New Sock Puppets for my friend Erin

Painting donated for fundraising event

13x13, acrylic on board.

March Fitness Program for Rowdy and Sara

click "Play" arrow to see video

In early spring it became apparent that Rowdy had sneakily put on a few extra pounds. (I could feel his ribs all winter, I swear! But he was storing the fat in other strategic areas.) We began daily jogging sessions in March. Rowdy quickly got back into shape, and as he shed his winter fur, he began to look more like a horse instead of a bear.

Space Aliens for Peace

These puppets stand about 8 feet tall. In April they joined the Peace Vigil for the Middle East, in conjunction with The Moses Code. They would love to get out more often! Contact me if you have an event you'd like to invite them to.

Painting at Absolutely Art

In February I brought my paints into Absolutely Art and enjoyed the warm sun and friendly atmosphere of their gallery. Each month they have a new show, and their store is always brimming with gorgeous work by local artists.

They are located at 2322 Atwood Ave. Madison, WI 53704, on Madison's near East side, next to Cafe Zoma and on the Capitol City bike path.
http://www.absolutelyartllc.com

Carter's Rainforest Mural

Carter was involved in this mural, requesting the rainforest theme and giving good suggestions for the animals in it.

His parents finished the room with a bamboo mat floor cover and natural fiber window shades that complement the light colored wood.

Double click on the images to enlarge them.

Beginning the Mural at Vernon Creek Gallery of Art

I've already taped off the dimensions for this large painting and given the wall a texture with joint compound. I used a grid to enlarge my plan for the mural to full size, and then used carbon paper to transfer it to the wall.

Van Gogh mural in progress

Van Gogh Mural at Vernon Creek Gallery of Art, in Progress

Yesterday I worked on a mural for Vernon Creek Gallery of Art in Mount Vernon. http://www.vernoncreekgallery.com
It is a composite of Van Gogh's "Starry Night" and "Starry Night over the Rhone." What fun! I aligned the horizons of each painting, and have connected the two with some imagination and a few buildings bearing a striking resemblance to certain landmark buildings in Mount Vernon. Mark your calendars for the Spring Open Studios Tour for this region, June 6th, 7th, and 8th. www.MHAAA.org. The Vernon Creek Gallery and my apartment studio will be open and we'll be showing you our working process. We are honored to have one of my favorite artists, Jaroslava Sobiskova, showing her work at our Open Studios. http://www.jarka.ws

Rowdy and Rainy

Here are the infamous Rainy (on the left) and Rowdy (the brown miniature.) Rainy has been learning to hand things to me, and Rowdy seems interested in learning to paint. He is not trying to eat the paint brush anymore! He's very proud of himself and likes learning new tricks.

Rowdy and Rainy taking turns in the sand

Here are my two honeys enjoying the sand. We had a rare 40 degree day (heat wave!) and their thick fur coats felt itchy and hot. Two days later it was North Pole weather again, so I'm glad for their coats. Rainy wears a blanket which soaks up heat from the sun and blocks the cold wind. Rowdy has been mistaken for a bear by the other horses. He has a private mini sized shed in addition to his thick fur.

Magnolia Tree and Mountains Mural

This is my latest mural, a Magnolia tree in bloom (also known in China as the White Jade Flower) and a mountain and water scene behind the shower.
The magnolia tree was painted and then muted with a soft glaze effect over the entire wall. I bought stencils to do the Chinese characters, but ended up painting them all by hand because they looked more authentic that way.

Please feel free to pass along my blog to anyone whom you think would be interested in a mural or a custom painting. (See the archives for more painting examples.)

Four paintings by my horse Rainy

On Saturday Rainy made these. Below is a video clip of her painting one of them.






Have you seen the fabulous website www.paintinghorse.com? This spring we will adopt some of Cheryl's ideas and methods. Maybe Rowdy would like to paint too. Last time I tried it with him, he thought he was supposed to eat the paint brush.

Rainy making a painting

Here Rainy is making one of the paintings featured above. We are still working out some of the details, such as how it is preferable to paint on the canvas rather than on Sara or in the sand. When it warms up, we'll spend more time doing this. Rainy really enjoys it.

Playing with Rainy

Rainy and I participated in the Charity Fun Horse Show at Saddleridge Stables this Saturday. After the classes, Rainy showed a few people some of her tricks. Here she shows how she's learning to do the Spanish Walk. I use positive reinforcement and a clicker noise as a way to communicate when she's on the right track.

india ink drawings

I made these in December just before Christmas, 2007. Somehow these ladies got overlooked!
They are 4"x6", pen and ink.

Rainy's new work

Rainy is my beautiful Morab horse, 4 1/2 years old. She paints by holding the paintbrush in her mouth and waving it over the paper/canvas.


Note the bite mark in the upper left corner of the second painting. This occurred when she grabbed it with her teeth and began waving it around. Next she dropped it to the ground and began to do the Spanish Walk on top of it. I made a quick rescue before the painting became completely destroyed.







Soon she got into the painting mood, and enthusiastically painted the two other tall paintings. We stopped because it was cold and I ran out of carrots. I'll need a helper to take photos or a video the next time we do this!





Sales of Rainy's work go to pay for her boarding, hoof pedicures, special feed and vitamins, etc. She has also volunteered to paint for a horse charity or other cause.

Painting Joey's mural

Here's a short video of Joey's superhero mural in progress.

The Batman wall - Joey's Superhero mural

Only one wall of this mural is depicted as night time, so that the room wouldn't feel too spooky.

Joey's Superhero Mural

Here are the other finished walls. This was a fun collaboration with Joey and his mom. I included elements that have personal meaning for them into the mural.

Joey checked on my progress regularly, and it was satisfying to hear him state, "I really like my room!"