Patch And Beau WIP

Close Up of Patch - WIP

So....this is the painting that is commissioned by way of the Cancer Society Auction. The original idea is a painting of one pet...but the people who won the bid decided they wanted to give the painting to a relative who has these two cute canine friends. The border collie is Patch. The miniature pinscher is Beau. The pictures were a bit difficult, having been emailed to me by the owners...only because the background is very busy and I want the dogs to stand out as the major focus. Patch has one blue eye and one amber-yellow eye and since that is one of his unique traits, I am making sure that shows up also. I usually just do one dog (or cat) at a time, so this is a larger painting and more challenging to keep the composition cohesive. We'll see if I get there!

I'm finally back to the easel and getting back to work after a few weeks of working on my Dad's passing and the paperwork of winding up his estate. It has been a sad time, but you can keep reminding me that he was 92 and that is a good long life. At this point it all seems surreal. I'm sure others who have gone through this know what I mean...it takes a while to sink in.

"Patch and Beau" WIP
16X20
Oil on Canvas

Take a Flyer....All the way to heaven

Dog Portrait Promotional Flyer

Click on image to enlarge the view.

Well, I'm trying to cover the bases and convey a couple of good thoughts today...though it is hard to try to move forward at the moment. My Dad passed away Tuesday morning and we are so sad to lose him. One of the things he asked for in his last few days was to see Bosley...he is the napping fellow on the lower left of the flyer. We took Bosley over to Dad's assisted living apt. on last Saturday so Dad could pet him once more. It was a tender scene and we are very glad we did that. When my Dad could still come to our house, Bosley would promptly hop up on the couch to sit by my Dad, so Dad could pet him. It made them both happy. I'm writing this for several reasons. First, my experience with our dogs has been so totally enriching and wonderful. Dogs give us so much joy and love. Today I am trying to think of our blessings and keep from crying over the loss of my Dad. We are missing him so much.

Another reason is to say something about cancer. It is such a hideous and ravaging thing and we can feel so futile in the fight against it. My Dad had prostate cancer and that is what killed him in the end. He also suffered through a melanoma several years ago and had surgery which saved his life then. My little contribution to our local cancer society is donating a pet portrait to their fund-raising auction this Saturday. So the first painting I will do after my Dad's death will be for the cause of helping to fight cancer.

The last reason I'm publishing this is to give other artists a possible idea for promoting their work. I have a program in my computer called Freehand which lets you import pictures and type copy without too much hassle. The picture importing is easy and there are selections of fonts to make your page look great! I have used this "flyer" to promote my work at various venues, leaving them with galleries, etc. Maybe this idea could work for other artists reading my blog.

That's it for now...
I'll be baaaackk......hopefully soon.
Thanks for your visit!

Two By Two

"Two by Two"
12X9
Oil on Linen Panel

Sold

We are very fortunate in my local area to have a wonderful, judged and juried, art show each year sponsored by our art guild and The Schiele Museum of Natural History. We have only two other shows, one a miniature show and the other an open show at the local community college. I have been very fortunate to have been chosen to exhibit at the Schiele Show, titled "A Natural View," for the past few years. This year's show is on exhibit right now through April 2nd. It is at this address: 1500 E. Garrison Blvd., Gastonia, NC. So, if you are in the area, you are welcome to stop by and take a look at the show.

This year my painting "Two by Two" was purchased by a patron who also purchased my "Christmas Dove" painting last year. I am thrilled and so happy that my art has found a good home to a collector who likes my work. And also grateful to have the opportunity to exhibit in such a respected museum that is known nationally as a special resource for its knowledge on natural history. I have especially loved this show for the theme of it. All entries must reflect the artist's view of the natural world...and that is something so fun to contemplate and try to paint.

A couple of things....
One is that I really loved this painting. It was fun to do and expresses the cheerful, sheer happiness of being a duck in the water! It's a great thing to be in one's element...and that is what I felt as I painted this one.

