Cody

Cody     11 x 14 oil on linen   A Christmas Commission - SOLD

I wrote this note to a friend today....I don't share this sort of thing too often on my blog posts, but mainly just "art". There's more of that ahead, but for now, HAPPY 2015!

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It can be lonely after the holiday "attention". Attention we GIVE to "planning" and "details"...attention that we GET from friends, family... Heck, even the retailers give us "attention", calling our name to make us feel special this time of year!!! 

That's some kind of attention!! 

I'm alone today and I think God brought to mind my "alone" friends. There's something very sweet about His presence in quiet stillness. He never leaves us...unchanging. Jesus has a sweet way of entering those moments...on purpose... And covering us with reminders of His faithful, steadfast presence. God often uses my lonely heart to fill up with Himself. What can be better than that? Thank you for your prayers for my family in 2014. May I order more of the same for 2015?

I look forward to getting to know YOU better in 2015!

Kooper

"Kooper"__10x8__a Christmas commission___SOLD

comment to:  vvaughan8@yahoo.com

I'M SSSOOOO SORRY that my replies are going to EVERYONE!!!

I LOVE to hear from everyone, but I certainly HATE to annoy y'all by having all my chatter appear in your inbox. If you are my facebook friend, you saw Kooper last week.

Friend me ! I'm called "Virginia Pedro Vaughan" on Facebook 

This little oil was for my friends Tiffany and Kim.

Happy New Year to everyone!

Are you planning to paint this year? How about sketching?

Happy Holly

Happy Holly___11x14 oil on linen__a commission for Act I Gallery

A few days ago I posted a happy dog sketch. It was the last drawing I did for my mom...one I sketched upside down so she could watch it happen while laying in bed....Mom passed away on Sept 12....

Well that happy dog sketch was from a photo of this dog, Holly.

Holly's family sent me some pics to paint from...I usually play around with several views, combining them for an original view. I showed them "mom's sketch" and asked if I could keep it (for sentimental reasons), and then painted this as their final commission. I thought of my mom, all the while I worked on Holly...remembering how much my mom loved me to paint animals, and loved to watch me work...I will miss that!

Happy Dog For Mom

Happy Dog ...My last drawing for mom

 

I drew this at mom's bedside. Holding the photo and pad upside down so she could see it right side up...She LOVED when I drew upside down for her! She would just marvel! And for a short moment I could "pretend" to have some sort of edge over her!...We laughed and smiled at each other a LOT. She always wanted me to "draw more animals!", so how fitting that the last art I ever drew for her is a HAPPY, laughing dog!

*******

On Thursday, Sept. 12, 2013, The Lord came for mom!

He also said YES to three BIG prayers I had been pestering Him with for about 6 years:

1. That she would be READY to go, and not in pain.

2. That she would be in her own comfortable room, and NOT in a hospital.

3. That I would be WITH HER when she left us.

I shouldn't be amazed that God can do such wonders, but I am humbled that He made this so personal to me....T H A N K  Y O U   SWEET L O R D

 

Below is a short excerpt from the tribute (Obituary) I wrote for the funeral announcement.

The Birdseed Project will continue... and now I have the final chapter for the book that will come out in Spring...

TAX DEDUCTIBLE donations (instead of flowers!) can be made here, but please designate Birdseed Project on the envelope

 

 Make check payable to Threefold Cord Ministries and mail it to

Threefold Cord Ministries, P.O. Box 540591, Omaha, NE 68154.

 

*******

My Mom (Doreen Westaway Pedro) had enduring ears to hear sorrows, but knew when to tell you to “snap out of it”. And if her discipline was hard, she quickly restored and mended the wounds…usually with a comment to make you laugh through the tears.

 

Mom insisted on FUN. Laughter, or else!…she had more fun than any of us ... Wherever she went, people NOTICED her, because a spark of laughter would rush in with her, and she would look you in the eye, so you knew you were included in the fun. People felt special around “mom”, so they liked her a lot. 

Mom circa 1942...                      ... and 2007 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh Ruby!

Oh Ruby!___10 x 8 oil on linen__a commission

Up Against the Wall Gallery in Tennessee has a collector who commissioned me to paint their beloved dog a few years ago...I forget which dog it was, but they asked me to paint their other dog, Ruby. What fun!! This Ruby has a lot of character and I liked painting her!

THIS WEEK I will have all next year's workshops nailed down...Please contact me if any of these locations look interesting to you....

Here are some locations for a few of my workshops. email me if you want more info on any of these...

Be sure to check out this SPECIAL ONE.

I can't wait to see the water go down the drain BACKWARDS there!

September ___weekly Drawing class__Austin___ "Chocolates and Chiaroscuro" 

Sept. 15, 2012___Salado TX

 2013___New York City, Colorado, Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania...

2014___February 23-March 1___New Zealand

**BE SURE to tell me if you sign up! I like to send things to my students to get them ready, keep them "seeing", and thinking, and talking about it!

