Let Loose

6x8
acrylic on gessobord

After working on "Take the Leap", I wanted to do more paintings with the feeling of motion.  I love the way this guy is totally letting loose!  I decided to use my looser, abstract side for the background.  I used a photo from Pixabay to paint this.  Thank you Pixabay, for the inspiration!

Take the Leap

6x6
acrylic on gessobord

I tried to capture the feeling of jumping in this painting.  It was really fun to paint this! 

Handsome Boy

6x8
acrylic on gessobord

Our first dog, Tabor, was a black lab.  There's just something so regal about these beautiful dogs.  This guy looks a lot like our Tabor.  He was a gentle giant.  I'm enjoying painting dogs other than my own.  It makes it that much easier to part with!  I was actually looking on Pixabay for a picture of fall to use for this month's challenge, when I came upon this gorgeous pup.  I had to paint him!!!  Painting black fur is always a challenge for me, so I knew this would be good practice.  Enjoy!

Dogfish

6x8
acrylic on gessobord

I thought this pup looked like he could be part fish, the way he's casually gliding through the water.  I used a photo from Pixabay to paint this one.  When I saw the photo, it made me think of our Salty, when we were sailing around Mexico.  One of our favorite activities while in Mexico was swimming and snorkeling.  The first time we all went snorkeling off the boat, I noticed a strange four legged creature swimming towards me...It was Salty, of coarse!  He would jump in the dinghy and then jump into the water and follow us around as we explored.  I never tired of swimming with him.  Now that we're back in the Pacific Northwest, I don't do much swimming, but Salty doesn't let the cold stop him. (He probably misses swimming with us, though!)

Showtime

6x6
acrylic on gessobord

This is our friends' beautiful daughter and horse at one of their many shows this past summer.  A few years ago she fell in love with horse back riding.  She's now fully engaged in the sport and loves every minute of it.

Summer Day in the South Sound

8x6
acrylic on gessobord

This is how I spent Labor Day weekend this year.  I am so blessed!  We couldn't have asked for better weather.  What made it extra special was meeting up with friends that we hadn't seen in years.

This past summer wild fires were raging all over the PNW, which made our skies smokey and dull.  Once we had a little rain and cooler temperatures, the heavens cleared and gave us this gorgeous palette of blues.  I really wanted to capture the brilliance of the sky and water that weekend.

Stanley Park 2

6x6
acrylic on gessobord

One just wasn't enough!  Love this place!  I tried to loosen up my strokes a bit on this one and and go with a bit more color.  I'm really happy with the outcome.

Stanley Park

6x6
acrylic on gessobord

My husband and I spent this past weekend in Vancouver, BC.  Our favorite thing to do there is rent bikes and ride around Stanley Park.  I'm a very lucky woman because my sweet hubby is more than happy to stop with me (and I like to stop A LOT!) while I take photos for paintings.  Saturday morning was absolutely gorgeous!  Enjoy!

Wait For It

8x6
acrylic on gessobord

When we are playing fetch with our dog, Salty, we often have him rest before throwing the stick again.  He will run until he collapses, so we try to give him little breaks here and there.  His attention and focus when he's waiting for someone to throw the stick or ball, is so intense!  We love our amazing Salty Dog!!

The Beach Is My Happy Place

6x8
acrylic on gessobord

If I were a dog, this would be a self portrait.  This is how I feel when I'm at the beach.  I found the photo I used for this painting on Pixabay.  I couldn't resist painting this happy dog.  The light breeze blowing off the ocean while the sun warms his fur.  Oh summer, I already miss you!