Ginger, Sadie, and Mellie

Work feels steady yet somehow slow right at the moment. I will get 2 or 3 orders done and think I am caught up and then a  couple more projects will trickle in. Summertime is the perfect time to order pet portraits for yourself. During the holidays I am usually overwhelmed with projects that are being ordered as gifts and everything has a sense of urgency about it. In the summertime I get to take my time with each pet portrait project in front of me.
I will post a few recent pup portraits below.

"Ginger"
©2016  artpaw.com

"Sadie"
©2016  artpaw.com

"Mellie"
©2016  artpaw.com

Filling The Well / Finding Inspiration

Artists have to take time to fill the "inspiration well" and to do this we have to take vacations, go to galleries, read books and sometimes unplug from the web. Last week I got to do just that. I went to Gulf Shores Alabama with my family and had the best time. In the pics my husband took of me I look like a totally different person, I guess on vacation I am a different person.

Last night I started teaching again up at the Creative Arts Center of Dallas. I am teaching mixed media mosaics. This morning on my dog walk I found some cool metal bits that I can add to my box of found objects for future projects.  My students always inspire me and I learn so much when I am teaching. 

Rusty Found Objects

I find inspiration from my Peers!

Last but not least I have to post a fun pic from Monday night of a couple of my mosaic pals. Gila Rayberg was in town teaching last week and Barbara Dybala was hosting her for a few days. Barb invited me out for Gila's last evening in town. I have been following Gila's work for years, I think we first bumped into each other over on Flickr. She was so warm and so much fun. The evening was just way too short.  After dinner we had coffee at Barbara's magical mosaic compound in Rockwall. I came home with a dozen duck eggs and a smile on my face, ( Barbara & David raise ducks).

Barbara Dybala, Gila Rayberg, Rebecca Collins
Mosaic Mural by Barbara Dybala

Dan Collins, David Dybala
Mosaic Mural by Barbara Dybala