions I recently did for Cowgirl's foster mother, this is the 3rd one in the grouping. Mia is a petite little poodle, but big on spunk and joy. She came to live with her foster family, but they soon became a "foster failure" and welcomed Mia into their home forever.

ZOE, AGAIN

2011-03-01T20:49:00.012-06:00

8x10 oil on gessoed moleskine paper

Some of our Some Texas Artists Like to Paint artists have decided to exchange moleskines. I still have two moleskines to paint in for The Flying Moleskins and am sad to see it come to a close, but so excited to be a part of these wonderful Texas artists. If any of you are interested in doing this yourself, I strongly encourage you to get a group together and do it, you will not regret it!

In trying to decide what to paint on my introduction page of my moleskine, I thought it best to stick with a subject I knew and knew well. One year ago this month, we lost our sweet schnauzer, Zoe. She had been our family pet for 15 years and was most definitely a loved member of our family. She had many funny ways and expressions, this was the look I got from her when she knew she was in trouble. I thought there was too much contrast between Zoe and the background, so I warmed up her beard a bit, but forgot to re-photograph it before mailing my book to Jean Townsend. I am thrilled to begin this new project and cannot wait to see the treasures you all create! You can follow our moleskine exchange at Texas Moleskin Round-Up; please join us!

AZALEAS IN THE PARK

2011-02-27T20:33:00.008-06:00

11x14 oil on canvas

This month our theme for Some Texas Artists Like to Paint is flowers. Oh, dear it is official, I am not a flower painter. I attempted a few this week, all wipe outs and one so bad, I just threw it in the trash. As I wailed and threw fits, my sweet husband very confidently suggested, "just paint like Nancy Medina". As you know it doesn't quite work like that, but I do like that a few posts down on our little blog she refers to a glass of wine, now that I can do.

Ann Rogers encouraged me to post this painting for the flower theme. She and I went out last spring together and painted one day in the Turtle Creek area of Dallas. Each Spring the azaleas put on a show and just scream paint me, so we did!

HER BELOVED GIO

2011-02-13T19:06:00.011-06:00

8x10 oil on canvas panel nfs

I admit I sometimes get behind in visiting other blogs and there are times when I will visit a blog and keep reading until I feel "caught up" on that artist's blog.

About a month ago I was visiting Sherry Massey's blog and found myself reading and reading and realized how much I had missed. Sherry and her husband fell on some very hard times and for what must have been a most difficult decision, returned their beloved Gio to the breeder with the understanding that they WOULD be back to take their Gio home with them once their lives returned to a sense of normalcy. During that time something happened to Gio's health and the breeder made the decision to have him put down. With tears streaming down my face, I read about her love for her wonderful friend and their shock in learning of his untimely passing. Life can be so hard and so unfair, I find things that cannot be explained are the hardest to accept, and to me, this was one of those times.

Perhaps it's just a highlight on the top of Gio's head, but I saw a heart and thought this could be a little valentine gift for Sherry. Happy Valentine's Day, Sherry, this painting is for you! I know it is not the same as having your precious Gio, but I do hope, in time, it will bring you some comfort. I hope you are reading this or perhaps someone will send you this way, please e-mail me with your contact info and once it is dry, I'll put your painting in the mail for you. Take care all and Happy Valentine's Day to each of you!

EIGHT FOR TEN

2011-02-12T12:53:00.011-06:00

5-1/2"x14" oil on panel

Ok, so by now you all know about Carol Marine's new challenge at Daily Paintworks, go here to see all of the amazing results. Ten minutes per little painting...do I even need to tell you the first one is in the upper left hand corner and the last one, #8 is in the lower right hand corner? Ten minutes was difficult for the first row, but by the time I got down to the second row, I found myself not needing the full 10 minutes, Carol was right, it gets easier and you do get a feel for what you can accomplish in 10 minutes. Ok, so I failed in subject matter, she specifically said paint an object; however, I am not a still life painter and find painting such things tedious. After failing miserably with a few asparagus, I fell back to a photo of what else, a dog.

