Shopping With Louie

8x6" oil on canvas, SOLD

True story: I met a guy at ArtWalk with a little dog named Louie. And they were shopping. You can't make this stuff up. (Well, OK...Louie wasn't wearing a striped cap. I made that part up.)

Still taking questions for my FAQ page. Post your burning questions as a comment and keep an eye out for the FAQ page on this blog where I will attempt to answer all questions with forethought and decorum. And maybe just a tad of tomfoolery thrown in to keep it lively!

Walk Dogger

8x8" oil on canvas, SOLD

Wondering about that title? Well, this is a thing my daughter and I do almost on a daily basis: backward talkin'. We don't even have to try. It just comes naturally and is always a bizarre surprise. I love the weird word tangles our brains come up with. It is especially entertaining when we screw up names. Like our friends Greer and Jim? Imagine the looks we get when we call them Jeer and Grim. And we do. It's just one of our many unsung talents. Good thing we understand each other...

Head Honcho

8x8" oil on canvas, SOLD

Sometimes it’s nearly impossible to fully explain where the inspiration comes from. I mean…I can explain it but I don’t think you’ll believe it. (However, those of you that are long-time readers of this blog may have no problem believing me.) While sitting at ArtWalk in the blistering heat watching the waves of people roll by, we noticed this guy walking three terribly hot, identical white Chihuahuas. They were all hooked together and when one went left—they all went left. No choice. It seemed really funny at the time (or maybe it was the heat getting to me). But as the man got a bit closer and turned to look at one of my paintings we noticed that he had a fourth Chihuahua riding high on his shoulders. Like the precious little prince. He looked a pretty nervous. But my guess is that it wasn’t the height that had him worried but the thought of the ass-whoopin’ he had coming from the other three hooked together, over-heated, pissed-off Chihuahuas.

Lulu's Bubble

20x16" oil on canvas, SOLD

Several people have asked me lately if I do commissions. The answer is yes, well.... kinda sorta. As long as you don't really expect that it will look like you or your family. What I mean is that the good folks that have hired me to do paintings of their family fully expect my wacky version of their family. And they're OK with that. Really. This painting is a perfect example. A very lovely couple found me through eBay and discovered that we live only a few miles apart. They visited my studio and bought a few paintings and also asked me to paint one of their family (I'll post it on another day) and this one, Lulu's Bubble. They told me a few interesting details about the family (and the dog, Lulu) and sent me photos. I then work on re-arranging the facial structure while maintaining the essence and personality of the subject. And I always find a way to interject some humor and whimsy! So yes, I do commissions but, no, it won't look a thing like you! Whew! That's a relief, huh?

Quizzical Hound

8x6" oil on canvas, SOLD

Today I just feel lucky that I was able to paint. Life, here in San Diego is just surreal. Fires everywhere. I took a break from watching the disaster on TV and put a little paint on canvas. This one's devoted to my pups who definitely feel that something is at odds in their world.

Me And My Shadow

8x10" oil on canvas, SOLD

Okay, so I spend a lot of time in my car driving my kids to their summer activities, camps, classes friends houses, etc. You get the picture. So I've gotten in the habit of carrying my trusty little Moleskin sketchbook with me at all times. So while I'm waiting in the car for said child (which I've calculated is approximately 6 hours per week, 24 hours a month....let's not go there!) I do my sketches and doodles that sometimes become my Daily Painting. I'm posting today's sketch along with the painting because it's a rare occurrence that the painting actually looks like the sketch. Enjoy!

"And Then The Bubble Burst"

8"x 6" oil on canvas, SOLD

Happy 4th of July!

"Guilt"

8"x 6" oil on canvas, SOLD

I never really considered myself a "dog person" until two rescue dogs became card carrying members of our family in the past six years. Amazingly, both Petey and Nellie (pictured here) somehow knew they had a purpose in this family beyond eating, napping and pooping. Petey was my son's constant companion while he was battling cancer and a great source of entertainment and distraction during that dreary time for our family. Nellie joined us a couple of years later having been rescued twice. We think she ran away from the circus...definitely the clown. It's unbelievable that we have two dogs but even more improbable that we would have a "phoofy" dog. We're just not the phoofy types. But Nellie is a Great Dane dressed as a Bichon and, believe me, she takes her job seriously. Aside from being the jester, she is also charged with announcing the arrival of every visitor, friend or otherwise. She especially relishes her daily mandate of Mail Carrier Notification. Hard to believe that she has time in her day to model for some of my paintings.

"Balancing Act"

5"x 5" oil on canvas, SOLD

"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving."
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

"Lucky Dog"

8"x 6", oil on canvas, SOLD

Once again, Nellie the studio dog, makes an appearance!

"Little White Lies"

24"x 20", oil on canvas

This is another of the larger format paintings for my show. Not really a daily painting, more like a weekly painting. Still, it has many of the same themes as the dailys...a figure in the foreground, hills, leaning trees and, of course, Nellie, the studio dog. Maybe if it doesn't sell in the show I'll put it in my eBay Store next month.

"All Balls In The Air"

6"x 8" oil on canvas, SOLD

Almost everyone I know talks about being too busy, too distracted, too tired. So that's what this painting is about--keeping all those bloody balls in the air. Although many of my paintings are whimsical I try to keep the painting technique sophisticated and the concept engaging. Now, I'm going to go take a nap.

"The Bird On My Shoulder"

5"x 7" oil on canvas panel, SOLD

Yesterday I heard someone say, "A little bird told me..." and my imagination started firing images and ideas. So it looks like the next few paintings will feature the birds that are fluttering around in my head right now. You can see that Nellie, the studio dog, is overjoyed.

"Dance of the Dog"

6"x8" oil on canvas, SOLD

Once again Nellie, the studio dog, finds her way into my painting. Normally, she watches me paint for hours, but some days she's impatient. She tries the "stare-down" technique and if that doesn't get my attention she'll take a running jump at the backs of my legs. This one started out as a dogless painting but she nudged her way in and I have to admit, she was right.