Acrylic

My apologies…

~ thepurpledogpaintingblog ~ 10 Comments

It’s been a bit since I wrote a new post. It was mostly just laziness but I have a variety of excuses as well. Pick which ever one suits your frame of mind..

Excuse #1 …

I was watching my neighbor burn down his yard..

Yes the same neighbor who yells at me for watering even though I have rain barrels and an overflowing well. Yes the same one who thinks I gave his yard crabgrass even though I have none. The same guy who hates my maple tree and wants me to cut it down even though it has nothing wrong with it and it’s a pretty tree…and so on and so on….

What happened was that not realizing that I was home, he started to blow all his leaves into my yard so I casually took the dogs out.

And he blew them all back.

He made a  20 foot long pile in his yard, about 2 feet high.  Since he couldn’t foist them off on me, he decided to mulch them with his riding lawn mower…

Well the pile was too high, the leaves ended up caught in his engine and

FIRE ! FIRE! FIRE!

He kept driving then did a double take (which I’ve never seen anyone outside the movies do before)

Then he was dancin’ and singin’ and movin’ to the groovin’ (Sorry, sorry had a moment of Funky Grooviness there, it won’t happen again)

But he was dancing and grooving and jumping up and down flailing his arms and he kept kicking the leaves all over and they kept burning farther and faster and further and faster as well.

I opted to watch from my living room and not let him know that I knew that he set his yard on fire. I’m nice like that. Plus I may possibly have been hysterically laughing… ahem..

Anyway at least his crab grass is gone. Who knew it was that flammable.

Excuse #2…

I was helping Sampson put together a performance piece. It involved putting my garden to bed for the winter and cleaning up leaves (while not setting the yard on fire, I mean he did want to juggle some flaming torches but I nixed that one much to his disappointment). Sampson’s art du jour was a mind numbing display of pumpkin abuse..

At this point your children should leave the room, it may be too much for them.

SQUISH!! SQUISH!!! SQUISH!!!!

That’s downright disturbing. Pumpkin abuse is wrong, people!!

But see, there isn’t any crabgrass.

Excuse #3…

Speaking of dogs, I was also trying in vain to get a nice dignified photo of Zeus.

I often see beautifully dignified labs in magazines. So I was determined to get one.

I swear they must drug those dogs in the magazines.

Don’t stick your tongue at me..rude I tell you…

Aw..Gee..I’m sorry…

Oh that’s okay.

We’ll try again.

No! Not dignified! Not dignified!

My attempts to take a dignified photo of Zeus are on temporary hiatus since he decided to introduce himself to a nest of yellow jackets and he’s allergic. He’s fine, sillier looking then normal but fine.  *Sigh*

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I have actually done a couple little paintings. These are rough copies of some Christmas cards ideas.

The first is a Partridge in a Pear..

Because I didn’t feel like drawing a tree..

Several people have clicked on this. If you use or copy this image without my permission you are commiting a crime.
Partridge in a pear ©Virginia Spencer, 2011

Could you imagine if someone actually gave you a partridge in a pear tree? I would be miffed myself.

The second is in the style of Van Gogh, and is a snowman.. (I was pretty sure you can tell it’s a snowman but judging by the amount of weird Russian spam I get on this blog, I’d like to make myself clear. It’s a snowman and no I don’t want any mukluks.)

If you notice there is a bend in the corner. Sampson chewed on it for a bit.

He’s still a bit mad about not being allowed to juggle flaming torches.

Ah, c’est la vie.

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©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2011

Ohhh the colors…

~ thepurpledogpaintingblog ~ 23 Comments

Autumn is definitely in full swing.

This a twisted maple in my yard.

Isn’t that a gorgeous color.

This is a watercolor mini I did awhile back.

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I watched an interesting show on “60 Minutes” this week about Van Gogh. I’m sure most people have heard by now that there’s a theory that he did not commit suicide but was accidentally shot. It reminds me of the theory that Gauguin actually cut off Van Gogh’s ear (which is more probable than not, Gauguin was there, he and Van Gogh were fighting , Gauguin was swinging around a sword but he claimed he left before Van Gogh cut himself.) Of course the curators at the Van Gogh museum get in a huff anytime someone mentions that Van Gogh might not have been altogether an insane depressed madman. It just gets them in a right tizzy.

