Pet Paintings

A special birthday present

2012-02-21T16:30:00.000-08:00

These three dogs belong to a wonderful family that famously shares it's home with any number of animals at any given time. These paintings were a surprise gift for their Mom.
Jasper, Cedric and Oliver are the current family dogs. We decided to represent each dog separately while keeping the format consistent in order to allow for different hanging strategies and an easy context for adding more portraits if they choose to.

Jasper

Oliver

Cedric

Recent Works

2012-01-10T16:14:00.000-08:00

This is Sammi. Many years ago, when Sammi's human was running a marathon in the States, the local Humane Society down there set up a booth and introduced a few dogs that needed homes. It was love at first sight and Sammi's new human called his wife and said "I've found our dog".

These two might look like Siamese cats but I suspect they're really small dogs in disguise. Especially Canella, the cat in the foreground... he'll come when called, perform for treats and is a sucker for attention. Chiquita just watches her brother with the royal distain of her breed- I guess she really is a feline.

Taffy is a cutie who lives in Vancouver. This painting needed to be small since it was going to be packed in luggage. I was only given one good photo of this dog to work from. Luckily it was ADORABLE.

These two paintings were done promotionally to be included in a number of local exhibitions over the season.

I'm not too sure he's happy about the pink.

His name is Blue. He is a Bluetick Coonhound. He howls because he is Blue.

The Gang

2011-09-24T17:29:00.000-07:00

It's taken a while... this painting has finally found it's way to Edmonton and I'm finally free to share it with the world. Allow me to introduce the beautiful baby girl Brooklyn, and her older 'brothers' Jonas the dog and Ninja the cat. What a fun portrait of the kids...
I have to admit the photo quality of this painting is not exemplary but it's the best I could do considering the varnish and the bright summer light...
What a pleasure and honour it is to be part of this family's history and their time in Toronto.

Cool Chili

2011-08-14T18:32:00.000-07:00

Chili the Australian Shepherd lived in the house next to our dog park for many years. I'm sure he thought of the park as his own front yard and of all of us 'visitors' as his friends. Although he and his family eventually moved away, his humans commissioned this image of Chili's joyous romp not only to celebrate his joie de vivre but also to commemorate the time spent in the neighbourhood. They will be missed by all.

White Dog, White Dog

2011-08-11T07:33:00.000-07:00

This is Chloe. Although she looks (and is) cute and cuddly she also rules the roost. She keeps her much larger canine sibling in tow and her humans on their toes.Her humans wanted her posing on her favourite chair- the colour choices reflect both her playfulness and her reserve.

I never met Galileo but I know he is missed with much love by many who knew him- even beyond his immediate humans. For many years, Galileo was the Poodle in residence at the Donkey Sanctuary in Guelph Ontario. He was known by hundreds (possibly thousands) and although they've had other dogs at the Sanctuary, Galileo stands out as his human's "dearest companion".

Big Dog, Little Dog

2011-07-05T18:14:00.000-07:00

This is Consuelo. She is a Mexican Hairless with a royal demeanor. She needed a canvas twice her size to capture her larger than life personality. Her human, a devotee of the breed, creates specialty dog jackets to protect their skins against the sun and cold. We agreed it would be fitting to have Consuelo model one of his creations.

Presenting Dharma. She is the newest addition to Roman's family (see posting below). Dharma is a 12 year old rescued Greyhound in frail health. Her humans wanted an image that would sit nicely beside the painting I did a few months ago of her adopted brother Roman- thus the format. Although Dharma at first might seem meek, she has asserted herself and has earned a deep respect from both Roman and her humans.

A Jack and Two Minnies

2011-06-27T18:06:00.000-07:00

Joey is the Jack Russell in the middle, the Minnie Pinschers on either side are Sadie and Lucy. What sweeties they all are. Joey and Lucy were easy to make friends with but since Sadie was a rescue, I had to earn her trust more slowly. Thank goodness for liver treats. They each posed for me like pros (one at a time, of course)- taking their positions on the ottoman like they knew what I was after...

Lucky Dogs

2011-03-04T07:18:00.000-08:00

This is Minnie. She suffered from a serious kidney disease and although her human knew there was something wrong it took years to determine an accurate diagnosis (if only dogs could talk). Since having her operation, Minnie is healthy and happy and acts like an 11 year old puppy. This composition was based on an image provided- one taken at the backdoor of the cottage where Minnie loves to spend her days surveying the land.

Roman scored big when his humans adopted him. The women are involved with the Greyhound Rescue organization and this is the 11th greyhound that they've adopted over the years (not to mention the fostering and saving other breeds and species).
Roman couldn't be in better hands- after the hardship of his early years he truely has 'come home'.

