Meet my latest addition to my #petportrait series! Internet, this is the witty, awesomely fluffy, and adorable, Mr. Cody ;-)
I really enjoyed painting this little guy, but he definitely was a bit of a challenge:

I struggled with the background just a bit. Although I love the vibrant reds, I felt the color combination was a bit strong for this pup. He's 13 years old and is super smart. That's why I chose the dusty rose, a bit more subdued, elegant, and calm.

His right eye was missing a little touch of light as well, even though the photo my client sent me showed nothing but black.

 Sometimes, it's that little addition, that artist license, offering an opportunity to push the image pass the photo into something more.

obviously this pic screams, "I'm not even close yet!!" But this is the point that I realized I needed to take extra care in fluffing up the top of his head, and let his ears be more "stringy". I bended the background color at the top to soften the fuzz, and added detailed strokes (only a few) to enhance his floppy ears.

Thank you for stopping by :-)

 Yay! It's approved! I'm always flattered when someone wants to commission me to paint a portrait of their furbaby, especially when they plan to give it as a gift to a loved one. It took me a bit to get this pup's eyes just right, but in the end I'm very pleased with how he turned out :-) I think what did it for me, was to not add white to his eyes. Look closely. I used greyish blues to bring in the light source.

Thanks for stopping by, until next time!

 I just completed another #dogportrait, and thought I would share a few progession photos of my work. Please bear with me as I fumble through this post. 

As you can see, in this pic the dog is looking like a dog, but there's not enough fur detail
I get it, it's only 8 inches square, but it looked so unfinished to me. I mean, come on, it's a #goldenretriever , one of the hairiest, furriest dogs on the planet! And there was nothing behind those eyes. To me, the eyes and the nose are th most important of a #petportrait ... But that's just me.

A little better, but not much. 

Ah yes, this is Indie!
I added more detail to his snout. His neck fur feels like it cascades down and around his hidden collar and I love how his eyes have just a hint of light reflecting. I wanted the light source to focus on his wild - Golden Retriever -like fur.
Thank you for stopping by :-)

 Sketched out these images to practice #portraits of well-known icons. I entered my portfolio in another contest, and noticed I had zero samples of people. I chose these famous individuals for their contributions to the world in art and technology.

#ArethaFranklin #HenryFord #music #QueenOfSoul #Automotive #Detroit #pencilsketch

In addition to working on the #PublicArt #mural for the City of #SterlingHeights, I took a brief break to compete in the annual #ArtsBeatsandEats meter beautification contest. Last year I placed 3rd, and this year I placed first with my #giraffe! I was inspired by my love for feeding the giraffes at the #DetroitZoo nearby, and of course the shape of the meter itself. I love competing in this event, I've met several talented artists through this competition. One of them even came out and supported me while I was working on the mural! 

On another note, today is a big day... Ribbon cutting day! I'm nervous, I'm excited, I'm wondering if anyone will show up (other than my immediate family -and what if they are caught in traffic??). 

It doesn't help that today, just before the ribbon cutting, I find out if I made it into the final 5 for the Michigan Great Artist contest. Great timing. I hope that one will take my mind off the other. 

Perhaps I should just paint. Paint a dog. A Pitty :-) yes, that is what I will do!

If you're in Sterling Heights today, stop by and say hello! The ribbon cutting will be at the BP gas station on the corner of Dodge Park and Utica Road at 6 p.m. this evening.

Now I must paint!

Today was our last interview.  This is Bob. He has been filming me during this entire summer, documenting the mural for the City of Sterling Heights. He even included me in the Sterling Heights Police lip snc challenge video! Yep, it's on Youtube and I'm about halfway into the song!  

Today we wrapped things up and in a few days his film will be ready to post.

A ribbon cutting is scheduled for next Tuesday, September 18th at 6:00 p.m. for the mural.

This is Richie, he manages this BP gas station. Bob also interviewed Abe, the owner, but I forgot to snap a pic! I am going to miss this group of gentlemen. 

All done! This afternoon I completed the final touches, and finished tweaking my outdoor mural painted on the back of this BP gas station in Sterling Heights, MI. I have enjoyed working on this piece and meeting residents of this community, as they came by to root me on with words of encouragement and praise. I tried my best to design something meaningful for this community that encompasses only a sample of it's offerings -I hope they like it! 

