Me & My Baby, Oil 8x6

The title here can go different ways - referring to the woman and her dog, or the dog and his owner... or the dog and her doll. Fresh from the doggie restroom, this long legged lady, quite chic-ly dressed for a the dog show, gave a long leash to her baby, a young mastiff. And very pet-like, the dog HAD to carry it's 'baby' around. I think it calms the dogs in this crazy, hundreds of new doggie scented place, to have something from home. A nearby crate of pugs had two pugs curled up in donut-type beds on top - no leashes! Their ownder said as long as they had their beds they were not inclined to wander off into the jungle of other dogs.

Unrelated story to go with the mastiff painting... Once I was walking in downtown Hingham, and this shopkeeper had her mastiff laying on the sidewalk while she sat outside enjoying the sunshine. As I walked by I said to my husband - "That's the biggest Pug I ever saw!" The lady pursed her lips and rolled her eyes - I think my brand of humor is restricted to a very small segment of humanity...;)

On to art... this is a 3rd attempt at getting this scene. Two wipe offs - although the dog I got on the 2nd try. So even though sometimes these Daily Paintings are short work... sometimes it's a total day's work.

Sentry, 8x6 Oil

My Dad was a big fan of Bloodhounds. They look so wise. I had my son take the photo for this, as I left my camera in my husband's car yesterday, and when I imported it into my iPhoto, the colors got all weird. I think I've got them now. I loved the look on this dog's face at the Dog Show, so patient. I taped the Eukanuba Dog Show during the Super Bowl and forced everyone to watch it last night. Although I hate those 'best of the best' dog shows (how on earth can you compare the 'best' Puli with the 'best' Corgi?) I think it comes down to the showmanship of the individual dogs and the appeal they have to the judge. What.EVER. I still love to watch them. Something different tomorrow....

Doing Their Puggy Best, 8x8 Oil

Still working off my 500+ dog show photos. I would rather paint from life, but that would be a little difficult at a Dog Show ("Excuse me... #29, could you and your pug just hold that pose for about 45 minutes?"). I put all the DS (dog show) paintings up on the wall, from first to this one and it was astonishing to me how I have let the dogs get smaller and smaller, and the paintings are more about the 'scene'. I think here and possibly the last couple I was trying to show the relationship between owner or handler and dog. In this one there are even some bystanders. I think I'll go back to a closer-up look at the dogs.

I love the pug ring. These dogs are SO into pleasing people, (well, and those doggie candies that the handlers keep wetting - in their mouths - ugh- mmMmmm). This is diametrically opposed to something called (eurphamistically) "Pug Obedience". This is when the person tosses a ball or doll and encourages the pug to go 'fetch' it. Pugs, I think, view this as a competition WITH THE PERSON.. an opportunity to convince that person that THEY should go get it and bring it back, if it's so much fun..... When my husband and I watched this 'competition' a few years ago we had to leave because we were SNORTING laughing. Most of the time the people ended up 'fetching', by the way. ;)

The Winner!

The winner of the Spearmints is TRES, who is a familiar contributor to my Comments section! Congratulations, Tres! This morning we awoke to our first snow of the season, so I put a red scarf on Paco (whose blog will be updated today) and took him out for a frightening, exhilarating romp in the wet fluffy white stuff! THEN I printed out all the comments and cut them into each person's section, put them in a cowboy hat and had my trusty assistant (read: husband) pick one. I didn't trust myself to pull a comment out of the hat, since I knew who'd left long messages, and whose were short and sweet. This way everyone had a fair shake. It was fun, and I have a couple of weeks before I hit my 500th post! That may also inspire some celebration, what do you think?

Below is a portrait of Bubba, my sister's dog. It's a Christmas present for my brother-in-law, who loves this dog - well, let's be honest - as much as he loves his wife and children! I have to finish the collar, but otherwise he's ready to go. His story? On Petfinder, my sister was looking for a puppy because she'd lost her beautiful dog and was grieving. Bubba was in Texas (she's in MA) and 5 or 6 weeks old, scheduled for euthanasia, and my BIL jumped on a plane and flew to Texas to bring him to his Forever home. He was only as big as a minute, and I think he knew he was 'saved' by Greg. He is a tremendously loyal dog, and is very treasured in their household. I hope the painting earns a place of honor at the Fire Station Greg works at! Very glare-y, I'm noticing now! Apologies.

Mad Me 6x6 inches. acrylic

This morning was one of those days - everything that could go wrong.. did.   It was supposed to be warm and clear - it was neither, so no plein air for me this morning.  But I took Paco over to the beach, where he tries to ingratiate himself with the fishermen, because he is SURE they have cookies.  Bait.  They have bait.  Paco thinks the little containers have dog cookies.  OK, then the wind picked up, but I was determined to paint on the porch.  I have a couple of little commissions to work on (overdue, of course).  But first a dog walked down the street with it's people.  Paco turned into Cujo,  twirling and barking and strangulating his leg (he was screaming so loud and twirling so fast I couldn't even tell WHICH leg - and getting more and more tied up)... OK, phew, fixed, on to painting.  

