The National Service Dog

A few years ago, while at a freeway service center, I noticed someone with a puppy at the food court. This puppy, although small, was wearing a jacket such as those worn by working guide dogs. I learned that this puppy was in training; becoming familiar with many indoor public locations in preparation for the full time training he would receive from professionals before becoming a full fledged service dog. The puppy raiser would only have the dog for just over a year, and several months later would be invited to attend it's graduation and meet the dog's new owner. I made a mental note at the time that puppy raising was something that I would like to do.

A couple of years later, my son and I attended an open house for Guide Dogs in Oakville, and learned more about this facinating service. Demonstrations were given to show what these fully trained dogs were capable of doing to assist their owner, be they blind, deaf, or quadraplegic. At the time, we did not have a suitable home for puppy raising, and so it remained a dream.

And then, a series of connected events occured over the summer; the dog show in July got me thinking of dogs again, a chance meeting with a guide dog owner in early August informed me of another service dog school which was closer to home, and wouldn't you know it, their annual open house was to be held the following weekend. Of course we went, and two days later we had our seven week old service puppy. Zephyr. A Labrador/Golden Retreiver cross. Cute, smart, and teething. And not house broken. We suddenly had our hands full.

The National Service Dog organization trains dogs to work with children with autism. Their dogs have been very successful in helping keep these children safe, as well as calming them, which allows them to focus in class, and to better interact with others. As a puppy raiser, I see that Zephyr gets out to lots of public venues, and experiences a wide range of things. I take him to obedience class taught through the organization, and follow up with daily practice. And for a little over a year, he is with us to enjoy. And paint. This painting was done from a picture taken the first day we got him.

Madison

A "doorstep baby", Madison and her littermates were found at the door of Woodstock's Wellington Animal Hospital when they were only two weeks old. The dedicated veterinary staff worked around the clock to keep these vulnerable kittens alive. Eventually Madison made her way to Barb, where she joined two other cats to become one of the "girls". Madison's rather aloof stare is emphasized by her beautiful natural eye liner markings.

This was my first commission, and the challenge here was to work with a very small portion of a snapshot. While not an easy task, I learned that it could be done.

The Dog in the Basket

As soon as I saw it, I loved the reference image that this painting is based on. The rich colors and dramatic lighting were inspiring. It is amazing how certain lighting can transform an otherwise ordinary scene into something worthy of a closer look, as if to underscore the beauty of creation.

The Dog Days of Summer

Another day, another dog. This is a Norweigan Elkhound, which is something between a German Shepard and a Samoyed, or perhaps like a small Malamute. I had seen several of them competing at the Woodstock dog show. They looked as though they could have pulled a dog sled. The challenge here was to paint a kind of fur which is wooly and thick, with hairs that are often light with dark tips. This was a diffent type of dog, and I wanted to learn to paint as many types as I could.

The Jack Russell Terrier

Sometimes Jack Russells lie still, but not often. An interesting effect happened with this painting. Up close, as of course it was as I worked on it, the image was somewhat indistinct. Certainly I could tell what it was, but there was a slight blurring to it. But what a surprise I got when I first viewed him from the usual critique spot at the end of the hall. Visually, this little guy just popped right out from so far away. Even this painting seemed to contain the explosive energy of the Jack Russel breed.

Don't Fence Me In

It is with good reason that Golden Retreivers are such popular dogs. Smart, loyal, gentle with kids. I think this lonely pup must be missing his family. As with the spaniel, I wasn't about to paint in every blade of grass. Its really about the dog anyway, and not about the grass, and so I improvised an impressionist approach.

The Orange Tabby

I was on a roll by this time, having painted four portraits in as many days. After the weekend, since there was still no computer, I carried right on. On this second week, I gave myself the challenge of one portrait per twenty four hours.

This was a particularily beautiful cat, and like so many cats, he looks as though he knows it.

