BARDLEDOO #4 of 50

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!