The other is that I am not huge at marketing. I think that is true of a lot of artists, but I am not one to go around flashing signs and bragging about my work. I think I rely on the viewer to come to their own conclusions. If they like it...GREAT! If they don't, well...I didn't succeed at appealing to that particular person. Mostly it is easier for me to keep my head down and just do my work. The goal is getting it out there where it can be seen by a lot of people. That's why I do this blog and my website, so I can share my work with as many people as I can. When I owned my stationery company, Wild Hare Post, Inc., I had a contingent of 50 sales reps whose job it was to go about selling my work to retail stores. I will never get over how good they were and how grateful I was for them to do that job. They did what I just could not do.....national marketing. My relationships with them is something I will always carry with me as a great thing. I still miss them.

Now it is up to me. I forget to tell people that you can buy prints and cards of my work at Fine Art America. Here is a link to the page: Cheryl's Profile at Fine Art America From there you can choose a painting for either a poster, paper, or canvas print, or greeting cards (one or a box), where you can choose blank or create your own greeting.

Of course you can always contact me for availability of certain paintings or commission me to do a painting just for you.

Thanks for stopping by....

My Funny Valentine - Dog Portrait

"My Funny Valentine"
10X8
Oil on Linen Panel

Click on image to enlarge the view.

Every time I paint a dog portrait, when I get it finished, I think it is my favorite. If you look closely you will see a marking in the shape of a heart on this fellow's nose. I didn't notice it when I first fell in love with him, but when I studied the photo closer I saw it. Hence, the title,"My Funny Valentine." I started him before Valentine's Day, but just managed to get back to him the end of this week.

The local Cancer Society Auction is coming up and, like last year, I am donating a dog portrait to the effort. I thought maybe another example of my work would be beneficial to them.

Adding a note here on March 5....My 92 year old father has taken another turn downward and has needed more care and help. Hospice was called in last week and we are doing all we can to help him through these hardest of times. Consequently my painting has taken a back seat to the necessary tasks at hand. I hope to get back to it as soon as possible.

My Funny Valentine

"My Funny Valentine"
10X8
Work in Progress

As I am oft to do, I stuck the unfinished work in progress into one of the frames I had lying around here to see where the face was landing into it. (see below) This funny guy is unknown to me personally, but as you know, I love dogs and when I saw him I fell in love. Infatuation? From the photo I am working from, and you will see this later, he actually has a tiny pink heart shape right on his nose...besides that his nose is slightly heart shaped. I love his black and white colors and there is a bit of reddish tan yet to emerge....you will see that later, too. As he is right now there is a sort of intrigue and a rather modern sophistication. I hope I can maintain that, but if not I might just do this fellow again in just some abstract modern technique, if I can pull that off.....you know that isn't my forte usually.

"My funny valentine...you make me smile when I am blue....."
More later!

Water Lily

"Water Lily"
8X10
Oil on Canvas Panel
Private Collection

On top of the skewed canvas, the sciatic problem and my Dad, we also had a recent electric gremlin hit our house which took out my printer and my USB hub. I guess when it rains it pours. Light bulbs blew, our rheostat in the dining room blew...all of this happened over about ten days. We called the power company and no one seems to have a clue what hit us. Had to be a gremlin....no other explanation and the power company was not taking responsibility. They checked everything out and said we are fine. Hmmmmmmm. Curious, eh? I have replaced the hub and the printer now. Expensive little fellow, that gremlin.

So....I needed a little something visual to cheer me up today, so I went looking around in my files and came across this Water Lily I painted a couple of years ago. My husband and I had gone up to Bass Lake close to Blowing Rock, NC on a beautiful September Saturday and walked around the lake. This was one of only a couple of the lilies still blooming. I was happy to grab a picture and have something to paint when we came home. Now when I look at it, I remember that happy September Saturday.

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod

"Wynken, Blynken, and Nod"
6.5X9
Mixed Media


Private Collection

Click on image to enlarge the view.

I did this piece some time ago for my first grand-daughter. (We were so excited at the time and I was waxing romantic with thoughts of childrens' poems to share with a new child!) This was also just as I was finishing up a more commercial part of my career, so I was thinking about printing possibilities and other applications. Last year my daughter-in-law took this art to some South Korean who turned it into a three dimensional 'paper cut' framed wall piece for the third child's nursery. I don't know the name of the technique, but they do this in S. Korea. It's not exactly origami, but they use colored paper and glue cut pieces onto a backing to create a picture.

