Captivated

Click Here to Bid - 8x6in. - oil on panel

This was an experiment with color. It was a pretty boring (gray) reference, so I made up some colorful bits to make it more interesting. 

Time to Gossip

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel

I loved these two mature women walking the dog (at the beach in NC), far more interested in their juicy gossip than the dog.

Dog Love is Eternal

Click Here to Bid - 5x7in. - oil on panel

You can count on dogs to be wearing permanent heart-shaped glasses for you. Their tails will never not wag when you get home. Their love will never wane. Dogs are THE BEST!

Brave Bunny

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel

When I was teaching in North Carolina last week, I got out early one morning and took a few photos around the Apex neighborhood where I was staying. I saw quite a few bunnies, but they were too far away and skitterish to get any good photos. Here's the best one I got. >

And that's why I have mostly relied on other photographers for the really good ones I can paint. : )

Watch Dog

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel

My son came up with the title for this one. He also pointed out that this is the first time I've painted a watch, which I think is true. I tried not to give it much detail or contrast though, since it's not the focus.

Ginger

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel

I always thought it was funny that a person with orange hair is called a "redhead." It's orange. I mean... So if a cat is orange, what is it called? I would consider changing my title...

Keeping Warm

 

Click Here to Bid - 8x6in. - oil on panel

We've had a super mild winter here in Missoula, but right now it's having one last gasp with several inches of snow. Fortunately it's pretty to look at out the window as I nurse the last of my cold. This dog can relate.

Perched on Dots

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel

I've had a cold for a few days. The pressure in my head when I become horizontal makes it hard to sleep, so even though I feel crummy, I've mostly kept myself upright and busy, at least during the day. But I tried to paint yesterday, and what I found is that the crumminess was too distracting, and probably the exhaustion from not sleeping well, and nothing I painted turned out. Luckily I'm still ahead with my paintings, so here's a cute kitty from better days.

Simply Delightful

Click Here to Bid - 8x6in. - oil on panel

This was one of those times with painting where I went into a zone and when I came out there was this lovely dog. It required no thinking or fussing. It's what I call a "paint-gasm." And I live for them. : )

Don't Get Distracted

Click Here to Bid - 6x8in. - oil on panel

My dog loves to go outside and sniff. She'll wander around happily sniffing every part of the yard, even when it's super cold and we have to just stand there and wait. I say "potty" every few minutes just to remind her of the task at hand. Otherwise she just stays distracted.

So Happy to SEE You

 

Click Here to Bid - 8x6in. - oil on panel

I'm getting to that age where I need glasses to see anything up close. I have yet to come up with a system whereby I carry them around with me, so I will screw up my face trying to see until my hub says, "Oh just use mine!" I suppose it doesn't really matter for dogs to see that clearly. We have domesticated them into (mostly) pure uselessness. Well, I shouldn't say that. They are providers of cuteness and love, which is a lot.

Did You Say Ball?

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel

I've discovered a new use for my ipad. After I've worked on a painting for a while, if it still doesn't seem quite right, I take a picture of it with my ipad, and put it in an art app side by side with the reference (preferably the same size). My goal is not to make them identical, but often I can see quickly where I might have gone awry with proportion* or value. I might make some adjustments to the image of the painting first, undo and redo until I like it, and then commit to the changes in paint.

*If you use Infinite Painter, you can drag the reference image over the painting image, make it the same size, and hold it with 2 fingers. This makes the top image translucent, and then you can really see any proportion issues.

Oldie

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel

I thought this was probably a bulldog, but I wasn't sure so I did an image search - on my painting. Boy is it gratifying to have the internet identify it immediately. That means I painted not only something that is recognizable as "dog" but also the specific breed. And all with a stick with some hairs stuck to the end, and some colored goop. : )

Newbie

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel

This cutie is looking for a forever home. : )

You're My Bird

Click Here to Bid - 8x6in. - oil on panel

I found the adorable reference for this one on a new (to me) site called Envato. I always thought it would be prohibitively expensive to buy reference images, but this one has a reasonable subscription plan.

Credit for the title goes to MY bird, Mr. Marine.

I'm All Ears

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel

Here's one with a similar theme as my last painting. You might think I like sad dogs, but really these last 2 images were just a perfect opportunity for me to dive into all those little bits of fun color, especially in these ears!

Soulful

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel

One of the things I've been doing lately that is really helping me, especially with these animal paintings: sneaking up on darks. Basically I am squinting at the dark areas so they kind of run together, and then roughing those areas in with a paint color that is not my darkest color, but also doesn't include any white. I usually do this with a mix of ultramarine blue, cadmium red, and cadmium yellow - which I can lean towards whatever color is there (for example, this guy had more red in the darks). I get the entire animal filled in with other colors before I add the darkest darks wherever they need to go.

Better to Hear You With

Click Here to Bid - 8x6in. - oil on panel

This is a Flemish Giant rabbit. I thought it just meant the ears were long, but apparently it's also quite a large animal. I figure at least some of the photos online are real ... just do a search for "flemish giant" to see what I mean.

Pretty Chill

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel

Often chihuahua's are nervous little nellies, but this one is pretty chill.

I'll be out of town for the next few weeks. More when I return. : )

Blue Ribbon Bunny

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x8in. - oil on panel

Happy Holidays to you and yours from me and mine! : )