Jewel wins 1st place in Rally

Jewel is 9 1/2 years old. She was retired from the conformation ring in April 2008 at the Irish Setter National Specialty. At the National she won 1st place in the veteran sweepstakes class - 8 to 10 year old bitches. She then won 1st place in the regular veteran bitch class.

She has not been in an obedience ring in over four years. A few weeks ago I thought I'll go ahead and enter her in rally so she could go to the show with Monet. To my surprise she went through the rally course with ease. She won 1st place in Novice B with a score of 99. We look forward to more obedience competitions.

BIS BISS CH Rendition Treasured Moment CGC TDI - "Jewel"

Bennington Center for the Arts

Once a year the Pastel Society of America (PSA) sends invitations out to their signature members to apply to be juried into the annual PSA Signature Member exhibit. The Pastel Society of America is the most prestigious pastel society in America.


A signature membership is an elevated status of an artist which allows that artist to follow their signatures on paintings with the initials of the art association. I was juried into the PSA as a signature member. Non-member artists may only apply for associate membership in PSA once annually. Associate members that would like to be considered for signature membership may apply once a year for that status.


My work, "Golden Dreams", was accepted into this exhibit. The accepted works will be on display in Bennington, Vermont from June 7 - August 3, 2008 at the Bennington Center for the Arts. http://www.benningtoncenterforthearts.org

Drew Secord - Irish Setter Puppy

We have a new member of the family. His name is Drew. My mother, husband and I picked him up on Sunday - May 11th and he was a great mother's day gift.

He is fitting into the family so easily and no one is more excited to have him here than 19 month old Monet!

It is quite apparent we are going to have to stock up on tennis balls!

Bonnie the Mastiff

The portrait of "Bonnie" was commissioned as a gift by a sister who lives in Wisconsin for a sister that lives in Arizona. Bonnie was a very special dog and an extremely beautiful Mastiff.

At the time of the commission, Bonnie was no longer with us. The photos that we had to work with were not the best quality for a portrait. They were old 3" x 5" or 4" x 6" photos that had Bonnie in as a small figure. Most detail was difficult to see clearly. All parties involved found as many photos as possible and each photo gave me a glimpse into who Bonnie was. One photo gave me her eye color - another photo or two clarified her ear set and shape.

It was a fun process and I thank the owners and family members for their patience and assistance in making the painting possible.

Monet gets another point towards her Championship

"Monet" Rusticwood Spellbound has another point towards her championship.

It is hard to believe that she is 18 months old already. Time is just flying by. She looks so much older than she is - but believe me her attitude is all puppy.

We are having lots of fun and learning together. Her aunt Jewel was so easy to show but Monet is quite smart with a mind of her own and sometimes it is difficult to tell who is teaching whom! It is exciting to see where the road will lead us. Good girl Monet!!

Sweetn'in - Irish Setter

Sweet'nin "CH. Scarlly's Sweet Success" was painted from a black and white photo. She had been a very important girl in the breeding program for Scarlly Setters. Over the years - and moves from one home to another - the orginal photo had been misplaced and all that was available of this pose was the black and white photo. Fortunately there were other photos of Sweet'nin that were instrumental in capturing her true colors. The painting will be shipped to Georgia in the next few days. It will be sad not to have it in my studio any longer.

My paintings are all a part of me and as much as I want them to go to the people who commissioned them a part of me doesn't want to let them go.