Black-winged Stilt, or Avocet - another non-dog painting! Yay!!

I'm sorry; I know many of you follow my work because of my dog paintings, but I'm having a really, really good time taking a break from dogs for a while.  I know it was prompted by my total overload at the recent Rose City Classic Dog Show I did here in Portland, but it was also just something I knew I needed to do for a long time and didn't really have the nerve to try.  I know it's going to allow me to paint dogs with a fresh perspective - and I and my customers and followers will be happier for it.  

borzoi profile painting

This is an 8x10 Borzoi painting I finished last week before I started my "other-animals-than-dogs" painting sidetrack.  I love it, and it's more what I'm after than the too-tight work I had begun to do before I decided to take my break.  It's the last dog I painted before my self-imposed break from dog paintings.  I hope to have more in a similar style when I return to dogs.  The original is still for sale.

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.

Black Pug in Park

Here's a little girl I just finished painting for a client; so obviously, the original is already sold.  Her name is Prescilla, and I hear that she's a real sweetheart.

Rose City Classic Dog Show, January 20-24 - I'll be there!

No pic this time -- just a note to let you know I'll be showing my artwork at the Rose City Classic AKC Dog Show in Portland, OR, at the Expo Center, January 20-24th.  If you attend the show, stop by and say hi and see my latest paintings, pendants, and prints in person.  Look forward to seeing you there.  Wow, am I tired!  Need lots of coffee and tea to get through this week!  Wish me luck!  Dottie

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!

Bernese Mountain Dog Painting on 11x14 gallery-wrapped canvas

This is a painting of a Bernese mountain dog on a muted red/orange background which I recently finished and which was not a commissioned painting.  Thus, it is for sale.  It's an original acrylic painting on an 11x14x1.5" gallery-wrapped canvas (1.5" sides, painted same as the background, no staples, wired to hang).  I'm selling it for $100, plus shipping costs.  It is also available for sale elsewhere, so I can't guarantee that it's still available.  If you would like to buy it, email me, dottie@wildwildthings.com, and I'll send you a bill for its purchase. 

Leaping Belgian Malinois, a Recently Completed Commission

This is a recent commission I've done for a customer's wife's birthday. I love the action in the dog's body, the intensity in his face, and the soft colors except where the strong sunlight hits the high spots on his body. It was a pleasure to do this painting.

Boxer Portrait, all Brown Face

This is a painting I finished rather recently. I took his photo at Portland Saturday Market I think in around September or October of this year. I think he's so beautiful. I've been taking quite a few photos lately of dogs at the market, which I hope to be painting over the winter break, so I'm looking forward to the break so I can do some serious painting without as many distractions as I have going on now.
The original of this painting, 8x10, is available. Contact me if you're interested in purchasing it.

Leaping Belgian Malinois

I love this painting! It was a commission I just finished, so the original is sold. But, as usual, I have the image on other items at my website, www.wildwildthings.com.

Australian Cattle Dog, Blue Heeler, Portrait

This is a fairly recent painting I did, and the original of it is available, for $75. You can also purchase prints or other items with this image on it on my website, www.wildwildthings.com