Sink or Swim

Here is Preston the Welsh Corgi, 12x14" colored pencil on linen, my reference photos.  This was a custom portrait created for the best of clients who expressly encouraged  me to paint whatever made me happy; thus the unusual angle and wet fur. The client, myself and her two dogs, spent hours walking and photographing at two different locations, until I had many beautiful reference shots from which to choose. My art needs a story and Preston provided one when he unexpectedly  followed his housemate, a Labrador Retriever, straight into the river. Corgis are all chest and no legs. Preston had never been beyond wading. He sank like a stone, then bobbed to the surface. The swimming technique, newly minted, added to the hilarity of  Preston's alarmed expression, but he arrived safely to the water's edge soaking wet and disgruntled.

I'm Having way too much fun!

You know,  this is the most fun I've had in months!  And the most interesting part is it is a custom portrait, not something I'm doing for myself or a competition.  This is a WIP of Preston, a very wet Welsh Corgi that just discovered that water can swallow you whole. During the photo shoot we took a stroll along the bank of The Little Miami, East Fork Branch. Preston followed his Labrador Retriever housemate straight into the river without a thought.  He'd never been in water over his head. He sank like a stone, then bobbed up with an expression of pure shock! Pres isn't entirely sure water is to be trusted ever again!  This piece will eventually be 12x14" Painted on lovely blue linen mat with CARAN d"ACHE Luminance, PRISMACOLOR and DERWENT COLOURsoft pencils.

Did you know?

As I'm doing my usual Friday morning catch-up, it occurs to me that you might be interested in knowing a few things about me.  You see me posting my art work fairly regularly on Facebook and my Pepper Portraits blog, but did you know that besides being a completely committed artist, I hold two part time jobs?  Winning a few awards and getting published, does not guarantee a regular pay check.  Nope, I go months sometimes without a sale.  I'm married to a wonderful guy who pays most of the bills, but by no means makes enough money for me to do art 24-7. I have to at least cover groceries and vet bills, which with 2 older dogs and three cats, adds up, believe you me! So I continue to work as a vet assistant in a small animal veterinary practice.  I've been working with vets since 2011- started in my 40's and still doing doggy yoga as I near 60.  I feel like a thirty year old with  no time to get old! My other job is a gallery portrait artist- picture framer -Girl Friday for a lovely little gallery, in a haunted brick building, in the small river town of Milford Ohio.  There I teach portrait classes, frame picture, assist hanging shows and whatever else they might need of me.

So please don't romanticize the business of art.  It is not easy.  It does not pay well. I stick my neck out everyday in hopes it does not get chopped off:)

Stripes Hooligan is in Art Comes Alive 2015

I was just informed that my colored pencil painting  "Stripes Hooligan" was accepted into ADC's ACA 2015 exihbition in Cincinnati. https://www.facebook.com/ArtComesAliveCincy?fref=ts

That is a lot of letters!  It is a fancy affair.  I might actually have to get dressed up:)

 

Anubis is signed

Looking through reference material, I came across a series of photos taken in Cape May New Jersey and immediately  thought "scale of justice." The scale is associated with Anubis. The idea of a guardian protector of the dead, who by weighing the heart, determined a soul worthy of Heaven or Hell, originated with the Egyptians and was later adopted by the Greeks, who named the God Anubis. In this image, two helmet-shaped, Horseshoe Crabs, deemed to be living fossils and estimated to be 450 million years old are held at arm's length by the beautiful yet indifferent young woman, who hides her slight amusement behind dark glasses. The white dress reminds us that our fate is yet to be determined.

Anubis is painted /drawn with Prismacolor pencil French Grays 10%-90%, black Verithin and some solvents.  It measures roughly 39.5x 36".  The photograph shows up blue at the bottom.  This is some kind of reflection that I haven't figured out how to omit.  Stay tuned.....

Christmas rush!

I just finished two small paintings for a lovely client who wished to create the perfect gifts for her two children:  table top original portraits of their two dogs. Each child chose a puppy fourteen years ago. They are now gray in the muzzle and a little slower, but otherwise healthy. The children, both in college, miss their pups. I spent a few hours one afternoon, photographing and getting to know the dogs, while also learning about the family and the mom. The photographs and expressions were chosen by her. We wished to capture each dog's personality in a tiny 5x7 head shot. This is not an easy task. In fact, a lot can be lost in one small tick of the pencil. I struggled with these. There was concern that the dog Ed, looking at the viewer and pleading to be petted, might appear to be giving dominant eye contact.  Thanks to my husband's suggestion, a  touch of dark to the eyebrow made the difference in the perceived expression. The other dog, Lucy held a strange pose which finally necessitated the inclusion of parts of her foreleg; otherwise her head would have seemed tipped over.

I decided to use colored linen mat as the surface to give these a painterly feel. Lucy, who is mostly black, is painted on a dark blue mat and Ed, who has a lot of browns and reds, is on a red mat. Using  colored mat board, even if  completely covered with pigment, is similar to an under paint wash and provides tone.

When my client finally saw the finished pieces she was completely satisfied. This is a blessing, because I never know what a client will think until they have the art in hand. Now I can relax for a bit and paint something new, something BIGGER.

Bragging rights

I'm tipping the proverbial "hat" to myself. The past few months have been quite successful: My painting "Waiting" was selected to be in Ann Kullberg's e-book Hidden Treasures. This same painting, which earned  CPSA Signature Status for me by being my third acceptance into the CPSA International Exhibition within ten years, was also purchased at a recent art fair and was my biggest sale to date. And let's be honest,  sales make the rest possible. For those of you interested, I am in the process of having the image printed in giclee form to be sold in my shop soon.  READ ON

My painting "Who Rescued Whom" was published in Strokes of Genius 6, by Rachel R. Wolf, Northlight Books, hitting the bookstore shelves as we speak.

My painting "Departing" earned second place at the CPSA District Chapter 119 exhibition, showing now until the end of the month at The Clifton Cultural Arts Center in Clifton Oh.

That's it for now, but there is always room for more.