Pretty Girl!

Just wanted to update a nice pic of Emily, my Great Pyrenees. She is lying on the
sofa next to me right now in the nice, comfortable airconditioning-dreaming. Her whiskers are twitching and and she is chasing after an imaginary squirel, legs moving and and contracting in perfect reciprocal motion.

I am between paintings at the moment. All week I have wanted to work in my studio but have sucessfuly found everything else to do. You name it, cleaned, vacumed, reorganized the back bedroom and my studio, messed around ALOT on the computer. Even had to have AAA come out to jump a dead battery in the Trailblazer. Have done no painting...argh! Tomorrow I go back to work at the hospital.....

Also, must postpone my trip to Greensboro, NC, for a couple of weeks. I look forward to getting up there. It will be so nice to see my dear friend Donna and the new friends I have met! I am excited to get the commissioned portraits to their homes!!

Till next time!!

99% done

Here is the nearly finished portrait of Oliver and Yoda. I need to set it aside for a few days and look at it---but I would say it is there. (maybe a little more tweaking...) They were fun to work on!!

I met a wonderful local artist today named Maggie Weakly. What a delight! It was nice to meet someone who shares similar interests and a desire to excel in the art field. She loves horses and dogs and doing artwork!! Her website is: www.maggiesangels.com. Please go take a look! I dare you not to smile! :) She will be creating a portrait for me of Emily, my Great Pyrenees. I can't wait!! She has a whimsical, colorful style that captures the personality of your animal. I was so proud of Emily today. She was such a good girl!

I have 2 portraits next--Duchess the warmblood with Ryan riding her and Merideth, a lovely wedding picture for Janice in Greensboro. Now I just need a good dose of self discipline and START THEM!! Until next time!!

WIP Oliver & Yoda

Happy Memorial Day to all! This is a special day to honor all those that have served our country. I was raised in a military family and came to appreciate the sense of duty and commitment that our soldiers have for our nation. We are Blessed to live here!!! We are Blessed to be free!! Thank You!!!

Here are Barbara's 2 boys. I met Oliver and Yoda on my trip to Greensboro, N.C.
I waited till I passed the "ugly" stage before posting this work in progress. They are a couple of Cool Guys!! This is pastel on suede mattboard, 11 x 14. I still have much to do but am starting to like it. I hope I can capture the personality of these two characters! They made me smile!!

Till next time!! My goal is to complete two of my 6 commissions from my N.C. trip this week. Wish me Luck!!!

Moses Done!

I am happy to report that Moses is done. I hope they like what they see!! Wanting to start a new one today. May have to tweak the background a little still. I have time.
Had to reschedule yesterday's photoshoot of horse and rider, so today is the day. Again, pending weather.
Going back to work starting tomorrow so limited time for artwork ahead.
Hope to chat with you all later!!

Moses part 1 "Squirel Alert"

Here is a work in progress of Moses. He is a black, tricolored, Australian Shepherd I met in North Carolina. He belongs to Lizzie's dad, Harold. She commissioned me while I was up there as a gift for her father. I am hoping to get this done in the next couple of days. I started this in interim while I gathered more information for the full body portrait of Duchess and Ryan.
Today, if the weather holds up I will be going out to Paloose Ranch www.pamlynnpalooseranch.com and observing and photographing Ryan riding Duchess. My sketch of Duchess looks good, I just need to have some better information about Ryan. However, for the first time in a long time it looks like it might RAIN! Very much needed, but the timing is not so good. We will see what happens...
Until the next installment!

Duchhess

Duchess is done! I am pleased with the results. I hope that Bobbie, (yup, her name is Bobbie too!!) loves it too. I am looking forward to the second portrait!! Pastels on suede mattboard is such a wonderful combination. You can create a soft and realistic painting.

Tomorrow it is back to work. The hospital is always there waiting for me to come back. For the next 4 days it is highly unlikely that I will be doing much artwork. I am just so wiped out after work. However, the yoga I have been doing on a regular basis has helped me have more balance and energy. Yeah! Now, if I can just get some weight off!!! My forever battle!

Until the next painting....Will check back with you all soon!

Here is a progress report on my current commissioned portrait. I would like to introduce you
to Duchess. She is a beautiful, bloodbay ,Warmblood mare. I feel very fortunate to paint her!! There will be another portrait of her with Ryan riding her. She is a lovely mover!!

This piece is a 16 x 20 Pastel on suede matt board. There is still much to do with both her and the background. Just wanted to get this out there for you all to see.

Having my day off. I have gone back to working Thursday through Sunday. This way I will have Monday through Wednesday off on a regular basis. Hopefully it will help me to get back in a better, more productive routine.

I have also taken the step --I have asked for help. Not something I do easily. In trying to keep my energy up for doing my artwork, and having only limited time I came to the realization that I can't do it all (well). Big surprise! I have met someone who will help me to keep the homefront a little cleaner and dog hair free so that I can free up my energy to keep up with my art work. Yeah!! Thank you Angela!

The finished piece will follow!!