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..

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....

"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.

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. ;)

Stocking Up On Conditioner, 8x8 Oil

Dogs hate to shop as much as men and kids, I think. This German Wirehaired Pointer is impatiently waiting for it's ownder to decide between dog hair care products. I love the colors of these dogs, and their expression is so beautiful.

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.

Pink and Yellow Gerbers, Oil, 5x7

Reserved

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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!