A new venture

Today I made a big decision, partially on what direction I want my art to go in, and partially in a way to help the furry friends that I hold so dear.

Its no secret that I love dogs... heck, I have 3 of them that I bring with me where ever I go, and then another 3 (1 that belongs to my neighbor, 2 that belong to my sister) that normally come up to hang out in the studio while I work. Dogs are some of my favorite people, and my love for these fur-children really has started to direct me on a new path... fueled even more by having the opportunity to look through a Hagan Renaker book for the past week and marveling at some of the pieces that they used to produce.

After doing a LOT of research on dog figurines... it came to my attention that they are all very breed-specific. Boxers, danes, pointers, pugs... but there are no underdogs, no common dogs... no mutts in the mix. And so my calling became clear... it is time for a line of figurines that champion the dog so many of us love so much... the rescue pups who became the loves of our lives. Not just figurings, but all types of dog art that highlights these unsung heros.

Tonight after getting home from a show I sat down and started to plan out some pieces. LOTS of sketching, some website building, and some business planning. The figurines will probably LB to classic scale (curio sized), of all shapes and sizes. I bought the domain tonight: MutzArt.com and its going to be devoted to love of mutts in all sorts of artwork, with a portion of the proceeds going to rescues. I plan on starting things right away; I want to get a few fun things up there and the first in the line, which will be of Hayden. The website won't lauch until I have quite a large body of work together. But, I do plan on putting up a "coming soon" message so that people know its in progress.

So for those of you who read this... if you have a canine companion that you'd like to be MutzArt, drop me an email and/or send along some pictures. I want to get one piece completed every month (both flatwork and 3D work) until I have enough to really launch the site. I'd LOVE to do the figurines in china. But, we'll see how that goes as I get farther along. I plan on doing very small editions of each piece, with Hayden being an edition of 15-20, all numbered and with a COA. I've also been thinking cold-cast bronze. But, its still very much in its planning stages. If you've got thoughts or ideas, I'd love to hear them!

Lambert

Whoa... its been a while since I've posted! Sorry for the radio silence over here... its been a whirlwind of a spring. With the warm weather comes lots of spring projects, both model horse, real horse, and house related. It gets so busy so fast!

Not to mention that this season I became completely owned by American Idol. Actually, it wasn't so much the show, as it was one particular individual... Adam Lambert. I have never been so struck by a performer in all my life. He is quite possibly the most talented artist to ever grace the AI stage, and I get such a kick out of how he has totally wrapped the media (and american public) around his finger. Myself included, of course. sigh.... I would absolutely die to be able to meet him in person.

Anyway, back to model horse matters. I am so thrilled to get such an awesome response to my NAN Auction donation!! For those going to NAN you'll get to see him in person, which is even better since the pics I have of him don't really do him any justice. I hope he sells well and makes his new owner really happy. :-) I've been browsing the auction page this year and am amazed at what COOL stuff is up there... I have already been saving my pennies so I can bid on a lot or two. If you haven't checked it out, I really recommend it!!

Beyond finishing up odds and ends and starting some new horses, I have been working on some very special projects. I posted this to my group, but get to share pics here, hehe! I have been asked to do a guest artist piece of Stacey Tumlinson's re-release of Hilary's Ravenhill. I am TOTALLY stoked about it, since I loved the original Ravenhill and this new guy has the same feel but with a little different personality. My guest artist piece is a bit of a twist since he is Buyer's Choice, and he will be the ONLY buyer's choice piece offered. The details of that were posted to the group, so if you are interested in him then check that out there.

Stacey sent me a copy to paint to prepare for the GA piece, and this handsome fellow was the result. I have not named him yet, but his 'barn name' is going to be Lambert. He's all about glitz, flash and glamour... and has those piercing blue eyes... what else could I name him? LOL! He is going into my own collection. Its so rare that I get to keep a piece, I can't wait to stick him in my curio.

Here are some pics of him. If you are interested in bidding on the GA piece, which can be ANY color (including something similar to this if you'd like!), you can email Stacey directly at tabasco2@dishmail.net.

NAN 09 Auction Donation: FINISHED!

Alright my friends... here is the finished lot! I'll upload the link to his page on the auction site when I have it; it will have ALL his photos. This is just a few shots to share. :-)