This and That

I don't know where the week has gone, but I've been busy. The collage above is this morning's warm-up collage. I couldn't resist incorporating the large "K" in a collage when I found it in a magazine, and the cheerful colors are a great start to the week!

Yesterday I was asked to photograph this handsome dog for the rescue. Harley is a boxer mix, and he is in perpetual motion. I spent about half an hour photographing him as he romped in the backyard, and both of his foster families said that I captured his true personality. I love his brand new collar (for the photo shoot) that says "Live Love Rescue"!

Friday was a bittersweet day for me. Maximillian is a mastiff mix in rescue, and he is truly a gentle giant. I fell in love with him the moment I saw him, and I am not usually taken in by big breeds. We could not find a foster home for him, so he was transferred to another rescue that specializes in big breeds and had an open foster home for him. While it was the right thing to do for Max, I will miss our walks through the cornfields that surround the shelter and his slurpy kisses.

Wordless Wednesday

Hands, Hearts & Paws

Sometimes the best photo is the unposed, unexpected one...

This is a little rescue puppy that arrived yesterday, very scared and clinging to the rescuer's hand for dear life! He is only 11 months old, yet he and his brother have been in 5 different places already. No wonder he is scared!

Roxi's Adoption

Roxi, Cindi, Keaton

Many of you will remember a yorkie puppy named Keaton that I was fostering last Spring. He was adopted 7 months ago by Cindi, and now she has added Roxi to her family.

It was instant love when I took Roxi to meet Keaton! They wrestled with each other; they chased each other in the yard; and they gave each other kisses and kisses. It was an amazing sight to watch --- and one of the best dog pairings I have ever seen!

This is the rewarding side of rescue work --- to take a dog that was picked up as a stray, get her vetted and groomed, and then find the perfect home for her. It doesn't get any better than this!

Wordless Wednesday

Zeke, the Model

Recently I was approached by an artist acquaintance who is offering a new line of fabrics for sale. She was looking for some people to make unusual items out of her fabrics, to help get viewers' creativity going and ultimately to sell her fabrics. I said I would make a couple of dog items, and Zeke graciously volunteered to be my model......LOL.

Zeke modeling his new collar cover

Zeke modeling his new bandana

Newsletter and Purple

I sent out my January newsletter yesterday. If you're reading this, and you're not a subscriber but would like to be, just leave me a comment or send me your email address. My newsletter is usually a mix of my life, similar to this blog.

Here are two new artist trading cards, experimenting with purple. The backgrounds are original photographs, tinted in purple, and then I collaged on top of the photos and added paint. These were made for a swap that I am participating in this month.

Wordless Wednesday

Roxi

Yesterday I took a road trip to rescue this little girl. Roxi is a one year old, female yorkie. She was picked up as a stray by animal control, and no one came to claim her.

So far, she seems like a perfect dog! She loves everyone, including all the dogs and cats that she has met; she appears to be housebroken; she did great at the vet and at the groomer; and she slept through the night last night. Doesn't get any better than that, especially for a first day with a new foster dog!

Gilligan is Home!

I fell in love with funny, friendly Gilligan the moment I met him. He is 13# of silliness in a super cute dog! He loves everyone --- people, dogs, cats, you name it. He doesn't know a stranger. If you're breathing, he wants to play!

Gilligan has been in rescue for 2 months, which just broke my heart. He is a fence jumper, which eliminated numerous good homes for him. But today, he found the perfect home. They have a tall enough fence, a little girl to play and cuddle with him, and an airedale terrier to keep him on his toes. They think he is perfect, and I could not agree more!

Wordless Wednesday

A New Year, A New Word

8"h x 6"w

$75

Each year I choose a word to guide the year that stretches ahead of me. For me, this works better than setting resolutions. In 2012 my word is "zen". It is a year to focus on a calm and peaceful life!

The painting/collage above is my first new artwork of the year, and I think the colors embody my new focus. It was fun to create, and I am very happy with the finished piece!

