Michelle Wrighton Fine Art and Photography

Willy Wagtail – Bird painting

Michelle — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 09:15:41 +0000

Willy Wagtails (Rhipidura leucophry) are the largest and most well known of Australia’s fantails. Found throughout mainland Australia, the wagtail name for these striking black and white birds stems from the constant sideways ‘wagging’ of their tails. I found this little Willy on the banks of the Blackwood River near my home and couldn’t resist turning him into a work of art.

Willy Wagtail - Bird Painting

Greeting cards, laminated, matted, canvas and framed prints of “Willy Wagtail” can be purchased from my Redbubble shop:

Canola Fields – Impressionist Landscape Painting

Michelle — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 09:46:05 +0000

Bright, bold and colourful, this impressionist digital oil painting is based on a photograph I took of Canola fields in full bloom north of Kojonup.

Canola out of Kojonup

Greeting cards, laminated, matted, canvas and framed prints of “Canola out of Kojonup” can be purchased from my Redbubble shop:

Stars and Stripes – Cowboy Art

Michelle — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 09:34:27 +0000

Impressionist digital oil painting created from my original photograph.

"Stars and Stripes" original painting by Michelle Wrighton

Greeting cards, laminated, matted, canvas and framed prints of “Stars and Stripes” can be purchased from my Redbubble shop:

These Boots – Cowboy Art

Michelle — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 09:35:04 +0000

Impressionist style original oil painting created with wacom tablet and stylus.

These Boots were made for Workin' - Cowboy Art

Greeting cards, laminated, matted, canvas and framed prints of “Skipping Stones” can be purchased from my Redbubble shop:

Skipping Stones | Impressionist Oil Painting

Michelle — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 01:54:59 +0000

Skipping Stones - Having Fun on the Blackwood

Greeting cards, laminated, matted, canvas and framed prints of “Skipping Stones” can be purchased from my Redbubble shop:

Fire and Ice | Siamese Cat Oil Painting

Michelle — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:28:36 +0000

Fire and Ice - Siamese Cat painting

Cards, laminated, matted and framed prints of “Fire and Ice” can be purchased from my Redbubble shop:

Tommy | Standardbred Horse Portrait

Michelle — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 01:55:35 +0000

Tommy - Standardbred Horse Oil Painting

Bosco at the Beach | Labrador Painting

Michelle — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 01:58:12 +0000

Bosco at the Beach - Labrador Painting

Cards, laminated, matted and framed prints of “Bosco at the Beach” can be purchased from my Redbubble shop:

William’s Portrait | Cat Painting

Michelle — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:13:56 +0000

William - Pet Cat Portrait painting

Cards, laminated, matted and framed prints of “William” can be purchased from my Redbubble shop:

Ready to Run | Horse Racing Art

Michelle — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 07:30:35 +0000

There is nothing quite like the power and majesty of a Thoroughbred Race Horse, and this digital painting is the first in a series of Racing Paintings that I have planned (for both Standardbreds and Thoroughbred race horses). Thanks to photographer Cathy Sheeter for the wonderful reference photo.

Ready to Run Race Horse painitng by Michelle Wrighton

100% crop of Ready to Run detail

Greeting Cards, laminated, matted, canvas and framed prints of “Ready to Run” can be purchased from Redbubble

Meerkat | Wildlife Painting

Michelle — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 05:54:02 +0000

"The Sentry" Meerkat Portrait painting by Michelle Wrighton

I created this digital painting fom a photograph that I took of one of the Meerkats at the zoo, but I thought he needed to be put back into the wild, so painted a more natural background environment for him to live in:) This is another one of the first digital smudge paintings that I did, but I had to leave it for a while as I had removed the background and couldn’t work out to put a layer in behind him. LOL in the end I just painted the background around him and then blended the edges of his fur in with the background. I know most digital artists get the most of the program they use by createing layers for each element that they paint, but I find it much easier just to paint from the background forwards, just like I do when painting with real paints on real canvas!

Cutting Horse Portrait | Equine Art

Michelle — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 01:39:05 +0000

Digital painting of a Quarterhorse after working cows.

100% crop to show detail of Quarterhorse painting

Greeting cards, laminated, matted, canvas and framed prints of “Kookaburra” can be purchased from my Redbubble shop:

Highland Cow | Farm Animal Art

Michelle — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 03:35:05 +0000

I have always loved Highland Cattle and finally have had a chance to paint one. This was the first painting that I completed in Corel Painter using my wacom graphics tablet and digital pen. I am amazed at how similar to real painting it is in regards to how the paintbrushes lay down and blend the paint!

Highland Cattle - Farm Animal Art Portrait

Show Horse Painting | Pet Portrait Equine Art

Michelle — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 03:32:14 +0000

Show Horse Pet Portrait Painting by Michelle Wrighton

Kookaburra Painting | Wildlife Art

Michelle — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 09:33:36 +0000

Kookaburra Australian native Bird painting

Greeting cards, laminated, matted, canvas and framed prints of “Kookaburra” can be purchased from my Redbubble shop:

Jack Russell Terrier | Pet Portrait Painting

Michelle — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 09:31:05 +0000

Jack at the Beach

Owners of water loving, tennis ball obsessed Jack Russell Terriers will appreciate the familiarity this scene! Digitally hand painted using pressure sensitive tablet and stylus in Corel Painter.

Greeting cards, laminated, matted, canvas and framed prints of “Jack at the Beach” can be purchased from my Redbubble shop:

Cavalier KC Spaniel | Pet Portrait Painting

Michelle — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:03:38 +0000

This is one of the first digital oil paintings that I did, sketching and painting the dog using using Photoshop CS4 oil brushes and blending with the smudge tool. Initially I was happy with it, then after I did a few more digital paintings I relegated this one to the back burner as it lost its appeal. I recently dragged it out from my work in progress folders and finished it off – all it needed was a closer crop and a touch more contrast:)

Chelsea - Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Pet portrait Painting

Cards, laminated, matted and framed prints of Chelsea can be purchased from my Redbubble shop:

Siamese Fighter – Betta | Pet Portrait Painting

Michelle — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 08:10:30 +0000

'Zippo' Pet Portrait Painting of a Betta (Siamese Fighter)

Zippo was my daughter’s much loved first Betta fish…who is sadly no longer with us, so this is a memorial pet portrait for my daughter. And below is very poor reference photo that I used to paint Zippo from (I can say that because its an old photo that I took with a tiny point and shoot camera!)

Poor reference photo!

Dachshund | Pet Portrait Painting

Michelle — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:25:58 +0000

Dachshund - Digital Smudge Painting

This is one of my first digital painting attempts, using oils in photoshop to add colour and the smudge tool to blend.

Eventer | Horse Portrait Painting

Michelle — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 13:41:53 +0000

Digital Painting of an Eventer.

Eventer - Horse sport painting

Greeting cards, laminated, matted, canvas and framed prints of “Eventer” can be purchased from my Redbubble shop:

Bosco at the Beach | Labrador Pet Portrait

Michelle — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 09:32:27 +0000

Digital Painting of a gorgeous chocolate Labrador at the beach.

Chocolate Labrador Beach Painting Pet Portrait

German Wire Haired Pointer | Pet Portrait Dog Art

Michelle — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 08:32:44 +0000

German Wire Haired Pointer Digital Painting

German Wire Haired Pointer

Finally a moment to update

Michelle — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 07:18:04 +0000

I know it only takes a couple of minutes to add a blog post, but my life has been such a rollercoaster of one crisis after another this years and the last few months have just been torturous, I havn’t even had the chance to post the blog posts that I have as drafts waiting to post! Fingers crossed that life for my family will remain on an even keel and we can start to have some sort of normal life (or at least as normal as things can be given our situation!).

Anyway, enough of that, I have some photos orders going out this week, and for those people waiting to book portrait sessions, I will be getting through the rest of my emails this week hopefully, and once I catch up with everything, I will be able to book sessions that have been delayed. I will also be adding posts that I have sitting in my drafts folder, so my apologies to those readers who receive notification when the blog is updated, if I don’t get interrupted this evening a few more older posts are going to appear…theres a sneak peak of my digital paintings which might be of interest to anyone who has been waiting for me to start doing pet portrait commissions again:)

Michelle

Boyup Brook Images | Landscape Photography

Michelle — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 11:35:47 +0000

I have just changed over from using Photoshop CS4 to Lightroom 2.4 for processing my photographs – all I can say is I wish I had done this sooner! As much as I resist learning new computer programs (fuzzy mummy brain I think), Lightroom is so quick to use compared to CS4, the time out I have taken to learn how to use it is going to be a huge benefit in improving my workflow, especially for batch processing. Here is a selection of the first images that I have processed through Lightroom from my road trip down south to Boyup Brook.

The only nitpick that I have with Lightroom is the watermarking ability or lack thereof. I have purchased the mogrify preset which allows me to use my standard watermark…but it places them at the same location in every image, which can obscure important elements of the photograph. Plus I need to make additional copies of the watermark for different opacity and colours so that I can select slightly more subtle watermarks to suit individual images better…either that or just continue to use CS4 and apply the watermarks manually for each image.

Other than that one issue, I can highly recommend Lightroom to any photographer looking to speed up their workflow.

I hope you enjoy these images, some of them will be available for purchase as prints http://southwestphotography.com.au in the near future.

Cheers

Michelle

South West Images | Animal and Landscape Photography

Michelle — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:56:27 +0000

Sometimes life just gets a little bit too stressful, and the best way to deal with it is a few hours in the country re-connecting with nature and the beautiful land that we live in. Yesterday was one of those days, and what a joy to just take a few hours and enjoy the sunshine and the beauty of our South West. I rarely go anywhere interesting without my camera in hand, so I do have a few of my favourite shots to share with you all:)

I’m very happy with these for several reasons, firstly every single shot was taken in full manual, and while I have always been pleased with the 50D’s output in the other creative settings that I normally use with changing light/movement situations, I can honestly say that nothing beats pure manual for getting the best images! Secondly, and this is a biggie for me, I was shooting with the beast (70-200mm 2.8L), but every shot was hand held – the monopod didn’t go on the camera once! This is truly amazing (to me anyway) as after my first attempt at shooting handheld with the beast when I first got the 50D was a disaster, it was so heavy it made my wrists hurt and every photo had severe camera shake and I never thought I would be able to use it handheld.

Boyup Brook at Dusk © South West Photography

The Golden Hour ©South West Photography

I have to say that I was really pleased with the last two – the little lamb was shot through a ringlock fence and I wasn’t sure if my settings where correct for the lens to blur out the wire strands, but obviously they were (yay for me). I had to jump out of the car, over a muddy ditch and up a hill to say hi to three very friendly horses that came over to the fence when I called them. It was the golden hour and the light from the sinking sun behind them was just magnificent while this big bay gelding happily posed for me to practice my silhouette shots:) In the full size, his chin whiskers look like threads of pure gold.

Ok, I think thats more than a few photos (I know, I just can’t help myself)…although I do have heaps more that I will add at some stage when I get time to process them. I’d love to know which of the photos is your favourite and why, so please feel free to leave me a comment:)

Cheers

Michelle

South West Photography

Jack’s Sneak Peak | Perth Baby Photographer

Michelle — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:02:24 +0000

Yesterday I had a session with very cute 71/2 month old Jack. What a cutie-pie, but oh-so serious when it came time to take his photos:) Thanks to his very sweet mum, K for letting me come to your home and photograph your gorgeous boy! I hope you enjoy this sneak peak at some of his photographs!

Perth Baby Portrait Photography

Perth Baby Portrait Photography © South West Photography

Fremantle | Architechture Photography

Michelle — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:06:47 +0000

Yesterday was such a beautiful day, so we took the kids down to Fremantle for a few hours (of course so did half of the metropolitan area;). Normally if I take my camera when we go out, I lug the heavy 70-200mm 2.8L around with me (gotta love L zoom:) but the down side is that its pretty heavy to carry when you just want to wander around for a few hours. So I popped the nifty fifty on my camera and apart from a few portrait shots of the kids, decided to step way outside of my normal subject matter and try to get some interesting shots of some of the old buildings. Considering I’m not into architecture photography, I am quite pleased with how these turned out!

Hotel Cleopatra Fremantle

Fremantle Architecture Photography

Fremantle Markets

Mitchell and Kaden’s Sneak Peak | Perth Children’s Photography

Michelle — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 05:36:35 +0000

The highlight of last week for me was a wonderful session that I had on Saturday with Mitchell and Kaden, two gorgeous little boys who were loads of fun and had me cracking up all over the place with their antics!

I know their lovely mum is anxious to see their sneak peak, so here it is – thanks so much Jackie for letting me photograph your beautiful boys, I hope they had as much fun as I did:)

Perth Childrens Portrait Photography

Models wanted | Free Perth Children’s Photo Sessions

Michelle — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 08:40:50 +0000

Are you interested in a Free photo session for your child, aged from newborn to teens? I am currently building my portrait portfolio and I’m looking for enthusiastic Perth parents who would like a Free Portrait Photography Session of their child.

In exchange for use of photographs from your child’s session in my portfolio and for promotional and advertising purposes (print and internet)

You will receive:

FREE Photo session of approximately 1-2 hours (time required depends on child/children) VIEW PORTRAIT SESSION FEES

FREE online private gallery (password protected) to view all final images (between 20-35 images)

Two FREE 6″x8″ professional photo lab prints of your choice selected from your private gallery plus web resolution (600px @72dpi) copies of these two images for sharing by email, facebook etc)

You are under absolutely No Obligation but may purchase prints at a heavily discounted rate (Christmas presents for Grandparents?) and will receive web resolution digital images of any additional prints that you do purchase VIEW PORTRAIT PRINT PRICE LIST

Location: Portrait sessions will be held on location at a local park, garden or playground – a nice location where your kids will feel comfortable, can have some fun and be themselves rather than posing for the camera. Locations SOR/hills preferred due to time constraints.

Day/Time: Most weekdays are available for booking up to two weeks in advance, limited weekend sessions left at this time. Flexibility may be required due to inclement weather.

Portrait style: Natural light/lifestyle/candid/casual style (not formal studio shots)

If you are interested in having a Free photo session, please send me an email with your child’s details, the most suitable times/days for you and a contact telephone number.

I particularly require baby, toddlers and pre-schoolers and can accommodate a portrait ‘party’ for larger groups of children.

For additional information and to view galleries, please visit my South West Photography website.

Cheers

Michelle

Tatum’s Photo session | Perth Childrens Photography

Michelle — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:09:35 +0000

Gorgeous three year old Tatum was a joy to photograph, and was particularly helpful when Dora and Boots were hiding inside my camera lens;) I will have to work on reducing the number of final photos to somewhere between 20 and 30ish, but as a mum myself, I found it really difficult to not include all the really cute ones! We did this session at a local park which provided a lovely range of backgrounds…and dozens of ducks to keep Miss Tatum amused!

