Category Archives: Acrylics
Rescue Me: Puppies
Rescue Me: Puppies, Acrylic on canvas board, 16" x 12", 2012
This is a painting of one of the little pups that is being cared for by Husky House in New Jersy. This guy is very sick and fighting for his life at the hospital. Several of his puppy friends are also quite ill. Husky House has a huge vet bill looming! I will be selling this painting as well as Rescue Me: Prince to help raise some money for their care. Please think positive thoughts for the pups! Stay tuned for information on where these two paintings will be posted for sale!
Stretching
I started running this year. I usually like it. Sometimes, though, it causes a lot of pain. I’m told, that stretching after every run will do a lot to alleviate that pain. But I HATE stretching!!! I’m pretty sure everyone does! So how do I talk myself into doing it? I know it’s good for me…but I just don’t like doing it.
I also find it difficult to paint outside of my comfort zone. If you haven’t noticed already, I really like dogs. I like them as living creatures and I especially like them as subjects! To strengthen my painting ability, though, I think I need to STRETCH a bit. It’s good for me! I know that…so how do I get myself to do it. Stay tuned! I will be testing out some new subject matter over the next few weeks!
Stretch, Acrylic on canvas board, 16" x 20", 2012
Time to S-T-R-E-T-C-H!
Rescue Me: Kiernan
Rescue Me: Kiernan, 12" x 30" x 2", Acrylic on gallery-wrapped canvas, 2012
I finished up another painting for MaPaw Siberian Rescue today. This is Kiernan, a young boy who was rescued by MaPaw and is currently looking for a new home. Hopefully this painting can raise a few much-needed dollars to help the rescue. It will be auctioned at their Beef & Beer next month. Visit MaPaw for more information.
Just Another Morning in Africa
A couple of months ago, friends asked me to painting something for them based on the following quote: “Every morning in Africa, a Gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a Lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest Gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn’t matter whether you are a Lion or a Gazelle… when the sun comes up, you’d better be running.” This is what I came up with…
Just Run! Acrylic on canvas; August 2011
I was really happy with the result, but I still had another idea bouncing around in my head. I did several sketches, playing with the position of the gazelle until I finally found what I was looking for. Here is “Another Morning in Africa”
Another Morning in Africa, Acrylic on canvas, 24" x 30", 2012
This painting has a slightly more intense feeling to it, but that’s what I was hoping for.
This painting is available from Etsy.
I’m In Love!
Shelter Me 1, Acrylic on canvas, 18" x 24", 2012
I bought a palette knife the other day. I didn’t really have anything in mind when I bought it, but thought it might be fun to fiddle with. I LOVE it!!! I wasn’t happy with the direction my first Shelter Me painting was going so I decided to give the palette knife a try. What fun! I love the texture and the way you can ALMOST control the paint, but not quite. I can’t wait to try it on a figure painting….think I know how I’m spending my weekend!
This painting is available on Etsy! Click here for purchase details.
Shelter Me!
Shelter Me 1, Acrylic on canvas, 18" x 24", unfinished
My vision for the Shelter Me series is to capture the faces and emotions of the animals who wait in shelters for their new homes. This is my first attempt. It’s not quite there yet, but I can almost see where it is going. I took the photo that I am using for reference years ago at a local kill shelter. The dog in the photo, being part pit bull, likely never made it out of the shelter (although I hope I am wrong about that!) It makes me so sad to think about all of the animals that spend weeks in shelters, scared, alone, only to be euthanized. I hope painting these pictures will honor them in some way.
It’s Been a Long Time
Shoes Untied Again! Acrylic on cnavas, 11" x 9", 2012
It’s been a long time since I had a figure drawing class! I took me close to three weeks and countless repaintings to get this one done! I seem to have completely forgotten how the human body is assembled! If I’m going to continue to grow as a painter, I think I need to make sure that I mix in a few people with the canines every now and then.
Trying Something New
Henrik in the Wood, Acrylic on Wood, 8" x 24", 2012
Quite a few years ago, I bought a stack of book-matched pieced of wood from a luthier who was going out of business. I’m not exactly sure what I planned to do with them all, but they have been sitting in the basement waiting for me ever since. So, I decided to see what would happen if I tried painting on them. Well, I quite like the results! In areas where I thinned the paint with water, it absorbed nicely into the would, giving it a stained effect. Where I applied the paint heavily, it sat nicely on the surface.
This piece was a gift for friends who have a beautiful dog named Henrik. He was a shelter dog and has begun to thrive with their love. This may be the style that I adopt for my “Rescue Me/Shelter Me” series. I still haven’t decided. I am excited to get started working on it. I know exactly who my first subject will be! His name is Luke and he is a guest of MaPaw Siberian Husky Rescue. He and his friend, Dora, came into MaPaw from a local shelter. Soon after arrival, they were both found to have Canine Influenza. Sadly, Dora did not make it. Luke spent several days in critical condition, but is now improving. Their vet bills are quite high and my hope is that the sale of Rescue Me: Luke will help offset them just a bit.
Looking Back
Casey: The Look, Acrylic on canvas board, 16" x 20", 2003
I started building a “portfolio” on Fickr and it has been interesting looking back at some of my old work. In some ways, I’m very sentimental for the easy way I could put paint on canvas. But, I can also see that I have grown as a painter and I almost think I like where my work is going. Does every painter endlessly question their ability? Hopefully insecurity makes us better. That’s it, right?
Proper Respect
A couple of years ago, my husband and I visited the Lakota Wolf Preserve. One of my favorite photos from the day is that is of a young wolf licking an alpha’s muzzle. While the technical quality of the photograph is awful, the feeling that the photo captures always makes me smile. This photo was the inspiration for my most recent painting, Proper Respect.
Proper Respect, Acrylic on Canvas, 24" x 18", 2012
This photo was the inspiration for Proper Respect.
