Do You Know What A Dachshund Thinks?

I do.

Petey, the mischievous Dachshund in my upcoming mystery, SEARCHING FOR A STARRY NIGHT, finally has his say in my new short story, "Secrets" in today's Flashshot. You can read the story here , or click Last 10 Flashshots.

I will post it on my site soon; a link will be at cverstraete.com/fiction.html

Art in Miniature - Van Gogh's Starry Night

Van Gogh's masterpiece, The Starry Night, is one of my favorite paintings, and part of the plot of my soon-to-be-released mystery, SEARCHING FOR A STARRY NIGHT.

Thanks to artist Lucie Winsky, I now have a real-life version of the miniature painting featured in my upcoming mystery novel. The painting's frame measures 2 5/8" long x 2" high.



Lucie's Art

Lucie, who is also a skilled miniature doll artist, has been painting "since I could hold a paintbrush," she jokes, but has only been painting in miniature since 2006.

Her inspiration to try painting in miniature came from her desire to paint a portrait of the Victorian lady who is the logo for Dana of Miniature Art's Mini Doll List. The logo is based on the circa 1907 painting, "At Home," by Philip Boileau. The painting was donated as a prize for a contest on the doll list.

This painting, like her other miniature art, is done in oils, just as a life-size painting would be done. It can take up to a month or longer to complete one painting.

No Small Feat

Each painting is done using tiny paintbrushes that are trimmed down, along with split toothpicks. Even more incredible? Lucie paints without use of a magnifier! "My eye doctor told me that I have really good close-up vision," she says.

There is one pitfall to working on such small detail, of course: "Neck pain from looking down too much," she admits.

The secret to Lucie's work? She half-jokes: "Patience."

Read more about Lucie's art at her website, Art By Lucie .