working like a dog

I’ve been working like a dog lately (is there any other way?) to create pieces to sell at an art & craft show here in Burgau on April 4^th. I’m raising funds for my friends at the animal shelters in the Algarve.  I hope that if any of you are in the area you'll drop by and say hello. The show is at a fabulous café called Tomik. There will be many vendors with splendid wares on offer including stained glass, handmade soaps, homemade chocolates and more. You will even be able to get a manicure or pedicure (or in my case, a pawdicure). At the bottom of this post I've put a link for more information.

Here are some of the pieces I've been working on:

postcard
4" x 6" (10 cm x 15 cm)

Scottie
acrylic on board
8"x 8" (20 cm x 20 cm)

red sentinel
acrylic on board
8" x 8" (20 cm x 20 cm)

I'll have a variety of work for sale including paintings and illustrations; Dogs & Cats of Portugal (Cães & Gatos de Portugal) photographic postcards; relief print cards; hand printed t-shirts; and handmade books with original art on the covers. Prices will range from €1 to €50 so just about everyone can afford to help the hounds.

Boris and the bird
acrylic and ink on board
8" x 8" (20 cm x 20 cm)

dreaming of Paris
acrylic and ink on board
8" x 8" (20 cm x 20 cm)

After the show I may have unsold pieces available to be shipped to folks in Europe and North America. There will be a small window of opportunity for these pieces so check back here after April 4th but before April 14th. I'll post images of the available pieces and payment can be made through Paypal.

Here's the link for more information about the show: https://www.facebook.com/events/785698321512556/

Tchau-wow!

(R)egrets, I've had a few

colour pencil sketch from my journal

(R)egrets, I’ve had a few.  Should I start to list them all? I think not. No point crying over spilt Milkbones ™. Let me just say that I regret not posting more often on my blog.

I enjoy the exercise of putting my thoughts into words, and documenting bits of my life. But sometimes life actually gets in the way of documenting. It’s a catch 22 of sorts. If I had nothing going on, there would be nothing to document. But when I am busy involved in things that might be worth documenting, I have no time or energy to do so. Ah, well.

So here’s a bit of catch-up (not to be confused with ketchup, which would be quite messy if I actually tried to feed some to you via the computer screen).

My book, DOG-EARED JOURNALS – art and observation from a dog living in Portugal, has been available since November of 2013. 

back and front covers of my book

Wow, how did I not make a big post about that?! Mainly because distribution is the problem. Since it’s self-published, there are tricky bits to work out if I don’t want to give it away for nothing. I could list it on Amazon, but until I fill out some complicated forms (which make me tuck my tail between my legs), listing it there is out of the question. I would receive about 82 cents per book if someone were to buy it through Amazon. The U.S. government would make about six dollars and then Amazon would pocket the rest.

So for now, my dog-loving Canadian friend Krista sells them from her studio in Nova Scotia (and by mail to North American customers). Go to www.kristawells.ca for more info. For my local friends, she recently re-stocked it in my favourite Portuguese bookstore, Livros da Ria Formosa in Lagos (home of my best friend, Rita).  It’s also available as a digital book from www.blurb.com.

Speaking of my dog-loving Canadian friend, it’s time I made a confession. She is actually my alter ego. I know, I know, some of you have probably already guessed this by now, but I just wanted to set the record straight.  My mind and soul is split: half human, half dog. For the sake of continuity and the suspension of disbelief, I will continue the charade of writing this blog from my dog’s eye view. It forces some interesting perspectives, which might never happen if I simply write from my human point of view. Just play ball, okay? Thanks.

So that’s it for now. My two selves are working on a fundraising event to be held here in Burgau early in April. The proceeds will benefit dog shelters in Portugal.  I’ll let you know details in my next blog post. Tchau-wow!