I'm showing you this retro piece because I have once again been stymied by my back problem (sciatic nerve pain) and have had to lay low. I've had a third steroid shot today and hoping this will help.

I also had an unusual experience the other day I had not encountered before now. The "Cows by the Lake" piece was nearly finished and I decided to take it over to a frame store to see if I could find anything suitable for it. And behold....the painting would fit into none of the standard 24X36 frames. I tried one after another and they were all off on one side of the rabbet by a half inch. Hmmmmm....says I. What is this? Turns out the stretched canvas on its stretcher bars is ....what is the word...whopperjawed! (Skewed) Unfortunately I didn't notice this when I bought the canvas and merrily went on painting without discovering the flaw. After looking into custom frames with filets to try to offset the problem, and finding that none of that was going to work, I came home deciding that the only option is to have some professional re-stretch the canvas onto straight bars...someday. It isn't going to happen now. No idea how expensive that is to have done. I've set it aside and it will wait for some other day if I ever decide to do it. It's a set back for the moment since I have a show coming up and thought of entering that one. Now I am scrambling to come up with another idea for the show and have three weeks to do it. So due to the back, the frame, and of course we always have my elderly Dad's needs thrown in for good measure....I have been up to my ears in other stuff..

Will come up with a new one soon...Thanks!!

Cows By the Lake - Nearly finished

"Cows by the Lake"
24X36
Oil on Canvas

Click on image to enlarge the view.

Larger painting than usual, which is why I haven't posted to you for a while. There are Work in Progress posts on this painting if you scroll down on the blog. I may still darken the water a bit and I haven't signed it as yet. Otherwise this is mostly finished.

Lots going on here with porch construction and taking care of my Dad's ailments, too, so the process has been slow. Since I love animals, painting the cows was a lot of fun. This time I gave them a nice place to be. At least if I were a cow I think I would like to be there.

Cows By the Lake -WIP - Stage 3

"Cows By the Lake" WIP
Stage 3
24X36
Oil on Canvas

Finally today I had some time to work on the cows. Between the putting away of Christmas...and my 92 year old Dad, who has been needing a lot of extra help for the past few weeks...and the porch construction (contractors coming and going unpredictably)...and my daughter and her dog adding to the chaos, it has been impossible to find any time to paint. I think I had more time when my children were little. At least they took naps and went to school. Now it is interruptions all day long.

It's very grey and rainy here today, so this is once again a photo under incandescent lighting in my studio. The blue sky got totally washed into grey somehow and I was not able to get it back with photoshop. Anyway, here is another WIP shot.

Tomorrow I have a funeral to attend. A friend and fellow artist died Thursday...a lengthy fight with breast cancer. She was heroic. And a really good artist ....now we've lost her. Monday is when we are going to Charlotte to celebrate my daughter's birthday, which is actually Tuesday. Contractors are due back Monday afternoon, too.

So....I guess all I can say is I'll be back ASAP....

Cows By the Lake - WIP - 2nd Stage

"Cows By the Lake - WIP
24X36
Oil on Canvas

Some more work on the trees today. Daylight photo, so you can see the colors better, but now the light from the windows in the back of my studio are shining through a bit...showing the stretcher bars through the canvas. Anyway...I'm about to dive into the cows and foreground.

More to come as I get to it...

Cows By the Lake - WIP

"Cows By the Lake" - WIP
24X36
Oil on Canvas

(Took the picture at 10:00pm and the light is awful...sorry. Will do better in the daylight.)

Nope...I didn't fall off the planet. The holidays are just as busy at my house as yours, and even afterward this year. We are having a new front door and new porch constructed at the front entry of our house. Because the weather is just so frigid, the construction guys are hit and miss with their schedule. And who could blame them? They can only work outside in the cold so long and are coming in short intervals. This is making for a long project that was supposed to be done the week after Thanksgiving. The work-stoppage around that time was due to torrential rains. Maybe I should re-think my ideas of construction next time and plan for spring and summer? Eh?? Ya think???

