Border Collie Portrait of Oreo
Border Collie Portrait of Oreo - Sold
My Border Collie portrait of Oreo is finally finished and I am so excited to see how everything came together. My client, who now has ordered 5 portraits from me - thank you Beth - is what I consider a dream client. She trusts my artistic instincts and gives me full control over the painting. As an artist that's the time when you can really show what you are capable of creating. So needless to say, even though this painting took a while to finish I had tremendous fun creating it.
On December 30th I received some photos from my client, showing Sarah's reaction to her special Christmas gift, which I squeeze in right here.
Now let's go and explore the painting ~
Lilly pond detail
The pond and background are full of color. Note how everything is kept soft and only hinted at with dabs of impasto paint loose brush strokes. Our eyes and brain work quite nicely to scan it as what it is meant to be - lilies - flowers - grass and rocks. Brain signals pick up the vivid colors and become interested to see what is in the picture plane. Done very intentionally this is my way to draw you into the picture plane and guide you to the main focal point.
Oreo under the tree
And here he is "Oreo" the Border Collie. As I mentioned before in another blog post here Oreo has passed away. The entire layout of the painting underscores that this dog is no longer with his owner, but I wanted to add an extra touch of sentiment, by carving initials into the tree. Since the recipient of the painting is a young girl I wanted to create a painting that still retains some of that fairy forest magic, yet can still be enjoyed when she is much older. I hope it's not too cheesy looking :)
Before and After
My last image shows what my reference photo looked like and of course the finished piece on my easel. The painting measures 14x14 inches and will be shipped to Ohio as soon as it's dry enough to make the trip. I can't wait what my client has to say when she sees the finished piece.
If you like to receive information on how to order a similar portrait click below.
