House of Pawz

Happy New Year

2011-12-30T18:54:00.000-08:00

I guess I should start by saying that one of my resolutions should be to blog more, but not sure if that is going to happen. I have a hard time talking about my painting every single day. I actually do better posting on Facebook, which in turn goes to Twitter. I huge procrastinator when it comes to keeping up with the journal musings. What I need to do is make myself a website, so if anyone ever reads my occasional blog posts, if you could let me know of a good web producing site for DIY people such as myself, that would be great. As I sit and write this I think another resolution would be to finish up my paintings I have done for myself. I have one pencil drawing, one 11x14 canvas flower painting and a few small bird paintings that I have started and not finished. Plus I started woodburning art on bamboo pendants and stopped because I got so busy with my pet sitting business. I really need to finish my stuff up. LOL. Well, not much here. I am busy petsitting this whole week and I am off to walk a couple of dogs right now, but wanted to stop and wish everyone a Happy New Year.

2011-10-12T22:47:00.000-07:00

I did not have the best month in September so therefor, did not even think about blogging anything. I am just glad that month is over. Way back at the end of July, I had a customer ask me to paint up some ornaments when I had my half price sale. It was quite the task, 14 ornaments in all. I must admit, it has taken me longer than I thought it would. I still have a few touch ups to do and then put a final glaze over them, but pretty much they are finished. It was a big task to be sure. Here are some photos of the ornaments:

Getting booked up for Christmas!

2011-09-29T19:43:00.000-07:00

Anyone interested in getting a portrait painted, ornament or Scrabble piece done, please be sure to get your orders in. Right now I am three weeks out.

On another note, I love gourds. Previously I posted a gourd piece I did out of a broken shell. I have decided once the painting slows down a bit, I am going to go back to gourd work for awhile. Over the years I have looked at different ways in which artists create beautiful works out of these things and have noticed that the work has evolved.
It used to be you could use paint, pastels, leather dyes, etc. Now there are the new (new to me that is) alcohol inks. They are beautiful and I have some creative ideas forming in my head.
I hope to get some of the work posted shortly. Of course I will probably offer pet portraits on gourds as well. I love burning images into the gourds and can see a pet on one of them. ;) Time will tell.

Here is a fabulous gourd artist that I recently found..all I can say is WOW!
Beautiful Gourds

My art

2011-08-05T21:06:00.000-07:00

I have been pondering for awhile now how much people appreciate the hard work that goes into making a piece of art.I know how many hours I put into my paintings and how I really work hard to make my art as perfect as I can get it.
Many people do not realize the effort and time that goes into making a piece of art, whether by painting, sculpting,etc.
After long debate with myself, I have decided to make a few changes to my pricing structure. I hope that you, my customers will understand why I have done so and continue to enjoy my work long after.
Right now, I am running a two for one until the end of August using my old pricing list. If your interested in buying two or more pieces from me, then the time is right to order.
You can email me at houseofpawz@gmail.com for more information.
I do appreciate all the people who have had faith in me and who have enjoyed my work and I hope that I can continue to make great paintings.

Etsy Treasury

2011-07-29T14:40:00.000-07:00

I was updating my Etsy store today and came upon a treasury that a fellow Etsy artist put together featuring wall of dog portrait artists and one of my paintings was included.
Always makes me thankful that people enjoy my art and want to share it.
Here is the treasury
Etsy dog portraits

Don't forget I am offering a two for one on "anything" item in my store or one of a kind..until the end of August. Save now!

Two for One!

2011-07-25T22:06:00.001-07:00

I am finally caught up on all my customer orders and decided that it would be a good time to offer a special. Keep me busy and all. :)
I have been very fortunate to live in part of the country that has stayed cool and rainy. No triple digits here, which I am very thankful for.
OK, so back to my special! Now until August 30th you can order a portrait, ornament or Scrabble pendant and get the second one free.My portraits run from 110.00 to 350.00, so think about that..buy a 16x20 for 350.00 and get the second one free! I will paint up to two dog/cats/birds on one canvas.

Now that sounds like a "cool" deal doesn't it?

Found an Art Store..went shopping!

2011-06-15T21:56:00.000-07:00

Since I moved to this area, I have been unable to find any "quality art supply" store. The only stores I could find were the typical craft store, Micheal's or Jo Ann's. They are OK, but they do not carry high quality products.
Well I finally found one this afternoon and I felt like a kid in a candy store. Before I knew it I had been in there almost two hours!
Since I have a few different mediums I work with I wanted to check it all out.
I ended up buying better canvas,which is the reason I went in there in the first place.I only bought one canvas for now. I have some chickens I bought (first time chicken owner) and I am going to paint them on this. I am excited to try it out.
I then proceeded to the paint section and decided to try out a different brand of acrylic. It is supposed to be a bit thinner and not as goopy, which I find the brand I am using now does..dries up quickly and becomes hard to work with. I bought a couple of new colors for my colored pencil collection.
Lastly, I wanted to find some high quality paper that I can use in my Epson printer. I see a lot of artists making copies of their paintings to sell and I want to be able to do that as well. This way the people who want a painting of mine, but may not be able to pay for the real thing, can now have a copy of it. I talked with a really knowledgeable employee, who led me to a product call Canson. They make several types of fine art and photographic paper. I went with BFK Rives. It has a slight bite to it. I am so hoping that it works..my printer is giving me lines and I don't want lines on this paper.
I am very glad to finally find a store like this. I will be offering a higher quality product in all my areas, colored pencil ACEO cards and prints, plus the canvas portraits as well.
Stay tuned.

Trying a new painting

2011-06-13T21:57:00.000-07:00

I have always been fascinated with flowers and enjoy taking photos of them. Now I want a painting for my dining room wall that still remains blank. I photographed the Clematis vine out in my front yard and now I am attempting to paint it so I have something for the dining room.
What I don't want to do however, is paint the fine detail I always end up doing,even when I try not to. I started off pretty good, by dabbing the background on, but before I knew it I was putting fine detail on the flowers..*sigh* I do like detail, but would like to go crazy for once and just start dabbing/throwing/blotting the paint in a loose interpretation of the object. What I need to start doing is quit being so picky on each line or shadow. I will try again tomorrow when there is natural light out. Right now I have the upper most flowers done somewhat.
Here is what I start with this afternoon. Hopefully by tomorrow or the next day, I can show a bit more progress.

Little Birdie, how do you do

2011-06-08T23:17:00.000-07:00

I started a series of little birds a couple of months ago, but with my busy schedule, I have not had time to paint anymore. Tonight, I managed to finish up another one. I started it awhile back.
Glad to have gotten it done. I have a big project coming up and wanted to tie up the unfinished stuff, before moving on.
I hope to keep going with these canvas 4x4. There are a ton of birds out in my backyard just waiting to be painted. :) The ones I have painted so far are all from the wren family, including this latest one.

Another Rooster done

2011-06-07T22:23:00.001-07:00

I am planning on painting a trio of Roosters and a trio of hens. I have a Buff Orpington female who is 9 weeks old. She is a beauty IMO :) I will be painting her and her feathered sisters here is a few months, once they fill out to adult hood.
This is the second of the trio of Roosters. This breed is a Buff Orpington.
(This is not a very good photo as it was taken in terrible light and with an Iphone camera)

He is giving what they call in the "stink eye" and I will say nothing gives a better stink eye than a chicken. LOL.

Dusted off the paintbrushes

2011-06-05T22:13:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I painted anything or even blogged. I feel if I don't have anything new to show anyone, then why Blog? I guess I should get out of that thinking.
I moved into a new place this past winter and since it was raining all the time, I had more time to paint. However, this new place has a huge backyard and side yard. I am addicted to gardening, so...I have been redesigning the backyard and doing a lot of gardening.
I put in a vegetable garden and then decided to finally get my chickens. I have been wanting to get some chickens for two years now. Since my yard is so big and I can legally have chickens, I figured the time was right. I bought three different breeds that were just days old. I have spent that last month getting the area ready and having a chicken coop built. I love the chickens and as I watched them grow, it dawned on my how they really are a beautiful bird. There are so many out there and unfortunately, most people think of chickens as the white birds in little cages.
Mine are different colors,a buff, black, white and a multi color.They all have their feathers in and I have been taking a ton of photos of them as they grow. I am going to paint each of them.
I also belong to a chicken group and see many beautiful birds, including roosters. They sure have some nice plumage.
That is how I decided what to paint next. I have been painting dogs and cats, but wanted something a bit different. I saw this Rooster and knew I had to paint him.
Now on to my girls. (Hens that is)

Two Labs done

2011-04-12T21:46:00.000-07:00

I finished up the two lab portrait today. One thing I know is it was very satisfying that I live so close to the customer. I can see her reaction and get her take on finalizing the details and such. It is a birthday present for her husband.
I had a couple of good days of sunshine, so painted by the window for real light. Nothing beats the natural light. I mainly use my lamps, but when I can get a sunny day here in the North West, it is a good day.
Here is the photo:

Next up is a chicken portrait. I saw a website that has you paint a chicken. Plus I just bought for baby chicks. They are all different breeds and I can't wait to paint them!

