squinty....

foggy gulf...

so, i was down at the pool tanning, (which for me is a HUGE deal as i don't wear bathing suits in public) plugged into my ipod listening to delta blues enjoying the warm sun on my spf 60 covered skin...upon emerging from the towel that was over my head (don't want wrinkles) i found myself in a dense fog, literally, not figuratively....so here is the view from my balcony of the gulf engulfed in fog...(those are cabana chairs in the distance)...

swim girl...

florida beach

it's christmas, so it must be florida...

here i am sitting on a balcony, next to a pool right on a beach facing the gulf of mexico...in my right hand is large glass of wine and i'm typing this entry with my left (do my talents ever cease??)...i'm on a much needed holiday from working in the studio non-stop from mid-august to december 16th...i'll write more about the trip as well as post a photo or two, but for now i'm going to head for the hot tub to gaze at the full moon (i wouldn't want it to think i was ignoring it!....)

i wish everyone who reads this blog a wonderful holiday and a healthy, prosperous new year...

lisa g.

here is the painting of 'zena and lucy'....

'lucy and zena'...

finally, the painting of 'lucy and zena' is finished!...i think it is beautiful...

saturday...

well after spending three straight days in bed with a cold and a half of a day here in the studio, i feel that today i've recovered enough to work a full day...i've fallen behind in my schedule and have to work like a mad woman with four arms to catch up...this time of year is always hectic with commissions that people want for christmas which is a good thing...the work on the two dogs from england is coming along very well...the portrait of salsa the poodle is however coming along slowly...i've been trying to see if my productivity level is increased by setting up two easels to work on almost at the same time...i know this is a foolish experiment and all that will come of this will be me just pissing off the muse...oh well...i just feel as though i have not painted as much as i should have at this point in time...somehow the idea of having a thousand paintings with my name on it has been a goal in my head for a long time...perhaps i should just take a magic marker with me the next time i visit a gallery and sign the paintings 'lisa g'...

this posting is really going no where, so i'll sign off and head to work...

sunday...

today i'm taking the day off to spend it at the royal agricultural winter fair...i might post photos of my adventure later for those of you who are keen on seeing horses, chickens, pigs and cows!...

the' five pugs from puerto rico' painting...

thanks to sandra, my tech specialist for uploading the image of the portrait of the pugs...

in you are interested in seeing a larger version of the image, click on the title of this posting and you will be sent to my online portfolio...

by the way, the names of the pugs are as follows: carmela, rufus, lola, black jack and annie

back to the easel...

Pug Post

My name is Sandra and I am not an animal portrait painter. I have a working internet connection. The hamster under Lisa's desk died and she asked me to post this photo because: 1) she is in mourning and 2) I love the pugs. Enjoy!

tuesday...

here's an update on the 'great two paintings at once experiment'...i gave up...it was just too difficult for me to split my creativity in two...so i'm spending time working on the larger of the two paintings...thus far i have completed about 60% of the painting and i think it's really looking lovely!...

not much else to report at the moment...

back to the post...

two paintings....

today i start work on two paintings...the first, is of two dogs from england named, 'zena' and 'lucy'...the second one is of a dog named 'salsa'...mmmmmm, salsa....

anyway, i'm hoping to finish these paintings without any trouble and lately i feel as though my muse is getting run down or just not that focussed....although i've been working non-stop since mid-august (which might explain her state of mind) and more than likely will continue this pace until the middle of december...at that point i should be finished all that is currently on my schedule...

as for the pugs, they are still drying in the prep room...i'll be shipping them sometime next week with any luck and then i'll be able to post the photo of the painting here for all the world to look at...

i can feel the lovely fall days dwindling down to less warm weather days to more chilly, rainy ones...i love the fall and now will end this posting to take my tea outside to side in the hue of the huge red maple on the lawn...

a night out with my cousin...

