Even more exciting news is that I now have FIVE! (excited barking) dog portraits on display at Dawgdom in Saratoga Springs.  This is the greatest shop ever created for dogs and their people, and a place I love to promote and visit myself.  I feel proud to have my work alongside that of other talented photographers and painters who are passionate about pooches.    Prints of my dog portraits will also be available for sale at Dawgdom.   (Thanks, Sara!)

Now to focus on my commissions for Christmas!  Don’t forget, I have gift certificates available!

Have you met Leila?  She’s a bergle.  You’ve never heard of a bergle?  That’s okay.  It’s quite possible there’s only one in the world, and she’s it.

Somewhere in Georgia, a Bernese Mountain Dog mated with a Beagle and Leila was born.  She probably caused a little trouble – chasing squirrels, jumping, and being very sneaky – but that’s just what bergles do (apparently).  Either someone couldn’t accept her bergleness and selfishly gave her up, or she ran away and got picked up by the doggy police.  She hasn’t found the words to tell us her story yet.  Regardless, she was discovered down south in a shelter with very little chance of having the life she deserves, and transported here to upstate New York where she had a better chance of being adopted.  So now she’s part of our family, enjoying all the same luxuries as Byron and having great adventures with me in the outdoors.

Leila mostly loves to run, but cuddling, chewing her toys, asking for treats, and playing at the dog park are fun too.  Lately she’s been practicing her fetching, and she has learned how to play dead and roll over.  By the way, “Play Dead” works wonders at feeding times when we want to encourage calm behavior.  We have Joel to thank for that trick.

She’s a lucky girl, and I feel very lucky to have her.  We trained together this summer for my half marathon.  It takes 10 miles to tire her out.  Her affectionate and goofy personality make her rambunctious moments and intense obsession with squirrels more tolerable.  We love her for who she is, including all of her berglish behaviors.

The name Leila is Persian and means “dark-haired beauty.”  Leila is also the name of a character in one of Lord Byron’s poems.  So it seemed fitting that we call our bergle the same.

…Another piece from the “Dogs Being Dogs” series, just off the easel.  Byron lies in one of his favorite sun spots in Joel’s office with the moose toy Em gave him a couple years back.  I never get tired of painting him – the colors in his fur, the expressions on his face – he’s a perfect subject.     He may look sad here, but trust me, he’s in a blissful state.  It could only be better for him if he were lying out on a grassy lawn on a beautiful June afternoon.  The sunlight puts him in a trance where all his worries disappear and his old dog joints are massaged by the warm rays.  Poor old Byron….he’s got is so rough.

This little pastel is No. 2 in my mini series of “Dogs Being Dogs.”  (See No. 1 here.)  Until now, most of my dog paintings have been commissioned portraits.  (Don’t worry, I’m still doing the portraits.)  But the dogs I meet in and around town have inspired me to draw and paint the quirky, humorous, and endearing behaviors that make us love them so much.  I will be doing a whole bunch of these quicker works to gain fluidity and freedom with my pastels and experiment with new compositions, animal poses, and more vivid color.

Washington Park in Albany is a great place for dogs to meet up for an evening romp.  There’s always a ball to fetch, a frisbee to chew, and enough dogs for game of “chase-the-little-guy.”  While Byron makes the rounds, Joel and I stand by and watch the dogs be dogs.  This little Boston terrier was running like it was his first taste of freedom, and I was lucky enough to catch a few photos of him as he rushed in from across the field.

A good rule for the humans at the D.P.:  keep your knees bent – you never know when a mob of dogs is going to knock you out!

This morning I planned a short hike and considered my options:  wherever I go it’s got to be super muddy.  Then it won’t matter what color the boots are, they’ll be brown when I get back to the truck!

I settled on a nature preserve surrounding a creek in an old-growth pine and hemlock forest.  Oh, was there mud!  Mud and ice, but mostly mud.  Byron and I walked quickly, avoiding dry rocks, roots, and hard ground. We trudged straight through the middle of the path and skidded down wet, loamy slopes, the thick glue sticking pine duff and decaying leaves to the mud guards around my soles.  I had never cared so little about keeping my shoes clean.  I would cross a stream and leave a cloud of swirling silt, then hop up the bank and stomp around in the first patch of mud in order to reapply the mess.  It felt great.  This must be what gear testers for Backpacker and Outside get to do to the footwear they try out on the trail….. unbeatable traction in slippery conditions,  mid-length ankle support for rock-hopping creeks, hemlock-green uppers help you blend in with your surroundings!

