Dogs and Poetry

Here's Miss Maisie, on duty in front of my studio this morning. This is one of her many favorite sidesaddle poses.

I'm working on two abstracts right now but won't have them finished until I return from my second trip of the month to California. James is coming with me this time...we'll be helping my Mom again with some things around the house and property, including taking care of the queen of the farm, Lulu the cow.

I'll leave you for now with this awesome poem from Delights and Shadows. See you soon...maybe while I'm there I will post some pics of beautiful Petaluma!

A Box of Pastels

I once held on my knees a simple wooden box
in which a rainbow lay dusty and broken.
It was a set of pastels that had years before
belonged to the painter, Mary Cassatt,
and all of the colors she'd used in her work
lay open before me. Those hues she'd most used,
the peaches and pinks, were worn down to stubs,
while the cool colors - violet, ultramarine -
had been set, scarcely touched, to one side.
She'd had little patience with darkness, and her heart
held only a measure of shadow. I touched
the warm dust of those colors, her tools,
and left there with light on the tips of my fingers.

~Ted Kooser

New Dog on the Block

"Chico"
16" x 20" acrylic on canvas

Taking a step aside from all the abstract work, here's a new painting of Chico...a sweet and sassy boy from Denver. Chico was the only dog commission I accepted early on last year after discovering I was going to have a solo show of my abstract paintings.

I have to thank my client, Sue...who was so very nice and patient during the process. We agreed that I would work on Chico when I had the time but that I needed to devote most of my time to the show. I have to say, it wasn't as easy as I thought to shift mental gears back and forth from abstracts to doggies. Having as much time as I needed though made all the difference so when I worked on Chico...I was able to give him my full love and attention.

By the way...it was Maisie's fourth birthday on Monday (Valentine's Day)! I love this picture of her in front of my studio...it's her "vogue" pose. Really though...she was following a Bee.

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!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas
filled with magic and love.

See you in the New Year!
xox, Linda and Maisie

Short break...

Maisie loves the leaves

I've been taking a little blog break...been thinking of you all and miss you but I'll be back soon!

Hope you had a great Halloween. Maisie did although she freaked out a little when "Moss Man" came to the door!

The Glass is Half Full

"Half Full"
12" x 24" acrylic and collage on canvas

Prints available at Imagekind.com and Etsy

I love paintings with any kind of "vessel" in them...whether it be a bowl, cup, glass, vase, whatever! Thought I would incorporate one in my new abstract series.

James (my treasured and trusted art critic!) pointed out to me yesterday that I seem to be a little too comfortable with a similar color palette in my work lately. I think he may be right...so I'm pushing myself in a different direction with the 30" x 40" painting I'm working on now.

Maisie wanted to make an appearance today so thought I would post this photo of her from our mountain hike last Sunday. She reminds me of Rin Tin Tin here...for those of you who REMEMBER Rin Tin Tin. Geez...I feel old now!

Maisie O'Neill, stalker of chipmunks

Partners in Crime

Max and Maisie

Here's the picture I promised you last Friday of Maisie and her partner in crime, Max. I like this shot because this is what they're like when they are together...the two of them have so much fun and they don't stop moving. I also like this picture because Max seems to have developed a human back leg...Ahck!

Back tomorrow with another new painting. Have a great Monday!

Miss Accident Prone

Maisie and her boo boo

For those of you who haven't been following my facebook page, you probably don't know that my accident prone dog, Maisie had a "squirrel chasing incident" over the weekend. She tore her carpal pad almost completely off so our Vet had to take the rest of it off and sew her back up. At least this time (remember the broken toe?) she only has to have the bandage on for two weeks instead of two months. No dog parkin' and no play dates though and she is not too happy about that!

Sooo...I won't be blogging again until next week as James is in Chicago and I have full Maisie supervision duty so she won't chew off her bandage. If she does she might have to face THE CONE and we don't like to talk about that around here. I'll be painting...but sporadically until James gets back on Friday.

Coupla things that might be of interest to you today though...I discovered this Artist when we were in Denver for our anniversary and thought her work was pretty amazing and unique. Also recently came across this blog that I thought you might enjoy too.

Have a good week! See you soon!

A Winter Day

"A Winter Day"
22" x 22" acrylic and collage on canvas

Remember the painting of Maisie I was telling you about? Well, I just finished it last night! Here is my girl, on a crisp winter day...in all her beautiful Shepherdness. I wanted to experiment and do a dog painting that was very different from my usual portrait work. I think Maisie was the perfect subject!

Hopefully I'll be back later this week with another new abstract to show you. I say "hopefully" because my Mom is coming from California today to visit for a week. She's very excited to see her Granddog...I think more than us!

Hope you're all having a great week so far! xox

Crazy Maisie!

Have I told you that people at the dog park welcome us by saying, "Hey...crazy Maisie's here!"? Yep, that's my little nutball, goofball, sassy dog, Maisie. Here she is this morning...playing with her tennis ball in the snow. Winter is definitely still here in Boulder!

I've been working like a dog (yes, Maisie...like a dog) on my two paintings this week...but they are not quite finished. Sometimes the ones that seem like they'll be the easiest end up being the most complicated. That's certainly seems to be the case here! Hope to have them finished to show you early next week.

I leave you for the weekend with two of Maisie's favorite Haiku poems...from the Little Big Book of Dogs...

