Dixie - and 101 Dogs

Dixie and Friends

Oil on black canvas, 36x48

commission

I was quite excited, back in August, when I received my first big cowscape commission. I usually paint cowscapes from photographs of cows I've never seen in real life, so it was a thrill to meet my model and her friends, and to be able to take photos to my heart's content. 

I'm very happy with the way this painting came out, and am thrilled that Dixie's owner loves the painting, too. 

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101 Dogs

THE 101 DOGS project is up and running, and I've dedicated it to the memory of Jojo and Zoe. 

The project brings together three big loves of mine - art, dogs and rescue dogs. In 101 Dogs, I'm going to paint portraits of the first 101 dogs whose owners sign on to sponsor me. I'll make the paintings into a book and a poster, and anyone signing up for $375 or more will receive a painting and a book or poster, and some other goodies, too.                                                                                 People sponsoring me at levels below $375 will receive fun goodies, though no original art. I'm going to donate money from each sponsorship to one of four dog-related groups that I've chosen, or to a dog-related group of your choice. 

There are seven sponsorship levels, starting at $25 and going, well, as high as you want. Sponsor me at $5000 or more and you'll get paintings, prints, a boatload of goodies, and I'll come to your place and cook dinner for you and your dogs. 

To find out more, click here to check out the main project page . You can also find the project by going to jacobson-arts.com, my website. Please take a look at the related pages, too, if you have a chance. And let me know what you think - do you have questions or ideas? I'd love to hear them. 

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Dog of the Day

I am back up on the horse, yes. This is Abby, one of our dogs, 

who's missing Jojo about as much as I am. 

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A Final Thought

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, 

and those who matter don't mind." 

- Dr. Seuss

Roy the Second, a New Book, and an Update

Roy

Oil on canvas, 18x18

not for sale

Around Christmas, my friend Ronet Noe, who is a fabulous painter and a delightful person, gave me a painting that I gave to our daughter as a Christmas present. Erika, said daughter, had fallen in love with the painting at the Mystic Outdoor Art Festival. Ronet wanted a portrait of her dog, Roy. So we traded, one for one.

Roy was one of the paintings I was determined to finish before leaving on my painting trip to Tubac - and so here he is! I really love this painting, and as so often happens to me while I am painting a dog, I lost my heart a little bit to Roy.

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SPEAKING OF DOGS, I was accepted again this year into Paws for Charity, the fabulous pet-art-book project by Sara Harley. Sara says that there are 90 participants this year! You can check the project out at PawsforCharity.blogspot.com, and also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PawsforCharity.

The books are not out yet, but I encourage you to buy one when they do come out. They're not cheap, but they are beautiful, and all the money raised goes to help a shelter in Canada. The artists get no money, Sara gets no money - but the animals do, and that's why I do it. (Also, it's great to see my paintings in a book!)

Here's a copy of my page:

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THE PROMISED UPDATE! 

I am well on my way to being prepared to leave on Saturday on my painting trip to Tubac, AZ. I am thrilled and thankful to have 20 sponsors - and quite the painting challenge! 

I'll be driving out along the coasts of North and South Carolina, across Florida and Alabama, then into Louisiana, going through Houma and New Iberia. If any of you are familiar with the books of James Lee Burke, you'll know that his great character Dave Robicheaux lives in New Iberia, so I am particularly thrilled to be headed there! 

Here's a photo of the van, with the beginning of shelving and internal structures for storing stuff and hanging wet paintings: 

and here's a photo of my happy helper: 

Red, an Update & and Invite

Red

Oil on canvas, 12x12

Donation to Eastern Shore SPCA

Where the HECK have I been?

After the daunting trip to Florida, I traveled to Hartford, CT, and participated as a vendor at the King's Foot Guard Dog Show - and had a great time. I got one big commission - and an abstract one at that (check out Roy and Bert to see what I mean), which makes me so happy.

I love painting these, the abstracts, but making them is terrifying. There can be no mistakes, none. You put a mark on the canvas, and there it stands, naked, without coverup or background. No changing your mind! No second guessing!

So much like the very best moments in life, yes? Those moments when you have the courage to jump, the strength not to look back, the serenity not to question yourself.

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The update

I leave in about 10 days for my Arizona journey, To Tubac and Back. I have a raft of sponsors already, but there's plenty of room for more. So why not sponsor me? Everyone who pitches in anything gets a chance to win one of my paintings. For $100, you also get a 10x10 painting and a discount on a larger painting - and the chance to win a big painting, too.

The sponsorship arrangement is fun and interesting, and has changed my outlook on the trip. It feels much more like a mission this time. I am not just wandering the country looking for cool stuff to paint; I am wandering the country looking for specific cool stuff to paint for very specific and special people. I love knowing that I am making paintings for these folks! I am more directed and energetic than ever. Want to get involved? Click here to find out how.

Here's my sponsor list so far:

Kathryn Yamartino

Tiffany Williams

Laurie Cooper

Dov Kugelmass

Pat Hart

Blake Wenz

Maggie Platte

Donald & Paula Cooper

Kristen Singh

Linda Fite

Nancy Russell

Sherry Svec

Heather MacLeod

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The invite

Longtime followers of my blog will remember the Art for Shelter Animals Project, which I started years ago with my friend Shiela Tajima. ASAP has languished for well more than a year now, as I got too busy with Patch and with life to give it the attention it deserves. 

It's time to start it up again, and I'd like to invite any and all of you who make art to consider joining me in relaunching the project. 

Here's how it works. You make a portrait of an animal in your local shelter or with a local rescue group, you send me a jpg of the portrait, and then you give it to the shelter or rescue group. They can do whatever they want with it. Anything. Once you give it, the piece is theirs. The more creative the shelter, the more uses they will find. 

And more than anything, the shelter will be grateful. They'll be thrilled to have the painting and happy for the attention. 

It was making paintings for ASAP that liberated me in terms of using colors, and using the palette knife, really. The shelters are so happy to have the pieces that there is No Pressure At All. Making these portraits showed me that dogs can be painted in shades of green and purple and still be recognized. 

Please join me! Make a portrait of an animal in your local shelter, or with your local rescue group, and donate it. Send me a jpg before you give the piece away, though! You can go to the shelter and take photos, or do what I do and use Petfinder.com. 

This is a great way to help your community, to help some dogs and cats and rabbits and whatever else is in your shelter, and to do it without involving money. If you teach art classes, it's a great topic for an art class, too! 

Thank you for considering it!