Paintings by Kim Ratigan

For something different...

2012-02-12T17:00:00.004-05:00

A lovely girl who I am aquainted with had the sad misfortune of suffering a broken ankle during her hockey game mere days before her 16th birthday :-(

Everyone was signing her cast, but I said I'd paint something....did you know that casts can either be plaster or fiberglass? This is fiberglass, quite bumpy not very absorbent. My acrylic paint needed some blowdrying help to set and dry, but we got it done.

A very patient girl now has a little painting of her favourite pet; pot-belly pigs!

Of course, afterwards, my husband pointed out that I should have painted little pigs on her toes too...

Christmas - Day 10

2012-01-06T15:54:00.017-05:00

So the bride has her bouquet and loves it :-D

Here are a few more details about the bouquet and how I tried to make it unique to my sister:

First, many of the brooches were versions of snowflakes in keeping with her theme. Very beautiful pieces, and I could have added more; there were lots to choose from...

Extra-Special brooches included:

A Rhinestone Fish-both the bride and groom are avid (some may use the word obsessed) fisherpeople

A Crystal for added bling to which I attached the charms "hugs & kisses" which every marriage should have lots of!
It hangs free on the bouquet giving a little added movement.

A Rhinstone Puppy pin that represents "Justy" the couple's fabulous Blue Picardy Spaniel. She isn't part of the wedding plans (to my sister's dismay) but she is there in spirit on the bouquet, complete with her little ball!

A really beautiful (I lucked out on this one) silver and rhinestone sunflower brooch, on of the bride's favourite flowers.

A Rhinstone butterfly, as both the bride and the groom are "social butterflies" (You can see one of the snowflake brooches in this shot as well)

A Rhinstone Dragon....weird? I think not! 2012 which is the Year of the Dragon. It is also a water sign (re: see first special brooch) It is a symbol signifying success and happiness. May the celestial Dragon bring great good luck to everyone, especially the new couple! (A little hard to see- a snowflake to the right and the pearls sit behind the dragon's head and back)

A few more that I don't have pictures for are:
A Rhinstone Christmas Tree, which symbolizes the lovely season that the wedding was part of..
And some beautiful little blue and white rhinestone snowflake hair pins which came all the way from Australia. Given that the jewellery is from Japan, China, the US and Canada, it also has kind of an international flair.

Than, I added a lovely little picture of her husband-to-be in a small heart charm that hangs on the handle. A little something she can look at in secret and....

....hidden on the handle, under the bouquet is a small baby braclet for good luck and a blessing of the family to come!

Many years of Happiness and Love to Kristy and Paul!

Now, we party :-)

Christmas-Day 9

2012-01-04T23:39:00.003-05:00

Here it is: Finished!

Unfortunately, the photo does not do the bling in this bouquet justice; the sparkle that comes off it in the sunshine is awesome. It goes t the bride tomorrow and I will follow up this post with close-ups of some of the brooches that were included...little hidden meanings behind some of them :-)

Christmas - Day 8

2012-01-02T23:51:00.006-05:00

I have finished the Brooch Bouquet, but will post some of the steps over the next few days...With working 2 jobs, the wedding crafts and a few commissions, I hope you can understand why my time has been limited on the blog. Anyway, onward...

Making the BB was fun, challenging and rewarding. I started by purchasing a number of brooches over the summer/fall months. Some were basic designs, while others had specific meaning for my sister. All were pretty much rhinestone/white crystal in style. If you haven't guessed by now, we are continuing with our "Winter Wonderland" theme :-)

Once together, I began to wire the brooches and tape them with florist tape. Make sure you wire well and tight. Sagging brooches do NOT sit well in the bouquet.
I also had a few powder puffs of light, icy blue material to include as "filler" (Note: some people use a silk hydrangea as their base which I wanted to do but couldn't get that proper ice blue color)

After all are wired it is a matter of trying to assemble them in a pleasing bouquet: hold in one hand and add and move brooches around with the other.
My advice here is to try and get brooches that are similar in size; I had some that were 4" across and others 1" across. That is too much of a difference as the larger ones then look too flat. I started and stopped this process about 4 times until I finally got a shape that was working for me. It takes patience, so don't despair if it doesn't come together on your first go around.

Below is a shot of the bouquet from the underside (with a bit of florist tape holding it together) I eventually built up the handle and finished it completely with the tape.
You may notice some of my "tools" in this pic. My wonderful husband suggested using his hemostats from his first aid kit to help pull through wire,material etc. They worked wonderfully! They may stay with me now and I will have to get him some new ones!

More tomorrow.....

Christmas - Day 7

2012-01-01T23:15:00.005-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Okay, so there's no artwork to showcase today...I got home at 10 mins to 12 last night after working all evening and got to count down the last of 2011 with my husbandXOXO.

Had a low key New Year's Day, finishing up the Brooch Bouquet for the wedding. Sorry, I can't show you now, maybe in a few days, the Bride has to see it first!

Other than that, here are my boys, Suede and Dax, enjoying the mild temps here in southern Ontario.

Here's wishing everyone the very best for the New Year-
Peace, Health and Happiness for 2012!

Christmas - Day 6

2012-01-01T22:50:00.005-05:00

Whoops! Falling behind again....after showing my Wedding Invite ornaments, I thought I had better show the invite itself.

We made 120 invitations for the wedding. The type was set on a Mac and run out on white paper then glued to a metallic blue text stock, which was then glued to a metallic white/silver cardstock. The snowflakes were punched out using a store bought snowflake punch and the direction map was drawn in Illustrator.

The invite, response card, reply envelope and direction card were all inserted into a hand cut envelope which was folded and secured with white ribbon (which could be easily slipped on and off and is shown below ) These envelopes were from embossed cardstock which was then embellished with glitter glue drops.

The whole invite was then placed in the outer enveloped and mailed. The outer envelope matched the pale blue metallic paper which was used in the invite. We were very pleased with the results and I think my sister was too! :-)

The ribbon was purchased at Michael's as was the embossed card stock. The "Winter Wonderland" theme was carried throughout with the sparkly paper in white and pale blue. These metallic papers and the reply and blue metallic outer envelopes were purchased from the Paper Garden, which was a super fantastic company to deal with and supplied us with a stellar product. I can't say enough about them--if you need paper products of any kind, please give them a look; they also send out free paper samples!

And many thinks to my crew of helpers, who gave time to glue, punch fold and cut alongside me.

Christmas- Day 5

2011-12-29T23:29:00.005-05:00

And here is the next one; another for my sister and yes Susan, you are right! It was the invitation. You may be able to see it a bit better in this ornament, cut up into strips and curled inside a glass ball. The blue color on this pic is more accurate as we took this photo outside in natural daylight.
I was really pleased with these two, and got the idea from a variety of sites. Take a look here-Glass Ball and here-Triangle Ball. I'm not sure where the ideas first originated, but they sure are beautiful--Thanks for the inspiration ladies!!

Christmas-Day 4

2011-12-29T09:02:00.005-05:00

Whoops! Forgot to post this yesterday!

Continuing on in the ornament theme; here is the first of 2 ornaments that I made for my sister (Sorry about the poor pic; my photography team wasn't on their game with this shoot:-D ).
Some background info; She is getting married in, oh, about a week and a half, in a winter wonderland wedding. Her colors are white and icy blue with lots of sparkle :-D

Can you see what the ornament was made out of??

Christmas-Day 3

2011-12-27T22:41:00.006-05:00

From Calendars back to Christmas ornaments;

Here is another little bauble I painted for a close friend. It is a porcelain ball and has a parade of puppies. There is a boxer, beagle, cocker spaniel, golden retriever and a little westie. (Sorry, the pic of the side with the little westie was under exposed and didn't turn out).
The ornament was painted in sepias and hunter green, finished off with a light mocha and golden bow for a bit of 'bling.'

One of the hardest things about painting on a sphere is how to hold it still! Tried two items that worked: an egg cup, which was okay but a little slippery, then used a cardboard egg carton, which worked great!

Christmas-Day2

2011-12-26T22:37:00.003-05:00

One project that had kept me busy had more of a design aspect than an artistic one...

Being the owner of two beautiful blue picardy spaniels, I am involved in the breed and, with the help of other owners submitting pics, we have produced a calendar showcasing these great canines--13 wonderful months of blue beauties!!!!! The proceeds of the calendar sales will go to finance future "Blue" events.

Merry Christmas! Day 1

2011-12-25T10:36:00.003-05:00

I have made it back to the land of the bloggers. Plain and simple, "life" has bulldozed through and I have not had the opportunity to sit at my desk and create art for art's sake.

I do have a few things to show you that have blossomed within the last few months, so in honour of the season and the 12 days of Christmas, I will post you Twelve Days of Art
Above is a hand painted porcelain Christmas ornament of "Indy"

A very Merry Yule to everyone and their families, human and four-legged and all the best for a stellar 2012!!!!:-)

TOPP Competition Entries

2011-05-17T20:34:00.010-04:00

Another project finished (for now)...
The Trail of Painted Pony people put out a call for entries and I managed to get 2 finished. I had two additional ideas but they just didn't translate well once I got them sketched out over a pony. I only wish I had more time to paint these two on real figurines.

Anyway, TOPP will be taking all the entries, picking the best 10 in each of the six categories and will put them online for voting. I've seen some of the other entries and they are awesome so we'll wait and see....fingers crossed mine get in!

