Monday, December 31, 2007


Just finished up on this painting of Gypsy vanner horses which are a light draft breed bred by the Gypsys to pull their vans on their travels. They are being bred now in almost every country including the US! Breeders try to get a flashy looking horse with a very kind disposition.

Saturday, December 29, 2007


Well, after not painting for a week I decided to do this lesson from a book that I had gotten ready for my watercolor class. That way I would know the pitfalls before I threw it at my gals.
I enjoyed the use of salt on the small fuzzy feathers which I hadn't done before.

Saturday, December 15, 2007


This is Zoey. She was new here and her owner assured me that she would be no problem. He dropped her off on his way to the airport to Hawaii for ten days and by the time I had walked him out and then went back to the dog, she had torn the wire off the gate, broken the latch and was digging a hole to China. Nice dog...........NOT! Well, out of desperation I ran hot wire across the gate at the bottom and in the middle and she hit that twice and decided she needed to be a nice girlie and never got out of line again.
We definitely had a meeting of the minds and she was perfect for the rest of the time.

This is Jersey. She was given a customer of mine after they had to give their little dog away as he was starting to bite the kids. Jersey is a German shepherd mix and very nice. She enjoyed being with the little guys and was quite eager to play with them.

This is Maddie and Bailie. Maddie is a Silky terrier pup and Bailie an Australian terrier. I had them several times over the summer and got very attached to both. The night they were to come back to stay for two weeks their owner called and told me that Bailie had been killed by coyotes. Broke my heart as well as the owners. Maddie came anyway and since she had my little ones to play with she didn't miss Bailie too much. She will be back on Monday and I will find out how she and her owner are doing without Bailie.

Friday, December 14, 2007

I haven't been able to paint animals for a couple of days so today I made up for it and painted four! They are really getting quick as time is getting short.

These first two are yellow labs and are just the nicest dogs. They are very playful and love to chase each other with the ball.

This orange kitty is Scooter. He was just here for nine days and he is so undemanding. Anything is OK with him including my little chihuahuas checking out his crate with him in it!!

The little fuzzy light colored dog is also Scooter and he is a Havanese. When he was here this summer he had a summer clip which looked so cute he reminded me of a little Dutch boy the way his ears were trimmed.

Last but not least is Sophie, a very sweet but shy kitty. She was just here also and is very good but always glad to be going home.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007


Tinka is the little red long haired doxy. She has the softest coat and her owners keep her clipped because it is just like baby fuzz. She is Tazzis favorite and whenever she comes they are both whining and jumping until she gets in the gate and then they are off! She comes about once a month and I just love her.

Blue is a huge australian shepherd but he must have something else in him too as he is larger than a lab. He has an amazingly thick long coat and is quite rambunctious.

The last ones are Tucker shadow and buddy. They came for the first time this year and although very active were good little dogs and Shadow, the lab was very quiet.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Sammy and Chloe


This is Sammy. She is a Rhodesian Ridgeback. They were bred in Africa to chase lions. Needless to say, she enjoys running along with my son and his wife on their bike rides and when they are running the trails in Arizona. She stayed a day with me when they drove up here to the Pacific NW this summer. She is a wonderful dog.

This is Chloe, a Lhasa apso. She is a really cute little girl and when she stayed here this summer it just happened that my other two little Lhasa boarders were here. They had such fun!

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Gracy, Glory and Nano


This is Gracie and Glory. Gracy on the left is a tiny black and white pomeranian and Glory is a long haired doxy. They are such nice little girls and have been coming to my kennel for about two years. Some of my favorites.

This is Nano. This is her first year at Animal house. She is a rat terrier and isn't quite a year old yet. She is one huge bundle of energy! She just never stops but she is a nice girl and had tons of fun with my Miniature Pincher Tazzi.

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Josie


This is one of my favorite kennel dogs. She is a lab/boxer mix and is brindle in color.
She is just such a happy girl and so full of life that is difficult not to get caught up in her joy.

Oakley


This is Oakley. She is a Jack Russel Terrier, although she is much more calm than most terriers. She is a really nice little dog and I hope she comes to visit again.

Friday, December 7, 2007

Buddy


This is Buddy, one of my favorites this year. He is a silky terrier and is just the sweetest little guy. This was his first stay here and I hope he gets to come back next year.

Andy


This is Andy, a lab/chesapeake retriever cross. He is huge but such a sweetie. A real lover if he doesn't knock you over first with his enthusiasm.
Still working towards about 25 of these. Last week was very busy so I didn't get any done so now I really have to hurry up to finish in time to mail these post cards to the owners.

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Church and Saki



These are two more of my little boarders. The kitty is named Church and he is just a huge big bundle of love. The doggie is Saki, a pitch black doxie. She was here for the first time this spring and was just a doll to take care of.

Saturday, December 1, 2007


This is Albert. His doggie sisters stay here often but Albert was here for the first time this fall. He is a lovely big old snuggly guy and I loved his yellow sweater!
I do get kitties from time to time in the kennel too.

