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

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For the past two months, I have been busy working on a new class ("Experiments in Watercolor") I am teaching at the Art League School in Alexandria, VA. Although I have produced many paintings, few are uploaded to my website, not alone blogged about. My apologies.

I will just share one small commission portrait. "Maggie" was commissioned by Tissy for her parents, who lost this beautiful Australian cattle dog. Tom and June were overwhelmed with emotions when they saw it.

"Bentley" (oil on linen; 10" x 8") sold

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"Bentley" was commissioned by Lisa who is going to gift the portrait to her stepson. Bentley loved swimming in the lake and going for walks. The reference photo had him with a golden halo around like an angel, which I accentuated. He passed away recently. He will be missed.

"Beowulf" (oil on linen; 10" x 8") sold

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"Beowulf" was commissioned by Michelle who wanted to gift his owner with his portrait. Beowulf, who recently passed away, was a grand champion Bernese Mountain dog. He sired hundreds of offspring. Michelle has two of his girls. He was a wonderful boy. He was obedient and the ruler of the pack.

"Henry and Lucy" (oil on streched linen; 8" x 10") sold

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"Henry and Lucy" is for Natalie who commissioned the double portrait for her husband. They are two adorable dogs with different personalities. I hope the portrait brings the family years of joy!

Henry is seven years old and is a Maltese. He is such a sweet gentle old soul. He is very mellow and loves to sleep on the couch and sit in the sun. He is good with their four children. If given a treat, he will wag his tail and give you lots of kisses.

Lucy, three years of age, is also a Maltese. She is very energetic; she thinks she is a child and always getting into trouble. She loves to be hugged all the time. She is loving and will jump on you and put her face in your neck and give you tons of kisses. She loves to run around, bark and play with all of her toys. She will get her dog kibble and throw it in the air.

"Sadie" (oil on linen; 8" x 10") sold

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"Sadie" was commissioned by Molly for her boyfriend. Sadie, a 14-year-old mutt, loves boating. I think I captured her happiness!

"Oscar" (oil on stretched linen; 10" x 10") sold

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"Oscar" was commissioned by Mary for her parents. Oscar, a boxer, is only a year old and super rambunctious. He is the light of her parents' eyes.

I don't know if my readers know, but I get most of my pet portrait commissions from Etsy. Here are the sentiments expressed by Mary: "I have looked at a lot of artists on the Etsy site that commission pet portraits, but yours are my absolute favorite! ... I love the boxer picture that you have shown on your site. You really captured the playful yet sweet personality that all boxers have!"

I thought I would share where I get my satisfaction and kicks!

"Louie and Remy" (oil on stretched linen, 9" x 12") sold

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"Louie and Remy" was commissioned by Brad as a Christmas gift to his wife. Louie and Remy are French bulldogs. It was a tricky commission as I didn't have a good photo of Remy (on the right) to work with. So I ended up painting Louie twice in different poses. All I had to go by was that Remy is smaller and has more tan on his fur. I had to redesign the leather sofa they are sitting on too, so that it makes sense to the viewer. I think I pulled it off. What do you think?

"Porkchop" (oil on linen; 8" x 8") sold

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"Porkchop" is for John who commissioned the portrait as a surprise gift for his friend. It's been quite difficult to get the pictures from the owners sister. Porkchop is a four-year-old Pembroke Welsh Corgi. He loves tennis balls and water bottles. He also loves belly rubs and wants all the attention like her mom!

"Westie Love" (oil on linen; 10" x 8") sold

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"Cutie Westie" (oil, 7" x 5"; sold)

"Cutie Westie" is the first pet portrait I have ever painted, even before I started doing custom pet portraits. It was back in 2001 or 2002, when I painted my neighbor's cute westie, Phin. He is not a rambunctious puppy anymore, but I still see him taking a walk with his mom Vivian.

For some reason, the portrait remains one of the most popular pet portraits on my Etsy shop. A gentleman really liked it--the subject, background, and whole shebang--and asked me to copy it. Apparently it looks just like his westie. The reason why the two paintings look different is because of the variations in white balance. Next to each other, you have to look carefully to tell apart. Anyhow, the client is happy and so am I. Anybody who wants a copy of "Westie Love"? Lol.

"Peanut" (oil on linen; 8" x 6") gift

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"Peanut" is for Maggie who won my third Instagram pet portrait giveaway. Congratulations! This happy dog is about 4 years old and a mix of toy poodle, French bulldog, bichon frise, chow chow, and Staffordshire terrier. She enjoys doing agility and going on hikes.

If you are on Instagram, please follow me (@kimstenbergart) for beautiful art and giveaways. The next giveaway is the custom portrait of your child!

"Athena the Aussie" (oil on linen; 8" x 6") gift

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"Athena the Aussie" is for Roseline. Athena is a happy Australian shepherd who loves to wear bandanas. Roseline won the portrait in my second Instagram pet portrait giveaways. Congratulations! If you are on Instagram and owns a pet, please follow me (#kimstenbergart) for a chance to win a free pet portrait!

