9 x 12 in.

How about these two little princesses? If you own a King Charles Spaniel or you happen to know one, maybe you’ll agree that these are some of the sweetest little dogs ever. They just have the softest temperaments. This was a surprise gift for someone (a special commission) and I heard that they were thrilled to get it!

And to the answer the question in the comments about the more "realistic" look of the commissions ~ Yes, I do tend to do some of the pet paintings in a more realistic style because I am trying to capture an individual animal. I find that the personality is all in the eyes, so getting the eyes "right" is very important to me. With that said, I’m not really a fan of traditional portrait work, so I try to keep my style in each piece, (which is of course why people come to me anyway).

When I started painting 20 years ago now, I would paint everything from a photograph, or a still life in a super realistic style. I’ve since decided that this is how you learn. Once you know how to represent an image "exactly" you can continue to hone the craft of painting realistically, or you can branch off into your own very unique style. I find that many times people confuse artistic talent, especially in painting or drawing, with the level of realism an artist achieves (also a special talent, but not the only kind). Often the people that paint or draw in a naive style with very simple lines, have chosen to depart from the "still life" style. (I like to think that I am one of these artists. The style I am presently working in is my choice of painting, creating art that resonates with me.) I have always been attracted to other art with a "simpler" style (although the amazing Andrew Wyeth was one of my early favorites), often amazed at what lies behind that simpler style of the artists I admire. I’ll have to show you some very early work sometime, so you can see how it started for me.

Thanks for the well wishes and the updates from those of you who attended the show. I heard it was a great turnout and a lot of fun! And paintings were sold, and that’s always FANTASTIC!!