| Mary-Jo Murphy |
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 Click on "February Faces" for original post from TableTalk Blog "So I'm initiating an art challenge for myself and anyone who also wants to particpate can join in: February Faces! Draw one face every day for the entire month. Big faces, small faces, stick faces, ALL faces!" Gail Buschman Here's my first one. Likely I'll bundle them together over the month. One face a day. Doesn't sound like much, but...  #1 February Faces "Gemma" 2.16 x 2.16 inches, acrylic on teeny, tiny canvas
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 Frogsley Each week I attend a childrens' writers' critique group. One of the members, Eloise Freeman, writes amazingly funny and clever stories for early readers. In one, the protagonist is a frog (Frogsley) whose life becomes complicated when he believes that scary Count Dracula is trying to contact him. Having illustrated and painted - dogs, cats, emus, rabbits, goats, pigs, ostriches, elephant seals, fish, chickens, roosters, cows, horses, herons, egrets, mice, moose...you can imagine my dismay when at a fund-raising event last summer, someone stopped by my booth and asked, "Do you have any images of frogs?" I didn't. Inspiration wasn't hard to find, nor was a name. "Frogsley" will be at the Harbor Village Gallery in Ventura for another month. Thanks to all who voted for him as the "People's Choice." Thanks also to Eloise for introducing me to the amazing world of adorable amphibians.
 "Stretch" in Copic marker on Bristol paper. Cats, unlike pugs and some other breeds of dogs, offer a particular challenge for the artist.
Cats don't pose. Or do they?  Juniper On November 3, 2012, I will not only be displaying my pet art as a vendor at the PUPPY UP! WALK 2012, but I will be a speaker. Most of us have more than one area of interest or expertise, but rarely do we get to combine our passions into one day. When I was asked to be a vendor for the event I was pleased. I not only have lost several dogs to cancer but am a cancer survivor myself. So, the topic is near and dear to my heart. The "near" is easy to understand, but the "dear" requires some explanation. I am often asked, "When did you start doing these pet portraits." I usually answer, "About seven years ago." Most people smile, and then we begin to talk about my technique or their own pets. I rarely explain, and most people don't ask, "What happened seven year ago?" I was diagnosed with cancer. Within seconds of hearing the words, I decided that someday was here. That no longer could I put off doing the things I love. Simply put - if I had never had cancer, the paintings you'll see at my booth and on this website would never have happened. We share our lives with our pets. I get great joy from recreating that relationship of love on my canvases. Dogs are in the moment. These days so am I. That's how this blog got its name. I hope to see you at the event and to hear your story. http://www.trustedpetpartners.com/santa-barbara-cancer-heros
 Ernst
 My dog paintings began about 6 years ago when I first created a digital pug image, working on the program Painter. Since then, I've returned to acrylic on canvas, but that first pug is still the image on my logo. I'm often asked if I work from photos. Oh yes! Very few humans can sit still for a portrait. Some dogs even have trouble sitting long enough for a photograph. I frequent dog locations to take pictures of various breeds. Pugs always accommodate. They are very good at posing. Sadly, even these adorable dogs fall on hard times. Below is a link to Green Mountain Pug Rescue in Vermont. Check out their website and, if you feel inclined, support their work. http://www.gmpr.org/
 I met Bailey and her friend, Bruce, at the second anniversary of the Barkley Pet Hotel, in 2011. I took photos that day and made mental pictures of the color of her fur and eyes. One would think that painting a dog who looks like she is mostly hair would be easy. Not so! As we dog lovers know, there is much more inside - not only bones and muscles but Bailey's exuberant personality and spirit as well.
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 My black pug has good company on a page called Black Dog Prints http://creative-artists-blog.com/black-dog-prints/ 
Icky
 A Bahia beach cat posing As I traveled to Brazil for my son's wedding, there wasn't room in my luggage for the usual array of canvases, paper and paints So, my artistic expression was limited to what I could create in my journal. Photos will serve as future inspiration - especially the one above! 
Alameda Jamaica
Playa du Flamingo
 I was commissioned to paint a portrait that was to be a birthday present. I never met the subjects, Rickey and Jose, but I got to know them through photos and detailed descriptions of their personalities. Each image filled in another visual piece - their size, their beauty and how they interact with each other and the little girl who loves them.
 Outside of Payson, Arizona, in a place called Strawberry, I was lucky enough to meet a handsome llama, who agreed to be the subject of my painting.  Here we are chatting about the how beautiful llama eyes are.  www.ranchatfossilcreek.com |
Mary-Jo I strive to capture that moment when animals are trying to cross the species’ communication barrier. Archives
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