Carriage Driving Painting Done

"Driving With A Friend"     Casein on board               12 x 12"

Over the years of our having horses, we have made so many wonderful friends and hold them all dear. One of those friends used to have a tack shop. I was there at her tack shop often as we collected horse paraphernalia. [ I bought my still much loved endurance from Mary ] We still have horses, but the buying 'stuff' and that "I need that" feeling is no longer part of our lives. Maybe because we have bought it all.....bought much more than we need... or use. The friend who had the tack shop, no longer has a tack show...but she does still play a part in the Maine horse scene. Mary was at this year's Maine Carriage Day, where she captured some lovely shots of drivers and their turnouts in carriage. She shared those images and this shot of a lady whip and her Cardigan Corgi captured my heart. I had to paint it. Mary was quick to give me an OK on the use of her photo...... and I asked for and received the go ahead from the lady whip and her Corgi. It was a go! I enjoyed painting it.....no horses really, just a happy lady and her wonderful Corgi...all smiling!
I hope the painting makes a lot of people smile too! I will be putting it up on my website soon.

Losing the War...The Fight Has Been Fought

This is what is left of my string beans on their tepee poles.

I have given up. I have fought 'the battle' with our resident deer population all summer and they have won. I have harvested what I could out of our veggie garden and have left the rest for the deer, the squirrels, the birds.......let the gleaners come. Actually we did get produce to last us into the winter months, while eating fresh veggies all summer. I have frozen tomatoes galore for winter soups and sauces.Our winter squash are piled in my studio, and I have apples, grapes and pears harvested from our orchard and arbor for pies and juicing. The Lord provides!   So I have decided to let the deer win....but they BETTER stay away from my clematis and grapevines!!!!!

Our arbor is laden with purple grapes now.

I have been enjoying my walk from the studio down to our horse barn of late. I love the fall light, the cool cave of the grapevines covering our arbor, the bench waiting by the fire pit for cool evening fires to sit by.... while contemplating the world's dilemma or just" chillin".

I am busy daily on seasonal commissions, and original work. Working on my family series and some new oils on copper. But one of the fun paintings I have going, is a casein [so far] of a lady whip and her Cardigan Corgi! I must admit I jumped on this one while I was so taken with the Corgi, the basket, the driver's turnout! I love doing driving paintings....I really do!

One of the casein "Works In Progress" a 12 x 12" fun painting!

Yes.......Gray fall days spent in the studio are very enjoyable. And not having to fight the deer for veggies is even better. Life is good on Cob Cottage Farm!

A Parson Jack Russell Terrier's Den

"Nellie cozy in her 'Den" @2010

Today the rain is coming down in buckets. The brook is way over it's banks and any snow that we had left around the edge of the woods, is quickly leaving. We have done the barns chores,cleaned stalls and put the horses back into their clean stalls....thrown down hay bales from the loft to keep them happy during stall confinement. The dogs got to play in the barn while we worked. Mind you that it took an act of congress to get Nellie,the JRT, out of her 'den' she had created in our comfy bed. There was NO way that she wanted to go out for 'business" of any kind. Addie, the Corgi hates rain like this too, as the rain runs into her ears!! So I dragged the two out, mean mother that I am!...out into the storm for exercise and barn chores. Misery likes company! Now cloistered in my cozy studio I paint.

My job is so hard!!! :-)

Thank You From CorgiAid

A big thank you from CorgiAid to Lynne

for the purchase of "Just Sitting There"

in the Canine Art Guild's Helping Paws Virtual Art

show to benefit various dog rescues.



And the neat thing is that the entire cost of this little gem of a painting [If I can say so my self] has been donated to CorgiAid to help them with their rescue program.

Addie [my Corgi] and Nell [my JRT] and I thank you all for helping Corgi's across the nation!!

Go CorgiAid!!!

And How Long Til Spring?

Lil' Nell isn't so sure that winter in Maine is the way life should be!!?? Even if you are decked out in a stylish frock.........Now Addie, our Corgi, LOVES snow!!!

It is so interesting watching the two personalities and how they cope with life. Terrier versus Corgi.

Now back to the drawing board.

Have to work to make $$$$ so the little girl can have warm winter sweaters!!!

Focused

Corgis...Corgis..........Cardigan Corgis!

This is a 7 1/2 x 11" watercolor on watercolor board from a sketch of a Cardigan herding cattle......what captured me about this shot was the intense stare of the Cardigan on the eye of his subject. His human mom sent it to me. It is as if he is saying [ with his eye] "You better go where I want you to go!" and you know...I think the cow has got the message! Of course the shadows and movement of the moment captured me too. I am a sucker for a shot with great shadow and movement.

I am putting this watercolor up on my website............