CASSIE

2011-02-05T10:30:00.015-06:00

8x10 oil on canvas sold

Cassie is an Ibizan Hound and belongs with the set of 5 portraits I recently painted for Cowgirl's foster mother. I had never seen an Ibizan before this time, this smooth hair beauty is gorgeous and a delight to watch in action. Because Ibezians are sighthounds, Cassie's attention span was unbelievable; she has the ability to hyper-focus on one very small thing, which was most helpful in trying to photograph her for this painting. Also, Ibizans have the most graceful necks and a regular dog collar will simply slip off their heads, instead they need a martingale collar. Cassie and Pocket (you'll see her portrait next) have a collection of collars from 2 Hounds Design, please take a look at their beautiful collars and leashes here, truly works of art. Although Cowgirl does not have the graceful neck that Cassie does, I will be ordering a gorgeous collar for her, she does deserve it, does she not?

TINKERBELL

2011-02-01T17:11:00.006-06:00

8x10 oil on canvas sold

Many of you know we adopted a cute little rescue puppy named Cowgirl this past May. She is a tail wagging happy dog and has brought us much joy and love after we lost our little 15 year old schnauzer, Zoe. Seriously, we should have named her Happy Girl, instead of Cowgirl. In addition to all that unconditional Cowgirl lovin' she brought us, she introduced me to her foster mother, who just happened to commission me to paint her 5 family pets! So, here is the first of five, Tinkerbell, a Devon Rex.

LONGHORN RANCHER by Angela Elledge

2011-01-22T18:44:00.006-06:00

8x8 oil on canvas panel
I met Kermit several years ago while visiting home one summer. My brother had kept a newspaper article for me about a man who had left his successful career to return home to SW Louisiana and begin a career as a longhorn cattleman. I boldly called him and explained that I was interested in photographing his longhorn cattle for future paintings. We had 3 cameras working and took well over 800 photos...click and shoot, edit later...what did we do before digital photography? Not only did I leave Kermit's ranch with an abundance of material for paintings, but he would not let us leave without a huge bag filled with an assortment of longhorn steaks! If you've never been to Louisiana, you're missing out on meeting some of the kindest people around.

And speaking of kind people, that just happens to be all of you, too. Thank you so much for your comments and e-mails! This was specifically painted for this month's challenge, Cowboy Up, at Some Texas Artists Like to Paint, another group of really kind folks.

A DOG NAMED EAST

2011-01-16T22:45:00.006-06:00

This is my contribution to The Flying Moleskins and Adebanji Alade's moleskine. The Flying Moleskins has been an exciting journey and of all the books, Adebanji's theme of homelessness scared me the most. I knew I wanted to paint someone with a pet (what else could I possibly paint).

I, like some of my fellow F.M. artists previously explained, had to get out of my comfort zone and look at our homeless population with different eyes. It was not until 3 days after Christmas, driving back home, did I find what I wanted for my contribution to Adebanji's book. In Longview, TX, we discovered this young couple on the side of a gas station on a horribly wet, cold, gray day. She had beautiful bright pink hair and the most wonderful patchwork long skirt. He stayed busy lettering his sign and for awhile their dog stood stoic and tall, a watchdog on duty. On cue, he jumped in her lap and demanded kisses, which of course she supplied over and over. After awhile they took off on foot, walking North, not East, by this time they had put a large oversized coat on the dog so that he would stay somewhat dry and warm. Despite their circumstances, it was obvious they love their dog!

