Little Cocker Spaniel

Beautiful, Beautiful Brown Eyes.

by Della Burgus

The title of this painting is from a very old song. The big, expressive, brown eyes of this little Spaniel can speak volumes and totally melt my heart. I seldom see a little dog that I don't just long to cuddle or a larger dog that I can resist petting.

I have come to realize that God speaks to us through almost everything in life, and animals are no exception. In fact, I believe they are among His most willing messengers. "Love" is the lesson He wants most for us to learn, and that seems to be something they all know a lot about. Look into those eyes, and that is what you see: unconditional love. If this little creature understands it so well, why is it so hard for us humans to understand - us, with our "superior" brain power, our sophistication, our "evolutionary development"? Why is it that we continue to gossip, shift blame, hold grudges, and just generally treat each other badly? We all need to take a lesson from our long-suffering pets, who love us no matter what stupid thing we did this time, who never find fault, never put us down, never try to show us up. They just keep on loving, keep on believing, keep on wanting the best for us. That is what love is all about.

Pastel on Wallis Sanded Paper
Image size 8 x 10
Mounted on foam core board
Matted and ready to frame.

To purchase, or if there are questions email the artist
Email Della

Available through
Art Helping Animals

20% will be donated to
Old Dog Haven

Equine Art Horses White Arabian Horse Out of the Shadows

Out of the Shadows

Those of you who have been following my work for a while know that I love painting horses, and that white horses hold a special fascination for me. There is some sort of spiritual connection that is beyond my understanding. To me the horse is a metaphor for life, and if I can't quite explain it, that is because I am not sure I understand it. "Out of the Shadows" is particularly metaphoric, because that describes the events of my life over the last twelve months. It has been a year of grief and loss, of rapid change and upheaval, of long hours of introspection and self-discovery.

Many years ago I learned the futility of asking, "Why?" "Why me?" "Why now?" Whatever answers may exist are so far beyond my experience that I would never understand, even if God were to show me His master plan. No, the question I have learned to ask is "What now?" - Where do I go from here? What road do I take? And, most important, if I am not who I used to be, or if I have never been who I thought I was, who am I?

Yet, even in the darkest shadows, there is always a glimmer of light. Sometimes just a tiny glimmer, just the thinnest little shaft of light coming through the crack somewhere. But it is enough. You can see the light hitting the horse's face, highlighting individual hairs in its mane. That light is hope for tomorrow. The hope that we can all get up and get moving one more day, and find ourselves one day closer to the Light.

Out of the Shadows is a pastel on Canson Paper, 10.5 x 13. It is matted and ready for you to frame. $85 includes shipping within the US. 20% of the sale will be donated to True Blue Animal Rescue. It has not yet been listed on Ebay.

For information or to purchase email me:
Email Della

What is sweeter than a sleeping baby?

Pure Gold

There is an old saying, "Let sleeping dogs lie." Ah, but what of puppies? Can anyone resist a sleeping puppy? Don't you just want to rub its little ears, scratch its head or maybe tickle its nose? It may not be such a good idea. You will probably wake the little darling and then he/she will want to play, roll over for a good tummy rub, or have a tug of war. Maybe even decide it's time to go outside, or else not and then you will be really unhappy. So you better leave this sleeping puppy to dream the wonderful, joy-filled dreams of puppyhood. But maybe, just one little tickle...

This little puppy has been blessed with a home and a person who loves her, but many dogs, cats, horses, and other animals are not so fortunate. It is my desire to use my art to speak for animals who have no voice. I am a member of Art Helping Animals, a fellowship of professional artists who donate a portion of our sales to animal charities. To date, our organization has raised over $60,000 to help the animals.

20% of the sale of this pastel painting will be donated to Old Dog Haven. Please click the link below to learn more about this wonderful network of animal lovers with a special heart for senior dogs.

Pure Gold

by Della Burgus

Pastel on Sennelier Pastel Card,
Image Size 9 x 8
Matted, mounted on foam core board,
Ready to frame

$75

Shipping included

20% will be donated to
Old Dog Haven.

To purchase, or for comments or questions, email the artist
Email Della

Spring is here - or is it?