Also I want to mention that I am a member of the Canine Art Guild...and am one of the artists in an online art show called "Helping Paws" , where a portion of the sales go to the canine rescue group of our choice. I have a small casein of a Pembroke hanging in the show and all of the money fro the sale of this cute PWC painting goes to CorgiAid. Take a stroll over and check out the great show ...and be sure to help out CorgiAid. CorgiAid is a nonprofit organization founded to provide> financial assistance to corgis and corgi mixes. They help rescue Corgis from dog shelters or other non-permanent homes, then foster them until a new forever home is found. Medical and other expenses for these dogs can become high. That is why I wanted to donate the sale of this Corgi painting 100 percent to CorgiAid. My painting is titled "Just Sitting There" [ 4 x 6"]

And now I need to get focused on the job at hand..........more on that later!

The Filly Coming Five

Yesterday I painted the barn doors...and I also finished up this 12 x 8" watercolor of the filly. She has been the subject of my work a lot in her four short years. I was with her when she was born...and she is my helpmate when I am down doing barn chores. Maggie is always willing and curious to have her picture taken. A willing subject...but sometimes a little too willing and up close for long shots! But I LOVE HER EYE..... and so will be painting it often...and willingly!

My barn now sports a bright yellow door....as does Les' work shed. I have started the back barn door and prepped the potting shed door...all to be painted yellow. When I finished up the front barn door and was watching Maggie watching me painting the door.....I saw the lovely red in her bay coat against the yellow door...........yup! This will be a new painting I am sure!

Today dawns a bit cloudy. But I need to get the barn doors done before the weather changes...I know it will turn cold and wintry soon. So the watercolor I am working on now of a Cardigan Corgi herding cattle will have to wait a bit.

Can It Get Any Better Than This??

This is one of the nicest days weather wise .......the fall colors are a blaze and the sun is shinning. I just ate my lunch by the garden fish pond, listing to the running water and the rustling of the leaves as the squirrels and Corgi play in the woods. I am delaying going up to the studio..because some hornets took up house-keeping in the studio while I had the deck sliding-doors open to let in the warm fresh air. Good excuse, huh?

But I do have to post that this watercolor is done...........12 x 12" on watercolor board....it was fun painting it and I had a neat photo as reference from a Peruvian Horse Farm in Texas. JyW Coyote Creek Ranch. They breed the beautiful Peruvian Paso Horse on their farm.... and this is a painting of Three Peruvian Paso Horses.. full of 'brio' !!! Love doing portraits like this! I am calling it "Trio Brio"...neat huh?

I guess I have to get to work today. My sister arrives this week and I will be having fun and visiting with her over the next weeks.....But it won't be all playtime...I am sure I will get some work done!!! Not!

Side-Saddle Watercolor

It has been a while since my last post...The Skyline Farm art exhibit went off well last week. It is always so gratifying to see the works all hung and then stand back and take in all the beautiful artwork that is year's Maine artists sent for the show "Fertile Ground". The work was mostly landscapes.....but all off Maine. My co-curator for this show, Karen Pettengill, and I hung it all in record time. I guess we have had enough practise over the years...and have always worked well together. We have worked together in a green house, as grooms for a four-in-hand driver and now this!


I managed to get works shipped out last week and then my husband and our Corgi and I headed over to New Hampshire to see my brother and his family. It was a long week for me...but fun and I survived it!!!


Today I finished this watercolor and then I attacked my studio mess.....I feel like I deserve a break now, so I am headed out to mow lawn. This grass must stop growing soon...??!! but I think I I like mowing over shovelling snow!


"Kentucky Side Saddle" is 15 x 10" and is a watercolor on watercolor board. The rider looked so comfortable on her horse, as she sat talking to folks. I HAD to paint her. The watercolor is more about her than her horse, though he was a handsome fellow.

Dogs and More Dogs

This watercolor of a sweet Lab, called Jesse, was commissioned by the friend of the dog's owner after Jesse past over the rainbow bridge. Working on the painting brought back memories of the Labrador Retrievers we have had over the years. We always had one or two in our home while our sons were growing up. I always called them our 'doofy' dogs......but oh, how those dogs loved. Labs are also so ready to please and share hugs and kisses.

I can tell this little lady was much loved too. I can see it in her eyes.

And then there were Corgi's!!

These Cardigan Corgis are part of a HERD of Corgis that belong to a family in Texas. Herd? [or is it a gaggle of Corgis???] The Bucks' Cardigans actually herd their Beefmaster Cattle on their ranch. How cool is that?!! Corgis with real jobs to do! There will be more Buck Cardigan Welsh Corgi paintings in the works. I can't get enough of looking at these wonderful dogs and the Buck's beautiful farm.

In the meantime I need to get works out to Saratoga Springs for the summer show with Equidea Gallery....and do work for the invitational art show "Fertile Ground", to be held at Skyline Farm in September.

And the gardens are growing!!! Roses coming open and veggies growing.

This is a good thing!