Back in the USA

(Sorry, I don't know why the following is underlined, and I can't change it.)  I'm back in the USA for a while (really, really missing my family in Denmark, though).  While I'm here, I'm trying to catch up on a lot of loose ends, one of which is I have a large number of people who have been requesting new or replacement dog, cat, fish, and other animal ceramic masks.  So I have opened up the studio again and have made my first kilnload, which I have listed on Etsy.  This time, though things are going to be a bit different:  To make inventory control easier for me, this time each mask has its own unique identifying number, and thus each one is one of a kind.  There will be one exception to that format, though, and that is if someone has contacted me about a broken piece that they want to replace, I will do my best to copy the piece as closely as I possibly can -- if you have photos of it.  If not, you can describe it to me as best you can, and I'll try to come up with a close approximation for you.  

Anyway, if you're interested in a new or replacement ceramic mask, be sure either to check out the various places I'll be showing them (each place will have different items - sorry about that, but it's the only way I can think to do it without things getting really confusing.  So the first kilnload, as I said, is on Etsy, and here's the link for those:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/wildwildthings?section_id=10397779.  The second kilnload will be on my website, http://www.dottiedracos.com.  And the third kilnload will be at my Artfire shop, http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/LarkStudios.  Once I've done all three venues, I'll start over in the same order with the next kilnloads.  Each kilnload is around 15 pieces, and each kilnload takes about two to three weeks to complete.  

Here are a few examples of some of the pieces currently on Etsy.  

Brindle Pug Painting

This is a sweet pug painting I recently completed from photos submitted by a customer.  She said she never sees any brindle pug artwork anywhere, and now I understand why.  It was really hard to get the brindle "feel" in the painting without trying to paint every hair -- which is what I'm trying to learn to avoid!

The original is a bit different from this 8x10" image in that it's on a 24x24" canvas.  It is for sale.  Contact me if you're interested. 

German Shepherd Profile

And last for today -- but definitely not least!! - is this German Shepherd painting I did just two days ago.  Now, I feel that I'm really starting to change.  I feel that I captured the "shepherdness" of this dog (her name is Zoey, and I'm doing another painting of her as a commission for her mom) but gave her a lot, lot more life than many of my more serious paintings had (in my opinion), and yet with the bright background, gave her some playfulness, too, without taking away from her beauty at all.  Again, this painting makes me smile.  I would hang this one in my living room even if I didn't have a German shepherd, just because I like the looks of the painting.  That's a good thing.  I like this direction.  I dooooooo hope I keep it up (fingers crossed -- much too tightly!). 

I'm currently working on a really, really hard painting:  a brindle pug.  I've had a few pretty good paintings over the past few ones, and now I'm nervous.  Can I keep up the momentum of change?  Or will I choke?  Seriously, this becoming the best painting I can is the hardest endeavor I've ever, ever taken on in my whole life -- and I've taken on some doozy challenges, I promise you.  They all pale in comparison to this one. 

What do you think about my new direction?   

Another Pretty Kitty Cat!

Okay, this little kitty painting just makes me smile.  Could I have worked on it for weeks more?  Sure thing.  But I resisted!  And I'm happy with it.  Makes me smile - big time!  That's a good thing.  Hope it made you smile, too.

Just a reminder of my daughter's facebook page for us again:  http://facebook.com/larkstudios.
(Oh, a quick note about the facebook name she chose:  Often in error, I would be talking about my daughter and her husband and call them "Lark" by mistake (Lara, and her husband, Mark).  Now, it's become a bit of a family joke, and the collective name has stuck.  They are now Lark - much easier than Lara and Mark, don't you think?  Now, how are we going to include my precious little almost-four-month-old granddaughter's name into the mix?  (Her name is Elena).

Red Miniature Pinscher, Min Pin

A red Minpin I finished in the last few days.  Well, I'm finally getting somewhere.  This looser (but controlled) style is starting to feel a bit more comfortable.  And I'm getting back to something I lost somewhere along the way:  bright, happy backgrounds, more graphic overall feel, if that makes any sense.  Although I added a bit of -- dare I say it, the "W" word - whimsy to my work, I think I'm still being very faithful to the structure and personality of my subject.  Let me know what you think of this new direction if you have the time.  I'm anxious about what others will think.  I'm showing the most recent ones for the first time this weekend.  Scary.

Shiba Inu portrait

Wow, I had no idea I had not posted on my blog in such a long time!  I've got a lot of paintings to catch up on.  I'm afraid I've missed a few, but they're all on my website  (http://www.wildwildthings.com/) if you absolutely must see every single one.  I always list them on my home page just as soon as they're done. 

This is a shiba inu portrait, still just coming out of my "dark days."  I'm pretty happy with this one.  I didn't feel the need (well, I might have felt the need, but I resisted!!!) to put in every single hair on ths one.  That's a good thing!

Samoyed Portrait on Teal

This painting is of a Samoyed.  Still coming out of my "dark period," and I think this one is a bit looser.  I'm getting somewhere now, but I still have a long way to go. 

