Day Dreamer

Day dreamer is an 8" x 10" oil painting on board of my Cogi Lily taking a mid-afternoon nap maybe dreaming of squirrels (yes squirrels!). I painted the blanket in a much looser style, trying to find a balance that works for me. I tend to paint tightly which can sometimes translate into a stiff painting. When I try to loosen up it feels like I am being too lazy to finish a section or too sloppy, but I like the way this turned out. I hope you enjoy this piece. Here's how we use Day Dreamer as a greeting card.

My eBay store has prints & greeting cards of this image & others.
My Cafepress store has more samples on my 2nd new website.

My Etsy Store has more samples on my 3rd new website.

Tumbling Snowmen

Tumbling Snowmen - new Corgi Christmas card for 2007. I had such a good time with these snowmen drawing them tumbling end over end. May your Christmas stocking be brimming full of good cheer this holiday season and may your Corgi’s be full of dog treats and rawhides.

Tumbling Snowmen is an original oil painting on board inspired by many illustrated childrens books. Here's Tumbling Snowmen as a Christmas Card.

My eBay store has prints & greeting cards of this image & others.
My Cafepress store has more samples on my 2nd new website.
My Etsy Store has more samples on my 3rd new website.

Mug Shot

While I don’t have a Pug myself, my niece has three perfect models to chose from. I would like to start adding some different breeds to my yearly Christmas cards besides my traditional Corgi.

Thought that a Pug card might be fun. As usual, I have way too many ideas some sketched out and some just in the thought process were you think that you will remember them. For me it is best to sketch it out, no matter how rough just to have a record of an idea. A month down the road having that sketch will come in handy. I have a bunch of small 5" x 7" sketch books, that I use around the house, one on my drawing table, and one in my work tote bag. I constantly refer to them.

Mug Shot is a pastel painting done on Sennelier La carte sanded paper, and came from a sketch I did of him a while ago napping on a comforter. I loved the pose with the paw behind his head. Here's how we use Mug Shot in our 100 year archival Giclee prints.

My eBay store has prints & greeting cards of this image & others.
My Cafepress store has more samples on my 2nd new website.

My Etsy Store has more samples on my 3rd new website.

Hanging Out The Wash

This fun little illustration is an oil painting on a 5" x 7" primed hardboard surface. I’ve done a few of these whimsical pieces and hope to continue the series because I really enjoy them.

It's such a departure for me to paint bright bold colors and repetitive patterns and not get lost in some minute detail. I have a book on the wonderful artist Charles Wysocki which I've started looking over and studying how he handled patterns. He has a stylized way of depicting the mountains, hills & trees in the background that flattens the object, which is a large part of the charm of folk art painting.

I have a lot of fun when I paint like this - here's how we used Hanging Out The Wash as greeting cards in our new Etsy store.

CAN YOU FEEL THE BREEZE !!

My eBay store has prints & greeting cards of this image & others.
My Cafepress store has more samples on my 2nd new website.

My Etsy Store has more samples on my 3rd new website.

Happy Easter

Doc & Pete

I've always been fascinated by the 'Pony-Pulls' they have at one of our local Autumn country fairs. Pound for pound these little guys show more energy & unbridled enthusiasm than the huge draft horses that also compete in this type of event. The adult horse teams often pull weights up to 18,000 lbs which is incredible to watch.

These little guys pull a much smaller load in comparison, but the best thing about them is the way they seem to really enjoy the competition. I think it's something akin to the way a race horse, running side by side & neck to neck with another horse really is trying, all by himself, to beat the other horse. The jockey is pretty much just along for the ride and it's the horse's heart & spirit that determines the outcome in that indefinable moment.

You see something similar with these teams, when competing. There's a certain something in the look in their eyes, seconds before they're released to try their 'Pull'. The best thing is the way their owners put more concern to their well being than winning a prize. Their drivers often wave off any more attempts when they know their little guys have given enough. It really touches the heart, how much concern is shown to them, and always elicits a big round of applause from the gathered crowd. All in all, the finest side of both horse & man.

The original Pen & Ink of this work took me months to complete because of the countless tiny dots of ink that makes up the image. It's probably the reason I don't do Pen & Inks very often. Here's how we use Doc & Pete as greeting cards in our new Etsy store.

WATCH YOUR STEP !!

My eBay store has prints & greeting cards of this image & others.
My Cafepress store has more samples on my 2nd new website.

My Etsy Store has more samples on my 3rd new website.

Sleeping Beauty aka 'Reclining Dude'

Ember has lived with us for at least 10 years. He is a fairly good sized Tabby male with a large flat head and sweet face. He has one of the most patient dispositions I have ever had in a furry friend. He first started coming around when we had two (fixed) Calico females, 'Roos' & 'Chloe'.

Ember loves the women folk, but unfortunately the only female in his life right now is Lily, our Corgi, but that does not deter him. He is also extremely cool, something I think he prides himself in. His fur is so complicated with the various shades of grey, tan, brown and flecks of gold that it can be intimidating to try and paint him.

What I love about Ember is the way he dominates his space. When he is in a chair he occupies the whole pad, with a little overhang at both ends. When sleeping on the bed or the couch he seems to really enjoy stretching out - I guess you could say he's extremely comfortable in his skin.

The original pastel of Ember - Sleeping Beauty aka 'Reclining Dude' - was a pastel on Sennielier La Carte sanded paper and came from a sketch I did of him a while ago napping on a comforter. I loved the pose with the paw behind his head. Here's how we use Sleeping Beauty in our 100 year archival Giclee prints.

My eBay store has prints & greeting cards of this image & others.
My Cafepress store has more samples on my 2nd new website.

My Etsy Store has more samples on my 3rd new website.