Chickens..another painting object for me!

2011-04-08T20:33:00.000-07:00

About two years ago, I started learning how to keep backyard chickens. I have had the opportunity to eat freshly laid eggs that are not massed produce and let me tell you, they are the best eggs you can eat.
The backyard chicken craze is getting bigger all across America and I for one am hooked. Hence, I finally made the plunge and purchased two chicks today. I am getting another one, but next week as they don't come in until then.
One is a Buff Orpington, they are a tannish brown and lay brown eggs. I guess they make good family pets, which by the way, mine will be.
The other one is an Ameraucana, these type lay Easter egg colored eggs. I like the different plumage they have as well. Next week I will be getting a black silky
I can't wait to paint them as well. I love painting birds and with my chickens being right here, I can really get close up their feathers.
I am excited and hope to post some painted portraits by the year end..have to wait for their feathers to get in.
Here is a photo of the two I bought today:

2011-04-04T23:11:00.001-07:00

I have slowed down quite a bit with my painting. Spring is upon us and that is one of my passions as well. Once it hits, I abandon most inside projects and am forever outside. Hence, I am not painting as much. I guess its a good thing I don't make a living at painting or I would be in trouble.
If someone does want to commission a painting, I am more than willing to take out my paints, but if I am relying solely on my self and thinking of things to paint, then I probably won't be so eager.
As many in my personal world know, I am also a petsitter/dog walker and a client of mine has commissioned me to paint her two wonderful labs, who I adore and love to walk.
This is the two of them so far:

I am going to make an effort to post more. Maybe I will post photos of my new garden I am working on. I moved into a new house and the yard is very big, so there is a lot of things to be done. I might even get a bug and decide to paint what I see out in the garden..you never know.

For those that do follow this blog, thanks for following. :)

Finished with Gourd Trinket Bowl

2011-03-02T19:58:00.001-08:00

I just finished up the gourd trinket bowl. I basically decoupaged the inside of the bowl with colored scrapbook paper. Once I was through, it wasn't working for me. I did not feel it.
(Whether people like any of my art, if it doesn't feel right to me, I will keep at it until it does. I have actually done paintings that were not working for me, but the owners loved it and...that is all the matters).
That said,I has some paper from a journal I bought years ago and did not use. This journal has drawings on each page and one of the pages had a butterfly on it, so I cut that out and pasted it right in the middle and then just worked from there. By the time I was done, I was happy with it. This is be up for sale soon. I want to get a few more pieces of gourd art done first.

Finished with Gourd Trinket Bowl

2011-03-02T19:58:00.000-08:00

Example of Gourd Art

2011-02-28T23:32:00.000-08:00

I had to finish up a couple of pet portraits before I set to work on my gourd art. Not that I am tired of painting, but I am a creative person and love doing all sorts of art projects using many different kinds of mediums. It's not unusual for me to have half unfinished projects of varying art laying around. Breaks up the monotony.

I decided to start on the trinket dish first. Usually its a broken piece of gourd or a piece I have cut of the main body and saved for later use.

This time it was a broken piece. As I stood in my workshop sanding and messing around a shape started taking place. When I held it up, it looked like a butterfly wing. Now with the other trinket dishes I have made, I have not done anything to the underside, but since this one looked like a butterfly wing, I decided to wood burn what will be the underside. The side that will be used to put things in will get decoupaged with a corresponding piece of scrapbook paper.

Its been years since I have wood burned anything, but as I started to work on the piece, it all came back to me. Really, wood burning is just like using a colored or graphite pencil. The harder you press the darker the area.
Now with wood burning tools, you can use many of the different tips that are offered in any craft store, but since I am not going to run to the craft store at night, I just used the one that was already on there. Tips can be used for a wide range of shadings, lines, etc. I do have one that is used specifically for shading, however its buried somewhere deep in my craft closet. I think the one I used did the job though.

Tomorrow, I will then start on the decoupaging the other side. I am actually tossing it around to paint some of the wing, blend in a light color of some sort. I haven't quite made up my mind yet.
Here is the starting of the wing and the finished piece.

The Art of Gourds

2011-02-05T11:22:00.000-08:00

This blog is not only about my painting, its also about my creative self. I am one of those artists that likes anything art. Painting, drawing, photography,sculpting, wood-burning,beading, etc. I also consider myself to have a bit of adult ADD. I get bored very easily and at times, I burn out on whatever project or medium I am doing.
To keep myself from totally burning out, I will start on new projects as the mood strikes me.
For the last few days I have been thinking about getting back into gourd making.
I was given two huge boxes and every year I get the itch, but something takes up my time or I procrastinate, until the mood has moved on. These natural pieces of art were made by mother nature to last a long time. You ever watched the history channel on archeology? Thats a long time.
Today is rainy and blah and I have only one painting in the works, so I thought I would pick it up again.
Most people know gourds make great bird houses or feeders. You see all kinds painted to look like ghosts, snowmen, etc. However, there is a plethora of other types of things you can create from gourds as well. Type in a search for Gourd Art and you can see gourds worked into baskets, vases, jewelery,lampshades, clocks. It is endless what you can create out of a gourd.
Gourds are part of the pumpkin family. When dried out, which by the way, is very messy and nasty, they end up with mold patterns on them. These mold spots, once cleaned,create the most beautiful patterns on gourds.
The first step in gourd art, is cleaning that mold off. You fill a bucket or in my case a bathtub with hot soapy water and use a stiff brush or steel pad and sit there for over an hour scrubbing until your arm feels like it is going to fall off. There is the mold, but there is also a very thin layer of membrane that needs to come off. (Some artists leave the membrane on). Its that layer of membrane that is a pain to get off, but once you do, you are left with a beautiful piece waiting for just your imagination!
Here is the process, from moldy ho hum, to cleaned, to beautiful vase (I made this vase and took the extra pieces and carved out a bottom, so it could stand up).

Today I found a broken gourd and although I did not take a photo of it, was in bad shape. It was a moldy, smelly and most anyone would have thrown it out. I on the other hand saw a makings of a bowl. There was also piece that broke off entirely. This will be turned into a small "catch all" dish.
This is a photo of me cleaning it, and the end results.The middle photo shows the top, which will need to be sanded down and smoothed out, but you can visualize it.The third photo is the top piece that fell off. I will make a small dish out of this

Can we say Arrgh!

2011-01-26T19:43:00.000-08:00

I have painted over 60 something ornaments since this time last year and so I wonder how it is that 2 of these, the painted white background on two of them go funky. I had one in December and another one today. I can't for the life of me figure out why that is, but it is not a happy time when it happens.
I stayed up late trying to get this ornament painted and ready for the customer today and first thing this morning I put a varnish coating over the top to protect it and within seconds it looked as if I put that "crackle" type paint on it. Right before my eyes the dog that I painted for three hours seized up and crackled. I just sat there in disbelief and frustration. I hate when this happens.
I also have had two of the ornaments break. That is very disheartening as well.
But, I am back at it again tonight. I have just this one ornament left and then I start on a 5 x 7 canvas. It will be good to get back to some canvas work. I really enjoyed painting the little birds.

Ok going with different blog backgrounds

2011-01-24T23:53:00.000-08:00

I did not get any response to my question about changing blog backgrounds, so just going to go with what I want. :) I think I will change with the months then see what happens. Shake it up a bit.
I decided I wanted to expand my artistic abilities as well and joined a photography group, "Daily Shoot". It is just for fun, no prizes, or distinctions, just a way to build up my photography skills and gives me something other than my dogs and painting to photograph. Although I don't sell my photographs or post them on any site, I do like photography as much as painting. It is just something for me to have fun with. Today was my third day. I was supposed to take a photo of something that had bright light with hard shadows. Since I live in the North West and it is cloudy here as it always is in the winter, I had to take a photo inside with artificial light. It was OK,but I know I could have had a better shot if the sun had been out.
I finished up two ornaments and have one more to go for an order. Then I thought I would continue on the bird theme and do a few other things.
These two are of a couple of Boxers from England.

