A Bit of a Detour....

If you've been reading here or following my work since waaaaaay back (pre-blogspot) you may remember when most of the art was of the four legged variety....cats, dogs, bunnies, and so on. Of course, I still include these creatures in my Halloween and holiday work, but it's been awhile since I painted the seasonal dog and cat signs for which I was known once upon a time.

Now, before I get too carried away, I should say this is only a detour, and there's more Halloween and holiday art on the way very soon. :) But being such an animal lover, I felt the need to paint a few dogs and cats again....It's really such a blessing to paint these creatures, and there isn't anything that expresses the peace and good will of the season quite like the unconditional love and overwhelming goodness of our four legged companions....

OK, I'll stop rambling now and show you what I've been up to, hehe.

An Australian Shepherd (what else? Cadie and Cosmo insisted this one be first)...

A westie...

And a Golden retriever angel...

These are all listed on eBay, but I'm thinking of taking a few commissions as well - only pre-orders for a specific pet, painted from photos. As I remember, one of the reasons I stopped painting these for eBay was the emails saying "I really like this one, but can you paint one just like it with different spots?" A person could go crazy trying to anticipate which breed and markings people want, haha.....But there really is nothing like capturing someone's beloved companion for posterity, and if the piece is painted as a memorial, it's truly a blessing to know it offers some comfort.

So stay tuned for just a few more of these, with some new Halloween and holiday pieces thrown in too. :)

On a personal note, I'm happy to share that John is FINALLY home! Our own four legged friends went absolutely BERSERK when he came through the door, and it was quite a job keeping them from leaping up with big claws all over his still-healing incision - yikes! They've been following him around since his arrival, as if they're afraid to let him out of their sight - sooooooo sweet.

For John's part, he's just happy to be home, and happy to have good tea again, having pronounced the tea at the rehab hospital "dishwater". Leave it to a Brit to tolerate hospital cuisine (using the term "cuisine" loosely here) but to complain about the tea, hehe...

Oh - and speaking of beverages, I'm completely smitten with this machine! A gift from my sister, who purchased a newer, less noisy model, it's my new favorite kitchen appliance. (I don't care so much about the noise level as long as it makes me a cup of cappuccino.) ;) Anyway, assuming you've been very good this year, you may want to consider asking Santa for one of these. It's seriously amazing. :)

OK, that's about it for now....I'll be back soon with photos of the new cat's pantry piece I'm working on. In the meantime, have a wonderful, relaxing and creative weekend!!

♥ Carolee