Painting the smalls so I can make the bigs

Puppy portrait one 5x7 acrylic on board

Cavalier Louie reference photo 

5x7 acrylic on board panel 

Shih Tzu Mika reference photo 

This is the plan I’m on right now and I feel it’s just right. Warm ups and practices on the smalls to prep for the bigs. When I say bigs I mean a 12x12” square foot canvas or board panel. Bigger pieces than that means more paint to buy and right now is not the time for bigs! But-I did place an order for more art supplies from cheap joes art shop. Sadly they are closing shop next month. Giant online is to blame. 😑 

 I feel like Michael’s will be next to close shop soon. But I do believe hobby lobby will survive for some reason. It’s never not busy ever!

I took a side gig to care for some doggie dogs at a local groomers! The people are spectacular and the dogs well they provide much needed therapy! My reference photos aren’t too shabby also. I just keep painting because making stuff is what I crave. Painting the dogs is where the magic happens. 

 

Selling my possessions to fund the art

Check out those MCM legs!

A collectible Batman issue that may be worthy

Felix the cat toy lot

A fave of mine VTG 1980's Chanel No 19 

I played with my Hello Kitty every day in the 80’s!

Made in Japan 7 Pc Black Deer set-so cuuuuuute thrift store find!

Futurama tshirt from Hot Topic is trending

Garfield and Odie S&P MAGNETIC set-SOLD!

VTG made in Japan quirky table lamp garage sale find!

Oh joy it's the cute one-PIKACHU rare poster 

Nifty fifties camera with neat knobs and doodads-love

 I've always felt the joy and nostalgic feeling from old things. Telephones, cameras, comics, records, toys, chairs and I have taken some time in February to sort through my collectibles and tchotchkes and part with most of them. Selling in my eBay store to get them a new home. I look at the unique pieces and am taken back in time naturally to the 1980's which is me gen x- even then things were built to last. Now things are built to fall apart so we all can keep on consuming crap. 

30 years ago I found the wooden mid century sofa for 20 bucks at an estate sale. (Not for sale-just my lil back story!) I only recently fitted the perfect green velvet seat cushions and am in LOVE still with it. Why is this feeling for old stuff? Built like a tank. Designed with a sense of STYLE and love for homes. Gorgeous wood that was chosen carefully. In 1993 I was way ahead of the game. I am confident that Leia will take real good care of that sofa after I die!

I will forever have an appreciation for the charming and romantic pieces from the past. New stuff never makes me feel like anything. (I just buy food!) Creating new art now that's a whole different ball game. That is why I am building a store to sell the cool old things in order to support my art path. I need to sell the old stuff to fund the art supplies!! I'm ok with that. I don't need the cool fun charming old stuff. I need to create the cool fun charming new stuff for me and my people that like my stuff. I really like to make stuff. And I feel real good about that right now.

Click here if you are interested in seeing what I am listing weekly ➤      MY EBAY STORE 

Something for the start of the new year-a bunch of dogs plus a funny snow otter

Abstract background layers of textured scratches and marks-plus the funny dog in acrylic12x12" canvas 

Funny pink dog in acrylic on 8x10'' canvas

 

Funny snow otter acrylic on wood 12x7"

The abstract animal series for 2025 has begun. My goal is to have completed 31+ original paintings by June 1 of this year. Why 31 you ask? Well let me just say that I participated in the DOGGUST challenge  3 times in my life and was able to draw/paint (digitally mind you IS quicker-hello) a different dog for 31 days. If I can do that, I can paint 31 animals traditionally within 5 months. It's just sounds like and important amount anyways I guess. SO! Listed up on my soon to be new simple and not complicated website where you can actually purchase from-not a PORTFOLIO website like I have always had through Photobiz-sophisticated and sorta fancy, but no easy peasy ECOM there-and I am no longer a pet photographer. This shift to 'hand made by hand' using either PROCREATE or a messy palette on canvas has elevated and freed up my style of art. It IS loose and abstract-but I will always maintain the funny dog/cat/otter with clothes inclusion. A common thread that I am sticking with because I like it. Otherwise I get bored if it's not funny. Very soon I will have originals for sale-sold and packed and shipped by yours truly, canvas prints and prints via POD (drop shipped). I have always LOVED PRINTFUL (now PRINTFULLY? due to a merge with PRINTIFY) print quality. It is simply superb. Hope that won't change much-many artists are happy with Printful and I will stick with them until I can't. I am practicing every day and learning so much on Youtube and also experimenting with different mediums-oil is next-I can't wait til I'm ready. Photographing your artwork can be quite a lengthy challenge-I know how to do it (lay it on the FLOOR!) but damn the GLARE and tiny reflections make me mental!

This is only the beginning. June 1 is just around the corner so I gotta get messy!

 

The winterseries project 2025

 My creative flow has leaned towards painting traditionally small paintings 8x10 and 12x12 specifically which is perfect to begin a series with. Then grow bigger from there. 12 dogs. 12 cats. Wearing a sweater for this winter solstice day today. I’m obsessed with the knitted details in a painting and will keep going until I’m bored then move on to summer frilly dresses I suppose. My goal to meet is have enough stock available in my shop. And that may or may not include Etsy. I have a portfolio website in tandem with Etsy shop and that works for now but is NOT sustainable. 2025 will be a single website SHOP. Etsy shop will remain active with only select unique products uploaded through the year. After the fees and rules it is not sustainable like I said.  Etsy is highly saturated with AI generated art and will continue to sucker those buyers who cannot identify the difference between real honest hand made art and artificial plasticky ‘press a button’nøt årt. I can spot it. But 90% of regular folks cannot. Yet. Etsy will continue this path to please the shareholders. This is the only way. For them. So let’s pivot and get really good at what I love to do. People value a physical piece. Originals. Prints. Made by humans. Hand made by hand. By yours truly. Let’s start with that. Let’s get mixing. Let’s get messy. Paint like there is no tomorrow. 

My Black Friday sale

Product orders such as calendars, physical prints and decor gifts need to be placed by December 9th to be received on time for Christmas presents!!!

If you like my art and would like to support my shop go here https://puppycatandmouse.etsy.com/

to visit and grab some deals!