Blogging backgrounds

2011-01-21T18:54:00.001-08:00

OK, so the other day,by accident deleted the background I worked so hard on for my blog. It was tied to my photobucket account. At this time I really don't want to mess with trying to make another one.
I know there are plenty of free backgrounds out there and some I really love.However, they don't always look good with what my blog is about. I can't find any with paint brushes or dog paws, much to my dismay. Then I got to wondering if people with blogs change their background periodically or just keep them the same.
I kind of like the idea of changing my background according to the season or month. I decided since it is almost Valentines, I would try a Valentine background.
If anyone reads this blog and would like to comment on how they like the background or if I should just choose one and stick with it, I would appreciate the feedback.
I love art and am amazed at all the talent that goes into the backgrounds. I get stuck on one for hours with background blog artist block! LOL.
In the mean time I am finishing up my last little bird canvas painting for myself.
Then I have some ornament orders.

Little Birds

2011-01-20T21:02:00.000-08:00

I have been painting dog and cat portraits for over two years now and although I love creating them, I also want to expand my creativity to include other animals as well.
Lately I have had this obsession with little birds.
I moved this last fall to a house surrounded by trees and the birds are plentiful, (although they still have yet to find the bird feeder I set out for them). I love to watch these little feathered friends flit around, so it was that I wanted to start a collection of little bird paintings and drawings and put them on my studio walls. I know I can buy them through Etsy, but hey, I can paint a few of them as well.
There is also a bird store near me that carries products made by local artists, so once I have painted another one for me, I am going to paint up a few for the store and see if they would like to carry them. I will also sell a few in my Etsy store as well.

Never erase photo links

2011-01-14T22:31:00.000-08:00

I learned a lesson tonight. About three weeks ago I went into my photobucket and decided to clean house. Instead of looking at any of the photos, I just selected all and erased them. Little did I know or remember that a lot of the photos and art backgrounds I made belonged to my business website and my blogger,so when I finally decided that I needed to update my blog, I was shocked to see the background gone and you could not even read what I have written.
I am dismayed to say the least. I made my background for this blog and I have lost the art program I used to make it, so I used a rudimentary paint program...grrrr.
That will also teach me to update my blog regularly. I have been lazy the whole month of December and half of January.
What I really need is a website site, but until I can really sit down to make one,I am using this blogger.
Maybe I should make this a New Years resolution, update my blog almost daily or at least a few times a week.
I just finished an 8 x10 of a Pug that was a result of a raffle. Her name is Peg.

Here is another Scrabble pendant I finished as well. Munch

Clear Glass Ornament Experiment

2010-12-01T21:53:00.001-08:00

So, yesterday I was talking about painting on clear glass rather than painting a white canvas on clear glass first. Reason being, is that by painting the clear glass all white, is it gives it a bit more "tooth" in which to paint and insures that the portrait can't be scraped off it catches the edge of paint.
I just finished up the heart shaped clear glass ornament,"without" first painting a white background. Not sure how stable it will be when it comes to scratches, but I think it turned out pretty good.
Here are two shots of the experiment. I still have to put a clear glaze over first.

Stocking up on Ornaments

2010-11-30T19:53:00.001-08:00

The other day I blogged about my favorite crafts store not carrying the semi-flat ornaments I prefer. I was very dismayed. I like painting on these a whole lot better than the completely round. Well tonight I had to go buy some more paint and lo and behold, they are carrying them again! Yeah!
I promptly bought their entire stock. LOL. I am determined to paint up quite a few for next year, so I can participate in the Holiday Bazaar. Plus, I do get occasional orders during other parts of the year.
I tried to find these online in wholesale, but apparently I am not that good at internet surfing, because I could not find any. I know they are out there, just not sure where.
Now onto some painting news. I have a customer that asked me not to paint the ornament all white first. Rather just keep the see through glass,plus she wanted the heart-shaped ornament. The reason I have always painted the ornaments is to give the paints "tooth" so they stick and stay on. I am afraid that by just painting the portrait, any small scratch on the outer edge of the portrait will lead to a big scratch right through the paint. But, I am always eager to please, so we will see what happens. When I started all this, I went through a lot of different types of mediums to see if they would stay on the slick glass, before I decided to just paint the whole glass ornament white, then the portrait over top. I will post of photo when I am done. Get opinions, then maybe I will start offer this as well.

Christmas bazaar..too tempting

2010-11-28T19:53:00.000-08:00

Every year they have a very large Christmas Bazaar for two weekends at the end of November, first of December. Being an artist and lover of anything handmade by artisans, I have to go. Even if it means just walking around looking at all the great stuff produced by local artists.
If its one thing I like, its to buy things handmade. I know the time and dedication it takes to make a product. Whenever possible I try to buy these products rather than at a big box store.
Today, I found a great jewelery maker, who also made Christmas ornament hangers. I was very intrigued by the fact that she thought of this and decided to make them. After talking with her a bit, (I found out they were her best sellers), I bought five of them. She also makes ones just with brilliant beads, but I liked the Christmas themed ones. I am going to take a poll to see if anyone would be interested in buying one of these along with the ornament. If so, I can buy wholesale. Rest assure that these are not made from a factory line. The best part of all!
Here is an example, along with another ornament I painted up last night. Mr. Pug..:)

If I get enough response, I will most likely be offering these as well.

Black Friday..

2010-11-26T23:27:00.000-08:00

I have never been a big fan of waking up before the sun has even peaked over the horizon, so to all those fans of Black Friday I commend you. I hope it is worth every penny you saved.
Last night right before I closed my laptop, I decided to put up a Black Friday sale. I only had one taker, but that is OK. One is better than none. Plus, I don't really advertise like I should. I should do a lot like Blog more, but I find "other" things to do, then its too late. I think you would call this procrastination...;)
I do want to take a moment to Thank all my returning customers this year. It is really nice to hear from someone that I painted an ornament or portrait for.
I do still have some ornaments I painted up this summer for the holiday available..Here is an example.

You can go to my Etsy and purchase this one or any of the ones I have up.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/gusnwheez

In the meantime..happy shopping!

Holidays are upon us

2010-11-22T10:14:00.000-08:00

I have been rather absent these last two months and am happy to be back in action.
I bought a house in October and with the renovations, moving, unpacking,etc, it leaves little time for me to update my blog or paint for the matter.
Now things are winding down a bit and I am finding a few hours here and there to start Christmas orders.
Lots of stuff that has been going on....
I went to my local crafts store to cut the boxes I use for the ornaments and to my dismay they do not have the die cutter anymore, so I won't be offering handmade boxes until I can find a new one. This is the place I also get my ornaments and what do you know, they are not carrying the semi-flat ornaments either. Boo! I do have a good supply left, but afterwards, if I can't find that particular shape, I will use the tear drop or round.
My latest project which has been going on for awhile, is now finished and ready to be shipped off. It was a very daunting project this time around, as I am not a human portrait artist, but this customer has faith in me. To be honest, I am glad its done and I still have a few strands of hair left on my head. ;)

If you want a custom portrait of your pet or human it is unlikely I could finish a big portrait by Christmas, so a gift certificate is just the thing.Yes, I do offer gift certificates. Please email me and we can discuss particulars.

houseofpawz@gmail.com

Stretching my artistic talents

2010-10-21T21:38:00.000-07:00

Awhile ago, I had a customer ask me to paint her husband with her Pug and Cat.
Now I am comfortable painting and drawing animals, but I think it takes real talent to paint a human face.
I agreed to go ahead, but not making any promises. To be honest, I am pretty critical of human portrait painters. In this case, I am very critical of my talents in this area.
So far the customer is happy with the painting. Here is a look at just the face so far.
Close up..:)

Cute boxes for ornaments

2010-10-14T20:43:00.000-07:00

I am starting make a few more ornaments. Last year I was tossing it around as to what to put them in, sort of a box when they arrive. I set out to order just plain white boxes, but then my creative side got the best of me and I decided to go down to the local arts and craft store to see what I could find. Most stores have all sorts of neat paper and then designs that you can cut your paper into. I saw a cute little box on display and was pleasantly surprised to see the ornament fit nicely into one.
I did put my own spin on the decorative side. I found a paw print paper punch, which ties in nicely with the pet portrait theme.
I can decorate the box in any color or theme really. These boxes can be purchased with the ornament for an extra dollar, so when placing an order be sure and let me know.
Here is a couple of examples;

A lesson in being less detailed

2010-09-24T10:38:00.000-07:00

I have always drawn or painted since I was a little kid. However, one thing has always vexed me, is my persistence in making every thing so detailed.Some may not understand why I get frustrated at times with my inability to take a big paint brush and paint away or draw in big swooping arcs. I can't explain it, but I envy those that can let their inner being explode into color and a sort of freedom with the brush.

When I first got back into being serious about selling my works, I started with my now infamous Pug, Wheezer, (His portrait is my business label). He was supposed to be one of those, "just go for it","let your inner wildness out",he ended up the opposite. While I am happy with the way it turned out, I was still frustrated and vexed with the way I carried on so with every little detail. I am telling you, it is a roadblock with me. Blame on adult ADD or OCD, (my family tells me I might have a smidgen).