Miniature Pinscher, Minpin, with Pillows

This beautiful black-and-tan miniature pinscher, "minpin" or "min pin," is one of the next paintings to come out of my "dark days" that I described in the previous entry.  I'm trying to get them (the paintings) out in pretty much the order that they occurred, and I think you can see the changes occurring in my work these days.  Who knows where I'll end up?  But, wow, is the "trip" challenging, exciting, the hardest work I think I've ever done, FUN!, SCARY, SCARIER!!!, horrifying, but thrilling, exhilirating, frightening, FUN, and finally, I hope rewarding and pleasing to both you, my viewer, and me, the creator/painter. 

The original is still available.

Oops! I forgot to list my rooster that I painted yesterday!

I don't know what kind of rooster this is.  I only know I found him to be very beautiful.   We used to have chickens (for eggs only) and this one poor, lonely rooster, who had the most sickly-sounding crow that we felt sorry for him.  Plus, we kept him locked out of the hens' house, so he was a pretty sad figure -- but so very beautiful!  Anyway, this is another of my recent non-dog paintings that I wanted to share with you.  Hope you're enjoying my "entr'acte."   I'll be back to dogs before too long.

a Jersey Cow - Holy Cow! Where am I going with this??? Having fun, tho'

Wow, I needed this!!  It is soooooo refreshing to be able to paint something besides my beloved dogs.  Please don't get me wrong:  I still love painting dogs, and I love dogs.  I just was in desperate need of a break! 

It also shows me how very hard dogs are to paint -- in my humble opinion, that is.  They have awfully complicated faces, with very distinct bone structures, which in addition to hair color, length, degree of straightness, etc., vary  from dog breed to dog breed.  But, hey, they're beautiful beings, whom I love dearly. 

I don't know yet what I'll be painting tomorrow, whether it'll be a dog or yet another farm animal.  But, again, I promise I'll be getting back to dogs soon.

A Toggenburg Goat! I needed a break from dog paintings for a while!

Okay, I know it's a goat, not a dog!  It's different, but I really needed a break.  It'll be good for me.  With all the commissions I've been doing, I've been working tighter and tighter, and it's not a good direction for me.  This being an artist is always supposed to be fun - because it's what I love doing more than any other "job" I've ever had in my whole life!  I was reaching a point where I dreaded going to work each day.  So it's time for just some fun, loose, no-stress (well, a little bit of stress still), non-threatening types of paintings.  So look for more non-dog paintings for the next week or two.  Then I'll get back with a fresh, clear, eager mind to painting dogs again. 

All you people, by the way, that I met at the Rose City Classic Dog show -- all those of you that either allowed me to photograph your dogs or that sent some of your own dog's photos to me ------ thank you, thank you, thank you!  It was wonderful to meet and talk to you all, and I promise I'll do my very best to get every one of your beloved dogs' paintings done.  So please bear with me while I clear my mind, loosen my brush strokes.  We'll all be happier for the wait, I promise.

Great Dane Portrait "What, Me Worry?"

Here's another acrylic painting I just finished.  It's obviously a Great Dane, fawn in color, that I photographed (with permission) at the Portland Saturday Market in Portland, OR, this past autumn.  He was a real sweetheart and posed very nicely for me for quite a few photos.  Maybe later when I have more time, I'll do another painting of him.  The painting is available for sale.  It is on a 16x20" canvas, on 3/4"-deep sides, painted same as the background, staples only on the back side, wired and ready to frame or hang as is.   The price is $250.00, plus shipping.

This painting, along with many others I've done, will also be shown between the days of January 20 to 24 at the Rose City Classic Dog Show, so there's a possibility it will sell at that time.  So if you're interested in it, please be sure to contact me before the show.   Oh, and if you're at the show, please stop by and introduce yourself; I would love to meet those who follow my work.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Black and Tan Puppy

This is a painting of our latest family addition, a little Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (black and tan) puppy, named Sammy.  He's a little terror at the moment, driving all the other dogs mad with his constant flurry of activity, but he's a sweetheart, too. 

The original is not available, but prints and pendants are available at my website, http://www.wildwildthings.com/.

I'm on a bit of a painting run these days and don't even have time to list everything I've been painting on my blog -- but they all can be seen at my website, on the home page.  So if you want to see them all right away, be sure to stop by and check them out.  I'll eventually try to get everything on my blog, too, just not right now because I'm awfully busy!!!

Speaking of being busy, and on a non-art note to be sure, I am a Grandmother now!!!!!  My daughter and her husband on December 14, 2009, had their first child and my first granddaughter, a precious little baby girl named Elena Noel Aguilera Mogensen.  Mom, my daughter Lara, and baby Elena and Mark, the very proud dad are all doing very well -- well, Mom and Dad are exhausted, but little Elena is quite happy and well-rested, too.  Mark's parents are here as well, visiting us all the way from Odense, Denmark, Mark's home town.  Elena is going to be raised knowing both languages and grandparents and other relatives on both sides of the Atlantic (and I'm even sneaking in a bit of French as much as I'm allowed, too, so she'll possibly be a tri-lingual, not just bi-lingual, little girl!)

