"Bigger Big"

Oil on museum quality ampersand gessobord panel 8" x 8"

Mr Big belongs to my friends Debby and Fran. I painted him last year as a lark, to see if I could portray his great stature on a small 6" square panel. Although I was happy with that painting, I really wanted a bit more space to capture his wonderful brindle coat. On a recent visit Mr. Big acquiesced to another model session. He is a bit grayer in the muzzle but is still a magnificent beast.

BTW - I didn't say which Wednesday, did I?

"Mr Big"

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Oil on archival, museum quality 1/8" ampersand gessobord panel - 6" x 6"

Painting a brindle Great Dane was a new experience for me. The brindle coat presented quite a challenge. There are very dark hairs and very light hairs playing off each other. If you lay down the blacks and then feather in the pale Naples yellow, they want to blend together. It takes a soft touch to get the effect. Mr. Big is one gorgeous Dane. His coat is almost tiger striped with rich umbers and deep blacks shot with pale yellow highlights and they don’t come any sweeter. He shares his digs in Baltimore with Walter the wonder wiener. They make quite a pair. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Danes. One of my very first commissions was a painting of a harlequin Great Dane, way back in the early seventies. My cats were not happy with his modeling sessions at the studio. That early commission was almost life size. Is it me, or is it perverse to paint a Great Dane on a 6 inch square panel?