Personally I love Van Gogh. I like most art though the religious works of the Renaissance leave me cold (except for Da Vinci’s, but only because he at least seemed to have a sense of humor).  But either way, I have tried several times to copy Van Gogh’s painting (for practice only of course). After studying his brush strokes and color, I’ve come to one conclusion…

That guy was crazy!!

All those little dabs of color, over and over and over and over…

That and the whole walking over to the brothel and handing his ear wrapped in tissue to a prostitute named Rebecca for safe keeping…

Here’s my ode to Van Gogh.

“Van Gogh’s Cat”

(please note this is not a copy of a real VG painting, it’s my tribute to him)

Acrylic, 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches.

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Here’s a couple more ACEO’s (Atc’s, minis)

I used to do paper-cutting in the traditional style of Scherenschnitte.

I still do occasionally but this time I was lazy and used ink.

Both are ink on acrylic, 2.5 by 3.5 inches.

“Fish Eyes”

“Mouse Tail”

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And here’s a photo of a llama meditating.

llama llama llama llama llama

Van Gogh should have tried that. It’s very relaxing.

My spell check does not recognize “Van Gogh”. Seriously.

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©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2011

Giraffes? Girafffes!

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I’ve always liked giraffes. I had been taught that giraffes are one of two living species (the other being the okapi) of the family Giraffidae which had evolved from palaeomerycids during the early part of the Miocene epoch. I was taught that they are even-toed ungulate mammals and were herbivores to boot. I was taught that they definitely did not dance.

Silly me.

Fortunately I found this book Giraffes? Giraffes!  The book review in that link says it all…

“Giraffes? Giraffes! is the first in the series, and puts forth the following novel theories: that giraffes were not part of any evolutionary chain, but came here from Neptune, by way of very long (but convenient and fast) escalators; that giraffes are expert dancers, but they become angry if you ask them about their dancing; that giraffes control over 90 percent of what we see in mirrors; that the Giraffe navy is as strong as ever, contrary to recent claims in the popular press.”

I KNEW IT!

Well I didn’t really know know it but I had suspected as much.

Imagine my delight when we went to the zoo and the baby giraffe was out. She and her mother were kept out of the public eye until a few weeks ago. She is 14 months old, is 6 foot tall, weighs 105 lbs and is already proficient in tap and jazz. She will eventually reach 16 feet and weigh approximately 2500 lbs. She looks tiny compared to the other giraffes.

She’s such a doll. She pretty stayed in the same spot for about 20 minutes, then she went over to the fence and tried to nibble on it. The poor thing learned the hard way that the fence is electrified. She wasn’t hurt but she was very confused. She went right back to her spot and stood there looking at the fence to see what else it would do.

You can see how tiny she looks in this photo.

Here’s Mom. She’s lovely isn’t she.

And here’s Baby!

There was also a young mountain goat out and about. Unlike giraffes, mountain goats do not dance.

They do have lovely singing voices though.

This is a mini ( ATC /ACEO) in acrylic.

It measures 2.5 by 3.5 inches.

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©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2011


The tire swing..

~ thepurpledogpaintingblog ~ 18 Comments

All over the roads of South Dakota we saw abandoned buildings. I always wonder when I see those buildings why they lie empty. I tell myself endless stories of these lost buildings.

I based this miniature on one such building. A house, a home at one time in a field. And behind that house was a tree with a tire wing hanging forlornly from it.

A little bit sad I thought.

“The Tire Swing”, Acrylic, 3.5 by 2.5 inches. (ATC, or ACEO size)

I’m not terribly thrilled with the painting. It’s okay but it’s not what I meant to do. I like the tree and the swing but not the rest. Goes to show that art like anything else is not all talent, it takes practice and when you don’t paint for a little bit you get rusty. I think that may be what discourages so many beginners. They think you need a lot of talent when it’s more like you need a good eye (or talent if you prefer) and a lot of practice. So if you’re a beginner, or just haven’t done it in years, take your time and and do many many paintings. Don’t be too hard on yourself, it will come.

In case you’ve been wondering Dummy did go on the trip with us. I’m not sure where he’s gone off to though…

Oh there he is!  Climbing around Custer State Park.

He’s so agile.

Oh dear….

©Virginia Spencer,  thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2011

A Farewell

~ thepurpledogpaintingblog ~ 30 Comments

My little ball of fluff with the big blue eyes passed away Saturday at the age of 23. She died in my son’s arms with Sampson by her side.

