"Casey" (oil on linen; 7" x 7") sold

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"Casey" is for Diane, who commissioned the painting for her Dad.  Casey was a pound dog and was probably a German Shepherd/Doberman mix.  He passed away this October at the ripe old age of 14.

Casey had his quirks, like hiding in the bathtub whenever it stormed, or running away from flies.  On the brave side, he loved chasing the wildlife that ventured into his yard.  One time he actually caught up to a bunny; he pawed at it until it took off running again, so that he could chase it some more!

He had a cool sense of style.  He never liked to be without his snazzy bandana.  In all the pictures Diane sent me, he was with different bandanas!  The blue one he is wearing in the painting sported Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, which I edited out in fear of the cute reindeer detracting from the noble pose.

Casey's favorite time of year was right around Christmas.  He'd sleep by the tree and be the first one up on Christmas morning, nudging his stocking to get at the treats.  He was an awesome companion and adored Diane's dad.  He is missed terribly by his family.

"Zoe" (oil on linen; 7" x 7") sold

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"Zoe" is for Mary Anne.  Mary Anne inherited the six-year-old Siamese cat from her old aunt who had her for two years before passing.  Zoe is very sweet at home, but turns into the cat from hell at the vet!

One curious fact about Zoe is that she likes to get in the sink.  In one picture she was indeed poking her head out of the sink.  I loved the expression on her face, so I pasted the head to the body of another picture, in which she was looking down from a sofa.  As I told Mary Anne, I combined the sofa cat's body with the sink cat's head!

By the way, I was very happy to accept this commission, because, for whatever reason, I haven't been able to paint too many cats.  Sure, you cannot play Frisbee with a cat or take a cat for a walk, but cats have such elegant forms!

"Madison" (oil on linen; 7" x 7") sold

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"Madison" is for Katie, who commissioned the painting for her in-laws as a Christmas present.  So, as usual, mum's the word!  Madison was a Bernese Mountain Dog.  She was a prim and proper lady.  She pranced everywhere she went, and would always get excited whenever she could wear her "pretties" (the collar with pom poms).  She was gentle, sweet, and afraid of everything nonsensical--garbage cans, baby gates, exercise balls--you name it!  Madison passed away last year at the age of ten.

I don't know if you would believe me, but I miss Madison although I have never met her.  All the deceased pets I painted make me sad.  I wish our cats and dogs could live longer.  I hope my art brings joy and closure to their owners.

I would like to thank all my readers, clients, and fans.  Happy Thanksgiving!

"Apple" (oil on linen; 7" x 5") sold

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"Apple" is for Elena, who commissioned the painting for her dad.  Apple is a one-year-old, wire-haired fox terrier/bichon/field spaniel mix.  According to Elena, Apple is a total goofball, and I love her more for that, because I am occasionally a goofball myself!

By the way, I've noticed that quite a few of my pet portrait orders are by daughters for their fathers or in-laws.  We women, the loving, caring, gift-giving gender, rock!

"Dylan and Chipper" (oil on linen; 7" x 7") sold

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For several days, I was busy getting ready for an art show, which took place last Sunday.  Now it is over, and I am back to my daily painting routine.  I have nine pet portrait commissions to finish in the next couple of weeks, so you will be seeing a pet portrait a day, even during the Thanksgiving holiday!

"Dylan and Chipper" is for Susan.  Her daughter, Dylan, has been begging for a portrait of Chipper.  Among the pictures Susan sent me, I liked  the one with the 11-year-old horse enthusiast and Chipper, so it became not just of a horse painting, but a painting of the ride and rider.  Don't you love the chemistry between the two?  Dylan was wearing a black shirt and a black hat in the picture, which were turned into a red shirt and a white hat for the painting. Now the picture sings!

Chipper is a 11-year-old American Quarter Horse.  "Cashing in the Chips" is his registered name; Chipper is his barn name.  An animal psychic told the family that he knows he is a "one handsome dude."!  He is happy to be owned and have "his person".  He believes his job is to babysit Dylan and he takes it very seriously.

In his youth Chipper was a world champion in both Western Pleasure and English HUS.  Dylan competes on him in both disciplines.  He loves to show, because people are finally acknowledging his beauty and athleticism.

"Abby" (oil on linen; 7" x 7") sold

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"Abby" is for Emily, who used to be my daughter's babysitter and the best babysitter in the world too!  She is now all grown up and moved away, but she has been following my blog.  She decided to order a pet portrait for her friend, Susie, for Christmas.

Sweet Abby is a 12-year-old Cockapoo.  She is spunky for her age, loves to go on walks, and enjoys being outside.  She loves making new friends, and is one of the few dogs who are not bothered in the least by other animals.  She walks by squirrels, cats, and other dogs, without even looking twice.  Abby has been a great companion for Susie, who got her as a newborn puppy!

By the way, it is not too late to order pet portraits for Christmas.  Please send your pet's pictures to kimstenbergart@gmail.com.  A separate page on my blog, "Pet Portrait Orders", will answer all the questions you may have about ordering a pet portrait.  Thanks!

