I Do Not Understand What I Am Looking At!

The Stare
6 x 6
Acrylic on Panel

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This little girl had such a great expression as we drove around looking at all the beautiful Christmas decorations the other night.

 I just had to paint her, especially those eyes!

 I want to believe she was thinking, "What happened to these yards and houses? 

What is going on with all these colors, lights, strange looking frozen/plastic people sitting in the yard, big dogs with sticks on their heads, even a baby sleeping in a pile of  grass! 

 Oh my, what is going on! Something Exciting!

 My neighbors are even being nice to me!"

How do you explain Christmas to a little girl like her?

I can say it is a very special day, a birthday celebration for someone.

Maybe I will explain more in another post...

I have been away from this blog and have missed visiting but when Christmas is over I will share some of the paintings I have been commissioned to create for Christmas presents. I don't dare share now, Joey, the Original "Daily Dog", can't keep a secret!

This is an exciting time of year as we busy ourselves with extra activities.

I have been finishing up several large projects and planning for the new year. 

I hope all of you are able to take a moment and reflect on what this time of year means to you.

 For me, I am celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.

 It is an event that has such profound meaning that I do not have room here to explain. 

If any of you want to know more about why I love this particular birthday celebration, please email me and we can visit about it.

I want to thank you for visiting! 

I hope to be posting again soon.

-Holly

10% of the proceeds of the sale of this painting go to A New Leash On Life, Inc.

An incredible organization that  is an Oklahoma-based non-profit 501(c)3 that changes people’s lives by developing the special abilities of dogs to meet a variety of human needs.

You have to check out their site to learn all they do!

$100.00 

 with free shipping and handling in the U.S. 

Please email me for International shipping rates or other inquiries

Someone Is Telling Stories!

  I patiently sat and listened to a lengthy excuse as to why I needed to stop everything and drive Joey around town.

He needed to go visiting. 

 As he explained it, he is grateful for all his friends and family. 

This is the Thanksgiving Season, he demanded! 

Does anyone out there think that just maybe  he is hoping to pick up a little extra food!

(Just a reminder "Big Joe", your friend, the Vet, mentioned that you were not exactly "fat" just STURDY!  Hah!)

I confess that Joey has not been the entire reason I have been "misssing".

I have been blessed with  extra commissions (several unsuspecting people will be getting surprised this Christmas!) and along with a few Holiday activities around the household, I have been SWAMPED!

I will probably be posting "Daily Dogs" as I can throughout the rest of the year as I tackle some projects.

I will add that if you have considered giving a gift of a pet portrait this year, I do have a window of time that I can still make the deadline. It all depends on the type of painting requested. 

Also, I have gift certificates for paintings and classes.

Just email me for info if you are interested.

Thank you for visiting and maybe you will see us out and about in Houston if you are in the area!

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© Holly Hunter Berry 2010

 "At His Feet"

20 x 16 Acrylic on Canvas

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I wanted to stop and share a photo of a painting I completed a few months ago. 

This girl was always waiting for her "Father".

Always so happy to just be near him.

She only demanded one thing and that was to be in his presence.

She was at peace when she recognized he was near.

Although this is a "real" dog and an actual portrayal of her relationship with her earthly father, I felt inspired to create the painting to illustrate the relationship with my "Heavenly Father" and His child.

I confess I don't have the words to completely describe how wonderful it is to know the peace that comes with resting at the feet of Jesus, but hopefully this painting will help...

Thank you for visiting and I love visiting so please leave a comment!

Back Away From the Easel!

I have not had the time I would like to spend on this today, but I did make some progress. 

I mentioned I would have a close up and so these 2 little photos above show some of the papers but still not as brilliant as in real life.

, When I am finished I will be careful to try to capture the best light.

This is the photo of today's progress and the one below is the image from yesterday.

There isn't a big change at first glance but note the contrast under the dog plus some variations in the light areas.

See if you can pick out the changes!

(I know, this feels like one of those games you play on the kid's menu at Luby's!)

Thank you for visiting!

-Holly

I Am Having Too Much Fun!

I posted info about this painting the other day and since then I have been working on it using paper, to paint it. 

Yep, it is also called collage.

Or, perhaps a "Glorious Mess"!

A way to apply paint/paper in an impressionistic fashion, and have great texture. 

I have worked with mixed media and collage before but now I will be trying a variation of what I had previously done.

I am sharing the journey and will be posting as it progresses.

Now at the end of today, here is what I have done so far.

 DON'T BE AFRAID!

I would caution against an opinion yet as it is in the "block - in" stage. 

(the base for the rest of the painting)

 I will say I ran out of certain colors, sooo off to paint some more!

It is hard to see in this photo all the little pieces of torn paper I adhered to the canvas.

Next post I will include a close up so I can share what the texture looks like.

I will be adding many more layers of other colors plus more charcoal, paint etc.

