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Wednesday, May 27, 2009

dog commissions

i finally have a little portfolio of my dog commissions pulled together to share with you! 

turtle, above right, was my first commission.  i was asked to make a piece (not necessarily of a dog) for an auction that was raising money for a local dog rescue league.  i love dogs, and was up for the challenge, so i decided to paint and donate (i didn't make any money) a portrait of one of the dogs at the rescue.  turtle was one of the dogs waiting for a home, and i just fell in love with her. her portrait became "parts of a typical pooch" in which i labeled her different "parts" informed by this piece that i had done previously.  on the night of the auction i was very nervous, i had never sat through an auction, let alone one that i had made something for! it was exciting and nerve wracking all at once.  my painting of turtle was up for bid at the very end of the night, so we waited a long time to see what would happen.  when it finally came up for bid, people began fighting for her!  it was pretty thrilling!  my painting of turtle ended up raising almost $700 dollars for the dog rescue league!  i was so happy and amazed!  

the portrait scout followed next, for the folks that lost turtle at the auction.  then came olive,who is shown posing with her portrait! olive was created for a friend with an especially fun and whimsical household.  most recently (last week) i finished porter, whose own kitchen has those fun black and white tiles in it just like the portrait. 
i have a few more lined up so far, and have to say that i am really loving these pooch paintings! commissions are tricky, especially of someone's beloved pet, but with each new piece i am enjoying the process more and more.  i still think i like "just painting" for me best, but this is a new way that i am learning to work and i am having a blast.  hope you like them too!  see all images and details bigger here, and of course be in touch if you'd like to see your pal in paint too!  *s

8 comments:

  1. wow these are so lovely, I am trying to pick my fav and I really like them all for different reasons. unfortunately we don't have a dog...

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  2. we don't either! : (
    thanks to you both!

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  3. Very cute! I love that Olive looks so proud of her portrait. She has a look that seems to say, "This is ME! so dig it."

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  4. I love dogs, I love these paintings, I love my 2 dogs, and would love to see my dogs painted. Hum? this would make a great gift for my husband. I'll have to think about this----.

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  5. These are just wonderful. What a wonderful thing to create for someone.

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  6. I LOVE these...what a great idea for a gift!

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  7. Oh, dogs are so special, and so are your portraits! I especially love where you've got Olive posing with her portrait - such a great likeness! And the perfect expression.

    I've just started drawing dogs too. I never thought it was something I'd wanted to get into, until I had so much fun drawing the first one.

    Here's a photo of our dog Shadow posing with his portrait if you'd like a peek:
    http://lexy.typepad.com/lexy_art/2009/02/the-mug-shot.html
    He has such a silly, earnest look on his face as there was a bit of treat bribery going on to get him to sit still!

    Off to check out the rest of your blog now. I love your artwork :)

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thanks so much for saying hello! i do my best to reply to comments, please know i read and appreciate each and every one! xo *s