Thank you for visiting !
Please allow me to give you a tour of my studio and tell you about my work. Art and animals have been a part of my life since I was a child. Although I graduated as an Art Major in Depth from Winona University ( Minnesota ), I think I learned the most about art from my mother. She had a paint brush in my hand while I was still in the high chair

 

Photo by : Soni Forsman

 

Photo : Me, Dave & Lainey ( 2023 )

Click to enlarge !

 

My art career began as a painter of portraits, landscapes, and, of course, animals. In my youth, I was consumed with a passion for horses. I rode them, I trained them, and I painted them. A changing lifestyle meant downsizing the obsession. Papillon dogs worked well in this category.

 

I bred Papillons under the Nanstar Prefix for 22 years.
In that time, I raised 28 litters and co-bred a handful more.
From those litters have come 45 Champions.

 

 

I married Dave Pinke in 1970. He has always been so supportive of my artwork. Since I began

the sculpture work in 1985, he has hauled many, many bags of hydrostone to my lower level art

studio without complaining !

 

My last litter of Papillon was born in 2007 after breeding them for 22 years.

In 2021 we were fortunate to get our current Papillon Coria Timeless Reflection,

"Lainey" who’s got a bit of my old Nanstar bloodline in her pedigree.

She is a very treasured companion.

 

Studio L'image began in 1985 as a partnership between myself and Susan Cassem.  We sold a few of my original stoneware dog sculptures at a show, reinvested in some molds, and a business was whelped ! Sue critiqued as I sculpted to complete most of the breeds you will see in this site. Sue has since retired from the business and I have now retired also, but still like to keep up my artistic ability as a hobby.   
 
The first step in producing a figurine is to complete the original. This is done in polymer clay. After the original is completed, a mold is made by painting on silicone rubber in layers over the original. When that is dry, a plaster "mother mold" is formed around the silicone. This is then opened and the original removed. Casting material is poured into the mold and allowed to harden. The casting is then carefully removed from the mold and hand cleaned and detailed. After drying for a week, the casting is painted using several types of paint in a two day process. A final sealer is sprayed on and the bottom finished with pads. Because each piece requires considerable hand work, no two are exactly alike.

 


Clay Original
 
Plaster & Silicone mold
 
Casting in mold

Clay Original

 

Plaster & Silicone mold

 

Casting in mold