1.) FLIGHT OF FANCY

This pony began as a blast of color, with brilliantly hued parrots bursting out of dark, lush rainforest foliage.
As they "flew" along my pony, I couldn't help but be reminded of the circus horse pageantry, and the way they too "burst" out of the darkness into the circus ring limelight, adorned in their own finery and bling, ready to delight and dazzle us with color, beauty and power...from there it was a natural progression for my design to morph the pony into a tattooed, feathered performer ready for his cue!
I most definitely want to paint this design on a blank pony in the future

2.) MY TYPE OF PONY

Pure fun, this pony is the ultimate play on words...I've taken a number of creative words that are used to describe a perfect pony type but then rendered each word in a different style of type face (font)!
I've made the words in black on a warm cream dun colored pony with her own white bling (socks and blaze). In contrast to the design above, colors were kept fairly muted to keep attention on the words and meaning of the figurine.
Will this make it to a hand painted original? Not sure, doing justice to all those typefaces will take some care.

Happy (Belated) Mother's Day

2011-05-10T09:12:00.005-04:00

I ♥ U Bear
5"x5" Coloured Pencil on Pastelmat

Happy Mom's Day!

Playing catch up here with my celebrations....all that special treatment over the weekend must have got to my head!! Seriously, had a lovely, lovely time and hoping all the other moms out there did as well.
In honour of our special day, I have finally completed this commission for an extremely patient client....Thank you so much Linda!

(I'll post the second half to this pair tomorrow)

The Front Runner Autographed Ed. Sold Out!

2011-04-23T17:15:00.006-04:00

Last year I posted about a design of mine being made into a Painted Pony Collectible Figurine. Well, I'm happy to say that earlier this month, the Autographed edition sold out!
One of the projects I've been juggling (with a number of others) has been to embellish one of my ponies. Well, it's finished!(below)
Just to explain a bit here: The TOPP Figurines are sold beautifully painted and numbered. The artists are then allowed to take their ponies and paint, add to or embellish them in any way. I have taken this figurine and repainted the horse so he is a dark bay with undertones of red, touched up the riders and ponies, added a hand painted chestnut foal galloping across the base, signed it and glazed the entire piece.

The picture at the top of the post is of the original figurine, the pictures below are of the embellished pony. This may be sold privately, but if not, it will go up in an ebay auction next week.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful weekend and a Happy Easter!

What's old is new?

2011-04-04T20:35:00.005-04:00

I did a double take at the grocery store when I saw the People's cover memorializing Elizabeth Taylor. Looks like People's art directors and I have the same taste in beautiful photos!

I got around to rummaging through some old drawings and pulled out the one above. I did this years ago, at least 10, with a limited palette of coloured pencils on super slick Lettraset paper (if some of you remember that!) A softer rendition, using lots of cross-hatching throughout the face, then directional strokes through the hair. I still like it :-)

A stunning woman and a film icon; a heartbreaking loss~Godspeed, Liz.

Projects and....a Puppy!

2011-03-08T17:24:00.032-05:00

Time does fly! Literally! These months have evaporated, between being busy at my "bill paying job" and trying to finish up 4 projects on the go (all of a creative nature) I have had a very full plate.
So while I do have art to show you, I must to wait for client approvals and a birthday to pass before posting. In the interim....

We did it.

We got a puppy.

And no, you can't see the hole in my head.

Only my mother can.
And apparently she is able to do this no matter how old I get ;-)

So I thought I would share a bunch of those mushy, gushy isn't-he-the-cutest-thing puppy pictures! (Note: For those of you serious blog readers, you might want to stop here as the remaining part of my post gets awfully syrupy)

We already have an almost-5-year-old-Blue Picardy Spaniel in our family and were going to get, at some point, when we had more space, another Blue. Fate had other plans, and waiting was not part of them, so excuses were set aside and we welcomed home Brighthope Power Point, aka "DAX" (Eighteen weeks young as of yesterday)

Although I'm sure he still hopes, for the most part Suede has resigned himself that the puppy is not leaving and has become a wonderful big uncle and role model to little Dax.
Note Dax's careful positioning to be just like his big buddy Suede! (The following pictures were NOT posed. Honest!)

Too precious right? They cuddle like that all the time. I can't help but smile; if only life was that easy!! And Dax will pretty much cuddle with anyone that will have him....

Dax is named after a medival French city, and he is the only son of the wonderful Ciron of Brighthope kennels. With a litter of 1 boy and 6 girls, Ciron obviously likes to produce girls! Dax will get a little darker as he ages; he will be a black and grey roan. Right now he is a super gangly youngster....

Here is Dax trying out for a part on "Meercat Manor"...

We can already see glimpses of the handsome dog that Dax will become.... they grow up so quickly!

One More Christmas Post

2011-01-02T23:42:00.005-05:00

"Marne"
Christmas 2010, Enamel paints on porcelain

I wanted to show something different I did this year;
This is an original hand painted ornament I created for an extra-special Christmas gift :-D
It is a flat, porcelain ornament and I used enamel paints, with some gold burnishing on the background. It was a pretty good surface to paint on and I was very pleased with the outcome.

For inspiration on this piece, I tip my hat in the direction of Jennifer MacNeill-Traylor, who has painted a few of her own ornaments. I found the porcelain blanks one day and decided to give it a try.
Surf on by and check out her artwork on her regular blog and her fabulous Painted Ponies (one of my New Years resolutions is to save up my pennies for one of Jen's original ponies this year!) You won't be disappointed!

Everyone is back and school and/or work tomorrow and I will be trying to finish up my entries for this year's Art Show at the Dog Show. Will try to post work in progress....stay tuned!

Miniature Portrait

2010-12-30T17:20:00.011-05:00

FRASIER
Watercolour on Board, 3.25"x 3.25"

Here is a miniature portrait I did for a Christmas gift; This is Frasier, a wonderful old gentleman who was mostly beagle with a dash of the unknown.

Sadly, his body gave out before his wonderful soaring spirit did....

(Stage 1 shown right, stage 2 shown left, final above)

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T11:41:00.003-05:00

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas
and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2011!!

* * * * * * * * *

Helping Paws

2010-12-01T19:23:00.009-05:00

I belong to the Canine Art Guild, a wonderful group of "dog" artists. Each year,due to the hard work of a number of members, the CAG puts together an online exhibition entitled "Helping Paws" where participating artists donate work and pledges a % of the sale of that work to a specified Animal Charity.
I submitted two pieces this year and, although the show does not go live until December 15th, I wanted to post the news in case anyone is looking for a great Christmas gift that gives in two ways :-)
"What's Up Dach?" and "Soulful" were accepted into the 2010 Art Show at the Dog Show earlier this year, with Soulful winning a Fourth Place Award in the Drawing Category.

SOULFUL
Frame Size: 12"w x 12"h, Painting size: 5"w x 5"h

Fully framed in a simple, dark frame that has slightly distressed edges and matted with a warm mushroom and off white double matt .

Your purchase of "Soulful" will send a donation of $75.00 to the American Lab Rescue. This rescue group is a not-for-profit organization specializing in re-homing pure and part bred labrador retrievers and in just over 5 years American Lab Rescue has helped place just under 4,000 dogs!

WHAT'S UP DACH?
Frame Size: 13"w x 11"h, Painting size: 6"w x 4"h

Fully framed in a simple, dark frame that has slightly distressed edges and matted with a neutral grey-brown and off white double matt.

Your purchase of "What's Up Dach?" will send a donation of $75.00 to the Canadian Dachshund Rescue. This rescue group is a not-for-profit organization specializing in re-homing pure and part bred dachshunds and in since 2001, the CDR has helped over 700 dachshunds and dachshund mixes find forever homes !

Both groups need financial help for their ongoing vet bills and foster family support. If you have any further questions or would like more detailed photos, please do not hesitate to contact me

Sort of painting...

2010-11-23T15:53:00.003-05:00

So I finally have something to show you...sort of....

I've been working quite a bit and not a lot of time has been left for the drawing board. So, I have started a little painting; in acrylics of all things!

I have been doing some embellishing on my Front Runner pony figurines using acrylics and while I was waiting for one to dry, I pulled out some art media board and started on a small painting. This is based on a photo I took of some Connemara ponies while we were in Ireland eons ago. They might stay Connies or I might turn them into Highland ponies, another fav.

I promise this will get finished this week; and thanks very much to those who posted me privately...it was nice knowing people are missing your work

Bye, Bye Summer

2010-09-22T21:02:00.003-04:00

Summer is officially behind us now, and I think I saw part of it!
It has been a very busy last couple of months, and I really cannot figure out how other artists balance family, working at a "paying" job and creating wonderful art on a regular basis. Even though I was always a good multi-tasker, I just haven't been able to do it, so my apologizes to the lack of posts. Perhaps with school now underway and things a little calmer, my posts will increase.

I had a nice break when our family went away for a week of vacation. We rented a cottage and it turned out to be pretty nice; all except for the "walk" to the lake that is.
The cottage owner explained that we had to walk down a set of stairs to the lake and dock.
No problem. We saw a picture.
However when we got there and saw the "walk"--well, does 'stairway to heaven' conjure up any images?
The picture we were shown was only of part of the walkway. I did a sketch (at left) of the upper portion. In total there were close to 200 steps! And that would be one way, so needless to say we all worked up great appetites and monster calves!

