I'm Still Here! In Florida, that is

Believe it or not, I'm still trying to settle into a new life here in Central Florida after two months.  I've kind of found my way around but actually am preferring to stay right on my own little piece of land and play with gardening.  And now I understand why there are so many snowbirds alighting here each winter:  This place is heavenly -- this time of year, at least!  I sat outside for hours a couple of days ago, in November!!!, without even a sweater, and watched the sun go down.  It is beautiful beyond words here, and really, the weather is perfect!  Neither too cold nor too hot.  And the colors!  You wouldn't believe the colors of the sky, the trees, the shadows - it makes me wish I were a writer so I could describe them vividly for you.  Soon, very soon, I'm going to have my schedule cleared enough that I can start doing some paintings of this region of the world.

In the meantime, though, I am overloaded with commissioned paintings that all have a looming deadline.  The painting shown here is one of two that I did for a client very recently.  This is a beautiful Rhodesian ridgeback, named Matilda.  Her adopted brother, Henry, a handsome weimaraner, will be shown in my next blog entry.

I've been thinking a lot lately and reading a lot, too.  Yes, I know I should be painting, but one has to take a break from time to time.  One of the thought-provoking things I read is a biweekly newsletter all about art and life, too, because they're closely intertwined.  It starts with an interesting, thought-provoking essay and is followed by comments from fellow artists, including examples of their work.  I look forward to it twice a week.  I may have mentioned this newsletter before, but it merits another mention if I have.  Here's the address:  http://painterskeys.com/, and it's hosted by artist Robert Genn.  To receive the newsletter, you have to actually request it at the site and confirm your request through the email you'll receive.  I very highly recommend it.

Also, artists can pay to have their artwork featured through the website, and I was just randomly looking through some of the artists' listings and came across this artist:  http://painterskeys.com/pal/christine_hanlon/ - and was just blown away by her work.  What a great inspiring artist this person is!  And I discovered this person literally by just a random click on a name.  Give her work a look if you have the time; you won't be sorry you took the time.

Okay, speaking of time, I guess I better get back to my own paintings!

A Lab Mix Custom Painting I just finished

This is a painting I just finished for a client.  Her name is Molly, and she is a beloved family member.  The green faceless frog to her right is her favorite toy - hence, the lack of facial features that she has lovingly, I'm sure, removed.  It was a really fun painting, one of those that nearly painted itself.  Just for fun, I've also attached the photo I worked from.  You can see the black lines at the bottom of the photo where I'm adding in the rest of her face just for a better composition.  Also, I changed her body entirely to make for a cuter composition and "story."  So, as you can see, I work closely, but not slavishly, with photos.  Creativity must be a strong component of artwork.  Otherwise, it wouldn't be art, would it?

I'm currently working on two more commissioned paintings for a client of her two sweeties, a weimaraner named Henry and a Rhodesian ridgeback (one of my favorite breeds as I've had two myself), named Matilda.  I'll try to include their photos and maybe some interim shots of the paintings, too, just so you (and I)can see my painting process.  (I just know there's some sort of method to my painting style if I record the process often enough!)

Regarding my recent move - obviously, off the subject of this post and even of this blog - but I just want to talk about it a little, anyway.  I'll do so in the next post.

My Own Rhodesian Ridgeback of Long Ago

This is a painting of my own precious, precious dog. It's even hard to this day for me to talk about her, so I won't say much at all. Her name was Labua, and she was one the sweetest dogs I've ever had the privilege to share a few years of my life. That's enough.

Rhodesian Ridgeback

I tried to be a bit looser with this painting than I was with the previous two days' ones. It feels better. Again, this rhodesian ridgeback painting is 8x10 gessoed hardboard, with 1.5" recessed black sides. The price is $75.00.