"Moose" (oil on linen; 8" x 6") sold

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"Moose" is for Holly, who found me on the Internet.  There are many competent pet portrait artists out there, but she chose me!  I am honored.  Moose is a one-year-old St. Bernard and belongs to Holly's daughter, for whom the painting was painted.

I have been dying to paint a St. Bernard, so I was thrilled at the opportunity.  According to Holly, Moose is a well-behaved, laid-back puppy.  To my question of whether he drools massively like Beethoven in the namesake movie, she said: "Not yet, but it's coming!"

By the way, it is not too late to order pet portraits for Christmas.  Please send your pet's pictures to kimstenbergart@gmail.com.  A separate page on my blog, "Pet Portrait Orders", will answer all the questions you may have about ordering a pet portrait.  Thanks!

"My Angel" (oil on linen; 8" x 10") sold

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While going through my old print photo albums, I found a darling picture of my old friend with her daughter.  When my daughter was a preschooler, I used to host many play dates and play groups--I was indeed a queen of play dates!  I miss my old friends and their kids.  Some moved away; I lost contact with others, all busy with life and work.

On one of my play groups, four moms and six children had a glorious time, dining on homemade dishes, playing outside, then playing dress ups and games inside.  Megan, in my daughter's pink angel costume, got worn out with too much fun and crawled to her mommy's arms.  I was fortunate to catch such a tender moment with my camera.  When I was painting "My Angel", I felt like Mary Cassatt, a famous 19th-century American artist who painted many intimate paintings of mother and child.

By the way, I've decided to offer custom portraits of children.  I am excited!  If you are interested in getting your children's or grandchildren's portraits, or your own mother-and-child double portrait, please check out my Etsy shop.  Thanks!

"Opie" (oil on linen; 6" x 8") sold

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"Opie" is for Holly, who commissioned it for her son, Eli.  I have painted Opie before with his buddy, Rainey. Opie, a wire-haired Dachshund, is super mischievous, fun-loving, and goofy. The reference photo showed a disproportionately big nose, caused by the camera distortion. This was a bonus as far as Holly was concerned, because it captured perfectly his "goofiness".  I am glad I followed her gut instinct.  Who can resist Opie!

"Opie and Rainey" (oil, 9" x 12"; sold)

"Kendell and Tomp" (oil on linen; 10" x 8") sold

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"Kendell and Tomp" is for Missy.  She commissioned the painting for her father-in-law, who misses Tomp, a very large golden retriever.  Tomp, even at 165 pounds, thought he was a small lap dog, so he would sit on Missy's, or any visitor's lap!

Missy's father-in-law had health issues for the past few years.  Whenever he was hospitalized, she and her children would take care of Tomp.  They would take him for a ride.  He expected to be taken to the drive-through donut shop for a blueberry donut.

Tomp had huge feet and a huge head with more slanted eyes than usual, so he looked like smiling with his whole face at times.  Among several pictures Missy sent me, one particular photo with a rosy-cheeked girl caught my eye.  Kendell was holding his face to accentuate his happy look!  They say that a dog is a man's best friend.  That may be so, but dogs are also children's best friends.  Who doesn't have fond memories of dogs one had as a child?

By the way, it is not too late to order pet portraits for Christmas.  Please send your pet's pictures to kimstenbergart@gmail.com.  A separate page on my blog, "Pet Portrait Orders", will answer all the questions you may have about ordering a pet portrait.  Thanks!

"Young Mexican Dancer" (oil on linen; 14" x 11") sold

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During the annual Halloween parades of my daughter's high school marching band, I've noticed a group of kids dressed up in colorful traditional costumes.  I thought they were enthusiastic audience, as quite a few local residents showed up in costumes.  No, they were a troupe who were to perform Mexican dances as part of the parade entertainments.  Awesome!

I sat in front of the crowd to enjoy the boys' and girls' dance routines, when one girl caught my eye.  Her poised beauty at her young age (she was probably around 10) was mesmerizing.  I had to paint her.  What do you think of my effort?

By the way, I've decided to offer custom portraits of children.  I am excited!  If you are interested in getting your children's or grandchildren's portraits done for the holiday, please check out my Etsy listing.  Thanks!

"Purple Irises in the Sun" (oil on linen; 4" x 5") sold

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I realized that all of my iris paintings were done in a portrait, i.e., vertical, format.  It is not surprising, as that is how irises grow--tall and majestic.  I decided to challenge myself to paint a horizontal iris painting.  The dark reds and greens in the background make this small painting pulsate with heat!

"Summer Roses" (oil on linen; 5" x 4") sold

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I h
ad trouble titling this small gem.  "Rosy Glow"?  "Rose Brilliant"?  "Rose Shadow Play"?  In the end, I settled with "Summer Roses" although I took the reference photo for the painting in early fall.  Do you know why?  The painting just feels hot!  The sun casts colorful shadows on the petals; the background is shrouded in cool darks, from which a few sunlit leaves emerge. How would you title the painting instead?