Children's Portrait Photography © Michelle Wrighton, South West Photography

The Twitter – Facebook Challenge

Michelle — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 05:56:15 +0000

Or should that be “I am Facebook Clallenged”?

I’ve finally decided that I need to give these social networking groups a go, so I have joined Facebook and Twitter. I guess it would be showing my age and number of years online if I said that I really prefer the old discussion forums (which of course still exist, but there seems that there has been a mass exodus away from the ‘old fashioned’ discussion boards and now everyone spends more time Fan and Tweeting). And I will grudgingly admit that it looks like a better way to actually get to know the people you are talking to online, so I guess it can’t be all that bad! I don’t need any other distractions though, so I am not going to be dragged into any food fights or barn yard antics;)

I’m actually thinking that it might be a good way of instantly notifying friends and in particular clients when photos from events are uploaded to the proof gallery…at least in theory, and this is where the challenge comes in…I’m not quite sure that I am using Facebook properly, well no, thats not what I mean, I have figured out (mostly) how to use it, but everything new that I want to add to my busines page seems to be adding to my personal page instead.

For example, my photo albums…I wouldn’t have thought that I needed to add them to both, but maybe I do. And I can’t figure out how to favourite pages from my business page. LOL I am sure a few more hours playing with Facebook should improve my skills;)

In the mean time, this is the Facebook Page that I have started for South West Photography andyou can find me at SouthWest Photo on Twitter

And this is a little logo that I made up this morning.

South West Photography Logo

Bailey’s Portrait session – Childrens Photography

Michelle — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 03:17:04 +0000

Bailey was my first session with a child that I have never met before. He is only two years old, very well behaved and was an absolute delight to photograph.

These are a few of my favourites from the session.

Children's portrait photographer perth, country WA

Little Superman © South West Photography

Big Blue Eyes © South West Photography

Superman at 2 years © South West Photography

Just call me Mr Cool © South West Photography

Yeah I know I'm cute! © South West Photography

Boys Will Be Boys Storyboard © South West Photography

Classic Black & White © South West Photography

Child Portrait Photography

Michelle — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 03:04:25 +0000

Its hard to believe its nearly the middle of the year already, where does the time go?

I have recently decided to expand my photography business to include people portraits – and in particular children’s portraiture. Of course, as with any new endeavour, its a huge learning curve!

I am really enjoying the challenge, not only the technical side of the photography, but the biggest thing is engaging and interacting with the subject, and when they are young toddlers that you have never met before, that can be a really challenging task indeed!

So this week I have had my first two photo session with a gorgeous two year old boy and a lovely little three year old girl. Both were so well behaved and although unrelated both had the most gorgeous blue eyes, and there parents have graciously allowed me to use the photos in my portfolio, so I can post a few here in my blog.

At some stage in the not too distant future, I will have a section for portraits on my http://www.southwestphotography.com.au website as it is significantly different to the event photography that I do, but until then I will just be posting some images here from time to time.

In the meantime, I am still building my portfolio and would love to hear from anyone in the Perth area interested in having a photography session (free session fee for areas 20 minutes from myhome!).

Standardbred Winter Gala Show – Horse Photographer

Michelle — Sun, 24 May 2009 13:03:18 +0000

The Standardbred Pleasure and Performance Horse Association of WA held the annual Winter Gala at the Perth Horse and Pony Club grounds in Herdsman. I am totally biased towards the breed (having two of my own) and I strongly believe that they are *the* most under-rated breed in the horse world. Thankfully more people like those that turned out for this show are seeing the incredible possibilities with this versatile breed as pleasure and preformance horses.

And I have to say that the presentation of these Standardbreds is absolutely impeccable and puts alot of other ‘fancy’ breeds to shame!

Coloured Standardbred © South West Photography

Standardbred Breed Show © South West Photography

Part bred Standardbred © South West Photography

Standardbred Breed Show © South West Photography

Standardbred Dressage © South West Photography

All of the proof images for the In Hand, Ridden and the Dressage tests can be viewed and ordered online at South West Photography.

Coolup Cutting Show – Horse Photographer

Michelle — Sun, 17 May 2009 08:43:44 +0000

Well after getting a taste of Cutting action at the last bit of the Ian Francis Cutting Clinic that I saw after the Paint Horse Champs back in February, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to watch two days of cutting on the 16th and 17th May.

Cutting Horse © South West Photography

All images from both days events can be viewed and prints purchased online at South West Photography

In memory of Lady – Dog Photography

Michelle — Fri, 15 May 2009 13:32:45 +0000

I received a very distressed phone call today from a client, her daughters much loved elderly Rhodesian Ridgeback had been diagnosed with an inoperable tumour, and unfortunately the only thing that could be done was to humanely put her to sleep. Like so many people, Lady’s owner didn’t have many good photos of her, and my client asked me if I could go down to the vet’s surgery and take some photos before Lady was laid to rest before the end of the day.

I know what its like to loose a treasured companion, and I also know how important good images are to help heal the pain of their passing, so I was more than happy to help. Luckily there was a small garden outside the vet surgery so I was able to get some beautiful shots of this grand old girl that I hope will keep her memory alive for her family forever.

Rhodesian Ridgeback Portrait - © South West Photography

Rest In Peace Lady, you were loved and will be missed.

Country Street Signs | Side of the Road Photography

Michelle — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 13:26:32 +0000

I wonder if any other photographer else has an unusual subject that they photograph for no good reason whatsoever, with no care for composition or technique, just grab shots for the sake of…well I dunno, collecting maybe?

I collect country road signs. Well, no I don’t collect road signs, but I do collect photos of road signs. Specifically country road signs. LOL ok so I am weird. Maybe I just don’t know where I am going so I like to have a record of where I have been? I won’t go scan any film photos that I took in Europe many years ago, but here are a few from my ‘weird photo’ collection. Most are grab shots taken out the window at 100km per hour.

Blackwood River Valley

Boyup Brook

Williams Wagin Perth Kojonup Albany

Boyanup Donnybrook Bunbury

[/caption] Dardanup Boyanup Bunbury Bunbury Cowaramup Augusta Bridgetown Walpole Albany Pemberton Albany Frenchman Bay Valley of the Giants Pemberton Manjimup Bunbury Manjimup Manjimup williams

WAQHA Championships Show – Perth Horse Photography

Michelle — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 08:02:35 +0000

A small selection of photos from Fridays ridden events, dressage, English ridden and Hunter trial.

Quarterhorse Championship Show © South West Photography

The full set of proofs from this and other equestrian events can be viewed and prints purchased at South West Photography.

Wallangarra ODE Photography and Video – Horse Photography

Michelle — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 07:38:24 +0000

Wow what a long day! Even with back up batteries and 6 x 4GB cards I ran out of memory beofre the end of the day…and I don’t know about the competitors who finished afer 7pm, but I certainly was exhausted by the time I left (lets just blame the heat shall we:)

As well as photographs from the day, I am pleased to also provide a video of the Show Jumping phase of the One Day Event.

The full length video is 55 minutes long and is available in both DVD and web format. Each individual rider video is between 1 minute 30 seconds to 3 minutes long and are also available on DVD or web format. All videos are recorded at 1080p HD, however they are only sold at 720p resolution for quality playback on most modern standard DVD players.

The full length video and individual rider videos maintain the ambient sound that was at the event, but background music only can also be provided.

This embedded youtube video is a compilation of the video taken showing some of the highlights.

And a few photos from the day.

Wallangara ODE - Dressage © South West Photography

Wallangara ODE - Show Jumping © South West Photography

Wallangara ODE - Cross Country © South West Photography

The full set of proofs from the day as well as the show jumping video can be viewed and purchased from South West Photography.

Orange Grove Official Gymkhana – Horse Photographer

Michelle — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 08:19:25 +0000

Today was a blast from the past, my first time at Orange Grove for many many years! Only got time to share a few images from today:)

Orange Grove Official Gymkhana © South West Photography

All photographs from this and other equestrian and canine events can be viewed and prints purchased online at South West Photography.

Ian Francis Cutting Clinic – Horse Photographer

Michelle — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 09:07:47 +0000

After the Paint Horse Championship Show I popped over to have a looksie at the Cutting Clinic being held by Ian Francis. I’ve never seen Cutting Horses in action before, but it certainly looks like fun as well as a whole lot of skill is involved in selecting the right cow (beast) from the group and then keeping it separated for the required time as it tries to return to its mates. This is definitely something that I would love to have a go at someday!

WA Paint Horse Championship Show 2009 – Horse Photography

Michelle — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 01:31:00 +0000

It was an honour to the be Official Photographer for the 2009 WA Paint Horse Championship Show held at the Murray Horse and Pony Club grounds in Coolup. I must admit to feeling a bit sorry for the riders that compete in both the English and Western classes – the amount of gear that they need to drag along with them is incredible. LOL and I wouldn’t like all the tack cleaning afterwards either!

There were some really stunning horses, and it was a really well organised event (especially conisdering the heat!) The proofs from the show are available for viewing and purchase on South West Photography but here are a few of my favourites from the show.

Paint Horse Championship Show © South West Photography

All image proofs from the entire show are available for viewing and purchase on South West Photography.

Peel Horse and Pony Club Show Jumping Day – Horse Photography

Michelle — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 13:29:15 +0000

The bright arena covering at the Peel Horse and Pony Club grounds and the dust that it created under the horses hooves was initially a bit of a challenge, but a little post processing cleared the dust away and I ended up with some shots that I am very pleased with.

The full set of proofs can be viewed at South West Photography but here are a few of my favourites from the day:

Showjumping © South West Photography

Showjumping © South West Photographyat South West Photography

Please visit South West Photography to view all proof images and to make print purchases for the Peel Horse and Pony CLub Showjumping day.

Gosnells Summer Show-Offs 2009 Horse Breed Show – Horse Photography

Michelle — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 12:06:18 +0000

What a fantastic turn-out there was the the Summer Show Offs Horse Breed Show at Gosnells! So many beautiful horses it was hard to know where to point my camera!

The full set of proofs can be viewed at South West Photography but here are a few of my favourites from the day:

Andalusian horse - © South West Photography

Andalusian © South West Photography

A bow for the paparazzi - © South West Photography

Black Andalusian © South West Photography

Bay portrait - © South West Photography

Clydesdale - © South West Photography

Chestnut Standardbred Gelding © South West Photography

Chestnut Standardbred portrait © South West Photography

The full set of proofs for both the In Hand and Ridden competition at the Gosnells Summer Show Offs 2009 can be viewed and print purchase at South West Photography

South West Images – Bridgetown Bushfire { Landscape Photography }

Michelle — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 16:29:03 +0000

A fleeting day trip through the south west.

Boyup Brook Farmland

Children's Playground - Donnybrook

Running from the mob

These images below show a tiny part of the devastation caused by the deliberatly lit bushfire that raged in the Bridgetown area in January 2009. These images were taken out the window of the car while we were traveling at 110km per hour on South West Highway, so please excuse the less than perfect composition and clarity!

And no, I wasn’t driving *and* taking photos at the same time!

Bushfire devastation - Bridgetown 2009

Jumped ship…Nikon to Canon

Michelle — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 01:55:54 +0000

Well I had a huge shopping spree yesterday, after much research I have officially jumped ship and switched from Nikon to Canon equipment, with a budget blowing purchase of an EOS 50D, 50mm ‘nifty’ and the ‘beast’, a Canon 70-200mm F2.8L USM lens:) And after vowing not to step into a camera shop for the next year, less than 24 hours later I was back in today to purchase a monopod because this set up is *very* heavy, probably impossible to handhold for a couple of hours let alone a full day shooting like last weekend as Official Photographer for the WA Palamino Associations Annual Championship Show.

I havn’t yet read the manual and I have only had a short time to play with it, but the photos are pretty impressive. Not that a 15 megapixel of the 50D camera impresses me much, but it allows for large cropping without loosing image quality. On the other hand, with such big file sizes, I hope four 4GB CF cards will be enough for a days shooting.

My New Toys:)

And some first shots:

Border Collie Trinity

Border Collie Taj

Belgian Shepherd Max

Miniature pony colt

Miniature pony stallion

Oh, and the reason I swapped from Nikon to Canon…basically the cost of getting an equivelant Nikon set up for what I want it to do (D300 or D700) was astronomical compared to the Canon, plus long term, Canon lenses are more affordable (if L glass can be considered affordable) and accessible than Nikon lenses – other than that, it wasn’t a quality issue, Nikons are great cameras, and I will keep mine as backup rather than sell it.

If anyone is considering a similar purchase, I say go for it! LOL you only live once;)

Look out for more photos from the beast on my photography proofs site http://www.southwestphotography.com.au

WA Palamino Association Championship Show – Horse Photographer

Michelle — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 08:19:57 +0000

It was a wonderful honour to be appointed as the official photographer for this years WA Palamino Associations Championship Show, and what a thrill to be able to photograph some very beautiful horse and ponies!

Palamino Stallion

Palamino Champion

Show Pony Photography

Palamino Quarterhorse

Golden beauty

Rosettes and Broadsash

Regal

Equine Beauty rewarded

Welsh Palamino

Beautiful horse and garland

CAWA Championship Fundraisers Dog Show – Dog Photographer

Michelle — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 07:51:59 +0000

A selection of images from the Canine Association of WA’s Championship Dog Show

Rhodesian Ridgeback dog show photography Perth

Bearded Collie

Border Collie Show Dog

Boxer Dog

Boxer in the Show Ring

Rough Collie

Equus Dreaming – Digital Art

Michelle — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 14:57:19 +0000

I have finished a new artwork today, this is my first piece of digital art, created from one of my origial photographs, and altered using filters and my wacom tablet. I’m very pleased with the results of this,

LOL I only wish I could remember all the steps that I took to create it:)

“Equus Dreaming”

Digital Art

by Michelle Wrighton

2009

2008 Canning Show Art Awards

Michelle — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 08:34:19 +0000

I know I was supposed to make this post way back in November, but things have been so hectic with the house and christmas, so I am still playing catch-up.

The awesome news is that I was awarded a lovely blue and gold sash and certificate for receiving the most points in the art competition at the 2008 Canning Show:) I have to admit to being very surprised and pleased, because there were a huge number of entries of really good quality work. The artwork that received awards were:

First Prize: Painting – Pastel category: “Peaches & Cream” Pomeranian in Pastels

Frist Prize: Painting – Drawing Any Subject: “We Three Kings II – Lion” Colour Pencil

Second Prize: Painting – Drawing Any Subject: “Blink” Cat in Colour Pencil

Third Prize: Painting – Drawing Any Subject: “Noble” German Shepherd Dog in charcoal

LOL yes that was a hat trick in the Drawing Any Subject category:)

That was the same weekend that we saw our new home for the first time, so all in all it was a wonderful day!

