Bosley, the Fleeting Poser

"Bosley at Four"
Photo

I was thinking I wanted to do another portrait of Bosley. This time I wanted to do one shoulders up and a dignified profile. Ha Ha Ha. Do you think I can get him to pose still enough for that? I get out my camera and sit him down. I tell him to stay. Which he does for about 45 seconds. Then I get him to sit and stay again, but he won't hold his head up and still in the right pose for the shot. Next, after my husband came home I tried to get my husband to help. LOL We end up scooting around, here and there around the kitchen floor, and still can't get Bosley to give me that pose. The picture (a little blurry) above is Bosley after we went through that circus. You can see that sweet, imploring smile, as if to say, "What would you like me to do next, Mom?" (who could not love that face!) The only time this fellow is really still is when he is down for the count. And I've already done a portrait of him asleep, so I didn't want to do that again. I have new found sympathy for all my clients who go through this process to get the right picture for a painting of their dog or cat. It isn't easy!

Anyway...that's what we did today. I'm searching around for subject matter besides Bosley, too. I'm still tired a good bit after my Dad's death and it is taking me a while to get back in the saddle. Working on it though...
Stay tuned!!

Patch And Beau Finished

"Patch and Beau
20X16
Oil on Canvas

Commissioned

Click on image to enlarge the view.


Finito. I still have my ear, but it's likely that most of my hair fell out in this process. It was the background that drove me crazy. I'm wishing I could have done this differently...possibly a square format that would have eliminated a lot of the trees in the background, more like the top picture. As it is, getting the little guy to pop from that background is near impossible. I opted for a standard size in order to make it easier for the receiver of this painting to get a frame. At any rate...I'm glad to be finished. It took a lot longer than I wanted it to, but that is just what happens sometimes. I hope the owners will enjoy this painting of their two buddies.

Patch And Beau WIP 2

"Patch and Beau" WIP
Oil on Canvas
20X16

Here is some more progress on Patch and Beau. I have to say this one contains thousands of conundrums, mostly because of the background. Excuse the glare from the lamp on the left side. If I don't cut off my ear, I'll be back with the finished painting in the next few days.
Thanks for stopping by...

Patch And Beau WIP

Close Up of Patch - WIP

So....this is the painting that is commissioned by way of the Cancer Society Auction. The original idea is a painting of one pet...but the people who won the bid decided they wanted to give the painting to a relative who has these two cute canine friends. The border collie is Patch. The miniature pinscher is Beau. The pictures were a bit difficult, having been emailed to me by the owners...only because the background is very busy and I want the dogs to stand out as the major focus. Patch has one blue eye and one amber-yellow eye and since that is one of his unique traits, I am making sure that shows up also. I usually just do one dog (or cat) at a time, so this is a larger painting and more challenging to keep the composition cohesive. We'll see if I get there!

I'm finally back to the easel and getting back to work after a few weeks of working on my Dad's passing and the paperwork of winding up his estate. It has been a sad time, but you can keep reminding me that he was 92 and that is a good long life. At this point it all seems surreal. I'm sure others who have gone through this know what I mean...it takes a while to sink in.

"Patch and Beau" WIP
16X20
Oil on Canvas