With the New Year comes new art in my studio. These are the rest of the commissioned works that I’ll be completing in oils over the next few weeks.

A. Custom portrait of two very wonderful people, this is 8×10.

B. Custom cat painting - this is Elsie. This portrait will memorialize her, as she’s recently passed over the rainbow bridge. Her mom sent me the story of her life, and by the time I was finished, I was reading through blubbers and drips. She had a beautiful life, and she’s got a wonderful mom. This is an 11×14.

C. Custom cat painting of Willie, a pretty longhaired tuxedo cat. He’s 8×8.

D-E-F & G. Custom lovebird paintings. These are 4×4 little bitty canvas panels that will get matted and framed out to a larger size to really make them a focal point. Lovebirds are gorgeous, as you know, and there are two pair in this family. I have all of their names, but they’re a bit jumbled as I’m not sure yet which name goes with which pretty bird.

H. That pretty little kitty, Cheeky, done up in a larger, 6×6 portrait.

Then there’s Katie’s portrait, and then I’ll get crackin on the Heron painting - because it won’t be long before it’s time for my first exhibition (in March) - and I’m a last minute crunch kinda gal.

Suffice it to say - my New Year’s Resolution? To Paint. A lot.

What’s your biggest most important goal for the New Year?

I’ll be finishing up this little 4×6 portrait over the next day or two (we’ll see how the indigo dries tonight). Here’s what this painting looked like when I started it just before Christmas.

Wow, you guys are great! You gave me a lot of really awesome feedback, and I appreciate it! I’m going to show you another photo of Katie, then tell you the photo I’ll paint her portrait from and why I chose it.

Katie, the remote control hog

Here are the two photos that seem to be most popular:

  

I’m totally with you guys on both of them. I love the calm Katie of the left, the one who seems pensive, the hunter in her. I love the window pane, the frame, the reflection, the wood. I would absolutely paint her in this pose if it weren’t for one thing. Her personality.

Katie is more like the remote control hog of a lab. The lovin’ whap you in the arm with that long tail yellow lab. When she looks up at her mom, she’s sweet and wants to please and play at the same time.

She’s a smiley, happy girl and the photo on the right is SO her. Now I didn’t expect you to know that just from a few photos, but I was really curious to know if you would sense her personality from the assortment I put up.

After I studied the photos again and read your comments, I got to work this morning on her sketch.

Now - to choose the hue for the background! (Anyone want to pick a nice shade from another painting in my gallery?)

A couple of months ago, I had a photo shoot with a Yellow Lab Gal named Katie. She was fun, and boisterous, and just downright gorgeous once I got home and opened up the resulting photographs on my monitor. I am drawn to paint a few of these, obviously. Her mom likes them all, so she’s leaving the choice up to me.

Given that you can’t possibly know which ones I’m drawn to, I’d love for you to give me your suggestion - which photo do you think would make for the best oil portrait of Katie? And then, if you’re feeling up to it, you can try to guess the ones I’m most enamored with to paint from.

Katie #1

Katie #2

Katie #3

Katie #4

Katie #5

Katie #6

I’d love your input! Which one do you like best for Katie’s painting? Mood, personality, lighting and color are all important aspects - and I’m also curious to know your personal pose preference!

I received the best gifts this year. I got to have breakfast and spend time with my bestest bud ever (Paige), who traveled up to the frozen tundra from her tropical climate just to have brunch with me. (I wish!) I was so happy to spend a handful of hours with her, her man and their son - who just happens to be my Godson (and just came to realize I rock, with special thanks to John Deere). There’s never enough time, and there are never enough visits. I need to make more time for those special friendships - lesson learned.

The girls woke at 6am Christmas morning, squealing and giggling over the gifties under the tree. I design journal covers every year, this year Chickeymonkey got her first doodle pad. “Oodlez of Doodlez by Chickeymonkey”. Catybug’s cover design is based on her Smilly Girl (and family). They are already putting them to good use, young imaginations are going crazy around here! I found them resting later on Christmas morning attached to their Pengies and Monkeys.