As the boys were all about the fishing, I also got in a few studies of lures and such. Don't ask me to name them though, the only one I know is the "bobber"

Ripple

2010-06-23T11:17:00.005-04:00

Tricoloured Heron- 3" x 3.5" Pencil sketch on WC paper

Piping Plover - 3" x 3.5" Pencil sketch on WC paper

A few days ago I read about an online project that has been set up to aid in the Deep Water Horizon Gulf Oil Spill.

Kelly Light is a talented illustrator who wanted to do something about this disaster, so she set up a project called "Ripple"... the thought being that one ripple reaches out to many and repeats.

She contacted her art community and asked individuals to create a sketch on a 2.5"x 3.5" format and she would post it to the Ripple blog where each card would be "sold" when a person made a $10 donation to either the The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies or The International Bird Rescue Research Center, two non-profit organizations currently helping in the Gulf.

Well, Kelly's project has been a great success with people adding to it everyday. Every penny raised goes directly to these organizations and since June 3rd, this project has raised over $4,000!

"Tricolored Heron" and "Piping Plover" are my two little contributions. To make a donation and purchase, visit the Ripple Blog for further instructions.

And I would like to put out the challenge to all other artists to donate their own little sketch. As Kelly puts it "We don't have to feel helpless. We can help. Our small actions together will ripple outward. "

Naming Turtles

2010-06-17T14:44:00.005-04:00

I'm juggling two jobs right now so painting has been really slow. However, other artists are doing wonderful work and in checking some of my watched blogs, I have to share this one with you.
Steve Worthington is a wonderful sculpture who has a humorous side to his work. He has a current contest running to name this three recent sculptures; a wonderful set of turtles-- And if your names are chosen, Steve is generously giving away a mouse sculpture as a prize!

So I've sent in a few suggestions:

The "H2O" Trio (Beginning of each name spells out H2O)
HOOVER (Outgoing),
TOULOUSE (Steady)
ORVILLE (slightly shy)

Trio in Motion
TURBO (Always gets there first- by a nose)
TEMPO (Steady pace)
TWINKLE TOES (Reminds me of a wall flower )

I think there's still time to send entries in...Wander over, have a look and suggest your own set of names.

Max the Bunny Portrait

2010-05-27T09:50:00.006-04:00

"MAX"
5.25" x 5.25" Watercolor on WC board

Time just keeps on slipping away around here! However, my Max the Bunny portrait is completed and delivered to happy clients;
Thanks to Liz and Katherine for being patient and having such a wonderful buns!
My friend owned a dwarf rabbit and he was a character, but Max surprised me by being so friendly and individual; He obviously loves his humans, asks to be petted and talks...plus he was quite adorable :-)

Above is the finished piece and the sketch we went with (left), while below is a little montage of Max sketches. When I put it together I thought it might look quite nice as an overall bunny painting. I am sure that idea came from fellow artist Kimberly Kelly Santini's latest post about her own wonderful "Westie" montage Check it out- it looks great!

I also want to send out my congratulations to miniature artist Tracy Hall, who had her gorilla painting, entitled "Pensive," shortlisted for the 2010 Wildlife Artist of the Year Competition!!

Blue Mahogany

2010-05-18T20:39:00.003-04:00

Blue Mahogany
Miniature Watercolor 3"w x 4"h

I had done a little miniature for the Pyramid Society's Art Auction but realized I never posted about it! The painting is now on its way to Kentucky and will hopefully find a lovely new owner come June :-)

It was done in watercolor on smooth wc paper (the penny is there to show scale). I was pretty pleased with it, but might have changed the head position a bit so that the interior daisy design was also visible behind the top of the neck crest. This would have given some more continuity to the background. Now back to finishing up my lovely Max portrait :-)

"The Front Runner"

2010-04-26T17:37:00.006-04:00

A busy April has kept me hopping...unfortunately only some of it has been at my drawing board! Here are a few updates...

My Trail of Painted Pony figurine, The Front Runner has arrived! I have a number of low editions that are signed and are available purchase. I will also hold a couple of others back to embellish and sign. Not sure what the embellishments will be, but I will post them here when they are in progress. These will be ready some time early summer.
If you are interested in purchasing a pony, please contact me.

Two of my miniatures ("A Lite Bite" and "The Raspberry Thief")have been accepted into the Artcetra Auction, to be held on Thursday, May 6th to Saturday, May 8th at the Elora Center for the Arts. There will be free previews and both a silent and live auction. Visit their site for further info

And last, but not least; I am working on a sweet little portrait of Max the Bunny, but can't post anything until he's done and the client has okayed it---Look for him possibly next week :-)

Thumbs Down for Horsemania

2010-04-08T14:20:00.007-04:00

I have been oh-so-patiently waiting for a letter from Lexington, Kentucky on the Horsemania 2010 project but it still has not arrived, so I bite the bullet and phoned them. After speaking to the wonderful Tanya, I found out that my design was not accepted for this project.

Bummer.

Horse mania 2010 is a re-visit of an earlier project Lexington ran in 2000. They got lifesize acrylic pony statues that individual artists painted. It was so successful that they chose to do it again, this time running the event through the World Equestrian Games.

I'm not going to be there. Bummer.

Over 450 entries were submitted and the judges had to par it down to 79. That must have been difficult...

I have posted my design and think I will have a go at painting it on a small resin horse form and see how that turns out. I really liked it, but it might have been too illustrative for their purposes. I know there were some great designs(graphic) submitted.

The horse form was the "Grazing Horse" I was going to paint a group of girls pouring over books on a library shelf. All the girls are horse crazy and sport the ubiquitous horse-crazy-girl pony tail.
The books they are looking at would have been individually titled using the great stories that h-c-g grow up on: Black Beauty, the Black Stallion, Bonnie (the Thoroughbred) Billy and Blaze, the Saddle Club etc. It would have been a little interactive trip down memory lane...

And the title? PONY TALES!

Student Work-Mine!

2010-03-31T10:13:00.006-04:00

So the studio is almost back to normal--in cleaning up, I had to go through a couple of old portfolios and came across some of my student work from my illustration course at Sheridan College. (And yes, that is the same Sheridan College that is producing all those great animators that ILM and Pixar come and snatch up. I think I picked the wrong course!! :-D )

Anyway, these were two paintings done in acrylics from still-life set ups. We had loads of skulls at school and I loved to draw them, especially on toned paper with black and white pastel.

I remember doing this value exercise; comparing the value in one part to another part of the skull and painting it accordingly. Over and over again. I used to get so lost in those paintings and would be exhausted at the end--just from the mental exertion. The red scarf was a similar idea but stressing reflected color.

Wasn't it great how much time one had back then?

And the rain, rain, rain came down, down, down...

2010-03-18T17:29:00.002-04:00

..so Piglet started bailing!

Unfortunately, our sump pump didn't!

We were flooded almost a week ago, and are still in the midst of clean up and re-flooring.

Hence no posts and I might not be back for another few days Hope to have something up next week!

Good News!!

2010-02-28T18:44:00.002-05:00

While my news is not on an Olympic scale :-), I'm pretty thrilled to announce winning a Third Place Award in Watercolours for "My Ball" and a Fourth Place Award in Drawing for "Soulful" at the Art Show at the Dog Show.
Best In Show was awarded to Marla Ruch Parnell and her stunning collie pastel portrait, "Sunbath"

And I must pass kudos and congrats to both the Canadian and American Men's Hockey teams for a incrediable Gold Medal game this afternoon. Even though I am Canadian, I'm not a huge hockey nut, but throughly enjoyed the play and was glued to the TV... In fact, the entire games were great; being more of an armchair-type athelete myself, I found the Olympic athletes amazing to watch!

Miniature-Chickadee

2010-02-25T18:34:00.004-05:00

Well the miniature chickadee is finally finished :-)

It didn't take me long to do it, I was just busy with other "stuff"..too much "stuff" and not enough ART!

This is a 3"x3" watercolor and I am still musing over a title. I was leaning toward "Dinnertime" or "What's for Dinner?" but am not sure. I snuck in a little caterpillar on the side of the stump in the foreground, so one could read that the chickadee is thinking whether to go vegetarian or not...!?!

I'll have to ask my hubby for his input. He's the Title Wizard around here.

Update: So the Title Wizard is in fear of being dethroned!
I'm going with Laura Hardie's suggestion of "Food for Thought" with this painting. We think it's a perfect fit, plus it's the name of the school snack program I volunteer with!
Thanks very much Laura! (P.S. Be sure to check out Laura's wonderful portraits on her blog)

118 Valentines!

2010-02-14T16:41:00.009-05:00

Paintings, starting from top left:
• Jack, • Pumpkins are 'posed to be orange!, • Shadows,
• An Alabama Cow, • The Pina Colada Sarong , • Passin' Thru,
• Pupcakes, • Portrait Challenge, • The Road Ahead

One of the secret projects I was working on in January can now be revealed!

For the last year or so, I have tried to regularly participate in the Different Strokes from Different Folks painting challenges moderated by Karin Jurick (My submissions are grouped above).
Well, this week Karin got an early Valentine's Day gift from DSDF artists in the form of 118 paintings!

In January, artist Jill Polsby organized an amazing gesture of appreciation and thanks to Karin by contacting artists and asking them to paint a portrait of her. (Below: My small 'Karin' watercolor)

These portraits were then collected and put into a book and sent to Karin.

