Painting what's not there....

Sometimes I paint what I know is there even when I can't see it... this is the case with this sweet dog's eyes... In the photo he has just shadows where his eyes are.  If I lifted his chin just a tad and added some light I could give him eyes.  So I did...

This is Kodiak and I just finished his portrait on a MOP disc.  Actually the scanner did not get the color correct as the portrait is much more copper toned than it shows...

My equipment has been giving me  fits and I am  trying to get everything working together again but so far with very little luck...  I really need an in-house computer tech or a son close by..very little luck there as well.

When I haven't blogged for a long while I don't know where to start when I get far behind.  A lot has happened and I will try to catch up...

Pet portrait and life on the farm...

Spent time last night finishing up this pet portrait on a button.  Just a few tweaks and it will be done..  lovely dog.

I was feeling a bit overwhelmed when we left for Alaska and came home refreshed.  The first thing I wanted to do was walk in the woods but it turned out the first thing I had to do was clean the refrigerator.  In our hasty departure I neglected to tell the house sitter that the bag of spinach in the refrigerator was for the chickens.  It was close to "sell-by" so it spoiled and made a god-awful mess.  The new pullets had grown and are used to sleeping in the roost loft.  Will soon let them wander out of the pen an hour or so before dark and gradually lengthen the time.

Then I could walk in the woods and it was breathtaking and I love it when I can find the perfect adjective....dappled... the light and a breeze made everything shimmer.  And Morris startled some turkeys and to his delight they flew into a tree over his head and he could bark at them.  But when he barked the ravens appeared and scolded him...

The elderberry trees are absolutely loaded and will provide lots of feed for all types of birds.  We have had way more rain this summer than normal and all the trees and bushes are loaded with fruit.

And the mama quail are continually encouraging this year's crop of babies out of the safety of juniper shrubs. They finally emerge a few inches and then at the slightest  movement they scurry back.

And my young buck is hanging about scarfing up the apples falling to the ground... Didn't have a fawn this year so I hope he stays safe until breeding season... There are enough apples that he could be busy until then.