Oh, Hey! (An Announcement)

Oh, Hey! Oil on panel, 6" x 6". ©2019

Another trip to River's Wish Animal Sanctuary resulted in some 750 sunny photos, including this one of a friendly, curious goat. His name may be Bulldog, or it may be Sky. He didn't tell me at the time. What's important right now is the reason for the 750 new photos...

I'm pleased to announce that I have been invited to show my paintings of River's Wish animals at the Kolva Sullivan Gallery this September! The exhibit will benefit the sanctuary, with a percentage of proceeds going to help Kit and Pete continue their essential work for the animals.

I'll share more details as I have them. Until then, please enjoy the studies I make for the larger works to come, while I try to learn the names of all of my models!

Badass

Badass. Oil on panel, 6" x 6". ©2019.

I'd never seen a pileated woodpecker in my life, until about two weeks ago. Now I've seen three.
This guy was digging around in some leaves on my walking route, just off of a busy street. I heard him before I saw him, which is surprising given the astonishing red of his fauxhawk.

He was not bothered in the least by my efforts to photograph him. It was almost impossible to catch a nice pose, though, so I resorted to video. A super-blurry video still became the reference for the painting.

Combover

Combover. Oil on panel, 6" x 6". ©2019.

This cutie lives at River's Wish Animal Sanctuary, along with Precious the sheep, Blue the goat, and hundreds of other animals saved from terrible fates and allowed to live out their natural lives. So few animals get to do this. It's heartbreaking. Visiting the shelter always gives me mixed feelings. It's comforting to spend time with the lucky few who make it to the shelter. But I can't help but think about the legions more who don't.

 I eventually learned that this gentleman's name is... KEVIN! 🤣

See the time-lapse video of this painting here.

Glamping

Glamping. Oil on panel, 6" x 6". ©2019.

This mourning dove appeared inside my festival tent at a midwestern show several years ago. It had clearly spent the night there. When I unzipped the tent in the morning, this guy (or gal) startled the hell out of me by flapping wildly, flying around until it landed atop one of my display walls. Once it calmed down, I managed to get a few so-so photos before shooing it out.

At the time, I was showing botanical pastel paintings and felt lucky for once that I had to frame my work behind glass. It made cleanup a bit easier.

This was the first time I recall having seen one of these birds, but afterward, I noticed them everywhere. There is a pair that lives a block from my house that I've seen for years now. I love their soft, pinkish coloration (enhanced a bit here for the sake of the painting).

Kyra

Kyra. Oil on panel, 6" x 6". ©2019.

Kyra is my first-ever pet portrait commission, and possibly my first painting of a dog. She is a lab-pit bull mix. I never got to meet her. This portrait is a memorial for an obviously sweet and well-loved girl.

Her people posted a photo of the painting next to a container of her ashes, which affected me quite a bit. I have a similar display on my dining room hutch. Mine includes a 6" x 6" oil portrait my friend Kate (Vita) Vander Wende did of my husband Paul and a pepper shaker filled with his ashes.

I hope the portrait of Kyra brings some comfort.

Splendour

Splendour. Oil on panel, 6" x 6". ©2019.

This photo of Mocha has been calling to me for a while, but somehow kept getting put off. Either I had just painted a cat, I had a commission to do, or someone had requested goats. Anyway, yesterday was the day. It was a fun painting to make, save for the self-inflicted stress of recording it in time lapse. The time-lapse process is oddly addictive. My heart races when I start the painting, all self-conscious and trying to be aware of where I'm standing. Maybe that rush has something to do with the addictiveness, but it's mostly the opportunity to watch the process from afar. The speed of the playback takes away the insecurity and mistakes and frustrations, making the progression seem almost magical. (See the video here.)

The title refers primarily to the magnificence and placement of my dorky cat. However, some research into the origin and of the Wordsworth's phrase "splendour in the grass" revealed unexpected appropriateness. Long story short, it's about finding beauty and meaning in ordinary things when we might otherwise be bitter and grieving. Pretty fitting and inspirational, but for now I'm going to have to settle for a bit of both.

Blue

Blue. Oil on panel, 6" x 6". ©2019.

Blue the Goat lives at River's Wish Animal Sanctuary with Precious, the sheep. Although he seems to have the run of the place generally, I found them hiding from the rain in the same shelter the day of my most recent visit. He was every bit as happy to pose for me as Precious, just a lot more squirmy and challenging to photograph.

His underbite gives him a sort of goofy, permanent smile. Hopefully, I captured the most dignified version of that possible.