portrait

Painting Pets: the Eyes Have It

Gia
Title: Gia
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 16″ x 20″
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Gia’s portrait was a commission for some great friends. Sweet Gia passed late last year, and my portrait of her was a surprise Christmas present for her family. Gia was a beautiful Yorkie, with golden, flowing hair and a sweet face.  She was a joy to paint, and it was an emotional moment when I presented her to the family.

Presenting a portrait of a beloved pet is often an emotional event, especially when the pet is deceased. As they say, there is no love like that of a dog. I guess that makes it especially difficult when they are gone. Their absence leaves a big void in peoples’ lives.

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What More Can I Do?

Afsaneh and Fogo
Title: Exquisita
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 22″ x 28″
Buy Print: ($345)
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The more I paint, the more I realize how much I don’t know.

Every painting is a learning experience, and–like every other painter out there, I’m sure–I want to get better every time.

Recently, I realized that I am a “conceptual” painter. That means that I know what I want the painting to look like when I’m done. I just thought every painter was the same in that regard; not so.

I continue to get emails from artists who say “do this” and “do that,” but I only know one way to paint. I watch other painters to see how they work, and am often blown away at how they structure a painting, how they use color, all those things, and it’s exciting to me to learn new things.

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