The Dog Walker

I have a neighbor who rescues dogs. She always walks by our house with her pack. I love seeing them, they are all very well behaved and they look like they are totally enjoying themselves. I grabbed my paints and decided to capture this group in oil. Some days there is nothing better than grabbing some friends and going for a walk!

Irish, a memorial portrait

Final painting of Irish

I was asked by a group of dog trainers if I could paint a portrait for their friend as a memorial to Irish, a show Labrador Retriever that died suddenly from surgical complications. It is such a wonderful opportunity to be able to be a part of this gift and an honor to paint such a beautiful dog. I decided to do this painting on suede mat board so it gave it a soft feel, a bit defused. I love portraits, both animal and people on suede mat board. I think it creates a romantic feel to the painting. I started laying in the colored background which is always my favorite part. When painting white or black dogs I love to add a lot of color to help bring them to life. I get the dogs shape in and mark where the eyes, nose and mouth will be. Once I have it roughed in I do the eyes, if the eyes aren't right it won't work no matter how good everything else is. She has something called eyeliner, which is tricky to paint since I don't want it to look like she has two black eyes. I also struggled as the picture was only a 3x5 photo that was a bit overexposed and the right side of her face was in shadow, making that other eye just a black blob. I had to create her other eye and I am waiting to hear from the owner now if she is happy or wants more. Here is Irish, RIP.

Walk with the Animals

Every year the Humane society has a walk to raise money for the shelter, even after all these years we are still involved. Jennifer was the manager before her accident and she still loves the animals and what she did so we enjoy supporting them through different events. The walk this year was amazing. I can't believe how big its gotten, hundreds of people and their dogs showed up around 8ish to have a pancake breakfast and then go on the walk around the lake. The weather was wonderful and everyone seemed to have a great time.We took Chloe and Pee wee who enjoyed all the other dogs and treats they were handing out. There was agility demonstrations and freesby dogs too.  Here are a few sketches and pictures

This last picture is a friend that Pee wee found and he loved her. He keeps trying to talk her into coming onto his lap, but Pee wee would not oblige, she allowed him to love on her on her terms only, LOL. Such a girl.