Sunday, April 27, 2008

MY SKETCHBOOK

When I started painting, I did everything free hand and on the fly. I still do everything free hand but I tend to get most of my ideas when I cant actually sit down and paint. Since painting grew from sketching and drawing, I thought why not go back to a sketchbook? So (because Im a dork) here is one of my favorite sketchbooks. And how handy it is to have it labeled so clearly. You know, in case I forget what it is. Is that my kitchen sponge? Is that YellowDog's leash? A baked potato? Noooo, its my SKETCHBOOK! Duh.....silly me. Thank goodness the thing is labeled.



Nothing super fancy and it is just from Barnes & Noble. What I love about this sketchbook is the large (but not too large) spiral binding and the paper. Ooooh the paper. Its a bright thick smooth white paper and it doesnt let my favorite pen (another post maybe) bleed through. I also found the super thick and strong covers provided the perfect set up when it came time to paint. I could prop up the book off to the side (safely out of painting range-usually).

So here are a couple peeks into my sketchbook and the paintings that came from the sketches. You will see the paintings do not match the sketch exactly and that is intentional. Sometimes when I go to paint I find that a part of the sketch stands very well on its own or maybe I picked a huge canvas and I need to add to the background for color or depth or I drew a couple sketches with similar backgrounds but want the paintings to differ more from each other.



Saturday, April 26, 2008

SCORE!



It only took two months of trying, one rude salesperson, seven trips to Church Street and two trips to Williston to score these 22 6x8 gallery wrapped canvases. Thats all. No biggie.

When talking to BJ from HSCC a number of months ago about a possible show, the very first piece that came to mind was the 'Candy' series. It is made up of 36 separate canvases and was a perfect way for me to play with color. For every single piece I do, I have several color combos I wish I could try. This piece made that part easy...kinda. Who knew it would be so hard to find more of these canvases to replace those that sold?! I shouldnt complain. I loved working on this piece and people ahve really seemed to enjoy it. What more can I ask for. Well, except MAYBE nicer sales people.
What this does mean is that cat lovers should check abck atthe HSCC very soon as these new canvases will be filled with our feline friends.




Wednesday, April 23, 2008

EXCELLENT NEWS!


BJ called me this afternoon to tell me that Beth Parent from WCAX paid a last minute visit to the HSCC this afternoon. What a great way to get the word out about the work the HSCC does for our area. BJ is amazing and Im sure that will come through in the interview. The good news doesnt end there. BJ also told me they spoke about my artwork currently up at the HSCC. How great of BJ and how flattering! I adore Beth Parent. I love it when I turn on the news and she is anchoring. And Im not just saying that because BJ told me she owns a beautiful dog! So if you were watching WCAX tonight and are visiting my site for the first time...

Hello! And thank you for checking out my work. My newest pieces are shown in posts below. Email me with any questions. Even better, they are on display and available at the HSCC in South Burlington. I think art is always best seen in person so pay them a visit and check out both their wonderful place and my artwork. I would love feedback so drop me an email at yellowdogart@aol.com and let me know what you think.

Everyone should be able to own a piece of original artwork so I try to keep my prices reasonable. If you purchase a piece currently on display at the HSCC, 20% of what you pay will go directly to the HSCC in your name. The same goes for commissioned pieces. If you see a piece you like but would prefer a smaller version or a different set of colors or would like to incorporate your own wonderful family or friends (of both the two legged and four legged variety), let me know. We will make it happen. Some pieces at the HSCC have been purchased but as they go to their new homes, I will be creating new pieces to replace them.

Please be patient with me as I learn how to update my own site but check back on this blog daily for updates and sneak peeks at the newest pieces!

Saturday, April 19, 2008

So Jessica formerly of the HSCC really liked the Rabbit Ears piece and was thinking it would make a good gift for her brothers upcoming wedding. She had some different color preferences and ultimately decided on the biggest canvas I had in stock. And when ti came to the end, I LOVED her choices! It was so much fun to do this for her and she was so excited about the process. And I have to say she did a great job on choosing details for the piece. Amazing. I hope her brother and his new wife to be know what she put into this gift. I tried to take some pictures to show her the process but forgot to share them with her before she left for PA. So here for everyone to see are a few steps in the process.




Above I am testing the same three colors in different areas of the painting. Jessica wanted a wine color scheme so we ofcourse went with Napa Red! I just made small mock ups of the piece and alternated the colors.





