Christmas Trees, Peeping Toms and Dog Portraits

December 9, 2014December 9, 2014 ~ thepurpledogpaintingblog ~ 6 Comments

It’s that time of year again.

Dummy was so excited to decorate the tree, he forgot to put his pants on.

He thinks he’s sexy.

No wonder we have so many peeping Toms.

Yeah, I see you Tom Turkey.

That’s right, strut away all casual like.

But I know what you did..

Sampson, I can’t believe you let them get that close to the house.

What do you have to say for yourself?

Really!

And to think, I made a portrait, just for you.

Acrylic, 8×10

Don’t worry Zeus, I made you one too.

Acrylic, 8×10

What do you think of that, Zeus?

Sigh…

Here’s a couple little landscapes too. Acrylic, 3×5

Acrylic 3×5

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©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 27, 2014November 27, 2014 ~ thepurpledogpaintingblog ~ 3 Comments

Gobble.

Gobble

Not a gobble gobble.

Have a wonderful day.

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©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2014

Happy Halloween!

October 31, 2014October 31, 2014 ~ thepurpledogpaintingblog ~ 4 Comments

In a malevolent chilling dance

The wind, it leapt and tore

Through the broken greying rows

It pushed on the old tomb door.

The skeletons inside, they cheered

For freedom they did want

They dreamed of stretching their thin bones

And of the souls that they would haunt

An iron mouse, it raised its head

A shiver went down its spine

But Dummy who was dressed as a ghost

Said “Oh Pal, it’ll be just fine!”

He went to the pumpkin patch with the mouse

And shrieked a ghostly “Boo!”

The skeletons, they looked aghast

And stuttered “W-who are you?”

“I am a wicked scary ghost!”

“I’ve come to steal your bones!’

“Oh no! We need them!” they all sobbed

With great big racking moans

They ran to the safety of their tomb

Locking the door, crying “You are mean!”

To the iron mouse, Dummy bowed

And said “Happy Halloween!”

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©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2014

And the sign said..

October 23, 2014October 23, 2014 ~ thepurpledogpaintingblog ~ 3 Comments

Hats!!!

Oh I do like a nice looking sign.

I don’t like roast beef sandwiches but I had to admire this old school Arby’s sign.

I think it’s much nicer than a pig hawking his family’s wares while standing in a pit of fire.

Although he is kind of cute..

For a masochistic cannibal pig chef that is.

Now this is a delicious sign.

Yeah, I made that.

And this is a happy sign.

We’ve had some construction troubles with our bridges, so..

Yippee!

I fell in love this sign.

And yes it does rock.

And of course there are always useful warning signs.

Mascots creep me out.

Especially the ones with really big furry heads.

Magical things happen..my ass.

This is the perfect sign to start a horror movie with..

Deep in the shadows, the foul stench of a thousand locker rooms emanated from a lumbering monstrosity. As it lifted its gargantuan head, its puppet mouth stretched in a voiceless scream.

They would know! They all would soon know..

The Horror,!

The Pain!

The Abomination that is matted faux fur…

Whew. I need to quiet down.

Oh good there’s a sign for that too.

Though I must admit, I’ve never seen a corn head that wasn’t calm.

So this is conclusively catatonic corn. Yummy.

This sign is a standard directive.

Eat!!

Okay. That’s a good bossy sign.

Hmm.

Bossy and a little disturbing

To the funeral home..

No! Just no!! Stop it.

This sign seems to be confused..

Is it Ed’s

Or Art’s

Or is it Ed’s & Art’s

Or Art’s & Ed’s.

Or is it Arts as in The Arts.

Can I go in there and buy some liquor and some canvases and then paint like Pollock?

I think I need a drink.

Ahh, I see what you did there.

Thank you very much.

This sign is just pretty.

Most of these signs are in or around Galena, Illinois which is where this Inn is.

This is a pen and ink, a little smaller than 3×5.

I did finish it in watercolor but for some reason forgot to photograph it before mailing it off.

If you want to see it in color, simply print it off and go to town with some crayons. Enjoy.

These are some calm colorful corn heads in acrylic. 3×5 on canvas.

And an autumn scene, in acrylic for a WetCanvas Mini challenge. 3×4 inches.

This is a real quickie. Took about fifteen minutes because sometimes it’s simply fun to throw paint around willy nilly.

And it also gives me the chance to use the word “willynilly”.

I don’t use willy nilly enough.

Or amok.

So run amok and paint willy nilly.

Have a good one.

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©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2014

Happy Labor Day

August 31, 2014 ~ thepurpledogpaintingblog ~ 5 Comments

Or Labour Day for my Canadian family, eh.

We don’t have any big plans this weekend.