Raising Mango

Raising Mango___20x16 oil on linen___SOLD

Last year I painted a commission for the couple below...it was a special gift from her to him...the painting above is a specila gift from him to her! (I hope she doesn't see this...but if so...PLEASE act surprised, S....) Read the details of it HERE

OTH of these were tough because the photos were not great, but then again, I kind of like that, because I get to make up stuff I can't see. On this one I had to actually pose MYSELF for an iPhone photo to finish part of her...no, not her pretty legs...just the finger pointing hand.
SPEAKING OF GRUENE, TX!

PLEASE Mark your calendar!

Wednesday, February 14 is the artist reception for the exhibit

Passing America...in Texas

Cactus Jack's Gallery, Gruene

The exhibit that spent a few months in Nebraska is here in Texas till mid April.

Please go see it when you can, and I would prefer if you'd come while I am there, so I can show you around!
Here is your official invitation/directions and all

Famous Otto

Amy and Otto___10 x 8 commission____SOLD
A few years ago, I painted this dog, Otto, with his owner. (see first painting below)
Over the Holidays, this owner, Kathy, contacted me to see if I could do another painting of her little sister, who is now bonded with Otto. Amy has Down Syndrome, and is full of life and love for Otto! Apparently Amy and Otto have a sweet and special relationship, and Kathy wanted to honor Amy with a similar painting...
There is nothing like the love of a big sister (ask ME!...I have SIX older siblings!!!)
...and there is really nothing like the friendship of a special dog!...now is a good time to send this link to all dog lovers ...watch it in a quiet, thoughtful place, and allow yourself to THINK about the words...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H17edn_RZoY


Otto and Kathy____10 x 8___sold

Bird

Bird___9x12 oil on linen___sold
I loved hearing from many friends who missed my blog/posts...THANK YOU!
Here is another dog painting I couldn't post till after the Holidays...just in case...since it was commissioned as a gift. The dog is named BIRD..a sweet name!
This one was ALMOST a problem, as I received photos of a DIFFERENT dog, at the same time, and BOTH DOGS looked nearly IDENTICAL. The other dog, Otto, is on the easel...maybe I will post it soon. Bladen (who I posted Friday) was also very similar in color to this, and I have almost sworn off painting black dogs with brown points for awhile!!!
Happy New Year!
I have some demos, workshops and show events to tell about, so please stay tuned!

Bladen

Bladen_____12x9 oil on linen______sold
Bladen is the beloved friend of a friend, commissioned by a friend!
Knowing that Bladen is very sick made me really enjoy painting this one-a Christmas commission for D.W. to give to J.P....I waited to post it, just in case J.W was looking at my blog!
I have MISSED the regular posting and visiting with my blog-friends, and apologize for being "quiet" for a whole month. This is the longest break I have had since starting to blog about 5 years ago!
Did you enjoy the break from my art???...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Lying Bull

Lying Bull___6x6 oil on canvas panel_____$190 when it dries (click image to see details)

See that expression??? ....Nuff said!

Alfie on Avocado

Alfie on Avocado__8x10 oil on panel____SOLD...a commission for J and J
Alfie was a beloved pet for my friend J in Arizona. Her favorite "shot" of him was a small black and white snapshot of him on his favorite couch. J gave me this photo and a few color snapshots to work from....I have a little more work to do on Alfie, (now that I can see him here, I see some "atmosphere" things I want to adjust). I painted Alfie in color, using those few faded photos. I am not REAL sure about his coloring but from the look of the couch in black and white, and the setting of the photos which looked like the 1970's, I guessed that the couch was that famous pigment called "avocado green"....

Strider

Strider__8x10 oil on linen panel___commission for Strider's family
So at Christmas time I finish up all the year's commission's and this week has been "dog week"! Strider , here was "compiled" from several of his family photos: use this one for his smile, this one for his bandana, this one for his "pose"....which means I did a preliminary sketch first, for approval. I really enjoy that kind of "art direction"...one of my favorite things when I was a "commercial artist", (aka graphic designer) was sitting with a client and hearing their "vision" which, if they could illustrate it, they WOULD! I enjoyed the challenge of FIRST hearing them correctly, then creating whatever it was that they had in mind. ...Strider
is gone, now, so this painting will be a memory forever. I think it's so important to "bless" the family with a meaningful painting.
I LOVE dogs...our new little Junor (aka Puppypuppypuppy) is in my lap as I type this, and Maria is at my feet!! Here is a really neat youtube video that PERFECTLY describes WHY we love dogs :) (thanks Pam!).....as soon as Strider dries, I will ship him "home"....

Luna

Luna___10x8 oil on linen panel for Tina
Here is another painting for Tina, whom I mentioned yesterday. This one is Luna, her other beloved Chow...I am still making a few minor little "oil changes" on Luna, but...here ya go!

Mars Dog

Mars___10 x 8 oil on linen panel____for Tina
I met Tina at the Easton Waterfowl Festival in Maryland. She owns a couple of the prettiest chow dogs EVER, and I am lucky enough that Tina let me paint them for her! Here is her big boy Mars...great name!...I have a few "Ear-justments" to make, but will ship Mars off later in the week...
For you artists looking in: Thick fur can seem like a scary thing to try to paint...the secret is to see BIG SHAPES, rather than long individual hairs....each shape has its own color and value...if you mix color carefully, and draw the shapes well, you'll get it!