Loved and Missed

2011-02-12T12:08:00.000-08:00

Katie the cat and Kelly the dog were best of friends. As fate cruelly dictated, they passed away within a week of each other. Their human, understandably, was devastated. Her husband came to me and we devised this composition. Kelly and Katie used to hang out together, sitting in the door, watching the world go by...

Kayla's human lives up north. His daughter approached me just as Kayla was in her last days, dying due to age and illness. She shared Kayla's story with me; that although Kayla was a rescue herself, she, in a way, rescued her human family with the love she gave them during a very difficult time in their lives. Kayla loved the outdoors- and she had an expanse of fields and mountains to enjoy. I thought a backdrop of wood and maple leaves would keep her happy in posterity.

Christmas Commissions

2010-12-18T13:47:00.000-08:00

All of the commissions at this time of year are 'surprises'. The studies have to be collected in secret. In most cases the photos were supplied -the animals had passed and the studies were whatever the client could find without the recipient finding out...

In this first painting, the client wanted me to incorporate images of all the family pets that were with them throughout the decades. This was a surprise gift from my client and his siblings to their parents. What a lovely idea! What a challenge! I had very limited source material- and all the photos were taken from very different angles. This is what I came up with.

'Extended Family'

'Mickey' was a sweet little guy who passed away and is greatly missed by the client's parents. Like the painting above, this painting was also a gift from the client and her sibling to their parents. Mickey liked to sit in the front window of the family home and watch the world go by. This composition reflects that.

'Princess Delilah'. True to her biblical namesake Delilah is adored like a true princess. The client liked my off-centre compositions and we decided it would be fun to play with the princess idea by putting a little tiara on Delilah's head. Even though this painting is a surprise gift for the client's husband, I was able to sneak over and snap some studies...

'Tyler' needed to be a rather small painting as it was going to be carried on a plane for someone in the States. This work is 16" x 16" and quite straight forward. The client only had one photo that I could work from- Thankfully it was a good one!

Double Trouble

2010-11-24T18:53:00.000-08:00

In each of the following paintings I had to take the photo studies individually and then put the images of the dogs together afterwards. A bit challenging but rewarding!

Dandies
Two wonderful Dandie Dinmonts. Both characters, each very different than the other. Gracie in front, loved the camera… Healey was more reserved; as you can see, they are each in their element. Their favourite toys are in the foreground- the pink one for the girl and the brown one for the boy.

Toby and Maggie
This is Toby and Maggie. These girls were like two little kids-playing and chasing the ball. I decided to depict their home the way kids themselves might represent it- like a crayon drawing, loose and ‘coloured in’.

Exhibition

2010-10-30T13:42:00.001-07:00

Presently, I have an exhibition of my Dog Paintings at the Miles Nadel JCC in downtown Toronto. Here are some new images created for that show.

Chihuly
This boy is a Chinese Crested. Look at the royal stature of this little dog. I put him against this red as it is the consistent accent colour of his human’s interior design choices; and it suits his personality perfectly. Chihuly has no reservations telling you of his likes and dislikes- besides, he’s so darned cute you listen.

The following two works were painted just for the exhibition and just for fun.

Karma is a big wacky boxer puppy. She was mid gallop when I caught her sneaking a peek at me from the corner of her eye.

Greyhound
What a beautiful graceful dog. Tenney is a rescue. I wanted to mimic the curves and angles of Tenney’s form in the surrounding graphic landscape.

3 Very Different Compositional Styles

2010-07-02T14:05:00.000-07:00

This is Lady. Her little pink tongue always sticks out... I just had to photograph her and when I saw the results I knew I had to paint her. I love the composition of this image. 'Walking Lady' refers not only to the little Pug but her human as well.

This young and playful Collie is Jesse. His human wanted bold colours with a bit of the 'Pop Art' feel. This is what I came up with. I love how he's smiling at us.

Speaking of Collies, the photos of these gorgeous Collies were provided for me. This was commissioned as a gift for a London Ontario family. All I really had to go on was that the middle dog was the only female and the senior dog of the pack. Painted on wood panel I allowed the natural grain to be part of the floor in the composition.

Well hello Sailor!

2010-06-25T13:57:00.000-07:00

Actually this dog's name is really Tucker. He is an un-neutered two year old who's always happy to see you. I changed the name on his collar to Sailor since, well... you get it.

A little dog on a big canvas

2010-05-10T11:10:00.000-07:00

This is Bizou. He is a tiny Shitzhu... barely 9 lbs.

His human liked the idea of the off center composition and wanted it quite large as a gift for his bride to be. This canvas is 24" x 30". By painting Bizou larger than life, I was able to depict every detail of this adorable pup's expression. What fun!

Works on Panel

2010-04-10T19:05:00.000-07:00

In preparation for some upcoming exhibitions I've been creating paintings that will be offered for sale. The following three works were painted on birch panel. Painting on wood is a very different experience from canvas... the paint glides over the panel surface rather than hugging it, as it does on the canvas. I'm really enjoying the effect and where appropriate I allow the grain of the wood to be integrated into the composition.