(hey...come on, i can't always be working!)

the pug paintings...

i'm happy to write that i've finally finished the 'five pugs from puerto rico' portraits...it was a long, slow process but i'm happy with the results and hope the client feels the same...now the paintings are hanging in the studio drying...then i varnish them, photograph them, ship them and wait for the client to respond before i will post the photo of the finished product here...

tomorrow will be a bit of a break before i start work on a new portrait...

heading off to the bath with a glass of wine...it's what call a 'reward'...

tuesday...

i wonder...

i've been working away here in the studio on the 'five pugs from puerto rico' and am wondering how will i be remembered when i die?...i don't mean this to be an post about my ego because i'm sure that there are some of you out there who have wondered on occasion the same thing...the past six years of my life have been the most prolific time in my career with close to five hundred paintings floating around the world with my signature on them...i wonder, 'will i be remembered as an artist'?...a 'female artist'?...a 'canadian female artist'?...or will i simply die without national gallery doors opening up to present to the public a retrospective of my life's' work?...i don't have any children and at this point really don't plan on having any (a whole other topic later on the state of the world and i won't contribute to the human breeding process until things here on earth are better) so i won't have 'little mes' running around to speak of me once i'm gone...my eggs aren't frozen next to celine dions'--(and frankly the world doesn't need another one of her!) in some human freezer bank in manhattan...so what's left but my work substituting as my 'children' living in various parts of the world...what are they saying 'about me'?...have they made an impact on another person's life?...will they end up in a garbage heap somewhere or passed down to the next generation?...will they appear on the antiques roadshow and given a lofty value?...i wonder.....

how will i be remembered?...how will you be remembered?...and in the end does it really matter?....

hmmmm.....

the five pugs from puerto rico...

the progress of these paintings has been one of a stop and start process...i have been back on track for this week and things are plodding along slowly but in a good way...the composition is an unusual one in that the pugs are in the foreground with a pool behind them, then a a wall and finally the sky...somewhere in the mix i'm adding some bougainvillaea although my ability to paint flowers is not a very confident one mainly because i seldom do it...i'm excited to see the final product and am hoping that i'll be in that position by next weekend!...fingers crossed...

back to the easel...

the 'ballyhoo candy' paintings

here are some of the candy paintings....



'dubble bubble' oil on canvas 36"x60"



'lifesavers I' oil on canvas 14"x30"



'whirlypop I' oil on canvas 60"x36"



'polar bear pez' oil on canvas 60"x30"

i'm still here...

it's been a month since i've last posted anything and what a month!...

here's a brief breakdown:

'semi' renovated the bedroom
painted the outside of the house
worked on the portraits of the 5 pugs from puerto rico
finished 10 very large-scale paintings of candy for a show that just happened last weekend
had a haircut
and many more things that i won't bore you with in this post...

the paintings of the pugs are simple wonderful...i can't wait to finish them to see all five paintings lined up side by side...i keep wanting to finish them asap but i have to remind myself that these are five separate portraits and normally that amount would take weeks to complete!...i'm just impatient as a rule...

the large-scale candy paintings are amazing if i do say so myself...as mentioned i had them in a weekend show here in the big smoke...i had terrific responses from the general public walking past my booth but no one purchased!!!...as it turns out not many of the 244 artists present at the highly publicised show sold much or anything at all...it's pretty typical here in this city for people to 'really love' your work but not go that extra step and actually make a purchase...c'est la vie!...i'm going to shop these paintings to an american gallery and see what comes of it...more on this later...

back to the pugs!...

i present 'kip'

message to the lone beader

i keep trying to leave a message on your blog but for some reason, i'm unable to fully open it...so here is my message...thanks for the comments...i feel badly about not being able to respond to you directly...

your work is fantastic!...

back home from holiday....

i'm back home and back to work in the studio...it seems so long ago that i was on holiday but it was just a few days ago!...i suppose it feels distant because we didn't stay away as long as we had planned...thanks global warming for making the summer too hot for us to camp or spend too much time outside before dehydrating into in a raisin-like feature!..oh well, i'm back to work and have plenty to do with both commissions and a couple of upcoming shows...

here is a photo of my new 'boyfriend' from montana...we are completely in love!...

off to the easel...

on holiday...

i'll be back in the studio after a much needed holiday...keep checking in for possible updates from the 'road'...

humidity...

not a big fan....for those of you who are playing the 'lisa g. home game'....

