HORSE!!!

The Canadian Museum of Civilization has a wonderful exhibit on now about THE HORSE. Naturally we went as soon as were able. This exhibit opens with the tiny, dog-sized creature that eventually became the large, noble horse. As we stepped into further the hall, there was a wonderful diorama of three stages of the horse's development. Did you know that they were once leaf browsers and had longer necks and short teeth? When they moved to a plains environment, their necks grew a little shorter and their teeth elongated to cope with the coarse grass. Short teeth would have worn out fast on the grasses they now ate. The whole "horse experience" was heightened by the sound of whinnies and hoofbeats all around you.
The Horse subject is so vast that it is only natural that not everything could possibly be covered. What was done, was presented with respect and a depth of knowledge, and although we were somewhat disappointed that there wasn't more of the exhibit, we thoroughly enjoyed what there was. At the very end, like a breath of West wind, the wonderful band of Joe Fafard horses (metal sculpture) galloped across the end of the hall, colourfully lit so that the herd doubled in size against the backdrop. Great stuff!!
Naturally, I now feel the need to return to horses for a couple of paintings before I get back to my dog art. This little 5 x 7 coloured pencil Friesian is called EVENING STAR. I love to do the Baroque horses in a fantasy medieval setting. It is available matted, for $98.00, shipping and tax included. Inquiries may come to me at anderson.animalart@sympatico.ca

Playing in Puddles part 2

Today I think I'll talk about the Colour Wheel, something that is a valuable tool for the artist no matter what medium you work in. I have one that I bought, but I also found it a valuable experience to make one. It really seems to help get a sense of what the colours are all about when you paint in your own Primaries, and mix your own Secondaries and Tertiaries. You begin to have a better understanding of the Complementary and Analgous colours and how they work.

I know I've shown you this painting before, but "Autumn Reds" makes use of Complementary colours (red and Green) as well as Analgous colours, (yellow, yellow-green, and green) to give a bright, sparkling effect. Try using one Complementary colour to quieten the other one, or place them side by side to make each one sing. Colour magic is always an adventure, no matter what medium you are using. Naturally, my first choice for the adventure is Watercolour!

Through The Gate Please

"Through The Gate Please" is a painting from a dog's point of view. This Westie is making it clear that on this sparkling Winter morning, he would prefer to go through the gate and go for a walk in the dawn light than stay in the confines of the garden.
We often see dogs as cute, and so they are, but they are also thinking, sentient creatures with dignity. Because I respect them as much as I love them, I always try to let that dignity come through in my paintings of them.
This West Highland Terrier painting, "Through The Gate Please" is an 11 x 14 watercolour on Arches 140 Hot Press paper.

Biff & Jo-Jo HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It's been a Sidney Carton type of year . . . "the best of times and the worst of times". Here at Sheltie Hollow, we had some serious challenges to deal with and some just plain irritating or nasty stuff to handle. But somehow, everything turned out all right, sometimes wonderfully right, so we end the year full of gratitude and with hope for a bright New Year.
Biff and Jo-Jo are having a wonderful time celebrating. They have noise makers, silly hats, snacks and some vintage ginger ale, and they want to share their wishes to all of you for a Happy New Year!

DOG PARADE WEDNESDAY- BORDER COLLIE

We live in an area where there are some sheep farms as well as cattle farms, and we often see Border Collies. There are also some in the village who work at being pet for a living, and they are always a treat to see trotting past the Sheltie Hollow window.
These beautiful dogs are super intelligent, intense, focused, and need a job, even if that job does not involve sheep. They come in two coat types - short haired with some feathering on the legs, or medium long and often wavy. Although usually black and white, there are a variety of possible colours as well as some solid coloured dogs. Border Collies are high energy dogs, as in HIGH ENEREGY, and need safe exercise as well as either a job or a canine activity such as Agility, Flyball, etc. to focus on.
This coloured pencil drawing is available as a 5 x 7 matted print for $25. shipping included. You can reach me at: anderson.animalart@sympatico.ca

