DAFFODIL FLOUNCE

Well, this was an interesting painting that was simple on the surface and presented me with one challenge after another. This is DAFFODIL FLOUNCE, an 11 x 14 watercolor on Arches 140.
First off, after using Arches 300 lb paper several times in a row, I found the 140 very lightweight. It just handles differently. I think I will still use it for smaller paintings, but for this size and up, I believe I've come to like the 300 better. As I have several sheets of the lighter paper (which is heavy enough, just not as heavy as the 300), I will be using it up - it's too expensive to let it just sit there in my paper box. But from now on, I will be buying the heavier paper.
And it is always a challenge when the artist drops a brush loaded with dark sepia paint onto a pale blue sky. Yes, well. Thank goodness I've been using this medium long enough to know a little trick or two!
Then there was the Sheltie himself. I know these dogs, I've had them all my adult life. I know how they move. But as I was working on this little guy, I realized that my photo had been taken from a 3/4 view from behind, and what I wanted was more of a profile, so the feet were not in the right position. By this time, I had too much color in place both with the dog and with the daffodils, which were also not looking as I wanted them to, so I started over.
Keeping in mind the variation from the photo that I wanted, I got going on the dog. And this time, it worked. The little fellow who modeled for me for this painting has the most wonderful gait - it's so full of animation and the joy of living. To my admittely biased mind, all Shelties move beautifully, but this guy is magic.
The first daffodils I did were OK, but too individual for my liking, so this time, I made sure to mass them, and I like the effect much better.
There is always something that can be done if things don't look right, but there comes a time in a watercolor, that if it isn't working, the only choice is to start over. I'm really glad I took the time to re do this one. I find DAFFODIL FLOUNCE to be a bright, happy painting. Hope you enjoy it too.
Available . . .. $400.

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

Sheltie Splash

The snow is melting fast, and soon there will be wet, green grass everywhere. There is nothing our Shelties like to do more in the Spring, than to run through the puddles that collect in the low parts of the garden. They come in wet, filthy, tired, and thoroughly happy. In this little 5 x 7 watercolour, I've tried to capture that feeling of fun and Spring freshness. Sheltie Splash is available, and can be found on the Sheltie Pages of my website.

Heather Anderson

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

Reflections On A Winter Afternoon

On cold winter afternoons like today, most of our Shelties love to curl up somewhere cozy and
snooze. This little girl however, prefers to keep an eye on things. Her favourite spot on a late winter afternoon is on the back of a couch where she can catch the last rays of the setting sun. I was fascinated by the way the sun warms her coat and by the far away look in her eyes. What does she think about? I was also intrigued by how to solve the problem of painting her reflection in the window, so naturally, I just had to paint this.
I chose acrylic for this painting because of the possibilities of layering light over dark. "Reflections On A Winter Afteroon" was every bit as challenging as I thought it would be, and every bit as enjoyable to paint. I am delighted that this painting is now being enjoyed in a home where Shelties reign.

BOO!

Here is our last Sheltie Hollow Spook. Bram is our leader, and he isn't about to let the girls get ahead of him. His favourite costume is this ghost that was made especially for him. He happily "haunts" the house for treats, and was gracious enough to pose for this little watercolour painting.

From Bram, Lily, and all of us here at Sheltie Hollow, have a safe and Spooktacular Halloween.

Heather Anderson

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

Miss Witch

Whisper does things her own way. She wanted to be a Witch at Halloween, just like Lily, but can Sheltie Hollow have two Witches?

Of course we can, as long as one little witch comes up with a creative way to wear her hat. Now all we need is a third little Sheltie Spook and we will be ready for the big night. Stay tuned.

Eskie Witch

Halloween is coming, and the dogs here at SHELTIE HOLLOW are getting excited. They love to hear the scratching of leaves on pavement when the wind blows, and love to sniff the wonderful rich aroma of the drifts of autumn leaves. They really seem to enjoy putting on a costume. I think they are looking forward to the Trick-or-Treat cookies they get every year. Lily, our American Eskimo dog, thinks she looks very charming in her witch's hat and orange bow. We hope you agree.

This image is available on my website as cards or as a small print.

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.

Dog Days

Eastern Ontario has been pelted with a lot of rain this summer. We've been doing more inside than in the garden. Last week, we finished putting in a new floor in the studio, and already the dogs and cat are enjoying it and giving me ideas for new paintings. Here you see Lily reclining in front of the studio fireplace, probably dreaming of a dry lawn where she can get up a little more speed when chasing her sworn enemy, the Squirrel.