*Today I sniffed many
Doggie derrieres ~ and I celebrate
By kissing your face.

*Dig under the fence ~ why?
Because it's there. Because it's
there. Because it's there.

My Funny Valentine

Here's my sweetheart Maisie girl...who wanted to pop in and wish you all a very happy Valentine's day! I came across a little poem this morning that reminds me of her and how she touches my heart each and every day.

I'm heading out of town with James on a surprise getaway for a few days...so I'll see you next Tuesday! Have a great love-filled weekend!

You've Touched My Heart

You've given me a reason
For smiling once again,
You've filled my life with peaceful dreams
and you've become my closest friend.

You've shared your heartfelt secrets
And your trust you've given me,
You showed me how to feel again
To laugh, and love, and see.

If life should end tomorrow
And from this world I should part,
I shall be forever young
For you have touched my heart.

~unknown

Hello 2010!

Hi everyone...hope your New Year is starting off great! Thanks to all who sent me those wonderful New Year wishes...I hope the very same for you. I'm banking on 2010 being a winner!

The first week of January turned out to be doozy cold here. I took the picture above last week from just outside my studio. This is my favorite view from our yard...I love that sweet white barn. Below is my little snow bunny...on patrol...keeper of the peace.

By the way...have you all seen the movie, Herb and Dorothy? I watched it last week...it's about a married couple of very modest means that, over the years, built one of the largest collections of Contemporary Art in history. It's a fascinating and uplifting film...and a story about this couple's love for art that is extraordinary. It's available on DVD.

Looking forward to catching up on your blogs. I'll be back soon with some new work!

Maisie Eats the Winner!

Maisie picked a winner this morning! Email me your address, Miss Donna from Mourning Dove Cottage...and your Abby Creek Calendar will be on it's way to you!

The lottery process was to spread out pieces of paper on the floor with everyone's names and wherever Maisie's nose landed was to be the winner. In the above photo...she had nosed it and put her teeth marks on it carrying it to a safe place. In the photo below...you can see where the piece of paper ended up. I'm sorry, Donna...but you have been eaten and probably digested by now. :)


My brother left last night...we had such a wonderful time together. I HAVE to share one of our shopping finds with you. We were passing by a bookstore yesterday...and we saw one of the best books ever! We both burst out laughing. I think this is a "must have" for any male dog lover who knits...and I know there are lots of you out there!

Have a great Tuesday! xox

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

A message from Maisie

Being the poser that she is...Maisie has been a little upset that she hasn't been on the blog for awhile. So...she wanted to pop in today to say hello to everyone!

She also wants you to read a good article she found online today, one about the myths and misconceptions of certain dog breeds AND a video about Max, the senior of all senior dogs! I wish Max could tell us all the secrets of just how he reached that ripe old age. You go Max!

Hope any of you living through those fires in L.A. are doing ok. The smoke has made it's way to Boulder today...it's very hazy here.

Have a good Tuesday!

Chihuahua Land

"Rico the Chihuahua"
Original is acrylic on canvas
You can purchase a print here

I couldn't let the week end without a loving and appreciative nod to Gidget, the little Taco Bell Chihuahua that just passed away. Didn't you just love her? I have to say...she was one of my all time favorite TV dogs and gave me lots of laughs over the years. Besides Taco Bell commercials, she also appeared as Reese Witherspoon's sassy companion in "Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde."

So in honor of her...I just added one of my earlier paintings of Rico, the Chihuahua to my new Etsy Dog Shop. Thanks for being such a bright star, Gidget! May you rest your paws in peace.

And speaking of peaceful paws...here's a shot of Miss Maisie in my studio this morning...enjoying an unusually calm moment. That's after a walk and a dog park of course!

Have a great summer weekend!

New Shop on the Block!

"Family"

Original is mixed media on paper
You can now purchase a print here

Just wanted to let you know that I've opened a second Etsy shop called, Abby Creek Dogs! I decided that my Dogs needed a separate venue from my Still Life and Abstract work for sale...so now they have their very own storefront.

I'm going to be adding lots more to the shop this next week, including some earlier works like mixed media dog drawings that I used to do. Be sure to check back to see what's new!

Below is a pic of Maisie taken this morning with her favorite toy, the stump. She brought this stump from our old house when we moved and it's still her favorite thing. She tries to bring it through the dog door which is a pretty hilarious thing to watch. My 89 year old friend, Miss Dottie now calls Maisie, Calamity Jane. I think that fits!

Calamity Jane and her stump

The Maisie Chronicles, continued...

Hi everyone! Well, Maisie has a story to tell today. She wanted you to know that she's kept me pretty busy this past week taking care of her with a bum leg. Somehow, our little athlete tweaked her back left leg pretty badly so she had to stay off of it for a few days. She had some x-rays taken and they didn't show a break or tear anywhere so we were very grateful for that. Keeping Maisie busy and happy when she can't exercise though is quite the challenge! Lots of frozen bones, stuffed treats, lovey dovey attention AND some doggie sedatives did the trick. She's now up and running full speed ahead...and I do mean full speed!

Below is a new abstract landscape painting I just finished. I didn't really start out thinking "landscape" on this one...but that seems to be the direction my abstracts are taking. I'm enjoying the process though and the shift in my usual color schemes.

"Eclipse"
5" x 7" acrylic and collage on canvas
available in my Etsy shop here

Back soon with news on a new Art Zine you'll really want to have for your very own!

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!