Pastel Painting of a Portuguese Water Dog

I have a smart, rescued Portuguese Water Dog. She has been an expressive, playful joy for the last 8 years and the inspiration for painting a Portuguese pup. This one is in lots of color to suggest her energy and my delight.

A Pastel Painting of a Colorful Cat

Creativity is a dynamic, interactive process. With a simple, undeveloped concept as my jumping off point, ideas occur to me as I am working. The process is the creative engine. Creativity spills into unexpected areas and enriches. Getting started is everything as one idea leads to another, and it is fun.

Pastel Painting of a Cat

I had a fearless 10 pound cat who ruled us all including my 90 pound Afghan hound.

I wanted my fearless pastel kitten to have the playful, energetic and expressive look we associate with kittens. Strokes of red, orange, pink and yellow suggest heightened energy and emotion.

The color green is the complement to the color red on the color wheel. By their juxtaposition each color is contrasted and becomes brighter, more vivid. My kitten stands out while framed by the similarly colored joints.

My inspiration for using strong complementary colors are Marc Chagall's Adam and Eve Expelled from Paradise, Song of Songs III and Jacobs's Ladder.

The fanciful green of the floor boards was chosen as a repeat of the green in the cat’s eyes to enhance their visual presence. My kitten is looking right at you.

Pastel Painting of an Afghan Hound

Afghans are sight hounds. They seem to be always looking off into the distance right past you. I know this because I had one for a wonderful thirteen years. The show dogs are elegant and perfectly groomed with beautiful flowing coats. They come in all colors. So my pastel Afghan is in many colors with the idealized flowing coat and looking just past you too.

Pastel Painting of a Cocker Spaniel Puppy

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This is a painting of my neighbor’s favorite picture of her rescued cutie named Valiant. I too have a rescued puppy. We will never know what they have been through. They know they are safe now and that is very nice for us all.

Of course this is a colorful version of Valiant who is part cocker. The intent is to duplicate his cuddly look, bright eyes and show his curls as swirls in beiges, yellows, oranges and reds. He is shaped using blue and green strokes. The white bib is expressed in white, beige and blue to keep it fresh and clear in contrast to the rest of his warm-colored coat. I had colorful fun with the bottoms of his back paws that are just peeking though. The vibrant image is set off and cooled by the blue floor boards. The colorful joints are used to frame him and repeat his colors.

This was a lot of fun to do. Do you have a favorite picture of a puppy you would like rendered in lots of color? Contact me for information