Saturday, July 26, 2008

Fortune - Chocolate Lab



Here is my latest painting hot off this easel. This is a commissioned portrait ( thank you!) of a wonderful Chocolate Lab named Fortune. Fortune's painting has been a year in the making, not because it took that long to paint, but because Fortune has been very busy getting training and earning her Junior Hunter title. It took us quite awhile to catch up to her and get the photos we felt would truly capture her spirit. Fortune is a happy girl and always smiled broadly for the camera with her tongue sticking out which is not the pose we wanted. After many photo sessions with me, her owner and some good friends we were finally able to capture the serious intensity we were looking for. This is exactly the pose I like to see and try to use when I am painting the gun dog breeds. I feel this expresses the desire they have for the hunt, what they were bred for. Of course, I always try to paint whatever the client wants as it is their dog and they always know them the best. Perhaps I will paint Fortune again, but this time capture her fun loving side which is also a very big part of every Lab I've ever met.