A Cat in the Spotlight

I was having lots of fun with the dogs, but I was ready for a cat. For most of my life I have owned one cat or another. For my first 18 years there was Snookey, and later Lucy, Amy, Bobbie, Bruno, Heidi, Clara and Bess. Some remained for years, and were special friends, others were mothers and kittens fostered through the SPCA. Most were named, but some passed through nameless. Currently there is Orville, as seen in an earlier post, and his mother Friskey, my special favorite.

The Terrier

This, I believe, is a Cairn terrier, like Toto in the Wizard of Oz. I wanted the challenge of painting unruly curly fur. I called him the 'Purple Terrier' for a while because initially he had a very strong purple background. Backgrounds can be tricky. They play a supporting role and must enhance and not compete with the subject. I usually try to link the background with the subject by adding color from one area into the other. The trick is not to overdo it. This little guy patiently sat at the end of the hall, while I would view him from a distance every so often to discover correctable imbalances. I think he looks happier now.

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

There is an interesting history behind the name of this little spaniel. I had to do the research to find out what it was. It seems that this breed was recreated about 80 years ago, based on written evidence and as seen depicted in paintings that were hundreds of years old. The English King Charles was a fancier, and one is nearly always seen with him in royal portraits.

The Sheltie

It was at this time that my computer suddenly died, and for the next two weeks I found I had plenty of time to paint. I was suprised by how much I was depending on a computer, and how much of my time was taken on it.

While waiting for repairs, I gave myself the assignment of painting as many dogs and cats as I could, in order to develop my skill in painting pets. I printed a stack of reference photos from Wet Canvas using another computer, and dove in.

I would like to have painted Sheila, the sheltie I once owned, but due to computer technical difficulties, I relied on the images that were available to me. The funny thing about dog breeds is that each dog can look so like the next and yet be so different. This certainly was not Sheila, and yet this dog reminded me of her in many ways. They have such an intelligent yet sensitive gaze. Sheila was the only dog I ever had; I may one day have another.

The Dog Show

When the large annual dog show came to Woodstock in the middle of July, it got me thinking. Could I find a local market in pet portraiture? Perhaps not as grand a goal for an emerging artist as some, but I sensed that this might be a good niche to develop. First, however, I had to see if I liked painting dogs. Turning once again to the Wet Canvas reference library, I found an excellent example of one of my favorite breeds, the Labrador Retreiver.

There is something gratifying about painting a living thing. A flower, while living, may be beautiful, but an animal has a character and personality.

The Knave of Hearts

When Ian stayed with us in May while recovering from knee surgery, he brought along the now grown kitten, George Michael. I had painted him in casein during the Christmas holidays as seen in an earlier post. On this visit he was gradually allowed to discover the great outdoors. So making up for lost time spent as an indoor cat, he spent as much of his time as possible amongst the foliage and flowers that became his jungle. He stalked birds, climed trees and ran the length of the yard for the sheer freedom of it. He even squeezed through the fence a few times to explore the uncharted reaches of suburbia. After a while we got used to his comings and goings.

It came as a suprise, then, while taking pictures of my bleeding hearts for yet another floral painting, that Georgie's little face would appear in one of the photos. He really is just as impudent as he looks. Of the paintings that I have done, this is probably my favorite.

It marked, as well, a turning point for me. It would be the last painting of flowers that I would do for some time. That inquisitive little face lead me in a new direction.

Coffee and Donut

This coffee break still life was constructed by another fine workshop instructor, John, alias Watercolourlover. At Wet Canvas, some artists are known better by their online nickname then by their real name. This was one of the reasons why meeting them in real life was so very interesting. Painting can be a lonely occupation, and yet many artists enjoy working in the company of others. We shared artistic tips and techniques, jokes, chocolate truffles, horseshoes (sort of), a pot luck , a barbeque, and a campfire, complete with a sing along. Many had eagerly looked forward to this event since Gail, or Strawberrywine, announced in January that she would be hosting this third annual 'Meet'.