All artist were to keep 'mum' about the whole project until now, and it has turned out to be a wonderful group gesture and I was happy to be included. You can view the online version HERE.
Thanks to Jill for all her hard work and to Karin for her DSDF undertakings :-)

And to all, Happy Valentine's Day--go do something fun with your special someone!

Miniature - Chickadee (Work in progess)

2010-02-12T18:52:00.003-05:00

Chickadee miniature WIP
3" x 3" - Watercolor on WC board

Here's one of the minis I am currently working on.
When we go for our walks to a nearby conservation area, the woods are filled with chickadees who have learned that hikers are suckers and almost always have food.
It is great to see young kids able to have one land on their hand or heads to grab a seed.
Needless to say, I have lots of photo reference :-)

Sketching...

2010-02-08T11:03:00.004-05:00

The paintings are coming along slowly due to the sore throat that came on fast...and I was doing so well this winter season with only one small cold!
Oh well; to show you that I have been doing something, here is a small sketch. I'd really like to try this in miniature, so fingers crossed....

Quick Note

2010-02-03T16:50:00.002-05:00

A quick note to ask all my visitors not to give up on me!

I have been busy, but nothing 'postable' as yet :-)

There are 2 'secret' projects that I have to wait to get an okay on and I am also working on paintings to submit to the Dundas Valley Art Auction (in March/April) and the Egyptian Event. Throw in a website revision (not live yet) and a sick child and the month just flew by.

Please check in later on this week for some work in process sneek peeks, and thanks for your patience:-)

Going to the Dogs!

2010-01-26T12:24:00.006-05:00

Well, this year is opening with a blast:-D

I just got news about my entries for this year's Art Show at the Dog Show exhibition.
I have had three works accepted and am thrilled!

These will be displayed amoung 3 different location in Wichita, Kansas, between March 3rd thru April 11th. I will post more details soon, but now its off to the framers!

Going "to the Dogs" are:

"What's up Dach?"
4"x6" Watercolor

"My Ball"
5"x5" Watercolor

"Soulful"
5"x5" Colored Pencil on PastelMat

Cavalier Portrait

2010-01-08T17:04:00.003-05:00

"Kiss Me Kate"
Miniature Watercolor Portrait, Approx. 2.5" across

Here is another Christmas special...I know everyone who loses a pet says this, but this girl was definitely taken from our family far, far too soon. (Pennies shown for scale)

DSDF End of the Year Portrait Challenge

2009-12-31T12:38:00.006-05:00

"Dave"
Approx. 5"h x 8" w, watercolor on board

Reference for "Dave"

Here is my painting for Karin Jurick's DSDF end of the Year Portrait Challenge. I chickened out last year, but was determined to take part for 2009. Karin got a huge response this year and it is very interesting to see the final pieces. Make sure you check it out!

My entry is done in watercolor and I really tried to use looser strokes and concentrate more on warm vs. cool colour to get my form. It was relaxing to do, probably because it isn't a commission and there wasn't the pressure to make it look exactly like someone. I pretty happy with the result :-)

And here's wishing everyone a very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2010!!!

And now for something completely different...

2009-12-29T14:44:00.006-05:00

"Walleye Strike"
12"h x 16"w Watercolor and Colored Pencil

Not my usual subject matter for sure, but doing this fish commission has given me a new respect for all those artist specializing in this genre. Fish have a lot of parts, fins, and gills and so on, and you have to depict it correctly because really serious fishermen know the difference!

And this was a commission for a serious fisherman; I needed to paint a walleye, going after a specific lure that has been a personal fav this fisherman for ages (hence the paint chips all over it!)

It turned out fairly well, and all were very happy with the finished piece.

I have tried to include a few steps of the process below. I did use Friskit to mask out the fish and painted the background first. After taking these pictures, I did enlarge and darken the 'black' spot at the bottom end of the dorsal fin, which is a typical walleye marking, along with the white spot on the tip of the tail.

Dog Portrait - "Terry"

2009-12-28T09:34:00.005-05:00

"Terry"
Watercolor and Colored Pencil, 8"wx11"h

Well the feasting is over, the prezzies unwrapped and the long afternoon naps taken, time to get back to doing some work!

Remember my "nose" post earlier this month? Well, here is the rest of "Terry"

Hope everyone is having/had a wonderful holiday!!

Dear Santa....

2009-12-22T11:38:00.005-05:00

I hope everyone out there is reaching their Christmas finishing line! I am working on my final portrait, and will have a few to show once the season is over.

In the meantime, here's what's on my Christmas List....in the future...

Almost 5 week-old blue picardy spaniel pups at Brighthope Kennels. We had a lovely visit, but I wasn't able to sneak one out under my coat--Vicki kept on counting them all to make sure none were missing!!!

More Painted Ponies

2009-12-08T15:02:00.005-05:00

The Trail of Painted Ponies had a special call to artists this month; to design a pony to be painted and auctioned off at the the 2010American Heart Association's Heart Ball in Washington,D.C. The theme was "Horses and Hearts" and "Take the Reins for Heart"

I submitted 2 designs;
One was a very whimsical, decorative pony entitled "Pony of Hearts"
Taking inspiration from carousel horses, but heavy on the hearts, I also gave a nod to the Native aspect of the Trail of Painted Ponies and embellished the saddlecloth with small iconic ponies.

The other was a more emotional piece, entitled "My Pony Reigns in my Heart"
This piece featured memorable horses / breeds that inspire us with their courage, bravery, persistence, willingness to help and partnership. There were so many great horses to choose from, but I narrowed it down to: the Thoroughbred (featuring Ruffian),the American Quarter Horse, the Polo Pony, the Show Jumper (and on opposite side) the lovable, kids' first pony, the Arabian, the Service Horse, working with Riding for the Disabled groups and Brigadier, a mount on the Toronto Police Force who was killed by a hit and run driver while on duty (Check out photographer Anne de Haas' great tribute to him).

The winning artist and figurine will be published on the TOPP website after Christmas.

In the meantime, my pony The Front Runner, is now available for pre-order. It is being offered as a Winter 2010 Figurine and as a collectible Autographed Figurine (Limited edition of 75). The actual ponies will arrive sometime in March and I can't wait!

The Nose Knows?

2009-12-02T12:39:00.004-05:00

I promise I HAVE been working...although it may not seem so by looking at this blog!

I have a couple of commissions on the table right now and have just finished up a special project (Hopefully I can report more on that one by the end of the week).

And why the nose you might ask? Well, to prove that I have been drawing and painting, I have posted a portion of my most recent commission work, and unveiling the entire piece has to wait until after Christmas!

Kitten Candy

2009-11-21T16:18:00.003-05:00

"Kitten Candy"
5"w x 5"h
Colored Pencil on Pastelmat paper

This is the second of my whimsical Christmas still life. A little brighter, this ginger kitten is all decked out in her best green dress for Christmas, (as long as she doesn't get Candy Cane all over it!)

Kitten Candy is up for auction on Ebay !

"A Prezzie for Lizzie"

2009-11-17T12:35:00.006-05:00

"A Prezzie for Lizzie"
5"w x 5"h
Colored Pencil on Pastelmat paper

Here is one of my whimsical Christmas still life completed.

She is beige-grey bunny dressed for Christmas in a mixture of dark browns, olive greens and reds with a touch of yellow thrown in.

This is colored pencil on Pastelmat, again just loving that surface for my pencils :-)

Miss Lizzie is up for auction on Ebay!

WIP - Christmas Cuties

2009-11-10T21:32:00.004-05:00

Between Christmas commissions, I took a break and sketch out a couple of toy animals. These Christmas cuties will be finished off with color pencil on Pastelmat paper, similar to my previous Teddy bears. Hopefully, I can post the finished pieces by this weekend!

Relisting

2009-11-09T17:17:00.009-05:00

As my artwork decorates my studio and I only have so much space, I will be auctioning more pieces as we head into the Christmas Shopping season. I am posting two coloured pencil paintings, both done on Fisher paper.
If you are interested, please click on the link to go to my Ebay auction page. Thanks!

"SOULFUL"

5.25" x 5.25" Coloured Pencil on Pastelmat.
Sells with neutral mat and is ready to frame (8"x 8" frame) or be custom framed.

This is a FIVE day auction. To view auction, click here.

"SIESTA"

4"x6" Coloured Pencil on Pastelmat
Sells with neutral mat and is ready to frame ( 5"x 7" or 8"x 10" frame) or be custom framed.

This is a FIVE day auction. To view auction, click here.

Girl Power!

2009-11-08T09:11:00.006-05:00

Photo: MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images-StlToday

No painting to post today; I've been out working for the last week and am playing catch up at my easel; however, I did take out time to watch one or two of the Breeders Cup races yesterday and am so glad I did! One of the most amazing races I have ever seen was the final race, The Classic.

The undefeated mare Zenyatta, was pitted against the boys and boy-o-boy did she show them!

The race itself was one that movie script writers would have trouble topping :-)
This big, lovely girl readies herself for the race with a strange hoof-pawing dance before each race. One of the commentators described it as pilates for horses.
A California-based girl, she is bold and full of herself and she loves her people.
The rest of the field is a stellar cast of racing's best boys including the Kentucky Derby winner, The Arlington Million Winner, and a host of European Champions.

