Saw something that saddened me today.  I know this has been making the rounds on Facebook.  Did you all see it?  New policy by Mobile County Alabama Animal Control.

How many lovely family pets are pit bulls?  We had a pittie mix growing up, and my kids have a pure bred pit bull rescue.  Both dogs were the sweetest, most loving pets.  The fact that Mobile County AC isn't even allowing rescues to come in and remove the animals to give them a chance just seems so anti-intuitive.  I had hoped we as a nation were making more progress than this.

I don't normally write posts like this.  I like to focus on the positive and celebrate our successes.  But it's good to be informed.

Remember, spay and neuter your pets to prevent unwanted litters and adopt, don't shop!

Valen's painting process

Just a few photos to show part of the painting process.  I'll be uploading a video too, so stay tuned.

Started with Valen's photo.  He loves to ride in the car.  What a cutie!

Sketched out the painting on canvas.  Decided to mostly focus on the head here, since he's got such a great smile.

Started the the piece in acrylic paint.  As you have seen from my process videos, I always put in the darkest values first, and work directly on the white canvas, no painting palette, building up to the lightest values.

A little more developed.  Don Seegmiller showed me a 60s pop art book that offered some inspiration on palette and design.  So I think I know where I'm going with this.

Time to add some pop art inspired embellishment.  I put down tape to create some nice straight edges to contrast with the more organic shapes.

Voila.  A piece that really pops.

 To find out more about the rescue that saved Valen's life, visit Sniffing Snouts Pitbull Rescue.

Valen from Sniffing Snouts

What the heck, guys?  Why didn't anyone tell me to start posting again?  I blame all of you for this five month lapse. ;)

Anyway, it's time to get back into the swing of things, with 2013 well upon us.  The year of Lost & Found!  I'm so excited to be working on this show.  I've met so many wonderful people and heard so many amazing stories.

Today I'm going to feature Valen, a sweetie pie from Sniffing Snouts in Florida.

Read his story here, then check back to see how his painting was created.

(Remember, these stories can be hard to read in the beginning, but they are injected with love, generosity and kindness from rescue volunteers across the world.  Don't give up before you get to the happy ending!)

Valen's story:


 I'm Valen, my foster mom tossed around a few names before she choose that one because it means "strong,healthy" and she knew it wouldn't take long before I grew into my name.

My journey started when my mom saw my intake picture pop up on the local animal control website.

 It didn't stay up long, they told her my picture made people sad. But she couldn't stop thinking about me. She came to meet me the next day and take some more pictures so more people could find out about me and just maybe someone could help me get out of that cold hard place. I was so weak I could hardly stand, but I really liked her camera, as soon as she turned it on I did my best to pose for her. 

I even gave her some kisses. That's when I heard her tell the nice officer that she HAD to get me out and that she wanted me to come home with HER!

I'm a pretty big guy, mom thinks I'm a boxer/pit mix because I'm all legs and I have such flashy white markings. I weighed 37 lbs. I was weak but I was really happy someone came to see me! When mom got the "Okay" to come pick me up they told her I couldn't be neutered until I gained more weight because they didn't want to lose me. I was SO happy to get to ride in the car! Even though mom had to help me get in. 

My dogmom <woof! see what I did there? Instead of godmom I call her dogmom> Candice made it so I could go to the vet right away, mom was worried my organs might have started to shut down because I had gone for sooo long without food. The vet was really nice and checked me out, said how handsome I was and that he would make sure I was healthy. It turns out I had a blood parasite called a Babesia infection YUCK! I don't know what that is, I just know it meant I had to get MORE shots, I don't really like shots much but they made me feel better!.

Nobody knows where I came from or how I ended up as a stray.  I left the vet a present (I couldn't help it.  It was embarrassing, but I was nervous) there were WHOLE paper towels which made everyone REALLY wonder where I came from and what I was doing swallowing those things.  Was I really THAT hungry out on the street? Or did some mean person make me eat them? I don't remember, all I know is everyone I have met since I got out has been SO nice to me, and that I don't need to eat stuff like that anymore.