Amazingly, my boots are still mostly green.  But I’m not really disappointed that they were able to resist mud (it flaked off when I stamped my feet on the walkway outside the back door) because they do have great traction on slippery terrain, and I don’t think I would have realized how great had I not been so cross about the color.

Thanks to my dear friend, I have been enjoying this little cluster of carnations for two weeks. They are a reminder of a wonderful day spent catching up on each other’s lives, sipping lattes, and chatting while browsing around culinary shops.  They’ve lasted two weeks, Penny! I thought this called for a photo.

So as I am framing the vase and wooden bowl, a blurry figure enters the scene and stares directly into my lens. What is wrong with you? He says. Can’t you see the sun is out and it is warm and I want to go play outside?! Outside!  Outside in the SUN! Following the sun spots around the house is no longer good enough.

It is my day off, and I have a list that stretches around the block of all the things I should do before the day’s end.   But  between some artwork and the dreaded taxes we will pause to go outside to enjoy the warm sunshine.  Thank you, Byron, for reminding me what is most important in life!

My first portrait of 2009 is complete!

I had some new challenges with this one. Smokey’s owner wanted the scene to be very gray, since that’s typical of where they live in the Willamette Valley. A gray sky like this one creates flat lighting, though. I had to brighten him up enough to create some depth and interesting texture without making the lighting look unnatural. Plus, in order to balance out all the gray of his fur, the sky, and the wooden fence, I incorporated warm tones wherever else I could. This is obvious in the redwood color at the bottom of the painting, but done more subtly in the trees. Most trees in western Oregon are covered in lichens and mosses, some of which can be very bright yellowy-greens. (This is much easier to see on the original painting.) Finally, the highlights on Smokey’s fur include some pale peach tones, which help to balance his deep blue-gray shadows.

The two most exciting aspects of this painting (for me, anyway):

I got to use my favorite pastel color, the darkest shade of “Mouse Gray,” which is a rich, deep, cool gray with tones of indigo.

Also, I loved working on the tree. It’s sketchy branches and soft cross-hatched texture were more like a drawing than a painting, and I liked the variety of lines it brought to the composition. The thinner branches also reflect Smokey’s whiskers.

I’m not making any resolutions, but I do have some expectations for myself this year that include more artistic output and focus on my business.  I love my day job, however I can’t let it interfere with my art, so I’m going to jump right back into the pet portraits with a freshly cleaned studio and a new commission.  I’m taking charge of my time and my space like Smokey the cat takes charge of his backyard!

I’ve been inspired by the positive responses I have received regarding the 2009 Calendar I put together in December.  It highlights some nature photography from my 18 months in Oregon.  It is for sale here.  I am pleased that everyone likes it so much, and it has given me ideas for future photography projects.

Back to the studio….I have to make the most of this “day off!”

It finally hit me that I’m “back home.”  On a drive through Vermont last week, over and around the hills of brightly colored trees, I stopped in Manchester Center to pick up a few farmers’ market goodies.  In between  cheese samples, I pulled my jacket closed tighter and noticed my the fog of my breath in the cold air.  Walking back to the car with tote bags full of cheese, eggplant, greens, and a pie, I paused to watch some kids playing soccer.

Above the field, crimson maple leaves spiraled sideways, lifted, then danced across the grass, accumulating in piles at the fence line.  Something clicked inside me, as if I was waking from a daydream.  I smiled, then laughed silently to myself.  I flashed back to fall weekends driving through Stowe, walking along the Brewster River, picking apples, and listening to post-season Red Sox games on the car radio.  I remembered walking back up to campus from sailing practice on Lake Champlain, freezing cold but feeling so alive.  And I got that feeling you always get when you realize you’re suddenly surrounded by the most beautifully colored trees you have ever seen.

I forgot how bright the trees get in the Northeast.  Well, it has been eight years!  I thought the golden aspens in Hope Valley were gorgeous – and the pink trees near the duck pond in Corvallis.  But the foliage I have enjoyed this fall is not broken up by large patches of evergreen.  The colors are warm, glowing, and intense.

While in Connecticut with my family this weekend, I spent time outside and photographed as much as I could.  We kayaked around Lake Waramaug, visted Hopkin’s Vineyard, picked apples, ate cider donuts fresh from the oven, and hit up a few tag sales on the way home.

The day was warm and the sky deep blue.
The wine was crisp and the apples too.

Thanks to Mom, Em, and Penny for such a wonderful day out.  These photos were taken this afternoon at the Harvest Festival at the Berkshire Botanical Gardens.  We enjoyed music, art, crafts, and delicious autumn foods, while meandering through gardens of late season blooms.