Biff & Jo-Jo Spring Clean-Up

For many folks, a long weekend in Spring means cleaning up the garden and getting the outside of the house looking great. Biff and Jo-Jo have been busy putting a sparkle on their tree house. Biff weeded the front walk, polished the front door light and bell, tidied the grasses and wildflowers around the trunk, and filled a nice little planter with pretty blue and white flowers. Jo-Jo painted the front door a lovely green that won't attract undue attention from passers-by.

Now they can stand back and admire their hard work. I wonder though, will Biff be as happy when he sees the extent of Jo-Jo's paint job!

These little cartoons are amusing to do and only take a couple of hours each, and sometimes I'm tempted to join the current fun trend of doing a painting a day. With these little vignettes, I know I could do it. But I have discovered that for me, a feeling of satisfaction with a painting only comes after I have spent days or even weeks on it, taking time to enjoy the process of putting paint or pencil on paper and having fun with the details. It is a good feeling to know that, in the parlance of "Horse", I can Sprint if I have to, but I am much happier when I have a longer track.

Heather Anderson

Pomeranian

Pomeranians are delightful little dogs - beautiful puffs of fluffy fur with a big doggy smile. A huge personality is packed into this small package, and I imagine life with a Pomeranian is never boring.

It was the mass of fur that intrigued and challenged me . . . how to depict all that hair so that it appeared to stand out and have depth. I decided to try this in watercolour to make it even more of a challenge, and I'm pleased with the way it turned out. Soon, I think I will do another Pomeranian in Coloured Pencil to see what challenges lie in store for me with that medium and a long haired dog. This 8 x 10 watercolour is available for $195.

Heather Anderson

http://www.heather-anderson-animals-in-art.com/

Enigma

Cats are such a mystery - and perhaps a paradox. They seldom let you know what they are thinking, but have no trouble letting you know what they want. They are aloof, yet loving, and somewhat self-serving, but deeply loyal to those they love. This little 5 x 7 watercolour painting mirrors my thoughts on Cat personality - hidden and highlighted, dark and bright, and a sweet nature waiting for a snuggle. All in all, an intriguing and wonderful little creature.

Heather Anderson

Brittany Autumn

I know I'm juggling seasons here, but this image has been in my mind for a long time. I even did a miniature of this a while ago, but I kept wanting to enjoy more of the details of it, so here is
BRITTANY AUTUMN, an 8 x 10 inch watercolour painting of a Brittany Spaniel I saw a couple of years ago at an Agility Trial. This fellow was done for the day, and was just enjoying himself, larking about in the bushes that lined the practice field. I caught him in the moment when he had his attention fixed on something, and an instant later, he leaped out of the bushes and ran off to follow his owner.
BRITTANY AUTUMN is available on my website.

Funny, Very Funny

Snow in April doesn't seem very funny, but if you add a little humour, almost everything looks better. And who can resist wonderful, wet, snow-ball snow? Obviously not Biff and Jo-Jo.
Heather Anderson

www.heather-anderson-animals-in-art.com

The Heist - Biff and Jo-Jo

Sometimes it's fun to watch the little critters in the garden and give them an imaginary life full of adventures. Meet Biff and Jo-Jo, the Sheltie Hollow Chipmunks. Today, it was cold and rainy, and they managed to clear out the bird feeder. So much more fun to imagine them in tiny yellow slickers and boots than to see the reality of them carrying food away in the traditional Chimpmunk fashion. The Heist is a 4 x 6 watercolour and ink sketch.

Heather Anderson
www.heather-anderson-animals-in-art.com

Lady Iris

A wander through the garden yesterday showed that all sorts of little green"noses" were popping up through the dark, wet soil, the Irises among them. I don't tend to look at flowers just the way a hobby gardener does, although that is exactly what I am - I sometimes look at them through the portals of faery land. So many blossoms seem to have a magical personality to them, and no where is this more apparent to me, than with the Iris. She is regal, stately, and leads the way into summer with much ceremony. In this painting, I wanted to underline her regal presence by having her stand pretty much alone against a green/gold background. Seeing her like this makes me believe that true, warm, delightful Spring is just around the corner.
Now I need to turn my attention back to the dogs, cats, and horses that I love to paint.
LADY IRIS is an 11 x 14 watercolour, and is available on my website.