Did I mention the wind?  Please, PLEASE don't email me telling me how much you love wind.  I used to love wind, too.  But we call this wind eyeball peeling wind.  I thought I had anchored myself, my easel, my paints, my water, but things kept blowing back past me (did you know brushes can be like arrows?)

This painting is me, leaning over to see the mirror propped to the side of my canvas.  Yup.  I'm furious. Wind, Dog, Escaped cat, flying brushes, hair whipping into my eyes, over my eyes, into my mouth (and not wanting to disturb my husband on his conference call inside.... no barette or elastic).  My Art Club Class is going to try self portraits as Daily Paintings so I am, too.  Lots of fury in these strokes.  Much calmer now.  Good thing I got Depak Chopra's meditation guide, huh?

Wishing For Westminster, 8x6 Oil

Monday and Tuesday of this week are the nights that the Westminster Dog Show is on TV. I've DVR'd it and will watch both nights together. This little West Highland White Terrier is from the Ladies Dog Club Show at the Bayside Expo Center Show from December in Boston. Westies are (and were once grouped with) Cairn Terriers, coming from the same breeding stock in the same area. Some people really preferred the pure white Cairns, and bred them apart, so now they're different 'breeds', but really interchangeable in terms of disposition and structure (watch, I'll get Westie Moms telling me I'm wrong about this, and that the white ones are sweeter...:). I put off painting the white dog because I thought it would be boring, but it was anything but! In person, you can see all sorts of pretty, colorful 'shadows' in the white, that are beautiful grays made of up beautiful roses, and blues and ochres..

Pretty Girl, 6x8 Inch Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

I'm having dog-gone FUN at the dog show!  This is the other painting I did of Molly the Springer.  Her master chose the verticals.  I think she has that soulful, Springer look.

I am totally enjoying the whole doggie world.  I only have a pug to use for a model, though.  So if you have a cute head shot or photo of your dog that you wouldn't mind me using to paint, just send it to me at kcareymac@hotmail.com.  Not for purchasing purposes, I just love dogs.  And cats.  Did I mention I love cats, too?  I'd better not get to know any goats or horses, or I'll be lost!

Pink and Yellow Gerbers, Oil, 5x7

Reserved

Click To Bid

Today I combined two colors of the daisies, but stuck them in a pink lemonade bottle. I just loved the undulating shape of the bottle, and thought the colored labels might be fun. The format, 5x7, is not my favorite. I've decided that I'm most comfortable with 6x6 or 6x8. It's a good thing to know, but now.. all those odd sizes of canvases & boards.... I'll think of something to do with them!

OK - let's talk POLITICS! No, really, let's not. But I guess the Obama girls are going to get a puppy, and being an animal lover (do you remember that I'm such a dog freak that I go - by myself- to the big AKC dog show in Boston every December?) I'm listing a few of my favorite breeds in a POLL on the top right of my blog. Out of my suggestions which dog would YOU like to see in the White House (on the sofas, on the White House lawn, in Lincoln's bed, etc.). It's just for fun, though I promise I'll send our recommendation to Michelle Obama!

"You Are The BEST Dog" or "Pug Hug", Oil, 5x7

I just couldn't decide on the title of this one. The pug pictured had won a ribbon (first, I think) and her owner/handler was SO thrilled with her she got down on the floor and the dog jumped into her arms - soooo adorable. I made the choice to focus more on the dog and make it larger, and I like it much better. Can you even tell it's a pug? My husband said it was confusing because the girl's bangs were hanging down straight, blocking her whole face. But I left it like that, like it actually was, because it was the embrace that was important, not her face, or even the pug's face.

It's A Dog's Life (Sometimes)

OK, here's another weird thing about me. I love dogs - to the extent that every September I find out the dates for the Bay Colony Dog Show in Boston (Always early December) and cross the day off my calendar so I won't accidently schedule anything else, and I go with my chair and my sketchbook all by myself to the show. It's overwhelming, but I try to pick a few breeds and hang out there for a while. I concentrate on

Pugs, my personal favorite, but I also love the Scotties, Cairns, Corgi's, Bernese Mountain Dogs, all the Belgians (the Malanois, the Sheepdog and the Turvuren), the Australian Terriers, the Boston Terriers, the Flat Coated Retreivers, and... well, that's not exactly CONCENTRATING, is it? Anyway, in addition to the little pug posted much earlier on my blog, here's my tiny dog collection....

This was a little girl bulldog trying to be good while waiting for her turn in the ring...
This was a darling Scottie (I gave her a less cluttered background)...

