 Time for something new. I like to paint up close and personal so birds might be more of a challenge. You can always get a dog to pay attention but birds are a whole different ball game. We'll see how this plays out.  I have painted Pupicek a half a dozen times. He continues to inspire me. This was his pose on the couch in the living room. He was easy to sculpt because he is so familiar to me. I thoroughly enjoyed the process and am pleased with the results, but... back to painting.
 All the reference photos of Grace had a tennis ball some where in the shot. I wouldn't normally put a ball in the dogs mouth, but here she is asking the viewer to play. How could I not include it.
 A number of coincidences came together to spark my interest in sculpture. One was a wax marquee found in the library that I was able to have cast in bronze at a Boston area foundry. Another was a dear friend talking about her interest in sculpture. Of course I went to my muse, Pupicek, a dog my son brought back from Taiwan who lived with us for many of his 16 years and with whom I bonded from our first meeting. My first step was to research the process. I found a wonderful book at the library, From Clay to Bronze: a Studio Guide to Figurative Sculpture by Tuck Langland. So yes, my figure had fur but the process was the same and in fact even easier. I considered beginning with clay but as I read further it was clear this created much more work for the foundry. I was confused, and in fact still am, about the armature that supports the sculpture. In the lost wax method, what happens to the armature. I solved that question by building this sculpture directly in wax around a rubber door stop that I was able to remove later in the process. I still have a lot to learn about the process and promise to post more after a visit to the foundry. This adventure may very well be a "one and done" but if I can resolve the armature question, I would love to try sculpting a horse!  This little girl made me so happy. Her expressive eyes and worried look were so much fun to capture. I could almost feel her soft fur and wet nose as I painted. Her pink and green collar was a perfect addition.  After an amazing workshop with Colley Whisson at the Landgrove Inn in Landgrove, VT, I have been anxious to paint landscapes. But here I am, painting dogs and more dogs. A lot of what I learned translates to the dog portraits but I do need to push myself outside my comfort zone.
Finding the focus and expression or atmosphere of a landscape is always challenge to me. Perhaps instead I will listen to Malcolm Gladwell whose theory suggests I need to paint 10,000 dogs first.  Last summer we were in Rome and Venice. I took lots of reference photos for painting and am only just beginning to work with them. The color palette is a very comfortable one for me and painting these scenes puts me right back in these wonderful locations. The top painting is 12" x 12". The laundry caught my attention as the only sign of life in a deserted piazza on the day we got lost in Venice. Wait, we got lost in Venice every day. The lower painting of the canal is 16" x 20". The photo was taken in a very busy location. I was struck by how the canal was peaceful and quiet. While I  would love the opportunity to paint these scenes on site, there is a lot to be said for the controlled environment of the studio. I find I paint best when comfortable and undisturbed. I have a lot of admiration for the plein air painters, but for now, I will enjoy painting Italy at home. More to come...
 Busy holiday season and catch up in January. Hopefully I will get better at website maintenance in this new year. My love of terriers certainly comes through in this image. Hopefully I captured a face full of the mischief he is capable of getting into! When I look at the paintings online I am tempted to go back and fuss with it a bit more (the hard edge of the shadow by the nose, extend the reflection in his right eye) but sometimes it is better just to call it done and move on to the next one.  This 16" x 20" is of the beach on the way to Woods Hole. Falmouth has 68 miles of coastline so I should not run out of subject matter in my work towards representing water. Driving along the shoreline on my way to work each day I have noticed that the water color does not always complement the sky color. On other days the difference is indistinguishable.
 Planning to spend the three day weekend working on landscapes. As I look at this painting I wonder if I can find the eyes and expression of the beach and the waves. Painting is 'seeing' things in a different way. The dogs always come so much easier for me.
I try to avoid portraits with multiple dogs because you will always prefer one over the other. The description that came with the reference photos was that one dog was serious and the other goofy. I was very happy with the serious dog but the goofy one…. well he is just goofy. Fortunately the person who commissioned the painting said that the white dog was spot on. It is always easier you can meet the dogs in person. |
Linda Collins
This past summer I was fortunate to attend a workshop with Colley Whisson at the Landgrove Inn in Landgrove, VT. Colley is an Australian artist Archives
September 2018
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