Dog Days of summer, literally...

The next two dogs were painted in May of this year, but because they were an August anniversary commission, I haven't posted them before now... National boards also delayed both painting and blogging progress. 

When Bradley asked me about painting his dogs, I was hesitant- I'm not exactly experienced in the dog portrait department. However, I decided to go for it. Not only was this a fun challenge, but it opened a door to a world of people interested in having their dogs painted. One thing we can be sure of: people love their dogs (me included). Happy LATE Anniversary Bradley and Maggie! Meet sweet Izzy (black and white) and Molly (the boxer), both 11x14 acrylic on canvas board. 

One thing I learned: I met these dogs a few weeks ago, months after their paintings were complete. Though I was pleased at the time with the reproductions from photographs, after laying my eyes on the dogs themselves I felt differently. Familiarity has a bigger role in recreating the likeness of a subject than I realized, especially when the subject has as much personality as a dog.

 Meet Maggie- Another anniversary painting, but a little more recent. Completed just a few weeks ago. 12x12 acrylic on gallery-wrapped canvas. I enjoy  extending the color around the sides, especially when it's as fun as turquoise. Happy Anniversary Shana and Nelson! The beginning:

One day, I'll paint my own sweet, curious, rowdy dog. Still looking for the perfect picture to capture that personality.

Happy Graduation Art!

For my brother Art, who graduated from the Citadel in May. This is from some pictures he took hunting in Maryland with my grandfather last fall.

 I quickly learned that while to me the picture was about the sky and water,  to Art, the picture was all about ducks. Enter decoys:

That is where I thought the painting was complete, but there were some changes to make because I worked from a photo, not from life- I hadn't been there. If I had been there, I would have known that the sun was bigger, there were far more decoys, and there were ducks flying in the air. After some procrastination, the painting is complete!

This is the beginning of mom's birthday painting, seen in a previous post, but here the progression is documented. 30"x36" acrylic on canvas.

 The finished product, one more time:

I would say that my dad's obsession with his dog Beacon is outrageous, but my friends and family would remind me that I'm ALMOST as crazy about my own dog Sadie. For Father's Day, I painted Beacon in her favorite spot: the front of dad's boat (which is ironically named "Obsession") in a canal at the beach.

  

 About this time, I was struggling to figure out why the muzzle wasn't right and it didn't look like Beacon- my brother Art helped me out- the muzzle definitely needed more brown than grey. It's easy to miss the obvious when you've looked at something too long! 11"x14" acrylic on canvas board.

The finished "Beacon" 

 Happy Fathers Day!

 I went to Earth Art Pottery in West Ashley with my friend Ava a few weeks ago to paint pottery. I got lucky and the plate happened to be the perfect size to fit an odd glass cover that I'd picked up at a thrift store earlier. I love blue and white Chinese-inspired ceramics.

 Happy Anniversary to Nathen and Juliana! This painting is a synthesis of several pictures of St. Lucia taken on their honeymoon. I struggled with the color scheme early in the process, So I took a break and worked on another painting. When I returned to this one, I switched brushes and with fresh eyes the pieces fell into place more easily. 16"x20" acrylic on canvas.

This is huge: around 3'x4', a size I rarely work in. I took a break from Nathen and Juliana's painting and worked on this for a while one afternoon. It started out as a Venetian canal scene. I was liking the sky and the water, but I hadn't taken the time to accurately sketch the building proportions before I began painting- It was driving me crazy! So I kept the sky and created a huge loose "Van Gogh and Monet" inspired landscape on top of it in a few hours late that night. Acrylic.

Continuing to dig...

 Once again, I'm contributing to your neck problems... but I love this sailboat. I can't remember when this was done... probably around 2004, this has a partner hanging in my dad's office. Maybe I can get him to load it :)

 Tiny 3x5  Acrylic, Also inspired by Lulie!  Done around March, 2011.

This was a watercolor and ink for an Avondale mural competition. Didn't win the competition, but sold the painting! I think this was originally maybe a 16x16, but this is just a photograph of a copy of it, because I can't seem to find the scanned image.

 Again, tilt your head. Oil on paper 8x10. From summer of 2002 SCGSAH.

 At least we're tilting our head to the right this time...... A linoleum block print 11x14. Also done as self-portrait project at SCGSAH ( I know, it looks nothing like me, and if it is me, I look angry). I love this technique, and one day with a little more working space, I'd like to pursue it again. I love the stark contrast of simple black and white. A printmaker that I love from Charleston is Stacey Bradley, and you can see her prints at http://www.etsy.com/people/PerlaAnne. 

 A colored pencil 11x14- part of my portfolio for SCSGAH application. Fall 2001.

 11x14 monochromatic watercolor. Actually was done as a value study before the final watercolor project in a summer workshop I did with Joe Miller in Boone, NC in the summer of 2004. I can't find the final full-color project, but I actually liked the value study better.

Old Artwork Continued....

Sorry, there are some repeats, but in digging around I found photos I took before they were framed, and I think they're much nicer without the glass.... So my apologies for the repetition.

 Another entry into the 2009 CRBR T-shirt design contest. Watercolor and Ink. around 14x20.

 So- I can't figure out how to rotate this clockwise 90 degrees... so turn your head sideways please!

a maybe 16x20 watercolor for some wonderful friends I believe it was the fall of 2009.

 St. Luke's chapel- watercolor somewhere in the ballpark of 11x17. Summer 2009. For friends that were married there.

 And here is the  repetition. again, sprin 2008, watercolor from Studio Art at Wofford from Brian's picture. Sorry for the neck cramp.

One more again, but with more clarity and better color.colored pencil, spring 2008. From Copenhagen.

Visit to Dillon

Documented a few older pieces at my parents' house in Dillon!

 After a trip with my dad at 16 to Venice, I did this acrylic of the front of a gondola in a canal. Sometime around 2002-2003?

 This is massive, don't even want to guess at the size. Colored pencil self-portrait. An assignment the summer I spent at SC Govenor's School for Art. 2002

 For mom- a 30x36 acrylic. Can't even remember when it was painted. Not my style, but mom love is- that's the important thing :)

 One in a 5 part series that had to transform a crumpled ball of paper into an object- I picked a conch shell. Pencil and Ink, with a little colored pencil hint of pink. somewhere around 8x10-11x14. Also done in the range of 2001-2002 at SCGSAH.

This was totally inspired by the work of Lulie Wallace. Great artist and friend. Check out her work at www.luliewallace.com. Her blog was also the primary source of inspiration for mine!