Going into the gate, Zenyatta had some loading problems, changing her mind about cooperating at the last minute (such a girl!) She eventually goes in and then the field has to wait for Quality Road, who, quite simply, freaks out at the gate, kicking and bucking and eventually is scratched and is withdrawn.

From there the horses break, and Zenyatta is caught unprepared and breaks on the wrong lead, settling into last place, about 10 lengths behind the leaders. (For those that don't know what a wrong lead is, simply put, it is starting out on the wrong foot.)

Jockey Mike Smith settles her down and changes leads. Nothing happens for the first half leg the race then Zenyatta joins the party. Just after the half mile mark, Zenyatta shifts into gear and starts to cruise by the boys, picking them off one by one. Then, just before hitting the homestretch, Mike takes her outside the field and she just motors home.
Seriously, she was like a big old caddy smoothly passing a bunch of jockeys on Vespas (sorry boys)!
The power of this girl!

Anyway, don't believe me? Watch it for yourself (Zenyatta is a big dark horse with a yellow saddle cloth and the jockey is in Teal and link silks w/ a teal cap)

Yes, definitely the most exciting 2 minutes in sports. And that's my lengthy commentary for today :-D
I'll be back tomorrow with a lot less words and more paintings!!

Zenyatta "Pilate's" photo courtesy of Smile Politely Blog

Passin' Thru

2009-10-28T17:57:00.004-04:00

"Passin' Thru"
5"x 7" Watercolor on board

Here is my painting for this week's Different Strokes from Different Folks.

Karin challenged everyone with a rooftop landscape. While this isn't my usual subject matter, I did try it but just had to add an animal...I thought my lonely pigeon fit rather well :-)

I also made it a bit more challenging for me personally and limited myself to 3 tubes of paint: violet, yellow and cobalt green (The pigeon has a jewel drop of pure cobalt green on his neck, but you can't see it very well)

All in all, I was rather surprised at the result and might try painting it again in the future. Check out the DSDF blog to see the complete challenge and some of the really wonderful takes on this subject matter.

And now for something completely different...

2009-10-23T13:17:00.004-04:00

"Masquerade"
5" x 5" mixed media on rag board

Here is the sort-of-Halloween-painting I have been fooling around with; a fantasy carousel pony entitled "Masquerade"

I have always doodled these little ponies and I wanted to finally try one as a little painting. This turned out to be a misture of watercolor and acrylic on rag board, which, for me, was not the best fit. I did have trouble with the smoothness of the acrylics on this surface, so I might try a smoother board or panel next time around.

I bet this would also be great to do on the computer, as a digital peice...hmmm...

This piece is at auction on Ebay. Click here to bid

'What's up Dach?'

2009-10-20T08:49:00.006-04:00

"What's up Dach?"
4"x6" watercolor on WC paper

Here is the final painting of my little black and tan dachshund (my previous wip post showed only a portion of it). Great little breed full of character. I am mulling around with another painting idea based on this one but expanded, possibly as an entry for the Art Show at the Dog Show...we'll have to see how my initial pencils turn out.

This painting is available for purchase. Please contact me directly.

ACEO- Bulldog Sepia and Tints

2009-10-15T17:52:00.009-04:00

SOLD
"The Beautiful Bulldog"
2.5"h x 3.5"w Original Sepia Watercolour

I thought I would try and make a little ACEO to compliment my fuller paintings. This one is from my Bulldog painting, 'MY Ball,' posted on October 7th.
It is a closely cropped facial study, but instead of doing it in full colour, I painted it as a sepia print with some tints of rose for the tongue and the muzzle. I was quite pleased with it and so you'll be seeing this technique on a regular basis :-)

WIP-Dachshund

2009-10-14T22:45:00.004-04:00

Here is a quick peek at park of one of the little paintings I am currently working on. It will measure 4"x6" and is done in watercolour. No firm title yet, we'll see what develops as this little doxie painting nears completion :-)

Bulldog painting - "MY Ball"

2009-10-07T17:23:00.004-04:00

"MY Ball"
5"x 5" watercolor on board

Here is the finished bulldog; I really enjoyed painting him; wonderful stature, solid and how about that wonderful grin!

A side note to this painting; some bulldog aficionados may say that this guy is a little leggy, and they would be correct, as the [English] Bulldog breed as most people know it is a shorter and square canine. But this lovely fellow was a Victorian bulldog, which is a swing in breeding going back to the taller and smaller head type.

Whichever breeding you look at, I have met both these types and they are marvelous, personable and at times (dare I say) slightly stubborn dogs who are always greatly loved by their families :-)

He is available for purchase, so please post me an email, if you're interested.

WIP-Bulldog

2009-10-05T10:31:00.004-04:00

WIP- Bulldog
5"x 5" watercolor on board

I've been painting like a fiend >:-)

Here's something I can show you (commissions are top secret until after Christmas)...
A work in progress of a lovely bulldog-- the finished piece will be posted later on this week and he will be for sale.

I am also trying to complete some Hallowe'en art...a little different, but still with animals. If it turns out, I'll post those as well. If it doesn't, well I have to invoke my artist's privilege to never show them to anyone!

The Trail of Painted Ponies

2009-10-01T14:49:00.003-04:00

"The Front Runner"
Comp for figurine reproduction

I have some great news to share;
This summer, I entered a "Call to Artists" put out from the Trail of Painted Ponies. The theme was the Art of Horse Racing.

Well, I'm happy to announce that my design, The Front Runner, finished "first by a nose" (yeah, we put together a bad pun) and is going to be reproduced as a figurine! I am thrilled to say the least-- the people at TOPP have been great to work with and am looking forward to seeing the process of taking a 2d design to a 3d one.

Check the full results-- first, second and third place!

The Trail of the Painted Ponies is one of the premier fine art and collectibles companies in the world, in its sixth year of crafting one of the most beloved collectibles in America. It began as a Santa Fe based public art project that invited artists to let their imaginations run wild and transform life-size fiberglass horse sculptures into wonderful original works of art. The response was overwhelming and lead to the reproduction of these originals in a smaller, collectible form.

While The Trail of Painted Ponies is well known for their collectible figurines and books, they are also dedicated to supporting the arts, education, animals and the environment. To date, The Trail of Painted Ponies has proudly raised over 1 million dollars to support many worthy non-profit organizations.

Link to how The Trail of the Painted Ponies all began
Link to the Official Site with links to the many ponies available and 'retired'

Miniature- Birman Cat Portrait

2009-09-29T12:28:00.006-04:00

Blue Lynx Birman (TJ)
3"x 3" watercolor on board

I am currently working on some Christmas commissions, so I can't show anything...just in case...however, here is another small portrait sample, this time of one of my menagerie, our blue lynx Birman, CH Gwindors Year of the Tiger, otherwise known as T.J. .
And yes, his eyes are that blue :-)

Miniature - Pony Portrait

2009-09-26T20:02:00.007-04:00

Miniature Pony Portrait
3" x 4" Watercolour on board

I am at a one day fall show tomorrow, so am really pressed for time and I just wanted to post the final miniature pony portrait I started earlier this week.

I'm sort of pleased with the result, my sticking point being the background. If I had to do it again, I think I would changed the colour to a lighter, more muted blue. It seems to be fighting with the pony for presence right now.

:-)

Happy Birthday Guinness!

2009-09-24T17:41:00.003-04:00

A little off topic today...

While I'm not Irish by birth, I am by marriage ;-) and therefore will pay hommage to that great Irish icon; perfection in black and white, the Guinness pint.

Happy Birthday Guinness!
250 years young!

Non-Guinness paintings will return tomorrow...

Thank You and Miniature WIP

2009-09-20T21:04:00.005-04:00

WOW! I am floored with the great responses I got from visitors! I really appreciate the time that everyone has taken to leave such wonderful comments--Thank you so very much!

There were so many fabulous cupcake renditions, I wasn't sure what to do... then I saw "my painting" when a visiting dog friend struck the appropriate pose while I was preparing dinner. Multiply by two and there it was! Really fun to do Too!

Now I would like to take the time to thank Karin Jurick for sharing her beloved Jack with us and starting such an interesting challenge blog to begin with.

Next up on the easel is this miniature pony portrait. Look for the finished painting later this week.

Pupcakes!

2009-09-16T21:20:00.005-04:00

"Pupcakes"
4.5"w x 5.5"h Watercolour on board

I have been busy with some commission work and a special project (more news coming soon!)

I managed to squeak in with a painting for the Different Strokes for Different Folks challenge. While I finished it tonight, I was late in sending it off to Karin for posting...so you might see it there or you might not. It depends on how busy Karin is to deal with us tardy artist ;-)

Anyway, this is a cute little painting that I am sure all of you dog lovers out there can identify with...

And a little thank you to my husband, who cleverly came up with the title!

Miniature - Malamute

2009-09-10T14:18:00.004-04:00

"Northern Light"
2.5"w x 3.25"h
Miniature watercolor on WC board

Here is another new miniature; a portrait of a gorgeous, happy Alaskan Malamute. Not sure of her name, we met her on a walk one afternoon at the park, so I am using a working title of "Northern Light"

This piece is available for purchase. If you're interested, please contact me directly :-)

Mini Boxer- A Bit of Regal Grace

2009-09-08T13:10:00.004-04:00

A Bit of Regal Grace
Miniature Watercolour,
2.25"w x 3.5"h, completed size 5.5"h x 7.5"w

Wow! It has been a long summer, but school is back in full swing and I have a new painting to share!