Minou was six pounds of dignity, disdain, fury and frivolity. She was so small and yet she meant so much.

Thank you Minou.

Thank you for the years of love and loyalty.

Thank you for waking me up every day. I now have to learn how to use an alarm clock.

Thank you for teaching every dog you met how to respect a cat. When we brought home a 150 pound mammoth of a dog from the SPCA, in less than a minute you taught him to never chase cats again. And he never did. He chased dogs. So that was helpful.

Thank you for your War on Earwigs. It started way back in ’89 and not once was it funded by taxpayer money. You fought well, you fought hard and you never gave up. Generations from now, tales of the Fury with the ice blue eyes will haunt the dreams of earwigs everywhere.

Thank you for eating my brown couch. You were right. It was ugly, it was old and yes, I do keep things for too long.

Thank you for making senility look fun. In the last year, I didn’t scold you for sitting on the dining room table because I knew that in your heart, you sincerely believed that you were sitting on the couch.

Thank you for biting every vet you met. Especially the arrogant young one in Colorado who insisted that it was easy to give a cat a pill. He tried for an hour and he still bears the scars today. He lost his arrogance and gained a much needed respect for small animals. Good girl.

Thank you for sitting with Max that noble dog as he lay dying, you licked his muzzle and you cried. Thank you for taking every puppy and kitten we brought in to your side. You trained them well, scolded them and babied them. And now they cry for you.

Thank you for sitting in my lap, purring and offering comfort when my child was sick, when my husband was at war, when my Dad passed away. I don’t tend to let people know when my heart is breaking. I’m silly, I make smart ass comments, I carry on. But you always knew. You were always there. Throughout the times of joy and the times of deepest sorrow. You were there. A little brown and black ball of fluff with big blue eyes purring and yowling and fussing.

Now the house is quiet and you lie under the purple mums by the forest’s edge.

And I miss you so much.

I will always miss you.

Goodbye my little friend. Meow.

For my sister…

~ thepurpledogpaintingblog ~ 15 Comments

I recently sent my sisters a link to my blog.

My sister Sherry being an excellent sort of sister said “I love it!”.

My sister Yvonne (who is way older than me and don’t let her tell you any different) said and I quote..

“About your blog. How about telling people what paper you use, what kind of brushes you use…expensive or cheap, do you cut your artwork with a border, do you leave it on a big sheet, does it curl when dry, how do you display your artwork, how do you send your work, do you matte it..”

and then…

“Have you considered doing a project where you do the same picture but in different medium, you know, for those who may like water colour or crayons? “

and then…

“Okay, I just got why you call it the purple dog…slow or what”

and then…

“But I LOVED your blog. And I love you.”

She’s an excellent sister too. And she has a point. So inspired by my sister, here’s a personal list of items I like to use. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, Dummy is kindly playing Vanna.

The List!

  • pre-stretched canvas or watercolor paper, the higher the gsm the less likely it is to curl ( and no I never stretch my own canvas, too much work for me)
  • tripod or any firm surface
  • paint, I prefer Liquetex or Amsterdam but use whatever you like, student grade or otherwise, it’s all a personal thing.
  • that being said, having a warm grey and a cool grey is great, I always use both in almost every painting as well as my favorite violet blue.
  • lots of brushes, some expensive, some very cheap, again whatever works best for you
  • Sta Wet palette (but a plastic bin with a lid and wet paper towels with a piece of waxed paper on top works just as well)
  • a sketch pad
  • a corkboard with a photo of my cat
  • pencils, conte, white erasers
  • kleenex, paper towels, rags
  • a pink rabbit
  • scissors and tape (in case you get bored waiting for your paint to dry and want to make some cut outs)
  • good lighting
  • a cigar box full of pencils and pens
  • a good pencil sharpener
  • a water container, I like the kind with the ridged bottoms, they get your brushes cleaner.
  • a worried looking elephant
  • acrylic varnish
  • a piece of cupboard lining cloth, I use it to open up stubborn paint lids, it gives a good grip
  • rulers, straight edges, T-squares, templates and other implements of destruction
  • a good reference, either go outside (au plein aire) or paint from your own photo or use someone’s photo but only with their permission of course (most art forums have image reference libraries)

I’m sure I probably missed a tonne of things but those are the basics I like to use. Any questions?

