Strange Beginnings

Sometimes in creating art, unexpected things happen. Sometimes I like to start out with the unexpected; with strange beginnings. This series began while pondering the dubious parentage of my muse. A pit bull terrier whippet cross named Frankie. Strange beginnings indeed! And our other little mixed rescue... a rat terrier daschound chihuahua cross? Really, it's anyone's guess.

 

a detail of my Frankie girl

For this series I wanted to start the paintings on materials inspired by my dogs. Materials that had been cast aside and then rescued by me. I painted on used tissue pattern pieces destined for the recycle bin and torn, discarded Japanese tissue papers that I hand painted on top of in a previous project.

 

Much of the portraits were painted using a palette knife and a toothbrush; scraping, layering, scrubbing and splattering the images on top of the tissue and torn paper bits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Final Projects

 

 

"Sidekick"

30" x 40" acrylic on tissue and canvas

 

 

 

"Funny Girl"

30" x 40" acrylic on tissue and canvas