Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Schipperke Pendant Commission

Painted fused glass pendants are something I began offering a few years ago. I use a special glass paint that cures in the oven for maximum durability. Recently a client from Australia contacted me to inquire about having a portrait of her two Schips painted on one of the pendants. She had taken an assortment of photos of each dog and emailed them to me, and we tried several different combinations to find the one that worked best together. With one dog being black and the other gold we ultimately decided on this greenish blue (or bluish green?) colour for the pendant which would allow both dogs to show up well. The pendants I had in that colour however were all about 1" in diameter, which would mean each dog would have to be quite small in order to fit both on. It would work, but people might have to look pretty close to see the detail! So I headed off to the glass shop to ask about having some larger pendants made. It's a really great little shop with wonderful customer service, and they were happy to make some for me. I was able to choose the glass, specify a size, and a week or so later I went back to pick them up - perfectly round pendants measuring 1 5/8" in diameter. That size was a much better fit for two headstudies. I completed the painting, sent a picture to the client for approval, then popped the piece in the oven for a half hour, added the large silver plated bail, and sent it on its way to Australia. It has now arrived and I'm happy to say she is thrilled with it! 

Friday, June 18, 2010

Cooper - Bearded Collie Commission

Cooper the Bearded Collie - 10" x 12" acrylic on birch panel

When I received an inquiry recently about painting a portrait of this young Beardie boy, the client invited me to browse her web photo gallery to see if I though any of the pictures would be suitable to work from. The photo I ended up using jumped out at me immediately. It apparently was just a quick candid capture taken by the client's son, but it was a lovely shot that would be a joy to paint. The client's only concerns were a slightly dirty beard and his right eye obscured by a fall of hair, both issues that were easy to fix in the painting. This piece was done on gallery style birch panel, which gives it a depth of about 1 1/2"  The edges were painted black, and it needs no framing. It was completed and mailed last week and I'm happy to say the client was very pleased with the end result, and I'm told the subject approved of the painting as well!  

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Might as well just start!

So here I go, the first post of my blog. I suppose I should begin by simply saying 'Welcome' and I hope you enjoy seeing and reading about some of the artwork I create. With the creative process generally being quite a solitary one, it will be nice to be able to share details of it with others as I go along, and show off artwork 'fresh off the easel' so to speak. I have several pieces recently completed or on the go at the moment, with more in the planning stages. Some of those are commissions, while others may be available to purchase. I'm always happy to answer questions about my work or discuss possibilities, so feel free to contact me.