And there's just something about yellow labs, isn't there? I had a black lab cross (never actually owned a purebred!) who was my best friend and painting companion, gone 11 years and I still miss her....

And don't you love how we can 'accessorize' them? All of these are oil paintings, the Scottie and the Bulldog are 4x4, the two Labs are 5x7.

Is That A Wookie?, 6x6 Inch Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

What a mischievous, inviting face!  I've got some real charmers to work on!  Please continue to send me inspirations… although I won't ONLY do pets, I find them fun and refreshing.  kcareymac@hotmail.com I think I saw some pups like this at Westminster Dog Show last week.  A real little imp, I think.  What was so great about the show (and as I get my photographs, 80% of which were blurry - time for a camera evaluation) is when the owners were also the handlers.  LOVED seeing the dogs get a little kiss or hug as they waited for their turn.  Those dogs were so much more relaxed, and CONFIDENT.  

I know not everyone can show their dog.  And I also know that AKC dogs are definitely not the only dogs that are amazing. (Hello…Paco????)  But it certainly was fun to see the competition and to see if I could pick the winners.  Breed by breed, I do OK.  But the evening competition where the best of the breeds competed?  Bet against ME!

Patchwork Fields, 6x6 Inch Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

$100  & $10 S&H

Click HERE To Purchase

Things are starting to green up…. we are barely out of winter, but lots of budding going on - HOORAY!  There are farms around here, and I love the patchwork look of the fields as they get ready to dress for 'the season'.  Soon there'll be corn, potatoes, tomatoes, squash, hay… all kinds of things.  And I don't know about you, but I. Am. Ready.

I did my first plein air piece today at the beach.  It was a total failure, but it didn't matter because I WAS OUTDOORS!  I've spoken to folks who say this winter didn't seem so bad to THEM.  Oy.  They are welcome to my world, where I spent half the winter shoveling and re-shoveling paths for the dog.  Or whole evenings trying to convince him that there is NO grass available, as he gets more anxious as our evening walks progress.  Days where it was so cold IN THE HOUSE that I couldn't paint.  Just crawled under blankets with the dog and cats.  Yes.  Now we will have heat and ticks and mosquitos…. but I'm feeling grateful for this gentle warm up.

Still Morning On The River, 8x8 Inches, Acrylic

Mornings this time of year are spectacular.  I've taken to either sitting on my front porch with my camera or my acrylics ('hi' to everyone who drives by, then tells me they saw me...).  Some mornings are rosier than others.  Sunday morning's (below) was really sweet.  Soft, atmospheric colors... very dreamy.  WHAT a weekend.  I'm kind of shell shocked, actually!  

 Saturday morning my partner-in-crime (my husband) got up and came with me to another dog event, so I could maybe get more shots of these pups strutting their stuff.  It was SO much fun - please don't ask if you can come with me, you'll only be miffed at me!  I'm totally absorbed, and no company while I'm at dog events.  As a matter of fact.. I kind of shut the world out, and get in a zone.  I didn't hear the announcer (speaking to ME) saying "LADY WITH THE CAMERA - YOU ARE IN THE SPLASH ZONE..."  duh.  I knew that - but that's where the best shots were!

Then it was the South Coast Open Studio weekend (I'm only doing the August Tour) and I stopped by the Art Stable Gallery, Karen Raus' and Susan Medyn's studio's - then on to a snazzy party with a FOOD TRUCK and tons of fun people.  Seriously.  I really enjoyed myself.  AT A PARTY.  Sunday brought a family party, then picking up at Little Compton Art Show where....

my Water Dancer found a new home!  I will miss that little girl!

And remember 3 years ago when I was on the verge of tears because I never had a puppy who was as much work as a baby?  Little Paco?  I found some quick doodles I had of him in my sketchbook.  Here's one:

 He was a constantly moving target...

Dog Show Pug, Oil on Canvas, 4x4

This was done a few weeks ago, but I'm testing out my 'subscription' group to see if it works. Snowy day, haven't been able to paint yet, heading to the studio (should take about TWO HOURS!), but this was part of a series done from sketches at the Boston dog show in December - all small dogs. I ADORE pugs, too!

Sleeping In, 5x7 Inches Oil Painting by Kelley Macdonald

$100 & $10 S&H

Click HERE To Purchase

The story:  One warm Summer morning I woke up to a pink and aqua world, and though it was just almost dawn, I got up, made some tea and headed to the front porch to watch the world light up.  Of course Paco could not let me be by myself, but MY GOODNESS it was early.  Way too early. So he begged for me to hold him in my lap, which I did. And Paco relaxed in my arm (you can see it here supporting him as he dozed in the crook of my arm).   

So he's not an early riser.  He has other qualities.  I could just kiss that little wrinkly chin!  I ought to tell everyone that this is just the 3rd time I've painted Paco this month.  I know everyone thinks a lot of these pugs are my own dog, but they are not!  I would never dress him up - he's not that kind of dog.  :D

We are past the halfway point in our 30 Paintings in 30 Days.