When I look at this painting, finished after returning home, and the one of the loon, I am reminded of that great weekend. It was a very special time.

Wet Canvas Reunion

For three days in late June, members of the Wet Canvas watercolor group met together at Sutton, Ontario, on Lake Simcoe. They had come from as far away as Vancouver, San Francisco, Nebraska and Indiana. Four even came from England for this event. Some knew each other well; many were meeting for the first time. Char, who led the macro floral tutorial was there, as was Judy, another student from that tutorial. I was fortunate to be among them. We socialized, but we also painted together in a couple of workshops. This loon was started in a workshop led by Shelley, a highly respected artist from Burlington, which I finished after returning home. It was nothing short of fascinating to paint and be among so many fine artists.

Red Rose

There is just something about roses. I was drawn back to them again and again. If the rose is the classic flower, then the red rose is the most classic of all flowers. I had to paint one to add to my rose collection. Here was another of those tricky macro compositions where the view is so close that no background or greenery shows. The eye is attracted to strong contrasts, and I used them here to keep the work interesting. But too much of a thing is......too much, and I glazed over this painting repeatedly to reduce the stark 'posterized' effect that was first created.

I find it amazing that there were actually nine different pigments used in this one red rose:

three reds, two pinks, a blue, and three greens.

Lilacs

I am a great one for saving scraps. I get it from my mother, who grew up during the depression and therefore was a better scrap saver than me. But watercolor paper is not cheap, so surely something could be done with my growing accumulation of bits and pieces trimmed from larger works.

I'm not sure how many 2.5"x4" paintings I had paper saved for, but it certainly was a lot. It was high time that I tried a miniature painting.

This was similar to the hydrangea in that the composition would be vital, as would be the lighting, to avoid a boring painting. However, even if I failed and it was boring, because it was so small, it would only be a little boring........

I got out my smallest brushes and went to work. It reminded me of knitting a baby sweater. Because the stiches, or in this case brush strokes, were proportionately so small, the miniature took just as long to complete as a larger work. In the end, I felt as if I didn't have that much to show for all the work that went into it. If your monitor is like mine, what you see will actually be larger than the original.

But I was pleased with the result, so I guess I could say that it was at least a small success.

Peach Rose

Peach is my favorite color of rose. I particularily like the Peace rose, or Chicago Peace. Peach roses were a theme in our wedding. I wanted to make sure that while I was painting flowers, I would do a peach rose. Working as usual from the Wet Canvas reference image library, I chose one with an abundance of opened petals. It reminds me of a ruffled Victorian gown with lavish petticoats.

Hydrangea

Meanwhile, there were more flowers to paint. I had been considering for some time how I might manage a macro of a clustered flower, such as a hydrangea. Here, without a contrasting background, the challenge would be keep the composition from having wallpaper sameness. Getting a good composition through careful cropping of the original image was half the battle.

This one took me three weeks to complete, as I was attending to my son who stayed with us while recovering from knee surgery. See the earlier post of Ian skateboarding........

The Winamac

My dad's love of tug boats can be traced back to one boat: the Winamac. It was owned and run by my dad's Uncle Baird and crewed in part by another uncle, Laddie. When my dad was very young, he went on family picnicing excursions on this boat, and was told by Baird that when he reached twelve he could come out alone and help the crew. His uncle kept his promise, and for most of his teen years, my dad was a frequent 'guest crewman' on the Winamac. His hopes of more permanent work with his uncle didn't materialize and my dad turned to accounting instead of an adventurous life at sea.

Recently, my dad found online a photo he had never seen before of the Winamac, taken just after she had been sold by Baird in about 1950. She was just as my dad remembered her - before being sold a few more times and finally sunk in the 1970s. Although the photo was rather blurry and faded, I knew I had to paint it. This was no ordinary tug after all, this was the Winamac.