Another of my Seven Cow Paintings

This is another of the cow paintings that kept me busy all through the month of April.  There are five more I'll be showing.  This is a Jersey cow.  The original was 30x40 inches and has been sold.

Following this past month's marathon, I figured this is a good time to take a new direction in my artwork.  So in addition to still doing custom animal paintings, and the occasional animal painting from my own photographs, I am making two very (for me) big changes in my artwork:  I am going to be painting primarily landscapes from now on (suggestions welcome!), and I'm switching from acrylics to oils as my medium.

I've been practicing both the new medium and the new subject matter, and there's going to have to be a pretty sharp learning curve for me.  It's a whole new field (no pun intended!), and I'm really excited about it.  Please, if you've followed me mostly because I have painted animals for years, stay with me and see how my new work is going.  Wish me luck on this new chapter in my painting career.

One more thing:  For those of you who know of my past ceramic artwork, I am once again making some ceramic animal masks and will be listing them on Etsy within the following few months.  There will only be a few each month, approximately 10 per month, because I don't want to make them full-time anymore.  But I must admit that I am enjoying the several hours a week I've been spending in my clay studio; it's a welcome break from "my day job."  If you have mask requests, let me know and I'll do my best to create something like what you want.  I am going to be doing a few different types of animals this time:  In addition to the usual dogs and cats (and possibly a few fish), I'm going to be making some cow and rooster masks.  Should be interesting.

Done! The cow paintings are finished and out the door today

I have finished my group of commissioned cow paintings and am calling the shipper today, so they'll be out of here either today or tomorrow morning.  They'll be gracing the administrative offices of a dairy in California.

It's been a very long, difficult month, but it's done.  I'll be displaying the paintings (seven of them) over the next few days.  The first one is below.

For those of you who have contacted me about commissioning custom paintings -- or who have already received a response from me, saying I'll be starting your painting(s) in May, I'll be back in touch with you right away to get things started.  For those of you who are interested in having a commissioned painting done, I am fully booked for the month of May and am now taking orders for June and beyond.

Curious Jersey

Sorry about the "noise" in the photo; I'll fix it later to remove it.

All of the cows I painted in this commission live at a beautiful small farm down near Corvallis, Oregon, about an hour and a half south of where I live.  With permission, I went out into the field with them and had a most wonderful afternoon, taking hundreds of photos of them.  They were amazingly sweet-natured and very curious about what I was up to.  I guess I ought to have been a bit frightened as I was completely surrounded on all sides by them, but they were so calm and friendly that I was totally at ease with them.  I know I sound like a "city person," but I'm not.  I've spent years and years around horses and other animals associated with farms, but this really was my first up-close and personal encounter with a large number of cows.

Going to be a bit silent for a while

I've recently received a rather large commission, seven Jersey cow paintings of varying sizes, due within a month, so I'm not going to be doing much of anything else besides these Jersey cow paintings.  I've had the order for about a week so far and have roughed in (put down my base coats) all but the largest one, which is around 3 x 4 feet.  Believe me, I'm going to know Jersey cows when I'm done with this project.

Also, I might add:  I am doing extra Jersey cow paintings, too, as I'm finishing up this project, so I'll have some other Jersey cow paintings available for sale to the general public.  They'll be mostly in the 16x20" to 24x30" sizes, on gallery-wrapped canvases.  I'll publish them as they are finished.  Further, I have recently gone on a photo-shoot in a field of Guernsey cows, so I'll be doing some Guernsey paintings as well.  Plus, I was able to get some great photos to work from for at least a couple of sheep paintings.  I'll be going back to the field of sheep for more photos sometime this summer, so I'll be doing more of them.

Yes, I know it seems that my dog-painting business has gone to the ---- cows.  I am still going to continue to paint dogs, but I really, really do want to branch out and do more animals and more varied work overall.  I'm still just dying to do some landscape paintings, and I really hope this is the year I get to do so.  Some of my farm animal paintings, in fact, are going to be part farm animal painting and part landscape.   Painting is soooooo exciting!!!  How lucky am I to have such a stimulating, demanding, exciting career!