Maltese in Afternoon Sunlight

This is a sweet little maltese commission I finished recently.  His name is Bentley, and he's a beauty.

I'm taking a short break from doing commissioned paintings, probably until around the first of March, 2010.  Commissions are a bit stressful, just because I want so much to do the best I can do for the client, so from time to time, I need a break so I can "loosen up" a bit.  So be looking out for what I hope is some looser work for the next couple of months.

I'm currently working on a giant schnauzer, a black pug (for which I get requests ALL the time! and I'm finally taking the time to paint one), and our own little black-and-tan Cavalier King Charles spaniel, named Sammy.  He's an adorable puppy of five months at this time and is a real challenge for our other three older dogs, Higgins, the shih tzu; my precious Harry Barker, the pomeranian; and Casey, the rat terrier mix.  So I'll be listing those very soon.  And then who knows what I'll do.  Maybe a few non-dog paintings????  Sounds fun!

But first:  I have a big dog show, the Rose City Classic, here in Portland, OR, which starts, I think, on January 18 - more exact details later - that I'll be attending to show off (and hopefully sell) my paintings, prints, and pendants.  I have a LOT of work to do before the show, so at least for now I'll be doing dog paintings only.  Wish me luck!

Alaskan Malamute Portrait

I'm just going to try to list a few items over the next couple of weeks to catch my blog up. I've been listing regularly on my website but completely forgot to be listing here.

This is a painting I did probably a few months ago; I don't remember exactly when. I still have the original. It's 8x10 on 1/8" wood, and I'll be happy to add 1.5" sides to it, painted black, all for $75.00. Contact me if you want to buy it. Prints, etc., are also available on my website, www.wildwildthings.com

Boston Terrier Portrait on Red/Yellow Background

Wow, I'm on a roll! This is a little guy I just completed today. The same as the previous painting, I was attending a little art show in Corvallis, OR, around I think May 2. Again, I asked permission to photograph this boy so I could do a painting of him. So if this is your little guy down in Corvallis, here's his painting! I really, really enjoyed painting this one.

English Bulldog Looking Up

I think this little boy/girl is absolutely precious. I didn't get her/his name - I just asked permission to photograph him/her for a painting at a little show I attended recently. So if this is your little guy, I was at the Sunday Market in Hillsboro, OR, around May 10, I think. I don't even know if it's a male or female; but whatever it is, s/he is a sweetheart.

Baby Goat

Okay, yes, it isn't a dog. But I do paint other things from time to time - and hope to do so more in the future. In fact, at this moment, I'm working on a painting of a cat that is going to be auctioned off to raise money for the Feral Cat Coalition here in Portland, to help these poor creatures out as much as can possibly be done.

This goat was another photo submitted to me, so I painted it! I think he's a pretty little guy, and the original of him is still for sale at my website if you're interested. He's another 8x10 on mdf wood, and I'll add the black 1.5" sides at no extra cost.

Haven't been getting much painting done lately

Well, I guess my title says it all. I haven't been painting much lately, but I am starting on a collie today, which I should be able to list in a few days. What I have been doing is making little pendants, using prints of my paintings as the focal point. I've shown a couple of items above. I think they're really cute, but I've got a lot to learn about jewelry-making before I can go big-time. They take me a really, really long time to make at this time. I'm taking a precious-metals jewelry-making class this next week, in fact, to start my new educational process. It's always so much fun to learn something new. Right now, I'm putting the prints onto wood backings that my husband Randy cuts for me on his laser cutter, and then I'm "floating" resin over the tops. The resin is the hardest part of all because it has to be absolutely perfect. Very, very difficult for me, plus awfully time-consuming, with lots of rejects per session. I'll develop a technique eventually, that will allow me to work faster and more accurately, though.

Well, I just noticed a few paintings I have done since my last post, so I have been painting more than I realized -- just not in the last week or so probably. I'll try to list the most recent ones in the next few days. It seems that no one is interested in more expensive paintings these days, though, so I'm doing much smaller versions now, mostly 8x10's on heavy paper or wood. A sign of the times, I'm afraid. But I still just looooove painting, so I have to do it whether they sell or not! Maybe sometime soon, I'll have a huge painting sale so I can reclaim my closet -- and start over filling it up again! What I make from the paintings would at least buy more supplies for me! Okay, that's all for now.

Australian Shepherd Painting - Tan

This is an Australian Shepherd that I just finished. I'm also working on a blue merle Australian shepherd that I should finish sometime today and will list just as soon as it's finished. This painting is an 8x10 with 1.5" black sides, acrylic painted on wood, and is available on my website for $150, plus shipping. Obviously, as usual, it's also available as a clock on my website, www.dottiedracos.com.

On another subject, does anyone read my blog??? If you do, please leave a comment just so I know someone is reading it. Sometimes I feel that I'm just writing a personal diary, one of those that no one else ever gets to read. But that's not the purpose of my blog. Its purpose is to share my artwork, try to make a living as a full-time artist, get feedback on my work, etc.