Has it stopped snowing yet? I mean, really, for good? Or at least until next fall? Is it really over, the long, hard winter that won't allow you to even stick your nose out of the door without it being bitten off by frost? Or is it just hiding, lying in wait until we all get comfortable with the sunshine and green grass, ready to hit us again with one last blast of icy storms. It seems to be over, but I am not taking anything for granted...

One of the great joys of spring is planting flowers. Spring is later here in Iowa than almost everywhere else in the world, but at last the annuals are ready to be planted. So I stopped by the garden center today just to see what was available, and came home with all this. Most of them will be planted by the sign in front of the studio. This year, because it was a long, cold winter, and a whole year of sadness and loss, I felt the need for color in my gray life, so the flowers will be bright and splashy with no particular color scheme.



This is the location where they will be planted. Pathetic, isn't it? Sort of like a neglected pet. But that is what happens during a long Midwest winter. In a day or two, if this rain ever lets up for a little while, I will show you how good it can look.

In the meantime, Happy Spring!

Equine Art New Little Chestnut Arabian Colt

There is something irresistible about new colts gazing at the world in awe and wonder. Everything is new and exciting to them and they can hardly wait to begin to explore, to run, to dance across the meadows, chasing butterflies, bees, the wind. We were all "new colts" once. I hope you haven't lost that sense of wonder - if you have, please try to find it again. Everyone should be as happy as this new little colt.

One way to find that joy again is by helping someone else, and no one needs our help any more than abused, abandoned and neglected animals. I hope to use my art to speak for those who have no voice of their own. As a member of Art Helping Animals I donate a portion of my sales to various animal charities. To date, our organization has raised over $60,000 to help the animals.

20% of the sale of "Little Red" will be donated to True Blue Animal Rescue.

"Little Red"
by Della Burgus

Pastel, Image size: 8 x 11
Mounted on foam core, with a double mat
Ready to frame

Check out the listing on
EBay

Or to purchase. or if you have any questions, email the artist
Email Della

Cavalier King Charles

(Sorry, this painting is no longer available., but I promise to paint another CKC soon)

I love all dogs and over the years have painted many different breeds, as well as mixed breeds. I have come to believe that all dog people are certain that their favorite breed is the very best. And I am sure they are all right about that. Because they are all the best.

One of the breeds that commands the most loyalty from its people is the Cavalier King Charles. And the reasons are obvious - the regal appearance, the large, loving eyes and the gentle manner, combined with a happy disposition and friendly spirit. Their fur is soft and silky, and I defy anyone to resist petting them. Usually they don't mind.

This particular painting was sold this week, but I will paint others, because they are fun and challenging to do, and because I get lots of requests for them. As with all of my paintings, a portion of the sale is donated to an animal charity. For the CKC paintings, the charity is Old Dog Haven, a wonderful organization with a heart for senior dogs. Last week I received an email from Judith at ODH, telling me that their newest Cavalier, who is blind and suffers from heart disease, delivered two puppies just ten days after moving in. She is a wonderful mom.

If you don't know about Old Dog Haven, please check out their website.
And also the website of Art Helping Animals, a group of professional artists who donate a portion of their sales to animal charities. I am a proud member of this group which has raised over $60,000 for animal charities.

Old Dog Haven

Art Helping Animals

Oh, by the way, I share my life with a Toy Poodle and a Border Collie - and they are ALSO the best dogs in the world. Because all dogs are...

Sunshine

My Place in the Sun
Pastel, 8.5 x 10

Nearly every cat I have ever known loves the sunshine. They will lie down any place that sunlight streams through a window, and when the patch of sun moves, they move with it. Cats are amazing creatures, I have never been sure they weren't transplanted here from another world. One minute they are rolling around on the floor, playing with a soft fuzzy toy, the next they are seriously stalking some invisible menace. They take a flying leap from the highest point in the room landing on their feet and walk away as if nothing extraordinary has just happened. Their mood can swing from cuddly and full of love to completely indifferent and superior in the flick of a tail.

I read once that the Lord created the cat so that people might know the pleasure of petting a lion. That may be true - I know that inside every soft little kitten is the heart of a lion.

I hope you find your place in the sunshine today, that you stay there as long as you need to for warmth, for light and for inspiration. Find joy in the simple things in life: the sun shining through a window, the purr of a kitty, the laughter of a child. And remember to be grateful...

