Greyhounds!

I visited a local greyhound rescue facility on Friday - an interesting experience (more about that later). It was a multi-purpose visit since I had a greyhound painting to deliver and the client who purchased it was going out to adopt a new greyhound - so we combined purposes and I met her at the rescue place. I'd known about the facility for a while and had wanted to get out there, so this worked out great.
The painting is one I did over a year ago. The photo I used for the reference was one my client had taken of one of her ex-racing greyhounds (Freddie) - I'd filed it in my archives for future use. At the time I created the painting, I was working on my initial series of "Paintings with Petzazz" pieces and really liked Freddie's expression; so Freddie became "Blue Boy". At the time, there was no expectation that she should/would buy the painting, it was just something I wanted to do and I sent her a print and a magnet with the "Blue Boy" image. This year, however, she saw the painting again and she and her husband decided they wanted to buy it. Of course, I'm very happy that the painting now hangs in their home and Freddie's!!

I said the visit to the facility was "interesting" because it's typical of any animal rescue system in that it's great to get a chance to meet new animals and the folks who care so deeply about them, but it's extremely sad that the animals even need to be rescued in the first place. There were about 12 dogs there and I believe most of them had come from the same racing circuit in Arizona. Racing greyhounds lead difficult, unpleasant lives and when they're no longer of any use (either as racers or breeders), they are discarded. I won't go into further detail, but it's a terrible, inhumane situation. Greyhound rescue organizations around the country take in as many as they can, nurse them back to health, figure out their personalities & behavioral issues and endeavor to find permanent, loving homes for them. Even though they've lead rough lives, these rescued greyhounds make good pets; they have sweet, gentle personalities and have been described as "40 mile an hour couch potatoes". Of course, it takes a special person to adopt one and help them learn how to enjoy life, but the rescue folks are very experienced and adept at facilitating that transition. For more information about greyhound rescue and adoption, check out www.greyhounds.org and www.greyhoundfriendsforlife.org.

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Jack Russell Terrier Pup - New Drawing "Bliss"

Just finished "Bliss", an ink on scratchboard drawing of a napping Jack Russell terrier (JRT) pup. When I was looking for subject material to use as a demo for a scratchboard class I taught in May, I thought this image would be perfect. The original drawing is available - as soon as I get it framed, it'll be at the Auburn Old Town Gallery where I show my work. Click here for the drawing specs and price.

The reference photo is one I took a few years back at a JRT show in Dixon. I happened upon two girls sitting inside a portable pet fence with a litter of puppies. Each girl had a puppy wrapped up in her lap. Too cute to pass up! I didn't ask the pup's name, so I don't know much about it, but while I was working on the drawing I was referring to it as "she" and the title "Bliss" just came to me at some point during the drawing's progress. Drawings and paintings definitely do take on a life of their own and I get very connected to them while I'm working on them.

Even though the backgrounds of the photo and drawing are dark, I think you can see that I made some changes to the background of the drawing so it would read better. Oftentimes what's obvious in a photo doesn't translate well to the drawing, so I make adjustments. I pretty much stuck with the same shapes on the right side, but made some changes to the wrinkles of the fabric on the left side and removed the lettering. These complex backgrounds are time-consuming, but I really enjoy the challenge of creating texture with subtle shades of grey. For a demo of my scratchboard process, check out this page of my web site.

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Bernese Mountain Dog Portrait in Progress

Today I worked on this portrait of Kassie, a very sweet Bernese Mountain Dog. This is the second Kassie portrait for me. A few years back, I did a scratchboard portrait of Kassie in a realistic style (below). The new portrait is in my "Paintings with Petzazz" interpretive style - bright vibrant colors with a limited palette painted in watercolor on Yupo (a synthetic paper). The color on the real portrait is a bit different than what you see here - I took a photo of it, and the lighting wasn't that great. I fought with the color correction for a while and then I said "to heck with it" and let it go, so you'll have to use your imagination a bit. The background is bright orange, but there's more variety of tone/color than what's showing here. The orangey-pink tones on her face are really a vibrant magenta. Most of the part that's white now will be various shades of purple and purple-blue. Her throat & chest are white, but I'm using shades of light purple for the shadows; she also has a white muzzle and a "blaze" running down from the top of her head (you can see all that in the realistic portrait). Even though the colors are a bit off, at least you can see Kassie's wonderful, happy personality! I'll post a better scan of the final portrait after I finish it later this month.

