Corgilicious

 

6x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

After spending a week with my mom and her dogs, I have Corgis on the brain!  She has two female Welsh Corgis, Le'a and Ipo.  They really are such wonderful dogs.  I know they bring so much joy to my mom's life.  I also decided to do this painting in the hopes it would be a quick one.  Well, I should have known, it wasn't quick at all.  I got a bit hung up on the nose...sigh.  It was still fun and I feel I learned a lot in simplifying and clarifying.  I hope you enjoy it!

I'll Never Leave My Human Far Behind

 

6x8

Acrylic on Gessobord

There's just something so amazing about Labradors.  The love for their humans is a joy to watch.  Kailua Beach is a great social place for people and dogs.  This patient pup was always stopping to wait for her owner to say hi to friends.  When visiting the beaches on Oahu, I love imagining having our sweet Salty and Chili with me to romp and play in the ocean and sand.  Since the likelihood of that happening is quite slim, I'll just go on enjoying everyone else's dogs!

Beach Stroll

 

8x6

Acrylic on gessobord

The photo I used for this painting was taken 2 years ago on Mother's Day.  I was visiting my family on Oahu, and was able to sneak off to the beach to enjoy a little sun and relaxation.  This adorable girl was walking with her parents down the shore.   I had actually forgotten about this picture until I was looking through my photos.  I just returned from Oahu last week.  I hadn't been there in 2 years.  I am so thankful that I was able to celebrate my mom's 90th birthday and Mother's day with her.  

Sweet Fetching Hound

 

8x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

If any of you follow me on Instagram and Facebook, this big adorable boy probably looks familiar.  This is Chewy, one of the dogs at our local shelter.  He is a big, goofy sweetheart!  I had a wonderful time playing with him last week.  When he first came to us he was scared and shy.  Luckily, it didn't take long for him to learn to trust us and open up.  This was a great piece for me to practice my more "mindful" approach to painting.  I tried focusing on intentional, simple strokes of color.  In the end I started to get into that simplicity killing mode of perfectionism.  I stopped before I went too crazy, thank goodness.  I hope you enjoy it!

Swimming Rottweiler

 

6x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

I love the close up of the water in this painting.  The swirls and clarity of the water really drew me in.  I couldn't resist using my Golden iridescent pearl paint on this one.  The picture below shows it a bit better.

 I was excited to paint this big water dog.  I love Rottweilers, but have never had a chance to photograph one, and hadn't found a good reference photo until recently.  Thank you Unsplash for the photo!

Splashing All the Way

 

6x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

My focus on this painting was to loosen up and concentrate on intentional brushstrokes.  So often I get caught up in a painting and lose "the big picture".   I'm looking forward to working on this more.

Aren't You Coming In?

 

8x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

I'm not sure what we, as humans, did to deserve such wonderful creatures to spend our lives with, but I'm sure glad we have them!

My favorite thing about this piece is the summery, warm water, sun shining kinda feeling!  I'm heading to Oahu next week to see my mom and celebrate her 90th! birthday!  I can hardly wait!  I'm looking forward to the kind of weather that this sweet pup is experiencing.

Fetchin' Doodle

 

8x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

I've been looking forward to painting this happy guy.  I love the windswept look.  It's always a challenge painting black dogs, but the curls and waves of this doodle's fur made it easy to find the light reflections. Thanks to Unsplash for the photo reference.

Clear Water Swimmer

 

6x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

Spring has finally sprung here and I am feeling the warm weather vibe!  The water is what really attracted me to paint this.  I'm working on loosening up my strokes and taking steps back to view my paintings more often. 

     I've been super busy with commission work for the past several months.  I love the challenges and opportunities from this type of work, but also realize I need breaks.  I've decided to take an extended break from commission work and concentrate on my own art.  Just making that little decision has got me reenergized! 

Things Are Looking Up

 

6x6

Acrylic on Gessobord

I have high hopes that life will start getting back to normal soon.  It's been a long year + in "isolation" and I'm soooo ready for good things to start showing through!  What's kept me sane through all this?  My husband, art, and of coarse, my dogs!  You dog lovers know what I'm talking about, right?!

Here's to positivity and a bright future ahead (with lots and lots of dogs ;)!!