5th Anniversary

This is the painting I did for my husband's and my 5th wedding anniversary this year. It came from a joke we made one day when we were talking about impossibly cute things. My husband's suggestion was "a little bat eatin' a grape", and we would laugh about that from time to time. Well, when I was casting around for an anniversary idea I decided to whip him up his very own fluffy white leaf bat about to nom down on a big ol' grape!

Another Commission

This is my latest commission, done for another friend. It's a painting of her dog Bo, a Shiba Inu mix who met an untimely end and who she wanted to memorialize. Using the photos she sent me, I did my best to capture the doggie happiness that he seemed to project, especially in his play bows. My friend was very happy with the result, saying that it truly conveyed what a happy boy he was. I feel very honored that my friend wanted me to paint him, since I know how much he meant to her and her family.

Commission

Here is a commission I just finished for a friend's birthday. Her sister requested it, and sent me photos of their beloved childhood toys. I incorporated the toys as well as their nicknames and, hopefully, the sense of friendship these two sisters share. My friend was totally thrilled when she opened up her gift!

Shop's open!

Hokey dokey, I turned the Vacation Mode off and now my Etsy shop is up. There are only a few paintings, but more are coming soon.

shop

I'm in the process of settingup my Etsy shop so I can get this art-selling show on the road. I'm a terrbile procrastinator so this has taken way too long to do, anyway, and then a couple weeks ago as I was merrily writing up twee little descriptions for my paintings I realized that my husband I would be heading down to Florida for a week to visit family, among them my brand new baby cousin. D'oh! Shop set to Vacation Mode until I returned. Oh well, I plan to have the darn thing up in a day or two with a half dozen little paintings and whatnot. I'm quite excited, though I'm keeping my expectations modest. Here we go!

Flip

Gosh but it's been awhile! Like I said, I do most of my updating on my Facebook page, but I think I may use this space for more of the writing about my art rather than just picture updates, which is mostly what I use the FB page for. Here's the finished version of the sketch I posted below. It's called Flip because when I was a child, my aunt had an Airedale named Flip. I was pretty little when he died, and while I can't remember specific interactions, I have an impression of good memories of Flip. Is that vague enough? Well, Flip, this is for you, and all the other cool dogs I've known.

Here's a page from my sketchbook featuring the subject of my latest upcoming painting: an Airedale! Gosh, I love terriers.

I've been doing most of my picture updates over on my Facebook page. I can be found under Alison Ware - Artist, then look for the painting of the green, tentaclely love monster.

And now it's time for caffeine!

Palooka (2008)

Palooka
Originally uploaded by mizdandy

Hey buddy, whatchu lookin' at? You ain't never seen a octopus in a bowler smokin' a ceegar?

Olive (2008)

Olive
Originally uploaded by mizdandy

Olive the elephant. She looks glum, but she's just low-key and wants to know if you're going to finish all those peanuts there...

Melusine (2008)

Melusine
Originally uploaded by mizdandy

Named for the medieval mermaid, she's beautiful and cold and not entirely unwelcoming if you can hold your breath long enough.

Mort (2008)

Mort
Originally uploaded by mizdandy

Mort, though simply an octopus, has worked out just how frightening life on the ocean floor can be. God help you, Mort.

I'm Home (2009)

Hi honey, I'm home
Originally uploaded by mizdandy

Part 2 of the naked dude set. So that's where he's been all day: out at the office! After a hard day's work, he deserves a relaxing night at home.

Hi Honey (2009)

Pasty
Originally uploaded by mizdandy

Why here's a dapper gent! Nice quiff, if I do say so myself.

Home, sweet home

Well, after 18 hours of driving, my husband and I finally made it to our new apartment in Arlington, VA. We've moved everything in, the movers brought our lovely rented furniture, now all we have to do is get all the crap out of boxes and in their propers spots. A trip to Ikea is imminent this week, as we have heaps of books but no shelves for them.

Our place is great. It has 2 bedrooms, one of which will be my studio when it's not a guest room. There are huge windows that look out over Washington, D.C. I can see the Washington Monument and planes leaving the airport, so it will be a struggle to get actual work done with all these fun views. For a country girl, this is all very exciting. Also, the bar downstairs has Chimay ale on tap. Chimay is my absolute favorite Belgian ale, so I couldn't be happier about this arrangement.

Now, off to unpack some more. If I clear enough space, then I'll get to set up my drafting table and get to work!