Artist Trading Cards (or ATC’S, ACEO’s or minis, whatever floats your boat)

~ thepurpledogpaintingblog ~ 17 Comments

Recently I  joined a trade on Wetcanvas. For those who aren’t sure what I’m talking about. An ATC (artist trading card) is about the size of a baseball card and can be in any medium. And you trade them like baseball cards to other artists. It’s fun, you get to meet artists all over the world as well as being  great practice. Plus it’s nice to get real mail once in a while as well.

If you’re in this trade with me stop reading this until you get your mail.  😀

The theme of this current trade I’m in was Animals. Here’s a couple I did. These are all the size of a baseball or playing card..they will appear larger on your screen then they actually are. These are all acrylic, except for the skunk which is pen on acrylic.

Hope you enjoy.


Dummy is off on vacation. I am hoping to join him soon!

©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2011

Gardening and car crashes..

~ thepurpledogpaintingblog ~ 19 Comments

Hello! The heat has finally broken a bit and we are having some great gardening weather. People all over North America are in a frenzy to figure out what to do with the twenty million tomatoes they didn’t think would actually grow. I wouldn’t have planted any but Dummy insisted.

He’s has been listening to the news and bearing in mind that heat stroke is a terrible thing, he is being smart and is wearing a hat and sunscreen with a high SPF factor of course.

Checking the tomatoes…He’s so busy that he didn’t notice that his butt is on backwards..I would tell him but his feelings get hurt awfully easily. He’ll notice when he tries to sit down.

Tomato plant, dummy

And look how nicely the corn has come in…and yup, his butt is on right..

As for me I’ve been hanging out in the AC. I painted this little 3 x 5 inch acrylic of the downtown area in Rock Island, Illinois. I just noticed that the first building has a bit of a lean, someone should fix that.  It’s a tragedy waiting to happen. And the windows in the shop look like they’re ready to burst..Oh no! There’s a pedestrian in front of them….. Run! Lady! Run! ….It’s too late!… The white car tried to save her but has run into a stop sign which some fool put in the middle of the road…oh the agony…

acrylic 3 x 5 inches

Good thing I caught it all on canvas. I better go send this off to CNN  for their I-Witness newscast.

Summertime…

~ thepurpledogpaintingblog ~ 13 Comments

And the living is easy…

Sorry I have that song stuck in my head.

 I just came in from sneaking around watering my garden. Why? you may ask.. Well, it’s not because we have restrictions on, in fact I live near the Mississippi and after the record amount of snow melt and rain this year, my well is overflowing. No, like the coward that I am, I was sneaking around avoiding my neighbor. He’s a nice elderly man who claims that I gave his yard Creeping Charlie.  I don’t have any in my yard but nevertheless he says it is so. He also has a thing about people watering.  I have an overflowing well and rain barrels but he’s not the logical sort.  99% of the time I find him amusing, the other 1%, well let’s just say it’s a good thing my mother made me learn my manners or I would be asking people to raise bail money for me.

It’s been a muggy hot summer so far. I haven’t done much painting wise, though in my head I’ve created masterpieces! This is a small 3×5 canvas of the backside and roofs of Rock Island , Illinois. It’s acrylic.

Well I should go find Dummy, he’s off gallivanting around. I think he may be trying to escape.

Can’t see the forest for the trees..

~ thepurpledogpaintingblog ~ 10 Comments

Well I did an abstract. Really I did. I didn’t do it to be cool or groovy . I did it because I wanted to portray the existential relationship between the forest and the trees while concentrating on the internal forms of a forest rather than a pictorial representation so as to show the analogous effect of ..oh hell, I can’t keep that crap up. I did it because I really like that picture frame and since I was fixing a hole in the wall I had a whole lot of Spackle leftover.

Note! It’s very hard to take a photo of something like this, with the textures and all. So please excuse the bad photography. It’s a fair size, the long size being about four feet. Seeing as most of my pictures are about 2.5 to 3.5 inches long, it was a bit different.

A close up..

See what I mean, isn’t that a great frame.

And on the side, I threw this little one together, it’s about 3×5 inches. A quickie acrylic. The photo I used came from Wetcanvas‘s Image Reference Library, so thanks to the contributor for sharing it. I may do more on this, I may not. I’m still thinking about it.