We’re just going to be hanging around.

Enjoy the holiday weekend!

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©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2014

First hummingbird!

May 24, 2014 ~ thepurpledogpaintingblog ~ 6 Comments

There he is!

I’m serious there is a hummingbird in that apple tree.
.

Can’t see it? That’s okay.

Sometimes things are hiding in plain sight.

Can you see it?

Come a little closer…

Too close!! Too close!!

Phew. There he is.

Mmmm, that apple tree smelled delicious.

This painting was for a friend. It’s 11 x 14 inches, acrylic on canvas.

And this acrylic, 4×4 inches is of a friend’s dog.

He made this face right after he nipped at my husband.

He’s working on not nipping and this face made me laugh!

Have a good one!

I’ll be back soon…I’m writing poetry again.

Mwah ha ha ha!! (that’s my evil laugh!)

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©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2014

It’s May?

May 2, 2014May 2, 2014 ~ thepurpledogpaintingblog ~ 6 Comments

Hmm, somehow I missed April.

I think what happened is that the spring came and I lost my mind.

But I did take some photos.

This is the Lock and Dam No 15, on the Mississippi River.

It is the largest existing roller dam in the world. It’s nickname is the “Washing Machine of Death”.

dum dum da dummmm

Nothing like a nickname that sounds like some cheap knockoff wrestling name.

“And in this corner, ladies and gentleman…the Washing Machineeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee of Death!!!!!!!!!!”

And the crowd goes wild!

It’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places as “Lock and Dam No. 15 Historic District, #04000175 covering 3,590 acres (1,450 ha), 2 buildings, 9 structures, and 1 object.” I know where the two buildings and nine structures are but what the heck is the one object?

This is a water pumping station. (I think)

This was taken inside the car wash.

Because that’s how I roll.

And I made my own planet.

I saw a dinosaur.

I painted a few tiny geese, with watercolor.

(I’ve painted these before but not with watercolor)

These are all ATC/ACEO size. (2.5 x 3.5 inches, the size of a playing card)

And this is a sunset.

I’d like to claim that I meant to do that, but actually I was in a moving car.

And the camera was on the wrong setting.

Much like the setting I used to take a photo of the “Blood Moon” which incidentally is a much better nickname then the “Washing Machinnnnnnnnnne of Death!!!!”

The blue is the star Spica.

That’s alright, you win some, you lose some.

I also wrote a poem about squirrels which I lost.

I think the squirrels may have stolen it.

Oh don’t me give me that cute face..

Ah well, have a good one!

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How to take a selfie.

March 22, 2014 ~ thepurpledogpaintingblog ~ 11 Comments

Zeus tells me that selfies are all the rage.

As he is so obsessed, I decided to give him a few guidelines.

Sit! Stay! Read!

1) Know your good side. Everyone has a certain angle that makes them look great.

But watch your expression, a little whale eye goes a long way.

2) The eyes are the window to the soul so work those babies.

3) Highlight your best feature. Zeus is unusually fond of his nose.

4) Use the cropping tool to make a dramatic yet strangely coy statement.

6) Add a filter. Resist the urge to overuse filters though. I know some people who use so many filters, that even though I’ve seen dozens of photos of them, I don’t actually know what they look like.

Well I hope those are helpful.

A final word to the wise, letting your furry pal borrow your phone for a few selfies is one thing but for the love of dog don’t let him download apps especially if they, like Zeus, are a bird dog and they find out about those games with the extremely vexed birds throwing themselves at thieving porcines.

Trust me, you will never get your phone back.

Sigh.

Have a good one.

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The Eagles are back!

January 19, 2014 ~ thepurpledogpaintingblog ~ 9 Comments

There was a mother eagle

Who was trying to get some rest.

But oh no! Look behind her!

It’s a teenage raptor pest!

So she cuffed the juvenile in the head!

And left for parts unknown.

The kid, he was proud to have his own roost.

Until he realized that he was all alone..

Mom?
Mother??

Mommy?!?

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Ho, oh ho, oh no…

December 12, 2013 ~ thepurpledogpaintingblog ~ 11 Comments

Ho! Ho! Ho!

It’s that time of year! It’s time for caroling!

It’s time to sing!

Hey! Hey! Where are you going cardinal?

Nuthatch?

Anyone? Blue Jay? I see you hiding behind that fence..

Oh alright. No singing, I am going to strum my ukulele though.

Here’s some little snow scenes I’ve been painting while medicated heavily. Had a pretty serious illness, but I’m fine now. If you ever have vertigo, I thoroughly recommend painting. It’s incredibly hard but oddly entertaining at the same time. I felt like one of Leary’s hippies.

These are all acrylic, four inch squares.