What a week

I don't think this has been a good week for anyone. My life and the problems within it feel so trivial after reading the news. My prayers and thoughts are with the people of Haiti.

I'm working on a painting at the moment. Well... I'm on my couch with Papu curled up next to me while I wait on a layer of matte medium to dry. That totally counts.

I'd rather not elaborate in this wide world of the internet as to why my week was so horrible. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. Let's just say that if zoning laws weren't they way they are, I'd have my horse in my back yard by now. The dogs would probably not be cool with that.



Oh, Finn. What we go through for you and your kind.

Ichiban

Ichiban means "first one" in Japanese, or so I've been told.



Ichiban is my first painting of the new year, my first painting in oils, and our friend's very awesome dog.



This was painted on a leftover piece of wood from our new deck. We finished building it after Thanksgiving. Our friends helped us build and dedicate it before they moved away. I don't think I've ever made anything more fitting.

And I should give a shout out to my new friend...



Hello baby.

This post has been brought to you by Artograph, courtesy of the great and wonderful Kenneth. This was my Christmas present from my husband. Previously, transferring sketches to be painted was a huge pain in the ass, not to mention a several hour endeavor. Thanks to you Arty, my life is 10,000 times easier.

Have a good weekend!

my girl

You see that girl? That pretty little face in my header? That's my girl.

Her full name is Paposauki. She was named by a shelter worker. Supposedly that means "slippers" in greek. We call her Papu. She's some kind of who-knows-what hound cross. I've had her for longer than my husband, Ken, and almost everything else. I got her at the beginning of my senior year in college. That was a really bad idea, but it most certainly was not a mistake. She was in the shelter from 8 weeks old to 8 months old, so I like to say it happened on purpose. She means everything to me. The entire rest of my life happened the way it did because of her. She's even the reason I met my husband, which is another story for another day.

She is my sweet girl, my baby dog, my shadow, and my absolute best friend. She's 6 years old this year.



My Silly Girl.

new ventures

Today I painted in oils for the first time in my life. How I got through 4 years of art school without painting in oils is beyond me. Today, however, I tried and it actually wasn't a disaster. I'd known I wanted to do it for ages, I just never made the plunge. Perhaps... this is a new direction. We'll see. I'll post it when it's all done and mostly dry.

I've been in the house painting all day. It was pretty cool, but I'm going a little stir crazy. I didn't ride today or yesterday because of The Cold. The high in this part of country today was 45. While that may seem tropical to most people, for Savannah it might as well be the north pole. No one else at my barn wants to ride in this, and I hate riding alone, so sitting at home painting under the glow of the space heater it is.

I did brave The Cold and walked the dogs yesterday. They were most grateful, but really dogs... despite your persistent begging it's not happening again this soon. You have a wimpy southerner for a mom.