Latest Commissioned Portrait...

Shar Pei

When you purchase an item from MY STORE, 10% of your purchase price will be donated to my favorite animal charities; Last Chance Animal Rescue and Horses Haven, both in lower MI. Which charity the donation goes to, will depend on the item purchased and I will love you forever from the bottom of my little black heart. ...and even if you don't purchase anything from me, you can go to their site and make a donation! They deserve a chance too!

Have a seat and browse through the pages of my website here:

ArtQwerks

IF ~ Lonely

lonely

...this for Illustration Friday

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When you purchase an item from MY STORE, 10% of your purchase price will be donated to my favorite animal charities; Last Chance Animal Rescue and Horses Haven, both in lower MI. Which charity the donation goes to, will depend on the item purchased and I will love you forever from the bottom of my little black heart. ...and even if you don't purchase anything from me, you can go to their site and make a donation! They deserve a chance too!

Have a seat by the pool with a cocktail and tablet and browse through the pages of my website

ArtQwerksks

Pugsley

Look into these eyes and you'll feel the love, if you purchase the print of this little pug!

When you purchase an item from MY STORE, 10% of your purchase price will be donated to my favorite animal charities; Last Chance Animal Rescue and Horses Haven, both in lower MI. Which charity the donation goes to, will depend on the item purchased and I will love you forever from the bottom of my little black heart. ...and even if you don't purchase anything from me, you can go to their site and make a donation! These animals deserve a chance!
Have a seat in the yard by the bonfire, in a sweatshirt, with a warm mug of something and browse through the pages of my website

ArtQwerks

enzolicious!

Early every morning I run for 20 minutes on the treadmill that my friend Mary Anne graciously gave to me, before I head upstairs to the studio. Every morning my little dog Enzo stands beside the treadmill while I'm running and puts his nose on the platform. He's so curious he can barely stand it. Well this morning he decided, he couldn't take it any longer and with a little prompting from me, jumped up and started running. I could just eat him with a shovel.

When you purchase an item from ArtQwerks, 10% of your purchase price will be donated to my favorite animal charities; Second Chance Animal Rescue and Horses Haven, both in lower MI. Which charity will depend on the item purchased and I will greatly appreciate it.
See my store and galleries to the right.

Pom Nirvana

The end of 2008 was rather sad, what with the loss of some of our animal family members (Bunji and Buddy...see Dec 3rd entry below.) So the first thing we did for all of us for the holidays was rescue a sweet, sweet Pomeranian from Last Chance Rescue in Howell MI. His name is Zeus. He is the most adorable, most loving pup you'll ever know. He's to the far left in the still picture above, with my daughter Lauren and his new cousins Enzo and Reilly. Zeus spends his time with Lauren. They cannot be separated from each other for a New York minute and she has not even let me babysit him in fear that she just might not get him back (I dunno...that is, after all, a possibility!) Reilly (the sable Pom in the napping video) was having a little trouble getting over the loss of Bunji, our Sheltie that passed away before the holidays, so for her Christmas present, she received a little baby brother. His name is Enzo. He's the little black and white Pomeranian in both videos. We rescued him from Indian Creek Sanctuary just across the border in Ohio.
Reilly has always taken a liking to my husband Dean and does everything with him from splitting wood, to feeding horses, to riding the four wheeler and watching TV...traitor. No matter how I've tried to bribe her to love me the most she'll have no part of it, since she truly believes Dean to be her giant play toy. Play trumps snacks and cuddling. HOWEVER...Enzo, has decided that I am the cat's meow, the Pom's paradise, the doggie's delight and spends his every waking (and sleeping) moment with ME! HA!!! ...at least for now anyway...knock on wood...He's a cuddler, sleeping in my lap as I type, following me into the studio when I work, watching every move I make and even hangs on my every word (now there's something, nobody around here does THAT!) It looks as though 2009 is starting out as a good year for all of them, each with a loving place in his and her little world.

You can see most of my art in MY GALLERIES at: http://www.ebsqart.com/Artists/cmd_20424_profile_portfolio.htm or view my slide shows to the right. You can purchase my illustrated children's book (and the companion mouse puppet separately), prints and original art or request commissions and at the same time have 10% of your purchase donated to animal charities here: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5663698

In Memory of Cody~06.15.1994 - 07.24.2006

I completed this portrait a few days ago. This Scottie's name is Cody and unfortunately he has now passed. His owner has kindly given me the following information on Cody and his breed. Cody's show name was Terrechien Terra Cotta. Terrechien was the breeders kennel name. It means "earth dog" in French, as a Scottie is a terrier that was bred to "go to earth" to kill vermin. He was very much a "red brindle" when he was younger, that is where the Terra Cotta comes in. Scotties are a thinking dog and if it does not make sense to them to do something, they dig in their little heels and just plain refuse. They are also extremely sensitive. It so upsets them to receive a harsh word. They are mostly one-man dogs, and pretty much like any other terrier, they will give their life for you. The owner's vet told her they are the only breed where their teeth actually go all the way to their throat and their canines are larger than a German Shepherd's. They are an uncanny, incredible dog and give their owner's their heart and soul. He is sorely missed by his family and friends.

You can see most all of my portraits in MY GALLERIES at: http://www.ebsqart.com/Artists/cmd_20424_profile_portfolio.htm or view my slide shows upper right.

Holiday Latest

OK...

Here is a holiday commission I completed before Christmas, just one of MANY. It's really been busy around here so I haven't been able to post as often as I had intended. Let's face it though, you get what you pay for and you came here for free right? Ha Ha Happy Holidays...my gift to you and all that!

The holidays are always a time of special meaning to me. I love my husband's huge Italian family and this is when most all of them, grandparents, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, cousins, aunts, uncles, babies and pets, come together and take their lives in their hands at my cooking skills. They fawn all over me telling me how beautiful my house is and what a good cook I am... liars lairs pants on fires! If they only knew (and they might have but were just being polite) how much stuff was kicked under beds and thrown wadded into closets hidden out of sight! Not to mention how many spoons were licked and doubled dipped for tasting as I tried desperately to get the recipes "just right."

My favorite part though is just being with them, from the grumpiest oldest (which quite frankly there was none of THAT day) to the delightful youngest and to my daughter's precious elfin Pomeranian that thought the youngest children were brought to HER as Christmas presents. I have mixed emotions about the day being over, I'm wrung out but empty hearted as I look back at a day that will always be a part of what life's memories are all about. These moments pass and are all too often quickly forgotten, so it's a good thing to at least sit for a while and write about them, savor the pictures taken from them and laugh out loud about them so they can be remembered as they should be.

Merry Christmas to all and to all...all things right.

You can see most all of my portraits in MY GALLERIES at: http://www.ebsqart.com/Artists/cmd_20424_profile_portfolio.htm or view my slide shows upper right.