ANNOUNCING… CHARLOTTE’s CHARITY
DRIVE: Those of you who know
me, know of my deep love and admiration for animals. In every issue, we feature several
prints. A donation of $2 from each
featured print will be made to our featured charity that month. Thanks from the bottom of my heart for
supporting the care and appreciation of animals everywhere.
At the SuperSanctuary, the animals enjoy days filled with good food, playtime and the knowledge that they are not only safe but greatly loved. Hummingbird Wisdom Sip the sweet moments
At an art show in Georgia, later that year, I was approached by a lady from a German Shepherd Rescue group. She loved the fun of my work and asked if I would be willing to do a poster for their Oktoberfest-themed fund raiser. Since the time element was very short, I suggested that I replace the schnauzer with a shepherd, using a fall background, and bratwurst instead of hot dogs. She loved the idea, the thinking part was already done so and it was easy for me to knock out quickly. With the text of the poster removed it made nice prints for their silent auction, as well.
Buy today and get 25% the regular price! (coupon code: pumpkin)
Buy today and get 25% the regular price! (coupon code: pumpkin) Question for Charlotte: Almost every painting you do has animals in it. How did you come to use this as a theme in all of your artwork and do you have pets?Charlotte's Answer: No matter what I paint, it seems at least one animal, if not several, show up in the finished work. When I started the Angel series, I wasn't thinking of animals at all, but almost without me realizing it, there they were. I am an animal lover and have been since I was a small child. My Mom used to say that when I was little if an animal got hurt in a movie, I would get so upset, but if a person got hurt or killed in the movie it didn't bother me nearly as much. It worried Mom that I didn't care for dolls but loved stuffed animals. Throughout my childhood I had pets, and loved them all. When I was six or seven years old a stray cat took up residence at our house. She was pregnant ( aren't they always?).She had four kittens and I named them silly names, Bathtub, Toothpaste, Salt and Pepper. Mom made me give three of them away but let me keep my favorite, Bathtub. My Mom was an actress and she was in a play that called for a cat. Bathtub got the part and even got her picture in the newspaper review of the play. That was big stuff for me as a little girl. I guess Bathtub started me on a lifetime love of animals. I love dogs, too, and have had a series of them through the years as well as birds and many cats. I would love to have dogs now but my husband and I travel a lot and I don't think it is fair to board a dog. We do have four cats and our grandson comes over to scoop litter and feed them every other day when we are gone. Cats are very self-sufficient. They are always glad to see us when we return and the next morning there is always a trail of welcome home gifts laid out on the floor (cat toys, pieces of mail, pencils).It's very sweet. Hard to believe, but all of these things must have happened at one time in order to have been put into the law books: In Fairbanks, Alaska it is against the law to feed alcoholic beverages to a moose. In San Francisco it is illegal to wipe one's car with used underwear. In Blythe, California you are not allowed to wear cowboy boots unless you own at least two cows. In Denver, Colorado it is illegal to lend your vacuum cleaner to your neighbor. In Utah it is illegal to swear in front of a dead person. In West Virginia, only babies can ride in baby carriages. In Hartford, Connecticut it is illegal to educate a dog. In Chicago it is against the law to take a French Poodle to the Opera. In Oklahoma people who make "ugly faces" a dogs may be fined or jailed. In South Dakota it is illegal to lie down and fall asleep in a cheese factory. And in my Alabama, it is unlawful to wear a fake moustache that causes laughter in church. I just love making people smile. My hope is that my art catches people off guard, and makes them laugh in unexpected, silly ways. Much of my art includes animals, and I think by portraying their beauty and devotion in playful ways, it will bring awareness to the need for all of us to take loving care of all the animals in our beautiful world. Each month, I will answer a question in the hope that it will encourage you, the reader, to expand your awareness of your own artistic nature. Just play and have fun, like you did when you were a child! I will also reveal the story behind my art. For each featured piece, you will learn how the idea came to me, and see the fun I had creating each piece. And I will offer my suggestions for the perfect place in your home or workplace for that piece of art. I want to encourage you to have fun, and feel free to be playful in life. I truly believe, when we feel happy, we can reach out and share that happiness with each other and with animals. Good things will naturally happen when happy people open their hearts. Live out Loud,
You love Fall so much that you want to carry it with you all year round. Show your Cathartic Designs LOVE by buying this adorable tote!
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The D.E.L.T.A. Rescue SuperSanctuary is home to more than 1500 dogs and cats that have been abandoned in the wilderness. Located in the high desert area outside Los Angeles, this 94-acre ranch is beautifully landscaped and surrounded by rolling hills. It is the largest “No Kill, Care-for-Life” sanctuary of its kind in the world and has two fully equipped veterinary hospitals and a full time veterinary staff on the premises.
Oktoberfest is not the first way that I painted this particular subject matter. The original idea was painted as Dog Eat Dog with a schnauzer, after I heard someone talking about a dog eat dog world. I had been getting requests for a schnauzer painting, but hadn't come up with a title using that breed name. So I settled on showing an "oops, I just got caught with the goods" look on a schnauzer. 
When I started the Angel series I wanted to do two companion pieces since many people like to hang two paintings together. What I ended up with was four when I decided to do the seasons. Angel of Autumn was the first of the four that I did and it is my favorite probably because I love the colors and the season it represents. I wanted the wind blowing her hair, leaves falling, autumn flowers, squirrels gathering nuts and I chose a Maple leaf for her halo. In the remaining three, I carried out the same themes using a snowflake, spring flowers and sunrays for the halos. I chose the color palette for each one using the colors, flowers and small animals that represent each season to me. 
