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Foxy

Foxy (2/2000-9/2013)

Foxy was a spunky mix of terrier/spaniel raised by Ritchie. I only got to know her in her later years, but even as an old lady at 13 she was a puppy at heart, racing around and ready to play. She is probably one of the cutest and smartest dogs ever, and as much as we search I doubt another pup could be like her. Fox is a great friend, that although lost will always be with us.

 In this pic Ritchie and I spent Thanksgiving in San Luis Obispo, where Fox hiked with us up Bishop's Peak. She was a welcome guest at the hostel too. Everyone liked her so much that they took pictures of her and cut our heads out!!

Fox was such a great dog that she would chew up food for another old dog that was losing its teeth. She used to live outside, but won the hearts of the whole family and made her way into the house. Eventually she had a whole sofa to herself, not to mention rights to the bed!

My reference pic for the painting. We could usually find her lounging outside in a shady spot. Her favorite location was under the bush by the silk tree, which I chose for the setting.

I started with a sketch and painting en plein air. First a simple yellow background was laid down in the negative space.

Moving forward, the bush was painted, then Fox, then the succulents in the foreground. It took a decent amount of work to get Foxy's proportions just right, and to really catch that spark in her eye.

All of the plants were outlined and accented. I love the way this painting turned out with a perfect balance between realism and pattern/design. It was fun to transition from painting the plants with free brushstrokes and working outdoors, to the challenge of painting from a photograph with more specific proportions and complex shapes. Now this little dog is always with us in her special garden!

Capstone!

Well, after very many days spent painting, the capstone project was a success. It was great to see so many people come out to the event, and to see everyone's final projects in all of their glory. Now I am a graduate at last! It is time to find a new home for these paintings.

Capstone Sneak Preview!

Hunt: The Monterey Shorelife is a series of large scale paintings depicting local wildlife as they search for food. The inspiration for this project comes from kayaking and surfing in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and watching animals hunt with intense energy and skill. With this series, I place humans into the ecosystem because of our dependence on the oceans and our impact on this habitat.

This capstone is the culmination of my studies at CSUMB as an Integrated Studies and Special Major student, combining Environmental Science with Visual and Public Art. Beyond graduating, I hope to find opportunities in illustrating scientific topics for museums, magazines, or aquariums, in order to continue learning science and continue sharing my artistic skills with the world!

Hunt will be presented on Friday, May 17 from 11AM-3PM in Building 70 on the CSUMB Campus. This event also hosts ASYMMETRIC, the compilation of projects from VPA Capstone Students. Come see the amazing talent of my fellow students!

Here is a sneak peak at what I have been working on since January:

 Squid in Motion

 The rocky reef

Progression of Bait-ball painting

 Ritchie helping me build the stretcher bars!

 The early stage of Great Egret Painting!

Pelicans.. round 2

I have recently completed my first piece for my Capstone/graduation project, a painting of Brown Pelicans diving into the ocean. My inspiration for this came from watching these birds dive so gracefully and energetically into the water to feed, while kayaking in Elkhorn Slough. I still love seeing them glide along waves while surfing too. Gotta love the pelicans!! This painting is 4.5' across and 8' long, done in acrylic paints on unstretched canvas. I laid down the background first, then painted the individual birds on top of that.

Stay posted for five more energy/hunt/wildlife themed paintings by May! When I am done with the set they will be up for sale!

Anastasiya

Elephant/Peacock

Here is a painting of an elephant with peacock feathers. The idea was my mom's. It was fun to do, and I used some shimmery metallic paint to give the feathers that shine they need. I started this almost a year ago and didn't get back to it until about two days ago. Everything gets finished.... eventually. It has been a rough summer for art between working full time and playing outside, but I'm back into it now!

Next Project: Tipi
Then: Capstone (to graduate!)

Surfboard Painting

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