'19th century dogs'....finally

question...

is it really THAT important for an artist to put on their website a listing of awards they have won?...does seeing the list make the viewer MORE interested in the artists' work?...and for those artists whom might never have been given an award for their work or simply don't subscribe to the idea of entering 'contests', does that make their work less 'important' or desirable than those who have won awards?...

i once had my work taped to the fridge when i was young because the teacher gave me a gold star...does that count?

'electricity and lights IV'...

'capri'...

'electricity and lights'

thursday...

hell of a time since i've last written...a table in my studio collapsed which would have been nothing except it was holding some paintings that were wet...disaster!...one was ruined and a few were smudged and belonged to clients...now i have to spend time repairing the smudges which wouldn't be so bad if i were not slightly behind in my work...we are planning on going on vacation shortly and i really don't want to find myself working until the last minute...i want to take time out to relax a bit and move into a travel state of mind...i still might stop working early and give myself a fresh start after travelling however, keeping clients waiting for their work is something i get anxious about...hmmmmmmm.......

back to work...

not animal related but...

although the following images are not animal related, they are paintings that i've been working on simulataneously...finished them all in less than two weeks time....these are part of a larger body of work and will be shown in a gallery outside of toronto for the summer months...

wednesday...

the painting of the horse is finished and it looks lovely...now i'm back to working on kippy the clown....he is a very sweet fella from california who looks like he's has a tremendous personality...i'm hoping to post the photo of the 19th century sometime next week...i'm anxious to post this photo as i think this painting is one of the most unusual portrait i've done....

finally the humidity has lifted so i'm going outside to play today....

my neighbour...

wednesday

'victory'

'jordan'

school shooting

so today i was outside waiting for my partner to return from home from his job as a math teacher at a local high school...twenty minutes after he was supposed to appear in the driveway, i was beginning to wonder where he was...i went back in the house and found that there was a message on my answering machine....'hi, we are under a lock-down...i don't know what's going on...i'll call you later'...i quickly turned on the news to discover that there was a shooting at his school...a fourteen year old boy was shot...and so the worry begins...i can't call the school as it's under lock down and no one is around to answer the phone...so i wait...i watch the news...i talk with my mother who tells me not to go to there and wait for him...his mother calls and we manage to discuss what's going on (she's deaf so the conversation has to be repeated and spoken slowly)...speaking the words slowly 'there's been in a shooting' really sinks in, hard...i can't believe that a high school in my town is under attack by someone...who?...a thug more than likely...but what if he goes on a shoots others??...although i sort of figure this is a vendetta against the dead boy, but why?....who cares i think, just let everyone go and get on with things....it's amazing to think what goes on in you mind when you are faced with what used to be an 'american' problem...not any more...high school violence is on the rise everywhere, so why not here in toronto?...five hours after the lock-down, i'm still waiting for joel to return home...he called and we've spoken, he's ok...but i seem to be not...i'm pacing the lawn looking like julian from trailer park boys, a glass of scotch on the rocks in one hand and the other is cursing the sky...why is the world such a wicked, wicked place???...

this blog entry was written while under the influence of stress and jb scotch...let me head clear a bit and i'll write more...

tuesday...

i know that lately i've been a little sporadic in my posting here but things have been nuts here in the studio...i've been working hard to finish up all the commissions on my spring painting schedule...a few paintings have been putting me through the wringer emotionally while others i've seemed to breeze through...the latest difficult painting is the horse painting i've mentioned in a previous post...it's looking good but just taking a long time to complete...

a list of what i have to accomplish before the second week in july is as follows (for those of you who are playing the 'lisa g. home game):

10 commissions
5 large landscape pieces for a show in july
continue working on 4"x6" paintings for the upcoming '100 for $100 studio show/sale'

as well as the above i've been spending my down time working on small sketches that i'll be framing for sale at some point...

tonight i'm leaving the studio early to head downtown to go to a concert...gillian welch in is town and i've never seen her perform so i'm excited about going!...

off to clean up and head out....

tuesday...

not much to report on the painting front...still working away...

monday...

i've accidently deleted my links and have been trying all day to upload it again...it doesn't WORK!....so apologies to those who have me on their links list, i'll fix the problem as soon as i can....

other than that, i'm working away on the horse....

esther...

here is the portrait of 'esther'...

friday...

