I Want to Be Held

Oh to feel your arms around me! Let's see....hint hint it's two weeks till Valentines Day...

"I Want to Be Held"

5 x 5 inches, Oil on Board

Available

I See You

I've been painting the square format for my little animal paintings but this one just seemed right in the landscape 5 x7 size. I haven't named this one yet...
Photographing black is very tedious!

I Want to Hold Your Hand Forever and Ever

Is there someone who's hand fits so comfortably in yours? Valentine's is coming...

By the way - if you're a regular to my blog you know that I'm half Japanese. In Japan, Valentines Day is sort of a Sadie Hawkins day when girls give chocolate to the boys they have crushes on.

"Holding Your Hand"

6 x 6 inches, Oil on Raymar Board, Palette Knife

Best Friend - Collie

"What? Timmy has fallen down the well?" Ok, am I the only one who thinks that was funny? I'd heard that Lassie was played by a boy-dog - would it be right to name this painting "Lassie"? At any rate Timmy thought his collie was his best friend - my dogs are my best friends too.. This painting is a little larger at six inch square.

"Best Friend"

6 x 6 inches, Oil on Raymar board

Available

Be Mine

Someone asked what the significance of "kissing the Blarney Stone" was. It's said that if you kiss the stone, it gives you the gift of gab....hmmmmm... And I am lost for words as I type this blog thinking of how to explain what I was feeling when I painted this fellow and the whys, hows, etc.
I don't think kissing the stone improved my gabbing one way or another. Sometimes I chat and sometimes I don't.

"Be Mine"

5 x 5 inches, Oil on Board

Available on Etsy.

This Kiss, this kiss, this kiss....

I heard Faith Hill's song on the radio the other day and I got to thinking that in no time at all it will be Valentines!! So inspired by the song "This Kiss" I painted this with a red background.

"This Kiss"

8 x 6 inches, Oil on Board

Available on Ebay

Make My Day - A Pug Painting

To everyone who checks out my blog, you really make my day. I did this painting the other evening during my weekly paint with friends night. It is almost like a sketch but I like to painting as is so I stopped. It has broad strokes and the colors are not tooooo blended. I loved the red for the background too.

Hey I got a lot of comments about the running with the bull and teaching English at 13, but no one commented on my kissing the Blarney Stone. Did ya know that in order to kiss it you have to climb to the top of Blarney Castle which is mostly in ruins and dangle backwards off the side of the stone wall while a little old guide holds your waist? And then as you arch your back and lower yourself backwards - held by a man who weighed no more than me, you kiss the stoney protuberance which probably has been kissed by a million people. Yeck...And if you're not praying you don't pick up germs from the stone you're praying the little guide doesn't let go.

"Make My Day"

5 x 5 inches, Oil on Board

Available on Etsy - Click Here

Six Degrees of Separation

Last month, December, I was tagged by North Carolina artist, Atul Pande. I was surprised, flattered but sadly I was a bit too busy to follow up on it. I was in Japan at the time visiting my family. So I'm catching up and doing the tag thing now. The rules are simple. List seven (7) interesting things about myself and then tag seven (7) artists I find interesting.

Enoshima Island as seen from the beach road.

If you're ever in Japan, you've got to find a department store and go to the basement floor. Known as "depa-chika" in Japanese, it's where you find the groceries and prepared foods. Most are prepared on site. This man is cooking a traditional Japanese sweet treat, waffle type fish shaped cakes with sweet bean paste.

Vendors in the "depa-chika".

At the train station near my parents' home. I used to ride this all the time while growing up, but the trains are now more modern.

So here are my seven interesting things about me...

1) I was born in Japan.

2) I lived in Spain for two years.

3) I did the running of the Bull at a small town called Arcos De La Frontera and was caught in the street while the bull was rampaging.

4) I was a model for a brief time when I was a teen-ager.

5) I kissed the Blarney Stone in Ireland

6) I had my own business at age 13 teaching (tutoring) English to Japanese students.

7) I'm bilingual - English/Japanese.

And now here are seven of the artists I find interesting. love, admire and are inspired by:

Nancy Medina, Alex Perez, Lori Woodward Simons, Linda Blondheim, Filomena Booth, Sheila Tajima, and Melissa Langer

Thank you!

Got Mice?

I was honored today by being mentioned in Sheila Tajima's blog, "From Forensic to Fine Art". Sheila happens to be an alumni of my high school whom I've reconnected with through facebook. There really is a six degree of separation and the world is small.

This kitty reminds me of Morris the cat, remember him?

"Got Mice?

5 x 5 inches, Oil on Board

Don't Leave

Oh the sad eyes when you tell your dogs that they have to stay and guard the home when you close the door...but the ovation and cheers when you come home...

