Beach Doodle

 

8x6

acrylic on gessobord

I love the warm, sunset glow on this dog's fur.  That happy face says it all!  Thanks to Unsplash for the photo reference. I hope your day is going as well as this furry guy!

Calm Water Swimmer

 

6x8

Acrylic on gessobord

It's been super busy this past week. Between commission work, sick dog (he's okay now, but the carpet may not survive!), and some other nonsense, I'm ready for a week of painting things that make me happy!! Love my swimming pup paintings!  Enjoy!

Furry Flurry

 

6x6

Acrylic on gessobord

I really enjoyed painting this one.  I haven't done a dog shaking off water in quite a while.  As we inch closer to fall I am clinging to ideas of summer.  I'm not ready to let it go!  The way the water just takes off when a wet dog shakes makes me laugh. You can't beat the flappin' jowls and ears though!   I used a photo from Unsplash as a reference for this piece. Enjoy those last summer days!

Just Ducky

 

6x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

I've been working on a couple of commissioned paintings this week and needed a break.  Painting water always soothes me.  Thanks to Pixabay for the photo reference!

Fancy Footwork

 

6x8

Acrylic on gessobord

This little cutie is our other dog, Chili Pepper.  He has been such a fun dog for all of us.  He absolutely loves his big brother, Salty, and likes to do whatever he is doing.  This is him chasing a stick into the water.  He's not big on going into deeper water, but likes getting his paws wet.  He has a way of walking that looks like he is prancing!  It is so darn adorable!  Painting this one just made me smile the whole time. I'm ready to go back to the San Juans!!

Fetching Big Sticks

 

6x8

Acrylic on Gessobord

This is our boy, Salty.  He loves, loves, loves playing with big sticks.  Unfortunately, he refuses small sticks which would be sooooo much easier to throw!! It's hard to tell here, but he is now 12.5 years old. He sleeps a lot more, but when it's time for a dinghy ride to the beach, he becomes a puppy again.  The water in the San Juan Islands this year was absolutely gorgeous!  I really love the reflection in this one.

Mexican Beach Dog

 

6x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

I find so much joy watching and photographing dogs at the beach.  I really like painting them too, obviously!  It has become a familiar, comforting place for me when I paint dogs at the beach.  I've been stretching myself outside of my painting comfort zone lately, so it is wonderful to come back to this! I have some fun beach dog paintings in the works from our sailing trip this summer. Stay tuned!

Doggone Adorable

 

8x6

acrylic on Gessobord

This is sweet Mary, one of our pups at our local dog shelter.  She has stolen my heart!  If only I could have one more dog!  She is a 6 month old lab mix, full of love and licks. I'm always amazed at the wonderful dogs we get into the shelter. Why would anyone ever be able to give up something so precious?  I have no doubt that we will find her the perfect home.  I encourage everyone to consider adopting from your local shelter; You won't be disappointed! Also, wishing everyone a happy National Dog Day (a day late!).

Bonded Pair

 

8"x 6"

Acrylic on Gessobord

I just finished this one for a friend of mine.  When I saw the photo, I knew it would challenge me, but I was up for it.  My friend has such a big heart for her animals. I tried to capture that in this painting. The shadowed figures were kinda fun to work with. I especially love the glow of the sun that lights them up in just a couple of spots.

Strong Swimmer

 

6x8

Acrylic on Gessobord

I started on this painting right before we left on vacation and had forgotten about it until today.  I added a little sparkle and voila! It's finished.  I wanted to go with a more simplified, cleaner method here. I'm pretty happy with the result. Enjoy!