Naval Base Horse Beach Photos – Horse Photography

Michelle — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 10:07:07 +0000

There is nothing better on a hot summer’s day than taking the ponies for a swim down the beach! Ok, well I didn’t take my horse, but I did take my camera and got some very lovely shots!

The Black Stallion - in miniature

Chestnut by the sea

What was that?

Photograph Proofs website now online

Michelle — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 03:35:21 +0000

The new photograph gallery is now available for viewing all proofs and online ordering of prints, including from selected canine events in 2008.

In order to maximize speed of viewing of proofs, the proofs galleries are hosted on a new website SouthWestPhotography.com.au

This website will also list selected canine and equine events that I will be attending in 2009.

Prints can be ordered and payment made direct from the website using the Paypal buttons to order, alternatively the order can be emailed and paid by Direct Deposit or Money Order.

For photograph printing on items such as mouse pads, t-shirts, gift cards, calendars, canvas prints or other giftware, please email me with your order.

Cheers

Michelle

Photoshop Editing Examples

Michelle — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 05:24:00 +0000

There are so many different effects and manipulations that can be achieved using photoshop, from simple black and white/sepia tones, cropping and editing out unwanted items like leads or signs to significant special effects that dramatically alter the original image.

The following are just some examples of some of the photoshop adjustment services that are available to my customers (I will add more examples as I find them in my folders).

From this… To this.

From the original photo on the left, I cropped the image, edited out the white pole and lead, and ‘re-painted’ the fur around the neck where it was displaced by the collar.

The original photo on the left in my opinion is not suitable for printing, but it is a good candidate to artistic manipulations such as this watercolour effect (you will need to click to enlarge to see the textural effect in the image).

In the above example, the original photo has been colour corrected, contrast adjusted, cropped, the distracting background has been re-painted and blurred to emphasise Flicka’s beautiful colouring, and a border and name text has been added to finish it off.

This next example has had additional water painted in at the bottom of the image, as well as having the lead rope and the owners forearm removed.

This example has had the background edited, and the image has been altered to black and white with colour accent enhancement.

Price Guide, Photo Sessions & Proofs Gallery

Michelle — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 15:17:16 +0000

If you’ve popped in to visit over the last few days, you may have noticed that I’ve been busy changing and adding things to the website, including new art in the Fine Art Gallery, additional photos in the Photography gallery as well as information and pricing for photography shoots and a pet portrait commission price guide, I hope its laid out nice and easy to follow!

I will also be adding some additional information comparing the different fine art mediums that I use in my artwork, and a proofs gallery for photo proofs and online ordering will be available once the finishing touches have been made. Photos that I took at several dog agility and championship shows last year will be added to the Events section for anyone who attended those events.

I’m also in the process of planning my calendar for event photography for canine and equine events that I will be attending in the next few months, so please let me know if there is a local event that you are competing at with your dogs or horses!

Happy New Year!

Michelle — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 04:02:26 +0000

I hope everyone has had a safe holiday period, and wish you all the very best for 2009!

We are in the process of making some changes to the blog and website, and a few things are not working quite as they should, but hopefully everything will be sorted out in the next day or two.

The last few months have been chaotic, so I will be catching up on a few things, including my results from the Canning Show in November (hint: I won a big blue sash;)

Puppies and children are all calling me to go for a swim, and as it is stinking hot (Aussie summer) I am off to oblige them:)

Cheers

Michelle

My Friend Flicka

Michelle — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 06:06:51 +0000

After many, many years without a horse in sight, I have finally ventured back into the saddle after a lovely bay mare unexpectedly came into my life:) Her name is Flicka, and she is an 18yo Standardbred…I know I couldn’t help myself, but she is fit, sound and you know what happens to 18yo horses that no-one wants:( Poor girl has had a very hard life until six months ago, but her luck has changed now and she has a home for life.

LOL, although it dosn’t look like it in this first image, she is one of the most un-photogenic horses that I have ever met! Of course my itty bitty point and shoot camera dosn’t compare to my dslr either, so I will have to take the big camera out to get some decent shots.

Flicka © South West Photography

Funny Face!

Flicka in Western

Lopin’ Along Western Clinic

Michelle — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 05:58:21 +0000

I was down at Foxwood Farm and caught a bit of Lopin’ Along’s Western Clinic – couldn’t resist this shot of a gorgeous Leopard appy!

Leopard Appaloosa © Michelle Wrighton, South West Photography

Wildlife Art – Black-footed Rock Wallaby

Michelle — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 13:29:26 +0000

“Black Footed Rock Wallaby”

8″x10″ oil on prepared mdf board

"Black-footed Rock Wallaby" oil painting by Michelle Wrighton

$150.00AU unframed

Our South West

Michelle — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 05:12:27 +0000

I’ve always loved the South West, the country life and small friendly towns. We have made the decision to leave Perth and move to the country, to give our family a better environment to live in. These things take time of course, so in the meantime I will have to be satisfied with the occasional day trip:) These images were taken between Harvey, Donnybrook, Boyup Brook and Bridgetown.

South West Hayshed © Michelle Wrighton, South West Photography

South West Landscape © Michelle Wrighton, South West Photography

Round Hay Bales © Michelle Wrighton, South West Photography

Rolling Fields and Blue Skies © South West Photography

Newfoundland pup in pastels

Michelle — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 05:24:42 +0000

“Rainbows and Sunshine”, what else could I call this fun filled colourful pastel painting of a black Newfoundland puppy? I really enjoyed painting this one, I really wanted to loosen up, and convey the personality without much detail, so I actually used a very bad reference photo that I had taken at a dog show. (At the time I was disappointed that the photo was so bad, but the resulting painting is worth it I think:)

Painting realistic pet portraits means that I don’t usually get to splash around with lots of colour, so that was the main aim with this one – plus to capture the late afternoon sunlight and the glorious colours in his fur without using black!

“Rainbows & Sunshine”

Newfoundland Puppy Painting

Artist Pastels on acid free pastel paper.

Image Size: 11″ x 13″ approx

2008

$200.00 (includes shipping)

10% of your investment in this artwork will be donated to K9 Rescue

"Rainbows & Sunshine" Newfoundland puppy pastel painting by Michelle Wrighton

Kelmscott Show Results

Michelle — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 03:54:24 +0000

Wow the weeks are whizzing by, we are definitely in the ‘business end’ of the year! I did actually manage to get my things together and enter some of my work in a show last weekend. This was only the fourth show I have entered and clearly I didn’t learn from the previous experiences of farming at the last minute as I was matting and framing until 2.00am on the morning they were to be delivered!

I am very pleased to say that I did quite well, one first and two seconds – and I have to be a proud mum and brag that my 12 year old was awarded a first for her graphite drawing of a marguay and first and second awards for her two sculptured dragons in modelling clay.

My oil painting of a Ringtail lemur “Midnight in Madagascar” was awarded first place in the ‘Animals and Birds – any medium category’:

My charcoal painting of German Shepherd Dog “Noble” was awarded second place in the

‘Drawing – Any Subject category’.

“Noble” is also for sale as part of the Canine Art Guild’s Helping Paws exhibition. To view a better image and purchasing information please visit the blog post for this German Shepherd Dog painting. Part proceeds from the sale of “Noble” will be donated to the Animal Protection Society.

My pastel portrait of the pomeranian “Peaches and Cream” was awarded second place in the

‘Pastel – Any Subject’ category

(the painting on the right of the dog chasing the hose water was the first place winner).

“Peaches and Cream” is for sale as part of the Canine Art Guild’s Helping Paws Exhibition. Click to view a better image and purchase information of this Pomeranian painting, part proceeds of the sale of this art will be donated to K9 Rescue, Mandurah.

Thanks for looking at my art, and please don’t forget to vote for your favorite artwork in the Canine Art Guild’s Helping Paws exhibition – the animal rescue group supported by the artist who is voted Peoples Choice at the end of the exhibition will receive a cash donation from the Canine Art Guild!

Michelle

Wildlife Art – Ring Tailed Lemur

Michelle — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 13:51:33 +0000

“Midnight in Madagascar”

Ring Tailed Lemur Portrait in Oils

Awarded first place in the ‘Animals and Birds – any medium’ category at the 2008 Kelmscott Show

$300.00AU

"Midnight in Madagascar" Ringtailed lemur painting in oils by Michelle Wrighton

Otis – Jack Russell Terrier

Michelle — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 05:26:35 +0000

“Otis”

Tan & White smooth coat

Jack Russell Terrier

Original acrylic painting

8″x10″ on 1.8cm deep gallery wrapped canvas

$135.00 (includes shipping)

10% of your investment in this artwork will be donated to Russell Rescue

"Otis" original acrylic painting by Michelle Wrighton

The painting is continued on all four edges and is ready to hang.

*The copyright watermark is a digital addition to the image below and is not on the original painting.

“Otis” is also available on merchandise and prints, and this is the first time this original painting from my personal collection has been offered for sale.

Wildlife Art – Golden Lion Tamarin

Michelle — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 02:34:47 +0000

“Flame of The Forest”

Golden Lion Tamarin

8″x10″ Oil Painting on mdf

$180.00AU

"Flame of the Forest" Golden Lion Tamarin painting in oils by Michelle Wrighton

Cromwell – British Bulldog painting

Michelle — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 07:12:52 +0000

There is nothing quite like the unmistakable face of a British Bulldog!

Bulldogs are a dog breed developed originally from Mastiffs that were also used in the cruel sports of bull and badger “baiting” which were popular in England for hundreds of years until they were finally made illegal in 1850. Today’s Bulldogs are more heavily built and far less athletic than their ancestors, and they are generally placid, gentle and very affectionate companions who love children.

Bulldogs like Cromwell make devoted family pets, and although they can’t be exercised excessively, they can be quite lively and rambunctious and many of them have a good sense of humor!

If you are a Bulldog lover, this is your opportunity to own an original oil painting featuring this gorgeous breed!

“Cromwell” British Bulldog

5″ x 7″ Oil painting on

canvas board

$150.00AU incl shipping

(approx $105.00 US – view Currency Converter)

10% of your investment in this artwork will be donated to K9 Rescue

Cromwell British Bulldog Oil Painting

Don’t forget to visit the “Helping Paws” exhibition and vote for your favorite dog painting – the People’s Choice winner will have a cash donation sent to the rescue or shelter that the artist is supporting, so its for a good cause!

Thanks for reading and looking at my new dog painting! I’d love to know what you think of ‘Cromwell’ (he’s one of my favourite daily paintings so far:)

Michelle

http://michellewrighton.com

Dog Paintings and Art Exhibition

Michelle — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:26:19 +0000

Well my dear hubby has been busy while I have been under the weather and the project that I mentioned in my last post is now up and running, and I am looking for new dog rescue groups to partner with in the near future (never enough hours in the day and the kids are on holidays at the moment).

The new project is an ongoing series of Dog Paintings in various styles and media and can be viewed at http://dogpaintings.com.au, which I hope in time will be a daily dog painting blog – time constraints and commissions before Christmas (added to me not being 100% well) means that it is unlikely (LOL ok highly improbable) that I will paint daily, so I am aiming at finishing one of these small paintings every day that I do paint. A percentage of the sale of these small artworks will be donated to dog rescue groups, at the moment this includes the Animal Protection Society and K9 Rescue.

After the flooding and house re-arranging that resulted in a studio clean out, I have gone through my art folders and have listed some artwork from my personal collection that has not been offered for sale previously. You can see all of the artwork currently available in the Dog Paintings ART FOR SALE.

I’ve also entered three of my dog portraits in the Canine Art Guild’s Helping Paws online Exhibition which featrues an international collection of artists who have partnered with local animal shelters and rescues and have pledged a percentage of sales from this exhibition to support of animal welfare efforts.

In addition, visitors to the online exhibition can vote for their favorite artwork and three People’s Choice honours will be awarded, with cash donations being made to the shelters affiliated with the artworks receiving the most votes for People’s Choice awards so please visit the “Helping Paws” Exhibition and vote for your favourite.

These are the three pieces that I have entered into the exhibition:

“Peaches & Cream”, Pomeranean in Pastels

"Peaches & Cream" Pomeranian in pastels by Michelle Wrighton

“Angel in Blue” American Staffordshire Bull Terrier painting in oils

"Angel in Blue" American Staffordshire Terrier in Oils

“Noble” German Shepherd Dog, painting in charcoal

"Noble" German Shepherd Dog in charcoal by Michelle Wrighton

All three of these dog paintings are available for sale with 10% being donated to the Animal Protection Society and K9 Rescue. If you like any of these three paintings, I would appreciate you vote in the Peoples Choice awards to help my selected Rescue Groups!

Thanks for visiting my blog!

Michelle

Blue – Border Collie Painting

Michelle — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:14:53 +0000

Border Collies are my favorite breed of dog – we have two and would have a lot more if we could! I know this little painting of a working bred Border Collie would make an excellent Christmas present for any BC lover:)

“Blue”

Border Collie oil painting

5″x7″ on canvas board

$150.00AU inc shipping

10% of your investment in this artwork will be donated to Border Collie rescue

"Blue" Border Collie Oil Painting by Michelle Wrighton

Thanks for looking at my new artwork! Don’t forget, if you would like to see your dog immortalized in a daily Dog Paintings, you can submit a photo of your dog obligation free!

Cheers

Michelle

http://michellewrighton.com

Papillon dog painting

Michelle — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 07:29:38 +0000

According to Wikepedia The History of the Papillon is actually traced through works of art! The earliest toy spaniels resembling the Papillon are found in Italy. Tiziano Vicelli (Titian) painted these small dogs in many famous paintings including the Venus of Urbino (1542). Other well known artists who included them in paintings are Watteau, Gonzalez Coques, Fragonard and Mignard. In a painting after Largillierre in the Wallace Collection in London, a Papillon is clearly shown in a family portrait of Louis XIV. Papillons are also in paintings of royal families around Europe and paintings of merchant class families. The breed was popular in England, France, and Belgium which are considered counties of origin by the FCI.

This is the first time this original colour pencil painting on drafting film of a delightful little Papillon has been offered for sale and is your chance to own a little bit of Papillon art history!

“Papillon”

Original Artist Colour Pencil painting

Michelle Wrighton

9″ x 12″ on drafting film

"Papillon" colour pencil painting by Michelle Wrighton

Please note that the copyright watermark is applied to this digital image only and does not appear on the original.

‘Helping Paws’ #2 – German Shepherd

Michelle — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 03:16:13 +0000

My second entry for the Canine Art Guild’s ‘Helping Paws’ online Exhibition is my charcoal painting of “Noble” the German Shepherd Dog. “Noble” seemed like a very appropriate choice to exhibit in an exhibition titled “Helping Paws” considering the number of GSD’s around the world that lend their paws to help people in need in many different situations including the Police force, military, search and rescue and service and therapy dogs that aid people with disabilities and illness.

