photography

Seeing Red

~ thepurpledogpaintingblog ~ 6 Comments

Last week while we were still in the deep freeze I heard a knock at my window.

As I was on the second floor, I was a bit startled.

I looked around and there on the ground was a very woozy cardinal.

cardinal_red_tree (3).

Now I know, it’s not a good idea to mess with nature even if you mean well and normally a bird after hitting a window will be okay after a rest but it was so cold the cardinal was starting to stick to the ground so I had to intervene. (Now there’s a good example of a run on sentence. I haven’t written one in awhile, I’m so glad I haven’t lost my touch!)

He really didn’t seem to mind the open box with a hot water bottle in it.

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cardinal_red_tree (4).

He stayed there for quite a while, I was starting to get worried.

Fortunately, he was just really comfy.

cardinal_red_tree (5).

After a couple hours, all was well!

cardinal_red_tree (1).

He’s still hanging around. I think he’s waiting for me to put the hot water bottle back out again. Maybe I should add a little bird spa to the front porch. I could call it “Chic Chicks” or “Pique Your Beak” or “Fly and Dry”. On the other had we already have many “Seed and Feed” franchises around the yard. No body ever pays but we like the company.

Here’s an ink drawing of a church in the woods. (thank you to the person who put the reference photo into WetCanvas, Reference Image Library). This is 3×5.

ink_church_pen_drawing.

These are all ATC”s (artist trading cards). They are 2.5 by 3.5 inches, the size of a playing card.

A blue heron in acrylic.

blueheronatc.

A ibis in ink.

whiteibisatc.

A helmeted guinea fowl in ink and colored marker.

helmetedguineafowlatc.

A Somalian wild ass in acrylic.

(This is a terrible scan, it looks way better in real life)

donkeyatc.

And a laughing zebra in acrylic.

zebrasmileatc.

I hope you enjoyed your Friday the 13th and today’s Pi Day.

Have a happy Ides of March tomorrow!

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©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2015

Please follow this link for available prints.

Thank you!

May the Dog be with you.

~ thepurpledogpaintingblog ~ 6 Comments

If you haven’t heard, it’s been a mite chilly out.

I know, I know, it’s shocking news.

I’m sorry I had to break it to you like that.

Personally I don’t mind the cold or snow.

Especially when a walk around my neighborhood looks like this.

tree_snow_winter_cold.

maple_tree_winter_snow.

tree_snow_branches_winter.

tree_fir_winter_snow.

I must admit, it is a bit rough to have this much snow and a white dog.

white_dog_snow_westie.

Of course when temperatures drop into the frostpaw levels, the dogs need to mostly stay inside.

Sometimes when I try to make them go outside even when it’s not that cold out, they simply vanish into thin air.

I don’t  know how that happens.

zeus_lab_starwars..

Hmmmm.

It’s a mystery.

I recently made a bunch of ATC’s  of animals for a trade.

ATC’s are artist trading cards. They are 3.5 by 2.5 inches, the size of a regular playing card.

These are in acrylic.

They will most likely appear larger on your screen then they are in real life.

Atc, aceo.

penguinatc.

duckatc.

And here’s a couple of ATC’s in ink.

zebrasnoozingatc.

elepahntsnackatc.

ajabutherhinoatc.

Have a good one!

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©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2015

Please follow this link for available prints.

More prints to become available soon.

Thank you!

Ode to a Turkey

~ thepurpledogpaintingblog ~ 12 Comments

There is a turkey in my yard
I don’t know what he wants

tom_wild_turkey.
He struts to and fro
And yells oh such nasty taunts

turkeyface

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He waggles his wattles
And snoozles his snood

young_male_turkey
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And he blocked the driveway
Cause he’s in a fowl mood

turkeysitting.
But I will not let him
Get to me

Large_male_dominant_turkey.

For instead I have painted
A watercolor tree.

watercolor tree blog art.

The End

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©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2015

 

As the Suet Spins..

~ thepurpledogpaintingblog ~ 8 Comments

The continuing story of a bird, another bird, a third bird, some other birds, many many birds

and a little bit of suet.

It was a cold yet sunny day.

The wily woodpecker whistled..

“Mine! All mine! The suet is all mine!

Yummy! Yummy! Yummy!”

A woodpecker and suet in the snow..

“Ahem” the lady cardinal quietly coughed.