DOG PARADE WEDNESDAY - the BOSTON TERRIER

We're walking the dog late tonight. Our dog of the week is the neat looking Boston Terrier. These affable little guys are always formally dressed in shining black or splashy brindle and white, and with their lovely natures, and their ability to be at home in the city or country, they are an increasingly popular breed.
This 5 x 7 watercolour painting is available as a matted print for $25. and inquiries can be sent to: anderson.animalart@sympatico.ca

DOG PARADE WEDNESDAY - the AUSTRALIAN CATTLE DOG

The Australian Cattle Dog is a sturdy dog who is a steadfast companion - hard working, brave, alert, and protective. He is a mid-sized dog with a short, harsh coat of red or blue speckles, often with tan markings. This dog has great stamina and needs to have a job to do along with daily exercise to be happy.
Today's watercolour is available as a 4.5 x 6.5 (image) matted print for $25., shipping included. If you are interested in this print, please contact: anderson.animalart@sympatico.ca

AUTUMN REDS - Irish Setter

Irish Setters are so beautiful with their elegant lines and mahogany coats. There were Irish setters in the family when I was growing up, and it was always fun to spend time with them. My aim in this painting was to recapture happy memories of a little girl and the big, red dog. I've used the greeny-gold light of an autumn afternoon, and it brings a warm sparkle to the memory as well as to the painting.
Autumn Reds is an 8 x 10 (image) watercolour, and is available matted for $350. This is also available as a small (5 x 7) print. To inquire, please contact anderson.animalart@sympatico.ca

DOG PARADE WEDNESDAY

Today, there were no dogs walking past the window. Everyone of them was napping while the Sheltie Hollow humans were unexpectedly busy. Please come back next week when the dogs will be walking again.

WHY DO I PAINT ANIMALS?

Have you ever wondered why you do the things you do? Taking stock, I asked myself why I have a compulsion to paint dogs, cats, and horses. I do dip into the world of Fantasy every so often, but always, always, I come back to dogs, cats, and horses.
I don’t want to change these animals in my paintings – to experiment or play with colour, shape or texture. It would be an artistically valid thing to do, and I admire the artists who do it, but it doesn’t satisfy the artist in me or the animal lover. I think animals are so beautiful just the way they are. I love the challenge of painting the different textures of their hair, from short and sleek, wavy or bristly, to long, luxurious and soft. Their colours enchant me, all those whites, creams, silvers, tans, golds, russets, chestnuts, sepias and blacks, and every shade and tint in between. I love all the shapes; the infinite variety of dog shapes, the soft and round, or long and lean of cats, and the pure poetry of horses. But it is their eyes that simply ensorcelle – Dark, liquid and trusting, emerald, sapphire or topaz bright, or soft, gentle and deep. I melt when I look into those eyes.
My love affair with animals has been going on all my life and will never end. I have to paint – I’ve no choice. It’s as necessary as breathing. And for the most part, all I want to paint are the animals I love. I paint these lovely creatures as carefully as I can to celebrate them, to share my love for them with the people who see my paintings, and to get into that special zone where, just for a little while, the delightful animal I’m painting belongs to me.
The Sheltie image above was done in Coloured Pencil, and is available as 4 x 6 Note Cards in packages of 6 for $8.00.

DOG PARADE WEDNESDAY- the PAPILLON

Today's dog is the beautiful, delicate looking Papillon. But don't let their elegant, porcelain-fine features fool you. I've seen these delightful little guys handle themselves well in Agility Trials, and they are alert, ready-to-sound-the-alarm watchdogs. The loving, loyal Papillon can be seen in paintings dating back 700 years, so they've had lots of practice being companions and lap dogs. They will enjoy a good walk or can be content running around in a garden or even in the house. Their long, silky coat requires regular brushing, but who wouldn't want to spend time daily, petting and brushing these little beauties.
The Papillon is white with patches of colour, especially on the head and ears. Named after the Butterfly that his fringed, upright ears ressemble, there is also a Papillon with drop ears, and this type is named Phalene, or Moth, as this is what the drop ears remind one of.
Today's image is a watercolour, and is avialable as a 4.5 x 6.5 matted print for $25. shipping included. This is a great gift for Papillon lovers or makes a nice treat for yourself.
If you are interested in today's print or in a portrait of you dog, please contact me at: anderson.animalart@ sympatico.ca

THANKSGIVING

Today is Canadian Thanksgiving, and over this past weekend, people all across the country have been gathering for dinners with family and friends. These dinners require lots of cooking, which is fine by me, but alas, they also entail a certain amount of house cleaning. When I am pushed into cleaning house, my hands may be busy with dust cloth and broom, but my mind is far away, riding though the October fields with a loved four footed friend. How I would have loved to have a pony like the one in my watercolour painting, "Fine October Day", when I was a young girl!

