A painting of Tallie - Irish Setter

 It is always so special when an existing art collector returns for another painting.   I have painted for her twice and now, Tallie is the third dog painted.

Her owner, Julia, and I were going back and forth on photos of Tallie for the painting and none of the photos reflected the true Tallie.   We all know our dogs and though some photos may be gorgeous, they simply do not reflect the personality of the dog.   The reference photo we used was a quickie cellphone photo taken by a friend who had just groomed Tallie.   The photo was put on Facebook.  I happened across it by fate and contacted Julia immediately.   We have our photo I told her.   She thought about it and agreed.   Tallie lives in another state and I've not met her.  From Julia's descriptions of Tallie, I knew we had the photo.

Here is joyful and rollicking Tallie; the ever smart and obedient girl who is filled with love...and who is forever giving kisses.  I hope you enjoy viewing the painting as much as I enjoyed painting her.   Thank you to Julia for the honor of painting your special girl.

Lucy and her pups - a family affair

 This is a painting of Lucy and her two pups, Kate and Emmy (who are from Lucy's two litters).

It was so much fun to paint the girls.   I've known all three dogs for many years.   Lucy is no longer with us, but lives on through her pups.   

Lucy and my Monet were similar in age and were shown against each other in the dog show ring.   The girls knew each other.   Both Lucy and Monet are now gone as difficult as that is to comprehend.

Lucy's first litter produced Kate.   Kate and my girl, Baby Faith, were two months apart in age and were shown against each other and knew each other.  Gosh - the girls are 11  years old now.  Time is a vapor.

Emmy is from Lucy's second litter.  Emmy is almost a year younger than my Bling.  And yes, they showed against each other, stayed in hotels together and went on many walks together.   Emmy and Bling look so much alike that Emmy's owner once took Bling for a long walk in Palm Springs thinking he had Emmy.   Imagine my fright when I found Bling's crate empty....  Bling had a long walk and I had to take a tranquilizer.   (not really but I do stress when my girls are out of my sight)....   We all had a good laugh.   Bling is days away from turning 9 and Emmy is 8.   

It is nice to know the dogs that I paint.   The interesting thing though is that I truly get to know the dogs I am painting if I don't know them beforehand.   The owners or family members who have commissioned the art tell me stories about the dogs that helps me get to know the dog (or other pets) that I am painting.   I know if the animal was bold, sensitive, quiet, outgoing and that information goes into my painting.   The painting process allows me to gaze into their eyes for many hours.   The relationship is formed and by the time the painting is completed, I know the pet I have just painted.

I hope you gave enjoyed the little walk down memory lane.   As said earlier, time is but a vapor.  Our pets come into our lives and though they are never with us long enough (no matter how long that is) they leave their pawprints on our hearts.