Acrylic on large 100 % cotton rag paper. I received lots of photos and sometimes got lost in the details, but all’s well that ends well. The client was great to work with …giving me almost instant feedback when I needed it!
Tag Archives: dog portraits
Custom Portrait Work
I find it pretty stressful to paint portraits of dogs, but in the long run, it’s very rewarding and worth the time spent. The problem always is that the dog owner knows and loves their dog(s) very much, but I only have a couple of photos to work with! The process is difficult but the end result is usually worth all the anxiety!
Head Shots and beyond!
My new venture is called “head shots”…featured on our website, http://www.bellacompany.com. I have received some great dog pictures to work with. As it turns out, this particular project I dreamed up is deceptively difficult…but, when the painting is finally finished, folks who purchase these canvas paintings are happy with the results. I sometimes think I want to get back to painting the landscape (as in my “looking down” paintings) and, I have some great camera shots taken while I’m walking Lola, (our new now a year old) dog.
This is the time of year I spend dreaming up the new year. What new designs or popular past designs will be on a new t-shirt? What kind of painting would I like to explore? Should I open some new paint colors and wander down some unexplored subject? I began painting by painting landscapes and seascapes…should I go there again? It’s nice and disturbing too when ideas are up in the air!
Art History lesson
I have wanted to share some artists who inspired me and set me on this art path…so, here goes!
My grandmother was very creative and the person who raised me when I was very young. She gardened, made her own hats, made movies of her travels to Mexico and Hawaii, and painted dishware. She also worked full time!
When I went to live with my mother I was in the 4th grade. There was a lot of adjusting to do. I was moved from a rural home to an apartment in downtown Seattle. I attended public school for the first time. My mom figured out that butcher paper on the wall was necessary or I was going to draw on the wall paper! So I had a place to create from the start. I also had a great 5th grade art teacher. One day she showed a movie about how to create a watercolor…I was mesmerized!
When I married, I seemed to have lost my art self. We lived in Corvallis Oregon and my husband was going to Graduate School. I worked in a small bank. There was this small book store close to work and I’d go there sometimes on my lunch time. One day I came across this book about Nicolas De Stael. I was mesmerized again! Even though we had little money, I had to go back and buy this small book. Nicolas woke up my buried desire to paint. I’ve never been the same!
Night Life with Dogs
Hominy and Buster
the “out of control” room
Every day presents new content to my life. The garden is the mediator of the turmoil of every day. There’s nothing like removing a weed and planting a flower, or placing a big rock just where it should be to provide some balance. Some of life’s problems just have to exist!
Meanwhile, I’ve had time to paint another “living with dogs and cats” painting. …its a way of dealing with turmoil…