Have you visited my new improved yvonnesovereign.com website yet? Please do and let me know what you think.
And be sure to sign up for my newsletter. I promise you won't be inundated, but I hope to send out short informative newsletters to keep you updated on my latest art and art adventures. New paintings, new classes, new galleries etc.
I just finished a two day class session at The Artist's League of the Sandhills in Aberdeen, NC. It was Painting Animals in Watercolor and I was so pleased with how well my students did. They turned out some fabulous paintings. I look forward to teaching more regularly at the Artist's League.

New look for website

I have recently updated and changed my website for my canine art and canine art prints, still at the same place http://www.yvonnesovereign.com/ . It is a whole new look and similar to my fine art website that features original paintings of all subjects http://www.yvonnesovereignfineart.com/

On the Canine Art site I have re-photographed much of the artwork that had old, bad photos, plus I have all my newest prints on there too. Be sure to visit!

I have finished the large greyhound painting, The Greyhounds of GrandCru Hopefully it will be framed and installed at the vet school soon. We are all very excited about it.

Whippet portrait in oil

Here is my latest oil portrait of the handsome CH Bohem Just In Time, or Justin. What a gorgeous face he has. His owner Nancy is thrilled with the painting and will be using the image for some advertising as well as hanging the actual painting in a special place in her home. The painting is 14 x 18" on linen canvas.

My newest project that I am working on is a very large painting of 4 greyhounds that will hang in the new section of the School of Veterinary Medicine in Raleigh. Watch here for updates on the project.

Some artistic musings

I just read an article in a recent Wall Street Journal entitled The Art Assembly Line. It certainly made me think. The article talked about artists who don't actually pick up a brush but have assistants do it for them. Many have a whole staff to produce enough paintings (or sculptures) to provide galleries and customers with new works. They maintain that the ideas are theirs and so it is OK for others to do the actual work. One artist remarked about having 7 different artists in India do his paintings, "I prefer not to be involved in actually painting, It liberates me not being encumbered by the technical proficiency." WHAT???? Now it seems that most of these "artists" are doing contemporary pieces. Contemporary pieces are what museums buy for their collections and give showings for. Contemporary pieces often command very high prices. I do know of one current realist painter who also employs artists assistants to do some of his work. This is one of the most well known painters today.
Then there are those realist painters who make very good giclee prints, dab on a few brushstrokes and suddenly they are "original", not reproductions. Prints are prints, reproductions and should be sold as such. Of course they are reproductions. Some very good articles about this phenom is in the website www.artbusiness.com, well worth a look-see for both artists and collectors.
Another of my favorite websites is for the Art Renewal Center, www.artrenewal.org They promote beautiful realistic and figurative works considered passe' by the contemporary art world. Beauty passe'??
Oh well, just a few musings on art...... one thing not mentioned and that is the satisfaction of the acutal making of art, of the doing, the joy of the feel of the brush, the smell of the paint and joy of creating. This is something an assistant cannot do!
Now to get to work painting.......
Yvonne

Sanford tornadoes, Southern Wind Studio is OK

Last Saturday was quite a day here in North Carolina as many of you have seen by the news. I have recieved so many phone calls and emails from friends far and wide. Yes, we are all OK with no damage at all to home or property. It wasn't the case though in other parts of Sanford and the damage is even more incredible seeing it in person than it is on television. I know you have seen photos of the Lowe's home improvement store, but other factories and buildings in the path were even more damaged, flattened some of them. There are going to be a lot of people out of work for a while and as well as people displaced whose homes were so damaged and destroyed. My prayers are with them.
Yvonne

Paintings go to new home, corporate client

I am thrilled that 4 of my landscape paintings are now owned by Capital Bank. They are hanging in the beautiful new main office building in Sanford, NC. Thanks to Nicole White Kennedy of Nicole's Gallery of Raleigh who put this all together and included me with other fine, talented local artists.

Portraits completed

Two oil portraits of sisters Hannah and Heidi...... I really enjoyed doing these lovely young girls. Both paintings are 20 x 24" on canvas.