A Chilly New Year!

Maisie in her spankin' new booties.

Hi everyone...Happy New Year to you! I had to pop in to show you this picture of Maisie wearing her new Muttluk boots. We've had a couple of cold snaps here in Boulder where it hasn't gotten above the low teens all day. When it's that cold...these boots are great and keep her paws nice and toasty.

I've been pretty voiceless on the blog lately and I'm sorry about that because I love hearing from you all. I think working towards my show since early last year has temporarily left me with a "brain freeze"! I have been so consumed with having a voice within my paintings...that my own physical voice has really had to look for words.

Hope to show you some new work soon though. As always, I treasure the voice of each and every one of YOU. Hope your New Year is starting off with a sparkle!

Painting - Poetry Friday!

"Night Bloom"
13" x 16" acrylic and collage on canvas
available for sale in my Etsy shop here

Just finished this new abstract painting yesterday. I absolutely love using red lately...this color happens to be Liquitex heavy body cadmium red medium hue. It really packs an emotional punch for me.

By the way...since we're heading well into 2010 now...I just reduced my Abby Creek Dog Calendars 25% in my Etsy Shop...in time for Valentine's Day! I only have a few left so head on over there now if you would like one for a special someone in your life.

And lastly...this poem came to me the other day so thought I would share it with you. Hope you like it. Have a great weekend!

A creamy dusting of snow
covers already shivering ground.
Soon, tiny birdtracks
leave silver indents.
My dog's paw prints
are everywhere.

What I like about winter
is that you can witness
where dear ones travel.

~Linda O'Neill

Juicy Fruit

"An Apple a Day"
12" x 12" acrylic and fabric on canvas
available in my Etsy Shop here

Here's a new Still Life...apples and pears are my favorites to paint. I think I'm feeling a fruit painting frenzy coming on!

Below is a picture of my little snow baby from yesterday. This is a rare shot when her face isn't buried in the white stuff. Sweet girl!

Miss Maisie

Winter Wonderland

Here's the view we woke up to last Friday morning. I took it from our upstairs bedroom. What a beautiful blanket of white!

Hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving weekend. We had a good one...hosted Thanksgiving dinner here in our new house. Since I'm a vegetarian...James was in total charge of cooking the turkey. I made roasted vegetables and everyone else brought a favorite dish. It was fantastic! Maisie was especially pleased as her papa made a very special batch of turkey-vegetable soup from the leftovers just for her. Doggie heaven.

Below is a new painting I just finished today titled, "Winter Night". It was pretty cold here over the weekend so I guess I needed to paint a nice cozy house to nest in. If it were a true "O'Neill" house though...it would have a doggie door! A house is not a home without one.:)

"Winter Night"

8" x 8" acrylic and collage on canvas

available in my Esty shop here

The New Year

I took this photo the other day of a sweet, chubby Robin sitting in our tree....feels like a good New Year image. I am wishing for a New Year full of grace, simple beauty and feeling strength in myself. I want to sit on a branch and be perfectly happy...and fly when I want to. Takes a long time to get to that place...but I'm workin' on it!

Happy New Year everyone. xox

"I'm not afraid of
storms, for I'm
learning how to
sail my ship."

~Louisa May Alcott

Meet Bianca...the Boxer Puppy!

"Miss Bianca"
12" x 13" acrylic on canvas

From the earlier "sneak peek"...here is the full finished painting commission of Miss Bianca, the Boxer Puppy. Bianca's Mom, Donna had mentioned to me that the day the photo (I worked from) was taken, it was snowing and it was the first time Bianca have ever seen snow! Being that the name, Bianca also means "white" and "pure"...I though a snowy background would be perfect for this sweet little girl!

And speaking of snow...the end of summer is coming fast, isn't it? The days are getting shorter and the nights cooler. In Colorado, you can tell the season is changing when the Black-Eyed Susan flowers are blooming everywhere and the Geese fly back to town. It's a bit melancholy...but beautiful at the same time.

Summer Sleeps

Flowers close their
tired eyes
and dream of
soft winds
and golden horizons

Winter starts to bloom
with somber flourish
in all her
icy grandeur

Don't forget though

She is just as beautiful
as her cool arms
cradle parched meadows
yearning for a first
drink
of release.

-Linda O'Neill