portrait

Painting Pets: the Eyes Have It

Posted by Jerry Cave
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?

Posted by Jerry Cave
Afsaneh

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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A Proud Moment

Posted by Jerry Cave
John and Debbie, 22” x 28” original acrylic on canvas.

Everyone who knows me knows that I have a fondness for really good tequila. Several years ago a close friend gifted me a bottle of Señor Rio añejo tequila, and it was signed by the owner, John Gach – an Arizona man! Señor Rio is locally owned, but made in Jalisco, Mexico. It was a very special gift. Fast forward, I met John’s wife, Debbie for lunch to find out that, sadly, John had passed away about a year ago. Debbie had seen my work at Los Dos Molinos in Mesa, and asked if she could commission me to paint a portrait of her and John. It was an honor to do so.

Portraits can be difficult, especially if you know the person (or people). I had never met John, but Debbie provided me with a number of pictures of him, and her, and them together. John was a dynamic man – an avid body builder with a variety of tattoos on both of his huge arms, which made the painting interesting and challenging. Getting both John and Debbie just right was a struggle, and I also incorporated a bottle of Señor Rio – per Debbie’s request. In the end I was pleased with the result, and Debbie was as well. She recently had the painting framed and sent me a photo of it. She knew exactly what end result she wanted, and the framed portrait looks amazing. The right frame can totally change a painting’s look.

Debbie was featured on Fox 10 news in Phoenix. Señor Rio is a great success story, and a very happy reminder to me of the process of painting John and Debbie’s portrait.