“Noble”

German Shepherd Dog

Charcoal Painting on drafting film

11″ x 14″

$350.00AU inc shipping

10% of your investment in this artwork will be donated to

the Animal Protection Society of WA.

German Shepherd Dog original Charcoal Painting by Michelle Wrighton

“Noble” will be available for sale in late October/November as I have entered him in a couple of local art competitions.

All of the artwork in the CAG Helping Paws Exhibition is for sale with part proceeds going to rescue groups and shelters selected by the artists around the world.

To view the work of many talented canine artists, please visit the ‘Helping Paws’ Exhibition after October 1 (US time), and while you are there, vote for your favourite painting – the rescue group chosen by the artist who wins the People’s Choice award will receive a cash donation from the Canine Art Guild (as well as the artists’s donation pledge when the art sells).

If you have a German Shepherd Dog that you would like to see painted (obligation free) to help dog rescue please send me a photo or two and a brief description of your noble friend.

I will post the third and final entry to the Helping Paws exhibition on opening day, so look out for that one!

Thanks for looking:)

Michelle

#1 “Hallie” – Dachshund painting

Michelle — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 06:55:56 +0000

Well its the first of October so I had better post this one:) This is the first small format painting I have done in the dog painting series (so far all the art I have posted has been portfolio work in my personal collection). This is “Hallie” a most remarkable long haired black and tan dachshund, loved and owned by a fellow artist, Dee Dee Murray. When I saw the photo of Hallie laying on the couch, I just couldn’t resist the look on her face, isn’t she sweet?

This painting is still detailed and realistic, especially considering its size. I am pleased with how she has turned out, but I do think that it is going to take me a while to loosen up a bit more with my paintings!

“Hallie”

Long Haired Dachshund

5″ x 7″

Oil on canvas board

$150.00AU inc postage worldwide

10% of your investment in this artwork will be donated to

K9 Rescue

Dachshund painting in oils by Michelle Wrighton

I have scanned this painting rather than photographing it, and the blue and green background in the image is showing quite a bit brighter than in the original painting, where the colours a bit more subtle.

Please feel free to leave a comment, I’d love to know what you think of “Hallie”.

Michelle

Royalty – Greyhound art

Michelle — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 07:28:30 +0000

“Royalty”

Greyhound

Original acrylic painting

Michelle Wrighton

8″x10″ on 1.8cm deep gallery wrapped canvas

$135.00 (includes shipping)

10% of your investment in this artwork will be donated to K9 Rescue

"Royalty" original Greyhound dog painting by Michelle Wrighton

This is a small acrylic painting of Gilley, a rescue Greyhound dog from the UK. Greyhounds have the most beautiful, big, liquid, expressive eyes that are an absolute joy to paint. As a breed, Greyhounds have such a regal bearing that the deep purple background seemed appropriate for Gilley’s painting

These smaller paintings are very enjoyable to do, although this one is still quite detailed, I am really trying to loosen up and capture the essence of the animal without being totally pre-occupied with capturing every last detail!

The painting is continued on all four edges and is ready to hang. “Royalty” is available on merchandise and prints, but this is the first time this original painting from my personal collection has been offered for sale.

*The copyright watermark is a digital addition to the image below and is not on the original painting.

Weimaraner – Grey Ghost CP Painting (Final)

Michelle — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 11:52:07 +0000

This is the final update for the Weimaraner portait.

Weimaraner - The grey Ghost

A variety of wall art, gift ware and apparel featuring my artwork is available in my GiftShop at CafePress.

‘Helping Paws’ Art Exhibition

Michelle — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 01:17:36 +0000

I am a member of the Canine Art Guild, and will be exhibiting three of my dog paintings in the upcoming CAG ‘Helping Paws’ International online Exhibition for canine artists. The exhibition will be held from October 1, 2008 until the end of January 2009.

All of the artwork in the Exhibition will be for sale with each artist pledging a percentage of the sale price to their choice of rescue groups and shelters around the world. In addition, further cash donations will be made to the rescue/shelter group supported by the artists who’s artwork is voted as the ‘People’s Choice’ and ‘Honorary Mentions’ at the end of the exhibition.

I have pledged donations for a percentage of the sale price of my dog paintings in the exhibition to the Animal Protection Society of WA and K9 Rescue. I will add posts for the individual paintings closer to the exhibition date.

To view the work of some of the world’s most talented canine artists and vote for your favourite dog painting, please visit the Canine Art Guild’s ‘Helping Paws’ Exhibition – its for a very worthy cause!

Kruger – Shar-Pei Painting

Michelle — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 07:25:10 +0000

This is the first time this original acrylic painting of a fawn Shar-Pei from my personal collection has been offered for sale.

The copyright watermark is a digital addition to the image below and is not on the original painting.

“Kruger”

Original acrylic Shar-Pei painting

9″x12″ acrylics on

Art Spectrum Colourfix art paper

$200.00AU (includes shipping)

10% of your investment in this artwork will be donated to the

Animal Protection Society of WA

"Kruger" Shar-Pei painting in acrylics by Michelle Wrighton

Basset Hound on Black

Michelle — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 07:31:03 +0000

Well they say good things come to those who wait, and every cloud has a silver lining and both of these are probably true at the moment. LOL I seem to have trying to find time to get my studio re-arranged and organized for a couple of years and its finally nearly done, thanks (I guess?) at least in part to the flood damage and total house upheaval we had earlier this year!

So while being ill and not being able to do much of anything else at the moment, I have gone through my personal collection in my art folders and have decided to part with some of my art pieces that have not previously been offered for sale – I would rather have them being enjoyed by someone else and helping out a dog in need rather than remaining in my folio!

This profile portrait of a soulful looking tan & white Basset Hound was completed on black Windsor and Newton Acid Free paper using artist quality colour pencils. Created 2005, first time offered for sale. Paper size: 11″x14″ Image size: 8″x8″ approx. $75.00 (includes postage).

Basset Hound profile, artist color pencil on Black Artist Paper. Paper size: 11"x14" Image size: 8"x8" approx

Work that muse

Michelle — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:18:53 +0000

It’s interesting how we sometimes second guess our motives and reasons behind the decisions we make.

I don’t think I am unique, and I guess most people know what its like when work, family commitments, ongoing illness/health issues and life in general take over and seem to rule your world and there never seems enough time or physical and mental energy to do all that needs doing, let alone follow dreams and achieve things that are little more than wispy glimpses of what can be.

I have had a particular art project planned since I first started blogging way back in 2006 – actually its just one of many projects that have been put on hold indefinitely in recent years, but this one I keep going back to, seeing how the idea could be adjusted to fit into a schedule that I could manage and trying to implement parts of it without any great success, primarily I think because I need to approach the project holistically in order to achieve what I want to achieve.

Although I feel like I am running flat out without achieving any forward movement lately, I have also felt that a shift is taking place that will finally allow me to make the progress in the directions I want to take, so I have tried to accept the limited progress that I appear to be making, believing that this shift will occur (even if its not as quick as I would like!).

Then all of a sudden, boom! The negative thoughts and second guessing come in and I wonder why I have wasted so much mental energy on things that I just can’t seem to make happen, no matter how much I try and I feel that I might as well just give up on some ideas that have long held importance. I got to that point today.

Strangely enough, if I had read Robert Genns newsletter that I received yesterday, I wouldn’t have got to that point today. And yet it would not have had such an impact on me if I had read it yesterday. Strangely enough, being pushed for time, tired and trying to clear my inbox I was going to simply delete the newsletter without reading anyway.

I did however open another email form an artist group I belong to and what did I find but the very same Robert Genns newsletter for September 2, 2008 “Working your muses.”

Robert writes “The first thing you have to do is separate your true muses from your false muses. Your true muses are those that turn you on, interest you, excite you and motivate you to explore further. Both true and false muses are generated in early childhood, and sorting them out can save a lot of trouble in later art and life. Fact is, we’re often pretty true to ourselves until our teenage years. That’s when derailment happens–jobs, obligations, family and social pressures, love interests…

…Artists often find themselves trying to sort things out in middle life. These folks need to go back to their earliest dreams. By recalling the places and occurrences of childhood, they can bring up and clarify both positive and negative muses. You need to go with the positive ones–the ones that give good feelings. There are such an abundance of positive ones….

…Identifying your early positive muses gives keys to life’s direction–at least to paths worth checking out….

…Artists who dig up true muses need to connect them to exploratory work. Without this step muses stay dreams forever. The works themselves need only be seen as assays. They become a continuing evaluation of the nature of the given muse. Some are infinite in complexity and may require many lifetimes. Here lies the miracle of making art. Connected to the part of you that is true is the key to an eternity of somewhat pleasant frustration, occasional quality and joyous satisfaction. Not a bad job when you think of it…”

I take it that one way or another I was meant to read Roberts message, and boy was it relevant! So I will keep following my muse, even if I can only spend 5 or 10 minutes a week developing the project to the point that it comes to fruition, I know that my muse can and should be pursued for this one.

I’m not sure that the thoughts and ramblings of this very tired artist are even coherent tonight, and I do apologize for that, but I would like to thank Robert for yesterday’s newsletter and share the link to the full article inRobert’s twice weekly newsletter so that other artists can subscribe to his words of wisdom;)

Oh, and about my project? I’ll mention more when it is closer to being ready, subscribe to my “Paws in The Paint” email newsletter to receive the announcement!

Grey Ghost: Weimaraner art

Michelle — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 07:31:57 +0000

“Grey Ghost”

11″ x 14″

Artists Colour Pencil on Drafting film

Michelle Wrighton

"Grey Ghost" Weimaraner portrait by Michelle Wrighton

This colour pencil painting received an Honourable Mention at the 2007 Kelmscott Show, which was quite an honour considering that it was the only non-human artwork in its category!

LOL, I tend to walk to the beat of my own drum and don’t always follow tradition (self taught artist and all that;) I consider much of the art that I produce as ‘portraits’, the fact that they are non-human is not really relevant in my humble opinion, so I went ahead and entered this one in the ‘Portraits’ category (the rules didn’t stipulate which species the portraits had to be of, so I thought it was a reasonable option). LOL the judge either agreed with me, or was also a dog lover as well. I did win a couple of first prizes in other categories with other animal art I had entered, but the ‘Highly Commended – Portraits’ award for this one was pretty sweet;)

Paws In The Paint, Win a Print & Update

Michelle — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 08:45:03 +0000

Where has August gone? We have all been ill with quite a nasty flu virus for the last three weeks, and I was truly shocked yesterday to find its the last week of August already! After just getting over the complications with my dogs surgery, then the upheaval of the storm damage and repairs, and then tending sick kids (and hubby) and being sick myself, I am at least three months behind where I had planned to be by this time of year and havn’t finished commissions that I had planned to have wrapped up by the end of this month.

On top of that, I have carpal tunnel really bad in my right hand which is affecting my ability to use colour pencils for any length of time, so once the last couple are finished I will need to take a break from colour pencil work for a while.

LOL OK thats enough, whine over!

I am playing catch-up with emails today and tomorrow, so if you have sent me an email and I havn’t replied I will be doing so over the next day or so, then I will be a little scarse while I catch up on the commissions and some other business that I need to complete as soon as possible.

Once I have those things back under control, I will be able to list some original art for sale, including some Art Cards and ACEO’s for those who collect them. For those that have not heard of ACEO’s, I have written and article that explains these tiny treasures of the art world!

I have also added (well technically my hubby added;) a newsletter subscription to the website called “Paws in the Paint” for visitors and collectors who would like to receive email notification for advance notification of special offers, events, member only competitions and be the first to see newly completed artwork and paintings for sale before they are listed on the website.

All you need to do is enter your email address into the newsletter subscription box on the right hand side of your screen. You will receive an email that contains a link to validate your email address – this ensures that the email address you entered is correct, and also prevents anyone else from signing you up for the newsletter without your consent.

Your email address is kept strictly confidential and will not be used for any purpose other than newsletter notifications, and you may unsubscribe yourself at any time.

You can of course subscribe to my blog feed (bottom of menu at right) if you prefer to just be notified when my blog is updated.

To celebrate the birth of “Paws in the Paint” everyone who subscribes to the newsletter before 1st November will go into the running to win a free laminated art print featuring winner’s choice of my artwork or photography from RedBubble!

Oh, and don’t forget to vote for your favourite breeds that you would like to see me paint in the poll below, the Border Collies are out in front at the moment, but it will be interesting to see the most popular breeds by the time I have caught up with my work and can continue with the Best of Breed series.

Michelle

Poll: Which dog breed would you like to see me paint next?

Michelle — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 03:02:47 +0000

Although I have a number of pieces on the go at the moment, as an artist I am always looking for ideas and inspiration and take a lot of photos for future reference. I have some wonderful reference photos to choose from the following breeds, so I have decided to find out what breeds of dogs are popular with my visitors and have created a poll for you to tell me which dog breed you would like to see me paint or draw next.

Please vote for your favourite breed or breeds (up to five) from the poll below, which also appears on the right hand column of my blog.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

And on the subject of Pugs…

Michelle — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 03:23:08 +0000

Ihasahotdog.com is always good for a laugh! Kitty lovers have a look at http://icanhascheezburger.com/

Funny Dog photo

Gibbon – Portrait in Oils

Michelle — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:28:32 +0000

This is the first artwork that I have ever wanted to do more than once – the first one that I did was back in 2006 and it was a tiny ACEO (2.5″ x3.5″ Art Card). At the time I did think that a larger painting would be worth pursuing, as the reference material (courtesy of Toni-Marie Hudson) is fantastic, and one that a number of artists have attempted in a variety of different mediums. I did use two slightly different reference photos though, as I thought the slightly different angle of the face would be better for the larger format painting.

I created the ACEO in colour pencils, and this new larger portrait has been done in traditional oils on prepared mdf, to the size of 9″x12″. The painting is finished, but I won’t be adding it to the FIne Art Gallery until I have varnished it which will get rid of the gloss shine from the dried liquin that you can see in the left corner around my signature.

ACEO Gibbon 2.5"x3.5"

Gibbon in Oils 9"x12"

GIBBON INFORMATION

There are fifteen living species of Gibbon – I believe this one is a White-Handed or Lar Gibbon (Hylobates lar) and as there are many colour variants in the species their subspecies identification is often unreliable unless the provenience of the animal is known.

GIbbons are small tree-dwelling primates whose original natural habitat is the tropical and subtropical rainforests of South, Southeast and East Asia. Gibbons are yet another endangered animal – some of the 15 species of Gibbon are at the brink of extinction, and are currently only found in small populations in Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Bandladesh, NE India and Myanmar.