so it's friday...

i took the day off from work yesterday to go outside to play...i really needed to get away from working as i feel myself slowly getting 'studio fever'...the current painting i'm working on is going so slowly that i'm getting antsy to see the finished piece!...this painting is more complex than the others (although not as intense as the 19th century dogs in costume) but still it's involved...the composition is of a woman on horseback performing a jump...so far, it's lovely...i suppose that i'm worried that i'm taking a bit longer than i estimated for the client but i can't let that thought interfere or i'd be crippled with worry!...well, tomorrow is another day...one brush stroke at time...

here is a couple of photos i took yesterday...

the bio and statement...

my bio and artist's statement....

the statement:

LISA GRAZIOTTO, ARTIST STATEMENT-2007

I am a painter. My work is derived from the snapshot images I see out the passenger side of the car window while travelling. I spend part of the year working intensely on commissioned animal portraits and so while travelling, I’m caught up in the scenery that surrounds me. The things that attract me seem to have an empty, lonely feel to them. I sense that although the human presence has disappeared, their soul remains in the buildings and fields that once provided them with life. The idea to paint in a small format was something that started as an exercise to clear my head from painting medium to large scale work for most of the year. Transforming ‘life’ into a small format brings the viewer into an intimate conversation with each painting that is before them, creating an illusion of a ‘separate reality’. Instead of just watching the world go by they are asked to step forward and contemplate what they are looking at.

My goal is to continue to work in the small format, painting several pieces a week until I have painted the entire continent.


the bio:

I was born in a one room school house.Electricity and water were all but a dream. My parents were circus performers who immigrated from a country that no longer exists. The childhood that followed my birth was average for a Canadian girl growing up in the early seventies. bell bottoms, a six million dollar man shirt, a dorothy hamil hairstyle and a banana seat bicycle were some of the things that I had, along with a box of crayons with a built-in pencil sharpener. I carried my crayons everywhere and drew all the time on almost everything. Years later after puberty took its’ hold on me and changed my outlook on life permanently, I found myself leavIng that small town for the bright lights of the big smoke where I enrolled in a fine arts programme at a university. I stayed on as a student for a while then found myself disillusioned with the lack of inspiration that came from the faculty. So I left to find a mentor, someone who would inspire me, teach me, guide my creativity to find it’s own voice. That mentor was found in the many books I’ve acquired over the years. I’ve found my inspiration through my travels and spendIng time following the footsteps of some of my ‘heroes’ of the art world. The journey I'm on is one that will never end thus my education will go on as long as I continue to study my mentors and remain true to myself.

tuesday...again

ok, i started work on a horse painting a week or so ago, was having trouble with that so i switched back to the canine clients...managed to finish two small commissions in four days...am i mad?...probably but these small pieces were painted without consequences suppose after struggling with the horse, my muse wanted to show me that i wasn't a complete dud...

today i'll continue working on my artist's statement and bio for two applications who's deadlines are fast approaching...one is for a big show held in trinity park in september and the other is for a book about canadian artists...i just have so much trouble with the entire concept of writing a bio and statement...i mean does anyone really care where i went to public school or whether or not i've won any awards for my work?...or who my instructors were or influences are?...

the neighbour is driving me nuts now that he is outside all day most everyday...he has been using his lawn mower ever third day for two weeks now, yes you read right....he bangs sticks and stuff everyday and is constantly walking up and down his driveway tossing stray sticks or leaves or whatever onto the street...oy!

off to drink my coffee and perhaps tackle the horse painting once more...

kaya...

saturday...

ok, i know that some of you out there in cyberland are anxious to see what 'kaya' and the '19th century costumed dogs' look like but both clients have yet to receive their paintings...'kaya' will be shipped out on thursday and if the courier gods are smiling down on me, the package will arrive in vancouver friday as scheduled...which means that i can put the painting online friday afternoon...as for the the other painting, that client has set a firm date to stop by the studio to pick up it up although there was talk about sometime during the first week of may...this painting is particularly interesting and i look forward to the feedback from posting it online...

other than that, i'm finished 'esther's' portrait and it looks darling..i kept thinking all throughout working on the piece, 'what an odd name for a dog?'...so 'old testament....c'est la vie...she's adorable!...

