Little Dog Cute

I did this little dog drawing just because. He belongs to a gal I know in Austin. She's going through her dear mother's things and she had offered me a bunch of art supplies. I told her I would trade her a scratchboard or two of her dogs for those supplies. This is Tino. I don't know much about him, but he is darned cute. I love dogs and scratchboard. Yippie! The book is really coming together. I haven't seen it in a few days, turned it over to Liz Lester Design after reading through and making corrections on the 1st pages. I will debut it October 11th at the Anne Kittrell Gallery at the University of Arkansas. In November there will be a book event at the Wally Workman Gallery in Austin, TX on the 13th. Stay tuned, I'll give you all the information as I know it.

Eddy the "Bucket Boy" Dog

Eddy's photo was listed under "Beagles" on the rescue site that he was on. His owners have no idea why they were looking there, they certainly were not "Beagle people". And Eddy clearly is more of a Staffy-Lab-Spaniel mix, so it was a mistake all the way around. A very fortunate mistake. His story though shows how it takes a village to save a life. I won't share it all here, suffice to say, his early nickname was "Bucket Boy" because he had been found on a construction site in one of those five gallon buckets. He was so weak he couldn't stand on his own. Through the work of two different rescue groups and a foster family, and then finally his forever owners, he survived and has grown into a sixty pound bundle of love. His owners say, "When people ask, what kind of dog is he? We answer, Perfect."
I am in the midst of reading the 1st pages, making corrections and changes. I have not gotten tired of reading all of these stories. And believe me, I've read them many times. I know each of these dogs by their names and their stories, although I haven't met most of them. The fact that I haven't been bored once with this project gives me hope that many will enjoy the stories and my illustrations as much as I have. I love the fact that these dogs and people are what you might categorize as "ordinary", no heroics or amazing tricks, just normal. (nothing wrong with normal)And despite the lack of Lassie or Rin-Tin-Tin qualities, all of these dogs share such an extraordinary love with their owners. That is what gives me chills as I work on this. Thanks y'all.

Prairie Dogs

Oh Frisco and Sadie, I knew you well. These two were dog-sitting clients of mine, and belonged to my good friends, Jo Edna and Reina, when I lived in Austin. They were fun and adorable. I say 'were' because they are off in 'Doggie Heaven'. Their owners like to imagine that they are chasing prairie dogs and coyotes like they used to do at their New Mexico home. (they were lucky to have two homes!)
Work is wrapping up on my portion of the book. I will soon hand-off to Liz Lester Design and she will turn it all into a real book. It's been a long haul, I'm ready to be done and on to the next project. I will debut the book in Fayetteville Arkansas at the Anne Kittrell Gallery at the University of Arkansas in October. And the Wally Workman Gallery, Austin in November. That's also when they will start shipping out to all y'all. (I hope!) Wish me luck. My eyes hurt from starting at the computer. I would much rather be drawing dogs and cats and monkeys than focusing on this detail portion of the project. I really am a 'Big picture' kind of gal. But, I know I must do all of it, not just the fun part. Stay tuned.