Here is the color set up I planned to go with. It is what we originally discussed but it was good to verify this was the best choice. The lighter green background allowed the dogs to pop. And using the red for the dog making the rabbit ears helped point the focus to the mischievous one.





Here is a peek at my messy messy downstairs studio. Using the largest canvas I had in stock (36"x48") left few places to play with this piece. Not to mention I havent cleaned any studio area in my house since I started working on pieces for the HSCC event a couple months ago(guess what Im doing this weekend?!). I put the base coat on the canvas while on a table. Although I dont love using an easel I did move the piece to an easel for the rest of the work.




I am very happy with how the piece came out and I think Jessica was too. She is such a sweetie. Im bummed I didnt meet her sooner. You cant really see from this picture but I added tiny little girly eyelashes to the green dog. The two pups are supposed to symbolize her brother and his wife-to-be. And in my cold medicine induced state, I almost forgot to take a picture before sending the piece off on its way. This is not the best pic but I had to use it because you can see a tiny bit of YellowDog's butt. He is pretty used to the camera at this point. At this particular time he was sulking because he knew I was leaving and not taking him. I just couldnt with that huge canvas in the car. No worries though, he got a nice dog ice cream treat when I returned. Plus, my portion of the proceeds from this commission went towards YellowDog's vet bills. Cute little sick booger!

Thursday, April 17, 2008

And the rest of my most recent pieces... (see previous post for others)




Taking the Time 20"x30"




Going for a Ride 24"x36"
SOLD!



Greetings 24"x36"
SOLD!




Scottie 16"x16"



Greyhound 16"x16"
SOLD!



Boston Terrier 16"x16"



Schnauzer 16"x16"



Bulldog 16"x16"



Beagle 16"x16"




Great Dane 16"x16"




His Highness 18"x24"



Peek on Green 18"x24"
(one of a six part series)
Im battling a terrible cold so I didnt get to update the web site as I had hoped this week. So I thought I would post some images of pieces currently available and on display at the HSCC in South Burlington. Go check them out! Its a very nice place and these pieces look better in person.


Walking the Neighborhood 36"x48"

Dreaming 36"x48"


The Candy Series
Each piece is 6"x8"


A close up


a closer close up


Rabbit Ears 24"x36"


Play Ball? 36"x36"

Play Frisbee? 36"x36"


YellowDog Jumping Over the Moon 24"x30"
SOLD!


Full Moon 24"x30"
SOLD!


Let Go! 24" x 48"

Go for a Walk? 20"x30"


Saturday, April 12, 2008

CHECK BACK SOON!

Thursday was crazy for me so I made time today to go back to the HSCC and take digital pictures of the pieces I did for the show. I will be adding those to the site very soon. I havent updated this new web site on my own yet and it has been a while since Miss G and I put it together so wish me luck. At the very least you will see the pictures on my blog.

I will be working on new pieces as son as I get started on the commissions I received at the HSCC show so check back for those as well. I have so many fun ideas and I would love your feedback. So stay tuned...

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Thank you and good night.



The HSCC event was absolutely great. Everyone was so amazingly nice and so accepting of my work. What a great organization. A special thank you to BJ and Jessica. BJ put together an event that incorporated a board meeting, soup tasting and art in an animal shelter and I listened all night to people say what a great night they had. THATS skill. The place looked great and it all just worked amazingly well. He also seemed to do it all with such ease and if not with ease than he hid the stress very well. I dont know BJ very well but what I do know is awesome. Kudos BJ. Jessica was every where doing a little bit of everything. She helped me get excited about the 'after the art show' time. I cant wait to put together her painting. She has actually gotten me excited to paint even after painting for a month and a half straight so kudos to her as well!

Some of my friends from work came and that really made the night for me. I will save that for another post because Im exhausted. But first I want to show you a picture that perfectly summarizes my evening.




The ribbon is from two bunches of flowers I received tonight. The blank canvas was for a painting I just didnt get to but am still excited to work on. Ahhhh....

Monday, April 07, 2008

I apologize for the lack of posts lately. Things have been insanely busy. I just ran downstairs to put a second coat of paint on the last of three large canvases I have been working on for Thursday. I do at least two coats as there are always some light spots. Having said that, at first what I saw below didnt strike me as anything odd. But then I looked closer...



MISSY!?!
I gotta go clean a kitty paw.