Thank you for visiting, stay tuned for more "tails"!

-Holly

Yes, I'm Talking to YOU!

"The Boss"
6 x 6 Acrylic on Panel
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SOLD

So sweet, quiet, shy, submissive ...NOT!
I had the pleasure of meeting her and at first I thought to myself, what a shame, so quiet, not able to express herself in her  big family...
I have learned that she is more than capable of getting her point across. She is definetly a take- charge girl!
Even her big sister has to wait to let, "Her Highness" pass by.
Funny how dogs have their own order of authority.
 Hmmm, does anyone get a vote?

I want to share with you about a great organization that works with dogs and trains them to best serve a variety of needs for some very fortunate humans.

Please check out A New Leash On Life
You can see all the wonderful things they do and I know you will be amazed as I am.

10% of the proceeds of this painting  will benefit this organization.

Thank you for visiting!

My Eyes Have Seen...

"Wisdom"
6 x 6 Acrylic on Panel

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This girl has seen many things in her great lifetime, especially living with her furry brothers and sister.
She is the "BIG" girl but yet more of a lapdog and gentle spirit than one would assume with her size.
Don't you wonder what she is thinking? One of her brothers in particular is a little "terror" racing non stop all day, while she sits back and watches...
So fun to observe the different personalities among the various sizes and ages!

I am still working with the extreme close ups, which of course does require luck in capturing the eyes open and in light enough to see...Not always easy! Each photo session  has it's challenges.
I am always surprised at how the photo looks...several layers of color are not as easy to see on here.
There are several color transitions under the nose at least.
Yes, I enjoy color, it's the element of design I love the most!
Thank you for visiting,
-Holly

$100.00 

 with free shipping and handling in the U.S. 

Please email me for International shipping rates or other inquiries

holly@hollyhunterberry.com

Can You Turn off the Flash, Please!

"Happy?"
7 x 5 Acrylic on Panel

I am not trying to photograph Joey
 (to those of you that have not been introduced, he is the furriest of my 2 kids and has 4 legs unlike my other one...) ALL off the time, he just thinks I am.
I admit this was a more "in his face" kind of pose and,  yes, I suppose a bit bright!
He was a happy guy after having just come in from a romp amongst the cacti, chasing lizards.
(Yes, he runs through the cacti, and no , do not report me! He somehow does it and fortunately the little green visitors are usually left unharmed as well. Not a sight for a mother to watch!)

Joey's fur and eyes do look different in some of the photos I take but this one I chose to use and paint him by exaggerating the light and have the fur be close to white on his face to contrast against his eyes and nose. I of course  had to play with colors in the fur. It was hard to stop!
I enjoyed this and could spend hours more on it...

Thank you for stopping a moment to visit!

click on my blog to leave a comment.
Check out my website for more info

$100.00 

 with free shipping and handling in the U.S. 

Please email me for International shipping rates or other inquiries

holly@hollyhunterberry.com

All Tied Up...

Now What?


Okay, okay, okay...
Joey, as you can see above, loves to take things to extremes!!!
I simply said to him that I could NOT play right now as I was
 "all tied up with a new project".
SO DRAMATIC...


Okay, here is what I was trying to explain to him.
I have been working on a new painting with some different materials and it is exciting to try something new (to me anyway...) I did not bring it to a point that I felt I could post yet and so when it is a bit further along I will. It is colorful and full of texture with some extra materials.
This could take longer than I thought but this is what creating is all about...adventure!!!


Joey was promised that I would take a break and go play outside. This is great weather right now so I will,very soon. 
I PROMISE


Don't worry, "no animal was harmed during the developing of this post!"


Have a wonderful day and make something good happen!
-Holly


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Just Wondering...

"Missie"
7x 5 Acrylic on Panel
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Playtime! Oh what a fun loving downright goofy girl!
She makes me laugh with her long legs and big beautiful smile.
Everyday is the weekend with her, constant playtime...
I met her on on my latest visit to the Houston Humane Society and just had to spend time with her!

I don't know if she has moved into a new home yet but I want to help them if possible so I am donating a percentage of the sale of this painting to the Houston Humane Society.
If you have a dog you would like me to paint, if you mention the Humane Society I will donate to them part of your purchase as well.

Thank you for visiting and please consider visiting a shelter , your new best friend might be waiting for you!
-Holly

$100.00 

 with free shipping and handling in the U.S. 

Please email me for International shipping rates or other inquiries

holly@hollyhunterberry.com

Dad's Home!

"Yes"
6 x 6 Acrylic on Panel


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Dad's Home.
It's dinner time.
I am hungry.
He is eating.
 I am watching.
I want  food.
I want his food.
 Pizza
Dad said NO.
Do you know what I am thinking?