Friday, November 30, 2007


I am not completely happy with this one, I think I could have planned it better so I may end up doing this one over.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Toby


This is todays work. This little guy has been coming to my kennel for over two years now and he has finally decided he doesn't want to escape every time he is here. I think he thinks this is his second home now and is happy to come and play with my own doggies. He spends most of his time in my house though instead of in the kennel. I am such a soft touch for a wet nose and big brown eyes!

Elvira and Dolly


This is another of my doggie sketches. I will be posting some every day so if you want to check back you can see the latest ones.
This one is of a mother and daughter. The mom is Elvira, a doxy and the daughter is Dolly, a doxy yorkie cross. Isn't she cute? She is so much fun and is very inquisitive and curious.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007






Each year at the Holidays, I send all my boarding kennel dogs and kitties Holiday postcards. I do watercolor sketches of the animals on the front. My owners seem to enjoy seeing them. These are the first five I have done this year.

Monday, November 19, 2007



I can't believe it is already time to get ready for the Holidays, seems as if I just did that only it was a year ago.
This is my Holiday card for 2007.I will be putting it on items in my Cafe press shop and possibly in my Ebay store. Contact me for the URLs for both if you are interested.

The local art group I belong to set as the December theme, "barns". Well, I am not good at landscape, they don't seem to be my focus but I figured I had to do something to take to the meeting to show so I decided to paint this one and of course had to add a horse! I struggled mightily with the foreground and had to resort to using a bit of gouache to add the weedy flowers but overall I think it turned out OK. Not my best work but I guess it will do. :)

Tuesday, November 6, 2007


Well, I have been in a slump for a week or two but did go ahead and paint this conch shell which is the challenge for my online watercolor group for November.
It was a study in color and texture. I think I am pleased with it.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007


A friend on one of my Yahoo groups just lost this darling doggie at 15 years so I wanted to paint this for her. Somehow the photos of this little dog just spoke to me and I had to paint him.

Friday, October 19, 2007


Finally finished up on this painting. It wasa challenge for my online watercolor group. I was really trying to get the transparency to show on the large flower but didn't quite accomplish that. I think part of the reason is because the paper I was using wasn't the bright white but instead the regular which is kind of creamy in color. I think the white would have allowed me more brightness.

Saturday, October 6, 2007


This is an actual stallion that I painted a portrait of and am selling as a donation to help save a number of draft and draft/cross mares that need rescuing from slaughter.
The painting is for sale on Ebay and will be on my website for sale if he doesn't sell there. If you would like to read more about the horses needing rescue, please go to www.theanimalifarm.com.

Sunday, September 30, 2007


Isn't this guy something? I love painting this new limited edition sculpture. Some folks hate him and some love him because of his unusual head, but he is in fact sculpted after the African Dongola horse. This is a rather ancient breed that comes down in part from the Barb, the same as the Arabian. This boy has had a new mane and tail added by the casting company Resins by Randy. Deb Buckler did the resculpting.
This one is painted in a smutty buckskin. His lower legs have been painted to look slightly dirty as if he were running in the desert. He also has some cracks in his unshod hooves. The open mouth is very effective and the sculptor has included teeth and tongue. Very kewl!
I haven't been doing too much watercolor the past couple of weeks as I have had orders to finish up on with sculptures.
The first one was a filly foal that needed to be repainted to improve her coat color and I think she turned out really cute.


The next ones were a pair of llamas, mom and baby. These are new sculptures that my casting company is doing. These were painted for them.

Friday, September 14, 2007


Cheetah is the monthly project for an animal art group I am a member of so this is my offering for the project. I used a photo for the cheetah but the background is made up as the background in the photo was a zoo and not the way I wanted to present this magnificent cat. I hope I have accomplished what I set out to do.

This is a close up of his face.

Thursday, September 13, 2007


A friend of mine was out picking peaches a few weeks ago and brought me this bowl of them to eat. I thought, eat......why not paint them???
So I took a photo of them and this is the result. I am happy with the peaches, but not happy with the table. I made the mistake of not planning on what I would do with the background before I started and this is the result. Next time I will follow my hard fast rule of background first!
My friend loved it anyway and took it home with her to Arizona.

Friday, September 7, 2007



These are two horses that I have just finished painting. They are the Dongola breed from Africa. These are limited edition sculptures by Melanie Schulmeyer. I purchase them unpainted and paint them as I like for sale. They are approximately 10 inches tall.

Tuesday, September 4, 2007


Well, I think this is finally finished. I worked a bit more on it today while I was at the gallery and a bit more when I came home so I think I am ready to get some mat board and get it framed.

Monday, September 3, 2007


I am working on slowly bringing the darker water out from the center. I will probably leave some of the lighter color around the edges.
I think I have all the elements in now, just working on getting them all to work right.

Saturday, September 1, 2007


I got a bit more done on this today. I am slowly building up the color in the water while I am adding color to the fish and adding the lily pads. I think it is beginning to look like there is some depth to the water.

I started this one yesterday. I just felt like doing some Koi since it has been a while since I have painted any. There are three more fish on the right side to do and more lily pads to add. This is almost a half sheet.