The primary reason for the endangered status of GIbbons is the loss of their forest habitat which is being destroyed at the horrific rate of 32 acres per minute. Unfortuantely, factors such as illegal wildlife trade, poaching and the use of their body parts in the manufacture of traditional medicine have also contributed to the demise of these beautiful creatures.

Gibbons are incredible acrobats and can swing up to 50 ft between trees at speeds up to 35mph, as well as having the dexterity to walk upright on the ground! They are one of the few monogamous primates, living in nuclear families consisting of the mated pair and their dependent offspring living in a family territory that they defend by vigorous vocal and visual displays. Gibbons are often referred to as the ’songbirds’ of the primate family and they can project their voices up to 2 miles through the rainforest canopy. The vocal displays of these musical land mammals usually consist of a duet between the mated pair, sometimes with accompaniement from their offspring.

If you would like to help with the plight of the critically endangered Silvery Gibbon, please visit The Silvery Gibbon Project to donate, purchase merchandise or become a member of this conservation organization which is a registered environmental organisation based in Perth, Western Australia.

WIP – Precious in Pink, Pug in oils

Michelle — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:27:12 +0000

I forgot that I had a progress photo of Precious on my computer. Precious’s portrait is being created with a strong contemporary feel to go with her funky and fashionable patent pink colour:) I have to admit the shine of the patent pink collar is the hardest part to get right. LOL its not something that I usually paint, but I am sure it will work out in the end.

Sorry about the flash glare on this one, oil paintings are proving as difficult to photograph as graphite!

There is still a fair bit of work to do to get Precious and her patent collar looking perfect, but I won’t be able to work on this until I get a couple of commissions wrapped up.

WIP – German Shepherd Dog in charcoal

Michelle — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 09:37:28 +0000

I have a number of pieces on the go at the moments, this pet portrait of a beautiful German Shepherd dog isn’t finished yet, but I thought I would share the progress photos to give an idea of how this portrait has developed so far. I am working to avoid just duplicating the photograph, I do want the piece to retain a definite hand drawing look, and I am experimenting a bit with ‘painting’ the charcoal rather than drawing as such.

Charcoal on drafting film approx 9″x12″ image size.

Let me know what you think so far!

I am looking for more German Shepherd models for my “Best of Breed Series”, so if you are owned by one or more of these beautiful creatures, there is some additional information here.

WIP – Rhodesian Ridgeback in charcoal

Michelle — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:54:54 +0000

I’m glad to report that the new carpet has been laid and our house is slowly returning to normal – I today I can finally step back inside my studio!

After painting for the last few pieces, I wanted to get my hand back into drawing mode so I started this Rhodesian Ridgeback as a quick experiment see how graphite works on drafting film. Drafting film is my favourite support for colour pencil work, but I have never tried it for graphite until now (very few artists use it, although I have found one artist who has been using it as a support for thirty odd years).

Photographing it proved very difficult, but I have finally managed to get a semi-reasonable digital image of this one by scanning it, it is still a work in progress, so not yet completed. Film is a really nice surface to work on, and it is more like painting in graphite and charcoal than drawing that is both good and bad, good because it allows very soft transitions of tone, bad because it is easy to lift off and smudge.

I normally only use charcoal for getting my darkest darks in my graphite work, but I found myself leaning more and more towards the charcoal with this one, and whats more, really enjoying ‘painting’ with it using a variety of tools such as chamois, tissue, cotton buds (q-tips), a watercolour brush and a make-up sponge.

Probably the best thing about drafting film though, is the ability to put a different colour paper behind the drawing. I used a cream parchment paper, and although it dosn’t show properly in the scan (think marbled/mottled cream rather than solid), the effect it gives in real life is really interesting, and something I am looking forward to experimenting a bit more with.

The reference photo was one of my own, and the drawing is approximately A4 in size and when it is finished I will probably offer prints of it at RedBubble.

The first image shows the drawing with the cream backing:

The second image shows the drawing with a white background:

I’d love to know your opinion on my experiment, and if you use drafting film for graphite and charcoal work, or would like a charcoal pet portrait of your own Rhodesian Ridgeback, I’d love to chat;)

More site updates

Michelle — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 07:55:02 +0000

The website is slowly coming together, and I am very pleased with how the site is looking so far (plus its very easy to use and maintain, which is always a bonus!) Better quality images of some of my older artwork, including some of my wearable art (handcrafted sterling silver and gemstone jewelry) has been added to the Fine Art Gallery today.

The front page is linking to the correct pages now, navigation buttons have been added to the top of the page, and a number of different style banners have been added to the LINKS page for reciprocal link exchange (the html code will be added for each shortly for those people like me who don’t know how to make an image link to a website;).

I had planned on re-scanning a few other pieces, but with all the furniture (from the carpet repairs) in my studio, I can only get one foot inside the door, so no art for me today…or for a few more days probably (my hubby is quite ill at the moment, but hopefully will recover without another hospital visit. So our plans have changed again slightly and we will be taking each hour/day as it comes until he recovers.

Galleries online

Michelle — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:05:59 +0000

Things are progressing along, the Fine Art and Photography gallery have now been added, (but they arn’t linked from the front page yet, and the slideshow isn’t working at this stage).

The links page has been set up and split into different categories so that there are not too many links on each page. The Commissions, Prints, gifts and merchandise pages are up, as is the original fine art for sale page, but I havn’t been able to add any pieces yet.

It will be a few more days that I first expected to get everything sorted out with the website, unfortunately we had storm damage from a tornado that went through our neighbourhood nearly two weeks ago and we have had to empty the furniture and contents of half of our house into the other half of the house to get the damaged carpet replaced. As much as I hate doing it, it is a good excuse to de-clutter and get rid of things we no longer use so its going to take longer to get the house re-organised than originally anticipated…great timing of course (not!) as the kids are also on holidays.

I have a number of new oil paintings that I have been working on in between the last few commissions that I have, including some wildlife – a meerkat, a lemur, a snow leopard and a few dogs – a pug, a Rhodesian Ridgeback and a German Shepherd with plans for a German Shorthaired Pointer, a Chinese Crested and a Golden Retriever, as well as a Border Collie agility piece.

At the moment thought, I can’t get into my studio due to the extra furniture that we have had to put in there, so I will post work in progress photos of them when I get the chance. And at some stage if I ever get the time, I need to add some back dated posts about a few awards my artwork won in a show I entered in October last year. I am hoping to finish up all the commissions by August so that I can focus on my own artwork for a while, so I hope there are no more unexpected interruptions in my life!

There is just not enough hours in the day!

Hello, Dust settling…

Michelle — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 08:31:10 +0000

Welcome to my new site, please bear with us while my web developer (hubby) gets things organized:)

If you have stumbled across my website during this transition stage, the Art and Photography Galleries will be online in the next few days. In the meantime, some of my older artwork can be viewed at my old website http://pencilportraits.com.au and over the next few days I hope to finish of and post the old posts that I have sitting in my draft folder!

Uh Oh! Border Collies are addictive!

Michelle — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 11:31:44 +0000

I guess some things are just meant to be. We were not looking for another dog. At all. We already have two. But as we are all besotted with Taj, hubby and I had joked that if a little white faced girl border collie needed a good home, that would be the only 3rd addition we would think about it.

Well guess what? In a very round about way, through my sister who actually has Siberian Huskies and a Koolie and has recently moved to the country, we have now adopted another Border collie, and yes she is a little girl with a white face! Her name was Jarrah, which we loved as our block is full of Jarrah trees, but once we got her home, it didn’t seem to suit her as she is small and petite, so hubby has named her Trinity (yup, he’s a matrix fan, plus she is canine-kid number three, and she has 3 black spots on her face).

Isn’t she cute? Taj is thrilled to have a baby sister. On the other hand, Tia the ice queen refuses to acknowledge her existance.

Our new family member!

Michelle — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 10:07:58 +0000

I would like to introduce the newest member of our family, a darling little Border Collie puppy that I fell in love with when he was only 4.5 weeks old. You might remember from an earlier post that I was considering an older rescue dog but one that was right for us didn’t come along until I found this little guy.

He is from an ANKC registered breeder and both his parents have been tested clear for the medical conditions that can occur in this breed (eyes, hips, elbows). His dad is a very successful Agility competitor, and one of his relatives is the Border Collie on the Better Pets and Gardens television ad (not that that makes any difference to us).

He is the most beautiful bundle of fluff and we have called him ‘Taj’ (pronounced Tarje as in the Taj Mahal). I am sure that he is going to feature in my photography on a regular basis:)

Article: Responsible Dog Ownership

Michelle — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 04:37:29 +0000

Responsible dog ownership starts BEFORE you purchase or adopt your new dog. You should spend as much time as possible researching the different breeds to find which is most suitable to you and your lifestyle, as well as individual breeders before deciding on one that will provide you with a healthy, happy puppy, and as much after sales assistance as you require.

Here are a few other things to keep in mind:

Prepare for the arrival of your new pup or dog BEFORE you bring him home ie: make sure you have the food that he is used to eating, a collar, a lead, food and water bowls, appropriate toys and a bed for him to sleep.

Obtain the telephone number of a local vet (preferably one with references from another dog owner) and stick it to your fridge permanently. It is also a good idea to have your new puppy vet checked as soon as possible as some breeders health guarantee’s, particularly for communicable diseases are only for a few days.

Contact your local council to get your dog’s licence tags(so he doesn’t get destroyed just in case he escapes and is picked up by a ranger) and for details as to Dog laws in your area. The council will also be able to advise you of areas which are suitable for exercising dogs, on and off lead.

Make sure your dog is wormed regularly (every three months for intestinal worms, as directed for heart worm) and is vaccinated yearly.

Make sure your dog receives good quality food and that fresh water is always available.

One of the most responsible things that you can do as a dog owner is take your dog to OBEDIENCE classes. Not only will your dog respond to you better, but you will also be able to socialize your dog with other dogs which is very important, and it may well save your dogs life if he gets loose on a busy street and you are able to call him back.

If you are not planning to show your dog or breed from it PLEASE have it DE-SEXED regardless of whether it is male or female. This will not only decrease the number of unwanted and abandoned puppies but can also prevent your pet from developing life threatening health problems, including infections and cancer that affect BOTH sexes.

Do not breed from your dog unless you have received an unbiased judgement on your dogs suitability from at LEAST one EXPERT breeder. The breeder you purchased your dog from would be a good place to get a judgement from and they should also be able to suggest a suitable partner (particularly a Stud dog if you have a bitch) IF your dog is suitable for breeding. You should only breed in order to improve the breed – NOT for any possible monetary gain, or because it would be a good experience for the kids

Never leave a dog in a car unattended. Dogs can die in less than ten minutes in a hot car.

If you cannot completely control your dog at all times (even if a cat runs under its nose!!) please keep it on a lead unless you are in an approved off-lead area. You may prevent your dog from being hit by a car, mauled by another dog or from being a nuisance to another person.

If your dog makes a mess in a public place – please clean it up, particularly if it is on someone’s front lawn!

Don’t let your dog wander around your neighborhood- it might get hit by a car, picked up by a ranger, mauled in a dog fight or eat poisoned bait, not to mention picking up worms and diseases.

Be courteous to other people – just because you don’t mind Rover jumping and slobbering all over you, does not mean that other people will appreciate the same treatment.

Ensure that you have a secure, well fenced yard for your dog with adequate shelter from the elements. Regularly check the fencing and repair any damaged areas that may allow your dog to escape or injure itself – also check behind shrubbery along the fence line in case your dog is digging under the fence.

The best identification is a micro-chip so that even if the dog looses his collar, he can be returned to you. Collar identification should include your local council tag, as well as an identification tag with contact information to allow for quick return if he/she gets lost. The information tags should have at least ONE telephone number, but preferably two – yours and either a friend, relative or vet in case your dog is injured – and your address (make sure you keep these current!). If your dog requires medical treatment, this can be inscribed on the tag if there is enough space and is likely to ensure your dog is returned to you quickly.

Include your dog in your will. By this, I mean you need to make provisions for the welfare and continued care of your dog in case anything happens to you. Another good idea, particularly if you live alone, is to keep a message in your wallet/purse (with your own ID) advising that you have a dog at home that needs to be cared for in case you are involved in an accident. If alternative care is unavailable for your pet, the RSPCA or other rescue organization will be able to help.

If you know that your dog is aggressive or unfriendly to people or other dogs do something about it. Keep your dog on a lead when you take it for a walk, warn other people before they get too close and seek professional training advice. In many cases, dog aggression can be avoided by proper socialization and obedience training during the puppy stage, but older dogs may need help from a canine behaviourist.

By following the simple suggestions above will help you be a responsible dog owner. And remember, as with most things a little common sense goes a long way!

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Article: How To Pick a Puppy

Michelle — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 08:17:03 +0000

Picking a Puppy – Things to Think About Before Purchasing a Dog

Well dear readers, as you know from reading my previous post Adopting a Rescue Dog we will be adding a new dog to our family sometime in the hopefully not to distant future. Although the time is not right just yet, I can’t help myself and I have been looking at different dog rescue websites and doing a bit of a dog training ‘refresher’ course (gotta be prepared – and yes I would have made a good boy scout. If I was a boy;).

It really saddens me that there are just so many dogs (and other animals) in rescue because they have been treated as if they are ‘disposable’ possessions. I know there are exceptions and some people have legitimate reasons for surrendering an animal (and that is of course a better option that dumping the poor creature somewhere), but many animals end up in rescue because their owners made irresponsible decisions before and after obtaining the animal.

How To Pick a Puppy is the first of several articles that I wrote in 1996 (which are just as relevant today) relating to responsible dog ownership, choices and behaviour that I am going to post on my blog, and I hope that they will help my readers who might also be considering a new addition to the family. If there is any important point you think I have missed, please let me know and I will add it in!

Picking a Puppy

I am a dog lover not a Dog expert, but from a number of years research, reading books, speaking to dog breeders and dog owners I believe that the following will assist you in your selection. I will make NO attempt to suggest suitable breeds, my aim is to help the prospective buyer understand that just because you like the look of a particular breed DOES NOT make it a suitable because there are many variables that need to be considered other than just the appearance of the breed.

Owning a dog is a LIFELONG commitment and there are a number of things that you should think about BEFORE you start looking to make sure you choose the breed of dog that is the right one for you. There may be MANY breeds that are not suitable for your lifestyle, and if you put a little thought into the decision you may save yourself a lot of heartache, not to mention the effects that a wrong decision may have on the poor dog. I believe that if more people thought before they bought we would not have anywhere near the number of abandoned dogs that we do. So, ask yourself these questions…..

WHY DO YOU WANT A DOG?