today, i arrived in the studio very late as i didn't sleep a wink last night...i spent the night on the couch trying to sleep and when i saw that that was a losing battle i turned on the comedy channel and watched three hours of the best of the 'just for laughs festival'....try keeping quiet while watching comedians...of course after watching this i couldn't fall asleep....

lots of coffee and faith that i'll put in a good few hours of work today...

the other distraction is the lovely day outside...sunny, no wind and 22C...a tad too warm for me but lovely just the same...i would love to sit outside and do nothing but my anal neighbour is outside doing lawn stuff...the story of the neighbour is a long one that i'll write some other time...

be patient, the paintings are coming!....

not a 'nor'easter'?

today work continues on esther not much progress during the weekend as i had my friend ben over yesterday...we ate, talked about art and surfed the net looking at real estate, work benches and artist's websites...

the weather outside today is supposed to be pretty wicked as the eastern part of the country is being hit with a rare 'nor'easter' and we are going to see some of the fringe of that storm...maybe...

along with the portrait of 'esther' i've started work on a landscape painting...the subject is a trailer in the middle of the field in south dakota...memories of driving through that state a couple of years ago...i'll post this painting as soon as it's finished...

off to make tea...

kaya and wednesday...

kaya's portrait is done and it looks absolutely lovely...what a relief it is for me to have finished this painting in such a short time...i'll post this painting sometime late april, after the client receives it...she is the founder/owner of 'modern dog' magazine located in vancouver and this painting is going to be hung in the office...next in line is 'esther's' portrait, also a 'modern dog' dog...esther is a sweet daschund who often can be found in the pages of the magazine modelling some of dog items...

off to the easel...

long time...

i've been a little lax on my 'daily blogging'...the last painting took so much out of me that i've basically been walking around the studio questioning my abilities and whether i should apply as a greeter at wal-mart...

well, i'm back and things are going along well with 'kaya's' portrait...i should be finished it sometime next week...

i won't be putting the 19th century dogs portrait online until later this month...i don't like to show any work online until after the client sees it...hang in there because this painting is something 'to see'...

back to the easel...

monday and thunder...

the painting is done...i won't be able to post the photo until the client comes to pick it up which won't be until sometime in april...

time for tea...

so close...

the portrait of the 19th century costumed dogs is almost done!...i'm paralyzed with anticiaption of applying the final stroke of paint...it's been weeks since i first planted both canvases on my easel that i think i'll be in shock when i finish...a happy shock if that means anything...i must say, it's looking pretty good...

tomorrow i'm not going to be in the studio so i'm pushing for the max today...so close, so close...

back to the easel...

almost done...broke free

good news, i have succeeded in breaking through the 'stuck' period on this current painting...i'm optimistic that this piece will be completed sometime early next week...am i happy?...indeed i am...nothing is scarier than facing a block while working...you begin to question whether you are talented or worthy enough to be actually be taking money from strangers to create paintings for them...you begin to picture yourself as a greeter at wal-mart or picking up garbage along the shoulders on highways...not than i'm putting down those careers, i'm just saying that i feel like i shouldn't be doing what i'm doing...this phenomenon isn't uncommon among artists, even the best of the best have felt this way...

well, for now things are looking up and while the 'sun is shining', i'd better make hay....

sunny day...

here i am in the studio with a tea in hand, yes i said 'tea'...i have been off the java almost full time now for over a week (annual spring detoxing)...i miss it, i mean how can i be an artist without a cup of coffee in my hand?...the habits of artists have always been pretty straightforward, alcohol, drugs, tattoos, nightly rowdiness, visits to prostitutes, wild parties and i can go on....as for me, none of those really apply at the moment because here i am with a cup of green tea!...i think i need a 'schtick'...oh and on the radio currently is a classical diddy performed on the flute!...wow, living on the edge!...

well, maybe i'll just take my tea outside and sit on the front lawn...at least it's a sunny day...

doris day...

