It's Raining Cats and Dogs

A Window Seat for Princess (12"x12")

It was only a matter of time before my two lives intersected in my artwork! This month, I have been creating a new office space for the veterinarians at my office. We had three really nice Stephen Huneck prints that celebrate the veterinarian. I chose the wall color paint from these prints and they look great. I then decided a few new pieces were in order to complement the new space.

This weekend, I finished three encaustic and mixed media paintings to hang in their new office. All three are encaustic paintings that have silhouette images of either a cat or a dog, which are cut from vintage ledger paper and embedded in the layers of encaustic medium. "A Window Seat for Princess" was inspired by our clinic cat, Princess. She arrived on our doorstep approximately eight years ago, in a white castle box, and gave birth to kittens within a week of her arrival. Homes for the kittens were easy enough to find, but Princess turned out to be a "special case"....she's not too crazy about people, but she took a real liking to the doctors' office---where she has lived ever since. The new office will give her a "real home", outside the walls of the animal hospital. She will now have her choice of window seats in the new space next door.

Vintage Greyhound (12"x12")

The second painting I created for their new office is "Vintage Greyhound". This is probably my favorite and is significant in that we work closely with Greyhounds Pets of America, caring for greyhounds who are retired from their racing lives to find their forever homes. We screen these gorgeous animals for parasites, vaccinate them, neuter or spay them, and clean their teeth so they have a clean bill of health before they begin their lives with a new family. Our medical director, Dr. Bill Neumann is a past board member of the Indianapolis branch of GPOA, and greyhounds have a special place in his heart.

The third painting, "Vintage Noel" was inspired by none other than Noel Brunner herself. Noel is an eleven-year-old labrador who is a celebrity at Broad Ripple Animal Clinic. She has been coming "to work" nearly every day since she turned 2, and was judged as being well-enough-behaved to keep herself out of trouble.

Vintage Noel (12"x12")

Despite her multiple knee surgeries and arthritis, this dog's entire body wiggles with joy when she greets you---no matter who you are! Strangely timid around little dogs, Noel is known by just about every client who comes to BRAC on a regular basis. Always looking for a hand-out, the staff is quick to warn visitors that she is on a strict diet (but she still manages to get her share of treats from soft-hearted dog lovers when we aren't watching).

After running out of larger sheets of ledger paper, I started working in a smaller size and created a few 5"x5" paintings in a similar style. The results were two new cat paintings titled, "Leap of Faith" and "Daydreamer". I think I'm going to have to find a regular source for more vintage papers...at least until the cats and dogs are all captured in wax:)

Leap of Faith (5"x5")

Live the dream:)
Brenda

Daydreamer (5"x5")

Saying "No" to Get to "Yes"

I've been "grounded" for the past five weeks, while my husband was skiing in Colorado for his 50th birthday. This means I didn't fly anywhere, or leave the city of Indianapolis for anything. I had several phone calls from people wanting me to come do a presentation or consult with their practice, but I stuck to my self-imposed "grounding" for my family's sake, and it turns out----for my art's sake.

In the past five weeks, I was able to spend at least 8 hours each week in the studio, starting new pieces and finishing others. I believe I have produced more finished work in the past five weeks, than I have in the previous two years. Right now, I have six or seven pieces in progress! I find myself looking for time each week to get to the studio. I am now planning it into each week, once I have completed other projects and commitments. With April upon me, I am worried that I won't find that time for quite a while. I am overbooked with travel and outside consulting work.

Moving forward, I now know I need to incorporate a new word into my vocabulary----the word "no". Without it, I will lose my precious studio time which can only lead to imbalance of my inner well-being. At the end of 2011, one of my goals for 2012 was to limit my travels to one trip or week each month. I seriously blew that for January/February and April. September is looking equally out-of-balance already, so my new mantra is "say no to get to yes"!

Workshop Inspirations for 2012

Eight is Enough workshops will be launched at Encaustication beginning this Friday, January 6th with an Artist Trading Card workshop (as of right now, there are only 3 seats left, so be sure to look for Encaustication events on http://eventbrite.com to register). Here are some workshop ideas I've been tossing around. Let me know your thoughts!

• Spirit Boxes: A Personal Mixed Media Journey Many people find ways to express their feelings through journaling, art, music, or a combination of methods of self-expression. Sometimes, you need something more symbolic to really get a memory or feeling out of your system. I have found that through Spirit Boxes, you can create a receptacle for the memories you'd like to treasure, or conversely a place to "lock up" feelings or memories you'd like to move past. In this 3-hour workshop, we will explore therapeutic journaling and the creation of your own mixed media spirit box.
• Encaustics for Novices For the complete beginner, an introduction to encaustic medium! A 3-hour workshop that will walk you through the basics of working with encaustic wax. You will leave feeling confident that you too can create a palette at home for working in wax:) We'll not only play with wax, but we'll discuss the most affordable ways of setting up your own station at home without laying out a huge investment.
• Beeswax Collage What do you get when you combine paper, ephemera, and beeswax? A relaxing good time with your art buddies! Spend three quality hours with friends playing with beeswax (not encaustic medium) and creating beautiful collage pieces for your home.
• Art Journaling: An Introduction to the Creative Process If you've always loved looking through scrumptious art journals but have been afraid to take the leap on your own, this is a great place to start. In thhis 3-hour workshop, you will learn there are no rules when it comes to art journaling, which means there are no mistakes! We'll learn several techniques to get your creative juices flowing and you'll go home with your first art journal, with several pages already started:)

Live the dream:)

Brenda