Lanikai Labs

 

6x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

I captured these two playing on the beach in Lanikai on one of my walks.  It was a gorgeous beach morning; sun shining, winds calm, and a perfect temperature.  It doesn't get much better, especially when you add a couple of dogs to the mix!

White Water Wader

 

6x6

acrylic on Gessobord

With all the time I've been spending on Oahu, I've accumulated quite a few beach dog photos for reference.  My time in Oahu these last several months has been sad, exhausting, and down right frustrating at times. Loosing my mom has been really challenging.  The thing that helped me " keep it together"  were my morning walks on Kailua Beach and Lanikai.  I was able to escape my reality and savor the ocean and all the dogs that enjoy it as much as I do. Luckily I brought my trusty camera along!! This adorable, young Golden was a joy to photograph and paint!  Her owner would swim out a ways and try to get this pup to come out to her, but she didn't have a whole lot of luck with that!  This is her waiting for her owner to swim to shore.  I hope you enjoy it!

Fetching Bulldog

 

6x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

This speedy little Frenchy was really fun to watch.  He was a little powerhouse!  As he passed by me he was snorting and snuffling happily with all concentration on the ball.  What was really fun to paint on this piece was the water.   I really like the warm tones of the water coupled with the cool tones of little Frenchy here.  Of course, painting splashing water is my fav!  I love the action in the waves and shore break.

Seeing Double

 

6x8

Acrylic on panel

I have found that when I don't paint for a while, when I come back to it, my confidence has disappeared.  When I started this painting, that nasty little voice inside my head kept telling me it was no good.  Thankfully, I persevered!  I concentrated on keeping it loose and simple and am loving the results!  I hope you enjoy it too.

Sisters

 

20x16

acrylic on canvas

This is a larger painting I recently finished for a friend back in Hawaii.  Sadly, sweet Ellie (the Rotti laying on her side) passed away.  These two had a special bond that I was trying to capture in this painting.  The photo I used was of these two on a couch.  My friend wanted something a bit more fun for the background, so in came the pool!

Sunset Stance

 

6x8

Acrylic on panel

I've been chomping on the bit to paint this one for quite some time!  I love the warm glow on this dog's fur and the rumbling waves in the distance.  It felt good to work on a smaller painting again.  Thanks to Pixabay for the photo reference!  I have a bunch of photos from this summer that I'm excited to paint but will have to wait a week or two as I'm headed back to Oahu to spread my mom's ashes next week.

Curious Chihuahua

 

6x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

Have you ever met a Chihuahua that thinks she is a Labrador?  Well, let me introduce you to Gemma, queen of the neighborhood.  She grew up with a Labrador Retriever so she now identifies as a lab.  It's pretty rare to find her without a tennis ball in her mouth!  I love this funny girl (and so does our Chili Pepper!  He's got a HUGE crush on her!)

Happy Go Lucky

 

6x8

Acrylic on Gessobord

There's nothing like a Golden Retriever to bring a smile to your face.  This sweet boy was one of our dogs at our local shelter a while back.  I don't think I ever saw him unhappy!

I really tried focusing on not overworking this one.  That takes a bit of concentration from me and so often I get sidetracked.  I want to get to a more simplistic and direct way of painting.  I'm looking forward to doing more paintings this way.

Patos Island Tide Pools

 

6x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

Patos Island is my favorite island in the San Juans.  The history, clear water, and lack of crowds make this a winner in my book.  We were lucky enough this summer to hit the tides right and get the opportunity to explore the tide pools.

San Diego Sunset

 

6x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

A few years ago I was with our daughter at a women's national sailing regatta in San Diego.  On our last night there we found some time to make our way to the beach.  We were greeted by this amazing scene!  I'm not nuts about painting sunsets, but this one was calling out to me today, and I'm so glad.  Painting the ocean and vibrant sky really perked up my mood!

My Slice of Heaven

 

8x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

It has been a really long time since I've posted a new painting.  If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I was on vacation and then, sadly, my mom passed away in August.  It's been a really challenging road, but I'm trying to get back into a somewhat normal routine.  After spending a couple of weeks on Oahu, I came back feeling so homesick for Hawaii.  The best way I know to combat that feeling is to paint.  One of the best gifts my mom gave us was raising us in Hawaii.  I feel a special connection to this beautiful island that my mom so dearly loved.  This painting is of Kailua Beach, my home away from home. I hope you enjoy it!

Smooth Water Swimmer

 

6x8

Acrylic on Gessobord

The slow rolling waves, sweet Fathom's reflection, and the bright sun hitting all the right places made this a super fun painting to work on. I hope you enjoy it!

Making a Splash

 

6x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

The water was so much fun to paint in this one!  The hardest part was holding myself back from sprinkling dots everywhere. Oh, how I love painting splashing water!!

