Write a post, help a dog

With the exception of one or two dogs,  every dog I've had in my lifetime has come from a shelter or been rescued from a situation that would likely have had a bad outcome.  The last dog I had, Biscuit, was being waved by kids in front of traffic as a small pup.  Too young to be taken from his mother and small enough to fit in a jacket pocket.  He grew to 40 pounds and stayed with me for 16 years.  I share this information in memory of every dog I've ever had and especially for Biscuit.

 Biscuit

8 x 10, acrylic

Here’s how it works:

• The Write a Post, Help a Dog program is aimed at raising awareness of the more then 4 million dogs that wind up in shelters and breed rescues each year. As well as to help get them all food (our goal is 10,000 lbs of food in the next two weeks) for the more than four million dogs that wind up in shelters and breed rescues each year.
• For each blog post mentioning the Pedigree Foundation from now until midnight ET on September 3, Pedigree will donate 20 pounds of its new dry Pedigree recipe food for dogs — its best recipe ever — to a shelter, because every dog deserves leading nutrition.
• Feel free to mae your post more visually appealing by using either or both of the two images seen in this post.
• The Pedigree Foundation — a 501 (C)(3) nonprofit organization is committed to helping dogs by providing grants to shelters and rescues and encouraging dog adoption. This year the Foundation has already raised more than $376,570 against its goal of $1.5 million to carry out its work to fund grants that not only help shelters operate, but to further shelter innovations.

The Pedigree Foundation depends on charitable contributions from individuals to carry out its mission to help dogs find loving homes. In addition to writing a blog post, here’s how you can help:

• Donate online at http://pedigreefoundation.org/donate.aspx
• Apply for a shelter grant from the Pedigree Foundation by completing a form atwww.pedigreefoundation.org
• Purchase Dogs Rule Gear at www.dogsrulegear.com where the proceeds go to the Pedigree Foundation to help loving dogs find a home. SPECIAL OFFER: Get 10 percent off Dogs Rule Gear by using the promo code BlogPaws10 from August 22 – September 30.

Once you get your post up and ready please feel free to grab the link code to include it in your post and add your link to the list so it is easier to keep track of all the posts plus it makes it so easy for your friends to learn about the event and see the progress we are making towards our goal of 10,000 lbs of food.

 This is a Blog Hop! 22 entries so far... you're next!

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1. To Dog with Love	2. Two Little Cavaliers	3. Boccis Beefs
4. www. houstondogblog. com	5. Lis Careys Library	6. DogTipper. com
7. Grouchy Puppy	8. Keisha the Spaniel : )	9. Saving Pennies for a Rainy Day
10. Kyndall @ Say No To Recycling	11. 4 The Love of Animals	12. Julianne @ Just a Simple Life
13. Write a post, help a dog	14. Laineys Pawtique & Bakery	15. Blog for Paws
16. Non profit organizations weekend on Empire Avenue	17. Brando and Bogart	18. Adriel Hampton on Tumblr
19. Write a Post, Help a Dog	20. Write a Blog, Save a Dog	21. Write a Post, Help a Dog
22. Help Feed Some Shelter Dogs This Week

You are next... Click here to enter
This list will close in 12 days, 3 hrs, 31 min (9/8/2011 12:59 AM CST)

Black bears

Black bears are native to Newfoundland, but not seen much on the Avalon, seeming to like points west, however they are around. Luckily a bear hasn't visited the farm yet.  Some people seem to consider wild bears, especially the cubs, almost like teddy bears and try feeding them.  Bears become addicted to easy access human food but then become a nuisance and often have to be shot because they become a danger as they grow and continue to interact with humans. I am always on the side of the bears and wish people would have the sense not to go near these creatures.  Whenever they do, they spell a death sentence for the animal as this story shows.  Cute?  Yes.  Now dead.  Another animal killed by human stupidity.  And they say mankind is the one with a brain.  It truly makes me wonder.

An RCMP officer face-to-face with a bear in Terra Nova National Park in central Newfoundland. (Courtesy: RCMP)

 CBC News Canada  Police warn people not to feed bears
CBC News Canada  Terra Nova bear cub put down


I bought a canvas awhile ago - 24 x 48.  As I stood in line at the checkout, a mother and child about 5 years old was in front of me.  As I rested the canvas on its end, I realized that it was the height or taller than the child and thought it would be fun to do a life sized portrait on it.

Not having the inspiration or setting up the right scene for it, bears seemed to wander into the picture.  There seem to have been endless bear stories in the news lately and it got me thinking about the size of a bear cub, especially when standing and how it might fit on that canvas shape.

Tonight I started some thumbnail sketches to see what composition may work.  This is one of them, cute little tree hugger that he is. Yes, bears can climb trees and often do, so not a good option if one is chasing you.

A Tangle of Capelin Part III

  A Tangle of Capelin

12.5" x 21"

Watercolour on masa

While digging through paintings, looking for a particular one, I pulled out A Tangle of Caplin.  This piece started life as a demonstration for creating a faux batik on masa paper.   That link has proven to be one of the most popular links on my blog and I will soon be creating it into a more structured pfd download to make it easier to find and use.

As some readers may remember I painted this, then went back in last June and added some more intensity to the colour.  The final piece  shared third place with James Hollingsworth's Black Grapes No. 3 in the 2010 MAM Award for  Best Picture of the Year on an Art Blog.

Well I decided that the 'Tangle' needed yet another wash of colour to punch it up a bit.  A better image, stronger colour and I think I can finally say that the caplin are ready for framing.  Maybe its an unrequired tweak but you know how yu just have this gut feeling about a piece and what MUST happen with it?  Often it takes time before that revelation appears.  My revelation comes with some experience behind it in terms of what I've learned over time regarding colour and value and how a piece 'speaks' to me. There aren't huge changes to the piece compared to the previous one, but the colours have intensified yet again.  The colours are a stylized version of their natural colouring and fresh, these little fish are quite attractive if examined closely.

Foot and Mouth

I was half heartedly playing around with the end of some oils and tried this 8 x 8 portrait of Tripod.  He was scrunched up with his foot almost in his mouth, hence the title.  I still have some darks to add to punch it up a bit, then I'll let it be.

Meanwhile just until Friday, there is a 15% Summer Sale on in my Etsy shop.  Enter SUMMER15 when you checkout and voila! 15% of your hard earned cash magically stays in your pocket!  Have a look and see if something appeals to you. Or start dropping some hints to others.  After all Christmas will be here before you know it.

Vertigo update

Some things get put aside to dry and become replaced by other things.  Vertigo is one of them.  I had completed about 80% of it but needed to finish some glazing and add details.  With another exhibition looming, I figured it was about time to bite the bullet and do it.  So I'm down to about 98% complete now with just some tweaks here and there.

This is in oils, 18 x 24".  I hope to get out to the northern gannet colony within the next couple of weeks to take some photos and experience them once again.