We had our Thanksgiving Dinner yesterday, and were blessed to be able to share it with dear friends. The dinner itself turned out just fine, which is something of a miracle, given my tendency to drop into a dreamworld while I am doing something in the kitchen. It was the animals who provided a little "entertainment".

We had cooked and carved the turkey the night before, as last minute timing is just too nerve wracking for me, and although my husband and I have taken Fencing lessons, neither one of us can handle a knife well enough to carve a turkey in front of anyone. So there was the main event for dinner, nicely plated and covered on the counter while I turned away to wash my hands. Almost at once, the dogs set up a howl, and I turned around in time to see our cat slip out from under the clingwrap with a large piece of turkey hanging out of each side of his mouth and a "Don't mess with me - I'm serious!!" look on his face. He soared over the heads of the dogs and took off for one of his hide-outs to enjoy his ill gotten gains. Me? I didn't even think of stopping him - not with that look on his face! Besides, our guests were cat lovers. They wouldn't have begrudged him a bite of turkey, even if they had known.

Yesterday, our guests arrived, and all was going well until my husband stepped back and nipped a dog paw. Naturally, it was our dramatic fellow, and he howled and screamed blue murder, and while everyone's attention was on his barely grazed paw, he slid forward to grab a mini- quiche off a serving plate on the coffee table. Have I mentioned that we don't entertain very often?

This weekend is a time to give thanks, and I do. Thanks for my husband, pets, and home, for art, family, friends, and so much more, including a thank you to everyone who reads my ramblings of an animal artist's life of wonderful lunacy.

DOG PARADE WEDNESDAY - the WELSH TERRIER

The dog trotting past Sheltie Hollow today is the neat, amiable, Welsh Terrier. He always wears a coat of black and tan, or black grizzle and tan, and at an ideal height of about 15 inches, resembles a small Airedale. Once a hunting dog, these little guys have become great house dogs, and although still very active, (they need a place to work off some of this exuberance!) they are not scrappers and are intelligent and willing to please. To keep them looking their best, the Welsh Terrier will need dedicated grooming.
Today's image is a bright, fresh looking, watercolour wash, and is available as a 4.5 x 6.5 (image)matted print for $25. shipping included. This is a great gift for Welsh Terrier lovers, or treat yourself. If you are interested in today's print, or in commissioning a portrait of your dog, please contact me at: anderson.animalart@sympatico.ca.

DOG PARADE WEDNESDAY - the IRISH SETTER

Here at Sheltie Hollow, the Autumn colours are just beginning, and what better dog to see going past my window than the gorgeous IRISH SETTER. This dog is a shimmering red, either chestnut or a dark mahogany, and he is a striking image against the golden leaves - and everywhere else. The Irish Setter is a large, elegantly graceful dog who has a big sense of fun, and a loving nature.

Today's image is a watercolour sketch, less detailed than one of my larger paintings, but full of colour and the essence of the beautiful Irish Setter. It is offered as a 4.5 x 6.5 (image) matted print for $25. shipping included. This little treasure will make a wonderful gift for Irish Setter lovers, or treat yourself to a little present. If you are interested in today's print, please contact me at: anderson.animalart@sympatico.ca

PEMBROKE WELSH CORGI

I've been keeping this portrait quiet for several months, but now I can show it. Rhys the Corgi was done earlier this year and was to be a surprise gift for an Autumn birthday, so I had to be patient about showing him.
I always find graphite to be an enjoyable challenge. Translating all the colour variations into black and white, and putting in the highlights, mid-tones, and shadows is time consuming, tricky work (at least, for me it is) and I was very pleased with the way Rhys turned out. Happily, so was my client!

