"Missy and Walter"

Oil on canvas - 15" x 20"

This was actually my very first attempt at the Zorn palette for the Diana Moses Botkin March challenge. Although it lit the fire in me, subsequent small studies such as "Laura and Vincent" and "Sunlit nude in a Victorian Boudoir" had more of an over-all Zorniness. You can see by the lush(?) foliage out the window that Mary and Becky were right about the lack of a range of greens, although I find it works OK here.

"Oh Lucy!"

Oil on linen mounted on board 6" x 8"

...you got some splainin' to do! Actually I've got some splainin' to do. Today's painting was an experiment with painting on a more textured surface than I have been using for these little studies. I had an e-mail from someone who liked my work but preferred a more textured surface than my usual ampersand panels . Oddly enough, I find the brushwork is more pronounced on a smooth support, as the stroke has no place to hide and is there for all to see. I'll grant you that you do get an evening out and diffusion of light reflected off the surface of a cloth support but on such small work it is tantamount to painting on burlap if you scaled it up. I personally like the bit of tooth that ampersand panels have.

I met Lucy last week at a friend's house. I assume her appellation was derived from a certain wacky redhead that we all know and love. She is a sweetheart.

I've had to begin comment moderation as I have been getting a lot of spam on the comment page lately. Sorry about that but your feedback is still important to me so keep 'em coming.

"Schatzi"

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

"I'm baaack" Yes I finally put brush to panel for the first time in the new studio. I couldn't find my maul stick, paint rags, turpentine, and miscellaneous other painting accouterments but I managed to get something on the easel. Schatzi is my friend Beth's wire haired dachshund. She's a real schweetie and reminds me of Alfalfa from the little rascals with her cute cowlick (Schatzi, not Beth). Hey, it's a start.

"Fabulous 5"

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

Although my idea of having a few "black and tans" normally takes place at my local Irish pub, this motley crew also put a smile on my face. The image was sent to me recently by Anne Stark, breeder of champion dachshunds and whippets. She seemed to think I could have fun with this and she was right. Her pups can be seen on her website "Piper's puppies4u."
Thanks for the amusing reference, Anne.

You may ask why the blue eyes? The original reference of these pups was most assuredly made with a flash which reflected back as blue. I toyed with the idea of making the retinas black but I liked the cobalt accents dancing around the panel. I think it livens up the painting.

"Wilt on a Cold Day"

Oil on museum quality, archival ampersand gessobord™ panel - 6” x 8”

As you can see, I am still in Dog Mode. Not that there's anything wrong with that. What appealed to me about this reference, other than the fact that he looks like Michael Phelps after winning his second gold medal at the summer Olympics, were the red and green blankets - quite apropos given the season.  City street lights, even stop lights, blink of bright red and green.  There is something magical about this set of complementary colors that isn't present in blue/orange, violet/yellow or other spectral variations.  If you read my tag the other day you may have noted that I am mad for hot food.  On a recent trip to New Mexico I was dining in a Tex-Mex restaurant and ordered some enchiladas. The server asked if I wanted my sauce, "red, green or Christmas?"  Christmas, of course, meaning both.  This little guy looks like he's plopped down on a plate of Christmas chile sauce.  I have always been a Christmas kind of guy.  In fact,  I'm starting to look like a bit like Santa.  By that, I mean I'm letting my white beard grow long, though I have been working harder on that bowl full of jelly than I should!  Heck, I named my daughter Holly.  Speaking of the holidays.  I may be very busy this coming week; making lists and checking them twice, etc., so this may be my last post for a while.

"Rover and Moe"

Oil on museum quality, archival ampersand gessobord™ panel - 8” x 10”

I didn't get too much of a back story on these little guys. I know that Rover (on the right) has gone to join the morning stars and his owner misses him terribly and wanted a posthumous portrait to commemorate his short life.  Short in stature only.  Judging from his grey muzzle he had a long and happily life.  His notched left ear is a complete mystery.  I should follow up on that.

Ch. Pipers Mr. Longfellow

Oil on museum quality archival ampersand gessobord™ panel - 8” x 8”

Although Mr. Longfellow, A.K.A. Henry, is a star performer in the show ring, his poise and posture propelling him to 16th best dachshund in the country, he is loathe to perform for the camera. It took a lot of perseverance to get him to acquiesce to pose for his portrait. He and his cohorts reside in Ohio and provide service and amusement for their owner Anne. Many of the canine portraits seen on these pages have been her dogs. If you are entertaining the idea of having a dachshund or whippet companion, you owe it to yourself to check out her website: http://piperspuppies4u.com/ It is no surprise that painting animals has captured my imagination lately. Indeed, I have often tried to convince a portrait client to include the family pet into a portrait of a child to give the painting some added interest. A friend sent an e-mail the other day saying - "What's with all the dogs?" To her I can only say - "Get used to it; I like painting dogs." I have been using the daily paintings as a way of trying to figure out what it is that truly gets the creative juices flowing. This is one subject that I have a lot of fun with.

"Piper's Jellyroll"

Oil on linen mounted on birch wood panel - 6” x 8”

...but you can call me Cherry.  Yesterday I said I hated the color orange and here I am using that color again.  What's up with that?  While I do have an issue with "pumpkin" orange, its spectral cousins I actually enjoy visiting my palette on occasion.  Burnt Sienna, Venetian red, Cadmium red light - all welcome guests.  Indeed, I don't think I could paint a portrait without their help. It was proposed that I make the background of this painting less solid and flat.  I maintain that by contrasting the mottled brushwork of the fur and having painted it the hue of Cherry's chromatic complement, it takes on a contemporary, graphic quality.  My question to you, gentle viewers is this - Without adding extraneous elements (i.e. pillows, walls, floors, etc.), do you think this painting is too stark?  Would the addition of a gradient background, more brushwork or pulling some umber into the background add or detract from the piece?  Let me know what you think.

"Walter, the Drunken Dachshund"

Oil on archival, museum quality 1/8" Ampersand Gessobord panel - 5"x 7"

Last week I painted a Great Dane named Mr. Big. This is his adopted brother Walter. As with most Dachshunds I’ve met, Walter is a most inquisitive hound. Sweet, good natured, curious to a fault and always hungry, he tends to get into trouble. A case in point: I was invited to a dinner party to celebrate my birthday by Mr. Big and Walter’s owners. My friend is a first rate photographer and we ventured upstairs to view his latest work. We men took our beers with us and the girls left behind two half full chocolate martinis on the table. We were gone perhaps 20 minutes and returned to find a very drunk dachshund. He had managed to climb up onto the table and had drunk every last drop of both martinis. Though there was not enough chocolate in the drinks to worry about, he had consumed enough alcohol to be staggering around. We called the 24-hour clinic and were told he’d just have to sleep it off, as the alcohol was already absorbed. We, too, had absorbed a lot of alcohol so it seemed only fitting to dress him up for St. Patrick’s Day. I guess you had to be there. You will be happy to know that other than a bad hangover the next day, he is fine. Do I think he learned his lesson about not getting into things? Not a chance.