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

sold

"Penny" is for Jackie, who commissioned the painting for her mom's birthday.  Penny was part Lab and German shepherd, and possibly greyhound as well, because she was skinny and fast. She was an active and adventurous dog.  She loved Vermont, where Jackie's parents have a place.  Penny would run around, explore the pond, and get lost in the woods.

Penny loved turkey.  She would get some meat from the turkey whenever the family had it for dinner.  One time they left a turkey carcass in the garbage can and left the house for a party. When they came back, the garbage can was still latched and upright.  However, Penny somehow got the carcass out and had a party of her own with the leftover meat!

She loved sleeping with Jackie's parents.  When she got too old to jump on their bed, they slept for months on a mattress on the floor.  In the reference photo for the painting, she was on her own dog bed, in which she never really slept.  That's the place Jackie's mom would say goodbye to Penny everyday when she left for work and still says goodbye when passing it.

Jackie shared many more stories about Penny, who was her childhood dog.  They grew up together and went through their awkward stages together.  She hopes that her mom doesn't cry when she sees the portrait.  I hope Jackie doesn't cry either!

"Sam" (oil on linen; 14" x 11") sold

sold

"Sam" is for Kristin and her brother, who commissioned the painting for their father.  Sam is a four-year-old black Labrador.  He is a field trial champion and came all the way from Ireland! The reference picture was taken in their dad's hunting blind in Chesapeake on a beautiful autumn day, when Sam retrieved eight geese.

Kristin initially ordered a 10" x 8" pet portrait.  Boy, I wished for a larger painting, so that I could do justice to such an awesome subject.  Then I could paint not only the portrait of the noble dog, but also the still life tableau of the game and hunting blind in the foreground and the autumn landscape in the background.  Somehow, Kristin telepathically read my mind and decided to upgrade.  The power of positive thinking got proven again!

They say that a dog is a man's best friend.  Sam is indeed Kristin's dad's best friend.  Can you imagine how proud and happy Kristin's dad will be when he learns about the thoughtful present on Christmas?  He will only see a card with the image of "Sam"; the painting will arrive after the New Year's Day.  I would like to thank here several clients who kindly agreed to the late deliveries of their orders.  As one client said, it is worth it!

"Sam" in progress

By the way, I took a picture of the painting in progress yesterday.  I don't usually do this, because it puts an additional pressure on myself and the step-by-step photos taken in my studio always have strange white balance.  But I get inquiries about my procedures from curious fellow artists, so here we go.  I use the same methods for all my oil paintings, whether portraits, landscapes, or florals.

I use the grid method to transfer the image to the linen panel.  (Can you see the grids I drew on the print on the left?)  Drawing in raw umber gets done fast.  The next step is a transparent underpainting over the drawing.  The geese in the foreground in the painting has, at this point, only a thin layer of transparent paints, but don't they already look finished?

My goal at this stage is to establish the correct value and color temperature scheme.  Much of the drawing gets lost, as you can see in the dog, who lost all the facial features.  But it's okay.  I don't blindly paint by numbers.  Painting is a continual drawing process with a brush!

I have already started blocking in with thick opaque paints in the landscape background and the weedy foreground.  It probably took about an hour or so to get this far.  It took four additional hours to finish the painting.  (Facial features alone sometimes take a hour.)  It was a long day yesterday!

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

sold

"Barley" is for my new Facebook friend/fan, Susan.  She sent me the pictures of two dogs; I chose Barley because of his expressive face.  As it turns out, he is no longer with us.  Perhaps the sad thought influenced me.  Isn't the painting more distinguished and somber than usual?  The purple/soft yellow color scheme makes the guy look royal!

Barley was six when the picture was taken four years ago.  He was a soulful, sweet dog.  The (dog) love of Susan's life--love at first sight.  He was a mix of Australian shepherd, Labrador, and likely golden retriever.  He had the funniest habit of leaping backwards when something startled him or when he was playing.  Susan's husband wrote a tune for him called "Jump Back Barley"; the CD it was on was nominated for a Grammy!).

If you would love to see your beloved pet painted by me and shared on my blog and Facebook page, please email me at kimstenbergart@gmail.com.  Send me a picture or two, preferably taken in natural light without flash.  I will do a drawing at the end of September and give one painting away!