SOULFUL GUS

8x10 oil on canvas sold
Gus, a black labrador, was a fun little commissioned portrait. There's something about labradors that make my heart melt, with Gus it was his soulful eyes. In the photo references I was given, Gus' expression never changed, he just had that loyal and meaningful "I'll stay by your side and be your best friend" look that I love so much from labs. 

ZIGGY MARLEY

8x16 oil on canvas panel
This is Ziggy Marley and if you recognize him it's because you've probably seen and read about him on Beth Connolly's blog. On Beth's blog, her latest post shows a photo of Ziggy proudly wearing his well deserved blue ribbon for mastering an advanced obedience course. The photo I used for this painting was taken by an incredible photographer, Lisa Prince Fishler who, along with Beth, granted me permission to paint Ziggy. Please visit both of these sites; I appreciate this community of bloggers and artists so very much, everyone is very willing to share, support, and encourage.  Thank you so much Beth and Lisa!

This was one of those rare paintings where the time flew quickly and before I knew it Ziggy was signed and ready for posting. Thank you so much for visiting and commenting; it means so much to me!

TWO MORE SMILING PETS

K.C.

8x10 oil on canvas sold

This is K.C. showing off his special little grin. This portrait is a birthday gift for the "grandmother" of Shep, Ollie, & MiMi West (see earlier post). In the photos I was given, K.C. has the exact same expression in all of them....only a smile a mom could love!
WILSON 

8x10 oil on canvas sold

As I was working on K.C.'s portrait, I received a phone call for a special birthday present for Wilson's dad. Imagine my surprise, when I received the photos of Wilson, again another unique smile, and the same expression in all of his photos, as well...only a smile a dad could love!

PHOEBE LOVE

8x10 oil on canvas sold
This is one of my most recent commissions, painted within the last couple of weeks. Phoebe is a beautiful lab, loved dearly by her owner, Mrs. Love...don't you love her last name? 

When Mrs. Love described Phoebe to me, she talked about her alert eyes, apparently Phoebe smiles not only with her great big grin, but with her eyes, as well. When Mrs. Love picked up Phoebe's portrait, she loved everything about it, especially her eyes. She left smiling and left me smiling.

MY WEEKEND WITH HENRY FINKELSTEIN

6x12 oil on canvas
16x20 oil on panel
8X16 oil on panel

Another great weekend to talk about, but I will keep this short because I have so many photos to post...I spent a long weekend studying with Henry Finkelstein, an abstract expressionist from New York (3rd from left on back row in group shot). Our plein air painting days consisted of 30-35 mph winds, very gray days, rainstorms, and the occasional burst of sunshine. Our days began painting in the morning, breaking for lunch with a critique, and then back to painting into early evening. Before we sent Henry back to New York, we celebrated with a wonderful party last night. Artists are just the best people, I have made so many new friends, here in blogworld, and through workshops. We had so much fun painting together and plan on painting again very soon. I love seeing photos of artists at work and hope you enjoy seeing these amazing artists and their incredible paintings. Please keep in mind these landscapes were pretty quick, but hopefully I have some good studies that I might develop into larger works soon.