One of the best things about being out of that shelter? I got to eat ALL DAY LONG! Mom was always giving me food! She made me special meatballs too! They were REALLY good! I started putting on weight in no time. Mom found out I really like it in the car and we go for rides a lot. It wasn't before I started looking like the handsome guy she always knew I should be. A couple months of good food and love and I bounced back to 55 lbs, I still have a few more to go but mom doesn't want me to get fat.

I have come a long way since mom found me back in December 2011, I've learned these little people called "kids" are pretty awesome (they almost always smell like FOOD!) and cats are pretty cool too! Mom says I'm healthy enough to go live with my forever family but I haven't found them yet. 

I love my foster family but if I get adopted mom can help another dog just like she helped me. If you live in Orlando I would love to meet you! The awesome people at Sniffing Snouts Rescue are the ones that made it possible for me to be saved.

Valen

Artist Highlight - Susie Hooban

So this summer I started a new thing.  One of my instructors at university (he's actually a big hero of mine) Will Terry, talks a lot about how important it is to share our knowledge and our understanding of art and the industry with others.  He says that holding on to information that might be helpful to the development of others' careers because we're afraid they might become too competitive and push us out of business is "scarcity thinking".  And I agree with him.  I admire a lot of artists.  And I love talking about the artists I admire.  If a client compares my art to another artist's and decides that artist is more suited for a commission of original artwork than I am, I am glad they found someone they will be happy with to realize their vision.  I am inspired daily by the art, work ethic and creativity of others, so I want to pass along that inspiration to all of you!

This month, the artist I'm highlighting is Susie Hooban.  You can find her work at Lazy Dog Art (which I think is a delightful name.)  She is located in Arlington, Virginia and specializes in acrylic on canvas.  I actually don't know much about Susie, I couldn't find a bio online.  But based on our email conversation, I know she's a gracious person.  She's a great artist and she loves animals!  If you visit her site's blog, you can read all about her dogs, which inspired Lazy Dog Art.  To see prices and contact Susie about commissions, click here.  Now, onto the art!

**Note: All of the following paintings are the property of Susie Hooban.  I didn't paint them and do not take credit.  We're here to celebrate Susie!

Here is a fan (Susie's Mom?) posing with Lazy Dog Art.  I love the size

and poster-graphic quality of the painting.

*

We'll start with one of my favorite paintings.  I love how serene this piece is.

The mild complimentary palette contributes to the restful feel I think.  Such expressive eyes!

**

I love how loosely she works.  The painterly quality suits her subject matter.

 Love the ears on this one!  And I love that they leave the canvas.

*

*

*

*

Check out the fun cropping/composition on these:

 The wacky perspective here is a WIN.

*

*

And here are my other favorites of Susie's:

I LOVE the eyes in this piece.  What beautiful details!

*

This piece looks deceptively simple.  All white or all black animals are difficult.  Great job, Susie!

*

The smile she captures here is perfect.  You have dogs.  You know the one.

*

The poster graphic quality of this painting is amazing.  The white outline, the value grouping, 

the painterly background.  What a fantastic combination!

*

 And here's my favorite painting of Susie's:

You know I love me some vivid colors and a complimentary palette.  Visit Susie Hooban at her website Lazy Dog Art.  You can also find her on Facebook, where she updates regularly.

Lost & Found Painting Progress: Miracle from IDR+

Many of you have heard about my charity fundraiser project, Lost & Found, a gallery exhibit to benefit rescues from all over the world.  Check out first series piece so far: dark values laid in for Miracle, a sweet Dobie rescued by Illinois Doberman Rescue Plus.  To read Miracle's story, click here.  Visit the Lost & Found project, hosted by Indiegogo, contribute if you can, and spread the word.  We want to build an amazing show for the animals!

Wake County Fur Ball 2012

Check it out!  DawgArt will be the last item auction at the Wake County SPCA Fur Ball black-tie fundraiser this year.  The painting featuring Ernest (which I had so much fun creating), will be printed on thousands of invitations and 500 programs.  To see the painting close-up, click here.  Prints of the piece will be available after the auction.

New Commission - Paige

Meet Paige, a sweet Rottie living in Virginia.  For prints, click here.

Watch this painting in the process of creation on YouTube!