Dog is Family

I had the great pleasure of being a guest this past Friday on my local TV station, BCTV's show, "Dog is Family". It is hosted by Barb Emmett, owner of Godfrey's Dogdom in Mohnton, PA.  Godfrey's is a spectacular store all about dogs.  They define themselves as a destination that specialize in everything "of and about dogs, and those people, collectively, who are interested in dogs."  Their motto is "Where a happy canine lifestyle is your lifestyle" and this couldn't be more fully realized in the products they carry and services they offer.  Barb is simply a wonderful, dog loving, great person and if you've never been to Godfrey's I urge you to make the trip, if at all possible.  Check out their website here.
Anyway, Barb interviewed me (animal portrait painter extraordinaire:) and 2 other fabulous guests - a holistic veterinarian and a professional animal behaviorist who helped care for and place all the lost pets when hurricane Harvey hit Houston.  It is a very entertaining show all around.  I hope you will give it a listen... my part is first! :) 
Click here to go to the show. 

I also talked about some upcoming events and goings on.. See below for the skinny.. Take note... I will be doing the February 30 in 30... so... be prepared!

Day 7 of the 30 in 30 - Twin Barks sign 2

Happy Labor day! (to those of us who live in the U.S...)  Hope you are enjoying the day and perhaps picnicking with friends and family...

Today's post is the 2nd sign I was commissioned to paint for a cottage in Mt. Gretna, PA.  As I said yesterday, this was such a fun commission to do, as I love to paint dogs and landscapes, plus there is something about painting text that I also enjoy!  So, wow, all three of those elements went into creating these signs, making it a completely satisfying project.  The second sign feature 2 different poses for the dogs, plus different scenery.  My client asked for a landscape that had fall colors in it, as Mt. Gretna is particularly beautiful in the fall.  I am posting another before picture today as well, purely for your viewing pleasure.  I had to strip the original paint off of the signs and restore some areas of the wood as the signs are quite old and had some damage.  After wood puttying, applying a wood hardener and painting on 2-3 coats of primer and gesso, they were finally ready to paint!  Hope you enjoyed this installment of the 30 in 30.... See you tomorrow!

Twin Barks Sign 2, oil on wood, 5" x 23", private collection

Close up of Bouvier

Signs after stripping original finish and restoring the wood

Day 6 - Twin Barks Commission

I am so thankful and humbled that people come to me sometimes, and request that I paint them a custom painting... Getting to know the client, and working together to come up with the perfect painting is a challenge that often results in me learning about something or some place that I never knew about before!  I was recently commissioned by a gentleman from Washington DC to paint signs for his summer cottage in Mt. Gretna that bears the name "Twin Barks".  In his youth he had two dogs, a Standard black poodle and a Bouvier des flandres and they always greeted visitors, both barking... hence the name Twin Barks... He had the original signs (both quite old) that he wanted restored and painted with a more artistic flair.  With his input and through several editing renditions using different backgrounds and dog poses, I designed 2 unique signs for him. They were finally completely dry after 3 final coats of exterior polyurethane and I delivered them earlier this morning! Below is the before and after pics of one of the signs. Stay tuned to see the second sign in another of my 30 in 30 posts!  Thanks for looking!

Twin Barks, sign 1, oil on wood, 5" x 23", private collection

Out for a walk

When I think about some of the most relaxing activities I can engage in in my life, walking my dogs is definitely top of the list.  I don't get out with them as often as I used to as they are both 13 and one has trouble walking for long distances.  But when I am walking around the neighborhood or woods with my pooches, things seem just a little bit better!  This painting was an experiment with dramatic lighting and shadows while trying to capture a candid view of two dogs out for a nice trot.  

Out for a Walk,  9" x 12", oil on panel
To purchase this painting, click here

The Athlete

So, many of us probably know a dog who is just an incredible athlete.  I know one such dog, who, luckily for me lives in the house behind me.  His owners are especially nice people and they let me photograph their dog (Ellik is his name) while he was exercising the other day.  He is a great frisbee catching dog and wonderful to watch.  Incidentally he also has the sweetest personality.  I can't remember at the moment what kind of dog he is - (something Portugese?) But if I get the chance to ask I will add that in here.  This painting came from one of the photos I took.  There were many, because he also happens to be very photogenic.  (Can you tell that I like him?)

The Athlete, or, Eye on The Prize, 11" x 14", Oil on Canvas

Must I Sit for a Treat?

I am tentatively titling the painting of Jonna's three dogs, Must I sit for a treat?   The thing is, I don't think I have ever titled a painting before.  It just doesn't seem necessary, usually.  But every time I look at this painting, and throughout the time I spent working on it, Gus, the chocolate lab, seemed to be staring out at me saying just that.  Really, why must I sit every time you give me a treat?   This painting to me is about Jonna's 3 dogs, but mostly, it is about Gus.  So here it is.  The differences are slight compared to the last post of this painting, but I did do a lot of refining and adjusting so things were 'right' in my eyes. 

Recovered from Christmas... Finally

So I start a blog then don't post to it.  Smart. 
Well, in my defense, Christmas was particularly rough this year.  Or last year, or whatever.  But I feel as though I am finally working my way out of the fog.  So, I will post some pictures today, but am not sure on all of the exact dates that I completed them.  Just know that they were completed sometime between November and Now (January 27, 2013). 

3 Dog portraits...Because I love my dogs soooo much and they are sooooo photogenic.  I take pictures of them all the time and some of them I just have to paint. These 3 are all done in oil on canvas

 Smiling Scooter, 10x10

 Ali and Scooter, 18x24

Surveying the backyard, 11x14

Ali is the smaller one and she is a 13 year old Jack Russel that we got from the humane society.  She is such a cutie.  And Scooter is also 13 years old and he is a Rat Terrier.  He is a goofy butt.  Here I captured his little brown butt, which is a standing joke about Scooter.  And Ali the sturdy little girl who loves tennis balls but is getting too old to chase them anymore.... :(