DOG PARADE WEDNESDAY - the BULL TERRIER

The BULL TERRIER is a neat, clean looking dog who despite his rather fearsome past, is now a superb companion with a great sense of humour, loyalty, and gentleness towards his family. They are smart, energetic, complex dogs who demand attention, exercise, and intelligent handling. Many of these beautiful dogs are white, but you will also find coloured Bulls, especially brindle.
A number of years ago, my husband and I were having a picnic in a peaceful park, and a couple with a white Bull Terrier came to sit near us. I had never actually met a Bull Terrier at that point, and had an "uh-oh" moment as the dog shot away from his own table and ran towards us. I learned a lot that afternoon. The Bull Terrier popped his front paws up on the bench and shoved his bullet shaped head under my husband's arm, a gorgeous doggy grin on his white face. He was all friendliness, and very willing to share our lunch, until his master ran up with apologies to take his very charming dog back to their table. The lesson I learned was to never pre-judge a breed or an individual dog. You could miss out on a lovely encounter by doing so.

You may notice that today's image is a bit different. Although I have enjoyed doing the tiny paintings, I am beginning to feel a bit hemmed in by the size. I am a detail person, and need a little more space and time to do what I do best. From now on, my DOG PARADE WEDNESDAY paintings will be painted in a larger size - usually 5 x 7 inches, and offered as 5 x 7 inch matted prints for $25. Some of the originals will be available as well. These are still small enough to be considered a miniature gem, and make wonderful gifts- for yourself or for someone special. If you are interested in this week's dog print, please contact me at anderson.animalart@sympatico.ca

Good Dreams Ducks

This summer brought some interesting commissions, and I had great fun with these slightly unusual duck decoys. They were hand carved and then fitted with music boxes, with the intention of giving them as baby gifts. The owner of the ducks wanted them painted in a fanciful fashion that would suit a baby's room, and he asked me if I was interested in doing it. I had fun painting these two in acrylic so that they looked like friendly ducks, but without getting into traditional "baby colours". I decided to call them the GOOD DREAMS DUCKS. They have been a hit with everyone who has seen them, so I hope Baby likes them too!

CORN DOG Yellow Labrador

In the Fall, I often see a Yellow Labrador contentedly patrolling a corn field near here. He blends into the scene so well - the gold shaded yellow dog with his handsome dark brown points around eyes, nose, and mouth, against the dark earth and yellow/gold corn stalks and stubble.

Crows are ever present at this time of year, but the dog minds his own business if the crows are willing to do the same.

I enjoy these friendly big dogs who always seem ready for a cuddle. Big, solid, and reliable, the Labrador Retriever is just an all round great dog.

CORN DOG is an 8 x 10 watercolour on Arches Hot Press paper.

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

Baronessa Grace Vom Alpenhof

I've always loved German Shepherd Dogs. They have such kind eyes, full of wisdom and fun, and you just know that you can trust them to the ends of the earth. These dogs need intelligent handling to bring out the best in them, but it is well worth the extra patience involved, because a good GSD is simply one of the best dogs around.
This is Baronessa Grace Vom Alpenhof, a young GSD I was privileged to paint recently. She is from the direct bloodline of the famous Vom Kirschental kennels in Germany, is a formidable guard dog, and gave me kisses the second time I met her. This 14 x 18 portrait was done in Acrylic, a medium I am becoming increasingly comfortable with, and is now hanging proudly in Grace's Mum's foyer.

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

DOG PARADE WEDNESDAY - SALUKI

Did you see the slim-as-a-crack-in-the-atmosphere dog that just whizzed past the window? This is the elegant SALUKI, an ancient hound that has its roots in the Arabian desert, and was already an ancient breed when the Pharaohs ruled Egypt.
Traditionally, these beautiful dogs were hunting hounds, but today, they are loved companions. Salukis are intelligent, loyal, and affectionate with their families, but tend to be aloof and dignified with others. These delightful Hounds still retain a shadow of their hunting instincts, so they should never be allowed to roam unattended.
But then, it is basic safety and courtesy to keep an eye your dog of any breed when they are outside.
Today's Original Miniature Watercolour is 3 x 4.5 inches, and comes matted with a white 5 x 7 mat. This classy little painting is just $40. shipping included, and anyone interested can contact me at: anderson.animalart@ sympatico.ca