WATCHDOG

2010-12-31T14:12:00.007-06:00

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

2010-12-05T21:30:00.013-06:00

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

2010-11-06T23:19:00.009-05:00

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

2010-10-13T21:17:00.012-05:00

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

2010-09-17T21:24:00.007-05:00

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

2010-09-12T19:44:00.003-05:00

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

2010-09-06T10:28:00.008-05:00

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

2010-09-02T20:47:00.011-05:00

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

2010-08-14T23:18:00.009-05:00

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

2010-08-10T08:32:00.009-05:00

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

2010-08-06T09:37:00.011-05:00

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

2010-07-31T22:45:00.004-05:00

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

2010-07-21T09:29:00.009-05:00

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

2010-07-14T21:18:00.007-05:00

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

2010-07-10T20:04:00.014-05:00

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

2010-07-06T21:43:00.004-05:00

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

2010-07-03T16:40:00.005-05:00

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

2010-06-25T15:52:00.008-05:00

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

2010-06-19T11:57:00.005-05:00

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

2010-06-07T16:02:00.004-05:00

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

2010-05-22T15:17:00.004-05:00

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

2010-04-21T21:20:00.005-05:00

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

2010-04-18T20:22:00.000-05:00

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

2010-04-03T21:38:00.007-05:00

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

2010-03-25T19:55:00.004-05:00

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

2010-03-21T13:30:00.007-05:00

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

2010-03-16T20:52:00.005-05:00

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

2010-03-13T22:58:00.007-06:00

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

2010-03-10T21:34:00.003-06:00

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

2010-03-08T19:25:00.004-06:00

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

2010-03-06T20:24:00.005-06:00

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

2010-02-17T21:17:00.005-06:00

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

2010-02-12T22:36:00.004-06:00

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

2010-02-07T21:45:00.007-06:00

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

2010-02-05T20:29:00.007-06:00

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

2010-01-31T00:51:00.008-06:00

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

2010-01-24T14:49:00.006-06:00

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

2010-01-15T20:01:00.006-06:00

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

2010-01-14T22:30:00.007-06:00

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

2010-01-06T22:55:00.004-06:00

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

2010-01-02T21:51:00.007-06:00

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!

END OF THE YEAR SELF-PORTRAIT

2009-12-31T18:52:00.002-06:00

6x9 oil on canvas

Because a few other blog artists recently painted their self-portraits, I thought I'd try the same exercise. It's hard not to fix what you want to change (erase, smudge, de-emphasize, lighten or darken, in my case) as you paint yourself, but a worthy exercise nonetheless. If you have not painted yourselves lately, I would strongly encourage you to do so.

Thank you so much for viewing, reading, and taking the time to leave comments on my blog. This is a community of incredible, committed artists and I am happy to "know" each of you.

I wish all of you a very happy, healthy, and safe 2010.

Happy New Year!

SULLY

2009-12-29T22:05:00.005-06:00

8x10 oil on canvas sold

This is one of several commissions I've been working on before Christmas. Sully is an English Labrador Retriever, otherwise known as a "Blockhead" Lab. They are given this name because of their square or block shaped head. I understand, Sully works hard, plays hard, and in-between, naps hard. At the end of his hard day, I've been told he sleeps hard!

I wish you and your families a very Happy New Year, one filled with lots of art: buying, selling, collecting, and most importantly creating!!

DSFDF PORTRAIT & MY 100TH POSTING

2009-12-13T09:10:00.025-06:00

6x9 oil on canvas

So much to say, I've been overwhelmed with painting commissions, but cannot post much until after Christmas; however, I can post my DSFDF portrait painting. I was VERY intimidated when I first received my photo and then literally just threw my hands up in the air, and remembered it's just paint. Slowly my intimidation turned into fun, and I hope the end results show that I enjoyed myself through the process. I do not know who this fella is, but if you recognize him, please let me know!

Yesterday I had the most wonderful day. I met a fellow blogger and now friend, Ann Rogers, for an afternoon of drooling over the most spectacular plein air paintings. After a couple of hours of oohing and aahhing, we had lunch together and continued our conversation about the gallery exhibition and everything else we could possibly visit about...this may surprise you, I am a talker and so is Ann, there was never a moment of silence throughout our visit. Thank you Ann for a delightful afternoon!!