A Couple of Precious Italian Greyhound Custom Paintings I just finished

 These two beauties are Pearl and Belle, and I just finished painting them yesterday.  They were commissioned paintings for a special birthday spouse, who I hope loves them.  They were a great pleasure to paint, both being very photogenic girls.

My Neighbor's Yellow Labrador Retriever

This is Harper!  She is a beautiful yellow lab belonging to my neighbor.  She patiently sits every day outside her home to greet every walker. Her "dad" gave me permission to do a painting of her, and I really do appreciate it.  She was a pleasure to paint.

Portland Saturday Market Opening March 2, 2013 for our 40th Year!

I'm back at the Portland Saturday Market starting tomorrow for its 40th season.  While I am a relatively recent market member (I started in 1994), there are many artists/craftspeople who have been there from the very first day back in 1973.   I'm excited about going back again and hope some of you come down to the market and drop by my booth and say hi.  My space number this year is #338, just up the steps on the first row nearest the red information trailer.  The weather is going to be pretty cooperative this weekend, so I'm looking forward to a fun, busy weekend.  I have lots of new paintings, including this beautiful rooster:

I just finished him a few days ago and just got photos taken of him today.  I'm always trying to do too much when there's a deadline looming, such as getting everything ready for the market again after a two-month hiatus!  Anyway, I really like the way he turned out.  He's painted in acrylic paints on an 11x14x1.5" stretched canvas.  He's also being listed on Etsy; so wherever he sells first, I'll remove him from the other venue.

Keep an eye out:  There are lots more farm animals on my "to-do" list.  They're a fun new direction for me.  Now if I could only get some landscapes in.  They're what I'm really, really excited about starting!

A Bichon Frise Custom Painting Just Finished

This is another custom painting I have recently finished.  This is Louie, who is now 13 years old.  Like some of us, he's beginning to show his age a bit, but I think he's even more beautiful because of it.

Louie's painting is on an 11x14x3/4" stretched canvas.

Shih Tzu Custom Painting Just Finished

This is an adorable shih tzu named Chase that is being given as a birthday gift to the spouse of a client of mine.  He's a beauty, I think.  He's on a 16x20x3/4" stretched canvas, acrylic paints.

Just Completed: Guernsey Cow Portrait

This is one of several paintings I have finished recently and haven't had the time to upload.  This painting of a Guernsey cow is an acrylic painting on an 11x14x1.5" stretched canvas and is available for purchase at my Etsy shop (on the right side here) and at Portland Saturday Market (Opening for the 2013 season on March 2!  I'll be there!).

I'm now working on a gorgeous rooster that will also be available as soon as it is finished.  All my original paintings for the rest of this year will be available both on Etsy and at Portland Saturday Market.  If they sell at Portland Saturday Market first, I'll do my best to remove the listing from Etsy just as soon as I can.

A Vizsla Painting Finished Recently

This is a painting of a beautiful Hungarian Vizsla that I finished a few days ago, pre-flu, that is.

I might also mention here that in five more weekends, the Portland Saturday Market opens up again, so I'll be spending my weekends down there.  I'm so looking forward to getting back to it; I love meeting the people who like my artwork and just the general pleasant atmosphere of the place.  It's a great place to be on a weekend -- even when it's raining!  On those days, I just hunker down in my booth, drink lots of hot coffee and cocoa, and am especially happy to see those people who don't think they'll melt in our wimpy rain.  By the way, lots and lots of people from outside the Pacific Northwest even tell me that they like the rain.   Something for everyone here, I guess.

If you live in Portland, OR, (or are visiting here sometime), drop by and say hi.  If you've never visited Portland before, don't miss it; it's a wonderful, beautiful city, with lots of interesting things to see and do -- including, of course, Portland Saturday Market!

