Things Got Hectic!

Yes, I'm still here. Woof!

I can't believe I let a month go by without making my paws type a post on here. Shame on me. This is the longest I've gone without blogging in a...well, a long time.

I have been busy curled up on a doggie bed and playing with lots of ropes, stuffed animal pigs, and a treat puzzle ball while M and M have been creating icons, painting huge canvas paintings. and learning how to Twit on Twitter. :-)

Needless to say, when I get to the beach for my weekly shore walks with M and Matt, I'm loving every minute of it even if it's pouring rain at Newport Beach. I also found a new Mockingbird friend in the neighborhood who sings for my evening walks. Lovely symphony. Mocha and I are quite fond of the little fella.

Bark at you later,
PJ the dog blogging dog :-)

Vroom Vroom Baby!

Ahh, if only us dogs could drive. Imagine the drive-thru's we'd have access to.

Bark at you later,
PJ the dog blogging dog :-)

P.S. Shameless plug: This painting is for sale on our website.

I Like Art That Tells a Story

I am quite fond of art that tells a story. There's just something fun about either what the artist says or doesn't say. Come to think of it, what the artist doesn't say about the piece is often just as interesting.

Recently M created "Lizzie, the Bookworm." It's a little gothic, a little Victorian, and a whole lot of whimsical.

I could go into the whole history of Lizzie, but now where would the fun be in that, hmm? So, instead, I'll leave you with this.

Which one might Lizzie be? :-)

Bark at you later,
PJ the dog blogging dog :-)

Painting Tip #3: Hot Paints

Ok, so if you paint with acrylics and the weather is hot outside (like, say, oh 98ºF today), there can be a bit of a problem.  First, the paints will dry much faster.  Second, the ability to blend colors will be hindered.  Even if the A/C is at full blast, the humidity levels may be all wonky.  This can cause paint-on-canvas adhering problems.

The solution is simply.  Either add moisture to the air via a humidifier.  Or use a light misting bottle around the area where you are painting.   You can even mist your paint to keep the moisture level balanced.

Anyhoo, I hope this helps.  Hot weather and doggie fur are absolutely no fun! 

Bark at you later,

PJ the HOT dog blogging dog :-P

Painting Tip #2: The Bat Signal

Yes, I said it. The secret is out. Acrylic paint bottles like to be treated like inanimate bats. Sounds a little crazy, eh? Well, as I was pawing around M's art journal, I found a neat list of secret tips and tricks that she's discovered through trial and error over the years. Shh, she'd make me eat canned dog food if she knew I was sharing them! :-P

Ok, so back to the paint. If you've ever stored paints for a few weeks, then you know what can happen. A gummy residue builds up around the inner lip of the container. If this happens because you haven't used the color for some time, the opening actually becomes smaller.

So, what to do? We look to the bat theory. This really began with the idea of how one is supposed to store cottage cheese or yogurt in the fridge. That's right, upside down. Something about creating an air pocket at the opposite end....yada yada yada.
It works. That's what is important.

And so the bat theory took form. Store the paints upside down and ta da, less build-up and longer lasting paints. But, first make sure those lids are on securely, or you'll be looking at a whole new theory called KABLAMMO. Colorful, but not fun to clean up.

Hope this helps!

Bark at you later,
PJ the dog blogging dog :-)

Painting Tip #1: Easy Squeezy

As an artistic dog, I observe a lot that goes on around the studio. One thing that used to occur, were tubes of paint which would go unused due to their lids adhering to the tubes with super inhuman strength!

So, one of my favorite painting tips I'd like to share:

Use chapstick (or you can use an old candle) on the screw top tubes of paint to keep the lids from becoming stuck. Simply apply a small amount of chapstick (and/or wax by rubbing the candle gently onto the threaded opening) onto the threaded part of the tube and then screw the lid back on. In most cases, your lids will not stick quite as tight when paint adheres to the tube or when the tube hasn't been opened for some time.

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of..." paint!

Bark at you later,
PJ the dog blogging dog :-)

:: Beep Beep ::

You know how sometimes you might get a song stuck in your head? Like, say, umm, Three Dog Night's "Joy to the World"? Jeremiah was a bull frog/Was a good friend of mine/I never understood a single word he said...

