Donation #16 - Garren - Police K9 Service Dog

Garren - Police K9 Service Dog

German Shepherd
4" x 6" Oil on Panel

From his partner:

I work for the Beaverton Police Department and recently retired my first K9 partner, Garren. We retired Garren, not due to age or inability to do the job, but because in many ways he was just too nice. Garren licked the first "Bad Guy" he found and continued this trend throughout his career. Garren was gentle and I trusted him completely, even when my infant daughter would climb on his back, pull his tail, or try to grab his tongue.

Thank you Garren, Steve, and all the others who work hard to keep us safe.

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I had a very productive day. I've been trying to keep to my schedule - and I was painting live on UStream at 10 & 4 today, Central Time (11 & 5 Eastern) I finished Garren's portrait, repainted that pesky still life that I've never been happy with (I'll show you tomorrow) and painted the Bluebird again :)

Yesterday, I painted Tulip's portrait. She is a corgi Therapy dog and her partner commissioned her painting. I have started a new section on Portrait of a Hero dedicated to dogs like Tulip that are Service Dogs, Therapy Dogs and similar. These portraits are not donated, but I do give a 25% discount off of the normal commission fee.

I am now offering prints of the Search & Rescue & K9 dog paintings. I will shortly be offering prints of many of my daily paintings.

Thank you to Steve Anderson for your donation to the Free K9 & Search & Rescue paintings. Thank you to my son, Chris, for his generous donation of a video camera for my UStream broadcasts.

Live Creatively!

Liz

Police Officer Memorial Portrait Dedication

The Police Officer portrait that I painted a couple months ago was formally dedicated on Friday. I attended, but due to mis-communication and some glitches (plus the fact that I'm basically a hermit and am not always in my "assertive artist" mode) I ended up not being in the room at the time it was being dedicated. It was standing room only. I met the Dallas Chief of Police and a lot of great Police Officers, Lieutenants and others. I truly appreciate those who put themselves in harm's way on a daily basis for us!! (Especially those among us who are totally ditzy . . . . )

The ceremony was featured on the nightly news and here are some shots from the broadcast.

the screen says "Police Officer Remembered"

Unveiling the portrait

They thanked me for the donation, but it didn't say that on the news and I am really trying to get the word out that I will donate an oil on canvas portrait to the family of any Police Officer or Firefighter that is killed in the line of duty. I contacted the television station, and we'll see if they are interested. I'll keep you posted.

PAINTING LIVE - I will be painting live on USTREAM today starting about 7:30 p.m. Central Time (8:30 p.m. Eastern) I will be working on some commissioned portraits. One is a large 18"x 22" oil on canvas of a Scottish Terrier and one is a 4"x6" oil on panel of a Corgi.

This is the photo I will be painting the Corgi, Tulip from. I will probably paint Tulip in one session - start to finish tonight live on USTREAM, so join me. I will be taping the broadcast so you can watch at your convenience if you don't manage to get here tonight. I hope you do, though - I enjoy the company! Click here to see my USTREAM videos and to join me live tonight at 8:30 Eastern / 7:30 Central Time. Make sure you sign up and get a username so I can chat with you while I paint.

Hope to see you - and always - Live Creatively!!

Liz

eBay Videos & Camo - Boykin Spaniel in Oil

I keep forgetting to mention that I am starting to list some videos on eBay - I have some really good videos from some great artists. I have started with some Ron Ranson, Skip Lawrence and Charles Reid (I love all of them!!) in watercolor and a couple oil painting ones, including Helen van Wyk - on painting children's portraits. If you'd like to see the videos I have for sale they're here: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZaportraitforyou I started all the auctions at 99 cents and I combine shipping. I've really enjoyed viewing the videos, but I haven't watched them in a while, and I think it's time for me to pass them along so that someone else can learn from them. I think that is one of the greatest thing about eBay - sharing things that you're not going to make a bunch of money on, but you don't want to throw away!! I really like the idea that someone else will be viewing them and enjoying them as I did. Most of them I bought second-hand on eBay. I will try to list some more videos on Sunday, if not, I'll be listing them in the next week. That's the only thing I don't like about eBay is that it takes so much time, although this time, I didn't do as much explanation and description as I usually do. Just trust me that they are good videos and you'll learn some great things from them. Even if you're just inspired by them, that's enough!!