After all, wood tends to be very important to dogs...

2 new commissions

2010-03-20T12:26:00.000-07:00

I call this painting

'Three Amigos'. These dogs are all shitzhus or shitzhu mixes: Bugi is front left, Elly is in the middle and Tinker is on the right. The coloured panels in the background relate to each dog's harness and reflects each dog's seniority. Sadly Bugi died shortly after this painting was finished. He was very old and infirm. I'm so glad I got to know him, he was a dignified little guy who I considered a buddy.

This is Molson. He's a Labradoodle. His humans commissioned this painting as a gift for their new baby boy. They wanted a minimal background... an image the boy could grow up with, that would always remind him of his fun loving, energetic, first family dog.

Just in time for Christmas 2009

2009-12-21T17:03:00.000-08:00

This is a painting of a white Shepherd named Bandit. The soccer ball is a pretty obvious tribute but that little stuffed teddy is Bandit's snuggle pal when he sleeps. The colours in the background are a nod to the colours of the prize ribbon that Bandit won in a dog show.

Harpo is a wonderful rascal of a dog. A mini- Schnauzer, Harpo adores his human and guards his harmonica, but when there's an orange ball flying through the air- almost nothing else matters.

Oscar is an Glen Imaal Terrier. You don't see many of his kind around... The background treatment in this painting is a tribute to his human's profession: graphic novelist. The landscape is minimalist- Oscar is a realistic subject super-imposed onto a parred down graphic surrounding.

2009-08-03T05:50:00.000-07:00

Welcome Everyone to my Pet Paintings Blog.

Here you may view samples of my work, hear news of upcoming exhibitions and email me if you're so inclined. I hope you enjoy my paintings as much as I enjoyed creating them.

I begin with a painting of my boy Micah... He continues to be my inspiration for entering the world of pet portraiture.

Cornered 2007 oil 24"x 30"

This is Little Bonnie. Her owner commissioned this painting after buying the painting of another dog a few years ago. It was important for this image to be bold, fun and "not too precious".

Little Bonnie 2009 oil 18" x 36"

The next few paintings are dogs from my neighbourhood. These works were really a lot of fun as over the years I've gotten to know the dogs (and their people) and I had somewhat of an existing understanding of each dog's character.

Riley is cute as a button but like many cute little dogs he has a devilish streak. So here he is, looking adorable, but he's also crushing a few blades of grass (indiscernible in the photo).

Riley 2008 oil 18" x 24"

Lux would just not put the ball down to allow me to take his photo- so I portrayed him crushed ball in mouth, as you would generally see him in the park. There are little footballs etched into the grass to reflect his obsession.

Lux 2008 oil 30" x 40"

This is a painting of Flip. Unfortunately Flip had passed before I had the opportunity to meet him so based on the photos I was given, I used the pattern of one of his favorite couches as my back drop.

Flip 2008 oil 22"x 28"

Bonnie belongs to the same human as Flip. She was the initial commission. I included all the things Bonnie loves- the park, squirrels and her home.

Bonnie 2007 oil 22" x 28"

Here is Pepper. Pepper had a bit of a thyroid problem at the time I took the studies for this painting, She was lovable, wacky and cookie obsessed. She has since calmed down...

Pepper 2006 oil 36" x 36"

The following paintings were commissions from beyond the dog park.

This Golden Retriever was a service dog and profoundly loved by his master. The painting was commissioned as a surprise gift and I was supplied the photo. We decided it would be best to include the dog's service harness in the painting as it reflected the dog's modus operandi... I included real gold leaf in the painting as it truly did reflect the character of this noble companion.

Golden 2006 oil 15" x 30"

Nemo 2007 oil 16" x 16"

Heidi's owner wanted a more subdued painting. I included poinsettias since Heidi had been a December puppy and her tennis ball which she liked to chase even more than squirrels.

Heidi 2008 oil 18" x 24"

The CBC radio 1 came to my studio last Spring to interview me about my pet portraiture and this was the painting I was working on while they filmed me. Monte's human owns a furniture company (that specializes in chairs) and Monte is the apple of his eye. So I combined the two points and made Monte sit in a very stylized chair reminiscent of a bull's eye (or the center of the universe).

Monte 2009 oil 24" x 24"

During that same CBC interview, one of the people on the production thought it would be a wonderful idea to surprise his wife with a painting of their two cats, Mookie and Jasmine. Since this painting was a surprise and cats don't generally travel well, the photos were supplied...as were various prop's like Jasmine's favorite comb and Mookie's treats. Just for the record I have painted many cats although this is the only painting I've decided to include for now...

Mookie & Jasmine 2009 oil 18" x 24"