So in between holiday duties, taking care of things for the 92yr. old Dad, keeping all of us in food, clean house and laundry, tending to the two 4 footed friends, and the porch construction, etc., I have managed to get this far on a painting. It's the largest painting I have done to date. There is a reason for this. Some few years ago, as I love to do, I was shopping the local antique market and came across the most gorgeous painting of cows in a Texas landscape...as large as this painting, but framed in a classic gold frame. The price was way out of my reach. So it haunts me. I remember staying a very long time studying it. And I went back to it two or three times just to look at it. The cows were white, relaxing by water, sky, trees, and depth with detail to make me swoon. A very adept hand had done that painting. I do not remember the artist, unfortunately.

So now....there is a wall in my kitchen that is telling me it needs a landscape with cows in the manner of that painting. This is the beginning of my shot at it. I expect this to take me a good bit of time due to the size....and including the interruptions. (The porch is not close to completion and with the cold weather I expect this to go on for a while yet.) So far I have been working in the trees and just sketched in the cows and water area.

Stay tuned...

Holiday Wishes

"Pomegranate in White"
9X12
Oil on Board
Private Collection

What a fast and furious year this has been! This painting is the image I used for my greeting cards this year. As I am winding up the year, having finished the last commissions for Christmas, and trying to finish the Christmas baking, shopping, wrapping, decorating, etc. I am thinking about all of the blessings of the year, especially the new friends who have come my way through my blogs and paintings. And of course I am thinking about all of the paintings hovering in my mind that are eager to emerge in the coming year.

Thank you to all who have purchased paintings from me this past year. And also thank you to those who took the time to comment and email me. I wish you all Merry Christmas and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Blond Lab Named Lucy - Finished

"Lucy, Blond Lab"
12X16
Acrylic on Canvas
Commissioned

Click on the picture to enlarge the view!

One more Christmas commission finished and ready to go! Makes me feel like one of Santa's elves....
It's pouring rain here and it is nearly 11:00 p.m., so the photo is under incandescent light. Best I could do this tonight, but I may take another photo tomorrow. This was difficult, but fun...if that makes any sense. I hope the owner will be happy with this portrait of their family pet, Lucy. She must be very sweet...I can tell by her eyes.

On to the next painting...stay tuned!!

Blond Lab Named Lucy - WIP

"Lucy the Blond Lab"
12X16
Acrylic
Commissioned

Lest ye think I am sitting on my thumbs, here is the current project. Though it is a Work in Progress, I stuck it into one of my frames just to assess direction and cues on how it is going...and took a photo of that for you.

This is a jump from my usual in that it is acrylic. You see, it's a commission for a Christmas present and this one came in too late to do it in oils. That's fine..but I have not been working with acrylics for the past three or four years, so I am struggling a bit with technique and getting the fur to blend how I would wish. And the client wants geraniums in the painting that are not in the photo, so I am having to fictionalize flowers that are not there. The other challenge here is that the working photo was taken with a flash......aaaarrrrgh. My tip to any and all out there who wish to have paintings done from photos...please do not ever use the flash. It just takes out all of the natural shadows, inuendos, subtle softness of reality and natural color. So that is the thing that is driving me most crazy here. As always, I am delighted to take commissions. This one came through a third party, so I could not give instructions on the photography before the project landed. Hope I can achieve the desired painting for the client...

Will post the finished painting when I get it done.
Stay tuned!! :-)

Brutus - Finished

"Brutus"
9X12
Oil on Linen Panel

Commissioned
Click on picture to enlarge the view.

I used to have cats. Over the years I gave homes to Spooky, Muffin, Ruffles, Levi, Alfalfa, and Oliver. That was the first half of my adult life. Then I went to the dogs...pun intended!! (the dogs: Harrison, Bailey, and now Bosley.) LOL Anyway, I love our furry little friends and love to celebrate the joy they give to us!!! On Thanksgiving that is one of the things for which I am grateful!

So here is Brutus, a fun-loving cutie pie whose family loves him! I had a great time with this painting. The challenge was to make Brutus "pop" on the fabric designs of the chair and ottoman. But that was also what makes the painting interesting to me...that and the adorable pose with his left paw reaching toward the viewer and the light falling across his adorable nose. I want to feel as if I could just reach over and pet him or pick him up. At least that is what I wanted to convey. I hope he is as happy as he made me feel while painting him!!!

On to the next thing...stayed tuned!!