Saturday, September 21, 2013

I Love Saturday!


Why?  you ask. 
Saturday morning I sit and drink coffee as long as I want. 
I listen to NPR for as long or as little as I want.
I go out for as long as I want.
I play music as loud as I want (if my neighbors are out)
I paint pictures of anything I want.
I read blogs as much as I want. 
Finally, I anticipate the cocktail hour 
with the same enthusiasm I have for it everyday ;)


Here are my brand new pillow covers! 
Now available in my Society 6 Shop AllynHoward


You can choose between several sizes of covers
that come with or without the actual pillow insert.


I'm happy with these, so I hope a few will end up in 
a cozy cute child's room or nursery.


I've also added some more greeting cards.


These are 5x7 cards sold in sets of  3, 5 or 10.




Plus, please peruse the plethora of Art Prints available in my shop!
* Hurry * FREE SHIPPING * through tomorrow, Sunday *
Sept 22nd until Midnight Pacific Time :)


Best part about this Saturday is that my bathroom floor can't be
ripped up ((rotted wood, moldy tiles and all)) and replaced, until tomorrow! 
As Mark Twain once said -
"Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well."
If it were up to me, it would definitely be done day after the day after after that day after
and so on, but I know that's no good either.
I love Sunday, so I hope this doesn't ruin it.
:::
Thanks for stopping by.
Have a lovely day! xo, A

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Animals with dreams, big and small


: Toby and a bird named Sue :
"The Question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me?" -Ayn Rand


: Claude cat and Lou, Louanne to be exact :
"Everyone should believe in something; I believe I'll go fishing." -Henry David Thoreau


: Bunny and Blue :
"Where there is love, there is life." -Mahatma Ghandi


: Holiday :
I painted this based on a 1959 issue of Holiday Magazine.

"It is not down in any map; true places never are." -Herman Melville
***
Prints of new work available in my shop - Society6.com/AllynHoward

Hope your September is off to a brilliant start!
xo, A

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Back to School in Brooklyn


Weeeeeeeeeee! 
"I'm King of the World!"


These guys are on their way back to PS58 here in Carroll Gardens.
You're probably surprised by how many animals attend school,
but that's Brooklyn for you ;)


Oops, there goes lunch. Good thing it's all wrapped up,
most of it at least.

:: Full Painting ::


You looking at me?



Pizza Louie and Betty Cinna-bun wave good-bye and wish them luck!


"I hope it's not too hard."
:::
This is my seasonal painting on the front door of
If I Were A Toy store, on the corner of Court and Carroll Street.
I hope the kids have a terrific start back, this week for some
and next week in my neighborhood.
:::
Hope you enjoyed your Labor Day weekend!
Thanks for stopping by.
xo, A

Monday, August 26, 2013

It's National Dog Day!


Who knew? 
Apparently, August 26th is National Dog Day! 
Yay
Above, I pose with Bruiser, the nicest dog in the world,
besides Ricky, who was the sweetest dog in the world :D
Don't worry, no injuries were incurred during our photo shoot.

Snorkle Dog - detail from one of my toy store door paintings 

I'm taking this opportunity to remember the 4 dogs I loved most in my life 
and to shamelessly promote my own dog art. 
Looking over my dog illustrations, I've come to realize that I'm influenced by iconic characters 
like Snoopy, Scrappy Doo and Weebles (they wobble, but they don't fall down)



* Hooray for Today *


Dogs read, when they have the chance. They rarely get a chance however.

Dogs, mostly


I'd like a nutty buddy, please...


Dudley Scooter Dog, zips round the boroughs looking for adventure and fun!


Dancin' dogs and One bun entertain the whole train, except for one very sleepy fox.


Petey meets Sal


Animals love to dance, but dogs really love it most, practicing about 75% more 
of the time than any other animal. That's true.



Dogs dream of flight and space travel. That's just another little known fact I've uncovered ;)


Dogs love birthday parties, but should never ever eat chocolate. They think they can eat chocolate
and they will try to eat chocolate, but dogs must never have chocolate. That is very sad, but true (really true!)


