My Michelangelo and 2 cute dogs

Joe and I have been opening ourselves up to working pretty much anywhere....that's what you do when you are self-employed and trying to make a living in the worst economy of our lifetimes.

So, right now we are in Portland.

My husband is quite an amazing artist. I met him in art school and he is an incredible print maker and oil painter. Over the past few years, he has been commissioned to do public and private murals, (have you seen the big one on the side of the Medina post office? That's one of his.)

For the past few days, he has been working on a French-inspired ceiling mural in a 1920's condo in Portland's Northwest neighborhood. Joe's clients have become friends of ours, so we are also staying with them.

I am basically along for the ride, working and taking meetings here and there, but mostly hanging with the dogs that live here. Joe and I have cats, so I have to live vicariously through anyone who has a dog. I’ll be honest, I am not really a cat person, but I became a stepmother to our 2 cats when I moved in with Joe 10 years ago. I like dogs, especially these dogs. They are so funny.

I have been trying to document Joe’s artistic process on the ceiling, but my camera keeps turning back to Zoe the bulldog and Joey the labradoodle.

Here is Joe getting started. It's a big ceiling...



Some details below. He is just laying down the drawings now. The color comes later, (it's gonna take awhile.)

Me working hard.

Cute dogs.


Joe tired after working hard.