I work on this sort of roadblock occasionally, so about two weeks ago, I had an image in my head. It was after seeing my Pug try and carry away, my 76lb American Bulldogs, huge raw hide bone. (didn't happen). I decided that this time I was going to go for it and you know what? It worked. This piece worked up fast and when I wanted to go back to adjust this here or work this there, I walked away. When I came back, I just took a big brush and away I went. I also was looking for a humorous portrait with a non descriptive dog as well, since I have a bad habit of always choosing Pugs..(hehe)
Here it is, "THE Bone"

Rainy day weekends

2010-09-18T10:29:00.000-07:00

I don't know about many, but I do love the coming of Autumn, the leaves, the smell, the feeling that the earth is slowly going to sleep. It also brings out the colors that only mother nature can create. I love it.
October is my favorite month as I do like the Halloween holiday. Not so much for trick or treating, but the fact it means different things to different people. When else can you imagine and create all the ghouls and ghosts that are in the back of ones imagination?
I created a few Scrabble Pendant pieces for Halloween. I also have made one that has the owners dog in one of their costumes they are forced to wear, much to the delight of the owner, but to the dismay of the dog. hehe. Two of the pendants have bead dangles for an added effect.
Anyone interested in having their own pet forever in their favorite costume can email me at houseofpawz@gmail.com

Here are four that I worked up yesterday

Elephant dreams....

2010-09-11T21:54:00.000-07:00

OK so I do love dogs, we all know that. But, I have always had a liking for animals from Africa, especially the Elephant.
I have a small collection of Elephants and have always wanted a portrait of one. My first medium love is the pencil, so I took these two and put them together. Months ago, and I mean months ago I started a drawing of an Elephant. I prefer half faces, which you can see from my first painting I did of my Pug, Wheezer. This is a work in progress and probably will be until next Summer. Between my pet sitting job,selling my house and buying a house and the Christmas ornaments I am painting, there is not a lot of time for my drawing. Good thing, I am patient..hehe.
Here is part of it. One day I will unveil the entire drawing. It is done with pencil.

A few wedding photos

2010-08-26T22:31:00.000-07:00

Ok some people have asked to the wedding photos of my Pug and my friends Pug..these are all we have right now..they took over 1,200 photos, so more to come.
these are what I have right now.

The Weddding Cake by http://www.CakenIt.net and below the cake, wedding collars by
http://www.etsy.com/shop/jenniebgoode

The Table decorations

The wedding dress and Tux made by http://miapiacloset.com

Busy getting back orders done

2010-08-25T22:26:00.000-07:00

What a month! I went on vacation the first of this month and OH what a vacation it was. Crazy...17 hr drive down to southern California with six dogs was an experience. On the way back we had our newest HoP member and it took us 30 hrs to drive back. This lady is not the young pup she used to be when staying up all night driving! ha~!
I initially went down to pick up my newest member an American Bulldog puppy..yeah she is the largest of the HoP clan at only 9 months. OH!
But, as I said in my last blog, I am crazy! A friend and I put on a Pug wedding! Complete with a live streaming video, photographer, cake, dress, etc. It was fun, but very exhausting too. I make no apologies for being so weird..someone has to be.
Due to all the excitement at the first of the month, I did put off some orders I have had lined up. Wanted to make sure I had the time to relax and enjoy painting them. I don't ever want my painting to become a "job". It would not be enjoyable any more.
I finished up three scrabble pendants. Here is a photo,although it is a bit blurry since my camera was refusing to cooperate.

Then tonight I finished up an ornament that was a winning bid for an auction I donated to. The proceeds went to help an off leash dog park in my area, ran totally by volunteers. (Where would we be without our volunteers?) This is Nelson..isn't he cute?

Orders,vacation,wedding oh my!

2010-08-09T07:53:00.000-07:00

Its Monday and I am sitting here thinking of all the stuff I need to get done by Weds. That is the day I hit the road for vacation. It's been a long five months of planning. That is when I decided to go to California for a crazy road trip. I say crazy because I initially was going to pick up an American Bulldog puppy I adopted. Now I don't know how this happened, but in planning to pick this puppy up and visiting with a friend of mine, we got the crazy idea to have a dog wedding to top it off.
I don't mean just two dogs in store bought wedding attire either. This is an all out wedding. Hand sewn dress fir the female,vest for the male. Professional wedding cake,professional photographer,etc. The more we planned the more we got into making this a really awesome dog wedding. I think once you have delved into the world of serious dog owner,your really...well let's just say there is no going back.
On top of all this running around I have managed to get a few orders for my painted dog ornaments and Scrabble pieces. I am going to work in some of them today.

Dog event this weekend

2010-08-08T20:26:00.000-07:00

What a weekend. Every year there is a dog event here where I live and I have had to work. Well this year I actually had a day off, so I went and set up a table with my art work.
Now I have never attempted to set up an art display and mine was pretty lame. However, I did get a lot of lookee loo's and people did take my cards. Plus the proceeds went to an off leash dog park that is maintained by a great bunch of volunteers.
I have been so busy with my pet sitting and trying to sell my house that I have ignored my Blog.
I have a few new ornaments that I have painted, so I could have a few examples for the dog event.
Here are the four I did.

Busy summer

2010-07-19T22:18:00.000-07:00

It has been one busy summer and I have not picked up one brush or pencil. I would love to write a post and say I have done something, but I haven't. I have started a nice pencil drawing but it is very detailed, so its taking me awhile to finish it. Hopefully in the next few weeks I can show you a new drawing.
I am taking orders for Christmas Ornaments, if anyone is thinking about a present for family, friends or themselves, please let me know. Its better to the order now than a month before Christmas. To see examples of the ornaments please go to my slide show.
They are semi-flat rounded at the edges.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer~!

ahhh the rain..

2010-06-15T12:51:00.000-07:00

I was lucky I had two beautiful days of sunshine. Today I plan on sitting down and drawing. I have not drawn in a long time using just pencil.I have had an image in my head and since I can't make myself feel guilty about not going outside and doing chores, I will draw.
Here is a photo of a flower I took awhile back that is on my do to paint list.
Thought since it is yellow, like the sun, I would share. I hear there are many around the states that are looking at grey skies and rain.

I love taking photos as much as drawing, so I hope you enjoy these as much as I like taking them. :)

Sun is finally here!

2010-06-12T14:07:00.000-07:00

Hello world,
After months of rain, rain and more rain. The nice weather is here and it is supposed to be that way for a while. Yeah! I have been fiddling with my camera taking photos of my dogs. They are so happy when I pull my camera out..not.
Have a great weekend everyone!

Basset Hounds Abound

2010-06-11T14:08:00.000-07:00

I have been busy working and also producing a few Scrabble Pendants, so nothing new has come along to blog about.I should blog every day, but..I am not one that writes a whole lot about nothing.
This week I just finished up with a Basset Hound portrait for a Basset rescue in Arizona. azbassetrescue. I was asked to donate a portrait in December and just now finished. Yes, it does take me awhile, but I do hope that some proceeds come from it, because it takes a lot of money to run a rescue.
Adopt don't shop is a motto I am trying to follow. Although I admit, I have bought four of my six dogs. After these, I will always adopt.

Here is a few angles of the portrait. It is a square 8 x 8

Then there were 9!

2010-05-27T11:27:00.000-07:00

I had an order for 9 Scrabble Pendants, all from one family.
I finished them up today and I must say, they make quite the bunch.
My first ever Cat Scrabble Pendants are presented here as well.
See, even all you cat lovers can have your favorite cat or your friend to wear around your neck.
I am taking orders ever day, but please be aware that I do have a orders pending.
Its a beautiful day here in the North West so I am going to take advantage of it and go out to my garden and wrestle some weeds.
For now I present the Oklahoma clan..I thought the Scrabble Box behind makes a nice backdrop. :)

Here are the two Kittahs

Scrabble Pendants, Pugs and Work

2010-05-24T21:18:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy last few weeks, so I haven't done my Blog updates as much as would have like to.
Among the varied things I do to make a living, one is to take care of a Bed and Breakfast. This takes me out of town at least two to three times a year, sometimes for a week and in this last case a month. It can get pretty hectic running a BnB, but I have enjoyed my time there. This particular BnB (Miller Tree Inn) is featured as the "Vampire Cullen House" of the Twlight series. In case you have not read the books or heard of the movie..haha..it takes place in Forks Washington. Yes, there really is a town by such a name. Anyway, while I am there, my art does take a back seat at times, so I have been a bit behind in my paintings and blogging. I am finishing up a few pendants and then I am on to a painting for a Basset Hound rescue.
Here is a photo of the pendants I did recently

I had a bit of cheery news today, I was featured in a treasury listing on Etsy by the wonderful person Donna of "Widgetsandwhatsus" . What a nice surprise that was. She featured a white cat I painted a couple of months ago. I loved the blue eyes of this particular cat, so just had to paint him.
You can see this treasury here:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4bfac49daad88eef2181b01f/the-cats-meow

I am such an Etsy fan, anything you could possibly want is there and its all handmade. I love buying hand made product!