Unfathomable Fetching Skills

 

6x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

This is our friends' sweet pup, Fathom.  She LOVES fetching balls (and rocks) from the water.  She'll even dive, head first, to get that one special rock!  If only I had an underwater camera!  We had the pleasure of spending a couple of days in Sequim, Wa with our good friends.  When we took the dogs to the beach, I went crazy with the camera and got loads of photos that I can hardly wait to paint!

Hollyhock Heaven 2

 

I decided to do another hollyhock painting.  I changed the background in this one. Enjoy!

Hollyhock Heaven

 

6x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

Painting florals is not something I'm very comfortable with, but I absolutely love the colors associated with flowers, so I'm trying to get more in touch with my inner gardener.

Boogie On

 

6x8

acrylic on gessobord

I think this would be so much fun.  I used a photo that I took while hanging out at Sandy's beach on Oahu a couple of years ago.  The surf was seriously pumping that day!

Tails Up

6x6 

Acrylic on Gessobord

These are a couple of happy Mexican pups.  I used a photo I took on our last visit to Mexico in 2019.  I think I'll be doing another painting tomorrow from this same visit.  (The next painting will be of 3 dogs though.)

 

Corgilicious

 

6x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

After spending a week with my mom and her dogs, I have Corgis on the brain!  She has two female Welsh Corgis, Le'a and Ipo.  They really are such wonderful dogs.  I know they bring so much joy to my mom's life.  I also decided to do this painting in the hopes it would be a quick one.  Well, I should have known, it wasn't quick at all.  I got a bit hung up on the nose...sigh.  It was still fun and I feel I learned a lot in simplifying and clarifying.  I hope you enjoy it!

I'll Never Leave My Human Far Behind

 

6x8

Acrylic on Gessobord

There's just something so amazing about Labradors.  The love for their humans is a joy to watch.  Kailua Beach is a great social place for people and dogs.  This patient pup was always stopping to wait for her owner to say hi to friends.  When visiting the beaches on Oahu, I love imagining having our sweet Salty and Chili with me to romp and play in the ocean and sand.  Since the likelihood of that happening is quite slim, I'll just go on enjoying everyone else's dogs!

Beach Stroll

 

8x6

Acrylic on gessobord

The photo I used for this painting was taken 2 years ago on Mother's Day.  I was visiting my family on Oahu, and was able to sneak off to the beach to enjoy a little sun and relaxation.  This adorable girl was walking with her parents down the shore.   I had actually forgotten about this picture until I was looking through my photos.  I just returned from Oahu last week.  I hadn't been there in 2 years.  I am so thankful that I was able to celebrate my mom's 90th birthday and Mother's day with her.  

Sweet Fetching Hound

 

8x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

If any of you follow me on Instagram and Facebook, this big adorable boy probably looks familiar.  This is Chewy, one of the dogs at our local shelter.  He is a big, goofy sweetheart!  I had a wonderful time playing with him last week.  When he first came to us he was scared and shy.  Luckily, it didn't take long for him to learn to trust us and open up.  This was a great piece for me to practice my more "mindful" approach to painting.  I tried focusing on intentional, simple strokes of color.  In the end I started to get into that simplicity killing mode of perfectionism.  I stopped before I went too crazy, thank goodness.  I hope you enjoy it!

Swimming Rottweiler

 

6x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

I love the close up of the water in this painting.  The swirls and clarity of the water really drew me in.  I couldn't resist using my Golden iridescent pearl paint on this one.  The picture below shows it a bit better.

 I was excited to paint this big water dog.  I love Rottweilers, but have never had a chance to photograph one, and hadn't found a good reference photo until recently.  Thank you Unsplash for the photo!

Splashing All the Way

 

6x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

My focus on this painting was to loosen up and concentrate on intentional brushstrokes.  So often I get caught up in a painting and lose "the big picture".   I'm looking forward to working on this more.

Aren't You Coming In?

 

8x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

I'm not sure what we, as humans, did to deserve such wonderful creatures to spend our lives with, but I'm sure glad we have them!

My favorite thing about this piece is the summery, warm water, sun shining kinda feeling!  I'm heading to Oahu next week to see my mom and celebrate her 90th! birthday!  I can hardly wait!  I'm looking forward to the kind of weather that this sweet pup is experiencing.

Fetchin' Doodle

 

8x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

I've been looking forward to painting this happy guy.  I love the windswept look.  It's always a challenge painting black dogs, but the curls and waves of this doodle's fur made it easy to find the light reflections. Thanks to Unsplash for the photo reference.

Clear Water Swimmer

 

6x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

Spring has finally sprung here and I am feeling the warm weather vibe!  The water is what really attracted me to paint this.  I'm working on loosening up my strokes and taking steps back to view my paintings more often. 

     I've been super busy with commission work for the past several months.  I love the challenges and opportunities from this type of work, but also realize I need breaks.  I've decided to take an extended break from commission work and concentrate on my own art.  Just making that little decision has got me reenergized! 