"Sunshine" is a pastel on Wallis paper, mounted, matted and ready to frame. It will be offered on Art Helping Animals and Daily Painters later this week. If you would like more information in the meantime, email me. Email Della

Just a Little Snack to Get Me By

A cute, friendly little guy like the those who show up when my husband and I travel to the North Shore of Lake Superior to paint. They are extremely industrious, even in the middle of summer, always looking for seeds to stuff into their little pouches to take to their favorite hiding places. Sometimes they stop their activity and actually eat some of the treasures they have found. Button, our toy poodle, usually travels with us and loves playing with them - first he chases them, then they chase him. Nobody ever catches anybody, and when Button thinks he is too close, he backs up and lets them run away. When he tires of the game and tries to rest, they come out of the bushes and scold him. One summer a friend who had parked his boat and covered it with a tarp, later found it filled with pine cones. It had looked like an ideal storage place to the chipmunks. To me, no trip would be complete without them.

This is an acrylic on canvas panel, 5 x 7 and is available through Art Helping Animals.

Or email me for more information.

Email Della

Passion for Painting Award

Good news! I have been presented with the prestigious Passion for Painting Award, by the internationally admired and respected artist, Vernita Bridges Hoyt. It is indeed an honor. Vernita is a wonderful animal artist, and her still lifes, landscapes, and portraits are simply fantastic. You can see her work on her blog, Texas Sauce Art Life or on Art Helping Animals.

Thank you, Nita. This is the best thing that has happened to me all day, well, I can safely say all month. As a matter of fact it is probably the best thing that has happened to me all year.

I have been asked to list seven things that I love and then pass the award on to seven other people.

Seven things I love, (aside from painting)
1. My family
2. My critters, in no particular order: Button, toy poodle, Barney, tan and white Border Collie, Yellow Kitty, a yellow and white kitty, lots of zebra finch and five cockatiels.
3. Reading mysteries
4. Lilacs in the spring
5. Painting vacations along the shores of Lake Superior
6. Horses
7. Cafe mochas

I need to collect some names, and will present the award to them as they occur to me. Very soon. One thing I forgot to mention is "naps," which I need right now.

Renewal

Colt in the Meadow

I must apologize for not posting lately. It has been a difficult time for my family as my father passed away two weeks ago. In a way it was expected, because he was 98 years old and had a bad heart for several years, but he had been feeling good and living well almost until the time of his passing. After a heart attack about 7 years ago, he moved in with my husband and me. His eyesight was failing and his hearing had almost gone, so he could no longer live alone on the farm as he had for many years. But his mind was just as sharp as ever, and his enthusiasm for living had never diminished. It was a life well lived. But we are missing him.

The new colt seemed an appropriate subject to return to painting. My dad loved horses and colts. Actually this is an older painting that I reworked a bit. I was never quite happy with it, but it took a while to figure out what to change. Sometimes I just put away work for a while and it helps me get a better perspective. I love the way he stands, a little uncertain, maybe a little shy, but curious about the world around him. To me it is a reminder that life is continually being renewed and those of us left behind must continue to live out our time on earth, whether it is long or short.

This painting is available on Ebay

Or send me an email
Email Della

Equine Art White Arabian Horse Close Up

A Beautiful Spirit

Pastel, 8.5 x 10

Matted, mounted on Foam Core board

Ready to frame

$80. shipping included

20% will be donated to True Blue Animal Rescue

I love painting horses, they have such graceful forms, such expressive movements. This particular horse has a way of looking at you that is very direct and somewhat disconcerting. I decided to focus on the face, in order to express the soul and character of the animal. I always wonder what they are thinking.

I am a member of Art Helping Animals, a group of professional artists who sell their work online and donate a portion of the sales of our paintings to animal charities. Visit our blog by clicking on the link below, and you will find paintings and other art in a wide range of styles. subjects, and mediums. Cats, dogs, horses, chicken, pigs, wildlife, and just about any other animal you can imagine have benefited from our charities and graced our gallery.

The image size of this painting is 8.5 x 10, it is matted and mounted on foam core board. 20% of the sale will be donated to True Blue Animal Rescue. You get to see this first, before it is listed on Daily Painters, Zibbet, or Art Helping Animals. I am not sure what the title of the painting should be, so I am mulling it over for a while.