"Don't Leave"

5 x 5 inches, Oil on Board

Blue Eyes

I've had to ask my friends for name suggestions and settled for "blue eyes" for this painting. I could just name them the animal I paint but then I'd have Siamese 1, Siamese 2, etc... So I picked Nancy Medina's suggestion for this title.



There are so many incredible people out there who work tirelessly to make lives better for dogs and cats. I often write about my friend Nancy on this blog because we paint together, but she's a mom to three pugs and also involved with the DFW Pug Rescue and often fosters pugs before they find a loving family to adopt them. (Ok that was a super long, run-on sentence but she does a lot) So here's a big THANK YOU for taking care of those who can not speak in words but speak to our hearts.

"Blue Eyes"

5 x 5 inches, Oil on board

Available

Got Sheep? - Border Collie Painting

Today is a wonderful day! Melissa Langer of Pugnotes posted me in her blog and included me in her "talented art friends"...Me! wow! To be written about on her blog is an honor and then she includes me with other very talented artists...OMG...So I've been grinning and in a good mood today!! Thank you Melissa! BTW if you happen to check out her website www.pugnotes.com - and want to buy something - try the wrapping paper - even if you don't own pugs - it's good for all occassions, will put a smile on anyone receiving a gift from you and it is really hefty!!

I'm loving these animals and I'm still painting them! I'm actually a little behind in posting them because I want to come up with a very catchy title and have been bothering my art friends for input. (I've got another siamese cat painting and can't think of a good title...) This one is called

"Got Sheep?"

5 x 5 inches, Oil on Board

Available

Is It Love? - Basset Hound

We used to have a neighbor's Basset, Fred, escape his home and visit the Pointer Sisters. Stella has a very playful way of trying to rid herself of her suitor. We live on 3.5 acres of hills full of trees. She runs as fast as she possibly could to the opposite end of our property and when Fred is running as fast as his little legs would carry him, she zips right back again and come to the front door where I'd let her inside. Then Fred would come trotting back to the front door, figure out that Stella was no longer outside and sit out in our front yard bellowing.

"Is It Love?"

5 x 5 inches, Oil on Board

Available for Sale

Tina - My German Shorthair Pointer

This the other pointer sister in my life, Tina. She was literally a "found" dog my husband found on the side of the road near our house half-starved and unable to hold herself up. Her hip bones looked like they were going to tear through her flesh. We don't quite know how old she is, we think she might be about nine now, her muzzle is turning whiter and whiter although I didn't paint her muzzle quite white in this painting of her.

"Tina"

5 x 5 inches, Oil on Board

nfs

Eweglee - Cheryl's Cat

This is my friend, Cheryl's cat Eweglee, age 19. I'm not going to write much today about Cheryl and Eweglee but please check back because I have something I'd like to share in the future regarding the Metroport Humane Society which Cheryl is a Board member of.

"Eweglee"

5 x 5 inches, Oil on Board

nfs

Belong To Me - A Painting of a Pug

Although I do not own pugs, I like their expressive faces and they make such wonderful models for paintings. This is my newest one and the I saw the title on a book that sounded intriguing which just seemed to suit this somewhat sad little face.

"Belong To Me"

5 x 5 inches, Oil on Board

Available on Etsy

A Gentle Lab

The photo of this Black Lab looks a lot bluer than it really is. I use a limited palette so the color is actually a mixture of Prussian Blue and Alizarin Crimson - which makes a strong dark. There are actually a lot of colors in the dark areas. This lab looks a lot like "Mickey" who comes to visit daily, except that Mickey is over-weight and does not yet have a white muzzle.

"Lab"

5 x 5 inches, Oil on Board

One More Michael - Angel Painting

"Michael Thinking"

6 x 6 inches, Oil on Board

Stella - My Pointer

I've been painting pets for the past month or so and I had not painted my babies. They move around so much that even taking photos of them is a challenge. Stella has cute perky ears and yet when the attention is on her she droops them. Anyway - if you know my girls - let me know if I've captured my Stella.

"Stella"

5 x 5 inches, Oil on Board

The Soulful Eyes of a Pug

Just got back from a lovely lunch and painting demonstration hosted by my friend Nancy Medina at her house. Carlos, Nancy's husband, prepared a wonderful lunch and Nancy demonstrated painting a poppy. I am sated and happy and I have a painting to post.

I showed her my latest painting (above) and she added little bits of highlights in the eyes to make his/her eyes "pop".

"Pug Eyes"

5 x 5 inches, Oil on Board

Siamese Eyes

Well a new year has begun! I wanted to get this photo taken right away - no waiting for the sun and the light in the right condition - hoping the glare isn't too much. There are so many colors in the cat's dark areas but the camera doesn't pick it up. Hope you get the idea.

"Siamese Eyes"

5 x 5 inches, Oil on Board

Happy New Year

Happy New Year

It's going to be a great year!