I will be back later in the week to post my latest work, right now I am off to pet sit a couple of wonderful Beagles!

Now there were two...

2010-05-12T20:13:00.000-07:00

I just finished the other ornament with the Dachshund. They almost look alike, but I think they painted up nicely. The one photo was very dark, so I fudged a bit and added a few of my own interpretations.

Here is Buddy a couple of paint strokes away from being done..

Here is the finished Buddy

Now I am too a bunch of Scrabble Pendants orders I have gotten this last week. I will post photos..I think I want to try and post photos of all of them together. We will see

A good morning it is...

2010-05-10T07:47:00.000-07:00

I woke up to the fog in the trees. Yes, people this is the beautiful North West. It may rain a lot and have a few more days of cloudy skies, but its green!!
I was going to post the finished ornament last night, however as the previous blog post said, my battery was dead. I'm actually glad too, because this morning I got the idea to hold the ornament up to the best backdrop there is..green and fog in the trees.

Here is the final photo of Daisy. I am on to her brother today.

Here is what the background really looks like

Back from a small break, onto the next phase..

2010-05-09T21:20:00.000-07:00

of my ornaments I am painting. Actually I finished up tonight with one of the ornaments but my camera battery died. I did take photos of the third stage the other day so I am posting those for tonight.
These two ornaments are for a birthday present in June. Actually these are a great present for anytime, a small canvas, affordable and you get the same unique painting of House of Paws, only on a smaller scale.

Here is Daisy:

The creation of a painted ornament

2010-05-01T14:14:00.001-07:00

While most people think ornaments are only for Christmas, that is not always true. Many people like to have ornaments for everyday decoration.
I have had a few people ask for a painting of their pet for birthdays, an anniversary or even as a memorial of a pet at the bridge.
This time around its for a birthday.I am painting two Dachshunds.
Here is the beginning of steps of a painted ornament.
First up is the plain clear semi-flat disc ornaments I use. These are not the big round balls you see in most ornament stores. I like this type as it feels more like a canvas. I clean it with a surface conditioner.

Next I take a sponge and sponge paint a white acrylic base. I like the texture it creates. Gives it tooth so to speak. I put two coats on.

I then take the photo, This is Daisy...

and sketch it onto the ornament.

This is all I have done so far..check back tomorrow..I will have started painting Daisy...

Scrabble Tile Art

2010-04-25T19:48:00.000-07:00

After finding out I could paint on a scrabble tile without going blind, I have offered to paint any pet or even favorite breed on a Scrabble tile. The first one I did, was drawn with color pencil on heavy weight paper. This time around I just painted directly on the tile.
Anyone who would like a pendant tile can go to my Etsy Shop and convey me or set up a Alchemy transaction.

This is the painted Feargus

The Four Buford Bullie Ladies

2010-04-23T13:11:00.001-07:00

Once upon a time there were four sweet older lady Pugs, they would sit around shooting the bull and chewing on their Buford Bullies, ahhh life was fine, then one day they decided they wanted to kick it up a notch and went on a hat buying spree..now they sit around chewing on their Buford Bullie sticks and shooting the bull,"but" with a touch more class.

I have been working on these four since February. With one lovely older lady left..This is Miss Peggy (If you pawlease), who is loves just a touch of red, for that extra "pop"

This is a photo of the four Buford Bullies ladies..(Yes, their mom owns a Bully stick store) My dogs love them..check it out for your dogs as well..all natural. Bufords Bullies

The Making of Sophia

2010-04-21T21:22:00.000-07:00

I needed to two collars made for my Pugs, so I asked Jennifer of Jennie B. Goode Collars if she would like to do a trade. I have always wanted to paint a Bulldog and let me tell you, this girl is a cutey!!
Here are the different phases of the painting Sophie

In honor of Earth Day..

2010-04-20T15:36:00.000-07:00

In two more days it will be Earth Day, lets do our part.
I am not only from a city that is going green but I have Pugs..
Enjoy the video!

The wonderful world of Etsy

2010-04-06T19:31:00.000-07:00

One thing about being an artist is I love buying handcrafted items. I know the work that goes into making something from scratch. Its just not the thought of owning something uniquely made, but also the fact that it is not made by a machine pumping out hundreds of copies of the same thing.
I first found Etsy about five years ago when I had the desire for a hobo bag. I loved the slouchy purse look. I was surfing around the internet when I happened across this site. Talk about getting addicted right away. Here was a haven for all things handmade! You can pretty much think of anything and its there, made by someone who loves what they do and it shows.
Five years later, my taste for purses has changed yet again to the messenger bag. I like how I can sling it around my shoulder and be hands free and knowing it is securely wrapped around me.
When I first started looking for a bag, there were stores that carried many different types, however I looked at the price and saw where is was made and thought, "Hey, wait a minute!" and off I went to Etsy, knowing full well I would find hand crafted messenger bag.
There were many but one store caught my eye Zoe's Bag Boutique
Not only did I find a messenger bag, but I was able to make it uniquely my own! I got to pick the fabric for the flap and the size, plus she adds a key fob. I love it because I am always misplacing my keys. I was so impressed I asked her if she could make me a bag for my dog walking business .Summer is right around the corner and that means no place for the essentials. (water bottle,extra leashes,LOTS of poo bags,clients keys, etc.)
She has the cutest "Dog Diner" fabric, so I had to have that design!
Here are some pics I took today..Of course I carry a bigger one she made me last year when I have my dogs, but they are my models so this particular photo is for the shoot. :)
(PS...My dogs were not at their best modeling behavior today)

My Wheezer modeling the front..(he knows there is goodies in there!)

I turned the bag inside out to show the "stuff" I carry with me..LOTS of poo bags, extra leash, snackie for the good dogs..This purse is a godsend! (Seriously who likes walking down the sidewalk carrying Fido's little prezzies).I just put it in the messenger bag in one of the pockets. Nuff said!

I couldn't resist teasing the model

So when you are looking for something really unique and hand crafted try going to Etsy..you never know what you will find!

Easter Painting..done!

2010-04-01T21:43:00.000-07:00

Better late than never I say..I have had this image in my head for awhile, but when your other profession is taking care of pets and its Spring Break..Taking care of the pets comes first. Very busy season. Yah!
I decided to take photos of my progress so I can show the way I paint, which is all over the place. I get bored very easy, so moving around doing this, then that helps.
In this portrait, I took 7 different breeds, in this case puppies, and put them together in various poses. I then added four to an Easter basket. You could say this portrait came from many different photos and images I envisioned. I pieced everything you see here together. This is a first for me, so I am excited to expand in this direction. As an artist, we all have different ways of creating things.
I have even tossed it around to paint a portrait a month as a series with puppies. Not sure if I will take this and make into a reality, but we will see.

I made this into a slideshow..took forever,as I am not slideshow savvy. Hope all of you can see it.

Abstract Art

2010-03-23T10:57:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago, my mother wanted some art for her walls. She began looking at art online, showing my various abstract art. I suddenly remembered few years back, I had been talking with a fellow employee that would decompress by going home and throwing paint on a canvas. He would literally,dip his brush in a big bucket of paint and just splatter a canvas. He suggested I try it sometime as it was very liberating.
Now, to make it clear, I am all about fine detail. In fact I find I am a bit obsessed with fine detail. I will find artists who paint fine art and will study the painting or drawing for hours up close just to see how they managed it.
So to let go of my inhibitions and throw paint around means wrapping my head around the fact that the dab of paint is fine where it is, step away and leave it alone..ugh!Some may understand this, some may not. It is hard.
However, that day a couple of years ago, I did just that. I went out and bought a couple of big canvas's, tubes of paint and went to work. One was for me and the other for my mother. The one I did for my mother was hard, as I kept wanting it to be perfect, just a little adjustment to the line there, no the dot should go here..all the while my brain is screaming.."JUST LET GO!". I finished, but felt very uptight.
I then started on mine and this time I said,"To hell with it and threw the paint..just slammed it on, this way, that way, blam, brush full of black paint thrown at the canvas and you know what? It was liberating! I had soo much fun with that canvas..It was like doing something bad and getting away with it. Weird I know, but that is how it felt. Let me add that mine also got a dose of fiber materials as well. Dried leaves, burned paper and yarn weaving I picked up in Lowell, Massachusetts
I haven't done anymore since then,but recently hung my painting on my wall again. (The paint in the living room, did not match the painting)I have since painted the wall a nice rust color. I started getting compliments on it and people asking where I bought it. When I told them I did it, they ask if I might do some more. Really??
This got me thinking that perhaps, when I am feeling a bit feisty and wanting to break for the rigid, tightness of my painting self, I should try again...I am posting a the two paintings here and would like feed back...
To paint without inhibition or just stick to my detail pet portraits...????