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

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"Tonka" is for Lauren. Tonka, a Golden Retriever, has a title of "Grand Champion" show dog and is dad to many dogs, including Lauren's. For a while he was a service dog, too. He will be ten January, 2017. So, the portrait is the birthday present for him!

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

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"Kisses" is for Lauren, who commissioned the portrait for her friend. Kisses, the 10-year-old Bulldog, loves all food. More than once she's even swallowed a tennis ball whole! She loves to snuggle, as her name suggests.

"Jelly" (oil on linen; 7" x 7") gift

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"Jelly" is for Nicole Yates. I have been developing my Instragram account of pet portrait paintings. Nicole is the luck winner of the first pet portrait giveaway that I ran for fun in October and November. Congratulations! By the way, if you are on Instragram, please follow me @kimstenbergart for a daily dose of beautiful art and occasional pet portrait giveaways!

Jelly is a very energetic one-and-a-half-year-old Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Her nicknames are "Jelly Belly" and "Jelly Bean". She's a friendly puppy to everyone she meets and loves cuddling up with as many blankets and pillows as possible. She loves being the center of attention, running around the yard with her puppy friends, and finding any reason to be given a treat.

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

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"Sophie" is for Laurinda. Sophie, a Bichon Frise, passed away two years ago when she was 15. It was for the best though, as she had developed diabetes, was blind and nearly deaf. She was a trooper and didn't let it stop her from loving life (and food especially!). She was the best family dog we could have asked for--a true lap dog who loved her belly rubs. In the reference photo, one could tell she had cataracts, but I restored the youthful look for Sophie. She will be always remembered as an adorable puppy!

"Reilly" (oil on linen; 8" x 8") sold

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Reilly is an 8-year-old Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier. He loves going on long walks to the park with his Dad, surprisingly adores his veterinarian and is obsessed with chasing balls and carrying around the largest stick he can find. While he is a very energetic 8 year old, he also enjoys spending Sunday's watching football on the couch with the family.

"Lucky" (oil on stretched canvas; 14" x 11") sold

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"Lucky" is for Ali.  Lucky was a 'sheprador'--Lab and some sort of Shepherd.  He was Ali's mom's best friend.  They got him at a shelter when he was 5 and kept his name.  He had been returned there twice, and was a really sensitive guy.  He was amazingly well behaved, and loved his kitty friends he lived with--chased them, slept with them every day.  Ali's mom called him "McDreamy" because she thought he was the most handsome dog on the planet.  He loved snow and would roll and roll the second he got outside when Chicago got enough.  He died when he was 13.

"Lullabelle" (oil on linen; 10" x 8") sold

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"Lulabelle" is for Stu, who commissioned it for his girlfriend, Maxine.  By the time she receives the dried painting, Lulabelle, a Great Dane, will be no longer with us; she is dying of cancer and will be put to sleep next week.  Stu told me about how Lulabelle helped Maxine through her tough divorce. This portrait, I hope, will be a reminder of Lulabelle's love and loyalty.

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

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"Sophie" is for Kim, who has had her two other dogs already painted by me.  Sophie is a one-year-old Yorkiepoo.  Here is her story.  Kim's mother had come last Christmas to help Kim as her husband had the double knee replacement.  Kim's daughter thought her grandmother needed company as her dog had passed away the Christmas before.  So without asking, she brought home Sophie four days before her father's second knee replacement. 

Unfortunately, Grandma was not ready for a puppy yet.  Guess who ended up with her?  Yep, Kim and her husband did.  Sophie thought her name was "damn dog" for the first three months of her life.  But, now, she has stolen all the family's hearts and they don't know what life would be like without her.  A happy ending for an adorable puppy!

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

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"Winston" is the first painting in my new "Pet Portraits Project."  I was inspired by a good friend, Jo Mackenzie, who paints gloriously fresh watercolors.  She also paints pets from her Facebook fans' photos.  If they like their beloved pets' portraits, they can buy them.

I sent out the June newsletter on June 1st, announcing my intention.  An old collector sent me an email with attachments right away!  Winston is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.  He was sitting on his new mommy's lap on the day he came home 15 months ago.  I transformed her pink sweater into a pillow.  Winston is now 18 months old.  He is full of energy at all times and is very smart.  He really enjoys cold treats; some of his favorite treats are ice cubes and vanilla ice cream!

If you want to have your cats and dogs (and other furry friends) immortalized in oil painting, please contact me.  The paintings are not commissions; prices will be lower than my commissions and I can be a little relaxed about the likeness of the subject. What I need is good photos taken in natural light (either indoors or outside), without flash.  It will be better if I have several pictures (large files, such as 3 MB) to work with.

By the way, the winner of "Pink Rose" is Ruby Jung.  Congratulations, Ruby!  I would like to thank more than 30 fans who participated in my painting giveaway.  I will be giving a print away in less than 10 days.  So stay tuned!