My first poodle portrait

I will write more about this later, but I just want to mention how thrilled I am that I have been allowing myself to try some new things lately and for the most part they don't suck much.  I told Derek today it would be boring if I felt I needed to spend the rest of my days painting trees because that's what works.  Oft-given advice to writers is to "write what you know" and I have felt the same about painting.  Painting what you know lends a sense of authenticity to each piece, right?  Then again, I don't know shit from water dragons, and the first two have come out just fine!  And besides -- how are you supposed to learn and stretch if you don't try new things.  I hope I always consider myself an "emerging artist" because I always want to be experimenting with new ideas.

So, speaking of new things, I painted another rooster last night.  HA HA HA!  Thought I was done with roosters, but since two of them have sold already my barnyard had some extra room.

This is the last of the previously-painted canvas panels I have found.  It started its life navy blue, then it became the orange and yellow with blue bits sticking through.  I pull it out of the closet periodically but hadn't - until yesterday - figured out what it was waiting for.  It was waiting for this rooster.

I think I'm going to work on a small series (small meaning 5" x 7") called "Midnight in the Garden of Fruits and Veg."  Here is the first installment:

This is a lovely little piece in real life, if I do say so myself.

Now, getting back to the water dragons.  My test dragon was painted on paper.  Because I wanted him shiny, I needed to mount the paper on something else so I could varnish the crap out of it.  This is how it looks now, and I'm keeping it forever and ever.

And remember that blue and white canvas I hadn't finished yet?

Cool beans, man.  Derek is giving this as a Christmas gift.  He thinks the dragon's name is Drac, which has historical significance.  I think the dragon needs a backstory.  Every dragon I paint will need a backstory.  For this one, I hope the recipient will have her kids write it.  For future dragons, I need to line up some kids.  More on this later, as it develops.

And this brings us to poodle.  I have resisted painting her portrait because I didn't think I could do a good job.  Last night I told myself to try.  So here she is:

My best good girl.