Teeny Tiny Art

                                           "Now That's Cheeky"  4"x4"

Most of the time I paint larger than life. But it’s hard to pack a 40” canvas into the back of a VW bus with two dogs, two homeschooled kids, two overworked parents and all that entails camping. On any given weekend you can see us zipping around the back trails with a barbeque strapped to the roof of our yellow bus, Penelope. On these occasions I pack a few art supplies and smaller canvases. Some as small as 4”. I love to sit by a lake and a campfire and paint at a rustic picnic table, dogs at my feet. All of my smaller works are created this way. Many of my smaller works will be translated into larger works when I get back into my studio. 

                              "Sweater Girl" #4 in a series.   6"x6"

All I need is my easle and my pitbull!

Stinking Fish Studio Tour 2011 begins this weekend

The Stinking Fish Studio Tour begins this weekend.  So grab a brochure and visit the wonderful 24 studios throughout the picturesque East Sooke and Metchosin.

 

Welcome to my space, Brown Dog Studio.  I paint, knit, felt and sew.  I also encourage my sons to sell their artwork as well.  They have quite the fan base actually!



You can find many small works of art and art cards.

You just might make friends with Beatnik Bob.

So grab a cup of coffee and come on out to enjoy Brown Dog Studio and all it has to offer. 

java monster coffee cup cozies for your morning coffee

share my love of animals with me.

small art... big art

felted octopus art and wild women

this bag could be yours!

rest yourself and your soul.


See you soon at Brown Dog Studio!
 1344 Martock Rd, East Sooke, BC

July23-Aug 1

open all year by appointment

MISSA : waxing encaustic

I've just come home from spending 5 days at the Metchosin International Summer School of the Arts where I took an encaustic wax course with instructor Carol Rae.  What an experience!  Thirteen artists in a room with propane torches, hot molten wax and a pyromaniac's drive to light laquer doused paintings on fire.

Naturally I am a neat freak, but I had to give it all up for this course, which was fast paced and messy.

Here are a few of my first attempts at painting with hot wax.

This is my first one.

 This one is painted on a NASA pocelain tile.

 This one's my favorite.

 Not stepping out of my comfort zone at all, but I still quite like it.  It really glows in person and has lovely depth.

On the last day my kids came and lit stuff on fire too.  They had a blast.  I was too busy supervising to take pics.  Here are a couple of pieces I did that morning to surprise them and welcome them to class.

 And of course there were alot of pieces that I really didn't like at all.

This is upside down but it hardly matters, it sucks both ways!

And now I'm hooked.  The kids and I have created our own encaustic workshop in our home.  Here is a japanese style wave I'm working on at home, but it has a long way to go before I'll be happy with it.

So there you have it.  A peek inside my first ever art school class.

Octopus! Bags, bowls, and mugs!

Felted Octopodes at Brown Dog Studio

I have had so much fun knitting and felting thess little octopus!

Find them on bags, bowls and coffee cup cozies.

Wild Arc Fundraising

 Matty and Mason are members of the BCSPCA kids program and have rescued many little critters and have taken them to the Wild Arc Rehabilitation Centre.

Here is Matty with a Canadian Goose gosling he rescued from a dog.

This summer Matty and Mason are making and selling bird's nest brooches for $5.00.  50% of their earnings will be donated to the Wild Arc rehabilitation Centre.

They will be selling their brooches in my art studio this July during the Stinking Fish Studio Tour.

The nests are 100% needle felted wool.