Pet Portraits
I now do pet portraits after being asked by many people at shows. I have a lot of rescues. Four of my dogs were rescued, and all of my cats are rescues. Many people have dumped their kittens on our property knowing they couldn't take care of them and that I would. I have a lot more animals that I ever dreamed of having, and it is such a blessing. They bring me so much joy and love, so I decided to start doing this for anyone interested out there.Click here to download the Pet Portrait Brochure - Sale!Commissions and About Me
Artist Statement
Ever since I can remember, I sketched. My mom didn�t officially recognize it until I turned nine. I happened to be sketching Snoopy when my mom caught me in the act. She was sure I was tracing him, so she made me redraw him in front of her. I did, and before I knew it I was whisked off to Aaron Bros. where I received my first set of oil pastels, pencils, and a sketch pad.
I sketched for twenty years before I ventured into color. Sketching helped me explore detail, contrasts and values, and it taught me to loosen up my strokes. Oil pastels were always around, and I had a love/hate relationship with them. I loved the fact that I could draw with color, but they never worked for me. My art teachers taught me the proper way to work with them, but it wasn�t how I saw things. While driving through Taos, New Mexico twenty years ago, I went to the R.C. Gorman gallery , and was blown away by what he did with oil pastels. He inspired me to not forget about them even though I never thought I could master them the way he did.
I began working with color after my divorce. All of my life I�ve seen colors swirling through faces and landscapes, and I was always accused of having an overactive imagination. I decided to let it finally express itself after reading a comment by the infamous Santa Fe artist, Fritz Scholder. He said, �Learn all the rules, and then figure out which ones to break.� I did that the moment I pulled out my pastels again. All the years of sketching finally saw color, and I began developing my current style, which is still growing as I explore oil pastels, acrylics and encaustics today.
Many people ask me where my ideas come from. I don�t sit down and plot out the images that I paint. Most of them come to me in my dreams. Every animal that I paint is also an animal that I have had some sort of interaction with. Behind each painting, there is a story�they are stories that I learn as I paint. The story rarely comes to me before I begin the painting, and each one is a huge lesson for me.
I was born and raised in San Diego, but I have lived all over North America including Florida, New York, Texas, New Mexico, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Canada and I now live in the Southwest. I have lived in Southwestern Coloradofor fifteen years with my dogs, cats and boyfriend. All of my paintings are prayers. My adopted Unci (Lakota for grandmother) on the Pine Ridge Reservation taught me to put prayers into every single bead of my beadwork. I do the same with every single stroke of my paintings. If I have to label myself and my art, I would call it Shamanic Art�.You can also see my art at the Cat�s Lair Art Gallery in Eddie McStiff�s Plaza in Moab, Utah or at Wildcat Gallery in Telluride, Colorado. Also, you can see all of my art at www.reenchantedearth.com.
Commissions
I also do commissions. Many people ask me to paint their dogs or their cats. At times I am asked to paint an ocean scene like the one of Big Sur. I never paint realistically. I approach all subjects the same way...I let them paint themselves through me. By this I mean that every subject has something to express or a story to tell, and for me the best way for that story to be told is through expressive color and strokes. If you look at the picture of the painting �Spirit of Bear Creek� or �Dare To Dream�, you will see that I am using oil pastels and acrylics together. The oil within the pastels naturally creates a resistance with the water in the acrylics, which creates a very dynamic and active painting. In these types of paintings, I often do the under painting in oil pastel, and then I paint over it with acrylic paints. After a certain amount of time, I then work my way back through the paint to the oil pastel. This creates a very surreal and �alive� painting as a recent customer stated.
However, I also love to paint paintings solely in oil pastels such as �Big Sur� or �Sally�. Sally is a commission I did for a neighbor of his dog. She passed away, and he wanted a painting of her that embodied her Spirit. He gave me this one picture, which said it all to me.
If you see an original that I have already done, and maybe it�s not in the budget, I sell giclee prints in all sizes matted and ready to go into the frame. You also can order a Limited Edition giclee canvas. Call for details and pricing.
I have won several awards, and exhibited in many shows. If you would like to see a copy of my resume, simply e-mail me at Istazi@reenchantedearth.com, and I will send you a copy.
Prices All of my paintings are done on Arches Paper, which is the same paper that Degas used for his ballet dancers. It is the highest quality, and ranges in weight from 120 lbs to 300lbs. All oil pastel paintings need to be framed and not touch the glass. 15% of the total painting fee is due at the time of the order. I do accept MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and Paypal.
9X12 unframed $100
12X14 unframed $250
14X20 unframed $370
18X24 unframed $500
22X30 unframed $775
If you would like to speak to me personally about any questions you might have, just contact me through Skype by clicking on the icon below:
If you would like to download a PDF version of this brochure just click on the link Commission Brochure
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