I am getting ready for a few fall shows and wanted to introduce people to a Pet Portrait in Miniature. So I took my painting "A Regal Grace" and recreated it...at 3.5"x2.25"
It is shown above in a small frame, complete size 5.5"w x 7.5"h, ready to hang or display on a small, tabletop easel.

Puppy Sketch

2009-08-08T20:57:00.003-04:00

Well, I'm still here; got some sketching in but no finished paintings. My hat is off to all those daily/semi weekly painters who consistently come up with such beautiful work!
It isn't happening here :-D

We'll be on holiday soon, and with a gang of people around, I think I can sneak off to do some painting, so be prepared when I get back!

For now, here is a little sketch of the lovely Journey, who has brightened our lives for the last 3 weeks! She sure is going to leave a empty spot in our lives when she returns home....

P.S. Because I don't think my sketch did her great justice....here's Journey via our digital camera!

Back on the radar!

2009-07-29T10:34:00.005-04:00

It is crazy how fast this last month has gone...I literally have not had time to post, let alone get to my art board for any length of time.

I was working during the month, had summer camps and play dates to drive kids to and took care of a few summer projects with my husband (or should I say I directed them).

Sadly, we also lost a two very dear four-legged friends this month through quick and totally unexpected occurrences. We miss them dearly and are still somewhat shocked.

But I do have some good news this month...we are puppy-sitting! One of Suede's daughters has come to stay for a little summer vacation. She is adorable and constantly on the go, I have a few good pics and will try to put them up tomorrow.

For today, I leave you with a little sketch I did of our old Airedale, Duke.

Miniature Painting-Chipmunk

2009-06-23T10:51:00.004-04:00

"The Berry Thief"
2.75" x 3.25" Watercolour on board

Here's something to help us welcome in the summer season!

"The Berry Thief" is a miniature painting that I have been working on.
The scan is a little off, colour wise and I have some additional work to do, but I need to step back for a few days to see what has to be fine tuned.

Just to clarify, this is what I would consider to be a true miniature. This would meet the miniature requirements that many miniature artist strive to maintain:
•Minute in scale vs. life-sized. (Generally subject matter is 1/6th lifesize or smaller in scale)
•Delicate and painstaking technique that withstands magnification.
•Small in format and size. 25 inches or less for surface area.
•High in quality~ demonstrates a mastery of composition, color, values etc.

I have posted ACEOs here as well and although they are the correct size to be a miniature, I don't believe that my ACEOs are detailed and composed enough, to be a true mini {Note: Please understand that I am referring to my work, and not all ACEO painters in general}.

For more info, check out Assocation of Miniature Artists and the Hillard Society for more information and additional links.

And if you want to see some great miniature artists (to name a few), check out:
Tracy Hall,
Wes and Rachelle Siegrist,
Linda Rossin,
Bill Mundy
Gina Morton
Joy Kroeger Beckner

Happy Summer :~)

"Siesta"

2009-06-18T16:40:00.007-04:00

"SIESTA"
4"x6" Coloured Pencil on Pastelmat

This is a very peaceful drawing; Cat+Sun=Sleep

A big, furry, red marmalade cuddled in his basket for his afternoon nap.

Don't we all wish life was that simple?

Click here to bid (Bidding ends June 25th @ EST)

ACEO "Sunday Best"

2009-06-10T17:30:00.005-04:00

SOLD
"Sunday Best"
ACEO 2.5" x 3.5" watercolour on HP paper

Okay, so it seems I am developing a little theme here...but this time it's Miss Kitty instead of huggable bears, although I think she is just as adorable, and all decked out in her finery. For church perhaps or a Tea Party :-D

I changed mediums here; this ACEO done in watercolour. I am trying experimenting with the pastelmat and coloured pencil at this size, but am still having a bit of a difficult time getting the detail I want. Might have to stay with slightly larger sizes with the pastelmat.

A Very Sage Bear

2009-06-05T19:12:00.006-04:00

SOLD
"A Very Sage Bear"
5"x5" Coloured Pencil on Pastelmat

These teddy bears are talking.

I swear.

Each time I go into my studio, my reference pics of them call out to me..."Draw me, draw me..."
;-)

Here is "A Very Sage Bear...." Enjoy!

Black Lab on Pastelmat

2009-05-29T21:04:00.006-04:00

Soulful
5.25" x 5.25" Coloured Pencil on Pastelmat
Available- Please contact me

Well, here is the final piece! I quite pleased with the way it turned out, and with that gaze, I couldn't think of any other title for this sweet and loyal lab than 'Soulful'

WIP-Black Lab

2009-05-28T14:11:00.006-04:00

5"x5" Coloured Pencil on Pastelmat

I am working on another coloured pencil piece using the Pastelmat paper...really , really liking this surface, what can I say!?

Here is my black lab so far, and I apologize for the lack of eyes... (some people hate this part of a painting ) This lab is sitting in the afternoon sun on a wooden floor, so we're going to get some lovely reflected light happening in the shadows, which is a good thing, as black shadows can get dense and flat without some sparkle to them :-)

Paper Fun- Fisher 400 and Pastelmat

2009-05-23T09:13:00.007-04:00

When I woke up this morning I took advantage of a still quiet house and drafted up my post for today, planning to scan the images in the evening. Between then and now, I had a chance to take a quick peek at some of the blogs I follow and, to my surprise and delight, saw that both Gayle Mason (Fur in the Paint) and Katherine Tyrell (Making a Mark Reviews) had also chosen today to post paper reviews! Ah, the mysterious workings of the blog world....
So, here are my thoughts on both papers and don't forget to check out Gayle and Katherine's posts as well (And a very gracious thank you to Katherine for mentioning my work in her post!)

Referencing an old painting, I did small (6"x8") arab head studies on both surfaces. Overall, I think that both papers are great supports, and I will give a little of my feedback BUT, (here's the but), please take into account that I only used Faber-Castell and Berol Prismacolor coloured pencils on these surfaces. Other mediums may work differently with the surface, so I would still urge anyone interested to get some samples and try them out with your own mediums and techniques. :-)

Pastelmat:
A fairly firm, hard surface. The mat is a card stock weight, textured on one side. It took loads of layers and the texture stood up well to pencil pressure. Circular strokes, directional strokes or flat colouring worked equally well on this paper. The colour went on true, but not as vibrant as on the Fisher paper. I liked the fact that I could blend with a stiff brush or stump, but finger blending didn't work well here.
I could also burnish surfaces with lighter colours, giving areas a glazed look, which helped in graying down or brightening up colours. For another use, this surface easily handled a light application of solvent to melt and blend colours (not shown on Arab Head study left)

Fisher 400:
Lighter, more paper-like, This paper works well taped down onto a board for support. The texture is similar to extremely fine sandpaper. My pencils went on super creamy, and the surface ate them up quickly. Quite a lot of dust created as well, which is something I am not used to and had to take extra care in keeping my work surface clean.

The colours blended wonderfully, and went on vibrant and bright. The surface took a number of layers before becoming saturated, and it was good to see that any saturated area did not take on a "waxy" look that I have experienced before.
Textured held up well to pencil pressure. Colours were easily blended with brushes (use softer ones than on Pastelmat), stumps or fingers. This surfaced worked better for me when I used strokes to fill in areas as opposed to circular strokes or flat colouring.

It was nice to change up what I have been doing and play with these surfaces, which I might remind everyone, are NOT available in Canada

Ordering:
I ordered both from the TSC company in Britain. First time dealing with them and I was very happy with the service and product, but be prepared to pay for the shipping :~)
If you can place an order with another artist or group of artists, it would be more economical and TSC currently has a sale on the Fisher 400 .

Other Artists:
Please check out these other artists who have used both papers and have their own reviews on them:

Nicole Caulfield -who creates amazing (and large scale) portraits and still life coloured pencil paintings with Fisher paper and Derwent coloursofts pencils.

Gayle Mason - who just put up her own review with some beautifully done cat paintings. Her pieces show (much better than mine) the detail one can achieve.

Mary Hubert- who works exclusively on Fisher 400 now, and has a paper review page. And don't forget to check out her amazing demo videos

New paper-Pastelmat

2009-05-20T14:11:00.010-04:00

SOLD
"Teddy Bear Blue"
Coloured Pencil on Pastelmat 5.75" x 5.75"

Here is my next pencil painting using my new papers, the Pastelmat.

This little still life was taken from some of my old reference material. Way back when.... I had the opportunity to illustrate some wonderful hand-made stuffed animals and got a few of them on loan. I took reams of pictures but unfortunately the job never panned out. They all were beautifully made though, even their clothes were especially sewn/knitted for them!

I am going to try another painting, but use both papers this time to show the difference, although right from the get go, I can tell you I love this pastelmat :-)

New Papers and Blogging Award

2009-05-12T13:10:00.004-04:00

I've been experimenting with some new papers I ordered recently; Fisher 400 and [Clairefontaine] Pastelmat. Neither are available in Canada (from what I could find out), but I was able to order them through the Creative Support Company.
The CSC were great to work with, I was billed through Paypal, making it easier for me, and the package came quickly and in great shape; no bends!!