Please check out our Art Helping Animals group.
Art Helping Animals

Iris From the Garden

One of my favorite flowers in the garden. My husband loves to collect different kinds and colors and I love to paint them. They have wonderful names, like "Prissy Miss" and "Superstition." I am not certain of the name of this one, but I think it is "Early Dawn." My husband used to have a chart with the layout of all his gardens so that he could keep track of the names of them all, but some of them did not survive the wet springs we had for two years. I guess he will just have to collect some more. This painting is in watercolor, not one of my usual mediums, but every now and then I like to do something different. Of course, they don't look like this yet - this one was done from a photo from last year. This painting has sold already through Art Helping Animals, but I usually do more of them when the Iris begin to bloom. So watch this space.

Iris
by Della Burgus
Watercolor on Arches
10.5 x 13.5
Matted size 16 x 19

Sold

20% will be donated to
Old Dog Haven

Goodbye my Gentle Little Friend

We had to say good-bye to our little friend Nala yesterday. She was the Manx kitten that Barney and Larry found on the sidewalk last summer. She had a genetic condition, commonly referred to as Manx Snydrome. It is always fatal and usually if kittens do survive, they don't live longer than four months. We spent lots of time with our wonderful veterinary because we believed we owed it to her to give her as many good days as we could. Despite her health problems, she had a happy life, though it wasn't as long as we wanted. God blessed us with this dancing little sprite for nearly ten months, and now Heaven is a much better place because she is there. I know that someday the tears will stop or at least slow down, and I will have only happy memories.
Good-bye, and thank you, my little friend...
More about Nala
A Painting of Nala

Little Lamb

He Restores My Soul
by Della Burgus

Pastel on Wallis Sanded Paper
Image size 9 x 12, Matted to 14 x 18

Click on the link below to view the auction for this painting:
Auction

20% will be donated to
True Blue Animal Rescue

For many different reasons, we all could use some "soul restoration" right now.

New little lambs are one of the early indications of spring in this area. Seeing them makes me smile. If you have never read Philip Keller's book, "A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23," I would recommend it. Amazingly, it turns out we are very much like sheep in our attitudes and behavior. While they are sometimes considered "dumb," that is a harsh and unfair judgment. Actually they are simply naive, somewhat gullible, trusting, and they tend to follow other sheep into dangerous situations, instead of following the shepherd into safe pasture. Sound familiar? But the good news is that the sheep actually do know the shepherd's voice, and as long as they are listening for him, they can't be fooled, even by the most clever wolf.

Summertime

This painting takes us back, back to the endless, lazy, carefree days of summer, days of long ago, before the world was such a frightening place. When little girls could be little girls, dressing up, playing, living simple lives. Before the days of cell phones and rock stars - when "dressing up"meant looking your best. Inspired in part by Sargent's painting The Daughters of Edward D. Boit, this is one of my favorite portraits. Oh, how I long for those long, lazy summertime days again!

This painting is available for purchase directly from the artist.

Summertime Dress-up

Pastel on Canson Paper
Mounted on foam core, with a double mat
Image size 17 x 17. Matted to 23 x 23
Ready to frame.
20% will be donated to
Old Dog Haven Rescue

For more information or
to purchase email the artist
Email Della

American Gothic Revisited...

An American icon painted by Iowa's most famous painter made it back home recently, and the whole state is turning out to welcome it. It is normally housed in the Chicago Art Institute, which makes no sense at all, but evidently they wanted it and the Des Moines Art Center didn't. Go figure. As far as I know, Des Moines owns only one Grant Wood, The Birthplace of Herbert Hoover, and even that one they share with Minneapolis. As the Good Book says, A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own people. Still, he is drawing large crowds this time around.

I am certain the original painting is quite familiar to everyone, so I have posted a rip off that my husband and I painted many years ago. Not too long ago - it was in the public domain so we were not arrested or anything, though from the look on our faces we could have been. It was purchased for a company picnic, and countless people stood behind the board and put their faces in the holes for a photo. People didn't have a lot of entertainment back then. Nowadays, it would all be done seamlessly on Photoshop.



I think they look a little better with smiles on their faces, but what do I know?

