Dog Smiles and Beagle Memories

It’s always busy right around the holidays for a pet portrait artist–and I’ve been slow to post because I’ve been getting my holiday work out the door. I’ve shipped off the final painting so now I can take a breath and…share.

This sweet face belonged to Bosley, a beagle who sadly is no longer with us. One look at his smile and I could see why his humans loved him so much. His memorial portrait was a special gift from husband to wife.

This is a photo of an early painting stage. It’s a good example of how I start most of my paintings by trying to get my basic darks and lights established–and to set the overall color tones.