so i have been faced with a double whammy of bad news during the past week...the two remaining galleries in the united states that represent my animal portrait work are closing their doors for good...one gallery is moving on in one direction (the owner is a photographer) and the other is just closing for good (the landlord increased their rent by 50%!!)...as of today, i haven't any representation south of the border...i'm not sure why this bothers me so much as i did just fine a few years before prior to the galleries coming into my life...i suppose i felt an ease of pressure to not work so much to get my work 'out there' and noticed by people who would commission a painting...now i have to work that bit harder again...i know for the average 'joe' out there reading this, you might say to yourself, what's the big deal?...well it's just more time i'll be spending away from the easel and that is where i really want to be more...

enough whining i know, but i thought i would write this as this situation is taking a far amount of brainspace...

que sera, sera....

beware of people with knives...

happy 'ides of march'...

nice day...

the weather outside is lovely...i can see the sun shining and hear a few birds singing, all witnessed from my basement studio...i'm thinking that today i might take a chair outside, plant it right in the middle of the lawn where there is still some snow and sit there eating my lunch...what do you think?...the neighbours in my hood already think i'm eccentric...so how about a picnic in the snow?...

still working away on the 19th century dogs...

what my studio desk looks like...

yes, that's an opened can of guinness on my desk...and yes, it's early afternoon...i'm kicking off the 'st.patrick's day' celebrations early this year in honour of my irish heritage...i'm sure that my great-grandmother would approve of my shenanigan...

i seem to be overwhelmed today with the current painting...i have moments where i think i've conquered the 'hugeness' of it and then there are moments where it simply sits there egging me on to try and finish it...it's the 19th century costumes that are difficult to grasp, especially because i don't have a live model to stand here wearing what i'm trying to paint...sometimes working from research photos just doesn't grasp it for me....

back to the easel...

'Beannachtam na Feile Padraig!' (even though i'm a week early)

6 days since my last post...

not much has been going on since i've last written...i'm still working on the diptych of the dogs wearing 19th century costumes...things are going along fine and i expect to finish these paintings sometime late next week...

sorry that i haven't anything more thrilling or inspiring to write about...

today is my birthday...

the weather today for the first of march is supposed to be a big ice storm...apparently, the day i was born the weather was the same...there was a huge ice storm here in the big smoke and on the way to the hospital with my mother in labour in the front seat, my father had to get out of the car every few blocks to clear the ice from the windshield...march once again, storms in like a lion, which explains a lot about me...

the photo of me in the pink dress, was taken at my dad's birthday...the girl sitting next to me is my aunt...she died tragically almost two years ago...as for my relationship with my dad, we haven't spoken in many years...it's odd to think that when that photo was taken that many years later i would not be with either of those people...

the photo of me with the deer is a funny story...my mother,grandmother and i were at storybook gardens in london, ontario one day...i absolutely love animals and seeing this deer was amazing to me (i think i was 3 years old)...the game keeper had just finished what he was doing in the deer pen and i noticed he had stepped out leaving the gate open...so the curious animal loving kid i was, snuck in to get closer to the deer...as i approached the deer to give it a hug, this ram began charging at me full speed...scared, i ran out the gate leaving it wide open...i ran past my mother and grandmother screaming and behind me were a parade of animals...i tripped over the strap of my unfastened sandal, fell to the ground and was run over by that ram...my mother ran over picked me up and all i remember is being in the first aid station with a cut knee which became a permanent scar...every time i look at that scar, i wonder what become of the animals i emancipated?...

two photos...

bryce canyon in august...

'the couch dogs'...

'roxy (aka roquefort), buddy (aka p.whoop), billie (aka billie peppers)'

this is what powers my internet connection...

i wish for dsl...

saturday...

still working on the diptych of the dogs wearing 19th century costumes...

tomorrow the 'couch dogs' head home with the client...after she comes to pick up the paintings, i'll post them online...

this photo is of my friend ben's lovely green teapot...just a shout out to ben...

thursday...

this morning it's looked like a blizzard outside..alas, the snow has stopped falling and in the lovely tranquility of the frozen whiteness, i hear my OCD neighbour revving up his snowblower...he's old, never goes anywhere but insists on having the cleanest driveway in the hood...how i long for the country life...

turning up the music, great jazz and heading to the easel...

tuesday...

