Fetch 16 x 16 Acrylic on Canvas

I haven't painted this favorite photo for a while and thought it would be fun to give it a try in a larger size. It was refreshing to paint a dog that I didn't know (its not my lab). I love how some dogs develop their own "look" or "personality" as the painting comes together

Layla 16 x 20

I had the pleasure of attending my cousin's wedding this past weekend. My daughter was the "Flower Girl" with the added responsibility of escorting the bride and groom's dog down the aisle. It was a beautiful wedding and we had a fabulous time. Here is the painting of their cute little Layla that I did for their wedding gift.

Bailey 12 x 12 Acrylic on Canvas

I love that my friend chose a puppy photo for her commemorative portrait of her sweet Bailey. Even though she looks cute, she gave me quite a battle, and it took me three different tries until I felt that I had it "right'.  I'm glad I kept starting over, as I really like the fresh, loose strokes of the background with the different colours poking through, and I think she still looks pretty cute,

Pearl 10x10 Acrylic on Canvas

I confess the process of listing, and selling my house, hasn't exactly helped get my creative juices flowing. When this happens, I often will revisit some of my favorite reference photos. It's easier to take risks when I'm already in my comfort zone, and I see it as an opportunity to explore colours and values. Not to mention I just have a "thing" for labs,

Sad Puppy 12 x 12 Acrylic on Raised Canvas

I  should have called this painting perseverance (I almost did ). I've probably tried this reference photo seven different times - I feel like I could keep tweaking the values over and over. I love the expression on this one, and will try another one sometime soon (even if it's just to see if I can do it again),

Black and Blue, 12 x 12 acrylic on raised canvas

One of my goals for 2014 was to try and paint dogs. Dogs were the primary subject matter of my childhood (next to smurfs) and probably still are when I'm playing around with my kids. For some reason I held off for a long time to try and paint one on canvas. I've been wresting this one for a while now - this is one of those that I can constantly touch up and I'm going to call it quits before I cross that thin line and overwork it. Plus, I'm happy with how she looks