Little Rocking Horse, handpainted, for a Christmas fundraiser

This wooden rocking horse, in its unpainted state, was donated to Christkindlmarkt, a fundraiser boutique at the Community Center of St. Matthew's, Charleston, SC.  The event takes place in early December.  I took the horse home and gave it a new life.  I kept the pink and purple to a minimum, so I think it would be a gift for either a girl or a boy.  The seat is 11" off the ground, perfect for a toddler.
 http://charlestonteatime.org/christkindlmarkt/

New Dog Portrait: a dog named after a river

The owner of Stono (who is named after the Stono River, Johns Island, SC) will be surprised on his birthday with this portrait of his good buddy, a chocolate Labrador retriever.  Dark-colored dogs can be difficult to paint, as the details of the face are often hard to see.  A great photo makes all the difference!  (You don't think dogs SIT for their portraits, do you?)  The gift-giver and I photographed Stono on a sunny day, making sure that his head was in the light.  We got down on his level to get the best shot.  Some little treats were Stono's reward for posing.  :-)

I love to paint children's chairs!

A pair of soon-to-be great-grandparents elected to have me decorate this chair, which they had purchased at Cracker Barrel.  I thought that the slatted seat might pose a problem, but they birds fit just fine.  The parents are expecting a girl, and the nursery is decorated in lavender and crème brulée.

old chair for a young child

This little chair is about 80 years old.  It had been painted white and donated to "my" charity boutique.  I chose a bright blue background, and then added colorful birds and leaves.  Some doting grandparents bought it, and now it belongs to their one and a half year old granddaughter.  The grandparents found no one at home, so they left the chair in the garage.  When the family returned, the little one saw the chair, knew it was meant for her, and promptly sat on it!