Commissions, curators and carvings, oh my!

Who's the cutie pie? You are!

Sometimes I miss doing the daily art project. And I’ll admit it may someday make a reappearance. It’s exhilarating to be so productive. Then again, this whole art thing is often 50% making and 50% marketing, and those things don’t necessarily split themselves up perfectly each day. So lately I’ve had a show of nearly 30 mixed media abstracts here in Sacramento, I just finished the above commission drawing of an adorable doggie,  I’m also working on some wine country art including these linocuts…

An almost-done linoleum carving of V. Sattui Winery

.. and today I’m heading to the bay area to hang out with my mom, sister and nephew before meeting with 2 curators tomorrow about prospective showings of my cityscapes in Palo Alto and San Francisco.  I also had a couple of serious interviews last week for a job that I think would be just perfect for me, so fingers crossed! I entered some art in the State Fair and will find out within the next few days if it was accepted, and some other contest deadlines are looming, so it seems that the “marketing” thing has really taken hold here lately. Here’s an image of the reference photo I used for the dog portrait:

Not bad, eh?

I’ve never done a solid doggie drawing before, but it’s pretty similar to doing a person portrait. What do you think? Should I start offering pet portrait commissions in my Etsy shop? 😉

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Day 59

While my cousin tells me my auntie still has a drawing I did of my first pet, Chip, I don’t recall ever drawing any dogs. So I tried my hand at a quick sketch of Chester while he slept on a couple articles of clothing on top of the couch. Unfortunately he started to have a nightmare and woke up about 3-4 minutes in, which resulted in a poor drawing. Today’s drawing is a reminder of why working from photos tends to be a better bet for me when it comes to portraiture- even doggie portraiture. So I figured I’d pair a bad drawing with a bad poem, just for kicks. Enjoy!

Ode To Chester

Beloved pup, you rule our roost

Your cuddles are a serotonin boost

With sable fur and charcoal nose

Our love for you constantly grows

You stretch and yawn with curly tongue

You keep your ‘parents’ feeling young

You’re king of nicknames, Chessie-lou

Sir snarfs-a-lot, and you-know-who

Chess Match, Chesapeake Bay & more

Life with you is never a bore

With the pickiest palette of all canine-kind

And a maintenance-requiring stinky behind

You test our patience but it’s okay

We love you more than words can say!