Category archives: animal

How long have you been painting? 
 
Coming from a family of creators and performers, I grew up with a love for all things creative. In high school, I was more drawn to music and performance but still dabbled in painting. Visual/fine art was something that I had always loved and when it came time to decide on a career path, the visual side took the lead. I went to Delaware College of Art and Design for my associates in Fine Arts and West Chester University to finish my bachelors. After that I was employed as a photography assistant for an auction house in Downingtown, I now currently work there as one of their lead photographers. Although I loved all of the creative formats that I had been allowed to experience, I felt like there was something else that I could use as an outlet, so I decided to play around with the idea of watercolor.  But it wasn’t until I worked at Philter that I started painting as a freelance artist. The owner, Chris Thompson, allowed me to hang my work in the shop, which received an awesomely positive response and things continued grew from there. 
How did you become interested in watercolor? 
 
The funny thing is, I have always been more drawn to oil paints and heavier mediums. In school, I had a very heavy hand and loved high contrast and texture, so oils and charcoal were always my go-to. The love for watercolor came as quite a surprise. I fell in love with the way each layer influenced the next, allowing you to see a history beneath them. Its such a delicate medium, and I was always told how scary it was to use, so it was pretty intimidating when the time came to try it. I wanted to experiment one day, and after I painted my first goldfish, I fell in love with the medium. I’ve never been one to create clean and crisp work, which is something that is usually associated with watercolor. Through playing with it, I had realized that it was much more fun to make a mess. Watercolors are known to be hard to control, and with this knowledge, I’ve learned to let go of my own expectations through the process and allow it to have an active role in creating the piece as well. Why try to control something that can be so beautiful in it’s own right? That’s where the splashes and drips come in. 🙂 Though over the last 3 years, I have worked in a bigger format, moving to larger canvas pieces. This required a heavier paint to stick to the canvas, so a lot of my more recent pieces are done with acrylic in a watercolor style -which opens up a whole other world of playing and experimentation. But I must say that every time I go back to watercolor, my heart is re-stolen. It is a truly beautiful art form.
What attracts you the most–when looking for potential subject matter? 
Painting is truly an outlet for me. So it really depends on my mood and whats happening in life, as cliche as it may sound, those things really do influence what kinds of works come to fruition. Sometimes when I’m not feeling anything in particular but have the need to create, colorful abstract pieces with come to mind. Most of the time my works consist of animals. I’ve always been an animal person, if I didn’t choose this career path, then it certainly would been one involved with fur friends. So I’d say that they influence my work quite a bit. I love the idea of the spirit animal. I feel like everyone has one that they connect with, so shedding light on that is always a fun adventure. I’m especially drawn to woodland creatures- foxes, wolves, and hawks are some of my favorite subjects. They’re pretty independent creatures, though obviously wolves can be big “pack” animals, I feel like there’s a quiet “loner” side that is easy to relate to as well. Color also plays a huge role in my process. I’m a huge fan of color, and I love playing with it in spots that you may not usually find it- like if something is supposed to appear black or in shadow, in nature if you really look at something that appears black, it actually consists of so many other colors. I think that’s half of the fun when creating these pieces, finding things that you wouldn’t usual see at first glance, but somehow makes it all work. It allows the viewer to really observe, search for, and discover something, creating their own connection to the piece, which is really my goal.
Who were the watercolor artists who inspired you most? 
 
Though I haven’t seen many watercolors by him, Cy Twombly is a huge one….I even nerded out to the point of naming my cat after him. At first I never really understood his work, but that’s what made me fall in love with it. He seemed to be purely about color and placement. Things don’t have to make sense in his pieces but they certainly convey something. Lora Zombie’s works really helped to inspire me in taking on watercolor. Her pieces are super fun and edgy, usually consisting of pop culture subjects. And she’s never afraid to make a mess when it comes to watercolor. There is also a ton of talent in my personal tribe and local community that is super inspirational. I’m extremely lucky and thankful to have so many talented friends who influence and inspire my work as well. Its great to be able to bounce ideas back and forth, get feedback and to really be able to be completely supported and vulnerable with these fellow humans. That kind of connection is important.
What are you working on now? 
I’m currently gearing up for the Holiday freelance season, it’s always a super fun and creative time. There are a few pieces that I have in mind that will need to be put on canvas soon (and possibly t-shirts!), so be on the look out for those! There are also some pretty exciting things that are being balanced with the freelance painting as well – my family recently started the On the Roll Inc, Food Truck, which has kept us all very busy and excited! I am thankful to be apart of that endeavor. I am also currently planning out the holiday display at Philter Coffee. Its always a fun process and its nice to take a shot at 3D work between paintings. So I’m super excited to see what we’ll come up with next!

Meet Maike– a professional dog trainer. She came from Germany and has lived in PA for twenty years.

 

I heard you came from Germany. Can you talk a little bit about that? 

Yes. I grew up on the outskirts of Heide in Schleswig-Holstein, about an hour North of Hamburg. My childhood in Germany was amazing. My grandmother had dachshunds when I was a child, which led me to longhaired dachshunds as my breed of choice today (they remind me so much of home and childhood). Dachshunds may not be for everybody, since they are very independent and can be a challenge to train, but I enjoy their personality and adventurous spirit. My dog Lucy had her first litter of puppies in the spring of 2016 and I kept a girl (Ruby Sue) as a companion for her. I am rarely seen without my dogs.

What did you do before you become a dog trainer? 

I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a Master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language. I have worked with ESL learners in adult language programs as well as elementary schools. I found the perfect balance to my scholarly pursuits in working with large and small animals around Chester County Pennsylvania. To balance my studies I have managed Eventing stable and quiet country farm boarding operations. Through my equestrian connections, I then became a dog walker and pet sitter (in my experience every horse person generally has at least one dog). Overall, I find the work with animals endlessly rewarding and it is ultimately best suited to my quiet nature.

Why do you want to be dog trainer? 

My interactions with dogs challenge me in ways that keep me continuously exploring and growing as a person. I enjoy helping people and want to see dogs and their humans learn to communicate as a team. Personally, I am most interested in the canine behavior aspect of dog training. Since understanding dogs has always come naturally to me, I feel like I have knowledge to impart that can bring people closer to living in true harmony with their canine companions. I am currently enrolled in the Victoria Stilwell Academy for Dog Training and Behavior to further my education.

 

What was your first dog training experience? 

My grandmother’s dachshunds always found me as a child, but my parents did not allow my to have my first dog until I was 18. Jeannie was a Golden Retriever/Collie/Chow Chow mix and my first true dog training challenge. She came to me at 8 weeks and was my shadow in all my adventures outside of school. She was fiercely loyal to my family, but reactive to strangers. My parents ultimately kept her when I moved to the US, but I have since worked with many dogs that mirrored her “take no prisoners” attitude.

Can you give people 3 tips about dog training? 

The best advice I can give people is to:

 

–       Take the time to understand what your dog is trying to tell you.

–       Use positive reinforcement when training your dog.

–       Have patience in your training and always treat your best friend with kindness.

Maike Singelmann can be reached at  Email: [email protected]  Phone: 267-902-9433