Bichon Frise dog portrait (painting) commission

As I was working on this portrait my heart started melting as soon as I was done drawing this dog's expressive eyes. What a darling little face!! I'm so lucky to have the best job in the world!!

It is always my goal to achieve the most accurate likeness and expression of each and every commissioned portrait I create. I'm very happy to say that the clients were "over the moon" when they saw the final piece... despite the fact it also brought tears to their eyes. I was told that Scooby had recently passed on the the rainbow bridge.  I understand fully how loosing a beloved pet is hard to take, loosing my faithful gal only a year ago today. But time heals the wounds and we learn to move on...forever left with their paws on our heart!

Here are a few more steps showing the progress of the soft pastel portrait, with the final image at the bottom.

"Scooby"

Bichon Frisé

8"x10"

soft pastels

commission

Bichon Frise pet portrait progress on the easel

Been busy in the studio working on this dog painting commission of an adorable little Bichon Frise. I thought I'd share some of the work in progress pictures I took with my phone so you can see some of the steps involved. I lightly draw a pencil sketch then I always start with the eyes...yes, the eyes are the windows to the soul and I feel I need to get those just right before I can continue with the rest of the portrait. Sometimes, I go back and tweak a little but there is nothing usually major unless the client points something out.
That is another reason I take progress shots of my work and send to the client. It gives the opportunity to provide feedback and if necessary, little touch ups here and there.
I want every client to be totally in love with their portrait so it is important it is to their liking.
Keep watching to see the rest of the portrait as it progresses to the grand finale in my next post!

Canadian Lynx portrait, painting in pastels by Colette Theriault

I created this painting for my "Drawn to Nature" solo Exhibit at Artists on Elgin which took place the month of April 2017. On opening day, I was stoked to find out a collector had walked in first thing in the morning and purchased this pensive pose of a Canada lynx. What a wonderful surprise to wake up to!
The reference image for this piece was photographed by myself, while on one of the many field excursion trips. I generally take all my own reference images because that way, I'm assured the painting or drawing I create from them will be original.
I hope you like my rendition of one of Canada's most majestic wildlife, one of two of our native wild cats.
Until next time, stay warm!

"Deep in Thought"

Canadian Lynx

pastel painting

SOLD

Winter Black Capped Chickadee Bird Wildlife Painting in Pastels

This little chickadee painting was created last year and was part of my spring solo art show "Drawn to Nature".  The start of the year was a very productive time in the studio as I managed to create 16 new original pieces or art specifically for the exhibit. While this one didn't immediately sell, I was thrilled when contacted recently by a collector who purchased this little treasure.

I'm thinking of featuring this bird artwork on some note-cards which will be for sale in packs of four.

If you missed my exhibit and would like to see it on video, just hop on over to Drawn to Nature video and enjoy!

"Winterlude"

Black Capped Chickadee

pastel painting

5.5"x5.5"

SOLD

Sudbury Women in Arts Book Launch and Exhibit with Colette Theriault

Along with 25 other talented local women, I was recently featured in a book and exhibit about Sudbury women artists. Coincidentally, the opening of the exhibit and book launch took place on March 8th, International Women's Day.

 "The purpose of the book is to raise awareness of the talented and innovative women who create visual art in Sudbury. We believe in recognizing the skill and diversity in our community, and hope to encourage women who are aspiring to create. Showcasing women who have made a significant contribution in visual arts promotes equality in representation, and enhances opportunities for women as creators in the community."

The event was a huge success and the hall was packed so tight people had to wait in line for up to twenty minutes just to get a peek at the display.  Show run dates: March 8-17th, Tue-Sat noon-3 p.m. @ Open Studio, 93 Cedar St. Sudbury.


 The book, created by Johanna Westby and Chantal Abdel-Nour, is a philanthropic project to benefit the community and can be purchased for 25$. Contact me for further details.

Manx short haired tabby cat pet portrait painting

I was asked to create a portrait of this handsome kitty and was so very thrilled when I saw this striking pose. Head held high, eyes full of life, what is not to love about this cat portrait?

Max is a short haired manx (tailess) cat with lovely tabby markings and a white chest. His glowing green eyes are the center of attention and were my favorite part to draw.

I used mostly pastel pencils to create this painting...a touch of NuPastels only for the darkest blacks and whitest whites.

His owner was very pleased at the results of his portrait and I'm hoping Max will like it too. You can follow the progress of my works on a daily basis on my Facebook Animal Artistry page

 

Portrait of "Max" 

5x7

pastel

commission (sold)

Yellow Labrador mix pet portrait pastel painting

Sometimes it is not possible to acquire that perfect pet photo reference that is so important in creating a suitable portrait. Most often it is because the pet has passed and finding good photographs can be almost impossible. However, I can generally use several not-so-good poses to come up with a nice composition that the client will be pleased with. Such was the situation when creating the portrait of lovely "Maggie", the beloved family pet of my client's friend.

In this pose, I had to use the head shot of a different image and "magically" transfer it to the body pose of another photo. It is not always easy because one needs to take into consideration angles, lighting, color and of course, proportions.  Maggie was a well fed pooch and so I strived to capture her true (full) silhouette...

This dog is yellow Labrador most likely mixed with German shepherd.  I wonder what breed she got her white feet from?

Pet Portrait of "Maggie"

14"x18"

pastel

 commission