Gotta Make another Turn

Okay, I love this painting of these two absolutely beautiful German shepherds.  I just finished it about a week ago, and it was a commissioned painting.  I now have another commissioned painting of a stunningly beautiful weimaraner on the easel that I've been struggling with for - no kidding - over two weeks.  The lighting was bad in the original photo (indoor incandescent lights, flash, both really difficult to work with).  Following the completion of this painting, I have two more commissions to do, both with between two and four dogs per painting.

It's so hard sometimes - commissioned paintings, that is.  In one sense, I love making someone happy by painting their very precious family member(s) for them.  But for me as an artist, as I've mentioned multiple times before, it is a huge challenge.  These are beloved members of a family, sometimes no longer living, so I must get them exactly right and do my very best to reflect their personalities, their beauty, their very lives on a piece of canvas stretched on some wood strips.  It takes a lot out of me.

With that being said, once again when these upcoming commissioned paintings are completed, I am going to quit taking any more commissions and spend more time on creating what I want to do, where I can be free to experiment, free not to "color within the lines", soar if I wish, get down low and sad if I need to.  Those of you who have commissions pending with me, don't worry, I will paint them with the love and dedication I always show to all my commissioned works.  But after these paintings, I really must take a break at least for a while -- again.  

I will continue to request and accept photos of your pet for possible inclusion in future paintings; but if I use your photos, they will be in paintings done in whatever way I choose.  Also, if I do paint your pet, I will continue to give you a free 8x10" print of the painting.  And, of course, the original will be available for purchase by you - or anyone else if you don't want to purchase it - as well. 

Stay posted.

Rednose Pit Bull Portrait

This is a small sweet painting I finished last evening.  I just have to take a little break from the customs from time to time; it keeps me fresher as I work on them, too, so it's a good thing in every way.  This was a really fun painting to do, too, which helps.  Short-haired dogs are fun to do because I can see the sculptural shape of their bodies - and in this case, the head.  I've had a few pit bulls over the years, and for some reason, their heads always looked like bricks to me.  I called all mine "brickheads."  They're real sweeties.  This one wasn't one of my pits but belongs to a customer of mine in Portland, OR.

Okay, back to my customs now.  I'm rested : )

Working on Commissions Now

Just a quick note to let you know I'm working on commissions now and don't have time for other work.  And they're rather complicated commissions, so they're each taking quite a bit of time.  I'll show each one as it's finished, though, which should be sometime next week on the one I'm working on now, a painting of two German shepherds, both females.  One of them is gone, and there aren't many photos of them, so I'm working with rather difficult circumstances.  But I think they'll come out okay.