I've been spending a little time painting these days, working on pet portraits, mostly. Rick says I should hang out my shingle and I'm thinking about it. I've done pet commissions before and sometimes they make me anxious because every pet has its own personality and it's not always easy to grab it. It's pretty easy when it's your own animal!
Molly's long loved dog, Rogan, moved on a couple of weeks ago. I couldn't get out to get a card and she was such a wonderful animal and good friend to Molly for so many years.
So, I thought I'd paint her. I was pretty happy with the result.
Here's Kate's Zeke. I call him Lizzie's intended. (Though they've yet to meet and knowing them, it's not likely!)
So, I had to do Zeke. I think one of his eyes is a little wonky and I need to do it over.
And just a butterfly. I'm not sure it's quite right but it's cheery! (It's actually a larger painting but I cropped it to the good part.
I've been working on the Covid-19 journal too. This has been a fun project and I hope we'll find it illuminating to review it in years to come.
It captures the little things of live during the pandemic. Somethings are just day-to-day life...
...some are special days, like our Mother's Day walk.
It wouldn't be a journal without a walk to the Ditch!
Groceries? Sure!
And the never ending saga of my garden. If you can call it that.
So there you have it. At least it keeps me off the streets!
55 comments:
I love your journal. Makes me wish I had started one now. Your pet portraits are great, and I am sure the owners will appreciate them no end.
Deb in Wales
Wonderful work, I especially like the pet-portraits, they're really pretty. It's good to keep occupied with something creative! Kepp going, have a good week, hugs, Valerie
Absolutely loving your watercolours! Your notebook is inspiring- I can not trust my handwriting, i do admire yours. I agree, hang out the shingle!
Your pet portraits are wonderful!!!!!!!!
Beautiful. I love it.
Jeanie! I am AMAZED! the art you did of Kate is so beautiful! Rogan's is very much spot on! I kept scrolling up and down appreciating how identical they are up to the details! Love them! Love your journal too! My brother got me lots of brush pens from Michael's on his last trip home here and I haven;t used them, you inspired me to try journaling again :)
Jeanie, you are so extremely talented! What a blessing!!
I hope you find a way to paint for a wider audience/clientele. If I were a pet owner I would love to have a custom portrait of my friend even if he had a funny expression resulting from a "wonky eye." But since you enjoy the painting even without making any money from it, maybe you could tell people, "If when I'm finished you think I completely missed the personality of your pet, I will keep the portrait and you don't have to pay." Is that crazy?
Jeanie, your watercolors are lovely! And your journal is great. Such a great way to remember this crazy pandemic. I think Rick is right, you should hang out your shingle.
You really should put out a shingle.. Great artwork and awesome tribute to Rogan. Janice
Well done with the paintings Jeanie. Well done also with the journal. So glad you had the foresight to keep one. I sure didn't. But then again mine would look nothing near as lovely as yours since I do not paint or draw.
I love your pet portraits, but Rogan stole my heart. The best sympathy card you could have given, dear.
I love your journal pages. Like you, I disinfect everything, even my mailbox once a week. All mail is sprayed with Lysol before it comes in my house, as do all groceries. My garage is in the back, so I would have to bring my items through the house to get to the garage. I leave all my items on my front porch behind a bale of hay. Even though it's been sprayed, all mail stays out on the porch for two days before I bring it in. I don't get packages because I don't buy anything over the internet, so that's not a problem.
I think my state is trying to open more each week, too. I haven't been anywhere off my property since March 15, so I admire that you walk to the ditch and feel safe.
I don't know about other plants, but basil is SO easy to grow. You should be making pesto in about six weeks. Be sure to cut the leaves before they get too large and bolt. Stay safe and off the streets (grin).
I love the pet portraits you drew, Jeanie, and your handwritten illustrated journal entries remind me of Susan Branch's wonderful handwritten books. What a wonderful keepsake they are for you to look back on.
I used to be much more creative when I was younger but lately, my time seems to be spent cooking, weeding my gardens, reading and looking at my phone---ack!
I’d listen to Rick . . .
I think your animal portraits are wonderful.