You need to think about the reasons that you are considering getting a dog. Do you want a companion only, a lap dog, a friend for the kids or a guard dog? What do you want to do with the dog – show, obedience training, hiking, bring in the cows for milking etc? Not all breeds are suitable for every activity.

HOW MUCH TIME PER WEEK DO YOU HAVE TO DONATE TO A DOG?

Different breeds have different time requirements in regards to exercise, grooming and training, and in a lot of breeds, skimping on time spent on the dog can have disastrous effects, for the dog, for yourself and for your possessions.

HOW BIG IS YOUR YARD AND HOW HIGH ARE YOUR FENCES?

This will determine the size of dog you should be looking at. You need to make sure that your dog is not going to be able to get out of your yard and possibly hit by a car, picked up by the pound/ranger or mauled by another dog. Don’t forget that some small breeds of dogs can jump very well. I know of several small Terriers who are able to scale six foot fences, but alternatively, some very large breeds of dogs are not very active and may do well in a small yard.

DO YOU WANT AN INSIDE OR AN OUTSIDE DOG?

This will determine not only the breed, but also the size of the dog you get. If you want an inside dog, consider the size of your house – will a large breed take up every available inch of space? Is a small but very boisterous dog likely to knock over your priceless China collection? Looks and size can be deceiving, many small breeds are not suitable for apartment living due to their activity level, while some of the larger breeds can be excellent for small houses or apartments because they are real couch potatoes.

Other breeds need human companionship and are not suitable for leaving outside all the time, neither are breeds that are not suitable for your environment due to coat length, or susceptability to heat exhaustion.

DO YOU OR ARE YOU PLANNING TO HAVE CHILDREN?

Some breeds are not recommended for young children particularly, and this is a very important question to consider. The wrong choice could permanently disfigure your child for life and result in your dog being destroyed. Unfortunately, there will always be exceptions in every breed and quite often children are not aware of the implications of fulling a dogs ears or tail, so I feel that no matter how much you may trust your dog, never leave children unsupervised with ANY dog until they are old enough to effectively command the dog – I would suggest until the early teens – depending on the child. I know many people would probably disagree with me on this point, but I personally do not think that it is worth the risk to either child or dog.

DO YOU HAVE OTHER PETS?

To avoid bloodshed of dearly loved family pets this is a good point to consider when determining which breed of dog is right for you. Some breeds get on very well with other species, but a lot DON’T so ask the breeder before you buy.

WHAT SORT OF CLIMATE DO YOU LIVE IN?

This is an important consideration for the sake of the dog and really is just common sense. Most breeds that originate in cold climates have very thick coats and will suffer terribly in very hot conditions. Likewise, breeds that have very thin coats, or in the case of some breeds that have very little body hair at all, may be particularly susceptible to the cold – they may also be susceptible to sunburn and skin cancers. If you have a climate controlled house or kennel where the dog will spend most of its time, this may not be such a problem.

HOW MUCH MONEY ARE YOU PREPARED TO REGULARLY SPEND?

Some breeds have a higher maintenance level for food, veterinary assistance, medical tests, grooming and equipment. Every dog requires food, worming, nail clipping, some level of grooming, vaccinations, hopefully sterilization unless you plan to show or breed, and every dog is at risk of unexpected illness and injury. I am not suggesting that only rich people should have dogs, but if you don’t have or are not prepared to spend a great deal of money, then maybe a long haired breed that requires clipping every six weeks and may be susceptible to ear and eye infections because of the long hair, may not be the most suitable breed for you.

WHAT TEMPERAMENT DO YOU WANT?

As with people, dogs have different temperaments, and although no dog will ever match a breed standard 100%, most characteristics, including temperament tend to appear reliably in pure bred dogs. This includes independence – some breeds are very dependant on human company and affection, while others are very independent.

HOW MUCH EXPERIENCE HAVE YOU HAD WITH DOGS?

Some breeds of dogs are very dominant and are not usually recommended for first time dog owners. This is because unless you are able to establish dominance early in puppy hood you and your dog will forever be at odds with each other (and this is NOT achieved by physical abuse). Being able to establish dominance is dependant on your understanding that dogs are pack animals and have a very strong hierarchy, and it is important to understand ‘pack logic’ from the dog’s point of view. Many interesting books and articles have been written on this topic, and it is a great idea to read a few, regardless of which breed you purchase, as they will help you to understand some of your dogs behaviour.

Once you have thought about the above points and anything else that is relevant to you and your family, you should be able to narrow your choices down by doing a bit of research. Surf through the net looking for individual breed pages and FAQ’s, read some books and contact registered Dog Breeders for information.

If you have done all of the above, here are some points when it comes to picking your puppy:

* NEVER BUY ON A WHIM!!!!!!

* NEVER Buy and animal as an unexpected gift or Christmas Present!!!

* DON’T BUY FROM A PET SHOP, PUPPY MILL OR UNREGISTERED BREEDER.

* Telephone the breeders and ask about their breed. Most will be happy to answer any questions you might have, and will advise you of the suitability of their breed to your situation. Don’t be afraid to let the breeder know if you do not have a lot of experience with dogs.

* Go and have a look at several different breeds if you are still not sure which one is right for you. This can best be achieved by attending an All Breed dog show. This will help you decide which breed you like, as well as which breeder’s dogs you prefer.

* Decide if you want a pet or a show quality pup. This may determine how long you have to wait and how much you will have to pay – show or breeding quality pups usually being fewer in number and more expensive.

* Have a look at the health of the other dog’s in the kennel. Are they lively, alert and friendly. (Don’t forget, most kennelled dogs will bark at strangers and some breeds will very rarely look friendly, but you can get a general idea – dogs that look down right viscous might not be good parents for a dog that is going to be a family pet).

* Does the kennel look clean and sanitary?

* Do the dogs react happily to the owner/handler or do they cringe away, snap or growl?

* Puppies should be nicely rounded in shape, without being overly fat or skin and bones.

* Most healthy pups will have shiny, alert eyes and healthy looking coats.

* Check that the puppies are not infested with ticks and fleas.

* Ask to see both parents. It is common for breeders to use a stud dog that they do not own, but they may have photos of the dog. Quite often, the bitch will not look in ’show condition’ after whelping a litter. The reason for this is that whelping and feeding a litter places huge demands on the bitch, so she may be a little thin (but not skin and bones), and may ‘blow’ her coat (shed) due to the hormonal changes caused by pregnancy and milk production. She should however, still appear happy, lively, confident, interact well with the owner/breeder and show no signs of illness.

* Ask the breeder if they have any references from people who have bought their puppies in the past.

* Make sure that you see all appropriate paperwork including parents pedigrees, medical certificates for tests such as hip dysplasia if this is relevant to the breed, as well as the puppies pedigree papers and vet certificate confirming worming and vaccinations. Be very sceptical of any breeder who is not willing to show you paperwork – if you are unable to see the papers, the breeder may not actually have them! Many people are not concerned about having ‘papers’ for their pet, however, you do want to make sure that if you are paying the price for a pure bred dog, then that is what you are getting. Also, if the breed that you are buying are prone to certain medical conditions, you want to make sure that the parents have been ‘cleared’ by a vet, and the puppies checked (depending on the relevant condition) to ensure that there is the smallest chance possible that the pup you buy will develop the condition.

It is also a good idea to ask to see the membership card for the canine controlling body (Kennel Council) for the state/country that you are in.

REMEMBER: It is ultimately your responsibility to research the breeds you are interested in as well as the individual breeder that you finally purchase from. While it is your right to ask as many questions as possible, it is also the breeders right (and responsibility) to ask you questions as well, so don’t be offended if the breeder gives you the third degree!

Finally, if you do not want or cannot afford a pedigree dog from a registered breeder, there are many reputable dog rescue services that you can adopt from rather than obtaining a dog from a pet shop or backyard breeder. You can obtain a dog of any age from a rescue, (pure breed or mixed) and usually the people who run the rescue will be able to give you some information about each dog they have. If you adopt a dog from a rescue, you may well save it from being destroyed, particularly the older or not so ‘pretty and cute’ dogs which usually don’t get adopted quickly. If you would really like to make a difference to a rescue dog, you might also consider giving a dog that has been mistreated and abused a comfortable, loving home for the remainder of its days – you would be amazed at the love and devotion that you will receive in return.

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Tara – Cat Pet Portrait demo Part 2

Michelle — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 03:32:34 +0000

I finally have had time to post an update of Tara’s pet portrait painting.

The first two photos are close-up views of the eyes and fur base colours.

Left eye:

Right eye: This shot also shows some of the brown tones that have been used in the base of the tabby fur.

In this next photo I have added the cream markings on her mouth and I am beginning to model the shape of her face under the white fur. Although grey colours are often used to depict white fur, using other shadow colours of the right value such as pinks, violet and lilac can add depth into the white fur without making it look dirty (which is easy to do on drafting film).

I think I forgot to mention this previously, but I intensified the strength of the whiskers in white pencil earlier on to avoid loosing them in the fur. At the end I will go back and redefine them and put shadows in where needed.

The next update will include the final version of Tara’s Pet Portrait.

Moe – Pug Pet Portrait Painting in Acrylics

Michelle — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 11:23:40 +0000

This pet portrait is an acrylic painting of Moe, a gorgeous little pug that seems to be saying “Go ahead, Make my Day”, or maybe just “This IS my happy face!” Gotta love those pups with squished wrinkly faces!

8″x10″ gallery wrapped canvas

"This *IS* my Happy Face"

cards and prints featuring this artwork can be purchased at

Pug Breed Profile

Pug dog were originally developed in China over a thousand years ago. When they were taken to Europe by the Dutch East India Company, they became a favorite breed of royalty and the aristocracy.

Pugs are a small Toy breed, with an ideal weight range of 6.3-8.1kg (14-18lbs). They have square compact bodies, wrinkled skin and tightly curled tails.

Pugs are intelligent dogs that are even tempered with a happy and lively disposition that makes them very suitable as family pets. They have short smooth coats, but are heavy shedders for their size, so regular brushing is required, as well as cleaning of the wrinkles in their face to prevent infections developing.

Pugs are an indoor breed. They are relatively inactive indoors which makes them suitable for apartment living, as long as they receive regular exercise to avoid becoming overweight. They are quite playful, however due to their short noses, Pugs can have difficulties breathing so strenuous exercise, especially in hot weather, should be avoided. They can also be prone to skin and eye problems.

If a Pug sounds like the breed for you and your family, please contact a reputable breeder in your area, or better still, a Pug Rescue group such as the following:

Pug Rescue.com United States

Pug Welfare-Rescue United Kingdom

Your Relevant Review

Michelle — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 04:51:29 +0000

Thanks “Your relevant”!

My blog has been reviewed by “Your Relevant”, a blog who’s mission it is to bring people and blogs together.

To read the full review Click Here or read reviews of other blog, click on the logo below.

Adopting a Dog

Michelle — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 04:08:36 +0000

How exciting! I started considering to getting a second dog a couple of years ago, and decided about a year ago that it was the right thing to do, unfortunately it hasn’t been the right time, but hubby and I have been discussing it and I am hoping that we will be able to adopt a new dog into our family later this year! Personally I’d get one today, but being realistic, we do need to extend our fenced area first to make room for another dog (Tia spends very little outside by herself).

I am blogging about this because I know that if I put it in writing and send it out to the universe, the right dog will come along. Yes I maybe weird but I do believe in this like that;) As it is becoming closer to being a reality, I have started looking for information and reading up on different breeds because dog ownership is a lifetime commitment, and I believe it is critically important to research and find the right breed/dog to suit your lifestyle, environment and time commitments and not make spur of the moment decisions based on a pair of liquid brown eyes imploring you to take them home!

So I thought that if I blog about the process that I am going through to find our new family member, it might a) help someone else thinking of doing the same thing and b) I’d love suggestions of breeds (mixes) that I might not have considered.

I would prefer to adopt an older rescue dog but if I was to get a puppy from a breeder, I would make sure that it was from a reputable registered breeder that carried out any medical checks, eye testing, hip/elbow x-rays for hip dysplasia etc for any medical conditions that are prevalent in the breed. While that might not guarantee a healthy puppy, it at least indicates that the breeder is interested in the breed and in breeding healthy puppies rather than in the $ they will get for selling them.

This is why it is important to research breeds before you buy, so that you know what medical tests should be conducted on the parents BEFORE they are allowed to have puppies.

I would NEVER buy a puppy from a pet shop, no matter how sorry I felt for it, or how much I wanted to save it. That may sound terrible from someone who loves animals, but buying an animal from a pet shop is supporting and encouraging a purely profit driven industry of breeding companion animals under inhumane conditions in puppy farms and mills – and yes these atrocities do happen here in Australia. As far as I am concerned pet shops should only be allowed to sell pet supplies, not animals, and that topic deserves a future post all of its own, but in the mean time, if you would like to know more, please visit Say No To Animals in Petshops

Ok, I’ll hop of my soapbox now.

Back to my original topic, not making a spur of the moment decision has really given me plenty of time to consider the important things that will (or won’t) make an individual dog suitable for our family.

First and foremost, with children aged 6-12 years, one female, couch potato Shar-Pei and two cats (one is very timid, hates our other cat and both love our dog) and all three are inside pets. Therefore, especially if its an older dog, our new family member *must* be kid and animal friendly. Gentle and well mannered. We have a lot of wildlife around and I’d like to get a couple of chooks next year as well, so we will be looking at an older dog without a prey drive, although it is easier to train a puppy when it is young, as long as the drive is re-directed in appropriate ways.

Mixed breed or purebreed, either would be ok. I do have a slight preference for male dogs (from previous experience), but gender is not that important. I like big dogs (think mastiffs, dogue de bordeaux and Irish Wolfhounds), but medium size is definitely more appropriate. Short coat preferred, although feathering or medium length would be ok, I’m not sure I am up for daily grooming for a rough collie or old english sheepdog type coat.

House trained would be a big bonus, especially as an adult would be easier than a puppy. The kids would like a dog that likes water and plays fetch for hours with a ball – our shar-pei Tia dosn’t think she is a dog, I think she would actually prefer to have been a cat and I am hoping that another dog in the house will allow her to discover her ‘doggy-ness’. It would be great to have a dog that likes going in the car to the beach (where I am sure Tia will sit on her towel and just watch!).

Exercise wise, we live in a very quite street on just over half an acre, so plenty of room to run around…although it is not all fenced so a dog that is happy to follow the kids as they play rather than being interested in exploring the neighborhood would be great. Ability for off lead excersize (bushwalking, dog beach) is a bit of a priority as well. Now I know that is a training issue, but in general, it does rule out many breeds such as sight hounds and many terriers. Daily walks are fine (at some stage I would like to start jogging again) but a high energy dog that requires five hours running a day would not be suitable due to time constraints.

