Mar 9 - Sadness and Acceptance

Many of you have noticed the sporadic emails in the last few weeks, and for that I sincerely apologize. I'd hoped to share with you the finished polo ponies, but in utter amazement, I cannot FIND the painting! In the chaos of doing a major studio cleanout, I put it "somewhere safe". Have you ever done that?

But today I am very sad for having to put down my companion of eighteen years--Qso, the German Pinscher--shown here with Pesto the studio cat.

Pets connect us to our past, living lives of scant more than a decade, and linking us to events and people from earlier times. As they age, we see our own lives (compressed) of youth, prime and then, if we are lucky, and if the animal is as well, we carry them through their old age, giving them the gift of care and a final exit with dignity and sadness.

So today's message is one of communication to all animal lovers out there, those of us who have lost a beloved pet, and to all who share with me the sharp pain of the memory of their last days.

Animals have a prescience and acceptance of death that we humans can only envy. She told me it was time, and her passing was peaceful. I have always said that if we lose a pet, we have a hole in our heart waiting to be filled by an eager newcomer, whose future may be uncertain if we stay within our pain of loss. I am not sure when that achy place will be filled, but fill it will.

So, beloved Qso, I sent you to the Rainbow Bridge today as my last gift to you, and buried you just outside the studio door where you'll always be in my thoughts, and nearby. Safe journey, my companion. My heart is heavy tonight.

You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2010 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Aug 3 - Pulling in the Details, Dog Oil Painting Lesson

Now that the canvas is covered with all the inherent values and inherent colors of the composition, the FUN begins! This is where the one inch brush is set aside, and the 1/3 or 1/2 inch filbert comes out and starts to dance.

By turning the edge of the brush and changing the shape of the line, I can make a mark that is either thick or thin, depending upon the need. That's how the darks on the muzzle of the dog went in.

I'm literally dancing around the canvas (and please, no video cameras!) while this is being done. I fill the brush with the color I need and then put it in all the places it needs to go. For example, the tan color (done with yellow ochre in the shadows and burnt sienna/cad orange in the lights) is placed in several areas if I've mixed up a batch of that useful hue.

I hope this series of lessons has been useful to you. Comments to the posting wherever you see it is always appreciated, as that way I know you're "out there". And if you have questions, I can also answer them with a reply, providing a permanent place for people to learn. Thanks for doing that.

And just for kicks and giggles, here's a picture of the three studio dogs. Onslow, who is having his portrait done above, on the left. Q or the LBD at age NINETEEN is in the middle, and Sparky the wonder companion is on the right. I think the old girl's doing pretty well for being that old, even tho' totally deaf. She's a German Pinscher, about 30 pounds. All have shiny coats, probably due to what I feed 'em.

My workshop schedule for 2009 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.