For those of you in the Dallas area, I would encourage you to see Southwest Gallery's Outdoor Painters Society exhibition (open through January 4th) and for those of you not in the area, here are some of the Texas artists I greatly admire, please take a look at some of these sites, you will not be disappointed!

John Cook

This is only a sampling of the artists whose work we viewed, but definitely these are some of my very favorite Texas artists. In addition to all of these links, here's another one for you: Outdoor Painters Society, there you will see all of the members and their incredible works. Ann, thanks again it was a wonderful cold, wet, and rainy Saturday to meet a new friend and talk art!

Thank you so much for visiting and commenting; I truly appreciate your visits, take care!!

BANDIT, THE BLUE EYED BROWN EYED DOG WONDER

2009-11-12T19:48:00.005-06:00

8x10 oil on canvas sold

Well, I have to say, not only do I love this little fella, but I also love his mama and boy, does his mama love him!! Bandit's mother is a young, new teacher at my school...someone please tell me why they're making teachers younger these days....Mrs. Yerger is one of my very favorite teachers and one I look forward to visiting with each morning. Luckily for both of us, our classrooms are across the hallway from each other. Sometimes the little ones have difficulty pronouncing Mrs. Yerger's name and they slip and call her Mrs. Yogurt, that always makes me laugh!

Ok, so time for Bandit's story. Bandit is a Boston Terrier/Border Collie mix and is the dog child of Mrs. Yerger's in-laws. As I understand it, Bandit knows no strangers and loves everyone he sees. He was born with unusual eyes, which sadly means that Bandit is blind in his beautiful blue eye. Apparently Bandit's limited eyesight has not affected his ability to be, and I quote: "the smartest and brightest, most obedient, and best cuddler of all dogs around." I don't know, do ya'll think Bandit is loved?

I hope each of you are enjoying a beautiful fall and looking forward to this time of blessing and thanksgiving, take care!

BEST FRIENDS

2009-11-05T21:06:00.004-06:00

16x20 oil on canvas sold

Here is one of my latest portrait commissions. Best Friends posed its own set of challenges, I had to balance these bright blue eyes, strawberry red hair, pale skin, and a very, very black dog or in this case, best friend. Take care and enjoy this wonderful fall weather wherever you might be!

TRINITY RIVER & HENRY FINKELSTEIN

2009-10-25T20:43:00.010-05:00

PRAIRIE POND sold

16X20 oil on canvas
PRAIRIE PATH

10x20 oil on canvas

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending a plein air workshop with Henry Finkelstein, an abstract expressionist from New York. I attended 2 of the 5 days and painted at the Trinity River Audubon Center. TRAC, just South of downtown Dallas, once an illegal dumping ground and reclaimed by the city, is now a wonderful educational facility for families and students.

In addition to my 2 paintings, I've included an exterior photo of the TRAC facility and a party photo we had on our last evening with Henry.

SUNKISSED

2009-10-07T22:18:00.004-05:00

8x8 oil on canvas panel

Another little painting for James Parker's blog. I was a little late with my submission, but James posted it for me...thank you Mr. Parker! The photo reference for this painting was delightful to work with; however, photographing this particular painting and getting it ready for posting proved to be very problematic. I don't know why the colors are so washed out...oh, well I tried.

I've not been the best blogger lately, but hope that you know that I appreciate your visits and comments. I would like to add a slide show of more pets posing with their paintings; however, for the life of me, I cannot figure out how to do it. If you know how and don't mind sharing the "slide show secret", could you please e-mail me? :-)

TWEEDLES x 2

2009-10-01T19:39:00.008-05:00

Look at what I got in the mail! Several postings back I posted this painting of Tweedles, which I had painted from a photo from James Parker's blog. In addition to these photos of a very photogenic Tweedles, I also received a beautiful & sincere letter of thanks that made me cry & smile all at the same time...this is why I love to paint!

Tweedles, you are the best; please tell your moms hello for me!