Two Beautiful Golden Retrievers

This is a commissioned painting I finished recently for a birthday recipient.  With permission from the client, I have added photos of him as he received his painting.  They are below.

A note to Carol:  I'm sorry I've been so slow getting your painting listed on my blog.  My family and I have all been suffering from the flu over the past week or so -- I can't even remember how long because it seems someone has been sick forever here.  I was the last to catch it, and I think I am about finished with it now.  Listen up, Everyone!  I am a silly person when it comes to shots -- I am terrified of them!  Don't put off getting your flu shots, fear of needles or not!  Flu is not a pleasant way to spend a week; a shot only hurts for seconds.  Don't put it off; I promise you the flu is much, much worse than the shot.

Here's the birthday boy admiring the painting of his two favorite sweeties, Indy and Sadie.

Another shot of the birthday festivities and "the gift."

Yellow Labrador Retriever Painting

This is a yellow lab painting I finished today.  The color is a bit off in this photo, but I'll put up a corrected one tomorrow with better lighting.

The painting is a 16x20x3/4" acrylic painting on a stretched canvas.  Both the original and prints are available.  Contact me if you're interested in the original, and you can buy prints on Etsy.

I'm still busy painting custom paintings, but I have about a week now before I need to start on February's orders, so I'll have a bit of time to do some paintings that I've been wanting to get painted. This beautiful dog was one of them, and I'm hoping to get a few farm animals done (well, maybe one or two at most).    Still loving my little studio.  I spent a couple of days last week completely insulating it.  It was hard work, but it's oh-so-cozy now that I can spend hours at a time in there.

A Sweet Holstein (I think) little calf painting

I just finished this little sweetie this afternoon. It was a pleasure to paint.

Sorry, I didn't take progress photos of this one.  That has turned out to be a little more difficult than I thought it would be, so I won't be doing it on every painting.  First, I lose my momentum if I stop every 15, 20, or 30 minutes to take a photograph.  Then somehow, I get the order of the photos all messed up while I'm trying to organize them.  Then I never, ever seem to have time enough to post what I've just done all that work recording.

I'll try to do it from time to time, but for me at this time, painting is much more important.  I have many images that I intend to paint, and I never seem to have enough time to do them as quickly as I would like.  I don't know how more successful people do it!  Oh, I know:  They have someone who prepares their canvases for them, does all their computer and paperwork, washes their brushes at the end of the day, etc., etc.  That last one is what gets me the most:  washing brushes.  I learned the hard way how important it is, though:  Acrylic paints are like some kind of really great glue.  And if every single molecule is not scrubbed out of every single brush, the brush is ruined -- or becomes so very quickly, anyway.  So it takes me at least 15 or 20 minutes every evening to wash my brushes.  And I paint pretty much seven days a week now, so that's a lot of time spent washing brushes!  But they cost so much, and I have favorites that I just couldn't live without, so I have to do it.

Final Photo of Custom Painting in Progress - Jack

The Final Painting

 I finally got to finish the custom painting for which I had earlier shown all the progress photos.  As you can see, I made only a few small changes, such as I removed the collar, tightened up some things here and there, added more highlights and a few more shadows, and just neatened up and tied together the whole painting a bit better.

So this is Jack, who is, I think, a border collie mix, who is very, very beloved, I believe.

Australian Cattle Dog, Red Heeler

This is one of my some of my favorite paintings in a while.  Not only is the dog a beautiful one (he was a custom painting I did during December -- one of the many reasons I've not been posting regularly, by the way), but I feel I did a pretty good job at rendering his image.  I feel that it has a lot of three-dimensionality to it, and that's what I strive for.  Sometimes I get it; sometimes I don't.

I don't want to "jinx" my work, but I am moving into a period where I have a little more confidence in what I'm doing.  It feels to good be able to go into my studio because I'm looking forward to a good day there rather than endlessly procrastinating to get started because I'm so afraid I can't "pull it off" again.