The realistic portrait was done in ink on scratchboard to the point where it was finished, but then I used a bit of watercolor to tint her caramel colored "points", tongue and eyes. The effect reminds me a bit of a hand-tinted black & white photo.

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Autumn Art Studios Tour Follow-up

Another Studios Tour has come and gone, and although I feel pretty beat by Monday, it's always a fun & enjoyable weekend. It's not just the weekend itself, but all the prep work leading up to it - getting art and merchandise ready, making some snacks, cleaning up the garage and setting up. I set up in the garage because my "studio" is one room of our 3 bedroom house that includes my office, computer station, painting & drawing table and way too much un-organized stuff - not suitable or very interesting for visitors! My "satellite studio" is our living room couch - I often sit there and work on scratchboard drawings while the TV drones in the background. Oh, how I'd love to have a real studio where I could have everything self-contained and totally functional, with lots of storage and wall space and a separate entrance for clients . . . someday perhaps. I've certainly drooled over some of the studios that my fellow artists have! But I make my set up work and I manage to crank out a lot of art.

I was trying to count the years and I believe this was my 8th consecutive year participating in the Tour. I had fewer visitors to my place this year than last (it was especially quiet on Sunday) - that's a bit disappointing, but I still had a good time. Those that do venture out are intrigued by my art and techniques and I have a great time sharing my thoughts and creative processes with them. Most of my sales come from existing clients and friends and family - always a good thing! I had a few visitors inquire about classes, so there's a bit of extended business down the road.

On the left is one of the originals I sold during the Tour: "Double Trouble", an ink on scratchboard drawing of 2 cats snoozing peacefully on the counter. One of my wonderful pet portrait clients purchased it. I created it to accompany a poem that appears in the November/December issue of Perspectives, a publication of the Arts Council of Placer County (the organization that sponsors the Tour). Click here to read the poem.

Well that's it for now, with the Tour over for another year, it's time to get going on the backlog of pet portraits that needs to be finished by Christmas!

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FieldHaven's "Home for the Holidays" Adoption Campaign and Art Studios Tour

I've teamed up with FieldHaven Feline Rescue (in Lincoln, CA) for the annual holiday cat & kitten adoption campaign. This is the second year their efforts have been spotlighted at Il Giardino, a boutique shop in Lincoln. Il Giardino provides window space for a winter wonderland display featuring adoptable kittens and cats. Last year's display provided some wonderful photo opps for Joy Smith, FieldHaven's director. One of her photos caught my eye and I asked if I could use it as a reference for a painting. One thing led to another and we're using the painting as part of their marketing campaign for this year's event.

The painting measures 7"x10" and is watercolor on Yupo (a synthetic paper); the image will be used on FieldHaven's event advertising materials and I'll donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the painting, prints and cards to FieldHaven. The painting will be on display during the 13th Annual Autumn Art Studios Tour (read more below) and if it doesn't sell that weekend, I'll hang it at the Auburn Old Town Gallery where I show my work. Of course, you can also contact me if you're interested in purchasing it. Prints and cards will be available soon on my web site.

And now for the info about the 13th Annual Autumn Art Studios Tour:
I'll be brief for now ('cause I really should be getting things together for the Tour - less than a week to go!!), but I'll provide a follow up after the Tour. I've participated in this event for the past 8 or 9 years and I really enjoy it. It's a self-guided tour of artists' studios in our area. Art enthusiasts buy a ticket (for the bargain price of $10) and receive a map showing all the locations that are open for the weekend (this year it's Nov. 10th - 12th), then they hop in their cars and drive around our lovely countryside, stopping at art studios along the way. Most of the artists demonstrate and of course, they offer their art for sale. It's a great way for the public to learn more about what we do! This year, we have over 75 artists participating at 60+ locations (some artists group together at one location). For more info, visit the Arts Council of Placer County's web site - they're the sponsors of this wonderful event.

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