Things Are Looking Up

 

6x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

I have high hopes that life will start getting back to normal soon.  It's been a long year + in "isolation" and I'm soooo ready for good things to start showing through!  What's kept me sane through all this?  My husband, art, and of coarse, my dogs!  You dog lovers know what I'm talking about, right?!

Here's to positivity and a bright future ahead (with lots and lots of dogs ;)!!

Marsh Trio

 

6x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

This is what I've been working on for the past week.  It's a bit different from my usual work, which made it a bit challenging, but happy to have had the chance to do it.

Hiking Buddy

 

6x8

Acrylic on gesso board

This is the type of setting I dream of for every one of our shelter dogs. 

   

Water Doodle

 

8x8

Acrylic on 3/4 cradled board

I bought some 8x8 cradled hardboard that I forgot about until recently.  It was fun to paint a little bigger than my norm.  I love the sloppy, wetness of this one!  Thanks to Pixabay for the photo reference.

Twisted Heron

 

6x6 

Acrylic on Gessobord

This was a fun one to paint.  I finally had an opportunity to try out my Golden copper light iridescent paint!  These iridescent colors are like new toys to me!  When the light hits them, they really show off!

Thanks to Pixabay for the photo!

Seashore Golden

 

6x8

Acrylic on Gessobord

I love the warm highlights on this water lovin' golden.  It's been a bit since I've painted a beach splashing dog, so I decided it was due time.

Towser

 

6x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

This another commission painting I did for a customer.  This little sweet guy crossed the Rainbow Bridge recently.  I'm hoping this painting brings many happy memories to his owner.

Honey

 

6x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

This is a recent painting I did for a friend.  This sweet lab is now in Heaven making it a brighter place with that sweet smile of hers. RIP Honey.

Smooth Swimming

 

6x8

Acrylic on Gessobord

I've had a lot on my mind the past week and decided I needed to paint something soothing.   This was just what the doctor ordered.  I hope it bring you the peace that it brought me. 

Fiona and Patrick

 

14x11

Acrylic on Gessobord

Sold

Aren't these two the most adorable pair?! This is a commission painting I just completed. These two pups, Fiona and Patrick, have the sweetest relationship. They are both rescues. Patrick was adopted first. His family found that he was quite depressed. That's when Fiona joined their family. She provides the comfort and support that Patrick needs, and they make an adorable pair!! I can't help but smile every time I look at this!

Dog Beach At Sunset

 

6x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

Last month I went through some photos that I've taken over the past 5 years.  I found this one and knew I was ready to paint it.  As I've grown in my artistic abilities, I am able to take on paintings that I once wasn't sure I could do.  This is one of those.  I love that warm sparkling light on the water.  Wish I was there now!

Emerald Anchorage

 

6x6

acrylic on gessobord

One of our favorite anchorages in the San Juan Islands is Reid Harbor on Stuart Island.  The water in the summer is the most brilliant emerald color and you are surrounded by walls of towering evergreens.  When the late afternoon sun hits the water it truly sparkles.  Hopefully you can feel that in this painting!

Willing To Stick My Neck Out For You

 

8x6

Acrylic on gesso panel

I absolutely love this guy's sleepy eyes and big grin!  I've always loved giraffes and when I saw the  photo (Unsplash royalty free photos) of this handsome dude, I knew I was destined to paint it!  When I look at his face, I can't help but smile.  Hopefully this makes you smile too!

Wish I Was There

 

6x8

Acrylic on Gessobord

I've been itching to paint this scene!  The colors are just so delicious!  This makes me think of our time cruising in Mexico.  Here's to future vacations!  Thanks to Morguefile for the reference photo.

Thanks For Bringing Me To The Beach

 

6x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

Whenever we take Salty to the beach he does a little thank you flyby as he zooms around on shore. I love the way dogs communicate with us!

I tried to capture that late afternoon sun in the fall feeling here. 

It's Always A Good Day At The Beach

 

6x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

This is another painting of Tug (the stud!). I was able to take quite a few photos of him in action.  One thing that really drew me to Tug, is that he reminded me of our Salty.  Salty is now 12 1/2 years old and is in great shape, but the high jumps and endless fetching are no longer possible.  I love watching athletic pups do their thing (and I think they like showing off too!).

The day we were at the beach it was fairly damp and dreary, but occasionally the sun peaked out.  The reflections on the wet sand when that bright light hits it draws me in.  This past December I treated myself with a fun new tube of paint;  Golden's iridescent pearl. This was a perfect opportunity to use it! It was hard to see in the photo I originally took so hopefully you can see it here:

New paint = lots of fun!!

Reach For The Sky

 

8x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

This past New Year's eve we spent the day at the coast (Seabrook).  I was fortunate to run into this energetic boy playing fetch with his family.  He was having an absolute blast! Thanks to this sweet family for letting me photograph their beloved "Tug" (the stud!).