Above is a small Ragdoll study done on the Fisher400 with coloured pencils. I am limited on time today, but will expand more on the paper and my progress tomorrow :~)

I would also like to thank the multi-talented Linda Shantz for awarding me a Passion for Painting Award! Thanks very much Linda! It was a pleasure to be included in your 30 horses/30 days project! One of my favourite paintings was this one on day 7... can't help but stop, smile and mellow out when I see this peice!

Painting:0 , Nature:1

2009-05-04T09:30:00.005-04:00

Painting is not going well...it seems very laboured and difficult. I'm trying to finish a new piece for the upcoming AAEA deadline, but maybe it is not going to happen. Sometimes starting over with another composition works, or failing that, I can always blame 'spring fever.'

Speaking of which....

We went out this weekend for a run with the dogs (our friend Bronwyn was staying with us) and wandered through the farm section of our provincial park (dogs were leashed here!)

I was lucky enough to capture this picture and I had to share...

Remember, Bronwyn is a Great Dane, a breed that was bred for guarding and boar hunting. Maybe she wouldn't have been that great at it!
:~D

Miniature-Portrait of Bronwyn

2009-04-27T21:43:00.013-04:00

"Bronwyn" NFS
2.75" x 4.75" Miniature watercolour portrait

This is a small portrait I did of a very special girl...Bronnie is a black great Dane and is a frequent visitor to our home. She is loving and sweet and gets along with everyone. As I was painting, I noticed I had left the camera on my desk so....

I begin by drawing my subject in pencil directly onto watercolour board and lay a pale red/pink wash to one side. As Bronwyn's collar is a pinky-red, I want this colour to peek through the background in places as well, for a cohesive look.

Cutting in carefully, I lay a wash of greens/blues and burnt sienna behind Bronwyn, coming back and floating in water and/or extra colour where necessary. I didn't use any masking fluid here because of the size. I can get a better outline by just painting.

After my background is completely dry, I start blocking in shadows with warm and cool blues. I also lifted some of the background colour out, as it was looking a little too dark.

Now I build up the colour of the dog with a variety of black and blue washes. Some are cool and some are warm, and I concentrate on what parts of the painting need to come forward or fade back as I apply them.

Now I just generally continuing on with washes and blending, building the colour to where it should be. When painting, I take short breaks and will often look at the painting in a mirror to see what is and what isn't working. Right now, I don't like the way her right jowl is pudging out at the bottom and I think her left ear is a bit too short. By lifting paint (with clean water) and adding washes, both these areas are corrected.

I now finish off the collar, touch up the dog overall with some additional blending and lifting. With the collar now painted, I wanted to see a few more rosy spots in the background, so I lightly laid in some small washes, and that's about it.
I'll come back and take one last look, pass it by my father/son critique panel and if all is good, sign and frame it :-D

ACEO-Tabby and White Kitten

2009-04-22T14:07:00.006-04:00

SOLD
"Tabby and White"
2.5" x 3.5" ACEO original, watercolour on Saunders WC paper

It is a wonderful thing when a painting just flows...unfortunately, the two large pieces I am working on are both stuck in a frustrating quagmire.

So to take a break, (and work on something that is a little more fun) here is a little ACEO I did:-)

Sketches and Painting with Passion

2009-04-19T09:24:00.003-04:00

Sketch of Suede
(or "Big Dog in a Little Ball")

I needed to take a moment today to address some of the wonderful feedback (both publically and privately) people have left recently! It is really uplifting, especially when one is working on a piece that just isn't coming together.

I am also amazed with the growth of my little "A Passion For Painting" Award. I got an email from fellow blogger, masmoulin, who (being better with numbers than myself! ) figured out how many people might have received my award (in passing it on to 7 other artists) and the number could well be over 2 million!!

When I got my first blog award from Laura Hardie; I wasn't sure if we were to make a new one to pass on or not, but having a graphics background, I went for a little design of my own, and am really happy that so many people liked it AND was very pleasantly surprised to see how many bloggers took the time to link back to my site (as the award creator) when they received "A Passion for Painting". I was also tickled to have the award returned to me; Thank you very much Robin Roberts!

With my now healthy child back in school (finally!) and all this positive energy, I have planned a wonderfully quiet and creative day of painting... hope everyone else does too!

River Watch

2009-04-09T14:30:00.006-04:00

"RIVER WATCH"
4"h x 6"w watercolour on acid free rag board

Here is my finished "wet" golden. He is taking a short break from his river swim, with the emphasis on "short". I don't think there is anything a golden loves more than swimming...well, maybe a tennis ball...

Avaliable - Contact the artist directly

WIP-Riverwatch

2009-04-07T08:36:00.010-04:00

WIP- Riverwatch

Last week's DSDF challenge "wetted" my appetite to paint some more water... I am currently working on this watercolour; A very happy and wet Golden in his element; near water :-)

We had a golden in the family many years ago, before they became so hugely popular, and he loved to swim. He was a large, solid dog, beautiful in colour; a dark, burnished gold...
At the cottage, he used to sneak off down the path, across a small road to the beach where we would find him swimming away. A very obedient dog, the lure of the water was his one weakness and we finally had to start tying him up or keeping him in the cottage when we weren't down at the beach.

He lived to be 13+ and was put to sleep only because the arthritis in his hips got to be too painful.
And his name?
Why Sandy of course!

Left: A wet Sandy after a long day of swimming

P.S. That is a portrait of Sandy in my sidebar to the right. Titled "Portrait of the Old Man" and was accepted into the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine's Animals in Art Juried Exhibition a few years back.

I'm a Guest Artist!

2009-04-06T16:06:00.008-04:00

"A WORD IN YOUR EAR"
19"w x 13"h, Watercolour/CP on 100% acid free ragboard.
$250US (shipping included)
This painting comes double matted and shrink-wrapped.

Linda Shantz, a fellow Ontarian and very talented equine/canine artist, completed an awesome 30 day painting project on her blog in November of last year. 'Thirty Horses, Thirty Days' is a wonderful showcase of her small format oil paintings.

(<---That's Linda and Monster, her baby!)

Well, she is at it again, and has marked the month of April for another "Thirty Horses, Thirty Days" project. Because Linda is also currently playing mid-wife to TB broodmares, she does need the occasional day off, and is inviting a guest artist every Monday.

Yours truly was previewed today! My painting "A Word in Your Ear," picks up on Linda's Thoroughbred theme, and is available for purchase; 50% of the sale price will be donated to Linda's "pet" charity, Longrun, an adoption and retirement program for thoroughbred horses. If you are interested please contact me directly.

So surf on over to check out Linda's blog for daily updates and available paintings and her website to view her entire body of work!

Another place....

2009-04-01T21:27:00.006-04:00

"The Pina Colada Sarong"
Watercolour on board 5.5"h x 9.5"w

So I sat down today and painted this week's Different Strokes for Different Folks Challenge.

It was a beach picture and seeing that it was dull and rainy here today, not to mention colder than average for springtime, getting lost in a warm beach subject wasn't hard. Nor was it hard to image myself looking as good as my "model" does in her bikini...:-D

I was stumped when I came to the pattern on the sarong; so many choices, but I wasn't really happy with any of them.
The image I had painted so far was very strong and dynamic, so, following a more lighthearted vein, I put a twist in this piece and painted the sarong pattern with pineapples and cute, frothy drinks.
Now I'm sure all you more mature readers will remember that famous song, "Do you like Pina Coladas, and getting caught in the rain...." hence the title: The Pina Colada Sarong!

Here's to better weather ahead (and better jokes)!

ACEO - Papillon

2009-03-26T14:12:00.005-04:00

SOLD "Papillon"
Original ACEO 3.5"x2.5" Watercoloured/Coloured Pencil on WC paper

I have been working on some larger paintings for 2 upcoming juried shows, but I'm not ready to share just yet....:-)
For a break, I did this ACEO of a real sweetie - a Papillon dog. This is a toy breed which was named after the French word for "Butterfly." Squint at this lovely face and you will see the butterfly wings that the ears, ear fringes and face make, with the white blaze as the body.
The painting itself is done as a drawing using a red/sepia and navy blue pencil crayon then the piece was glazed over with watercolours.

Welcome Spring!

2009-03-22T19:39:00.004-04:00

I am very glad to see the arrival of spring! I have been down and out with yet another chest/head cold which is finally following winter out the door!

I have not been painting watercolours but did exchange my paintbrush for a kistka and managed to finish my first Ukrainian Easter Egg of 2009. (Okay, so I chose a fairly easy design for my first one, but I love the poppies)
These are traditionally called Pysanky (pronounced peh-san-keh with the emphasis on the "peh") and I have been making them every year since I was a a youngster. Taught by my grandmother, my mom and I now try to make them (although my mom seems to be practising secretly because her eggs are looking better and better every year!)

Basically, this craft is a dye and wax resist applied directly onto raw chicken eggs (or goose or ostrich etc) The designs are made up of various Ukrainian symbols and colours, all which carry different meanings; spirituality, life, health, prosperity, fertility etc.

Learn Pysanky does a great job explaining the basics and more. Much better than I could do here :-D Check it out!

What a Weekend!

2009-03-10T11:44:00.011-04:00

It has been a wonderful weekend here, with great news to share...