A female cardinal and a woodpecker.

“Yeeeeeeees?”

woodpecker_female_cardinal_intimidation.

“Did you..you…eat…all..of the suet!!!!!” the vivacious vixen gasped.

“I did! I did eat the suet!” whispered the woodpecker as he bowed his head in shame.

woodpecker_cardinal_female_suet.

“But I Still Adore You!” said the woodpecker in an overly dramatic capitalized way.

“Please!” he continued “Eat The Rest!”

“Okay, mmph, mmph, mmph.” she mumbled with a face full of suet.

woodpecker_cardinal_suet_female.

“Oh no! Your boyfriend is coming! I’m outta here!”

“Heeyyyyyyyyy!” Squeaked the Red One.

“You Vixen!” he squawked.

woodpecker_cardinal_female_male.

“Oh Dirk!” She sobbed.

“I’m leaving you.”

cardinal_male_female_suet.

Dirk looked around in confusion.

He appeared to be all alone.

cardinal_panorama.

(cue dramatic music)

Dadada Dum

Stay tuned until next time.

When Dirk meets a suspiciously scurrilous sparkling sparrow.

cardinal_sparrow_birdseed.

Will he survive the suspicious scurrilous sparkling sparrow’s speech?

Will the vivacious vibrant vixen vamoose?

Will the wily woozy woodpecker wallow wearily with wanton whistles ?

Stay tuned..

As the Suet Spins..

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©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2015

Happy New Year!

~ thepurpledogpaintingblog ~ 2 Comments

Happy New Year.

I cannot think of anything clever to add to that.

So…

Here’s a photo of a turtle.

turtle_moss_log.

Have a good one!

H.

©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2014

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From Heron in…

~ thepurpledogpaintingblog ~ 8 Comments

I surely will know

That sometimes herons stay

Even where there is snow!

A blue heron fishing in an icehole..

A blue heron fishing..

A blue heron fishing..

heron_fish_fishing.

A blue heron fishing in icy waters..

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Strange but cool.

Please excuse the fuzziness, I was hiding, albeit badly, behind some reeds.

Judging by the look on his face in the last photo, he found me.

What a glare!

So I guess I’m “It”.

Hide!

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©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas Trees, Peeping Toms and Dog Portraits

~ 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.

Dummy_christmas_art.

He thinks he’s sexy.

Christmas_model_bigfoot.

No wonder we have so many peeping Toms.

peeping_tom_turkey.

Yeah, I see you Tom Turkey.

That’s right, strut away all casual like.

But I know what you did..

turkey_wild_strut.

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

What do you have to say for yourself?

Westie_dog_groucho.

Really!

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

Acrylic, 8×10

Westie_painting_dog.

Don’t worry Zeus, I made you one too.

Acrylic, 8×10

dog-painting-lab.

What do you think of that, Zeus?

Lab_expression_funny.

Sigh…

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

landscape_winter-snow_painting.

Acrylic 3×5

landscape_snow_winter_painting

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©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving!

~ thepurpledogpaintingblog ~ 3 Comments

Gobble.

thanksgiving_turkey_illinois.

Gobble

turkey_thanksgiving_wild.

Not a gobble gobble.

great-blue-heron

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Have a wonderful day.

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©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2014

And the sign said..

~ thepurpledogpaintingblog ~ 3 Comments

Hats!!!

Oh I do like a nice looking sign.

tophat_hat_store_sign.

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

sign_restaurant_Arby's.

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.

sign_pig_ribs_restaurant.

Now this is a delicious sign.

Yeah, I made that.

sign_cupcakes_birthday

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And this is a happy sign.

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

Yippee!

sign_gas_station

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I fell in love this sign.

And yes it does rock.

Graffiti on a highway sign..

And of course there are always useful warning signs.

sign_mascot_museum.

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…

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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.

sign_vegetable_corn_yoga.

This sign is a standard directive.

Eat!!

Okay. That’s a good bossy sign.

diner_sign_eat

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Hmm.

Bossy and a little disturbing

To the funeral home..

No! Just no!! Stop it.

sign_funeral_home

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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.

sign_liquor_store.

This sign is just pretty.

Store sign in Galena, Illinois

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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.

inn_galena_ink

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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.

painting_acrylic_corn

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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.

acrylic_landscape_painting

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Have a good one.

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©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2014