Also.... anyone who wants to come to the Saturday Painting Class (10 a.m. in Warren) - even as a drop-in... come on over.  32 Cole Street in Warren.  You can pay as you go.  No worries.  I'd rather you painted than not!  

In Memory of Salty Dog, Acrylic, 6x8

This past weekend a friend of mine lost her best canine friend, Salty. My friend Nancy nursed her beloved Yellow Lab with tenderness and compassion throughout the dogs' old age. In return, Salty was enthusiastic and full of love to the last. A faithful friend, and part of all our 'artist girlfriend' parties, you will be missed, Salty Dog...

Two Hot Dogs, One With The Works, One Plain, Oil 6x8

Two Dachshunds with their owner/handler at the Dog Show. Today I painted with Sally Dean at her studio in Marshfield. It's so wonderful to hang out & paint with other artists sometimes. I love to have my intense alone time at my own studio, where I can just dig in and let it all flow, but it is important, too, to spend some creative time with other artists that you respect. I'm trying to do this every week or so. Anyway, while I was painting I kept backing up right onto Sally's 2 corgi's, Ollie & Winnie, who are adorable in the extreme. I think I rushed this painting a bit, because I didn't get the face on the dog on the right to be what I wanted. I think it was much more complex, and expressive. Sometimes I feel the 'end' of the painting coming and I just make a dash for it.... got to learn to slow d-o-w-n.

Red Scarf Pug, 6x6 Inch Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

SOLD

Oh.  Yes I've been very bad.  Between work, teaching and being sick last week, I ended up TWO short in my 30x30 paintings!  So I did the value study painting below, yesterday, and it's COUNTING, and today I did the pug above.  This is my pug, who will not wear clothing for dogs.  Apparently my husband's scarf is acceptable.  Don't tell my husband I wrap the dog in his scarf, OK?  

I'm exceptionally happy with this painting, because it's more than a pug, it's a painting.  Do  you know what I mean?  Even if you squint and sort of lose the whole dog-thing, I like the shapes, the color, the paint application. OK, done patting myself on the back.  Sometimes it seems like you just can't do anything, and sometimes it's just.... yeah.  

Hopefully I'll be able to post 2 tomorrow as well, but I'm moving my studio, so... who knows.  Wish me well! xoxo

Little Gould Island Plein Air, 6x12, oil

SOLD

Today was a gorgeous November day. The morning was all misty and atmospheric, and since I'm home-bound today, I thought I'd take Paco for his first real plein air session and trek over to the beach and paint the misty island in the river. Let us just say right here that Paco is a BELOVED pet but I was ready to put him on a bus after one hour. I walked carrying my heavy backpack, french easel, 2 leashes (one long, one short), a box to take the painting home in, Paco's best 'baby', water bowl and water for him, and HIM on the leash. First he 'helped' me unload the backpack (as the wind took the paper towels, the little canvases, the palette, then when we got settled down he picked up his waterbowl and shook it (yeah, I hear you all sniggering) all over my BACK (I was sitting at a picnic table, and he could scamper up on it). While I was replenishing his water he sneakily took my best brush and sat quietly under the table till I heard the big CRUNCH, (yeah... now I'm using language that cannot be put in a blog), then, when I thought he had settled down with his Baby, I hear plastic and see that he's unearthed some plastic ties and was gobbling them. Ok, maybe he's hungry, so cookies. Err... not so hungry, but found some nice, petrified dog poop buried in the sand to snack on.....

I finally hauled him & the painting home, nothing like painting under pressure! And let's just say he has a LONG way to go to become a plein air dog. Maybe I should bring his crate (which, BTW he only goes into at night to sleep)???

Soulful, 6x6 Inch Painting Of A Pug by Kelley MacDonald

$100 & $10 S&H 

Click HERE To Purchase

OK, after celebrating my 1,000th post with cocktails this weekend we're back with a month of pugs.   I'm a bit prejudiced, but I completely understand when people mistakenly think of them as 'little dogs'.  The motto for the breed is "Multum In Parvo", which translates as "much in a small space" because they are big dogs, trapped in a little dog's body.  

My little guy runs right up to the Rottweiler,  the Shepherd, the Great Dane, and feels a kindred spirit with them.  On the other hand, he'd like to have one as a pet.  Because, he truly doesn't accept his 'dog' status.  Whatever you can say about how they breed these dogs to extreme (literally no snout, blocky body, wrinkly face, etc) you can't deny the appeal of those eyes.  They seem to understand so much.

*NEWS*

I am postponing the start of my Thursday Class and Saturday Class till NEXT week.  So - lucky you, there's still time to email me at kcareymac@hotmail.com to sign up :)  Can't wait!