Latest and Greatest

2008 by Lea Keohane. All Rights Reserved.

I just finished painting this little gentleman yesterday. Today I got to go to Rose City Vet Clinic to pass it off to Becky, the person who commissioned the portrait. You may also remember her adorable dog that I painted earlier this year:

2008 by Lea Keohane. All Rights Reserved.

Becky is the sweetest! She is so happy with her portraits, she's waiting to get a photo of her 3rd baby for me to do another commission. I was also really exited to find that all of the portrait flyers I'd left at the clinic had been taken, so I left a few more and talked to another employee and one of their customers about having their pet's portraits done too! Yay for networking!

When I started out with this portrait venture, I was really nervous, as I normally paint people (of course, I am also doing people portraits!!). I know that I have very good drawing and painting skills, but still my confidence wavered as I moved into a new realm. Honestly, I wasn't even sure whether or not I would like painting pets! But with each new commission I find it more and more enjoyable. It is so much fun to capture the expression in these furry friends, and the happiness it gives to their owners is irreplaceable.

Speaking of which, I have two more to get to work on! Here I go!

This is my Brain on Craft

It appears to be my dining table (yes, I swear it's under there somewhere), but it mirrors the state of my brain. On craft. Here are 10 easy steps to having a brain just like mine:

1. Wake up early, at least 6am, and make the strongest pot of coffee you can stomach. Feed the cat and then stare into space like a zombie while the coffee is brewing.

2. Draw for awhile, forgetting about the cup of coffee. Suddenly remember that you have coffee only to realize that it is now cold. Start to walk into the kitchen to heat it up, turning on the computer on your way.

3. Sit at the computer and check your etsy shops and email. Be so distracted that you don't hear the microwave ding. Suddenly realize that you forgot the coffee again. Pull it out of the microwave only to find that it is, once again, quite cold.

4. Fast forward a little to later morning, work time. Start a custom painting. Decide that you are not sure what to do next with it. Set it aside. Pull out a canvas and put a neutral-toned wash on it for another custom painting. Set it aside to dry. Start making magnets. Realize that the glue needs to dry and set them aside (all of this is happening on a 3 x 3 foot table--very important!).

5. Go get more of your damn cold coffee out of the damn microwave.

6. Check both etsy shops, your email, myspace, twitter, facebook, linkedin, squidoo, flickr, deviantart, craigslist, myspace again, email again, and both etsy shops again.

7. Realize that shipping tomorrow will be much easier if you put together all of the washi paper scrap packs today. Squeeze all of your other projects, coffee cups, vitamins, and housekeys to the perimeter of the table and make a little assembly line of paper packs. Yay paper packs!

8. Put the paper away and finish the 1st painting, then the magnets and tins for the magnets. Clean it all up.

9. Decide you need more coffee. Repeat the early morning process minus the blank zombie stare.

10. Finally, and most importantly, during this entire day, throughout the projects, lukewarm coffee, and obsessive computer checking, scribble notes containing thoughts, ideas, projects, things that need to get done and things that need to be ordered, errands to run, goals, life plans, budgets and more on little scraps of paper and leave them all over the apartment, wherever you happen to be sitting at the time.

Viola! You have now entered the Brain of Lea. Now to figure out how to get out again...I'm sure it's written down here somewhere...maybe on that scrap under my empty coffee cup???

Custom Pet Portraits

Speaking of animals (in my previous post), I am now offering custom pet portraits! These are not your typical portraits, either. They are ultra-rad pet portraits done in my own uniquely stylized hand. The above example is my own sweet tubby kitty, Maya, but no matter whether your pet is a rat, a bunny, or a dog, I promise you will love your pet's portrait. More examples are coming soon! Let me know if you live in Portland and I will give you a great discount for being able to skip the shipping.

Portraiture & Contest!

Last year around this time, I was painting this. A portrait of my good friend Alisha Marchewka. She is a high school art teacher, and a brilliant artist. So she came up with the idea of painting portraits of each other and exchanging them as holiday presents. Fun! I will have to take a picture of the one she did of me as well--it is really awesome!

I am obviously by no means a photo-realist when it comes to painting. I have the ability to do a pretty life-like rendering if necessary, but it's really just not something that I enjoy. I do, however, love painting people, and as you can see from most of my work it is very figurative. Usually the people I paint are in my head, but I have been thinking a lot lately about doing more portraits. Some that I just randomly want to make, but also custom portraits.

What I would be offering would not be traditional portraiture. It would be highly stylized, like the one above (keep in mind that I know Alisha well & put some of her personality into the painting, which I may not be able to do as much with strangers), or like this one.

Alright, now that you've seen some examples, take a look at the poll at the top right of my blog and cast your vote! Then put a comment in this post to let me know that you voted. On November 23, I will randomly choose 1 voter, who will win a free owl pendant! Thanks for the input!

Oh, Giraffes!

Well, it is later than I expected, but I have finally gotten all of my giraffes up on etsy! And they are sooo pretty :) Now I have full sets of owls, giraffes, and elephants. I have gotten some wholesale inquiries on etsy, and I was featured in funky finds last week, so I am feeling like things are picking up. Very exiting! I *heart* etsy!

Oh, and coming very soon...custom portraits of your pets on a necklace or an ornament!