This pup loves his gondola. Really, it belongs to his dad, 
but he knows he will one day
steer one, too!


Melissa Z in her Top Dog tee :)


I have Top Dog tees for sale in my Etsy Shop, Blip Blop. Take a look
or contact me for sizes.


I painted this portrait of Sugi Pug Wonder for my friend, Leslie's birthday one year.
The real Sugi is even cuter, if you can believe that :))


These went off to Arizona Pug Rescue for a fund raising event last year. 
I have a couple of 'Brooklyn Pug' onesies available in my Etsy shop and you can 
purchase a print from my Society 6 shop.


Lyle, he's a little lost and lonely, but things will look up soon. I promise.


This is my 1st dog, Ricky. 
When the Clements family dog, Ginger had puppies, I went over early 
each morning to sit and watch over them. Granted, the family was also my 'baby sitter' 
when my parents went to work. Still, I was enamored with these puppies.


We chose Ricky, named after my childhood friend, to be our dog.
I loved her more than anything in the world. 


This is Ilsa and Bruiser. 
Ilsa, on the right, was a beauty but she was mischievous. 
She loved chewing on anything and everything she could get her teeth on! 
Ilsa and Ricky were often punished together, which upset me greatly :(
We got Bruiser after poor Ricky was hit by a car. She was only about 4 years old. 
I was heartbroken.
Bruiser was as lovely a pet as Ricky, but I still feel terribly sad thinking about little Ricky.


Above, Bruiser and Ilsa meet Jake for the 1st time. 
I found Jake in college and brought him with me whenever I came home, 
which was often since my parents lived only about 20 minutes from VCU campus. 


Love blossoms on Gustavo's gondola
This is one of my favorite paintings. You might even be sick of seeing it by now.
If so, I am sorry.
My dream is to return to Venice to research my little story, 
but for now, I must rely on the wonderful wild web.


Westie at Sea
Another detail from one of my toy store door paintings for If I Were A Toy Brooklyn.

Have a great week and remember to
Celebrate and Love Dogs, today and every day!!
xo, A

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Art (and Pinterest) Appreciation Month


Hey! It's Art Appreciation Month! Did ya hear that, Art?


Pierre Bonnard

Today, I present you with-
a rather random sampling of art 
that makes me happy to look at over and over again.
I love paintings, photography, design, cover art, packaging, travel posters, 
children's books, old & new, vintage ads, clever stuff, funny stuff, you name it...


Basically, all things that have helped make Pinterest the hit that it is!


Here are links to a few of my boards, just in case you're curious - 
great book covers and more...




Daphne Padden

Daphne Padden



Horst Lemke



Hundertwasser

Jim Flora

Margaret Tarrant

Alice and Martin Provensen


Isabel Arsenault

Current  illustrators ... more

Kate Lewis

The number of images on Pinterest continues to astound me.
There are soooo many talented artists and creative people 
working today and many that I have only recently learned about.
The seemingly endless number of natural wonders in the world 
can strike total awe.

Ok, this is a joke, but Edourdo Noriega is a natural wonder ;)

With stunning architecture to admire, objects to drool over,
and beautiful and/or cool interiors to envy, it's like a guide on- 

.
The plethora of adorable animal photos and movie star pics is almost 
beyond comprehension!


Just how many images of Audrey Hepburn & Marilyn Monroe 
are there out there? 



but I digress, please appreciate for yourself....



Moholy-Nagy



a classic

Tom Friedman

Lisl Weil

Helen Frankenthaler

Stuart Davis


DeKooning

love this

Georges Menager
:::
I've had to limit my time on Pinterest and I promise I do not receive any kick backs 
from them. I am simply in awe. Sure, there's a lot of crap on there, too.
Women, stop dieting! just stop it.
I only regret that it will be impossible to travel to every destination 
I have pinned onto my Must Visit board!


But,  you never know...


Thanks for stopping by!
xo, A

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