Eleven Days, and Counting

We only have eleven days to go until this year's Greyhounds Rock Fredericksburg "Take a Bite Out of Canine Cancer" gathering.  A small core of volunteers have been working all year to put this together, and we are incredibly proud of what we have done so far.  This year's event, our 6th annual, will be bigger and better than the previous years ... with nationally recognized speakers, vendors with dog-related merchandise, and fantastic donations for our Saturday evening auction.  Proceeds from this event benefit canine cancer research.

One of my favorite donations is this painting, by Ed King.

(lousy photo of a fantastic painting)

You remember Ed?  He is the artist that comes here from time to time to paint our country scenery.  (I introduced you to him HERE and HERE ... and there's another one of his dog paintings in THIS post.)

I love seeing how an artist's mind works.  Ed used this photo that I took of TJ and did a delightfully expressionistic portrait.  (TJ is our friends Kim and Andy's dog, who has osteosarcoma and is 15 months post amputation.)

This item, along with two others that I will show you another time, will be presented in a Live Auction during our Saturday evening dessert party on November 12.  (We have placed a $200 reserve on this painting ... which is WAY less than it's true value.) 

We are accepting long-distance bids from people who cannot attend our event.  Click HERE to send me an email, and I will get your contact information and discuss your bid.  All long-distance bidders will be assigned to a proxy bidder in the room for the live auction, who will handle your money as if it were their own.

Are you free on November 12 -13, and would like to attend a fun dog gathering in Fredericksburg, Virginia?  If so, go to the Greyhounds Rock Fredericksburg WEB SITE for registration information and a schedule of activities.  We have a great rate at the event hotel, which is a super dog-friendly location, so you don't have to be local to attend.  In fact, we have more attendees registered from out of state than we have from the local area.  Attendees will get up close and personal with Victoria Stilwell, star of Animal Planet's "It's Me or The Dog"; Sheryl Matthys, author of "Leashes and Lovers"; and Dr. Guillermo Couto, veterinary oncologist and director of Ohio State University's 'Greyhound Health and Wellness Program' ... the program that event proceeds support, and where some of the best canine cancer research is being done.

Don't own a greyhound?  Doesn't matter ... our event is open to all breeds of dogs, as long as they are well-behaved and kept on leash at all times (no flexi-leads allowed, though)  Most of our volunteers have greyhounds, myself included, and we know that Cancer affects LOTS of other breeds.

You say you can't attend our event, but you'd like to support the cause?  Click HERE to make a donation via PayPal.  Every dollar makes a difference.

Two More Barn Paintings

Ed King came back yesterday afternoon to paint again.  He captured the barn from a slightly different angle this time, and he included my garden of English roses in the composition ... not that you can tell that they're roses, you understand.

Michael Dean, another artist that we know, came by to paint in the afternoon ... just as Ed was leaving.  Michael's style is totally different from Ed's.  Ed's paintings have a distinctly impressionistic style to them, while Michael's work is bolder and much more expressionistic. 

This photo doesn't show Michael's painting well ... it is wonderful and incredibly lively in person.

I met Michael years ago when he was recommended by a friend to restore the plaster in this old place ... In addition to being an artist, Michael is a preservationist plasterer who does things the old school way (meaning the CORRECT way, with lime/sand/horsehair ) and he thoroughly understands how an old building works.  He was here working on our plaster twice, once upstairs and once downstairs, each time for about a month.  He left town for a few years, pursuing his dream of a studio in New Mexico ... but he's back now and it was great to see him and reconnect.

(If you're local and you want to see artists like this in person, and you want to support a great cause in the process, stay tuned for details of the Hartwood open air art festival, which will be held here on September 17, 2011.)