Cheyanne

I have a wonderful friend who has a beautiful granddaughter named Cheyanne. She had this lovely photo of her at about two years old, sitting among pumpkins and fall mums, and I thought it would make a lovely portrait gift for her.

Cheyanne, © 2008 M B Gilliland

This was my first opportunity to paint a baby and I loved it, there's just something about babies' chubby little hands and feet that are so sweet ... it was a total pleasure to do this portrait for one of my very best buddies in the world.

Lakota

No painting to post today, just a couple of photos of my beautiful Lakota, an Australian Shepherd mix we "rescued" from the Humane Society in 2004. Actually there are days I feel she "rescued" me.

Lakota
photo © K. M. Eddleston, 2008

We really don't know what the breed mix is for Lakota. The vet thinks she might have one of the smaller spitz breeds involved as well, since she's not as large as the usual Aussie. Her coat is soft, and her tail tends to curl up over her backside (hence the question of the spitz involvement). Whatever the mix, she's beautiful ... inside and out ... my sweet furry companion and a total delight.

Lakota
photo © K. M. Eddleston, 2008

Two years ago, Lakota began to have seizures. So far she's handling them alright. She seems to rebound well each time, and the condition doesn't seem to have caused any real deficit for her. She's energetic and healthy. Just needs a bit of extra loving every so often.

Pie Oh Pah

We are extreme dog lovers at our home. I have a wonderful furry little friend of my own named Lakota (an Aussie Shepherd mix) and between my two daughters there are three "grand-dogs": Pie Oh Pah (a beautiful white German Shepherd Dog) and Baron & Angus (two equally beautiful Border Collies). As time passes, I'm sure they will all show up in these posts.

Today it's Pie's turn.

Pie Oh Pah, © K D Gilliland

Pie is 11 years old and has advanced arthritis and hip displasia. She spent several months last year in a wheeled-assistance cart after a back injury (which was made worse by her displasia and arthritis). She's been able to recover enough now to be walking on her own again, although her gate remains a bit limited. She's a trooper and keeps on keeping on, a gentle, sweet-tempered lady, a total joy to be around.

I painted Pie's portrait from the photo above as a gift to my daughter on her 35th birthday:

"Pie", © 2005 M.B.Gilliland