Wednesday, July 19, 2006

New Labrador Puppy Painting

Here is my newest Labrador Retriever painting. It is entitled: "Top Salesman" and is the first in my Fort Labrador series. Fort Labrador was something I built for each litter of Lab puppies I raised. We used whatever scrap lumber we had and created fun and educational forts that included a couple of steps to a raised platform, a tunnel, an under "cave" and a ramp. The pups had wonderful times playing in their forts and learned about going up and down steps and ramps, under and through the various spots. I had a grand time watching them play, invent fort games and gain confidence as they mastered the stairs and ramps. I painted silly things on the different forts, including this sign for selling bones, a "barkaton" window, "enter", "exit" "up" and "down" with arrows. A visiting breeder who knew I loved to train my young puppies once asked me if now I was teaching them to read (haha).
This picture is based on a photo I shot of this 6-week-old puppy waiting for someone to come and play. It looked like he was waiting for a customer. I was amazed as I watched a scene unfold, snapping pictures as it happened. A black Lab pup came up outside the step as if to buy a bone. They had some silly puppy exchanges through the opening and then the yellow pup walked outside of the fort, picked up a little chunk of wood and went back under the fort and laid it on the step for the black puppy. It was as if he said "Sorry Miss, we are all out of bones. Would you like this wood instead?" I will be painting more of these wonderful memories and call it my Fort Labrador series. Some of the forts had flags, or painted duck cutouts, or low teeter-totters. All of them had a sign saying "Bad Dogs Keep Out!" It worked. All of my puppies were good dogs.

Friday, July 14, 2006

What are we up to?


A bunch of stuff! Summer is in full swing and so are our many projects. One new job I am working on is a commissioned picture that will be liscensed for a book cover. It's about Labs, of course. It should be a fun read entitled "Cook's Book of Recipies for Canine Fun" - as told by a Labrador Retriever to her transcriber, Ken Smith. The cover will feature a photo of a black Lab wearing a chef's hat and holding a wooden spoon. Here is a picture of Tallulah auditioning for the part. All of my dogs want to try out since they have so much fun learning new things through Clicker Training. Don't tell the others, but I think Tallulah will get the honors - she's pretty cute, don't you think? Still, Eponine can give her stiff competition as she is the real beauty in our house.

Coincidentally, the chef's hat idea was the next design I planned to make for my "hat dogs" since I love to cook. The hat dogs are featured in my Cafe Shop and are digital manipulations of an original silk painting. If you are looking for a silly yellow dog for fun birthday, graduation, Christmas, and other holidays, occasions and occupations on cards and gifts visit my dog lovers gift shop.