Strider_dog, sketch

Strider___a sketch for client approval

Strider's family gave me some photos so that I can paint him! Trouble is, there is no photo exactly like the pose they want, so I am combining elements from different photos and hoping that it looks like him! I like this kind of work, because it is more interesting than just copying a photo.

HERE IS SOME NEW NEWS!

-My entry in the American Plains Artists National Juried Show in Lincoln, Nebraska was awarded THIRD PLACE...

-There are still spots in my one day workshop in Rockport, TX, Thus. Oct. 21...a FULL day of "Studies and Sketching"

-My whole Colorado Sketchbook is being sold on ebay...Oct 23 is the end of the sale...GO SEE IT!

-For you football fans: the Round Rock Dragons play Leander Lions in Texas 5-A High School ball Friday night...please pray for the Dragon QB...my favorite player :)

Romeo__Decision

Romeo__Decision__9x12 pastel pencil on archival paper__from my sketchbook
I mentioned a while ago that when Romeo sees me looking at him (or aiming a camera) he jumps up and gets in my face. So it's hard to sketch him from life sometimes. If I have the right angle and he doesn't SEE me studying him, I can get away with it. In this sketch, he obviously knows I am looking at him, so his "decision" is whether to jump up "now" or after I am finished sketching him....Guess what he decided?
Below is an invitation I have been meaning to send....I wish I had mentioned it sooner for my Texas friends...It's the last big exhibit of my Last Year on the Farm paintings. About 100 selected paintings will be on display for a month in Marble Falls, TX....the reception is THIS SATURDAY, but the show hangs till April 18. I will speak a little bit on Saturday and on April 18, too and tell a little bit about the farm...PLEASE COME! I would love for you to see all these plein air paintings, and hear what you think of my farm....

Romeo_Upward

Romeo__Upward__9x12 pastel pencil on archival paper__from my sketchbook

I do not remember what he was looking at, but Romeo let me shoot the photo which I used for this sketch.

I tweaked my blog today. On the right side I added some things, including a picture of my book about the farm. And at the bottom of the page is a neat gadget to click and preview the first 15 pages of the book. If you have not seen the book, please go to the blog, scroll to the bottom, and turn the pages! It's really cool...and if you want to, you can order from there, too! If you get this post in an e-mail, click this link to go to the blog. If you want to get my postings in an e-mail, let me know, and I will add you to the group that gets the pictures FIRST...let me know vvaughan8@yahoo.com

Romeo__Sigh

Romeo_Sigh__9x12 pastel pencil on archival paper__from my sketchbook
I am not sure if all Great Danes are like this, but Romeo is so alert to whatever I am doing, that if I look at him for any length of time, he gets up to come see me...making sure I am OK, I guess. So for the next few days I will post sketches from photos of him. Right after I snapped the photo for this one, he jumped up and got in my face.....sigh
Below is a little "blog award" that I just received from Stephanie Berry in Maine. I think I have actually won one of these before, but was not sure what it was! Stephanie explained it to me well, and NOW I get it!...so I am posting my OWN award winners' links below! Please take a look at the blogs I look at the most...not all are artists, but all have great "sunshine" when they post!
http://stephanieberryart.blogspot.com/
http://lorraineklotzart.blogspot.com/
http://adeleearnshaw.blogspot.com/
http://fullerfotography.blogspot.com/
http://architectpainterjoshi.blogspot.com/
http://joyjoyinthejourney.blogspot.com/
http://cecelia-throughmyeyes.blogspot.com/
http://robincheers.blogspot.com/
http://joannehanson.blogspot.com/

According to someone's blog, "The Sunshine Award is awarded to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspire others in the blogging world." Pass it on....
1. Post the flower logo on your blog.

2. Pass the award on to 12 fellow bloggers.

3. Link your nominees

4. Let nominees know they have won this award by commenting on their blog.

5. Be sure to link to the person you received this award from.

Drowse

"Drowse"____9x12 from my sketchbook
Romeo has his "own" couch, downstairs. When the storms roll in, he hears the thunder miles before we do, and he gets upset and demands to be wherever we are. Giving us his famous, deep "Woo, woo" before the storm the other night, he really really wanted to be on "our" couch. Since everyone else had gone to bed, I was alone on the couch, and relented...just this once...here he is straddling the couch and the ottoman, taking a drowse...

Listener

Listener___12 x 9 pastel pencil on archival paper
Ah Romeo, my "good Dane", not "great"...
...he is EVER PRESENT, at my feet while I work, at my side while I move around the house, waiting outside the bathroom with his paws crossed while I shower...the Great Dane breed is definitely a "lap dog" breed - extremely loyal. Never hyper in trying to get attention (he's so big he just walks up and looks you in the eye...he knows I know what that means. If I do not respond, he speaks his famous, deep "woo, woo" and then a deeper big "WOO" for emphasis. He also does this if he wants to get close to me but something blocks his way...like books on the floor, or Velcro the cat. He is bothered when he can't get close to me. In fact, he is looking at me now, blocked by the chair and a pile of bills on the floor....oh Romeo, Romeo...