Here is a close up

Here is a close up

Spring is in the air..

2010-03-18T15:51:00.000-07:00

I am enjoying the signs of Spring as many I hear from are as well. Today, as I was walking a dog client of mine, I took in the amazing array of flowers popping up everywhere. I got my camera out after we got back from our walk and starting clicking away at some flowers. I hope to use these in my art later on.
As the days go by I am itching to start painting flowers and other things. I want to finish up some ideas of dogs first, then I think I will. I can just feel all the glorious colors now! This is what Spring does to me, new beginnings, isn't that what they say?
I am also hoping to learn more about the art community in this area. I know that Etsy had its first I "heart" Etsy show here in Portland, Oregon. Unfortunately I had to miss it, but I joined their group, so hoping to get some new insights to this.

I saw this photo and thought it was so funny. I drew it with color pencil and made it as an ACEO art card.

(When I get busy with my petsitting, I only have time for small things). I am going to start an 8 x 10 Easter photo here shortly.
Thanks to all those that follow my art blog... I do like to share my stuff..:)

Enjoy the sun

March came in like a lion for me..busy!

2010-03-14T22:32:00.000-07:00

As some know I own a pet sitting/dog walking business. I got into that about five years ago and I love my job. Nothing better than a happy smile and wagging tail.
That said March has turned in a very busy month for me and because of it, I have neglected my blog and haven't painted or drawn a lot of art lately.
The last four days, I have been pet sitting three awesome dogs for a 24 hr a day period and I had some time to get some art done. This next week will be pretty much the same, so hopefully get some more items up in my Etsy shop
Here is an art card I did. This time I used a linen art card with acrylics. This Pomeranian is my mothers dog Cookie, who always has a great smile

This one, I saw a bunch of baby Pugs and put them together as I love the expressions and eyes of Pugs..no other breed could pull off this look.

Cats, Artfire, 500 followers

2010-03-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

Yes, the title is all about that..
First off, I am have been slow on creating these last two weeks.Life has gotten in the way and I had to take of that first. Now I am back on track to create a few more things for my Etsy store.
Speaking of stores online, I keep hearing about Artfire. Its also an online store that many artists of many different mediums sell their wares. I set up my profile the other night and that is where I will sell some of my original art work.Not sure if I will sell the copies just yet. I think I might save that for my Etsy. So be sure and look for my store opening on Artfire.
Now onto my other subject. 500 followers..(do I have your attention?) If I get 500 followers to this BLOG I am giving away one free 11x14. After the 500 I will use a system where I will put in the numbers and have the winning number randomly picked. This can be a pet portrait, landscape, building, wild animals..you name it. Doesn't have to be a dog or cat. I prefer not painting humans. In my opinion it takes a great artist to capture the true human art form. Heck I might decide to give away my biggest canvas..a 16 x20...stay tuned and sign up to follow!!!

I paint and draw a lot of dogs, however I don't get many people asking for cats, so I saw this lovely blue-eyed kitty and was drawn to its eyes. (I am an eye person, what can I say). This is done on a 5 x 7 sheet of premium,acid free, 110lb acrylic paper. Its not a canvas, but looks and feels like one. It will be up in my store here shortly.
Here I have shown the various stages on what I do.As you can see, I need eyes staring out at me to finish the portrait.

New laptop

2010-02-28T20:25:00.001-08:00

It's been awhile, I have felt adrift without my computer. I researched and compared last week and finally came to the conclusion I wanted the same specs as my old one. It is amazing what three years will do with the price. I paid almost 600.00 more then. I am happy with this one. It has a wide,bright screen. Enough that when I get a photo sent that may not be the best, it will show better on this one. I have clients send my jpg's rather than a photo snail mail.
I have taken a break with my painting to get this computer and attend to my petsitting business this last week. I do plan on starting back up tomorrow with a couple of 5 x7's. I found some really great linen paper that feels like a canvas. Its made for acrylic and oil paints. I am excited to get this started. I have three paintings in mind, so will work on them. Plus I will probably draw up a couple more Pugs in Hats ACEO cards.
I am planning on a great giveaway here in a few months. I really would like to hit 500 fans here on my blog by at least next fall. If I can get that many I will be giving away a large canvas painting. More details are to follow. Fans to my blog that is, not Facebook. I am thrilled to have almost 300 hundred on my Facebook..looking forward to the 300 mark there as well. Don't forget to tell your friends and family to sign up for my fan page on Facebook

I have also enjoyed watching the 2010 Winter Olympics and want to give a shout out to all the great athletes! Those are some amazing talented people.

Dealing with Laptop issues, Latest in Pug Hats series

2010-02-20T18:58:00.000-08:00

Well it happened my laptop crashed last week. Talk about a bummer week. I rely on that so much that its hard to accept I need to get a new one.
I have been looking these last few days and finally have decided to just go with what I already had. It's not that latest in memory nor does it have any new bells and whistles, but it does what I need it to do, so why pay more for something I will probably never use. I don't play games or download music,so won't be missing anything there. What I do need it for is pictures, photos and my art. I swear I can put over 2,000 pictures on my computer in a week. Its that easy for me. Plus I am lost with my Adobe Photoshop. I really rely on this.
This leads me to my other news. I have finally started to connect with the Portland Oregon art community. I have been so busy marketing out into the netherworld of the Internet, that I forgot I have a huge art community right here in my back yard! I joined a few groups, plus there is an event in the summer that happens on the Last Thursday of every month. Appropriately called "Last Thursday"
I am going to try and participate this summer and am looking forward to a possible art showing in Gresham at the beginning of March.

Now for the latest in my Pugs in Hat series.
This is Lillian in Page Boy

Babies and Football Winners

2010-02-10T22:15:00.000-08:00

The other day I was looking at puppies, you know all breeds of puppies, so I got an itch to draw some puppies. My first one, I decided should be a Bulldog. I don't know why, maybe because you just want to pick them up and squish them to pieces. All rolly polly. Now how cute is that? I am starting a series of puppies and you never know I might thrown in some kittens while I am there.
For now here is da Baby Bulldog!

Sunday I got into the football game, well no, I don't really understand the game or even watch it, but I did put up a contest for who could guess that points at half time.The winner would get their dog drawn on an art card with their favorite football Jersey. Not one but two people picked the same points, so I drew an art card for each of them. One did not want a jersey, but the other one did.
Here are both:
Dallas who is an Iowa Hawks fan

Boomer who happens to have some very long ears

Win a free drawing of your dog..today only

2010-02-07T11:26:00.000-08:00

I am not much of a football person, but I do like a fun contest now and again..
For today only you can head over to my fan page in Face Book and enter to win the drawing.
House of Pawz fan page

I also got my new printer and scanner up and running, so if your looking for a print of my work please go have a look at my Etsy shop

If you don't see something there, please convey me and I will see what I can do for you.

Have a great Sunday

A new printer for me!

2010-02-06T14:51:00.000-08:00

I have been agonizing for the last week on whether I should order prints for my Aceo cards or just print them up. I have also ask several artists as well. Some sent me forum links, but no one really gave me an answer that I wanted. Anyway, after going back and forth I just decided to buy another printer that can handle the prints I want. I am installing the software as I type this, so we will see if I get the results I am looking for or if it was a money I could have spent getting them printed.
One reason I am slow to get work out, is that I am very picky on my work. If I don't feel its working then I go back and redo it again and again. I am like this with many items I create. If I don't think its perfect, then its not going to be posted or sold.
I also like people's honest opinions as well. I can't go on with work, I think is good and no one else does, but they don't want to hurt my feelings...hurt away I say. It helps to get constructive comments. It really does!
OK so the copy/scanner is ready for its first test...back later to let you know if it worked!

