A Girl's Best Friend

A Girl's Best Friend ~ 5" x 7" oil on hardboard panel

Bid now in the Daily Paintworks Auction

My daughter LOVES cats...unfortunately, we had to give ours up when she was born because it's favourite place to sleep was on top of her. We didn't have a bedroom with a door, so we gave the sweet kitty to my parents where she lives to this day. The nice thing about that is we can still visit and Rhiannon can get her "kitty lovin'". 

Sorry for the Long Absence

"Charlie" a commission for a great friend

8" x 10" oil on canvas panel

I know I haven't posted in awhile, and perhaps I should change the title, as has been suggested, but I do really hope to be back to "Almost Daily" soon.  Life has been busy...I've been creating...a lot! Just trying to find my direction, which has changed since I started this blog. So thanks for your patience!

...and even more ACEO's

Hello everyone...sorry about the lack of sketches, if anyone noticed...but I'm trying to make a few bucks to pay for the deluxe printer I just bought, lol!  And I need special paper, too, and Crystal Clear Bags...

Uhhh...the business of art. I'd rather just paint, and let someone else do all the other work, but I've made a new years resolution to get serious this year, and treat it as a job instead of a hobby...see where that gets me.

These cuties go active on Ebay at about 6 pm PST, 

Cheers, all!

More ACEO's and a Large Painting

I have more ACEO's for sale...keeping very busy!:)

and,

I finished a large painting, today, too. Here's Rhiannon on the beach in Maui...

12" x 16" oil on panel

bye for now!

More Itty Bitty Kitties

Snuggle Bugs Aceo SOLD

I'm so happy, my long awaited package of art supplies  arrived today! Yay! Thank you so much, super-hubby. I was going crazy. For those of you that don't already know, I am stranded in my old hometown, at my mom and dad's, in my old room, nonetheless...because the town where I now reside with my wonderful DH and my sweetheart monsters, has totally flooded. Like disastrous, devastatingly flooded! Many people's homes are beyond repair, and it's a bloody nightmare. Thank God our home was safe. But anyways, I have this huge commission, and no paint and no brushes...and my last batch of SOLD ebay ACEO's were also stranded...in Bella Coola, with the buyer impatiently waiting for their purchase.  For the longest time we had no mail going out or coming in because the road and the airport were closed. At least now the air traffic is moving, so we can get mail and send it...so dear buyer, if you're reading (I hope you don't mind me showing off your card) and, your package will now arrive soon.

My Darling Billy

Billy in my sketchbook

I've been really enjoying looking at less serious stuff lately, namely people's sketchbooks. I love the spontaneity, the freedom, and the sense of the artist in these pictures. I've been finding them on Flickr, and on art blogs, (check out Andrea Joseph's stuff...it's amazing!, and also Paul Madonna) and I realized, I don't sketch enough. I take my art way too seriously.

I guess that there's so little time in a day, being a mom and a wife, that any chance I get to paint, I paint seriously. It feels like a waste of time to sketch, when I have so little of it to begin with.  My focus has been on success so much, and recognition, and now that I'm finally getting a few shows out of town, and workshops, my art feels suddenly so joyless. I've been painting for shows, and for work, but I need to find the joy in it again, and maybe I can by sketching more. 

This is my sweet husband, Billy. We had a beautiful sunny day, about two days ago. He was home from work, and we sat on the deck, soaking up the sun. The light was great, so I grabbed my sketchbook and whipped this one off.

I also joined the "Sketchbook Project".  It's a pretty cool idea. You send them $25. They send you a moleskine sketchbook, you pick a theme, fill it up and send it back to them. Once there it becomes part of the permanent collection of the Brooklyn Art Library. You can also have them put the whole thing on line for an extra fee, where they're there for the whole world to see. 

Anyways, that's my post for the day.

Don't forget to check out my ebay listings. I have a bunch of Cat ACEO's for sale, starting at only $9.99.

christmas aceo's for sale

Here's a few aceos I did for ebay today. I had kind of an aimless day, I suppose. One could call it "art avoidance"... I have a large painting I am about to attempt for my show at the gallery in April, and I'm putting it off. I guess I'm intimidated by its size, or that it's more complicated...I don't know. I'm just putting it off. Which isn't good. Because I need to have about four more paintings in about six more days. I guess I just work better under pressure:)
Anyways, these little guys were fun, and maybe I'll make a few bucks. So bid now!:)

Bookworm kitty cat aceo original art by Tahirih Goffic

"Bookworm" 2.5" x 3.5" ACEO oil on canvas paper

This is one of the ACEO's I sold last week on ebay.
Check out my new listings on Tuesday night. I should have a bunch more.
I enjoy doing these little paintings. I can get the great feeling of accomplishment that comes with finishing a painting, but in an hour instead of a week. It's a nice break sometimes, and they sell like hotcakes, too. It's a nice way to make a few extra bucks every week.

