When I first started painting I painted pictures of animals, as a way to practice techniques. Then after about a year into my painting, I decided to paint Desmond, our dog, whom we had been looking after for my niece while she was in school.
When Dante moved permanently we were given the opportunity to keep Desmond. This was a big decision as, up until that time, we had not planned to have any long term pets. Owning a Husky is a commitment, they need walks and care and attention. Well as things go Desmond grew on us, and became part of our family. He spends many evenings curled up on the couch across from me in the living room.
Last December I started going for walks in the mornings with my husband and the dog. He is a pretty independent spirt, thinking he is in charge, but has learned to walk on a leash without pulling (at least until he sees another dog, person, squirrel, dear, or anything else that is more interesting than listening to us.) Now that I am part of his walking life Desmond has started greeting me with excitement when I come out from work to meet him for our daily walk. So it's not surprising that he is showing up more in the paintings inspired by my life.
Recently I wrote about my experiences painting using silhouettes, how silhouettes originally were painted to show the character of a person as depicted by their profile. I spoke about how some artists today are taking this a step further, painting inside the profile shape to show the character of the subject in the art within. I decided to try this idea out with my independent dog. Who once took off, when off leash, for 3 hours into the wilderness of winter to chase... a moose.
I have been asked if I would ever paint portraits of a friends pet. Maybe this would be the way that I would do it.
Desmond is a beautiful dog and he knows it.