The Pug Ladies of Hatville

2010-02-01T18:56:00.000-08:00

Last week I came up with an idea for a series of ACEO art cards.Since I have Pugs and think they have very expressive faces, I decided to go with this breed, (for now). I am also fascinated by hats, especially the hats they wear for the Kentucky derby. Any hat really, but these are my favorites. Put these two together and you get Pug Ladies of Hatville. ( I just made that title up)
I went to my facebook fan page and asked my fans if any would be willing to sacrifice their female pugs to my colored pencil mania. I ended up with 17 female sacrificial Pugs, he..he..he Although I have a ways to go, I do have four of them done so far. The originals will not be for sale, however the copies will be for sale on my Etsy shop, stay tuned.
I have spent a week looking for printing companies that can make copies of the cards to the quality and specifications I want them to be. I found one, now all the remains is uploading and ordering. It also took a me a few days to figure out how to take quality photos of my art work. Living in the Northwest, where it is gloomy most days doesn't help either, especially when you need good lighting.
For now, here are the Four Pug Ladies from Hatsville.
Dora, Gwennie, Olive and Josie

Musings with Black and White

2010-01-24T11:27:00.000-08:00

When I started drawing, way back when I was a wee thing..first grade, (I remember winning a price for best art piece), I have always loved the pencil. Taking one color and turning it into many different shades and forming an image from that. As I got older I took up graphite pencils. They have a vary from hard point, to soft point. Sometimes too soft in my opinion. I rarely use those. I like the fine detail and unless you keep the pencil razor sharp at all times, it doesn't work for me.
It has been a long,long time since I picked up my graphite pencils and did any work. I have colored pencils, graphite pencils and watercolor pencils that are almost 20 years old! Some have never been used. That tells you how long in between drawings I do. Life gets in the way at times.
I love to look at various artists and their work. Lately I have been surfing the internet enjoying the art work that is out there. (Love the internet). Anyway getting back to the point of this, I am seeing a lot pencil art and my yearning to just pick up a pencil rather than a brush got the better of me. Since I am building my little art card collection, I decided to draw a lion in black, white and varying shades of grey. Two of my favorite Exotic animals is the lion and the elephant. So regal.
Here is where it was last night.

This is the end result:

This and other cards will be sold..in the future. I am trying to decide if I want to make limited edition copies or just sell originals.

The Tale of Two Chi's

2010-01-23T13:23:00.000-08:00

I just finished painting a 11 x 14 canvas, using acrylics. This was one of those jobs I thought I would never get done. Personal life has stepped in way too many times over the last two weeks, preventing me from finishing this up.
I did discover I work pretty well under a great amount of duress. I guess I needed to focus on something other than pain and so my thoughts went into the painting. Good thing it turned out as I hoped rather than one of the paintings that you can tell is anguished with slashes of dark paint and even darker images.No I did not want some fabled fearsome dog..lol
The owner requested a few changes to the one with hair and a Teal background. (I let the owner choose what color of background, unless it absolutely is not working for me)
Anyway this is a painting of what it looks like with two dogs on canvas as opposed to one. I can put many dogs together for an extra fee.
This is Stretch and Stella:

Miniature Art (ACEO)

2010-01-19T10:47:00.000-08:00

I have to blog about this. I am excited about this new art..well not new to the art world, but new to me. I have never heard of it.
The other day I was in the art store getting supplies,(I like to browse around), and happened by these 2.5 x 3.5 cards. The front said it was good for "art trading cards". What the heck? I have never heard of these.I shelved it to the back of mind for "Later".
The other day I was scanning the internet and came upon this webpage, eHow
It described how to find and collect miniature art, known as ACEO.Basically a 2.5 x 3.5 piece of art card, (can be paper, canvas, watercolor weight, etc)that artists paint,draw or create fiber art on. Then they sell them. Little pieces of original art. I have always loved miniature art, be it sculpture, boxes, those little pieces of rice with writing on them. Now I want to do this type of thing..how fun would that be, painting little pieces of art. I have so many ideas. I love drawing fantasy, (fairies, dragons,ect), wild life, (Birds,African animals,etc), flowers (any), the list is endless of what I can do.
I need to finish up some projects,but I am going to have some ready to sell by March. I will let you know. These sell from 5.00 to 12.00 depending on the work,if its original (Only one), or copies. I do plan to make copies too.
If you would like an original, one of kind, let me know and I will put you on a list. I will determine the price once I get going.

The Boss

2010-01-13T08:41:00.000-08:00

Last week I started a portrait for a client that seemed to be going fine, but as does happen in life,when I was about 50% done, the canvas had an accident with a sharp object. Much to my dismay it was a loss. Oh, I can still use the canvas for my own personal use, however it is not good enough for a customer. Needless to say I was upset and had to wait a couple of days to get another canvas. I did have a 16 x 20 I had bought last summer for myself. I have painted all my dogs save my black Pug, Raven. I decided since I had to wait on the other, I would go ahead and start on her. When I begin a painting, especially when it comes to my dogs, I try to capture the look I find the most appealing. In this case, Ravens top lip will sometimes get caught under her bottom lip. When she gives me the "look" and her lip is like this, it always seems to me, she is saying, "I am the boss" and for emphasis pokes the lip out. She is very stubborn and will manage to get her way, not only with me, but with the other dogs as well. She is the alpha around here. Raven is my little bossy lady and I love her lots.

Another ornament for you to see.

2010-01-10T19:34:00.000-08:00

I was sent a picture from a friend of mine the other day that I would like to show all of you. This summer I got to meet this wonderful lady and her family, including her four dogs and two others that she cares for when her parents are out of town. They are such a great family and I just could not resist painting her dogs. I love each and ever one..From the famous Beatrix and her pink purse,the ever handsome Baby Ben, the Miss Diva grandma Susie to the quite and honorable Johnny.
Here is the picture.

I have also opened a Facebook fan page, if you are on facebook, be sure to check it out and become a fan.

Mistakes do happen

2010-01-08T13:13:00.000-08:00

Usually I blog about good things and upload my current art work, but, just so no one thinks all is perfect here, I do make mistakes.
I donated a 11 x 14 portrait painting to an animal hospital for their annual fund raiser. There was a winner and I was almost done with the painting..till yesterday.
Much to my dismay, the canvas perched so I could view it better, fell. Thinking all was well, I picked it up and no, all was not well.
There was a 1/2 inch tear in the canvas. Talk about a drop in the pit of my stomach. I just stood there. I did not know whether to cry or get angry. I actually did neither, but instead went to work trying to fix the tear.
I did fix it, but you can still see it, so the canvas will go towards a painting for me or at a discount. I will paint over the existing work. That in itself makes me bummed.
Oh well..what can you do but keep going forward. I am just glad it wasn't completely finished or larger than it was.
I shall move ahead..

New Design Just in Time for Valentines!

2010-01-03T11:34:00.001-08:00

Actually this can be for an anytime gift. Wedding, birthday...but since it is shaped like a heart and Valentines is the upcoming holiday, I thought, why not! I got the idea after I went into the crafts store to buy the regular ornaments for my Christmas design. I saw this these and they do look like a heart. I am excited to offer these to anyone who is interested. As always these will come in a pink or red box if so desired for a small fee.
If anyone doesn't want the pet portrait on them, I can just put a name or date on it. Since many may not want all the red hearts on the side, I just painted up one without the hearts as a design. White with your pets portrait on them.
These both are set up in my Etsy store as well. The price there includes the cost of the box.

Here are the two designs

The King is revealed

2010-01-02T21:33:00.000-08:00

This fall I was commissioned to paint an 11 x 14 for a dear friend of mine.
The dog is a Pug and we jokingly call him the King. I was very honored to paint his portrait. My intention was to show why he is called the king,hopefully I have been able to do this.

King Spivey

This was painted with acrylics on 11x14 canvas. If interested in your pet painted, please email me. a

The Day After

2009-12-26T16:40:00.000-08:00

Ahh the buildup to Christmas, then its here and now, we have another 365 days before we do it all over again. It was a whirl wind to be sure. I got my last ornament out Monday. Throughout the last two weeks, I have had clients send me picture of their ornaments on their trees. It's one thing to see them in a photograph but another to see them on the trees.
Here are a few that were sent to me.

More Ornaments..Christmas is almost here

2009-12-08T21:59:00.000-08:00

It's crunch time now...two weeks and I am down to the last seven ornaments. I probably won't be taking anymore orders for Christmas. I am pretty much full and I don't want anyone to be disappointed if they do not get their present to themselves or their family/friends on time.
I thank all those that chose to buy my work. 53 ornaments in two months and two weeks. Not to bad for just being new at this type of thing.
I am starting a new line after Christmas. They will be for Valentines or just for every day. They glass ornaments themselves are shaped like a heart. I will be posting a sample hopefully by the first of January.

Here are a few that I have done recently. These are all different breeds. Two Bostons, a Shar Pei,a Shis Tzu (who happens to be dressed for Halloween) and Two Pugs in one. Yes,I can actually do more than one dog per ornament. Just ask and I will see what I can do. (please note my camera is not that good, hence the quality of the photo.

Two Pink Hatted Girls

2009-12-01T22:19:00.000-08:00

I couldn't resist posting this one.
I have been busy painting away, just haven't had time post any images.
Happy December! You know that time of year, when you have no idea where time goes and your list just keeps getting longer.