Heather Anderson
www.heather-anderson-animals-in-art.com

Midnight and the Wolf

Last year, I decided to dip my paintbrush into the world of Fantasy. Painting dogs, cats, and horses will always be my first love, but sometimes it's good to take a little vacation from the usual so you can go back to it refreshed. The Faery world has always fascinated me, and so that was where my paintbrush and I began to travel when we needed a change.
MIDNIGHT AND THE WOLF was my first trip to Faeryland, and it was so much fun, that I have travelled there again recently, and that painting will be posted here soon.

Magic is all around us, and as Midnight is a classic Magical time, this is where I began. Midnight stalks the land every night, and her black-as-a-night-sky Wolf paces beside her. She can bring peaceful dreams or just the opposite. I wonder what Midnight has in store for you tonight?

MIDNIGHT AND THE WOLF is a watercolour (11 x 14) and is available on my Website.

Heather Anderson
www.heather-anderson-animals-in-art.com

Larger Than Life

One of the highlights of the Ottawa Season is the FUR BALL, the charity Fundraiser for the Ottawa Humane Society. This year, I have been pleased to give them a donation for the Silent Auction that is part of that event.
"Larger Than Life" is a small acrylic painting, and my own Studio Cat, Sasha, posed for me. He was adopted from the Humane Society when he was just a tiny kitten. We had no choice really. As we were walking around looking at cage after cage of beautiful cats and kittens, he reached through the bars of his cage, took hold of my finger, drew it between the wires, and began to suck on it. It would have taken a harder heart than mine to walk away. Since then, he has been a total delight, and reigns over the dogs as the Sheltie Hollow Cat.
I named this painting LARGER THAN LIFE because it seems to me that this is how cats see themselves.
If you are thinking of adding a cat or kitten to your life, please remember that there are thousands of cats in shelters all across the country, waiting for a loving home.

Heather Anderson
www.heather-anderson-animals-in-art.com

Quiet Garden

Don't you just love Autumn? The air is crisp, with a coolness under the warmth of the sun, and there is a sort of quiet, leashed energy gathering, just waiting to burst out in another week or so with blazing colors and star-flecked frosty nights. We have been busy taking the faded summer annuals out of the garden and replacing them with pots of bright Mums for that necessary Autumn zing, and of course the Shelties have been helping by carrying garden gloves and other light things.

My painting "Quiet Garden" celebrates this wonderful time of the year. This pair of Shih Tzus are having a moment to soak up some sun while they admire a pot of bronze Mums. "Quiet Garden" is a Colored Pencil painting and is available for purchase.

A Wonderful Party

The other day, my dog "niece" went to a wonderful party. Several dog friends received invitations to this party, and they arrived dressed in their best collars, scarves, and ruffs. There were games for them to play, dog treats to munch on, , and time to just lie on the grass and visit. Their humans had treats and visit time too, which made it very nice for everyone. In fact, both humans and dogs had a howling good time.

Maybe it is time to start planning a Sheltie Party here at Sheltie Hollow.

Welcome to Sheltie Hollow

June is a busy time here at Sheltie Hollow. We are occupied putting in the annuals that I have bought or grown from seed and checking the overall design of the garden. Do we need to divide or replace perennials, or do we need to fill in a bare spot?

The Shelties watch carefully and are always ready to lend a paw, digging in the dirt, carrying light objects, or finding and bringing us lost gardening gloves. At the end of a busy gardening day, everyone looks forward to a warm, soothing bath.

Visit my website: http://www.kelpiestudio.com/