Dancing Dogwood - Dancing Dog

Dancing Dogwood

Oil on canvas, 10x10, $100

In the warm places here in the South, the grass is already thick, dark green. Slivers of leaves are starting to show, and in the deep shadows of the forest, dogwoods shine like light. 

In town, the daffodils have passed. Camellias drop their ruby blossoms onto the grass and the bright-white candy tuft. Azaleas are starting to burst all over, and inland, they pile in mounds of pure brilliance. And at home, our dogwood unfurls above the bank of brightening red and fuschia, a spring dance that fills me with joy. 

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Dog of the Day

When I was in South Carolina early in April, the family in the cabin across from me found this dog. The two kids named her Koa, after the KOA campground where we were staying. 

The pup was just adorable - and of course, a total handful, the way puppies are. They had found her in the road outside of the campground, and the campground owners put up signs, and the family went door to door along the road, but no owner showed up. 

We all sort of fell in love with Koa, who was an energetic, funny, sweet and full of what a friend used to call "puppy brain," that manic, fanatical impulse-driven thinking that puppies have. But the family had to go to Atlanta to visit a friend, and couldn't take Koa with them. They left her with the campground owners, not at all sure that they would come back for her. 

But on Sunday, they did, and I rejoiced! A good dog story with the best ending of all. 

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A final thought

"Go not to the object; let the object come to you."

- Henry David Thoreau

Banana Dog

Banana Dog

Oil on canvas, 16x16 

Sold

During a slow time in a show last summer in Manayunk, just outside of Philadelphia, I took this photo of a woman and her dog, who is crazy about bananas. The dog - an older guy - was totally and completely focused on the woman's banana, in spite of all sorts of people and activity nearby (which I didn't paint). 

It made me very happy to make this painting. I am still a novice at painting people, but I like the way she came out, and I like the reflections in the window, too, and the people inside the coffee shop. The woman who bought this piece loved it, and is a collector of dog art, so how perfect! 

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 "House of Cards" fans, this one's for you 

Yup, it's the peachoid! And there really is a Gaffney, SC, too. 

Why the peachoid is yellow, I don't know. 

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Pix from the Road

I'm in Pendleton, SC, right now for a show this weekend, and thought you all might like seeing some spring-looking scenery. Pink and white trees are blooming everywhere down here, and the pollen is turning everything greeny-yellow. And it is warm! You all in New England, take heart. It's coming your way.

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Sunrise in Wachapreague on Thursday. 

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Dog of the Day

It's Tyler! He's Erika and Paul's dog, and is sort of the 

brown-eyed version of Jojo. I guess they are step-siblings? Or maybe just cousins. 

Want your pet to be the Dog of the Day? Send a jpg to me at carrieBjacobson@gmail.com

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A final thought

"There is a basic law that attracts like. Negative thinking definitely attracts negative results. Conversely, if a person habitually thinks optimistically and hopefully, his positive thinking sets in motion creative forces - and success, instead of eluding him, flows toward him." 

- Norman Vincent Peale

Spring in South Carolina - and Paws for Charity

Spring in South Carolina

Oil on canvas, 16x16

sold

Spring touched South Carolina with the lightest of hands as I set out to paint. A fragile, shining green dotted the tips of the youngest trees. Sprinkles of purple-pink weaved through the woods, a thought of love remembered, recognized. Sunlight slanted bright and narrow down the hillsides, lighting strips of grass too new to have been walked on, or crushed beneath the weight of anyone's life. 

And through it all - but only here and there - like  a sharp breath, a quiet explosion, a bursting heart, the dogwoods blossom, their white or pink or ivory-green sprays of flowers bright in the shadows, beckoning, promising, thrilling. 

It was all I could do to drive from South Carolina to Tennessee without stopping every mile or so to paint. 

My painting in the landscape

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Paws for Charity

For the past few years, I've had the great honor of having my paintings included in the Paws for Charity project books. 

These books of paintings and photographs are made by a wonderful Canadian woman, Sarah Harley. She selects the artists and the work, makes the books, does the marketing and then donates all the proceeds to a shelter. The books are gorgeous, the art always interesting, and the project, of course, is one very dear to my heart. This year's recipient is a Nova Scotia shelter, SHAID, or Sheltering Helpless Animals In Distress.

To see a preview of this year's book, click here.  I think you will love it. You can get a hard cover, soft cover or e-book. 

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THIS WEEKEND, I will be in the 4 Bridges Art Festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It's supposed to be a good one, and I'm excited to be included! But man, oh, man, the hours are long - 6-11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday. It's more time for people to see my paintings - but sheesh, I'm usually starting to head for bed by 8 p.m. on a show night (isn't that crazy?) 

So if you are in the area, please come and say hello! I am in Booth 120. And whether you're in the area or elsewhere, please think of me in the evenings and send me energetic vibes.

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Yum! 

This is the best barbecue I have ever had. Ever! 

It came from the Smokin' Pig BBQ in Pendleton, S.C., and it is amazingly delicious. 

Not only that, but it was also enough for lunch, dinner and breakfast the following day. 

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Dog of the Day

This is Bro, and he is just as sweet and sincere as he appears to be. He is funny, too. He "sits" on the couch, putting his back end up on the cushions, while leaving his front feet on the floor. 

Bro lives with Den and Alison Latham, whom I met during the show in Pendleton, SC. Den, who is a painter and a writer (check out one of his books by clicking) here really loved my paintings, and asked me to give him a palette-knife painting lesson. I did, and we had a great time.