This is Morgan

I painted this for a higher end Pet supply store to give her an example of my work. I had approached her with an offer to paint her dog to let her see how my works looks. She saw another dog's portrait but there's is nothing like painting a dog the client is close to to know if the artist is able to capture their furry pal's personality. I used the pose from one photo, th ears from a second and used the third to help me with the fur. She saw the emailed jpg todaynd she thought it was "gorgeous". *phew* I hope to have it hanging in her store to drum up some business.

20x16 oil on wood

Happy Valentines Day!

Thanks for being there through the ups and downs!

hugs,

S

Rinse Well

I have been enjoying JM's travelling blog for quite a while. I finally asked him if I could use an image or two to paint. He generously granted permission. I loved this photo he tagged Jaisalmer, Rajasthan which is a city and region in India.

Nothing like taking our showers and faucets for granted. This does look fun for a hot summer day though.

10x8, oil on hardboard

Gwendolyn

After a pretty heavy couple of months, I wanted to paint something light and bright and fun. This is Gwendolyn, or Gwen as she is called by her two legged family members. She and her big brother Gavin live with my friend Natasha and her lovely family. Natasha has a wonderful family blog called "Behind the White Picket Fence".

Gwen is about 2 months here I believe. She is a real cutie.

oil on 12x12 gallery wrapped canvas.

Ready for Rebirth

24x18 oil on canvas

I was hesitant to post this because it is a very raw, very exposed view of myself for a show titled, The Tao of Duality : An Exploration of Self Portraits. This show runs till mid February but the curator told me the Brava theater might want to extent the time for this show for a couple of months.

Some of you recall I was pretty scarce on the blogosphere near the end of last year. This was painted during that time and when you read the following statement of the work which is posted next to the painting, you'll understand why. The ex during that time was especially challenging.

Ready for Rebirth Statement

This image is me without my body armor and uniform of my previous life. I am a middle aged woman who has found new life and new meaning in her art. I show you at my most vulnerable and raw state. The purple and yellow colors were an intuitive addition. As I studied it later, I think I unconsciously used those colors because of some basic police academy training. When someone is struck and injured, the area will swell with blood and discolor first with red. The next colors that appear during the healing stage are purple, blue, green and then finally yellow. So symbolically, though I have fairly new wounds from the daily dealings with my ex-husband and this new life of mine, I have many that are almost totally healed and thus I am ready for my rebirth as a new person.

I am still discovering this reborn woman and emerging artist. I am proud because so far she is turning out to be stronger than I ever imagined and has a lot of creative energy to let loose. I can hardly wait to see what the second half of my life brings.

I did attend the Artists Reception(my first) last Wednesday and really felt like a fish out of water. However, I was encouraged by several things. The painting and the accompanying pieces were on the opposite wall to the entrance. Of the three floors dedicated for this show, I was told that this is a prime location to have your work displayed. The curator told me there was a lot of conversation about my piece because of the statement and she encouraged me to continue to submit work for future shows. A person I love and trust encouraged me to share this with you and so here you go...

Chris' Field of Dreams

This is based on my friend Bobbi's photo of her college aged son. The sun was low and I loved how she captured the warm glow of Chris on the baseball field.

I met Bobbi when she was taking the physical agility test for our department. I was immediately impressed with her positive attitude, wit and intelligence. We became best buds on the force often working together in the same sectors of the city. We had gotten to know each other so well, we didn't have to look or say anything, we just knew when it was time to go from talking to the taking down a suspect. We were some of the first small group of she-cops to work patrol together. I remember our male sergeant following us around like a worried mother hen one day because it was the first time 3 women were working alone in a sector. He finally learned women are much better using their brains than having to rely on brawn to deal with a situation. Besides her disarming quick wit, Bobbi was skilled at American Sign Language which became a huge asset when the Bay Area's School for the Deaf relocated to our city.

I was her maid of honor when she married a sergeant from our dept and she was matron of honor in mine. I was there when Chris came home and am now amazed to see how a tiny pink baby grew up to a tall handsome young man. She retired early when her husband retired and is also living the good life in Northern California. I am blessed to still have her in my life.

oil on Artboard 12x6 (sold)

Brownies

I was visiting my Facebook page when I came upon some photos my friend had posted. I worked with her [dispatcher] and her husband [sergeant] at the same department for many years. This couple is a rarity because they have been together for many years AND worked at the same place. What a great husband to have a wife tell him what to do at home and at work. They are both retired now and living the good life.

This is based on a photo I saw of her grandson Skyler. I love the intensity of kids when they are in the process of making something yummy.

It probably seems like magic.

This is oil on 6x8 gallery wrapped canvas. (Sold)