These smaller artworks all measure 3.5"h x 2.5"w and were created with the scraps from the bigger piece.

Happy New Year!

I love starting a new year! Wiping the slate clean and starting fresh with new possibilities, limited only by my imagination. I hope you have a year filled with family and friends, art and inspiration, love and hope!

Zoey's Adoption

Yesterday little Zoey was adopted by Tiffany and Eric. They don't have any other dogs, so I have no doubt that she is going to be the spoiled princess of the house. They were so excited to see her and so thrilled to be the ones chosen to adopt her. This is the happy side of rescue --- to take a little dog that was abandoned in a cardboard box and find her such a great forever home!

Wordless Wednesday

Merry Christmas!

Zeke & Mya in their Christmas outfits

Little Zoey in her Christmas outfit

Adoption Pending!

The rescue received a ton of interest in little Zoey, and numerous applications to adopt her. Hopefully her adoption will be finalized next weekend, and she will start the new year in her new forever home!

As you can see, she is quite the toy hog, dragging them all to her blanket!

Experimenting

In the past, I have never used much red in my art. Not sure why, it just wasn't a color that felt comfortable in my palette. Recently I have gone to the other side, and I am loving the drama that red can add to a piece of art. The small piece above was an experiment to use red as the primary color, and see if it loses its drama if there is too much of it in an artwork.

And this piece is an experiment to remake the earlier collage and see if it is more successful as a smaller piece. I think it is.

Wordless Wednesday

It Happened Again!

Those of you that know me, know that I am never without a foster dog for long. I had hoped to take a break until after Christmas, but then I got the call. A little 8 week old chihuahua puppy had been found in a cardboard box outside an apartment building. And so, little Zoey came to live with us until she finds her forever home. She is a whopping 3#, so she is walking out of all the clothes that I put on her!

Done or not?

8"x8"

I rarely struggle with whether or not a piece of art is finished. Sometimes I have to restrain myself when I KNOW it is done, but I want to keep adding to it. I think that is the bane of a collagist, always wanting to add more pieces. The collage above feels done at times, but other times it feels trite and over-simplified. I posted it here to see what you think.........

Morning Collage

"Wrap It Up"

12/15/11

Once we get our first snowfall, and I start photographing the stark winter trees against the white snow background, it seems like my art gravitates to black & white images as well.Yesterday's morning collage was influenced by my gray-tone world and the Christmas season.

I've also been working on two larger artworks for an upcoming exhibition, "Plus One", which features black & white art with only one other color added. They are due on January 1, so I have been spending extra hours in the studio, trying to get them completed by the deadline!

Wordless Wednesday

Yum!

Zeke with his new chew

Mya with her new chew

On Saturdays we frequently take some of the rescue dogs to local all natural petfood stores and have a "Meet & Greet" for the public to come meet the dogs, before filling out an adoption application. These events are usually fun for the volunteers and the dogs, and I think the stores end up selling a bunch of toys and treats to the volunteers. Usually I resist this temptation, but I had to cave in at the last event and buy these chews for Mya and Zeke. They are big enough that I thought they would last for more than one day. Little did I realize that the chews are almost as big as Mya! She really struggled to haul it around, but once she got situated with it, she loved it.

Wordless Wednesday

And More Snow!

Let It Snow!

Yesterday we got about 4" of snow, so I had to take a few quick photos of the Winter trees with just a touch of white highlights! Notice the brown pinecones in the last photo. What fun!

Cats

Ever since I photographed the cats at a local shelter, I have wanted to find more cats to photograph. Since I am allergic to them, I am a bit limited on how close to them I can get. A recent artist retreat presented the perfect opportunity. There was a feral cat colony of 27 cats roaming the property, and I was lucky enough to get several good photos.

Wordless Wednesday

Emilie

Emilie is one of the two newest dogs to arrive in rescue, and she was only fostered at my house for a few days before she found her forever home. What a great feeling to know that she went from a breeder surrender to a loving home, thanks to Hands, Hearts & Paws!