Last PenPets for 2011

Lenny

Schnauzer/Border Terrier mix

 Faith and Belle

Irish Setters

Missy 

West Highland White Terrier

Missy, Saleem, Reilly

Shih Tzu mix, Tiger-Stripe, Golden Retriever

Poppy

Japanese Chin

Ruby

My Furry Nephew

Riley

8" X 10" pen and ink

2011

Riley is a bit of a goof ball in real life, full of silly pranks and comic antics. He's a white, not a golden, retriever, and his favorite past time is to find mud puddles and loll in them. On one walk alone he might sample ten mud puddles, the muddier the better! You can imagine what this does to his beautiful white coat, and what my sister-in-law, Sue, a meticulous housekeeper, has to say about that. Riley's nickname is "Mud Bug." Evan, my brother, and Sue wanted a more serious pose, however, for this portrait. So here's Riley, the Magnificent, the Noble, the Wise, and the True! 

Woops!

Mud-Bug

5" X 7" colored pen & ink

2010

I almost forgot this Christmas present I drew for Riley, my fur-nephew. He's a "white" golden retriever, although it's a bit hard to tell in this pose.

Here' Riley's brother, Logan, a Bernese Mountain Dog, reading the book I sent him for Christmas:

And Riley, looking a bit cleaner and oh-so studious, reading "Pierrot, Dog of Belgium," too!

Christmas Commissions

Anna Luzia

5" X 7" pen & ink

2010

Buddy

8" X 10" pen & ink

2010

Happy

5" X 7" pen & ink with color

2010

Drake & Ruger

8" X 10" colored pen & ink

2010

Bird Dogs

Scout

5" X 7" pen and ink

2009

Tia

8" X 10" pen and ink

2009

Scout, a golden retriever, and Tia, an English cocker spaniel, are both bird dogs. They hunt duck, quail, and pheasant. I watched a demonstration by Rose, Scout's sister, last weekend, and she is impressive! She heels, sits, waits, and then fetches -- all on command. She responds to voice, hand, and whistle signals -- all with alacrity. She finds the birds (dummies, in this case), she brings them back, she releases them, and then she begs for more. It's amazing to watch a dog who is so enthusiatically committed to her work!

I should add that this working relationship is much like the one I have with my dog, Kinsey, only in reverse. Kinsey gives the commands -- voice, paw, eyebrow -- and I hop to with alacrity. I'm sure my eagerness to work on Kinsey's behalf gives her great pleasure, too.

A Kangal & Two Companions

Honey

5" X 7" pen and ink

2009

Honey is a nine-year-old Anatolian Shepherd Dog, an ancient breed from Turkey, also known as the Anatolian Karabash. Turks call them Kangals. These big, powerful dogs are fierce protectors of their flocks. When Tom and I hiked in Turkey, we learned to give the Kangals we came across a wide berth. We didn't want to mess with them or their sheep! I thought it highly appropriate that I was drawing a Turkish Kangal while President Obama and his wife, Michelle, were visiting Turkey!

Honey lives far from Turkey in Dripping Springs, Texas. She weighs in at 100 lbs., but she is so long-limbed and lithe that you wouldn’t know it. Every weekend, she visits a horseback riding stable. “She loves that,” says Gail, “eating hoof cookies, rolling in manure, interacting with the other dogs, lying in the dusty sand. Whenever we walk on the property, of course, she leads the way in great leaps. Occasionally, she chases a bunny or guinea hen. But, her breed is a guard type and her preference is to lie some place she can see everything. On a funny note, she is NOT a morning person. This morning, for example, Meg and I had already gotten up, made coffee, showered, had breakfast, but Honey had not even come out of the bedroom yet. When she did, she squinted her eyes at me, yawned, and then stretched a big downward dog. She's the easiest, quietest dog we've ever had.”

On another note:

I always advise people with pale dogs—Golden Retrievers, yellow Labradors, apricot Poodles, snowy Samoyeds, honey-colored Turkish Kangals—to choose a dark background for their PenPets portraits. It costs a little more (all those cross-hatchings take time, a steady hand, and a mindless sort of concentration), but I think it’s worth it to set off the dogs on the page. I decided to test my theory on this next drawing. Here are Sidney and Charlie with no background.

Kind of flat, I'd say.

Here is the finished portrait with a dark background.

Sidney & Charlie

5" X 7" pen and ink

2009

Now the dogs pop right off the page! The dark background gives Sidney, the Golden, more depth, and it even adds drama to Charlie, the black-and-tan hound mix. These two dogs live in Salem, South Carolina, and are the constant companions of Oksana. Sidney is a happy dog, always smiling. Charlie is a hunter with no patience for photo ops. Is he scowling just a little bit in this portrait?

What a Week!

On Sunday my brother Brian came for a five-day visit from California. In the 26 years since I moved from California to New England, Brian has never visited me at my house, so it was a momentous occasion!



Here we are in our blaze orange (the month of November is deer-hunting season in Maine), standing in front of Tom's "Dow Jones Industrial Wood Pile." By the way, Tom had one personal essay published this week and another accepted for publication!




On Monday I took down my month-long show at the Blue Hill Co-op: Community Market and Cafe. I called it "Faces from the Farm." It included 12 original pen-and-ink drawings and seven woodblock prints -- all farm animals (well, except for the black bear). I got tons of good feedback on the exhibit and sold eight pieces -- a personal best for me!

Later that day I delivered two new portraits. I love Scout's sweet sense of yearning (I understand that he's quite the moocher of treats!) and King's goofy dignity.

Scout

10" X 8" pen and ink

2008

King

7" X 5" pen and ink

2008

On Tuesday WE ELECTED A NEW PRESIDENT!

This is a woodblock print by my favorite Moku Hanga artisit, Annie Bissett. I'll be taking a course with Annie at the end of this month to learn how to create woodblock prints in COLOR!

On Thursday I attended the opening of "Noah's Ark Revisited: Part II," a multi-artist, multi-media exhibit of living creatures at the Deer Isle Artists' Association. I have three woodblock prints in the show.

If I look worn out in this picture, I am! Brian left Friday morning and I'll get back to my drawing board this week.