The bears represent the Marshall Fredrick sculpture in front of the Sterling Heights Public Library, just across the street from this mural. I also love how the Mama Bear and cub represent family. The wavy lines represent the Clinton River that runs throughout this city, and the globe in the center represents the City's cultural diversity. The sunset and river have an art deco flair, to represent the style Marshall Fredrick carved the bears.  And the explosion of color on the bears? Well, that represents me and my love for color. 

Thank you Sterling Heights.

The title of this mural?

Sterling Pride.

 My latest project: wall to wall mural on the back of a BP gas station!

 Prep work is complete! My least favorite part of the job, but most important...

The mural is not complete yet, but I had to share! I'm currently painting the waves in the water, and will tighten up the design. Please follow the progress on Instagram: wendypopko

 This commissioned portrait of these 2 beagles is to be given as a gift! Hope they liked it ;-) Painted on dog poetry, glued onto 12" square canvas. I love how the words and phrases peak through the images! 

 Adding this sassy little guy to my collection of #petportraits .

Painted on #HumaneSociety adoption papers, this #rescue #chihuahua #painting was a #birthdaygift for my mom :-)

 Inspired by one of my favorite places to visit, the #DetroitZoo , I designed my #skateboard entry for the #SouthStreetSkateshop #DeckArt contest after the iconic #bear fountain. It kinda reminds me of an old #postcard from a family trip. I sanded the varnish off the board and painted directly, skipping the primer. The water itself is raw wood. Wish me luck!

 I must say, this was a fun project to work on. I suppose it's because the program this logo was designed for, I hold dear to my heart. #MakerGirlMania is designed to spark an interest in #STEM for girls in elementary school with the hope they will fan that flame and continue their interest into high school, and beyond. This program is well designed by their founders and has been a huge success from the beginning.

And here's another entry for the library mural contest. The butterflies will start on the adjacent wall to the mural and swirl into the main mural. The butterflies will start off with no detail and fly into different butterfly species as they enter the main wall of the mural.

My entry for the library mural contest. I call it: The Library, a place for the heart and mind to grow.

When we read a book, whether for education or entertainment, our thoughts blossom into something more than what we had before turning the first page.

This little lovely was a warm up... Though I love sunflowers, I find them to be a little more challenging than the other flowers.

Open an adventure! This mural design not only represents fantasy, but also Ursa Major and Ursa Minor are holding the book open, while Draco flies overhead, confronting a dragon fly. The constellatic figures represent the universe and beyond.

 Today was the deadline for the bookmark design contest at the library, and I made it in on time --wahoo!! I was inspired by the beautiful bear sculpture welcoming visitors. 

My entry, "Common Core," was designed to draw attention to funding for public education. Throughout my painting, found words and phrases are cropped and revealed using 500 sheets of recycled student assignments (grades k-6th) to strengthen my message. The 500 sheets also equal one ream of paper –our latest addition to the back-to-school supply list due to severe budget cuts. My 12ft x 8ft painting depicts a water park without water. The water tower represents an outdated proposal, slowing to a trickle and drips into the large pool below where students have only puddles to play in. Some students are painted grey to represent those who are not failing enough to qualify for the help they need to bring them up to grade level, and yet they must be pushed forward: No Child Left Behind. Only one child smiles throughout the painting, a classmate helps the smiling girl leave the grey zone. This empowers her to become a strong student and will thrive in public education. She has hope. The parent brigade of volunteers carry red buckets to pour funds into the school, though much of it showers the pay-to-play motto. As parents, our pockets are only so deep. Some families are frustrated. They form a line, ready to board the school bus, and search for alternative ways to educate their children: private schooling, home schooling, or charter schools. As the students leave, so do the proposal tax dollars, depleting the pool funds even more. What will become of our public education system, once all the funds run dry? Schools continue to close, classrooms combine, teachers are frozen in pay (or cut), longer supply lists (only if the families can purchase them, if not then teachers supply them out of their own pockets)… The small pool filled with adults, just below the colorful funnel, symbolize the greed and entitlement of some and how it has wormed its way into the schools, siphoning what little trickles down from the broken Capitol spout. They refuse to feel the drought. I am not a teacher. I am a mom. I am a volunteer. I am an artist and hope this will spark conversation. Thank you for reading.