A beautiful face!

"Pabst"
Winner of the Petaluma Ugly Dog Contest 2009
photo from SFGate.com

OK...how can you call this guy "ugly"? I think he's got one of the cutest faces ever! (well, always except for Maisie of course). Pabst is the winner of this year's Petaluma, California's Ugly Dog Contest. You can read about this sweet guy right here. Congrats Pabst!

On another note...I enjoyed this column from Clay Evans of the Boulder Daily Camera the other day regarding whether art is a luxury in these tough economic times. Let me know what you think.

Hope you're having a great day out there. It's hot here!

Landscape in Moonlight
8" x 8" acrylic and collage on canvas
Available in my Etsy Shop here

Here's a new abstract landscape I just finished. Hope you like it!

It's been a busy week with family visiting...so I'll be back next week...hopefully with more interesting artsy stuff to share with you.

In the meantime...have a great summer weekend! xox

Monday Still Life

"Red and Juicy"
7" x 12" acrylic and collage on canvas
available in my Etsy shop here

Hi everyone! Here's a new still life I just finished last Friday. It started out as sort of a wimpy pastel-y kind of thing...and ended up being quite a bit bolder than I anticipated. I rarely use dark backgrounds so this is a little different for me. Let me know what you think.

On another note...a very big THANK YOU to all of you who voted for Miss Maisie to be in the top 10 for the Mutt Lynch Label Competition. She didn't make it this time...but was so happy to be involved in the process. Congrats to all who did make it...especially to my friend, Christine Throckmorton. Her entry was amazing...I loved it!

The winner of the contest will be chosen today so stay tuned to Moira's blog for the big announcement. Good luck!

Dog's Rule in Somerset!

Somerest Magazine Cover ~ Summer 2009

Remember the Dog's Rule Fatbook from awhile back? Well it made it to this summer's issue of Somerset Magazine...yay! Below are two pages from the article with a wonderful introduction written by fellow Dog Artist, Jill Beninato. Great job, Jill! The second page down has the artwork that Melissa Langer and I did for the book. There are eight other fabulous pages in the article with beautiful reproductions of each participating Artist's work.



Pick up a copy of the magazine if you get a chance. It's jam packed with lots of beautiful artwork and interesting reads.

Back soon with a new still life. Have a great Thursday out there!

Cast your vote!

Emmett says...Vote HERE!

Hi everyone! So look who's been campaigning for Maisie this week! Emmett is one of Maisie's very loyal friends and he's been making the rounds asking people to vote for her in the Mutt Lynch Winery and Dog Art Today's Wine Label Competition...this week through Friday. I think he's a little biased thinking Maisie is his girlfriend and all...but he's also a big supporter of the Democratic process.

There are some really fantastic submissions this year and I am honored to be among them. Everyone's work is awesome! Good luck to all!

Shepherd of the Grapes

"Shepherd of the Grapes"
10" x 11" acrylic on canvas

Here she is...Miss Shepherd of the Grapes herself, Maisie Rose O'Neill! This is what I submitted for the wine label competition today. I also submitted a title for the wine, "We carefully shepherd our grapes".

If you'd like to vote for having Maisie on Mutt Lynch's limited edition wine label...you can do so on Dog Art Today's blog starting Monday, June 15th through Friday, June 19th. One winner will then be chosen by judges from the top 10 finalists and announced on June 22. The wine label will be revealed at the August 8, 2009 Dog Days of Summer event. How exciting!

Heading out tomorrow for a friend's wedding in Oregon. Hope you all have a great rest of the week!

Maisie has a secret!

Maisie wanted you to know that I've been away from blogging this past week...working very hard on a painting that SHE happens to be the star of the again. Actually yes, I've had nose to the grind painting a piece for the upcoming Mutt Lynch Winery Label Contest. I heard about it via Moira's wonderful Dog Art Today blog and it sounded like so much fun. Hope to be able to show it to you after I submit it on Wednesday. The deadline is June 12th for any of you who want to try a last minute creation of your own.

My only worry about doing another painting of Maisie (on the heels of the Party Animal project) is that she's starting to get quite the big head. Look out world...here comes Miss Celebrity big pants!

Look at Lucy!

"Lucy"

10" x 11" acrylic on canvas

Here's the final result of the "it's yellow and it sniffs" hint I was talking about the other day...the lovely Miss Lucy, a yellow Lab from Denver. Lucy's favorite thing to do is go for hikes in the beautiful hills of Colorado. This bundle of energy was a pure joy to paint!

For a little inspiration today, head to Susan Tuttle's blog...it's one of my favorites. I love her photographs, her words and her views on life.

And lastly...here's a pretty cool artsy quote to fill your day...

"The word composition moved me spiritually
and I made it my aim in life to paint a composition.
It affected me like a prayer and filled me with awe."
~ Wassily Kandinsky

Have a good Tuesday!