Watercolor animal portraits

Watercolor Portrait for Christmas 2015

A family pet remembered in a watercolor painting--great idea for a Christmas gift!!
Border Collies are such a great breed. Smart, funny, and hard working!

An New Adventure 2015 Bowser's Emporium Unlimited

Texas Longhorn on old wood

It has been a year since my last post. There have been ups and there have been some downs, insanely busy days, and a great deal of uncertainty. The blog was started to get out of my comfort zone and have a little fun with the pet portraits. I probably bit off too much when I tried to blog once a week. Being a full-time art instructor in a very small and tightly knit rural community keeps me busy physically, intellectually, and most of all, emotionally. This is a job I love. So, I find at this stage in my life, there are new venues to  explore while still maintaining the pace of a K-12 Art teacher. 

In an effort to find new avenues for my self-expression I have started Bowser's Emporium Unlimited. It will be a place to showcase some fun projects that Jerry and I work on together. Some pieces are things we have collected in the past 15 years, some were my mother's things, and a few are even found pieces--discarded by uncaring or unimaginative owners. One of my favorite things to do is make something out of nothing--or a least see if I can.

A collection of country farm items

Charming little secretary

I will write more about our little adventure later and add lots of pictures as we move along painting, gluing, sanding, and trying to figure out if one piece or another is worth saving--while many are, there are a few that are not! 
There will still be pet portraits as you can see in some of the above pictures. Blogging will probably be every two weeks or even once a month if I am busy sanding and painting. I have branched out into painting vintage trade signs--watch for those too. I am having a great summer--following my dreams! I suggest it for everyone!