Now, I'll show you what I did tonight -

Camo - Boykin Spaniel

8"x10" Oil on Panel
congratulations to Jennifer, another new collector
Thank you for your patronage :)

Wow 2 posts in one day - well, not actually, since it's after midnight here.

I'm actually not sure if I'm completely finished with Camo's portrait, but since I needed to send out an email, I thought I'd stick a painting in it :)


He is a beautiful dog - and the painting turned out really well, I think. I am in awe when the paint just comes off the brush right. I know that my talent is God-given and I am just as amazed as you are when it happens LOL . . . I know I haven't done anything to deserve this! I do study and read, but still, it just amazes me when a painting goes as well as this one did right off the bat. God gives amazing gifts. I just hope I don't waste it!

Now, I've got to head for bed, because I am attending the dedication of the portrait that I donated to the Dallas Police Department of one of their officers who was killed. I debated going, because I don't like to be pointed out LOL. Oddly enough, I love teaching and have no problem with public speaking, but that's because I'm not the subject. But, I'm going to tough it out and go. Actually, I'm not the subject here, either, the Officer is. So anyway, wish me luck :)

Thanks as always for your support and encouragement -

Live Creatively!!

Liz

Moonlight Odyssey - Equine Mural Panel

Moonlight Odyssey

My Panel for the
Le Cadeau Du Cheval - The Horse Gift
Mural Mosaic

Finished - and shipped. Hope it gets there soon :) This a paitning for a large mural that is composed of individual paintings by various artists - you can see it here: Le Cadeau Du Cheval - The Horse Gift Mural Mosaic

I was provided with a panel that has a basic color and tonal scheme and I had to create a painting to fit the pattern.

The individual small paintings will be assembled into a giant mural with an equine theme. I don't know what the final mural looks like yet.

I chose an overhead view of a horse because I knew that everyone would be painting horse heads, and horses running, and cowboys, etc, so I wanted something different. I thought an overhead view would be unique and I did it in a more fantastical fashion than I normally paint.

Thanks for your interest, and as always -

LIVE CREATIVELY

- Liz

Donation #15 - Summit - Australian Shepherd DAWGS

(click to enlarge)

Summit
Australian Shepherd Search & Rescue Dog

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From Karen, his handler:

I met Summit on a mountain top in New Hampshire a day after I lost his beloved big brother, Forest, in an accident. Before meeting Forest I had always assumed my soulmate would have two legs, but he showed me that sometimes, for some people, their soulmates have four. I had no idea how I'd carry on without my dear friend, but he came to me the night he died in a dream and said his goodbyes in the sweetest of ways that still brings me to tears and he left me with a vision of an ice blue eye. I didn't know what it meant and didn't give it much thought until I made my way up the winding mountain road to meet a lil Aussie pup whom the day before I didn't even know existed. I knew as soon as I saw the lil blue merle pup with the ice blue eye and so much white fur that he looked like he came straight from the clouds in heaven that Forest had lead me to him. The journey that I thought had come to an end became a new beginning and has sustained me ever since. Summit is truly a blessing. He is a kind dog, full of love and endless kisses, always by my side and always ready for an adventure. He is a fine search dog who is successfully following in his big brother's pawprints. Forest must be so proud of us.

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Disaster and Wilderness Ground Searchers (DAWGS) is a volunteer search unit dedicated to the training of search and rescue dogs, handlers and support personnel in order to provide professional and highly-skilled search and rescue teams in the event of emergency response events. Formed in 1997 and operational in the spring of 1998, their primary search area is the state of Connecticut, although they are willing to assist disaster relief efforts and lost person searches wherever they are needed.

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This is #15 in my series of Search & Rescue and K9 paintings. If you or someone you know is a member of Search & Rescue, K-9 or Mouted Patrol, please allow me to paint a small portrait at no charge to you, in gratitude for your service.

On a personal note, I spent the last week in Florida on an Einstein vacation. You know what that is . . . "it's all relative" I dutifully packed all my art supplies and had grand hopes of getting some really great paintings done . . . . and all I did was lay on the beach and read trashy novels LOL . . . . guess I'll have to go back without any paperbacks and actually get some painting done!

I'll be painting LIVE tomorrow, not sure what time.

As always - THANK YOU SO MUCH for your interest in my artwork, and . . .

LIVE CREATIVELY!

- Liz