Waiting for Ruby

Material:  Acrylic on 8x8 wrapped canvas.

Status:  Gone to a very good home!

Notes on a Canvas:  This began with the idea of painting a white picket fence. To create the fence, I dipped a popsicle stick in white paint and set it carefully on the canvas and pulled downward.  

The background came next.  I wanted the painting to be balanced, so originally I had two small trees beside the house on the left side as well.  I wasn't happy with it, thinking I needed something closer to the fence.  Cherry trees were in bloom at the time . . . so there you go.

I thought of painting children playing on the grass.  A cartwheel?  A picnic?  Flying a kite? I wasn't sure. The idea of a girl and her dog came to me.  I wondered if it would "work" with a girl leaning on the fence, looking like she's waiting.  

The blue house was a red school house for a day - but the red was too strong - so it went back to a blue house.  Our first house in Melville, Saskatchewan, was blue with white trim.  I really loved that house!

The puppy was inspired by my son's teacher and her new puppy, Ruby.  It seemed fitting that this painting would become a year-end gift for Liam's teacher.  

It just seemed right :o)