My challenge was to design more whimsical animal Christmas collages. I used sketches of our three goats and added some fun trees and stars. Their shapes describe their breeds: Pygmy, Nigerian Dwarf and a mix of regular-size goat and Dwarf with floppy ears. The colors changed a lot while I was working on this, and […] more »
This is a typical pose of our goats sunbathing on their box. Not a care in the world! And not head-butting and pushing each other around the yard — just soaking up the rays and dozing. What a life! more »
Our pets are a source of never-ending entertainment and inspiration. I couldn’t resist painting our cat Vincent, who was caught in the act. He is so curious and dipped his paw into a glass of water while perching on various pieces of furniture to do it. more »
I have been working on a series of Christmas themed animals and birds because I believe there is a need for something humorous and different than what the usual holiday designs offer. I love toucans because of their shape and colorful feathers. I’ve combined the winter holly with the tropical bird in a Christmas hat, […] more »
This is another collage I decided to rework. Most of the design was good, but needed fine tuning. Color adjustments were made and I also added details to the ears and cap. Dachshunds are adorable dogs and these cute pups are ready for Christmas! more »
My second model, Sally, was happy to sit and pose for this painting. She looked at me very intently, wondering what I was doing. After the picture taking, she settled in for a long nap. I do work from my photos most of the time, as pets move around too much unless you plan to […] more »
Vincent showed up for a modeling session last weekend, so I decided to focus on a close-up of his face. He has expressive eyes and is happy to sit and pose for me. I used lots of thickly applied watercolor pigments with some acrylic medium. He is quite happy with the results! more »
Cats play a big part in our lives and I have a lot of models around during the day. Felines love squashing themselves into a small box and I used a reference photo for this watercolor painting. I used a limited palette of cadmium orange, cerulean blue, sap green, ultramarine blue, white and thalo red. more »
Lately I seem to be creating a lot of different birds! This one started with some loose, contour drawings of chickens, which I think are funny birds. I love the variegated feathers and textures on the birds. After I completed some drawings, I used my tracing paper to combine some of them into a pleasing design. […] more »
This piece was inspired by my observances of birds’ funny behavior and appearances. I used one of my sketches for this and edited as I worked. It began with the bird’s overall color and expressive eyes and wild hairdo. Another challenge for me was using a smaller format, but not quite as small as what the Daily […] more »