Sunday, October 07, 2007

In The Spotlight

Last week I met an artist through the blog world whose work I just fell in love with. Above is Melissa Langer and her adorable Pug Emmitt. Melissa is the owner/artist of Pug Notes. Her work is just wonderful, she creates original Pug art as well as other breeds, with acrylic paint. Is it any shock that sweet little Emmitt is the inspiration behind her work??

We all have a very distinct reaction when we see art work. My first reaction to Melissa's work was a very broad smile. How can anyone look at this wonderful and whimsical artwork, with such expressive little faces and not smile. Below Melissa tells us about her work and how she creates all her pieces.

The Process, How I create a Painting: I love painting my Pugs and Pug Pals! Each one brings me new joy and excitement. I am often asked how I create my paintings and capture the expressions in my characters. The answer is, I am not exactly sure how I do it, or where the creative energy comes from. I do know that I cannot create one everyday. It is an energy that builds, and I can actually feel a painting coming on. It is a fun and creative process.
I am a self taught artist. My passion is working with acrylics on wood. I love how the paint glides across the wood, often revealing a subtle, natural grain of the surface below. I documented stages of the painting process to show you how I do it.


I start with a 8 x 10 x 3/4 piece of hemlock wood and sketch my subject in pencil. Then I decide upon the colors I will use, mix my paints, and start painting the head and body. I work on the shading of the fur as I go. I often add a bit more detail at the end of the process but most of it is put down in this stage. I then move on to the ears, eyes, muzzle, nose and mouth. I usually paint in the background before I put on the final touches and wrinkles.
Voila! A new Pug or Pal is born in the Pug Notes family.

Check out all of Melissa's work and all the beautiful products made from her work at: http://www.pugnotes.com/ she also has a blog: http://www.pugnotes.blogspot.com/ I hope you will enjoy her work as much as I have.
All photos and artwork were used with permission by and are copyright to - Melissa Langer at Pug Notes.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

AWWWWW sooooo cute!!!

kate said...

I have visited Melissa's blog via AbbyCreekart ... the pug pictures are so sweet. I also put a garden blogger with two pugs onto Melissa's blog ... I suspect she ordered a few things. She loved it!

Naturegirl said...

Our fur friends can inspire so much in us!Melissa's art so sweet! NG

kari and kijsa said...

Such a talented artist! We love the graphic look of her work! Thanks for sharing!

Have a blessed day!

smiles, kari and kijsa

Ruth Welter said...

I'm glad you liked it ladies. Melissa is so talented.

Michelle Legler said...

Hi Ruth!
Thank you for sharing this info. I don't know if you know it or not, but I am the owner of 2 adorable pugs and am presently considering buying a third. Yep, I'm PUG CRAZY!!! lol
Take care!

Ruth Welter said...

Hey Michelle, nope, I didn't realize that you were a pug of phile. I hope you will get a lot of enjoyment from Melissa's work.

Linda O'Neill said...

Great feature, Ruth...Melissa is the best! She's a wonderful artist and I'm so pleased to see her on your blog. And as for Emmitt...well, he is just the cutest pug in the world!

Anonymous said...

Hey MS Ruth

You have been given an award... please check my blog for details

JO

Alice Regan said...

Thanks for sharing the artwork of Melissa and Emmitt...he is so cute, and I love her art. There are so many creative people out there.

Ruth Welter said...

Hi Linda, it's through your blog that I found Melissa last week. Lucky you for getting to meet little Emmitt.

IT, I'm glad you have discovered Melissa's work and have been enjoying it.

Thanks Jo for the award..good to know I've made atleast one person smile. : )

Suzanne said...

So sweet! Melissa is very talented, and I always love to see the process of a painting.
Thanks for sharing her art!

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

Well how sweet was that! I love pugs and Melissa's art is great! Thanks for showing us!
Penny

Ruth Welter said...

Thanks Suzanne & Penny...glad you enjoyed the post about Melissa and her work. Isn't Emmitt a sweetheart??

Maggie said...

Loved seeing the pug art. What a sweet little dog. I will take a tour of Melissa's blog. Thanks for sharing.

Ruth Welter said...

Thanks for your visit GG, I hope you enjoy Melissa's work as much as I do.

Rabbit Hill Creations said...

How cute is Melissa'a art! I have to share this with my daughter who is crazy about pugs. Thanks for sharing.

Ruth Welter said...

I'm sure if your daughter is a put nut, she would have to love Melissa's work. Thanks for visiting Toni.

A wildlife gardener said...

How lovely of you to spend time sharing another person's creativity. This is very original work. Her little pugs are sooo cute :)

Your art is sooo original and inspirational too, Ruth. I really enjoyed looking at your painted jewellery boxes.

Ruth Welter said...

Thanks WG

Anonymous said...

I just visited her site and her creations make me smile (but then I'm crazy about dogs). The coloring books are a wonderful idea! Thanks for introducing her to me!

Manuela

Margaret said...

You have a marvelous website and blog and I will stay tuned! I love to see what creative people do next. The pug art is captivating. Your eggs and signs are so exquisite and feminine. What a pleasure to find you!

Ruth Welter said...

Hey Manuela..I'm a dog nut too. All her other breeds are just as adorable as the pugs. I have 3 Shih Tzus and Melissa's representation of that breed is right on, accurate.

Hi Meg, it was great to visit your blog today as well. I'll be back many more times. Glad you liked my work.

Greenie Gardens said...

What a great find! I love the graphic quality of her work. A smile is a good description of her work!

Ruth Welter said...

I'm glad you discoverd Melissa's work through my blog Stephanie...enjoy.