Norwegian Fjord finally!

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Norwegian Fjord Horse Lover Print by ReneeFukumoto
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My daughter's friend has a lovely Norwegian Fjord horse. Such a striking breed and what a cool personality. She's done a wonderful job training him so besides being adorable, he's talented too! I haven't taken many pictures of him yet, though I'd like to do so. Quite some time ago I did take some pics while they were in an indoor arena. Though the photos themselves are nothing to write home about, I was able to do a digital painting from one of them, for her birthday gift. I've been wanting to paint him for a while and I think I'm pretty pleased with the results!

Inspiration Long Awaited

African Elephant by ReneeFukumoto
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Transitions times can be kinda tough on inspiration and motivation, at least for me. This whole year has been a major transition period, from having only one parent left to having none. Its been tough to find a subject motivating enough to get me to paint. In fact I can come up with more excuses not to paint that even I can believe!

Well, I'm hoping to have made a vital shift in gears finally.

At Zazzle some of my fellow store owners and artists run contests. I'm not generally confident enough in myself to enter contests, but the group as a whole in the Forums tend to be so darn positive that I couldn't help myself. At the moment Customizables is running an Africa themed contest. This got me thinking about some of the photos I took while we were at Disney's Animal Kingdom. While the photos themselves are generally not great quality (anyone been on that Safari ranger ride? Wow! That Rover can bounce! Not good for focus if you know what I mean!) I was intrigued by the elephants. So I took a shot at digitally painting one of them.
And here it is!

I'm using this image in several of my POD's...come visit and see!

Ravenwood Studio at Skreened

So I've found another Print on Demand site to work with and though it has fewer products to offer, it has the added benefits of having an ethical mind set (the company has committed to donating 10% of their profit to charity), excellent quality and a much larger print surface. The larger printable area opens up many new vistas for wearable artwork and design. Check out the RSS feed on the sidebar: Ravenwood Studio at Skreened to see my new shop.
In a few short words: This is FUN!

Along the Scenic Route...

Escapee Calves Tote Bag for Cow Lovers by ReneeFukumoto
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On our way home from Mountsberg Conservation Area - where my daughter volunteered, and where I'd just picked her up - we passed a paddock full of cows. On one side of the wire fence, there were a couple of calves who had escaped their paddock through a hole in the fence. Now, I'd taken to bringing the camera along, because along the 'scenic route' we took home, there were always beautiful photo opportunities, like this one.
We took several pictures, both of the calves that had escaped, as depicted on this tote bag, and of the cows in the paddock. If you love cows, you should check out this shop!

The Chinese Pug

Chinese Pug Puppy Mousepad by ReneeFukumoto
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Look at this adorable face! It's a wonder I was able to take such a good picture, what with the little rascal running his paws off! He was so little and excitable at that age. That hasn't changed one bit, even though he's grown so much!
But enough of that! This product sold recently, to a pug lover with good taste, if I do say so myself.

Back to School!

Horse Power Galloping Stallions by ReneeFukumoto
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Hooray for the first day of the new school year, when back-to-school shopping is at its height! With Autumn just around the corner, you'll be wanting to take stock of your wardrobe. And what better way to display your love of horses than to wear a shirt like this one during the first weeks back? This Horse Power galloping stallions shirt is great for layering on those chilly days, but also by itself, when Summer's blazing heat has passed into the cooler weather. Once again, customize to your heart's content! You can add your own text, put the image on the back of the product, or even make it larger! Go crazy, I dare yah! ;)

Halloween Spirit

Black Cat Trick or Treat Bag by ReneeFukumoto
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Hey, look how easy that was! A nifty Halloween Trick-or-Treat bag that's full of Halloween spirit, and ready to be filled with Halloween candy, too! Don't forget, the items at my shop are customizable, so you can put your own text on the item you want, or change the colour, or any manner of things. Happy Halloween!

Watercolour Sawhet Owl

Sawhet Owl Watercolor Poster by ReneeFukumoto
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I haven't kept much of my own art over the years. Most of it has been sold or given away, ever since high school! One of the few pieces I've kept for myself is a watercolour painting, 21" x 13.5" in the matt, of a little Sawhet Owl. A friend from Chatham had taken the original photograph and gave me permission to paint from it. He was a Ranger at Point Pelee National Park, in Southern Ontario, and had taken the picture of this little owl on a misty day.
I first had done a pen & ink sketch of the owl and later, in 1994 I bravely ventured into watercolour. I think this painting was my third or fourth foray into watercolour. The most remarkable thing about this painting, to my mind, is the circumstances under which it was created. Our third child was a babe-in-arms at the time. He had a thrush infection (so difficult to get rid of, as I was nursing him at the time and we kept passing it back & forth - after 5 months of struggle I finally switched him to a bottle. Cleared up almost immediately and hey presto! I met this cheerful, sweet, smiley little baby boy!) and was a fussy little guy who needed to be held a lot. So, for my own sanity's sake, I painted this little owl with my baby litterally in my arms. Took a while. But it was worth it!
Though I never want to sell the original, I can at last offer reproductions. I'm pleased!