Monk

This recently completed painting is a late birthday present to my sister-in-law and brother-in-law. Finally, Monk is finished & at his new home!Monk

Visit me in Studio 3 at the Ashland Art Center!

I’m  moving into a new studio space upstairs at the Ashland Art Center (next to Village Shoes) – Studio 3B, which I am sharing with Laura Lawrence! I will still be painting from my home studio, but will split my time between the two locations. The new space is slowly getting there – it only took me 3 hours to install the track lights in the unbelievably thick ceilings using huge anchor bolts.  Today another artist told me it would have been fine with just the plastic drywall bolts – oh, well – people can probably hang from my track lights and they won’t come down….My inventory is slowly making its way upstairs as well, and  starting next week, I will have regular “art creation” hours at the art center on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons – working on various paintings, of animals of course!  I will also be participating in Ashland’s First Friday events more consistently now that I have a studio at the art center.  If you are in the area, stop in and see me.

Join me for Ashland’s First Friday – Painting Demo 5-8PM Friday, June 3rd

I will be painting at the Ashland Art Center (upstairs) this Friday from 5-8PM during Art Walk. Come upstairs and say hello! I will be working on a painting Tucker, of one of my own dogs. Many artists will be doing demonstrations of their work that evening – it’s always a fun event! And, thanks to those of you who voted in the Mutt Lynch/Dog Art Today wine label competition – unfortunately, I didn’t make the top 10 this year – but, there’s always next year!

 

Dog Art Today/Mutt Lynch 3rd Annual Wine Label Competition – Please Vote!

There are over 100 entries (paintings, drawings, collage and digitally enhanced photography) featuring “naughty” dogs – my entry is #35 (Hidden Agenda) – a painting of my Brussels Griffon, Oscar, who is always a bit ornery and naughty, but never the slightest bit remorseful – luckily he is very cute! Voting began on Monday and ends on May 21st. There is one vote per computer. The top ten entries will be considered for a special release wine label – the winemaker, label designer and Dog Art Today writer will select the winner. Mutt Lynch Winery is known for their dog themed labels and wine names, as well as their donations to dog charities and rescue groups.

Here is the link to vote:       www.dogarttoday.com

Olivia – Photos of a Commission from Beginning to End

 

This is Olivia, my most recent commission. Olivia’s mom is on the board for the Southern Oregon Humane Society, and this painting will be shown as an example of my silent auction donation at A Toast for Tails on May 14th. With this commission, I made it a point to take photographs of the painting as it progressed. The first photo is the actual photograph I worked from. The next, is the image of Olivia drawn out onto the canvas. I grid out the proportions and draw her in, checking the final drawing using a proportional divider, just to make sure the proportions are all correct. Then, I erase the grid lines and spray the canvas with fixative. The third photo is my first pass at getting the canvas covered with paint. I don’t like the way paint slides around on the newly fixed canvas, so I just focus on the dog’s eyes and getting the colors approximately correct with the rest of the painting. I also try to make the eyes and nose more visible than in the original photograph since you can barely see them. Then I let the paint dry. The next step is getting more of the darks in correctly and rechecking the proportions, as often it seems that the features tend to expand in size as I paint. I also adjusted the background color a bit to make it more “plummy”. The last photo is the finished painting – with all the highlights added, and other minor adjustments made to the painting – Olivia is such a cutie 🙂

A Toast For Tails – Fundraiser for Southern Oregon Humane Society, May 14, 2011

One of my 12 x 12 custom pet portraits is included in the silent auction as part of this great event!

Mother’s Day Weekend Art Show &; Reception, Mountain View, Main Street, Ashland, OR, Friday May 6th, 3-5PM

Stop by Mountain View on East Main Street before Ashland’s First Friday from 3-5PM.  I will be joining several artists from the Ashland Art Center for an art show/sale for Mother’s Day weekend! Wine, appetizers and wonderful art will be featured!

It’s Raining Men Again! Sanctuary One 2nd Annual Bachelor Auction – May 7th 6-9PM!

It’s the second annual fundraising event for the Sanctuary One care farm on May 7th from 6-9PM at Bingham Knoll in Jacksonville, OR! I will be working the event, so come by and join the fun. We have over 20 of the valley’s most eligible men walking the catwalk with live bidding on dates with these wonderful men, all for a good cause! Support farm animal rescue and care and purchase a ticket online at www.sanctuaryone.org – A $45 ticket  includes appetizers, a vegetarian dinner, and 2 glasses of wine. There is a large silent auction as well as the live bachelor auction; couples as well as singles are invited, and all attendees will receive one of my “Lisa Laughs” magnets as a fun give away. This event sold out last year and was the most fun I’ve had a non-profit fundraising event!

Hope to see you there!

Zeus

Another recently painted commission – this one of Zeus, a beautiful standard poodle. Zeus is still a puppy and is just now starting to turn this wonderful silvery color – initially they are all black!

A Sneak Peek at a Recently Completed Commission – Sister

Another commission to be delivered on Thursday. This one is of Sister, my new friend Becky’s beautiful Sheltie!