In other news – hubby is having shoulder surgery today, and while we’re excited about the possibility he might not feel the pain again that he’s been in for a couple of years now, it’s still surgery, we’re still “getting up there” in age and with every surgery there is risk – so we would greatly appreciate your prayers for safe keeping and speedy recovery.

I always find that some time in my garden with my flowers can do a lot for my mood, and I wonder if any of you have the opportunity to experience this. While I was thumbing through my recent shots, I found several that evoked very specific feelings in me, so I thought I’d do a little social experiment, if you will.

Over the next few days I’ll post my photos and you tell me how you feel when you’re looking at them. I’d like to know if it’s a momentary change or if you feel like you’ll carry this new feeling with you, even for a little while.

My irises have almost unfurled, and there’s already a very strong smell of grapes coming from them. I would, if I could, create and patent an iris scented nose insert. This would be especially good if you have smelly neighbors, or just spend a lot of time around smelly people. Simply put the iris scented nose inserts up into each nostril and voila! You smell grapes, and all the world is right again.

I have a lot of irises this year. I even planted one that is supposed to look like a Baboon’s butt Bottom. I know it sounds a little demented, but I’m kinda excited to see that one, kwim? People are strange. Myself included.

My gerber/gerbera daisies are lover-ly. I have several in a planter that my hubby made for me, it’s my daisy planter box. People actually slow down when they drive past my house to look at the pretty flowers. I always flip them my green thumb when they do that, I’m such a show off.

This is how my planter looks this year:

They’re really sissy flowers, and require a lot of attention and babying – but they’re worth it. Now for the good stuff. I mean the REALLY good stuff. The stuff that’s going to prove that my thumb probably isn’t as green as I’d like to think!

This is my vegetable garden. Hubby dug it up, it’s 12′ x 12′. He reeeealy wanted a veggie garden this year so I’m going to do my best. I’ve planted broccoli, cauliflower, beets, bush beans, green peppers and two half rows of spinach. We also have (off to the side against the fence) roma tomatoes and cucumber. Now, I have to tell you, I kill food. I kill it dead, and fast.

It’s been one week and one day since I planted stuff and things are still standing up and green.

(Pausing for applause.)

I am hoping, if all goes well, to be eaten alive by garden bugs and sweat like a farmer woman pulling weeds by mid summer. Why on earth is this something that a girl would aspire to, anyway? All this just for a fresh head of broccoli? Maybe what I really aspire to is to be clubbed over the head and dragged away by my really long hair by a cave man. Or a military man. (There, honey, now you qualify.)

Any gardeny advice for a newbie? Please? Tips, tricks or sprays that I should use? Special gloves? Bandanas? Ponytail holders? Knee pads? Grub identification manuals? Anything?

Okay, well, you think about it and I’ll get back to work over here. I’ve got blog designing to do. And paintings to ship, and jeez – a whole bunch of stuff on my to-do list! (Crack that whip!)

It’s raining cats in my studio – this is my second completed cat portrait this week. Morris is an orange tabby and this is also a memorial painting for his furmom. He passed away just a couple of months ago so I hope that his portrait brings her years of warm memories and smiles.

I’ve left my brushes beside the piece so you can see what I use when I work the final layer. Yes – that’s a toothpick, so you can see how small the brushes are. I do paint each piece of fur one piece at a time, that’s what gives my paintings their depth and realism. It may be tedious, but the results are so well worth it to me, and to my clients.

I’ll post the final scan once his portrait is dry & varnished.

Thanks for tuning in to my studio cam, if you had the chance!

Callie’s portrait is complete – I’ll post a scan after the painting is dry. You can view her previous progress shot here. 🙂

I’ve sketched up another cat portrait – this is Rex. He’s a tuxedo kitty, just gorgeous with a Groucho Marx style moustache across his nose. He even has a similar look on his face, too!

I’ll work in this background in the next few days as well.

Jambalaya, aka Jam or Jammy, is a red and white husky. She’s gorgeous – you’ll see that as her painting progresses – in part because she’s got bi-colored eyes. Jam and Badger (recently completed) are in the same family.

I will work in the background while I’m finishing up all of my other portraits – but it will be a week or two before I get to work her underpainting in.

I had quite the giddy little girl surprise yesterday when I opened my mailbox – I received the July issue of DogWorld Magazine. I wasn’t expecting this issue until – well, July. So I was pretty surprised to see it and cannot TELL you how quickly I opened up to the inside cover contents:

Now, this is where the squealing like a little girl part came in. Those of you who know my work know exactly why already, those of you who don’t? Click here, then come back and have another look. If any of you would like to reminisce, you could go back to my blog archives and have a walk down memory lane, and see how Katie’s portrait came to life in my studio.

When I was asked to display artwork in DogWorld Magazine, I was absolutely ecstatic. I had to submit work for consideration, first, and then the editorial team would approve the final artwork selected for this issue. Katie was an obvious choice, she’s a gorgeous purebred Lab. I quickly provided everything they requested and it wasn’t long before her portrait was issued their stamp of approval. So much so, in fact, that they gave her a full page:

From start to finish, Katie’s portrait is “all me”. What’s different about this piece from my other portraits is that I also did the photo shoot with Katie. I selected this composition from my own photography – so it is exactly how I envisioned her from start to finish. Getting down on the floor with her and hanging out with her, seeing how she behaved around her mom, this conveys her spirit in a portrait perfect way, from first hand knowledge and experience.

The greatest part about this opportunity is that it is who it is. Dog lovers, those who have those special connections with their dogs, trainers, aficionados – these are the eyes that will pick up this magazine and see this portrait, so this is such an insane honor. Really. I can’t even wrap my brain around how flattered and overwhelming it is.

Other artists work included in the “Gallery of Dogs” spread include Michael Pfleghaar, Louise Peterson, Nicholas Moss, Paul Boddum, Marjorie Pesek, Lori Alexander and Hilda Spain-Owen.

If you’re in the pet store or Borders or wherever there’s a great big magazine rack – pick up the July (2008) issue of Dog World.