Two small ones...

I have had to take some time off here and there to do "around" the house stuff, so I decided to do a few quickies to stretch my wings and get back into the swing. These are both 5x7 oils. I was curious if I could get a watercolor feel with oils and had fun with these.

For Mindy...

A personal post to Mindy. Yes...it is true. I paint with a chicken on my shoulder.

I need help.

Where does the time go? The 2014 calendar is done and ready to go. I will not be handling sales from the studio this year as my schedule is unbending and stacked. You can pre-order the calendar from www.calendars.com  with free shipping. They will be available for shipping in August.

Get ready for 2015, I will have a songbird, western life, and horse calendar with Legacy Publishers. All products are top quality and made in the USA.

Ok, ok, slap my hands. I have been painting, planting, plotting, sitting in my pool...so sue me. Sitting in front of the computer is last on my list. I am about to embark on a lot of commission work so I thought I would do a little painting for me. This is a method of painting called Trompe l'oeil. "Trump Loy" which means to fool the eye. There are many different forms, but this is a standard. I am not proficient at it by any means, but I do have fun breaking out the eensey teensy brushes and working on a painting.
My corgi, Dakota, has the most expressive eyes of any dog I have ever seen. This is her, "I realllllly want that, but I am gonna be cool about it" expression. I was having dinner  last week and each time I took a bite I would look at her and she would glance away as if to say, nope...beg...me?..NEVER. I got the idea for this painting from that face.
I hope you like it,
"Give the Dog a Bone" Oil, 5x7

Shamefully behind

Please excuse my shameful lack of continuing my WIPs of this painting as I promised. But my excuse is a good one. I have been painting hours on hours and too pooped at the end of the day to deal with the computer. I am almost done with this portrait and much farther along than this stage by now. Now it is clean up work and approval by the owner before I post the final. 

My next project is taxes, then a portrait of our congressman David Dreier for the City Hall portrait gallery. He is retiring and this is his gift from the city of San Dimas. Then it is paintings for the Western show, Fallbrook show, more portraits...and on...and on.. and on...