MELLO YELLOW

2009-09-28T22:12:00.009-05:00

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

2009-09-26T21:59:00.004-05:00

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

2009-09-18T21:04:00.004-05:00

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

2009-09-14T12:37:00.008-05:00

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

2009-09-12T15:54:00.004-05:00

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.

ANOTHER SUNDAY AFTERNOON

2009-08-30T20:12:00.014-05:00

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

2009-08-20T20:43:00.004-05:00

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

2009-08-15T17:40:00.004-05:00

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

2009-08-11T15:51:00.011-05:00

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

2009-08-09T19:55:00.003-05:00

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

2009-08-06T08:51:00.004-05:00

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!

AZALEA

2009-07-31T22:51:00.005-05:00

8x10 oil on canvas

This is my first painting for the Art for the Animals blog. Meet Azalea, a sweet happy little girl looking for a new family to adopt and love her. She was removed from a Dallas shelter after being there for over 100 days. Azalea is in a foster home and is described as a 2 year old Lab/Shepherd mix that is most affectionate, loves playing fetch, and gets along with her foster family's pets.

I fell in love with her happy girl face and love the one black polka-dot on her tongue. This portrait is my gift for whomever adopts Azalea.

PURE SWEETNESS

2009-07-28T17:54:00.005-05:00

8x10 oil on canvas panel

The original photo for this was quite fuzzy with a lot of detail absent, it was taken with a camera phone with a soft source of light in the background. The photo, borrowed from another friend on Facebook (thanks Beth!), brought back wonderful memories of rocking my daughter 19 years ago-pure sweetness!

In addition to the fuzzy photo and the fact that this is another figure painting, I had a new challenge here and that was painting the baby's skin contrasted with the Great Aunt. My favorite part of this are those itty bitty legs and that itty bitty little foot. Painting that part was one of those rare moments where the paint goes down one time and it's done! Thank you so much for visiting; I appreciate your comments!

PERSIA

2009-07-25T19:16:00.005-05:00

8x10 oil on canvas

For some reason I have become a painter of dogs and not a painter of cats, when I saw Persia posted on my friend's Facebook page a couple of months ago, I knew I just had to see if I could paint a cat. According to Jacque, Persia's favorite napping spot is on this embroidered pillow, with one little eye slightly open.

Several months ago, Jacque (an artist friend) gave me permission to use her photo, but I had to wait to paint Persia when I had time. On Wednesday I decided I could not paint another commission until I did something for me, or in this case for Jacque. I am so sad to say, Persia died just yesterday from kidney renal failure. I hate to end this blog post so abruptly and sadly, if you would like to see Jacque's beautiful graphic art, you can check out her website here.

Thank you so much for looking, reading, and listening; I appreciate the time you take to visit my blog.

FARM TO MARKET

2009-07-22T22:02:00.005-05:00

8x8 oil on canvas panel

This is Karin Jurick's newest challenge on the DSFDF blog. Because of Karin's beautiful figure paintings and her biweekly challenges, I am practicing painting figures much like this one. We were to focus on the entire figure; however, I cropped this a little differently. It is evident I have so much to learn, but that's why I'm here. Thanks for visiting!

HAPPY HANNAH

2009-07-21T08:15:00.006-05:00

8x16 oil on canvas panel

It's an overcast morning here, a little rain and the promise of more this afternoon. We have been so lucky these last few days to have rain come our way; I am very happy to have relief from the 100+ temps.

And speaking of happy, here's Happy Hannah, my final painting for James Parker' Windows to the World Art blog. The challenge for me here was to make her appear to be stepping forward and to keep her feet "grounded" so she did not appear to be floating. Some dogs are made to smile and Hannah must be one very loved dog to be grinning from ear to ear.

Now, off to my little studio closet for a serious day of painting. Thank you for visiting; take care!

TWEEDLES

2009-07-19T18:02:00.005-05:00

8x8 oil on canvas panel
Another painting for James Parker's, Windows to the World blog. This was fun to paint, but challenging because of the unusually adorable features that make pugs so special. Thanks for looking.