  

Even Tuckerhead scored this year. He was a happy puppy when he saw a pressie in the middle of the floor, and he was a GOOD DOG when he just sat there and didn’t. even. touch it. Yeah! Merry Christmas to me! I untied the bow and opened it up so he could see something was in there, then he sniffed around until he pulled out his very own squeaky frog. In 10 minutes (or less) the poor thing lost an eye. (the frog, not the dog.)

Now all the youngin’s in our house have their cuddly cozy stuffies and although the two larger ones aren’t pulling the stuffing out of theirs with their teeth, they are enjoying them all the same.

I didn’t even get to finish the 12 days of Christmas sandwich bag doodles - heck I spent two days in hypertension mode shipping and then waiting for word on delivery of the GTO painting (final scan coming soon). I just kept picturing the package lying on a tarmac being run over by a package cart, sqwished and forgotten. I kept hoping Woody and Buzz might find it and lasso it and throw it on a plane for me. At least my wild imagination kept me entertained, huh? Oh - and yes, the painting arrived, intact, on Christmas Eve. (A day late, but it got there!)

To my sweet, dear, wonderful friends who sent me all the Harry and David packages, I sure hope that these will be followed by 4 week supply of nutrisystem meals. Good grief. (Note to self: complain more about wide spread and thunder thighs.) I still love you, though, I do. Keep in mind that I say that from the bottom of my pure cane sugar and cocoa buzz. Here’s hoping eggbeaters sustain me after the first of the year. Again.

handmade angel ornament crafted by my mom & sister

Merry Christmas, everyone. Thank you for being part of my life, thank you for hanging out in my little bitty space with me - and thank you for letting me share my art (and stuff) with you. Hugs and blessings to each of you this Christmas, may your heart be lifted up by the Reason for the Season.

I painted for 10 solid hours yesterday to complete this gorgeous car in time for my client for Christmas. I’ll have to overnight it, but that’s ok - I am SO excited to show you the final scan of this painting once it’s dry.

You can see this painting as it has progressed here.

This is my first “official” custom car painting. I’ve done sketches of cars and a colored pencil drawing back in high school - but this rocks. It’s entirely different from pet portraits, obviously - the line work and edges are not so forgiving. I love a challenge though - and I love a good artistic stretch. This was definitely it!

This painting has to be seen in person to really appreciate - because the reds overwhelm the lens of my digital camera. It’s a rich, beautiful red with cherry red lightening it up. It’s glossy without being pink - the treads on the tires are deep and show slight wear - the chrome is gleaming. The background color (payne’s gray) is not blue, really, and it looks like she’s sitting on a showroom floor.

I’ll scan this piece and share the final detail shots in a couple of days.

I worked on this little 4″ x 6″ Father & Daughter portrait yesterday since I was waiting for paint to dry to get that Sweet Ride finished up (which will happen today). The green is not really grass green, it’s more a drab olive into a nice warm gold. So if you don’t mind, pretend I did an accurate color correction, or just gasp in awe or something dramatic when you do see the true color.

On the Sixth Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
(wrapped up in a PB&J)
7 Swans a-swimming,
6 Geese a-laying,
5 Golden Rings,
4 Calling Birds,
3 French Hens,
2 Turtle Doves,
and
A Partridge in a Pear Tree

I’m so very glad you’re enjoying my Sandwich Bag Doodle art! The girls really get a tickle out of their bags during the day - they even show them off to their friends! The only problem - Catybug said my handwriting is getting sloppy. “Clirubnas? What’s Clirubnas?”

If this keeps up, I’ll start putting pressure on myself to make them little masterpieces instead of quick whimsical doodles. You can see it happening already, now that I’ve broken out the colored sharpies. Full color sandwich bag art? Ugh - whatever happened to spending 10 minutes braiding hair in the morning? Now I spend it coloring on ziplocs, and whip up a ten-second ponytail.

As long as the song is stuck in your head, I’m good.