I work from home, so the animals arn’t left for long periods of time, 5-6 hours occasionally is the maximum time I am away from home. This also means I have plenty of time for training, and I have experience with obedience training (trained my ACD to competition level although we never actually did competition). I would also attend obedience training if necessary, but feel quite capable of doing it myself.

Personality: Definitely looking for a gentle affectionate dog that is willing and eager to please rather than an independent thinker that needs 24 hour a day mental stimulation.

Border Collies have been a definite consideration, but this rules out many older dogs in rescue with true BC natures that have not been looked after and trained properly, so maybe a BC cross. I love Australian Cattle Dogs, although not all of them would fit the criteria unfortunately, but maybe an individual dog or a cross would. Kelpie or Kelpie cross is also on the list. I can see a pattern developing here. I think its the devotion that I have experienced and seen from working dog breeds I have owned or known.

Does anyone have any other suggestions? I would love to hear other peoples experiences (both good and bad) with adopting an older rescue dog into their family. And if you know of any good information websites, please let me know.

Cheers

Michelle

Tag! Your It!

Michelle — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 06:02:22 +0000

Its’ tagging time! Johann The (Agility) Dog tagged me!

There are four simple rules:

1. Each player starts with seven random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog post with their seven things as well as these rules.
3. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog.
4. Remember to leave a comment for them letting them know they have been tagged and to read your blog.

Seven Random Facts About Me:

I hate peas and beans. Unless the peas are in Chinese Food.
I went to University.
I get seasick on yachts but not powerboats.
I am shark-a-phobic.
I have curly hair.
I just gave my dog a bath because she was stinky.
I would love to go trekking in Nepal.

Seven Blogs I have tagged:

Tara – Cat Macro pet portrait WIP on drafting film

Michelle — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 05:27:09 +0000

This pet portrait of our cat Tara is my latest challenge – rendering white fur on drafting film with color pencils and acrylic. The look on her face in the reference photo is priceless and very typically a disdainful ‘Tara’ look. One of the most important things about choosing a suitable reference photo to create a pet portrait from, is making sure that you select a photo that shows the animals personality. Tara is not your average friendly physically affectionate cat, and to portray her as one wouldn’t be accurate to her personality!

There is a good reason for her attitudes to humans though. Tara and her litter mates were dumped in the bush as kittens when they were 6-8 weeks old, and seven years later she still hasn’t totally overcome her fear and mistrust of humans. Even though she is quite attached to our family in her own way, she is very timid, dosn’t like to be touched or picked up and this winter is the first year that she has been willing to come inside and even sleeps on the foot of our bed. It has taken a lot of gentle persistence and as long as we don’t push her to do anything she dosn’t want to do, she seems to be quite happy being close to us without being a lap cat.

This is a cropped version of my reference photo.

In this first image below, I have painted the eyes of her pet portrait using a variety of cream, jasmine, several green pencils and some reddish browns and dark green for the shadow areas. The pupils have been done with indigo and black prismacolors and the highlights with white and light blue. I have also started to block in the lightest highlights with white, using pencil strokes in the direction and length of the fur in each area.

Now I have started modelling the nose with creams, pinks and pinkish browns and black grape for the darker shadows, with tiny amount of indigo over the black grape for teh darkest areas.

Now I have started to introduce the browns and creams as the basis of the tabby pattern on her head. I have also strengthened her whiskers with very firm pressure with the white pencil so that I don’t loose them as the fur develops.

After using dark brown and chocolate with some black grape I have very sparingly ticked in some black hairs in the darkest areas.

And that’s where I will leave it for today, make sure to add my blog to your RSS feeds to see when this portrait is updated.

In the meantime, if you need a good cat related laugh today, have a look at this rather humorous captioned cat photoblog I came across http://icanhascheezburger.com

Bye for now!

“I’ll Scratch Your’s” Horse buddies

Michelle — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 01:50:25 +0000

This is another quick experiment on drafting film, in this one I have pushed the drafting film to the limit to see how much pigment it will hold and I have also experimented with a more painterly approach and burnished the whole lot thoroughly!

Its not quite the result I was aiming for (it needs more layers but there is no more tooth left in the film), but at least my eight year old horse mad daughter loves it:)

I actually completed this one before starting the Weimaraner pet portrait, so I hope I learned enough from doing this one to get the result I am aiming for with the Weim. I did enjoy doing this one and the journey is sometimes more important than the destination, so it was worth it.

I keep getting asked asked to do more horse art, so keep an eye out for them in the future!

Cheers

Michelle

Weimaraner Pet Portrait – Grey Ghost WIP

Michelle — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 13:36:07 +0000

This is the first pet portrait I have done of a Weimaraner. I am creating this one with a slightly looser, more “painterly” style rather than my normal “include every hair” level of detail.

This is on drafting film (I doubt that I will ever go back to any other support! using colour pencils, mostly Derwents, Prismacolors and the odd FC Polychromos.

As usual, I sketch in the basic landmarks, work the eyes to about 90-95% completion (if I don’t get them right, the rest of the portrait will not come together) and the establish the highlights.

In the next photo, I have started to work in the shadow areas on the chest and body using a French Grey (sorry I can’t remember the % of FG, I tend to work intuitively with the colours, and rarely keep a track of the colours I am using).

I prefer to have a full range of values in my artwork, this can sometimes be a challenge with images like this one where there is fairly strong backlighting. We’ll see if I can pull it off;)

In the next image I have added some indigo to deepen the shadow areas.

Now I have started working in the midtones on the chest and body, working on the shapes for the different values rather than focusing on individual hairs.

I have continued building the chest and body with a variety of pinks, mauves, purples and french greys. The lips have been done with browns, pinks, light purple and black grape for the shadow area. I’ve also started the background using a variety of soft subtle greens. While a stronger background would definitely make the dog ‘pop’, I really want to portray the soft, loving side of the Weimaraner, so I have deliberately chosen more subtle colours.

A few more layers have been added to the background and I have started the first layers on the face and nose, which is looking a little wonky in this image, probably because I took the photo at an angle to avoid reflection of the drafting film.

Thats the last update I have at the moment for this pet portrait. I’m having fun experimenting with a slightly different style, and would love to know what you think, so please leave a comment!

Until I return with another update, here is some information on the Weimaraner breed, just in case your interested!

Weimaraner Breed Profile

Country of Origin: Germany

Colour: Silver-grey

Coat type: There are two coat types, the Short haired which is smooth and sleek and the long haired variety which have a soft medium length top coat, with long feathering on the ears, tail and breeching and moderate feathering on the legs, belly and chest.

Temperament: Alert, affectionate, willing, obedient (when trained) dedicated and devoted to their family, love being the centre of attention.

Group: Gun Dog

Size: Dogs 59-70 cm and bitches 57-65 cm.

Weight: dogs – 30 to 40 kg, bitches – 25 to 35 kg

Original Purpose: Originally bred as a versatile hunting dog, and they are still used for this purpose today.

The Weimaraner is good natured and totally devoted to his owners, although they can be aloof with strangers. Affectionately known as the ‘grey ghost’, the Weimaraner is one of the worlds most versatile hunting dog that is able to point, retrieve, track and hold at bay. They are highly intelligent and excel in Obedience and Agility trials, and make wonderful companions if they are allowed to be a part of the family and are given an outlet for their intelligence.

Weimaraners need contact and companionship with their owners and are an energetic breed that needs lots of physical and mental stimulation to avoid boredome problems developing. The coat requires minimal regular grooming to remove dead hair (more frequent during coat changes) as well as regular ear cleaning, nail clipping and dental care.

Weimaraners are beautiful dogs – but that dosn’t make them suitable for everyone, so if you are considering adding one of these gorgeous dogs to your family, make sure you thoroughly research the breed and spend time getting to know them to make sure they are the right breed for you and your lifestyle.

Wildlife Art “Wise One” Orangutan in Acrylics

Michelle — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 01:16:08 +0000

I painted this Orangutan in acrylics some time ago, but havn’t managed to get a very good photo of it yet, so I think I may have to have it professionally scanned before I can offer prints for sale to help support Orangutan conservation. I am planning on doing a few more portraits of these beautiful creatures for the same purpose when I locate suitable reference photos.

“Wise One”

18″x24″, Acrylics on Gallery wrapped canvas

Cards and prints featuring this artwork can be purchased at

Orangutan Information:

Orangutans are a critically endangered species that desperately need our help to stop poaching and to protect their rainforest habitats which are being destroyed for palm oil plantations – without major intervention Sumatran Orangutans will be extinct in the wild by 2010, and Bornean Orangutans will be extinct in the wild by 2015.

Orangutans are highly intelligent primates that are one of our closest relatives being 97% genetically identical to humans. The orangutan is the only great ape that comes from Asia (gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos all come from Africa). The two species of ornagutan are the Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) and the Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus). Sumatra is the largest island in Indonesia and Borneo is the island above Java in central South East Asia and is divided between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.

Oranguatan’s have a lifespan in the wild of 35-40 years, although in captivity they can live into their fifty’s. They reach puberty at about 8 years of age, but females arn’t ready to reproduce until they are in their teens. Orangutans have the longest period of dependence on their mothers of any animal in the world and the babies nurse until they are about six years of age. In order to learn all the skills needed for their survival, males stay with their mothers for a few more years, but the females stay even longer so that they can learn the mothering skills by watching their mother raise their younger sibling.

Orangutans have the longest time between reproduction of any other mammal – only once every eight years which means that females will only have 4 or 5 babies in their lifetime. This is why wild orangutan populations will not recover from poaching and habitat destruction without major intervention.

When reproductions of this painting are available for purchase, a percentage of the profit from each sale will be donated to the Australian Orangutan Project, a non-partisan organization that supports many orangutan conservation organizations. The AOP is non-partisan and funds are distributed due to conservation needs only. There is only one part time administrator, but as no salaries are paid to the many volunteers who work for AOP, a very high percentage of donations go straight to the organisations that are involved in the active welfare of Orangutans habitat protection.

Australian Orangutan Project Website

Please support the Australian Orangutan Project either by making a donation, adopting and orangutan, becoming a member or purchasing some of the beautiful orangutan merchandise from the AOP shop including toys, books, greeting cards, t-shirts and more.

ImageKind Art Prints Gallery

Michelle — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 12:42:22 +0000

I have just opened a Gallery on Imagekind, a US based print on demand service that allows you to purchase fine art prints from as little as $12.74US for prints which can be customized and ordered with millions of combinations of frames, museum quality papers, canvas types, and sizes.

Giclee Technology

Giclee is a form of fine art printing which is superior to any previous form of inkjet printing. Giclee is a French word that means a spray of liquid, which possibly derived from the word “gicleur” meaning “nozzle” or “to squirt.”

The giclee printing system allows a precise level of color representation and ImageKind offers eight different paper types and two different canvas types that are widely used in the visual art world for prints and paintings, look tremendous, and will last for years.

Examples of framed ImageKind prints:

Final: We Three Kings Part II – Lion

Michelle — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 03:53:17 +0000

I nearly forgot to post an update with the final of my lion, so here he is, Part II of “We Three Kings”, 8″x8″, artist colour pencil on drafting film.

I’m not surprised that more and more colour pencil artists are starting to use drafting film for their work. I am now absolutely convinced that drafting film is the perfect support for use with colour pencils, at least with my style and technique. It is definitely not easy to use initially, and it handles totally different to any other support that I have worked with (it dosn’t take as many layers so you really have to make each mark count!), but the results as definitely worth it, so I will be doing a lot more work on film in the future!

Cards and prints featuring this artwork can be purchased at

WIP & Final – Blink Cat Pet Portrait on Drafting Film

Michelle — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 08:27:18 +0000

This colour pencil and acrylic portrait of Blink, a beautiful cat owned by a fellow artist, was also created on drafting film. I love this up-close-and-personal, larger than life composition, where the main focus is on the eyes – in this case the eyes are huge, 2″x 1.5″ in size, while the whole artwork is about 10″x9″ in size.

I’m updating this to add some photos of this one in progress as quite a few people have trouble believing its not a photograph, even though I have cropped the painting to include some of the blank paper at the bottom:) I keep a small camera next to my easel and document the progress of nearly all the pieces that I create.

Cat portrait Work In Progress 1

Cat portrait Work In Progress 2

Cat portrait Work In Progress 3

Cat portrait Work In Progress 4

Cat portrait Work In Progress 5

And the final Image, I added some of the white whiskers in white acrylic, as the drafting film was loaded with cp pigment. Please let me know what you think of “Blink”!

Cards and prints featuring this artwork can be purchased at

We Three Kings – Part I – Tiger

Michelle — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 03:45:12 +0000

Yes, I know this post is out of order:) better late than never, right?

This is the first in my big cat triptych, “We Three Kings”, and my first experiment with using colour pencils on drafting film. I started with a much more detailed sketch than I normally do because I my focus was on learning how to use this support (it handles very differently to any other support that I have tried).

I did find that not all drafting films are created equal:( Although the type I used for this tiger was excellent for the pigment saturation and luminosity it allowed, unlike other types of drafting film, although it erased easily, I could not get much pigment back into the erased areas….making erasing mistakes impossible!

Considering this was an experiment, I am very pleased with how he turned out. Oh and if you are wondering about the title – I didn’t actually start out planning to do a Big Cat triptych, but the night I finished this one I was laying in bed when the title popped into my head (actually, titles for my artwork rarely pop gently into my head, they usually hit me like a sledgehammer;). I knew instantly that the next one in the series would be the lion, but I am still not sure who will be the third king cat. Watch this space to find out!

Work In Progress shot 1:

Work In Progress shot 2:

Work In Progress shot 3:

Final: “We Three Kings part I: Tiger”

I’d love to know what you think of him!

Cards and prints featuring this artwork can be purchased at

Shiba Inu and Shar Pei Pet Portraits

Michelle — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 07:43:23 +0000

Two new dog breed portraits have now been added to the Dogs gallery, a Shiba Inu and another Shar-Pei (I just can’t resist wrinkles!). Both of these are color pencil/acrylic on drafting film.

Suki - Shiba Inu Pet Portrait

Aspen - Shar-Pei Painting

Buy Art prints and cards featuring this artwork from

WIP We Three Kings – Part II

Michelle — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 03:00:30 +0000

I cannot believe how quickly 2007 is flying by! I have quite a few blog entries sitting in my ‘draft’ folder waiting to be finished off so that I can upload them, but life just seems to keep getting in the way! Hopefully by the end of August things will have settled down a little bit around here! Of course, when I finally get to upload them they are going to be out of order, so I might have to rationalize and give some of them a miss!

Meanwhile, to add to my wildlife art portfolio, this is the second piece in the ‘We Three Kings’ series, a square format triptych of three of the big cats, the first was the Tiger, this work in progress is of the second in the series, the lion. I am still undecided on the third one because I would like to do a snow leopard, a cheetah and a jaguar but I can’t decide which one to do first!

