Brutus - Finished

"Brutus"
9X12
Oil on Linen Panel

Commissioned
Click on picture to enlarge the view.

I used to have cats. Over the years I gave homes to Spooky, Muffin, Ruffles, Levi, Alfalfa, and Oliver. That was the first half of my adult life. Then I went to the dogs...pun intended!! (the dogs: Harrison, Bailey, and now Bosley.) LOL Anyway, I love our furry little friends and love to celebrate the joy they give to us!!! On Thanksgiving that is one of the things for which I am grateful!

So here is Brutus, a fun-loving cutie pie whose family loves him! I had a great time with this painting. The challenge was to make Brutus "pop" on the fabric designs of the chair and ottoman. But that was also what makes the painting interesting to me...that and the adorable pose with his left paw reaching toward the viewer and the light falling across his adorable nose. I want to feel as if I could just reach over and pet him or pick him up. At least that is what I wanted to convey. I hope he is as happy as he made me feel while painting him!!!

On to the next thing...stayed tuned!!

Brutus - Work in Progress - Stage 3

"Brutus - Work in Progress - Stage 3"
9X12
Oil on Linen

Commissioned

Still working on Brutus' fur, but I have finished the chair and ottoman upholstery and background for the most part. Now the fun begins to give his fur all the characteristics I can muster and make him "pop!"

Brutus - Work in Progress

"Brutus - Work in Progress"
9X12
Oil on Linen Panel

Commissioned

Well....sometimes a cat sneaks into the Painted Dog blog....and some projects are just too fun ...and this is definitely one of them. The owner of this adorable fellow sent me several pictures from which to choose. All of the pictures were great, fun, cute, and showed the personality of this guy so well that I just fell in love with him. Suffice it to say that Brutus goes wherever he wants to go...into the potted plants, sitting on all of the pillows, perched on the owner's shoulder, etc. But this was the pose I like the most for his portrait. I also chose it for the color combination against his soft grey and white fur. He has the cutest smile and owns his realm, that is for sure. So anyway, here is the beginning of his painting. There is a long way to go, but I thought you might like to see a preliminary stage.

Rose, the Border Collie

"Rose"
14X11
Oil on Linen
Commissioned

Would tell you more, but then I'd have to kill you. This is a present for someone. Not saying who.

The photo has some glare from the wet paint...sorry about that. I will try to take a better photo when this dries.

I just realized after looking back at several previous posts that I have completely missed the comments on this blog. I apologize to all who took the time to comment here. I appreciate your thoughts more than you know.

Cat Oil Portrait

Barnhardt's Cat
16X12
Oil on Linen Panel
Commissioned

Click on image to enlarge the view.

Even on The Painted Dog...an occasional cat will pop up!!

This little adorable cat is no longer among us, so this commission is to celebrate her life. Her owners adored her and I can see why....she seems to be so sweet in this pose. I had to do some fictional background because the photographs had window glare and black shadows which made it really tough to see the details. But I think this has turned out well and I hope her owner will be pleased. This painting will allow them to look at her and remember how much she meant to them!

Poncho, Miniature Doberman Pinscher

"Poncho"
10X8
Oil on Canvas Panel
Commissioned

This guy has a story...so the owner tells me. He was brought here on a plane in a shoe, being a small fellow of under one pound, all the way from South America. The painting is commissioned for a birthday present for the lady of the house. Poncho is a well loved and apparently happy guy with quite a personality!! A challenge to paint and fun to get to know his cute face!!

Tess, Finished

"Tess"
14X11
Oil on Board
Commission

Finally had time to finish painting Tess today. She is really a charming little lady and I enjoyed painting her very much. White on White or Black on Black are always challenging fur colors to paint. You have to just put more color in there than you think you see in order to get the textures and the shadows. I really loved the soft green background and the red pillow bed she rests on with the whites and blacks of the dog and the foreground. It made for a really nice painting and I have to thank the owners for such a good photo from which to work.

This painting was a donation I made to the Cancer Society Auction. Tess' owners were so kind to bid and win, so this painting has a lot of meaning for everyone involved! Fun for me to do...good for them, and hopefully, someone somewhere will benefit from Cancer research.

Now on to the next one...still pondering what it will be. Stay tuned...

Longhair Dachsund

"Longhair Dachsund"
6X6
Oil on Gessoed Board
Available

Back to the dogs..our dear friends. I have committed to a donated painting for a fund-raising project to benefit the local Cancer Society. The event is an auction and will be happening the middle of March. Since that is soon, I thought I should start warming up to get myself back into the dogs...one of my very favorite subjects to paint. I'm looking forward to the commission and hope the auction works out great for all!

Stay tuned....and bless our dogs who comfort us in all circumstances.