Thanksgiving Greyhound sketches from life

Thanksgiving Greyhound #1 (Treat!), carbon & pastel pencils on paper, by Tracie Thompson

These were all drawn from life yesterday, 11/24, at my friend Kelly's house where I had dinner and a wonderful time.  About 6 x 9" each; will fit a 9 x 12" frame. I sell these at $40 each; $35 if you buy two; $30 each for three or more. Will ship anywhere.

At this size and price, they will make a nice set for an entry, den, or small space. If you need them matted I will do that and charge at my cost.

Thanksgiving Greyhound #2 (Sleepers), carbon & pastel pencils on paper, by Tracie Thompson

Thanksgiving Greyhound #3 (Oh, Dahling), carbon & pastel pencils on paper, by Tracie Thompson

Thanksgiving Greyhound #4 (Thinking), carbon & pastel pencils on paper, by Tracie Thompson

Thanks

Snowy Owl on window at Hopkins Honda, by Tracie Thompson

Have a blessed and beautiful day, y'all.

Peanutbutter the Pit Bull

Sketch of Peanutbutter, 7 x 5" carbon pencil and pastel pencil on paper, by Tracie Thompson

 Peanutbutter is such a loving, sweet guy. This is a preliminary sketch for an oil portrait of him. I took a snapshot that I used for this, as Wiggly Dog doesn't stay still long enough to draw him well from life.

Morning at the Greyhound House

I'm dog-sitting for my friends, who've gone on a cruise just as winter has kicked in up here.

Greyhounds are -- if anyone has wondered -- very sweet, quiet, mellow dogs. People imagine they must run around all the time. They don't. Mostly they lounge on cushions like spoiled royalty. Fortunately for me, they lounge in amazingly lavish poses and are tremendous fun to draw.

Much work to do this week (see my prior post about the glass elevator -- that begins today) so I hope I have enough time and energy to make dog drawings.

Going UP!

I get to paint ... an elevator. And it's glass, and ... here's the "before" shot from today:

Note the tapestry hung over lower level pane to hide the machinery within.

It's getting an Old-World-Style landscape that will block out the glass surfaces entirely, since the elevator is not in use at all.  Work begins Monday 11/15; watch this space for updates.

Barn swallows in the kitchen

This is at 1214 Van Buren Ave. in St. Paul; the house is a cute little remodel, up for sale.

 The design was my idea -- something soft and elegant to add character to this kitchen without overwhelming it. The colors are taken from the wood and countertops already in the room.

Total working time was about 12 hours. It's acrylic paint and a lot of water-based professional-grade faux finishing glaze.

 

Midnight Sketches

Wall Street Bull sketch #1, 8 x 6", by Tracie Thompson

 

 

These are for a commission which, if I get it (all speculative at this point) will be 36" x 24". I found myself with a very unexpected deadline on them, so was up pretty late. 

Wall Street Bull sketch #2, about 6 x 4", by Tracie Thompson

 

I'm pretty pleased with the results.  I like the second one better, for the setting in question (clean, somewhat minimalist office area). Will be interesting to see what the client has to say.

Animal expressions

Ziggy the Cat, 7 x 5" pastel and carbon pencil on paper, by Tracie Thompson

This is one of many reasons it's intriguing to me, drawing and painting animals. They have this quiet dignity about them. Ziggy, finished last night, is a great example.

This drawing was done on commission. Ziggy's human emailed me a few photos; I picked one as a basis for the portrait. For these small pieces I ship them in a pretty, soft white archival mat, so they fit a standard 8 x 10" frame.

What to do when stranded

Stranded, in the sense of being at Hawkins Automotive while they made several long-overdue repairs to my '96 Ford truck (and if you're wondering? Really good experience w/those guys; I'd recommend them).

Late October on Nicollet, pencils on brown paper, 9.5 x 6.5", by Tracie Thompson

When you've got "enforced down time," drawing beats reading old issues of Car & Driver or Entertainment Weekly. It prevents boredom and frustration, and gets people to talk to you when they otherwise might not. In all, it was a very good afternoon, repair bill notwithstanding.

St. Paul Skyline

A view out the window at Old Town Artists, where I have my studio space:

Skyline from the Studio Window, oil on panel, 9 x 12", by Tracie Thompson

Sometimes, it's worth just stopping to notice the way sunlight falls on buildings.