Happy Birthday, Mom

Here is a recently completed portrait I did of an adorable Yorkshire Terrier named Jill.  A young college-age woman commissioned the picture, together with her dad, as a surprise birthday present for her mother.

Rainbowdog portraits make great gifts.  Is there someone special in your life who would love of keepsake portrait of their special pet?

Wild Beasts?

The Fauves, or Wild Beasts, loved to used color to express emotion, and weren't concerned with making colors realistic. For a while, one of my artistic idols, Henri Matisse, was experimenting with this form of painting.  This portrait of his wife, "Woman with the Hat," painted around 1905, is a good example.  I think we all understand that Madame Matisse's face wasn't actually green.

So, given that bit of art history, is it wrong that Rainbowdog uses, shall we say, unrealistic colors when painting my portraits?  I hope you don't think so.  (And no, I and NOT comparing myself with Matisse!)  Look at this portrait of a pug named Chloe. 

No, she isn't actually blue and purple in real life, but I love the way she looks.  Maybe your dog would look great in purple?

Stupid Pet Tricks, Here We Come!

Taking a break from painting today, getting a little R & R with my dogs Sylvie and Stella.  It's a close tetherball match, but I think Sylvie (the brown one) finished ahead.

Bulldog Calendar

Are you a student, past or present, of Georgetown University? Mississippi State University? Tredyffrin Easttown Middle School? These schools and a host of others boast a bulldog as the school mascot. Tapping into the bulldog love in the USA, the people at Art 4 Causes are drumming up support for an all-bulldog calendar, with the proceeds going to bulldog rescue. Here's Rainbowdog's proposed calendar girl, Gracie. She would make a nice Ms. March, I think.

On-Line Art Gallery Now Open

Remember when I told you about the upcoming Canine Art Guild show featuring cats? Well, the show is now up and running, with more than 80 artworks depicting cats of all varieties, from house-cats to lions. Here is a picture of the inspiration for my entry, Tinkers the cat, as well as another view of the portrait I made of him. 

There are many beautiful artworks in the show.  Visit today and vote for your favorite. Some of the entries I particularly enjoy include:

Shelter Sweety #2 by Molly Poole

Moonstruck by Fran Dellaporta

and The World Upside Down by Terry Chacon

There are MANY beautiful versions of cats in this show, so I urge you to check them out at the CAG today!

Pupcakes!

Happy July 4! At my house, we're celebrating with dog-themed cupcakes.

These mouthwatering 'pup-cakes' were created by my teenaged daughter, our house's resident baker.  She used the book "Hello, Cupcake!" by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson for inspiration, but jumped off to create her own doggy designs. Word to the wise, although the subtitle of the book says the designs are simple ones that "anyone" can make, that "anyone" must be patient, careful and have good hand-eye coordination to execute breed-specific cupcakes. (Recognize the chocolate lab, schnauzer and pug in the picture?)

I think I'll keep my job as taster, rather than trying to get promoted to sous-chef.

Summer Fun

The colors in this portrait of Pavel, a fun-loving, ball-playing Vizsla, are so summery and light that I thought I'd share it on the blog today.

As famed dog artist Steven Huneck illustrated, and as Pavel knows, life is a ball. After all, aren't dog days -- whether dog days of summer or any other season --  all good days?