not much going on except the sound of paint being applied to the canvas...the work on the '19 century dogs' is coming along well for the moment, it seems to be taking on an faint reflection of a thomas gainsborough...i'm excited to finish this piece as it is a very unusual request and composition...i believe my attempt at making the dogs 'fit in' with their costumes and have them look natural wearing them, so far seems to have worked...

enough typing for this gal...off to the easel...

the couch dogs are done...

yup, they are done and the paintings look fantastic if i do say so myself...

next up, 'charlie and fletcher'...these two dogs have had their portrait painted by me in the past, this new one will be completely different...why?...they will be wearing period costumes from the mid-eighteen hundreds...charlie will be in a dress and fletcher will be in gentlemen's attire...

i'll post an image of the 'couch dogs' after the client comes to pick it up...

off to the 19th century...

the big kiss or the big goodbye...

happy valentine's day whatever you chose to do...

scooter and kip...

i love this photo of scooter (a past client) and his new buddy kip (aka kippy the clown)..look for kip's portrait online at some point in the upcoming months...scooter already had his portrait painted and can be found on my website...thehowlingcanvas.com...

this photo illustrates what friends are all about...

grissom is back...

another very chilly day here in the big smoke...it's a good thing i'm not an avon lady or else all my lipstick samples would be frozen solid!...

the 'couch dogs' are coming along well...finished roxy and am half done the final subject, buddy or p. whoop to those who have never sniffed his butt...i think this triptych is going to be one of my finest...

not much else to report...i want to continue working and put in a full day before retiring to the couch to watch the return of grissom and to those 'csi' fans, you know what i mean...

put on some motown tunes and dance the cold away!...

baby, it's cold outside...

it's one cold day outside, not a good day to stick your tongue to anything metal...i remember being in public school and on days like today, mr. decker the principal would make an announcement just before recess reminding us NOT to put our tongues on the chain link fence...sure enough a couple of times during the winter recesses, there would be some unfortunate kid that would not heed the warning of mr. decker...we'd be lined up to go back into to school and there would be that kid being pried off the fence with a cup of hot water poured on by the secretary and teacher on recess duty...i wonder where those kids are now?...are they stuck on some fence somewhere?...

keep your tongues in your mouths until the warmer weather...

the day after...

i wonder if the groundhog feels lonely today?...yesterday, he was a major curiosity and to some a hero and today no one is interested in what the little creature is doing...hmmmm, how sad...

the progress of the 'couch dogs' is coming along nicely...

loving the cold!...nothing like cozying up under the duvet and falling into a deep sleep...

shadow?...

today i heard that the groundhog did not see his shadow...i can't imagine what that little guy thinks when he comes out of his 'home' in the morning to grab a cup of groundhog coffee and is confronted with several humans with cameras waiting to see if he sees his shadow...he must be one confused, upset animal..i mean there he is waking up, scratching himself and thinking about all the things he has to do today...then when he's ready to head out to wherever groundhogs go first thing in the morning, there are tv cameras and lots of people drinking coffees waiting to see if his shadow will appear beneath his little groundhog booty...what a strange custom we humans partake in...

back to work...

monday, again...

progress report on the 'couch dogs', billie is done...now on to buddy...things are looking pretty good for these portraits...i'm looking forward to seeing how things will work out...

i found this photo that i took last fall of a drive-in near my hometown...my dad would take my sister and i to see a movie there often during the summer...one movie in particular i remember seeing there was 'blazing saddles' and i must say for a kid to watch grown men sitting by the fire eating beans with the inevitable result of, well a round of gas, was hilarious!...i remember the sound of that scene echoed as is was blaring through a hundred or so speakers precariously perched to car windows...the sound was very loud along with the laughter of several kids who were witnessing the mel brooks' directed scene...good times..i was amazed to see that the drive-in was still open for business...i'm not sure if kids today will have the same fond memories of being there as i do...i think i'd like to do a series of paintings of this place someday with one or two pieces being very large in size...might make for an interesting show...

beautiful sunny, cold day here in the big smoke...time for some motown and coffee...

saturday...

a snowy day here in the big smoke...went out for breakfast early this morning, coffee and a half of a bagel...a client just left with her painting and here i sit in the studio about to start work for the day...starting work on the actual subjects of the 'couch dogs triptych'...first up, billie...i don't think this one will take very long to complete as she is all black with curly fur...yesterday i included a rope toy next to billie but will complete it when i finish painting all the dogs...