Ok, well that's how M gets when she has a series of images stuck in her mind. She's been obsessed (err, is that the right word?) about zombies and robots. There's something a little freaky and a little funny about the both of them.

So, everything lately has been a robot this or a zombie that or even better, an animated zombie robot.

Let's just hope she doesn't call me "Brainnnnz" and I'll be ok, I think.

Bark at you later,
PJ the dog blogging dog :-)

The Tiny Tenacious Tyrant

I've always loved flycatchers. There's something about the way they hover over the fresh cut bluegrass. They are patient birds. Being such a patient (*cough*) dog, I admire them. Around here we have quite a few species, the prominent one being little Black Phoebes. Very cute indeed. Although, as far as coloring, the flycatcher above wins for vibrancy.

Today, we went to Matts. M had her sketch book, you can guess the rest. I got to dig in the sand and get my paws wet in the shallow water, while M sketched. Fun for all.

Well, I'm off to enjoy some wasabi peas. Woof!

Bark at you later,
PJ the dog blogging dog :-P

The Places I've Been

I dip the tip of my round brush into a small mountain of acrylic blue cyan. One globule of blue hangs on to the hairs of the brush. For a moment, I am amazed at the little drop of sky I can see in the reflections cast from the wet surface of the paint. I guide the blue onto the gessoed canvas. The acrylic paint dances across the textured valley of cotton until no more white can be seen.

With the colors of Hawaiian Hibiscus flowers, catapillar eyes, and blacks as rich as the eyes of a Syrian Hamster, I paint without stopping. I hear the clock ticking on the wall behind me, but the hands fade to oblivion as I enter a tunnel to a far away place. I never know where I'll end up.

Sometimes, I find myself in strange lands with stranger creatures who paint themselves into my canvases. Other times, I find myself licking my dry lips, having forgotten to sip water for many hours. I'll discover when I lift my head and stretch my arms that the sun, once bursting through the panes of glass and onto my easel like warm hands, has long left the sky. In it's place, a sliver of silver white moon is peaking through the bay window of the studio, teasing me with winking stars far off.

It is at times like these that I rinse my brush, sit back, and wonder. Surely, I have travelled somewhere to not realize such things.

Bark at you later,
PJ the dog blogging dog :-P

Hedgehog and the 5th of July

I'm baacccckkk@!

Ok, so nobody noticed. I was away, and now, I am back. La tee da.

First, hedgehogs. There is something so cute about an animal that is covered in quills and yet remains huggable, isn't there? Now, being a dog, I stay far far (FAR!) away from quills, spines, needle sharp spiney anything animals. I mean, I have to protect my nose. Those spines hurt! That is why I won't visit the desert. Come on, it's covered in all sorts of ouchie animals, ouchie plants and just plain ouchies. Plus, hot sand and paws are not fun.

Now, the 5th of July. I guess I've had my head buried in the sand (which is not a good thing, as you will read) about the day after Independence Day. It appears (some) people celebrating the 4th end up trashing our beaches up and down the coast. Go on, Google it. The photos are horrible. As a dog, I walk on those beaches and the fact that so much trash covered places like Newport Beach, Dana Point, and Huntington Beach is just plain...sad. It looked like a landfill. From styrofoam coolers to water bottles and worse, the sand was literally (or should I say LITTERly) covered from shore to sand. The clean-up had to stop once the tide went out (along with tons of trash which will hurt animals) and start again once the tide came in (washing the same trash back on shore).

The epidemic of litter has also hit our national parks. Come on! Pick up that trash. I don't want to see chip bags and empty water bottles littering the side of Yosemite hiking trails, do you? That's dog gone yucky.

Ok, I'm off the dog soap box (it looks a little like the "Red Baron").

Bark at you later,
PJ the dog blogging dog :-)

Somebody Keeps the Chair Warm

Sometimes somebody likes to keep the chair warm.
Do you have a little doggie that does the same? I know that I like to keep the chair, couch, love seat or pillow, all nice and warm and toasty for M and M. Now, sometimes it might appear I don't like sharing. Or I don't want to give up my chair. Oops, did I say MY chair? Of course, I meant the chair.

Ok. You got me. I'm a chair hog.

Bark at you later,
PJ the dog blogging dog :-)