I just received my official notification, so I can happily post that my painting, "A Regal Grace," was awarded third place in the Watercolour Division at the Art Show at the Dog Show!
It is always such a boost to be recognized like this, especially in a show with such a high calibre of work.
The show is now hanging in Kansas and will soon be on-line to view. You can take a sneak peek at the Best in Show, "Little Diva" which is an exquisite sculpture by Tammy Bality of Colorado-Congratulations to Tammy and all the ASATDS artists !

In addition, our wonderful Blue Picardy Spaniel Suede now has a new name: CHAMPION Brighthope Blue Suede Shoes!

Suede finished his Canadian Championship this weekend under breeder/handler Vicki Duncan and was a very good boy, behaving beautifully.

While there is no American title to aim for, as the breed is not recognized by the AKC, we're thinking of putting Suede's energy and atheltic ability into action....obedience, agility, tracking, hunt trials- haven't decide for sure yet, but whatever it is, I'm sure we'll have fun!

Many thanks to the Duncans for piloting Suede in the conformation ring, and to the Ratigan menfolk for their support and :-) happy :-) participation!!

Miniature-Cardinal Thicket

2009-03-06T16:34:00.008-05:00

Cardinal Thicket
2.25"x4.25" (8"x10" framed) watercolour on HP paper

Here is the finished miniature that I posted as a WIP earlier this week.
This watercolour painting measures 2.25" x 4.25" and has been submitted for inclusion in the Dundas Valley School of Art 39th Annual Art Auction, a local fundraiser.
The auction will be held on Saturday, April 18th at 7:00p.m. Admission is $20.00 in advance, $25.00 at the door. Free previews will be held from 9 - 9 on Thursday, April 16th, Friday, April 17th and Saturday, April 18th (until 5:00 p.m.)
So, if you're in the area... :-)

Detail from Cardinal Thicket

Wigs-DSDF Challenge

2009-03-05T00:15:00.005-05:00

"Wig Security"
Approx. 5"x6" Watercolour on hot-pressed WC paper

Well, I tried to get this week's challenge done...unfortunately, I blew the deadline....March 4th? Ha! I had down March 11th . So, while you won't be seeing this on Karin's blog, I will post it here.

Busy, colourful, exciting, this is a painting I wouldn't mind doing larger some day. And for those interested, the "security" in this painting is provided by a real dog.
Yep, that is what they look like :-)
Don't believe me? Check it out; The Chinese Crested Dog -- more pics from these breeders here and here.
With all those crazy wigs, the Chinese Crested unique "hairdo" is what I immediately thought of. Mind you , these are big dogs in little bodies and are hardier than they look!

Miniature-WIP

2009-03-03T16:18:00.004-05:00

Here is a peek at what I am currently working on (sorry for the lousy scan...). A miniature painting, watercolour on hot pressed watercolor paper, measuring 2 5/8" x 4 5/8".

This differs from my recently posted ACEOs which are more like little studies, always measure 3 1/2" x 2 1/2" and don't have as much detail.

A true Miniature follows the following guidelines:
•Minute in scale vs. life sized. Following the general 1/6th scale.
•Delicate and painstaking technique that withstands magnification.
•Small in format and size. 25 inches or less for surface area.
•High in quality. The work should exemplify Fine Art ~ demonstrating a mastery of composition, color, values etc.

Additional info can be found here:
Association of Miniature Artists
Art in Miniature
Miniature Art History (Courtesy of Wes and Rachelle Siegrist)

Willing to Wait

2009-02-24T17:52:00.008-05:00

SOLD "Willing to Wait"
4" x 6" watercolour on WC board

I just finished this little piece; Lovely to paint, but difficult to title. We came up with "Willing to Wait" which hopefully echos the calm perseverance of this yellow lab (actually a trait of many labs).
I'd like to think it's late afternoon, she knows her boys will soon be home from school and she is ready to meet them with her favourite ball for some playtime :-)

Art Show at the Dog Show Update

2009-02-22T10:06:00.005-05:00

The results from the jurying of the Art Show at the Dog Show were sent out a little while ago and I forgot to post my good news!
Out of my 2 entries I happily got one accepted, but surprisingly it wasn't the one I thought it would be...
My entry "Regal Grace" is winging its way to Kansas while my "Heart and Soul" will hang around here for a little while longer.
Here is a pic of my son (aka the creator of "Blending In") and the framed piece. It didn't show up that great in the photo, but the frame has a rough, irony-looking textured finish which goes wonderfully with the undertone of ochre that I used in the painting. Topped off with a triple mat of white and warm white combo and the finished product looked wonderful! Kudos to the talented Joanne at the Picture Palace (Stoney Creek) who does my framing :-)

Blog Award

2009-02-13T20:35:00.009-05:00

I'd like to thank fellow artist Laura Hardie for awarding me my first blog award!!

Please check out Laura's wonderful pastel portraits on her blog-you won't be disappointed :-)

Following the guidelines of a blog award, I would like to award "A Passion for Painting" blog award to the following wonderful artists (and keeping it to seven was a bit of a challenge).

As I follow their blogs, these artists all pass on some of their passion in some way that resonates with me personally. So thank you for your spirit and energy, your creativeness and dedication, your technical abilities and openness to share...

Congratulations to:

Susan Abbott
Annelein Beukenkamp
Carol Feldman
Tracy Hall
Andrea Joseph
Mineke Reinders
Rachelle Siegrist

And now, adhering to the second part of the guidelines, seven things I like! (in no particular order):
- popcorn, popcorn and more popcorn
- dark chocolate
- Autumn
- feather pillows
- my 'muses' Suede, Katie, Layla, Bronwyn, TJ and Carlie and Iggy and Marbles
- mystery novels
- Ireland

Stand In Artist

2009-02-07T20:53:00.004-05:00

Hi! This is Kim's 10 year old son posting this article. Since my mom had her second hand surgery I decided to do a painting for her blog.It's called Blending In.I hope you like it!

Last of the Material Cats

2009-02-03T15:37:00.009-05:00

"SOLIDS" SOLD
Original ACEO 3.5"x2.5" Watercolor on WC paper

I couldn't help it...I did one more ACEO to go with my cats and materials theme...to follow "Patches" and Stripes" we now have "Solids"

Hope you like it!

Another Tiny Cat

2009-01-28T13:06:00.008-05:00

"STRIPES" SOLD

Original ACEO 3.5"x2.5" Watercolor on WC paper

I enjoyed painting little Patches so much, I thought I'd give her a partner.
Here is "Stripes" :-)

Brush in Hand

2009-01-23T18:12:00.005-05:00

•SOLD "PATCHES"
Original ACEO 3.5"x2.5" Watercolor on WC paper

I am posting a little ACEO today, imaginatively titled "Patches" (how can it be anything else??) This is about as much as I have achieved thus far, it's cute :-)
~Click here to bid on this item~

Many thanks to all who posted me with their well wishes during my break. It was great to hear from you. My hand surgery went beautifully and I was able to start drawing for limited amounts of time just 2 days after the operation.
One down, one more to go! I will be getting the left hand done in February.

For any other carpal tunnel sufferers out there, I eagerly recommend this surgery. Other than the slight soreness and stiffness that comes with the surgery, I have not had any CT symptoms.
If you would like to know more about the procedure I got, or my surgeon, please do not hesitate to contact me at animalartist@justagallery.com and we can chat :-D

Right Handed Hiccup

2009-01-15T09:27:00.003-05:00

A quick post before I leave this morning...

I am going to have surgery done on my right hand to alleviate case of severe carpel tunnel. While I have a great doctor and the recovery time is supposed to be fairly quick, I won't be posting any new artwork for the next week.

However, if I get ambitious, I may try to do something using my left hand, and post that, just to give you all a chuckle.

So all you artists out there, do an extra sketch for me this week! :-D

Another Entry

2009-01-14T14:04:00.005-05:00

A Regal Grace
8.5" x 6" watercolor on WC board

I finally decided to go ahead and enter this as my second painting for the Art Show at the Dog Show. My main concern all along was that people might view this piece as just a nice boxer portrait...
In the end, however, I felt it had enough presence to be more than just a portrait and entered it along side "Heart and Soul".
This painting will be for sale in the future, depending on whether or not it is accepted. If you are interested in A Regal Grace, please email me, so I can keep you in mind regarding it's availability.

Heart and Soul

2009-01-12T18:07:00.006-05:00

"Heart and Soul"
6.5" x 8.25" watercolor on paper,

We saw this wonderful pair of shelties during a dog show last summer and my husband quickly snapped a picture of them. I have done them up in watercolour and have titled it "Heart and Soul" which reflects the closeness this pair share, the mirror-like quality of the pose and a symbol (of sorts) that I saw while painting and strengthened it just a bit, so it stayed fairly sutble. Can you see it?

This will go on to the Art Show at the Dog Show, hopefully be juried in, and we'll see what happens after that. It will be for sale at some point. If you are interested, please email me, so I can keep you in mind regarding its availability.

I am still pondering whether or not the second entry will be sent off...

Painting Countdown

2009-01-10T11:08:00.004-05:00

Work In Progress: 'Art Show at the Dog Show'

Well, the New Year has certainly started off with a bang!
I got my entry off to the Louisiana State University Animals in Art Show and and finishing up my last entry for the Art Show at the Dog Show. We artists know about the deadlines far in advance, but somehow most of us end up painting as close to the deadline as we can...maybe it spurs on our creative juices??
A peek at one of my entries "in progress" is shown above. I will get a photo of the finished piece taken this weekend and post it then.