I have taken some “paint your pet” classes . . .
My results, nothing like yours!
Love your journals too . . .
Watercolor, stories, tidbits!
Are you still staying sheltered?
We decided on trying our favorite place for dinner, not comfortable at all,
we decided it just wasn’t safe enough for us.
We felt quite strange . . .
Not sure how that rally this weekend can be safe AT ALL!
Your paintings and journal are great. I like the fonts in the journal. It is your own handwriting?
Stay safe.
Oh, I love, love, love especially your journal!!!
You´re so talented! And creative!
You nearlymake Corinna a nice thing ;-)
Bet especially your boys will go through this in awe and oh! when they´re older.
Your handwriting is great, too, mine is so awful I have trouble reading it myself at times, and sadly I´m not kidding...
Lovethe lady in red in front of the store. And all the rest, too. The cat-card,so cute.
Thank you for sharing this, you brightened my mood.
Hello jeanie,
You should hang out a shingle, your paintings are great. I am sure your friend will love the painting of Rogan. I love the kitty paintings too. You are very talented. The daily journal is a great way to remember, these Covid days/months. Have a great day!
If you ever decided to transform your pet art into a business, Jeanie, I am sure there would be a ready market for it. Most people, I suspect, would be thrilled to have their pets memorialized in this way. I knew of one woman, many years ago, when I was probably in my late twenties, and she would have been seventyish, who had the ashes of her departed pets in urns on the mantel, which seemed more than a tad macabre to me. A lovely watercolour would be better!
Your pet portraits are wonderful!
Wonderful portraits and journal! Both are so inspiring. No time like the present to get started! Thanks for sharing at the Tuesday Turn About Link Party!
I love your journal. Your pet portraits are gorgeous, the one for Rogan is the best tribute ever. I keep saying I will paint my dogs. I did try doing Rufus at a workshop using the cross hatching method, but it was a disaster, his muzzle looked like a pineapple!! I will try with oil or acrylic one day :-)
Love your art, and your journal is quite special!
Your watercolors are fabulous! You are a wonderful artist.
the pet portraits are beautiful, and I think you are capturing the essence of each one.
be well... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Go for it on the pet portraits! I love your journal entries.
You do have the pet portraits down. I love them all and I think you definitely have personality with each. But I know what you mean about getting the animals personality when you don't know them. And right now how could you with this virus. And your journal is also very cool. I can tell they are all done with love. And it is fun how you called your governor Big Gretch. Ha-ha. Have a great Wednesday and I hope all is well. hugs-Erika
A adore the way you nurture your creative side and I love your paintings. Somehow, you manage to put that special something that is inside of you onto paper.
You are so good with your paint brush. I am sitting here working on a post for tomorrow and one of my points is to buy locally and support local artisans, like you. I though of you when I was writing about an hour ago. I was going to link to a Florida artist I found on craigslist but I'd rather link to you. Would that be ok with you? I'd use one of your paintings with a link to the post. Let me know.
These are wondrous. I've mentioned it before, but I especially like the journals.
Your animal portraits are fabulous Jeanie! Yes, hang out your shingle! It is challenging to do beloved pets, but you seem to have a knack for it! Love your journal pages too, wonderful stuff!!
Jenna
Goodness Jeanie, HELLO!!!!!!!
I am loving your work as you capture not only the contour of things but their essence! Well done, Jeanie! Thank you for visiting my blog; I spend most of my social media time on Instagram so if you ever have any time, come by. HUGS and enjoy this summer weather!
I love the pet portraits. You should definitely hang your shingle out, beautiful art. What a lovely journal. Love all the art. You will enjoy this for year remembering the lockdown.
Love your art and Covid journal. And thanks for the tip about growing scallion. I'll just do that right now after sending this comment away since I've got some in the fridge. :)
I love all the pictures. ESPECIALLY THE DOG!! You captured that one so well. I loved the peek into your pretty journal....gosh if we were all as talented as you we would all have gorgeous journals like this! Hope you're having a good week so far. It's been COOL HERE, like Fall, and we are enjoying it so so so much
Lovely paintings and the journal is fantastic!!
