My most recent work at Lill Street...Hope this pup is still intact when I unwrap it tomorrow. I have been known to be a little too careless when it comes to clay appendages, but as my wise classmate, Haleh, commented "it really is about the process not the end product".
I was interviewed by Agnes Jasinski of Chicagoland Tails last fall and am honored to be featured in an article she wrote that appears in the December/January Issue of the Magazine titled: "Pet Artist Uses Work To Promote Adoption and Rescue Groups", I have included it below. Our (tentative) first adoption event at the studio for 2010 will be on February 13th with Chicago Canine Rescue ...stay tuned. If you know of a group that would be interested in having an event here, please send them my way!
Pet artist uses work to promote adoption and rescue groups
By Agnes Jasinski
AnneLeuck Feldhaus was still working a corporate job when she adopted Izzy,the beloved canine who sparked her creative spirit and got her to leaveher job and pursue art full-time. Around the time Izzy came into herlife, she began doing dog images, paintings, and promotional art forshows put on by rescue groups. Her images were “very funny bright,colorful dog paintings,” she says, that started out as a hobby butbecame a calling and a way for her to promote pet adoption.
“The first dogimages came from her, along with the whole awareness of how serious theproblem was,” Feldhaus says about her passion for adoption and Izzy’sinfluence. “I went to a lot of different places to meet dogs and tofind the right one, and had two cats at the time from Anti-Cruelty. …That process really opened my eyes.”
Feldhaus has now been donating art for fundraisers to rescue groupslike the Treehouse Animal Foundation and Young at Heart Pet Rescue forthe last 14 years. Her work with the rescues has been pro bono, but shealso does paintings of people’s pets. Her artwork has been hung up inlobbies, sold to raise money for local rescues, and used on T-shirtsand posters to promote shelter events.
Earlier this spring, Feldhaus also opened a storefront studio in RoscoeVillage at 2040 W. Roscoe, where she hopes to not only have a presencein the neighborhood as an artist, but to also invite local rescuegroups to hold adoption events there. The first event was held Aug. 8with Chicago Canine Rescue. A portion of any sales at any of theadoption events will go toward the rescue that day. The next event willbe held Dec. 12, with pets brought in from Young at Heart Pet Rescue.
“My goal and mission are to give back to our dogs and cats all theunconditional love and devotion they provide us by spreading the wordabout animal adoption through my art and designs,” Feldhaus says. “AlsoI truly believe that our pets make us better human beings.”
For more information, visit AnnesArt.com.
I painted this hubcap on Tuesday for the Landfill Reclamation Project...it was tricky, with very little flat surface. "Landfillart is an international effortencompassing one-thousand-forty-one (1,041) artists to claim a piece ofrusted metal garbage and create fine art. The 1,041 pieces of rusted metal are actually old automobile hub caps from the 1930’s through the 1970’s." So what kind of car did this come from? We guessed Rolls Royce because of the 'R' but could be completely off base...if you know, please post a comment. Every time I look at the finished piece I see a chip and dip bowl...maybe a good start for a tabletop line?!
Just discovered Golden Fluid Acrylics, I've always used Golden Heavy Body Paints but the black does not thin well so I use a different brand...picked this up the other day, I love it - fluid but opaque, perfect for my process...
Yesterday I spent some time googling photos of PUGS and trying to draw them ...I've only met a few, so my Pug Sense is lacking. I used purplish/blue to mark the ones I thought most successful, yellow for the 2nd tier and turquoise for nice try, but not so great. I would love your feedback especially from you Pug owners! The thought behind this is to capture a new breed each week to add to my new Personalized Pet Portrait Print option Portfolio, these are beautiful ready to hang mounted and laminated box prints - complete with your pet's name on the banner and custom colors.
This pet portrait of Cooper only took a mere 365 days to finish! Last year I traded with Susan Hinckley at the One of a Kind Show. I received a beautiful hand stitched wall piece titled "Let It Go"....in return I agreed to do a pet portrait of her dog Cooper. And true to form, being the ultimate procrastinator I finished, varnished and framed it on Saturday night just in time for them to take back home to Minnesota (and I did it exhausted after 3 days of the show and wanting to do nothing more than recline on the sofa all evening). She and Russ were very pleased with the outcome..and so was I, this is such a fun composition. For inquiring minds, "Special Agent Dale Cooper" hearkens back to the television series Twin Peaks. Happy Susan...
Tomorrow...more photos from the show...
Picture 1
The Open Studio Sale was a great success and lots of fun. I think I'm going to take advantage of all my hard work setting it up and have a few Open Studio days in November as well. My next show out of the studio is the One of a Kind Show & Sale December 4-7. I will dismantle a few things so I can continue to work but for the most part things can remain set-up, and it's so nice to work in a tidy environment!
Picture 2
Picture 3
Picture 4
