"Hindsight" by Connie Townsend. Who wants to go for a ride?

Yesterday afternoon, I was introduced to the art of Connie Townsend, an artist who, like me, lives in Flagstaff, Ariz. Since then, I have talked to a number of friends, all of whom were literally shocked that this discovery was new to me. First of all, her art is all over town. Second of all, I work with dogs. And third, a big article about Connie and her work just came out in a local publication this spring. Sigh. I’ve got to get out more! Now that I know of her work, I don’t want anyone else to miss out.
 
Many of her images show dogs riding around in or driving cars, and all of them are filled with fun. What really caught my attention was the realistic way that she depicts their faces. When a dog leans out the window and the wind is hitting his face, the relaxed face, open mouth, flapping ears and shiny eyes look so authentic, as do the expressions of all her canine characters. It’s that emotional realism in scenes of great imagination and humor that combine to make her paintings memorable.