Another try at this sweet girl, Joey's cousin. I applied the paints in a watery free flowing application today with numerous layers. The slick gessoed surface works well with this and I limited the amount of paint applied with thick brushstrokes. I was going for a transparent near watercolor look.
Black dogs are a challenge to paint, especially since I don't use black paint!
 I suppose I was in a hurry to photograph this because it looks lighter that it really is. 
I am always learning something! It would be boring if I knew how to do all of this perfectly. On my to-do list, learn photoshop (hah!), study camera manual and class notes (yea, right...) and then paint my "Daily Dogs" faster...
whew!
On that note...


Thank you for visiting!
-Holly

$100.00 

 with free shipping and handling in the U.S. 

Please email me for International shipping rates or other inquiries

holly@hollyhunterberry.com

Not Finished Yet?

I think this is becoming a habit or perhaps just my method of working...
On larger paintings I tend to spend a bit of time working out the details then jump in!
T H E N I spend time letting it sit while I adjust a few things, here and there.

I thought this was finished a few months ago...
Today I yelped as I discovered some things I changed my mind about, and here we go again.
I have been working on it this afternoon but I have to leave now.

Ok, maybe in a few days...
MAYBE it will be done.!

Off to another adventure.

Thank you for visiting and I welcome any comments.
-Holly

Sitting Pretty

"Daisy"
7 x 5 Acrylic on Panel

Looks can be deceiving...
Not that she is up to anything...
No?
I think she just found a way to convince someone she could come inside and act civilized, you know, like a sweet, obedient, clean, quiet....child!
What do you think, will she last inside?


Oh I am doing the "happy dance" because I was able to upload this image without contortions and breath holding... It may be different tomorrow, but right now I am thrilled!

About the painting, I was faced with brown...BUT not me, I had to throw in some other colors.
Dogs are not just brown and dark brown, oh no, let's add some purple, orange, blue and hmm a few others!
I am still working on the painting I posted yesterday and you won't believe the mess...I am doing something a little different, perhaps I will post it next week!

Thanks for putting up with my "google/blogger glitches"!

$100.00 

 with free shipping and handling in the U.S. 

Please email me for International shipping rates or other inquiries

holly@hollyhunterberry.com

Update

I am determined so I found another way to post yesterday's photo but not sure if it will stay!

I will be in the studio working now and if possible will be back later!

-Holly

(just a reminder, this is a work in progress, one started long ago and am now working on it)

A Little Confusion...

Hello,

I just realized that yesterday's photo and at least one other have disappeared from my blog post???

I also read that there will be maintenance on "blogger" today for several hours to repair an issue with uploading images...

Oh I hope this works!

I am working on a painting plus running out in search of unsuspecting models.

If you or someone you know would like to have their dog's photo sent to me, painted, and then featured as a "Daily Dog" on my blog, let me know.

You can contact me through the comment box below or 

Holly (symbol for "at")hollyhunterberry.com  

Hope to visit tomorrow!

-Holly

Not a Daily, Just Dog and Boy

                                                                                                       ???

This painting is just in it's early stage of development.

 I started it a while back and now am ready to move forward with it.

This subject was actually re-painted as a daily painting a few weeks ago.

 Today I re-evaluated the direction I will take and put on a few more glazes of color. 

This will be a combo of layers both paper and paint.

I have a plan but how it will turn out, who knows? That is part of the journey!

Thank you for visiting and I will post more on  this painting as I develop it.

For more info about this or any other painting, contact 

Holly (symbol for"at") hollyhunterberry.com

Need a Friend?

"Shirley"
6 x 6 Acrylic on Panel


I met this sweet girl last week and fell in love!
She has the makings of becoming a real friend. One that sits, stays and listens to what you have to say without interrupting and carrying on about herself.
Great to cuddle with on a big comfy chair!


Shirley lives at the  Houston Humane Society and is waiting for her "forever" home.
I wanted to paint her and then post it on here to let you know about her and maybe you could visit her. Maybe even invite her to stay with you!!!
This painting is not for sale on my blog, but instead has been donated to the Houston Humane Society where it will be available at the silent auction during it's Golf Tournament fund raiser.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Anyone interested?
It's not too late to participate!


Adopting Shirley will save at least 2 lives.
Hers and the next baby that gets to live in her room...
Something to think about!


Thank you for visiting and I hope you may consider helping my new friends...

Favored One

"Roxi"
6  x 6 Acrylic on Panel

This girl's mom has several dogs around her, actually she is surrounded! 

Her mom is the "boss" at

   Pup Scouts (Joey's friends, they train the OTHER dogs) but I have a secret...SHHHH!

This sweet girl is mom's FAVORITE!

Everyone knows Roxi and I have to say she is a special girl...

(she has good manners, Joey, hear that????)

Well, what a fun time I have had learning how to operate this blog site! I hope to find a few hours to read up on it but need to run as always...

Google has not fixed the issue I had with posting so I hope this works.

Thanks for being patient and visiting!

sold