The Fab 5

2009-11-20T23:39:00.000-08:00

Here are five ornaments from the same household. All different, all fun to paint.
I love it when I can get them all done in short order.
Heres to:
Springer--Clyde
Basset--Pickles
Lhasa Apso--Angel
Jack Russell--Jack
Bull/Pit-Bull--Ali'i

Another Cat Ornament

2009-11-19T20:16:00.000-08:00

I have been busy with ornaments and once again thanks to all my customers. This last one is a cat named Rosie. Beautiful eyes.
I am adding to the slide show slowly, so thanks for your patience.
I have also opened an online store on Etsy.com so if you would rather purchase ornaments or a painting from there feel free.
Here is the link:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/gusnwheez

Rosie:

First Bird Portrait

2009-11-12T23:10:00.000-08:00

I am excited to post this one. I had request from a customer that has no pets, rather she is an avid bird watcher and photographer.
When she asked me if I could paint a wild bird, I said yes! I love wild birds, so I was very excited to paint this one.
Right now if anyone has an animal they are thinking might make a nice ornament for someone just let me know and I will see what I can do.

A few more ornaments to share

2009-11-10T08:25:00.000-08:00

Nothing says Christmas like hand made gifts. I hope that all the people who have received my ornments will enjoy them for a long time to come.
I like to think of them as mini canvas paintings. I have painted quite a few since I decided on the ornament theme and each one has been a great pleasure.
Most of the dogs I know from Dogster, however there are a few that are not. I have even met some of these dogs on my travels and many more I would like to meet one day.
One in particular is a dog by the name of Brutus. He has a pout that could put any dog to shame. When I recently painted his portrait, I nailed the pout. If I had a pouty face like this staring at me every day. You can be sure he would be totally spoiled.
Every once in a while I will highlight a particular dog, cat or bird. Today is Brutus.
Here is a few days I will be painting my first non-fur animal. A customer commissioned a wild bird to be painted on an ornament. Should be fun.

Gift Boxes!

2009-10-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

While shipping out the previous ornaments, I pondered how I could present the ornament in a nicer presentation than plain tissue paper with ribbon and lots of bubble wrap.
I happened to be in a crafts store and I asked the a very helpful person at the crafts counter about small boxes that could be had at a decent price. She brought up the idea of making my own boxes. With all the scrap booking and fun things now a days that you can do with paper, glue, ribbon and stickers, I have always tried to stay away, as I would undoubtedly be in the poor house if I started down that road. She showed me a simple die cut for a nice little box and said I could also purchase a paper punch to make a window to show case the ornament. I agreed on the paper,but not the punch as it was not within my price range at the moment. With patience she showed me how to make a really cute gift box or storage box to put the ornaments in. What fun!!! I am all about hand making products.
Later I was at yet "another" crafts store and landed on a PAW paper punch on sale no doubt! Ha!
So without further ado...here are two examples of the boxes (made by me...yeah!)you can choose from when buying an ornament. I am only going to do these two for the upcoming holiday but they can be changed on the color.
The boxes come with the ornament for a fee. Later, if they are for birthday or some other holiday, I will use a different color paper for the box and ribbon to fit the mood.

New Slide Photos

2009-10-24T20:20:00.000-07:00

It occurred to me that many people are curious as to what picture I used when painting on the ornaments I am currently doing.
If you scroll down to the bottom, I have put both the photo and the portrait side by side.
Till next time..enjoy the show

Canvas Painting

2009-10-23T21:55:00.000-07:00

I just finished an 8x10 canvas of a beloved dog, Zeke. [He has since gone to the bridge].

He was the client's sister's dog and she had many fond and loving memories of him.

The client wanted me to capture those moments with this portrait.

Many of us have had our pets pass and wish, sometimes to late, that we should have gotten a professional picture or portrait done of them. I know I am one of them, I paint! How I regret not painting or at least getting a professional photo of my two beloved girls, who are angels now.

Here is a painting of Zeke ...in loving memory

Ornaments for Christmas

2009-10-22T22:09:00.000-07:00

A little while back I said that orders should be placed by the end of November.
To clarify,I can take orders all the way through December, however that does not guarantee that the ornament will get to you by Christmas.
I can make up a gift certificate. I have done this with my canvas paintings.
If you want it by Christmas morning and you wait till the middle of December, email me to see if I can do this for you.
If I am not totally bogged down, I can probably get it out to you.

I appreciate all the previous orders that have been placed and hope you enjoy your one of kind painted pet portrait.

Thanks,
The House of Pawz

First Cat Painting

2009-10-18T19:48:00.000-07:00

I have painted a lot of dogs lately, but no cats. I finally had an order for a cat.

The problem we had is the cat is white and all the backgrounds so far have been white. I asked the client if she would be interested in a light blue background.

Her cat is part Siamese, so he has blue eyes. She agreed and I painted the background blue.

I think it turned out pretty well. I love how their eyes speak to you, so cat people are welcome to place orders.

Here is the ornament portrait of cat. She forgot to give me his name, so he is just cat for the moment.

Five New Ornaments

2009-10-16T18:44:00.000-07:00

I have been busy painting away. During the past few days I have painted up a few more ornaments. Check the bottom of the page for a look.
Please be aware I am not the best photographer nor do I have the best camera for close up shots. This definitely will be a purchase I make sooner than later.
As you can see from the pictures I have been able to do a variety of breeds. I do have a cat ornament coming, so if any of you have a cat or know someone who has a cat but your not sure what to get them be sure and check back or simply write to me for more information.
It may look like it, but it's not all about dogs.
Soon I would like to open a store front through Etsy.com. This will be later in the year. I think it might be more convenient for those to just purchase and order. As soon as the Christmas season rush is over, I hope to paint various breeds, for those that collect a certain type of breed.

Buying Hand Made Products

2009-10-13T09:58:00.000-07:00

One thing about being an artist, is I appreciate those that hand make products and I do buy them. It takes a lot of work and many hours to produce a work of art, whether its painting, making jewelry or making textiles.
This blog of course is mainly pet related and I am spotlighting two artists today. One I have bought from and love her hand made messenger bags. I am a pet sitter/dog walker and needed a bag to carry with me on my dog walks. One that could hold leashes, umbrella, poo bags, keys, cell phone, etc. I found Karen , (Zoe's bag boutique) on the web and loved the bags, so I asked her to make me a bag that depicted the work I am in.
Here is the bag she made me. I love my bag and use it daily.

I found out yesterday that she is now carrying a flap for the bag that artists like me can paint or draw on, then she makes the bag with the flap. How neat is this! I can carrying around my four dogs (Gus, Wheezer, Raven and Boo) all day..haha...
The second person is Aveline, who has started a jewelry store at Etsy.com She has taken her love of dogs and jewelery and combines the two to make some fabulous items.
Check her store out AvelinePug

I will occasionally post varied artists here so check back once in awhile.

More Ornaments..keep them coming

2009-10-07T21:44:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
I have gotten a few more ornament orders..how fun. One thing I am having fun at is the fact that all the dogs are different breeds. I like to play around with the colors, so its been quite interesting.
I have added two more ornament photos..now if I could just get a camera that took good photos. One step at a time I suppose.
You can see them in the slide show at the bottom of the page. The lighting sucks but..I am not a photographer, I am a painter. Well if I had a good camera I probably could be, but that is a different story.
I also posted a new portrait 16 x 20 of my dog Gus.

Christmas Ornaments

2009-10-01T16:57:00.000-07:00

I got the idea to paint Christmas Ornaments. I do not usually paint on smaller things, preferring to stick with canvas. However, I have had the idea rolling around in my head and decided to go for it.

This is for a limited time. Say the end of November. The ornament is glass, not totally a sphere rather a semi-flattened one. Each ornament takes approx. 4.5 hours, I then put a few coats of glaze over top to help keep the paint vibrant and protect it from scratching. This process takes at least three to four days. I paint when I am not busy with my petsitting business, so if your interested please be aware of the time limit. The background can be any color. I painted the example with a white background. It can be any number of colors.

The cost is 35.00 plus shipping and handling.

I painted my first one today. Courtesy of Stewart, he is the spokesPug of From Stewart's Kitchen

Here is Stewarts original photo:

Here is the Painted Stewart:

Here is the back:

Different Design

2009-09-28T21:18:00.000-07:00

I know that scrapbooking is a huge hobby. Now you can even create various digital scrapbook pages online.

This led to my idea of painting a pet portrait but include a scrapbook design. Rather than taking paper products and pasting them on, I have painted them along with the pets' portrait. The designs are endless.

I am only offering these as a 6 x 8. Extra pets can be added for an additional price.

Here is one example of this new design.

If interested in this type of design please email me at houseofpawz@gmail.com

Paintings

2009-09-09T22:42:00.001-07:00

If interested in a portrait of your pet or if your looking for that just right present for any occasion please email me at
houseofpawz@gmail.com

Pricing varies depending on size of portrait and number of pets.

I am also offering for a[limited time], Christmas tree ornaments. The ornament is made of wood, with a painting of your pet.