When we were having these little fur babies a few years back we were pretty much set in not keeping anymore. Then along came Topo. Short and stocky, he has an attitude of iron yet melts when you hold him. 

He is our little "mouse man" I called him, hence, that is how he got the name Topo, after little Topo Gigio from the Ed Sullivan show back in December of 1962.

"Topo" Chihuahua Mixed Media on Paper 16" x 20"

I had to incorporate him into one of my Urban Collage Dog series which shows his perky bright and energetic personality.

Making handmade papers and searching for the right ones on my many adventures is quite time consuming. Yet, that is the joy in making these collage dogs. 

I am also looking at adding some of my ephemera to these dogs as I love many types of collage. I would keep with the color schemes I have been using though as they are my favorite color combination on the planet.

I am currently working on more dogs and hope that they will someone else happy with their fur babies!

Dogs and Newfound Objects

                                                "Elliott" Mixed Media on Paper 16" x 20"

I love the coming of summer days. Winter in Minnesota can be quite long, even if it is a short one. This year Spring came sooner than usual so it was a blessing in my neck of the woods.

With the nice weather, my daughter Jessie has been taking our corgi for a walk almost daily. She has such a keen eye to look for objects that I can use in my art while she is walking. She knows exactly what I like; rusty, worn, forgotten or tossed metal that has been run over by cars. I came home from work today and she had found an old rusty paint can lid that some of the metal has completely rusted away. I am getting quite the collection. I am working on some collage work with these found objects and will be posting them soon.

For now I have been working a lot on the urban dogs. This one is our corgi Elliott. He absolutely loves to walk and is really such a great companion. I am sure he wonders what Jessie (his mom) is doing with all these found object she has been picking up and plucking in her bag!

Well those found objects are finding their way into some of my recent work, which I will be posting shortly.

More Dog Art

I love all dogs. I am a dog mamma. That's it.

I own four Chihuahuas and a Corgi (who his mamma is actually my daughters, so I am termed his "grand mamma"

Every day I come home from work, I am exhausted with both of course the working, but also the strongest desire that I needed to paint or collage all day, yet could not. What is also exhausting or should I say, overwhelming, is all I have to do before I can get to my art. Most nights I wish as soon as I walk in the door, hold each of my Chihuahuas individually, Loretta usually gets her way and is the first to be held, change clothes and get to my art.

One evening my daughter (who owns the Corgi) showed me a video with a chihuahua and an Italian Greyhound. I absolutely fell in love with the Italian Greyhound!

I had done some previous work on an earlier dog series my Boho Dogs, and had done an Italian Greyhound as one of the first few here,

                                     "Italian Greyhound" Pastel on Rives BFK Paper 22" x 30"

and later on when I started my Urban Collage Dogs series I of course, had to do an Italian Greyhound again.

My Urban Collage Dogs consist of handmade and store bought collage papers, acrylic paint, stenciling and pens on watercolor paper.

                                        "Italian Greyhound" Mixed Media on Paper 16" x 20"

I can say I love my pastel dogs but as I have been doing more collage work, these collage dogs are becoming addicting! The ripping up the paper whether they are store bought or hand made are desirable in itself! This one I also used a piece of punchinella on the chest. I think in time I will be adding more elements to these. Only time will tell.

My World Has Gone to the Dogs

So much I want to create and so little time! I have so many ideas for my art and I am somewhat frustrated due to lack of time. Yet, in these frustrating times, one somehow finds a way.




It is a usual dilemma that artists run into sometimes to have so many ideas and not sure where to start. My inspiration a lot of times comes from my dogs.

Late last year I had an old canvas lying around that my daughter had drawn the outline on a few years ago, of our beloved Chihuahua Aiden who suddenly passed away a couple of years ago. The canvas sitting there for a couple of years with just the initial outline, not sure what I was going to do with it, figured I would just gesso over it and go from there. I decided one day that I did not have the heart to cover “Aiden” so figured I would try to make something of it.

