Scare Bear

This was in a show at the Bedford Gallery in Walnut Creek. The theme of the show was work that was a little offbeat or weird, so I used dramatic lighting and made creepy, beady eyes. I usually paint on canvas but I like the way wood panels look when they are cradled, meaning mounted on a wood frame. The wooden sides have an elegant, simple look when the piece is hanging. But I forgot what a challenge wood can be to paint on. Wood is a very old traditional painting support. Some Renaissance masters used wood panels and it works very well with oils. With acrylic, it's difficult as the paint gets sticky and thick very quickly and doesn't go on smoothly. I got so frustrated that I fantasized about how satisfying it would be to light the painting on fire, but I persisted and it turned out decently. Size is 20" by 16". 

Dee

A commission that was given as a gift. I have never met this dog and worked from photos that weren't ideal but it was a good challenge and I'm happy with the results and more importantly, so was the client. Painting the toy was a lot of fun and I'm not sure why. Perhaps because it was such a goofy-looking object and I was doing a realistic depiction of it. Acrylic on canvas, 12" x 9".

Rosie4

Rosie, aka Rosita Conchita Morita, was my niece's beloved chihuahua that graced the planet for about 13 years. I did   a number of paintings of her. This one is 8x10, acrylic on canvas. It took a few tries but I finally got the feeling of her spirit in this one.