He is now 16 months old and completely unable to sit lie or stand still for more than two minutes. Yet I wanted to do his portrait, as he is the one who accompanies me on painting trips most of the time. Thus began a series of life sketches (all interrupted because he is 16 months old and barely able to stand still), diagrams of his muscle system, and a value study followed by a color study. By the time I grabbed this small (20 x 16") canvas, I was feeling much more comfortable working from photos. A friend gave me permission to base the background on a photo of El Sobrante Ridge, and I painted the squirrel from memory. It has this tinge of magic realism, which is what I was going for.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
His First Portrait
He is now 16 months old and completely unable to sit lie or stand still for more than two minutes. Yet I wanted to do his portrait, as he is the one who accompanies me on painting trips most of the time. Thus began a series of life sketches (all interrupted because he is 16 months old and barely able to stand still), diagrams of his muscle system, and a value study followed by a color study. By the time I grabbed this small (20 x 16") canvas, I was feeling much more comfortable working from photos. A friend gave me permission to base the background on a photo of El Sobrante Ridge, and I painted the squirrel from memory. It has this tinge of magic realism, which is what I was going for.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Beautiful!
I have just stared at your painting for 10 minutes, noticing the detail, drawing my eyes back to see the curves of the dog, then back into other details, then relaxing into the whole piece again. I hope my puppy becomes as beautiful. It is really a lovely piece of art.
I am still looking at it, and would love to see a higher-resolution image. I admire your artistic choices. Bravo!
I too have a (Grand Champion) Standard Schnauzer and really wasn't aware there was any other breed out there! =-)
Anyway, a little curious as to why you would consider pepper and salt as a drawback?!? The pepper and salt is the original color of the standard and (to me) the only one to have. Blacks are way too difficult to maintain because of sun bleaching and here in Florida, that is a major concern. I have two standards (you must have two, you know) and the pepper and salt seem to tolerate the heat and sun better than the blacks (makes sense). Anyway, yes they are difficult/headstrong/stubborn but like a child, they want and need consistency because they will completely take over if allowed to. Mine are with me 24/7. They come to work with me every day and I would trust my life with them. One is quite agressive and protective, while the younger one is not. However, this is probably due to the fact that "why should I bother to do anything if my bigger brother will handle it?". Anyway, just thought I'd put my two cents in. Enjoy your "child" and I think you should get another one. The older one will tend to "raise" the younger one....makes life easier for you and they'll truly enjoy having each other to play with.
Post a Comment