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

sold

"Monte" is for Liz.  Monte is a 2-year-old Havanese.  He loves being around people.  He likes to run around the house at top speeds and when he is tired from that, he snuggles with his family and takes a nap.

On a sadder note, he has to have surgery this Thursday because he has a condition common to small dogs.  Both his hind legs have "trick" knees; his knee caps keep popping out of place, which is quite painful for him and can lead to bad arthritis and serious walking problems later.  He will be out of commission for 8 weeks, but the good news is that he will no longer have leg problems after the surgery.  Let's keep him in our thoughts and wish him well!

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!

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

sold

"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!

"Pampered Life" (oil on linen; 6" x 8") sold

sold

Ethel the beagle leads a pampered life with two layers of satin pillows and all.  "If only someone would play with me, it wouldn't be so dull around here.  I am going to take another nap."

"Charlie the Yorkie" (oil on linen; 7" x 5") sold

sold

Charlie is an 8-year-old Yorkshire terrier, who is luckily not inflicted with hair bows.  A furry ball of joy he is to his human parents.  His mom told me a very cute story.  After his first veterinarian visit, his vet came out of his office with Charlie on his shoulder with a big smile and told her that the puppy was a good one!  I haven't seen him for years although he lives just down the street where I live.  He hasn't grown at all.  He and Finn the Westie are brothers.  Finn is not a big dog, but next to Charlie, he looks like a human hanging out with a hobbit!

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

"Cutie Westie" (oil on linen; 7" x 5") sold

sold

Finn is a seven-month-old West Highland white terrier, who belongs to one of my neighbors.  A couple of weeks ago, I saw her taking him for a walk.  I just had to ask her to let me take pictures of the cutie pie.  I am told that he likes to put everything that fits in his mouth and swallow.  I believe her.

As we were talking, we heard him chewing something that sounded like a hard candy.  He probably was checking out the local pebble collection.  Boy, he swallowed it fast when his mommy tried to get it out of his mouth.  He must have a strong digestive system!

"High and Mighty" (acrylic collage on paper, 11" x 7 1/2") sold

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You might be surprised to learn that the woman walking the dogs in this semi-abstract collage is the super model Kate Moss.  Or could you tell that from her strutting gait?  I had a lot of fun assembling the pieces of paper painted in acrylic and gluing them onto the support of watercolor paper in Susan Herron's class at the Art League School in Alexandria, VA.

In Susan Herron's class, several years of painting clicked and I finally began to see and paint like a real artist.  She is one of the most generous and innovative teachers whom I had the good fortune to meet.  Despite some personal tragedies, she continues to be a warm, positive human being and popular teacher.  I may have never attended an art college, but will hesitate to call myself a self-taught artist.  I have had numerous influences--direct and indirect--in my art education, and Susan has been one of the former.  Thank you.

"Puppy Love" (oil on linen; 4" x 5") sold

sold

Lily is the newly adopted puppy of my painting buddy Vanessa.  She comes along on our plein-air painting outings to greet passers-by and other dogs.  Last week we went to the Mall to paint the Smithsonian Castle.  It was a hot and humid day, so we sought a shady spot behind the castle in Enid Haupt Garden.  Soon we were bombarded by biting bugs and curious tourists.  After about an hour of torments, we escaped to a nice sidewalk cafe in Shirlington, VA.  There I took a picture of Lilly, now immortalized in my painting.