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So many people loved the in-progress pic I shared recently, I thought you’d enjoy seeing the finished portrait “The Kiss of Hearts”, of Marlaina and her beloved blue Doberman, Sky, which I created for her in 2019.  Sky’s registered name was CH. Kettle Cove Lanikai Blue Sky. The theme of the litter she was from was "Hawaiian Islands". I wanted to capture the feeling of Sky and Marlaina on a tropical Hawaiian beach. This portrait was done on “Cream” Canson paper, with a waterco

Detail of a work-in-progress I shared in 2019…. a portrait of Marlaina B. and her beloved blue Doberman, Sky.  Sky’s registered name was CH. Kettle Cove Lanikai Blue Sky. The theme of the litter was Hawaiian Islands. I wanted to capture the feeling of Sky and Marlaina on a tropical Hawaiian beach. (The reference photo was taken at a busy marina in San Diego, CA.) I chose this “Cream” Canson paper because it is the color of sunlight. The mediums I’m using - watercolor and colo

In my mid-20’s I moved to an area far from where I grew up. I began writing letters to my parents, and we continued that for the next 15 years. Many of my letters were decorated with my own artwork. After my dad passed away two years ago, my mom found a box of my old letters they had saved. This was one of them, written in the Fall of 1987. Hand-painted with watercolors, with metallic gold ink on the lettering. Seeing that hand-painted letter from so long ago inspired me to m

1 Raven's forehead and around the eye-socket on the left side are finished. I’ve put in Raven’s center white stripe down his nose as a...

Yesterday I had a debate on my Facebook page with Michael Joseph about whether copying a reference photo but changing things...

Prismacolor pencil on “Light Blue” Canson paper. In this piece I used the paper color as the primary color for the artwork. The sky is...

When you read Alicia’s words about Wishes you’ll understand why this quiet, watchful pose was so deeply meaningful: “Dobermans are...

I’m very happy with how Wishes’ ear turned out.  1 If you've been following my “swatches map” you will recognize the swatches-map for...

Last Sunday I shared this as a “Happy Mother’s Day” greeting on social media. I thought you'd enjoy seeing the image on the full sheet of...

August 20 The last portrait I shared (a dog in a forest scene) was very complex. This one will be straightforward: a double Head Study...

The portrait of Cheri and Larry is finally finished. A special portrait for a special friend who has played an important part in my...

A finished portrait is not always perfect.  It’s not unusual for a client to ask that something about a portrait be fixed. Usually just a...

It was important to Cheri to have this shirt-patch included on Larry’s shirt. When you read Cheri’s words you’ll understand why. From...

A portrait artist can often include things that are deeply meaningful to the client, which are not there in the reference photo. There...

In my previous post I shared what a mess I made of the heart-shaped vignette. (The watercolor-wash-gone-wrong.)  I’ve been working on it...

Continuing “Cheri and Larry”…. This album shows how I used watercolor wash to add the big chunks of color for their t-shirts and...

🍁 In honor of Fall, my favorite season, I’m sharing autumn artworks from my 40-year career. “Autumn Angel”.... the angel that spreads...

Both heads finished now.  Whew! The hard part is done. Cheri wrote: “With this glorious work of art of us - with his eyes shining the way...

Larry’s smile finished. The words Cheri wrote about it are below the picture. Larry's beard color (“5 o'clock shadow”) is very close to...

🍁 To celebrate Fall, I’m sharing autumn artworks from my 40-year career. Last week I shared my artwork of a Doberman splashing through a...