Black and White and Black - Kittens by Della Burgus

Two little kittens - one peaceful and serene, waiting to cuddle on your lap and purr; the other ready for action, looking for something to stalk or chase...

A friend of mine found this painting buried in my blog. I had listed it once on eBay, nobody looked at it, so I put it away and forgot about it. But my friend chose it as one of her top twenty favorites of all my artwork, so I gave it a second look. I dusted it off, renewed it, cropped it a bit, re-photographed it and here it is. Not a rerun, but a restored original! The moral of this story is: don't give up on anything. Just continue to paint the world you see, and sooner or later someone will appreciate your viewpoint.

Black and White and Black
by Della Burgus

Pastel on Colorfix Pastel Paper, 12 x 14
mounted on foam core, matted with a double white mat

$75

20% will be donated to
Tabby's Place, A Cat Sanctuary

To purchase email the artist
Email Della

Waves on the Shore

My husband and I used to enjoy traveling to the North Shore of Lake Superior and sit along the shoreline to paint. Sometimes we would just watch the waves and listen to the gulls. Somehow it was exciting and peaceful at the same time. The word that always came to mind was "timeless." No one really knows how long the waves have been hitting those rocks, how many people from how many nations have looked on in awe and wonder. It always makes me feel small. It also reminds me of some of the lyrics to one of my favorite songs:

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens,
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.

Dance....I hope you dance.
I hope you dance....I hope you dance.
I hope you dance....I hope you dance..

Because of family obligations, we haven't returned for several years, but I can still hear the sounds and feel the cool breeze on my face. When we go back again, and we WILL go back, I hope that it hasn't changed.

And, when YOU get the choice to sit it out or dance,
I HOPE YOU DANCE!

Rocky Shoreline

by Della Burgus

Oil 11 x 14
All edges painted, no staples show
Display with or without a frame

$90
Shipping is free

20% will be donated to
Malibu Pet Companions

Dinner Plate Hibiscus

This is a dinner plate hibiscus, so named because of the size of the flower. It grows behind the garden shed and always makes me think of exotic places I will never see.Every summer I take its picture , even though it doesn't change much, and every winter I paint it to remind me that it won't snow forever. This is my first in pastel, the others were in oil. If you think you see a Georgia O'Keefe influence here, you are right. There was a time I spent a lot of time doing large canvases of flowers like this, but I have moved on. Now I am revisiting my past passions, because life is a cycle and it is time to paint flowers again. Soon I will be painting landscapes and seascapes, perhaps even portraits. Whenever I rummage through my old photos I get nostalgic for something or other. This flower always says "Summer" to me, and I love the summer. However, the huge canvases with larger than life paintings of just one bloom are a thing of the past. With the shrinking economy it no longer seems practical. So instead, a 9 x 12 pastel, almost life-size.

Pastel on Wallis Sanded Paper
9 x 12
Mounted on foam core, with a double mat
Matted size 14 x 18

$65

20% will be donated to

Turtle Ridge Wildlife Center

To purchase email the artist
Email Della

Wildlife Art. Portrait of a Raccoon

Raccoon

Pastel on Wallis Sanded Paper
8.5 x 8.5
Mounted on foam core board, with a double white mat
Matted size 14 x 14

This painting has been sold.
Thanks for looking...
20% of the Sale will be donated to
Turtle Ridge Wildlife Center

One morning early last summer, I glanced out of the window in my bedroom and saw a raccoon, sitting very still on the limb of a tree, watching me through the open window. We stayed there for a few moments, gazing at each other in silence, until she slowly slid behind the tree trunk. She is a familiar sight in our neighborhood. Every year she moves into the hollow of another tree on our property and raises a family. Midsummer, she can be seen leading them to the field at the edge of town and on down to the river. I don't know why she was in a different tree that morning, but I enjoyed her company. I felt a peculiar connection to her because we were going through similar passages in our lives. Her family was nearly grown and she would soon leave that phase of her life returning to her river home. My oldest son was about to be married, my younger son had moved half way across the country. So it was time for me to return to the "river" and find a new direction for my life. I look forward to seeing her again this spring. I think of her as a friend and fellow traveler.

This painting has been sold. Check out Art Helping Animals for more great art.