"Warming Up"

Ever since the loss of my dog Dusty I've had the biggest "painter's block" I've ever had.  I decided tonight to do a painting of Dusty hoping that would help me break through whatever emotions are keeping me from wanting to paint again...  I just couldn't do it.  I looked at some photos and took them into the studio and just wasn't ready.  So instead I painted from a reference photo of a friend's dog (thanks Tavey)...  hoping to get out of this funk soon.  I know Dusty wouldn't let anything keep him from being himself - I'm hoping to follow his example.

Heavy Laden

Yesterday a coworker told me the most adorable story.  When she was little her family grew a lot of their own food.  One day she spotted a zucchini that was well hidden and had grown very large.  She loved the zucchini and adopted it as her surrogate baby - naming it Heavy Laden (that's my favorite part)...  When Heavy Laden got to be truly too heavy laden and she had to part with it she was very sad for a long time.  So last night I just started doodling and it turned into this little painting.

Commissions...

One down and two to go...here is a commissioned painting I finished last night - my friend Lani's son commissioned me to paint a portrait of his wife for their anniversary.  She's gorgeous and it was a pleasure to paint.  The next two are dog portraits...

Sold

More sketchbook pages... intro to "the cat lady" part of my life

These next pages are my introduction to the cats that changed my life in my twenties and thirties - Satchmo, Stretch and Boonga.  It's going to be so fun to remember them.  Unfortunately I don't have any photos to work from so will just be depending on my memory (not so good) and my imagination (much better).

The first pages of my Sketchbook project

Things that change other things...

Tonight I'm starting on the Sketchbook Project - a collection of journals that will travel across the country in galleries and museums (see the link on the right side of this blog).  The theme I chose is "things that change other things"...mine will be dedicated to the animals that have changed me.  Tonight I'm starting with the first dog I fell in love with - my Boxer, Sport.  It's a hard story for me to tell but I think this whole journal will be a wonderful way to share both the painful and magical, beautiful, miraculous way that animals have changed who I am.  Will share more with you as I go.

A poem from a friend at work in honor of my birthday last weekend

At the shore's edge I picked up a shell.
I listened across the sounds of the ocean as the bells
of time glistened.
Years had come and years had gone -
the waves washing away each one.
I listened a little closer -
a new sound emerged from the shell...
The sound of many more happy years of all
that is good and well.

Bunny Love

A little watercolor for this morning while packing to spend the night camping - yeah!

We're going to Larrabee State Park to celebrate my birthday tonight.

Boxes made by my dad...

Throughout the years my dad has made me the most gorgeous wooden boxes.  I treasure every one of them - they are among my most cherished possessions.  The long one on the right is the one I got today...it will be just perfect for holding paint brushes!  What a lucky girl I am:)

Marley's Flying Saucer

My cat Marley has taken to laying on my dog Rainey's new

Frisbee.  We suspect she thinks it's a flying saucer

and is ready for take off :)

The little collages I did yesterday...almost dry

July 5

I'm working on a bunch of little collage pieces with diamond glaze - can't wait to show you but wait I must.  The glaze takes about 24 hours to dry...  I'm working on cattledogs, ravens, cats - smile :)  These are SO fun to make...

Red Ball Mansion

Just a little pen and ink with watercolor doodle from yesterday...

no mansion is complete without a red ball :)

An Acquired Taste

A little birthday sketch for my friend Sandy's husband John.  I had such a wonderful

time visiting them earlier this spring.  John told us that martinis were an

acquired taste and then spent the next several hours showing us how

to acquire a taste for them:)

Cheers!