What started with acrylic paint in the background, soon led to collage papers I had in my stash, some handmade, some store bought. I also have always had a love for urban art and collage, so decided this was how I was going to go about this piece.

I of course, reached for my two favorite colors, oranges and blues and decided to stick with that.

                                           "Aiden" Collage Mixed Media on Paper 16 x 20

As the artwork emerged it became clear to me what I needed to, was to do more!
I became hooked on these as my love for dogs is so great (we currently have four Chihuahuas and a Corgi). So this is how my Urban Collage Dog Series started!

Each one is done on watercolor paper that has been under painted and pastel primed for texture. From there just collage, stencils, some mixed media materials, with some paint along the way!
I hope you enjoy this series as much as I have. I am currently working on more, so more on the way!

All Things Rusty and Weathered

There is something about the color combination of teal and rust or copper that draws me closer every time I see it. Old weathered buildings, rusted metal, decaying walls, and patina. It just makes me stop dead in my tracks and I have to get a closer look.

Why do certain things attract someone where there are no concrete answers as to why? Maybe it was my upbringing living close to the cities in California. Or maybe now living in Minnesota and seeing all the rusted tractors and farm equipment on my way to work? Or could it be something deep inside that is begging to get out?  I do know one thing, I tend to pick up these colors a lot when I paint.

I took this photo of a copper flower with gears in the middle at an arboretum not far from my home. I like the "steampunk" feel to it. Again, I am drawn to objects like this and these colors.

This particular painting came to me one evening as I was settling down from my busy day. I don't particularly remember what I was thinking of at the time, or even what music I was listening to, but that evening I felt I needed to paint with abandon, to let go, and not think about the outcome.

Sometimes I feel my best work comes when I do not give it much thought, I just do it.

Loose flowing brush strokes were the key to this painting, while adding and subtracting paint was the start of this piece. Warming up with bigger deliberate moves with my arm helped to get the feel of this type of painting. Drips gave a "grungy" feel to the painting. I added the rust tones to give it a nice warmth to the cool tones in the painting. The circle to the left gives a nice balance and dramatic effect of warm color.

                                                          Acrylic on Canvas 18 x 18

Although my art is always evolving, (what artist is not?) I feel I am being drawn into a direction that actually makes sense to me. Only time will tell where I go.

Time to Reflect on What's Most Important

I spend my days all the time reflecting what is most is most important to me. My family first and foremost. What I struggle with is being able to spend enough time with them. That is why I am pretty excited though now as in the early summer months I have plans to be with my son Hayden and my grandson Avery in St. Paul, and then my daughter Angie and two grand kids Anna and Will in Moose Lake.

Life really does get in the way with time constraints so I really cherish these times.

Spending time on my art is another challenge as it seems there just is not enough hours in the day to do what I want to do. I do somehow find time when I can.

This painting series is actually quick to do compared to the cold wax painting, which takes much more time.

                                                          Acrylic on Canvas 12 x 12

With the busy summer months coming, it will be nice to fit a few more of these paintings. Small in size, but intensely dynamic.

Spring is Finally Here

After the many cold months living in Minnesota, Spring has finally arrived.

One of my favorite things I enjoy at this time of year is watching all the birds come right outside of my kitchen window to my honey crisp apple tree and the several feeders we put out for them. The chirps and discussions these birds have is music to my ears. I will never tire of listening to birds.

Sparrows, Robins and Finches are what we usually see, with the occasional woodpecker.

This year however we have been seeing morning doves on our property. Listening to their coos before I even get out of bed is such a beautiful way to be woken up. I love them as they seem so docile and calm, yet they know where they are going in life, with their partners by their side.



This year I have been having an urge to apply more birds somehow in my paintings. I did not intentionally do this on my painting "Early Flight" but that the bird somehow had to be there, to pull the painting together.











Oil and Cold Wax on panel 10 x 10