Contemplation

Contemplation - 2.5" x 3.5" ACEO

Hmmm...much to contemplate these days. I'm not sleeping well, thinking too much...too internal. I feel like walking, running, writing, reading, but not painting. Is that a normal artist thing? Am I just avoiding work? LOL! I'm having a hard time focusing on painting, but, I'm still able to churn out these little babies because they only take an hour. That's about as long as I can focus on one thing, and even then, I'm finding myself getting up twenty times, to look in the fridge, the cupboard, the drawers, only to go sit back down at the easel, empty-handed, because I'm not really looking for food. It would probably only take half-an-hour if I didn't get up so often:)
I did finish the 18 x 24 for Inside Barkerville...I think...maybe. There's still something bothering me about it, but I'm not sure what it is yet.
Anyways, I love the look in this cat's eye, and I also love the way I did the red background. It really brings it to life...I think it does anyways. (Thanks a bunch to the copyright free WetCanvas photo library for the reference photo!)

New original miniature oil painting aceo

The Eyes Have It -- 2.5" x 3.5" aceo

Just a quick post tonight. I'm busy and tired. I painted three aceo's today, cleaned house, played with my kids at the park, cooked dinner, gave the kids a bath, put them to bed, folded three loads of laundry, and now it's time to get to work on my Barkerville paintings.
YAWWWWWWWWWNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!
But, I'm painting:) Who could ask for more?
G'night, all.

I'm BAAACCKKK! With some original miniature oil painting ACEO's

"Baby Blue Eyes" 2.5" x 3.5" oil on primed watercolor paper


I know!!! I've been away from here forever, but...I'm going to try to come back, I promise. I'm finally painting something I'm allowed to show you all:)

For the last five months, I've been working on a top secret project:) I'm not allowed to show the paintings off online...yet. Not until the website is up and running. I'll give you a hint, though. The Candyman painting is one of the paintings included in the project. And, this cat painting is not, lol! Okay, I'll tell you about it. I know that I mentioned somewhere that I decided to do my body of work on Barkerville, this cool historical, restored ghost town near Quesnel, B.C. -- Well Serendipity walked in, and about a week after I'd made that decision, I was contacted by a man working in Barkerville, who saw my art online and wanted to know if I might happen to be interested in illustrating a book he was writing. (At that point, the only person I had told about my decision was my husband.) Well, DUH!! I had just decided to do twenty or so paintings about Barkerville anyways, so that was a no-brainer.

So, I've been working really hard on those full-size, original oil paintings ever since, and haven't given myself much time to paint anything just for me. These little ACEO miniature paintings are perfect, since they don't take long to finish, so they're not really cutting into my project time, but I still get that wonderful sense of accomplishment of finishing a new painting. Plus, I can paint whatever I want, and that's nice, too. I'm really enjoying the Barkerville project, but sometimes it's hard as an artist when you're being directed. So, Baby Blue Eyes was my solution! Hope you like her. She'll be on Ebay for the next week, so have a look.

Barkerville Series in the Works

Frank at the King George 4"x 5" value and color study

Well, I've decided I better come up with a "body of work". I finally feel like my work is up to gallery standards, but so far I've been all over the map when it comes to style and subject matter. An important part of becoming professional is to develop a style, and a body of work to show to potential collectors and galleries, and so far I don't have enough pieces that are related.

Last summer I was in Barkerville, this incredible old historical town near where I grew up that has been re-built to look like it originally was. My sister and I took a gazillion photos, and a few really nice people on Flickr gave me permission to use some of theirs for reference as well. It has great actors in period costumes that remain in character throughout the day. I want to pay tribute to this remarkable place, and the remarkable people who keep it going, by doing a series of paintings showing the people and the place. Sooooooo.......this will be my first "body of work".

The King George Hotel is a great old building in Barkerville where you can actually spend the night in the historical townsite. This is the cat, Frank, who lives there.

Oh yeah...I almost forgot. We're down to our last few days in Maui, and I have to pack up really soon. I won't be able to post for a while, as it's too late to start the new painting because the paint won't be dry to pack it, and I'll be en-route. I'll be back in a week or two, as long as we still have some semblance of internet service when I get back to Bella Coola...sob...snow, rain, clouds, YUK!!