After trying drafting film as a support for my colour pencil work, I think I have found the perfect combination of medium and support to suit my style and technique. It is rather tricky to work with initially (definitely different to any other support I have tried) but I am particularly pleased with the vibrancy and luminosity that colour pencils have on the drafting film.

These photos were taken on my easel to avoid camera flash so they are at a bit of an angle.

8″x8″ with a variety of artist quality colour pencils.

Prints and gift items with this image will be available from my RedBubble Gallery and my Cafe Press Gift Shop when the painting is completed.

Michelle

A variety of wall art, gift ware and apparel featuring my artwork is available in my
GiftShop at CafePress.

My CafePress Giftshop items

Michelle — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 08:25:44 +0000

This is a small selection of the merchandise printed with my artwork and photography available in my giftshop at CafePress. These items are wonderful and unique gifts for either yourself or your favourite animal lover!

If you are commissioning a portrait of your favourite pet, the completed portrait can also be made available for purchase on the items in my GiftShop at CafePress at no extra charge.

Coffee Mugs and Tile Boxes

Mouse Mats and Throw Pillows

Framed Prints and Badges

Cards

Apparel

Calenders and Wall Clocks

Journals and a variety of clothing styles

A variety of wall art, greeting cards and t-shirts featuring my art and photography, is also available in my RedBubble Gallery. Purchases can be made in different currencies (USD, Euro, GBP, AUD) and shipped shipped worldwide.

RedBubble Gallery

Michelle — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 02:37:43 +0000

RedBubble now offers worldwide shipping and can handle different currencies – USD, Euro, GBP, AUD!

Currently RedBubble offers giftcards, wall art including laminated prints, mounted, canvas and framed to order prints, as well as high quality t-shirts. Here are a few examples of the items that can be purchased with my artwork and photography.

Gift Cards

Laminated Prints

Framed Prints in choice of colours and styles

Purchases can be made in different currencies (USD, Euro, GBP, AUD) and shipped shipped worldwide.

Shipping costs from RedBubble depends on the destination and the item(s) being shipped. But here are a few rough rules of thumb for shipping and handling:

large framed print: USD 12 to 15 Euro 9 to 11 GBP 6 to 8 AUD15 to 18
t-shirt USD 4 to 5 Euro 3 to 4 GBP 2 to 3 AUD 5 to 6

To purchase a variety of wall art, greeting cards and t-shirts featuring my art and photography, Please visit my RedBubble Gallery.

A variety of wall art, gift ware and apparel featuring my artwork is available in my
GiftShop at CafePress.

Gilley – Rescue Greyhound Dog Pet Portrait

Michelle — Tue, 15 May 2007 13:17:50 +0000

This is a small acrylic painting I am working on of Gilley, a rescue Greyhound from the UK. Greyhounds have the most beautiful, liquid, expressive eyes that are an absolute joy to paint. As a breed, Greyhounds have such a regal bearing that the deep purple background seemed appropriate for Gilley’s Pet Portrait.

With these smaller paintings, I am really trying to loosen up and capture the essence of the animal without being totally pre-occupied with capturing every last detail like I normally do in my pencil portraits.

I usually do my initial sketch on paper then transfer it to the canvas, but I thought I would just sketch straight onto the canvas this time.

But graphite on canvas dosn’t erase very well, so next time I will transfer my sketch the usual way.

Gilley’s face still need some more work and I need to finish painting the sides of the canvas as I have the painting continueing around the edges.

(8″x10″, acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas)

Michelle

My prints at RedBubble

Michelle — Tue, 08 May 2007 03:59:21 +0000

RedBubble.com is a new Australian online Art Gallery and Creative Community where you can purchase high quality prints and t-shirts with artwork, photography and digital imagery submitted by a gallery full of Australian artists.

I have recently set up my own gallery at RedBubble so that I can offer prints of some of my artwork and photography for sale. I will also be able to offer prints and t-shirts (and other products as they become available) of commissioned art to my clients.

Please click here to visit my RedBubble Gallery.

I only have a couple of images available for sale right now, but will be adding more as soon as I have a chance to re-scan images at a higher resolution than I use for display on my website gallery.

At the moment it is only for deliveries within Australia, but I am sure that in time, Red Bubble will expand to include many more items that will be available for purchase worldwide.

I have contemplated opening a store at Cafepress for a long time, and once I have my RedBubble gallery up and running I will probably look into Cafepress again.

Michelle

WIP3 Black Labrador Painting – Nearly Finished!

Michelle — Sun, 06 May 2007 11:28:26 +0000

I’ve managed to grab a few hours here and there to get some more work done on Poppy.

Basically just adding more thin layers and creating depth in the fur using paynes grey, ultramarine, burnt umber and some reddish brown mixes.

Also adding more thin glazes to the grass to blend the background, adding individual blades of grass and flowers stalks and a few flower buds using different greens mixed with some of the darker paint used in the dogs fur.

I’ve also started to add to the flowers to create the shadows and highlights that will give them form. The flowers are proving to be the biggest challenge, partly because I am working from several different reference photos because I don’t know what poppies look like in detail and because none of the photos have the flowers as I want them, I am basically making it up as I go:)

In the image above, I’ve started to add the darkest paint to turn Poppy into a black dog. The trick here is to avoid making her look like a big black blob! The highlights in her eyes really make her come alive on the canvas.

In this last photo, Poppy is finally looking like a Black Labrador, even though she still needs a fair bit more work. And I think she needs some liposuction on those lips, so I will have to post another update, and hopefully the final image, when she has had that necessary face lift, and had her whiskers added!

Michelle

Poppy WIP2 – Progress of a labrador Painting

Michelle — Tue, 01 May 2007 12:44:51 +0000

I have done a bit more modelling of Poppy’s face and have started on her eyes. It takes many thin glazes (layers) of paint of various shades of browns and golds to achieve the luminous liquid look of animal eyes, but having made a start on her eyes, Poppy is starting to come to life.

In this next progress shot, I have done a bit more work on the field and have started to add in the red poppy flowers. I’ve also continued with the modelling of her face and started the basic underpainting on her body. Obviously the underpainting is just blocking in shapes (shadows and lights) to create the form of her body before the detail starts to go on in the top layers. I’ve also added some purple to the paynes grey to tie the background in with the dog’s fur, to give depth to the darkest shadows and to start creating some of the red highlights that are apparent in the reference photo of the black labrador retriever that I am using. Thats a handy co-incidence that will work well to tie in the colours in the dog with the background:)

This painting is in a very, very ugly stage that seems to be lasting forever. As much as it looks like it now, this will not be an abstract painting of a dog when it is finished. LOL – at least I hope not!

I am working this painting in the same way that many oil painters use – multiple thin glazes of colour, so it is pretty time consuming. This has taken about 16 hours so far and I would say has at least that many more to go.

Michelle

Poppy – Black Labrador Work In Progress

Michelle — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 02:06:28 +0000

This is a painting I am working on in between commissions for my own portfolio – it might seem a bit strange but I have very few pieces of my own artwork to show clients because most of the work I have done over the past few years have been sold. Which of course is a good thing, but I would also like to enter a few competitions and can’t do that when I keep selling everything, so hopefully over the next few months I can add a few pieces (at least six) to my own collection here and there.

I’d also like to experiment with a much looser style and try out some more landscapes if I get a chance. To help keep me motivated to achieve these goals, I’ve joined in the Australian Art Forum’s Winter Challenge with will run from 1 May to 1 September.

It seems that most artists that paint with a high degree of realism tend to produce pet portraits with traditional landscapes or portrait backgrounds, and those artists that paint in a bold contemporary style usually don’t paint in highly realistic detail. I would like to pursue a slightly different direction with some of my artwork, although I don’t think I will ever move away from my realistic and ‘up close and personal’ style, I want to explore combining that with modern contemporary backgrounds. Bright bold background colours and landscapes full of beautiful saturated colours that border on the real/surreal/hyper real. Will it work? Can it be done? LOL, who knows, but I am sure it will be fun to find out:)

This one is likely to take a while to complete as I am fitting it in between commissions. ‘Poppy’ is 16″x20″ on gallery wrapped canvas. This is a big experiment as acrylic is a new medium that I am teaching myself how to use. The thing I love about being self-taught is that you can try new and unusual techniques because no ‘expert’ teacher has deemed there is a right way and a wrong way.

Personally, I think as long as you use good quality artist’s materials, you can’t go far wrong by simply experimenting to find out what works (or dosn’t) for you:)

So here goes my experiment with ‘Poppy’. I’ve deliberately chosen to offset the black labrador to the right hand side of the canvas, and to use a landscape orientation rather than portrait. My vision for this one is to have the dog sitting a a field of red poppies. So I have to learn how to paint flowers as well, which will be fun:)

The first image shows my sketch of the Poppy, and the beginning of the background field, which has been created with many thin glaze layers of paint which has taken about 3.5 hours so far.

The next progress shot shows how I have started to block in the main shapes (shadows and highlights) in the underpainting using various dilutions of paynes grey.

More work on the underpainting and additional glazes on the background.

Stay tuned for the next updates on Poppy!

Michelle

Article: Animal Rescue – Charity Donation Program

Michelle — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 07:20:12 +0000

There are so many animals of different kinds that end up in Rescue due to abandonment or abuse worldwide, not to mention the huge number of wild animal species affected by human behaviour and destruction of habitats. Most of the Rescue and Charity Organizations that help theses animals depend solely on donations to help them continue with their work.

While I have supported various animal charities for many years, I guess like many animal lovers, Ive always wanted to be able to do more to help more of these organizations continue with their wonderful (and desparately needed) work. The problem of course is that there are so many worthwhile animal charities that need help, from dogs and cats to native Australian animals, tigers, pandas, wolves and endangered wildlife worldwide, how is it possible to help all those in need of financial assistance?

I am happy to create and donate artwork for fundraising purposes, however due to the time it takes to create my very detailed portraits, there is a limit to how many I have time to fit into my schedule. Also, rather than donate to just a couple of organizations I would like to help as many as possible as possible, and so I have come up the idea of an “Art for Animal Rescue” Referal Program in which $15.00 AU of each paid pet portrait commission referred to me by any organization in the program will be donated back to that organization.

A selection of different size website links, banners and graphics are available for Groups to use on their website or newsletter, and a small poster promoting my “Art for Animal Rescue” program can be sent out for display on a noticeboard if the group has a public facility.

The program is open to non-profit, no-kill groups, including animal breed clubs that do rescue work, wildlife groups and registered charities. International organizations/rescue groups are welcome to join the program (must be able to accept payment through Paypal).

If you would like to support your local animal charity, please ask them to sign up for my “Art for Animal Rescue” program so that I can support them to.

Michelle

Greyhound Painting

Michelle — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 04:18:03 +0000

This is my latest painting of a gorgeous rescue Greyhound “Teddy”. Rendering his fur realistically was a bit of a challenge. I will probably leave this for a few days then make some minor adjustments before varnishing it.

This one is acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas.

Michelle

Shar-Pei Pet Portrait WIP Acrylic Painting

Michelle — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 03:54:50 +0000

This is the first full acrylic painting I have done using Art Spectrum Colourfix paper as the support (I usually only use for acrylic to paint the background or underpainting then add the details with colour pencil). This one of ‘Kruger’ is 9″x12″.

This support seems to work exceptionally well to help portray the bristly nature of the Shar-Pei fur (although their coat’s look soft and silky, they are actually a bit harsh and prickly!).

I get so involved when I am painting that I always forget to stop and take photos so that I can post a work in progress post, but I managed to get a couple this time, the first is the initial sketch, the second with a partial underpainting and then the final portrait.

This Shar-Pei pet portrait features on dog breed merchandise such as stationery, clothing, prints, greeting cards, tote bags and more.

Michelle

What a year

Michelle — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 20:14:58 +0000

I can’t believe this year has gone so quick. It hasn’t been very easy so far though, as we had a death in the family, and my husband was hospitalized with a serious medical condition he has that flares up every now and then, not to mention the broken nose my little girl got playing t-ball.

However, I finally feel that I am able to climb out of the cloud that has surrounded me for the last few months and throw myself back into my art, which is always wonderful therapy, so stay tuned for lots of new artwork including animal charity donations that I am planning!

Michelle

Cat and Dog Photography – Photoshop transformations

Michelle — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 00:49:23 +0000

Taking nice photographs of pets and other animals is the easy part when you know how - part of it involves taking hundreds at a time:). That’s the best thing about digital cameras, taking hundred’s of photos every day isn’t expensive like it was in the days of film.

But learning to take good photographs is only the start , you really need to learn how to use a good graphics program like Photoshop, or at least that’s what I tell myself after I’ve spent *another* three hours playing with a photo;) Seriously though, there are so many cool effects that you can do with graphics programs that it is so worth the time and effort that it takes to learn how to use them.

Generally speaking, it is always better to get everything with the lighting, pose and background as perfect as possible before you take the photo. But sometimes with animals that is just not possible – especially when photographing cats. If you have a cat, well then you know that cats just do what they want when they want and you really just have to work with them rather than against them. Ha ha – otherwise you end up with a cat-astrophe!

The first photo below is an original photo of one of our cat’s, Tara and is a good example of the background not being perfect. Tara is not a particularly affectionate cat and she really does not like having her photo taken so good photos of her are few and far between (actually, that is an understatement, judging by her reaction when she sees it, I am sure she thinks that the camera is some sort of cat-torture-device!).

However, I managed to snap this photo of her as she was running away from my camera/cat-torture-device only because she stopped to give me this look of disgust:)

Unfortunately, in the photo it looks like she has a stick growing out of her ear and under her chin.

Thank goodness for Photshop because I was able to remove the stick that was growing out her ear, as well as the bit under her chin. I also burned the background edges to focus more on Tara’s face and I lightened her eyes just a tad. Viola! Now I finally have a photo of Tara worth having enlarged and framed!

In a similar fashion, using the clone stamp, healing brush and blur tools of various diameter I was also able to remove the collar and tags from this photo of Jess, and then burn in a black background so that the focus is now directly on Jess. Oh yeah, and I removed the gooby drool hanging from her bottom lip (the Schmacko’s made her do it!)

Taking a photo from this…

To this….

Although I really need to put a white border around it so that the edge of the photo shows up against the black of this page.

I’ve always believed that Photography is in itself an artform, and just like photography, using a graphics program to enhance or improve photos is just like learning to use another art medium (like pastels or oil paint). At some stage in the future I’d really like to explore abstract nature photography combined with digital manipulations because I think that the possibilities for creating unique art would be endless, and a lot of fun. Course I will have to work out how to fit another three or four days into the week just to find the time:)