but before i start work, i have to put a load of laundry in the wash...i wonder if georgia o'keefe ever painted while waiting for the 'spin cycle' to end?...

wednesday...

well not much to report today, as i'm just working away on the 'background' of the 'couch dogs'...it seems like i've been working on this part of the painting for a very long but then again, it is a triptych...

the painting i've placed in this blog entry is of a gate belonging to a church in trampas, new mexico...a small painting, one of the nearly forty i did this past summer while spending a month in taos...

back to work...

monday update...

the movie 'the queen' was fantastic...helen mirren did a wonderful job at portraying someone who has suppressed her emotions and feelings for most of her life...i wonder if the royal family even has feelings or emotions or perhaps they were born without?...i felt rather sorry for 'liz' as i suspect that sometimes she ponders what it would be like to simply drive off in her range rover with her dogs and never return to lead a life of the 'ordinary' british woman...can you see her now, playing bingo in the church basement saturday, getting her hair done (maybe something other than the 'royal' blue rinse) once a week at the local beauty parlour, going out with the girls for beer and wing night at the pub, shopping for bargains at marks and spencer and i could go on...hmmm, would she really like to cut loose?...personally i think she should kick old prince phil to the curb and have a fling with someone much younger for starters...

back to work...

sunday...

spending some time here in the studio working on the 'couch dogs'...things are coming along slowly but in a good way...it seems in my head that i work much faster than in reality and this can be frustrating at times...i'm planning on painting for a few hours today then head out to see the movie 'the queen'...

tomorrow my paintings will be returned as per my request from the gallery that i was dealing with and will no longer have any connection to...why?...well this is a topic i'm going to save to write about at some point in the future, perhaps tomorrow after the paintings are returned...let's just say that i was trying to have a professional relationship with the owner and that just wasn't reciprocated...she kept forgetting about scheduled meetings and never called to cancel or apologise...even after a week of knowing that i was very upset over her last 'missed' scheduled appointment, she still didn't have the courtesy to call to make amends...to add further insult, when i called to ask that my work be returned, i was given the cold shoulder in a very short, curt response that she will return them but won't give me a specific time of delivery!...ok so i'm writing about this and i said i wouldn't but this just makes me feel mad...i have kept my end of the 'agreement' with regards to having four completed paintings for her gallery and i'm given attitude??...and that's an example of why a gallery takes 50% commission of what an artist makes, it's hard work being arrogant and unprofessional...ok enough for now, i don't really want to rock the boat too much...

back to the easel...

betty ford and cadbury...

so, yesterday i stepped out for a bit to have a coffee with a friend of mine (also an artist) and he presented me with the 'biggest' chocolate bar i've seen!...and not the awful north american chocolate that tastes like, well i don't know exactly what to equate it with but i know it's not 'chocolate' in the good sense of the word...anyway, here it sits on my desk...i'm not sure if i want to indulge quite yet, it's so impressive in size and i'm afraid of just how long it will take for me to finish it...the scenario could go one of two ways, either it will last quite a while, say a couple of weeks or it will last just a few days...in which case i would have to seek treatment at the betty ford clinic for chocolate addiction!...i think i would need more than 'twelve step programme' to help in burn off the tremendous amount of calories i've just ingested!...

in any case, i think i'll ponder the fate of the large cadbury bar while i figure out what i'm doing with the couch in the 'couch dogs' painting...it seems i'm stuck on the colour of the couch and it's frustrating somewhat...hmmm, chocolate might help to alleviate my mood and help me think clearly?...

ps...yes, that's a penny next to the chocolate bar 'for scale'...

wednesday...

after a brief stop at my massage guy's place for a session, i'm back in the studio working away on the triptych of the 'couch dogs'...things are going along smoothly, so not much to report...

just to keep you amused, here is a painting that a gallery that i'll soon NOT be dealing with won't be receiving...(this is another long story about how galleries just don't do much for artists in general, still mad about this person/gallery) i would love to actually meet a gallery owner who is very serious about representing me and serious about their job...any takers??

back to work...