And finally the two become one.....Maja & Brett reunited

I was fortunate enough that shortly after the completion of the Maja painting,  I noticed that none other than the WBW himself (Brett) or "B-dawg" ;) would be in the Toronto area at an event not too far from where I work. Oh joy and happy dance to ensue! I live in Toronto, he lives in Calgary, this was a perfect opportunity to deliver the painting in person. But wait....could I...should I....Well...they named a song after me, didn't they?!!! Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets! So it shall be!

The Fire Breathing Dragon himself was hosting, Polo for Heart in the City http://www.polointhecity.ca/ helping to raise funds for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Insert swoon here. I'm ready to slap a giant "S" across his chest - not only is he socially conscious, he relentlessly extends his name & presence to so many worthy charities and events. Not only that but Maja followed suit. She truly was an amazing animal. Brett has often referred to her as a healer. She worked with children, visited people at the hospital and she would go to the old age homes among many of her duties that she clearly relished.  So it seems so appropriate that Maja still has so many followers on Facebook and so many people that were rooting for her and cared about her and to this day still do.

 So this was a challenge! Although he was unfathomably busy, he and his "magician" assistant, Robin managed to squeeze me in to meet with him. Mountains were moved, hills were climbed, rivers parted....yada yada, you get the drift. I finally got the opportunity to present him with the painting of his beloved Maja. He liked it, he really really liked it! Sigh...relief sets in, whew! And he couldn't be any nicer. Made me feel like a million bucks! And I must add - I got the most genuine hug that day! A-plus B-dawg! Pictures speak for themselves. Good gawd, this is going to be hard to top! Best day ever!

Lola, the lovely Maja and Brett

The two become one

WGD Rest in Peace

My heart is heavy today.....I have recently learned the news that the WGD, Maja has gone over the "rainbow bridge" as her owner has so eloquently referred to her untimely demise. If you know of Maja, you may have been  one of the thousands that were rooting for her. There was a glimmer of hope a week ago when we all rejoiced that she was stronger than ever and going in for chemo. Unfortunately she lost that battle but not in vain, her spirit lives on.

Although I have not had the opportunity to meet her, she's been pretty much my main focus over the past few months. It's been an absolute privilege to paint her, see her photos that her owner has shared of her good times and sometimes not so good times. She's touched many people's hearts from afar and I was one of them.

I hope I have done her justice with this painting. RIP Maja.
  
"The one best place to bury a good dog is in the heart of its master."

Her she is....just some minor tweaking to do, so love this picture!

I've had a serious flu over the last week and a half so I used that time to paint! It's almost complete! I'm quite happy with the way it's shaped out. Her fur has been the biggest challenge for me. The photo that I used for this, the photographer used a blurring technique so that it was very clear around her face and then got fuzzy/faded out near the bottom so difficult to see how her hair moved/fell into place. So I improvised.

I'm excited to have an artist friend over who was showcased on this tv show that I'm currently addicted to called Star Portraits. 3 artists paint the same subject and come out with 3 different outcomes. Just love this show. Anyway, this one artist has this realism technique that is outstanding will drop by to help with finalizing my painting. Just want some advice and also will be taking a painting course from him. I'm forever a student, if I like a certain technique of an artist, I will seek them out for private classes. It's a win win for everyone!

Anyway, the next post of the painting will probably be the finished product so fingers crossed peeps!

Maja the great

Well this is a bittersweet post. I've been painting over the last few days. Home sick with a nagging cough but I can still hold a paintbrush in my hand! So I was just getting set up to paint and I turned my cellphone on to get my Facebook and Twitter updates when I saw an update about Maja. Her cancer is back again and it seems like the Wilson family will have to make some big heart heavy decisions.  I'm grateful that I had the opportunity to paint her. This dog is truly special. She's had the most wonderful life, possibly better than most humans! She's been loved and adored by many near and far and been a wonderful faithful pet and companion. She will be fondly remembered by so many. I hope my painting will do her justice.

Moomoo really starting to come to life.....

I'm someone that is usually more critical of my own work and I must say I'm actually feeling quite happy about the way this is turning out. I'm grinning right now :D ear to ear. More work to be done, more shading and perfecting but yeah, this is going in the right direction. Are you feelin' it out there?

This is how it starts.....

This technically should be the very first post....oooopss, my bad! Oh well....it's a learning curve. This is how I begin each time I sit down to paint. You may see my "chicken scratch" for handwriting above, I assess the painting, which colors I see both light, dark and in between, and then I hit the art store to buy materials! You don't have to buy every single color, most colors you can blend to make the colors you want. For instance, here I have a beige-y tone that I'm trying to capture, so as you can see, I've mixed a bit of all those colors to achieve that hue. And once I've mixed the colors and say I want to continue on another day or maybe a week later, I cover this palate with some plastic, or even a plastic bag and pop it in the freezer. Then the paint doesn't dry and when I'm ready to paint again, voila! I'm sure Martha Stewart already knows this trick....that B* knows everything! ;)

Add a little Linseed Oil

For those who have always been curious about the technique of painting, this is for you! So Linseed oil adds gloss and transparency to paints.  I mix a bit in with the color I am using to give a more sheer coat of paint when I don't want it to be so thick and opaque.