Love Cath
Hugs
GREAT job....Zeke looks so much like my Lily Bit...course tabby's favor. There is however something diff about my sweet tabby, one she is skinny and lanky, most tabs I know are shorter legs, and stocky. I think Lily got her mom's body, she was a Tortistshell and from what I learned or seen they tend to be skinny and lanky. Lily has a lot of colors too. The reddish patches also come from her mom where the face is tabby. But its Lily's eyes that are the most beautiful. Not sure if its the shape, the size, or color....but they stand out. Zeke looks great in watercolor.
Jeanie, I agree with Rick. You have such talent. Your painting of Miss Lizzie and Rogan were perfect. And your journals are marvelous, they have such personality to them and truly tell the story. I am reminding you, they need to be in a book.
Wishing you a great day and weekend.
Your dog is amazing and so is the pretty butterfly! And don't cats all have such personality...the eye looks right to me! LOVE your art in your journal. I keep a journal but have never been brave enough to add art. I know I should! Enjoy your day!
Jeanie, I envy you the wonderful talent that you have. Rick is right, you should hang out your shingle. Love them all but especially the husky. I may be requiring your service some day..Stay well, xxoJudy
Jeanie, your talents and interesting, happy life knows no bounds!!
Have you thought about publishing a book, photos, drawings, so much here on your blog would be fun in book form!
I can see where your pet portraits would be in demand! Very sweet!
Jeanie, you should definitely hang your shingle... the pet portraits are fabulous. I love your journal, that takes disciple and work. I need to pick up my journal and begin writing, I kept one for years and then stopped.
Wonderful paintings. The eyes of the dog and cat are lively.
I love your journal! What a work of art! I can see why it’s hard to paint pets - and people! But you did a great job with the ones you painted! I’m beginning to forget what Oscar looks like. She’s still at Joan’s and Phil is having a hard time asking for her back as he knows Joan loves her company. Joan doesn’t want her own cat because she’s 77 and fears a cat would outlive her. She usually just cat sits for us but oscar has been there for 4 months. I know she has it good there but we miss her. But she does not miss Paul I am sure!!
These animal portraits are beautiful. I know your friend Molly was thrilled with the one of Rogan. You are so talented, Jeanie. I love the one you did of Porch Pup even though he isn't a real dog.
What a good idea to make a Covid-19 journal. This is a unique time we're living through.
Love the journal idea and looks so good.
I bet Molly loved the Rogan painting. It is so special
Yes, I think you could commission some paintings for sure.
I have an online friend that paints commissions on rocks of peoples pets. She has quite a business these days.
I keep a journal and try to write in it every day. I do little drawings, too.
I love your journal. It is lovely.
Beautiful pet portraits! Love them. My dream has always been to have an illustrated garden journal but I am not gifted with talent for art. Treasure this little book. Its wonderful!
Your pet portraits are amazing Jeanie, specially Rogan, looks exactly like the photo!
Love your Isolation diary and its drawings.
Your pet portraits are always adorable! Great idea with the COVID journal. This is certainly a time we will never forget. I wonder how many practices will stay with us after it seems to be over. We will still disinfect our mail daily? It will be interesting to find out!
You are SO talented! The pet portraits are fantastic. I love your Covid-19 journal. I've been jotting down notes, but yours is a beautiful keepsake! Great idea!
Nice painting, Jeanie! I think eyes are the hardest part of the face anyway. My daughter and my son's wife's sister are really good at drawing/painting eyes. I love that you are journaling this whole pandemic time!! My blog is really my journal, for everything, these days. :) Let us see the kitty cat after you've repainted it!!!
Hugs,
Barb :)
I do like your art work Jeanie, your pet portraits are especially wonderful.
All the best Jan
Wow, you are getting better with your art work every time I see your paintings, Jeanie. I think Rogan spoke to me the most. I am a dog lover and have had many dogs throughout my life. : )
~Sheri
Glad to see you stayed busy with your art, Jeanie. I've been reading your posts, and it looks like you had a lovely spring.
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