It’s OK now to post another one of my newest paintings, a portrait of our dog Maggie Mae. This was one of my Christmas surprise gifts for Rick. It was challenging to complete this painting without Rick’s knowledge, since my painting area is part of our large office and we are together 24/7. A few times the canvas was quickly slipped into a large drawer, with the paint still wet!
For this painting, done in acrylic on canvas, I used reference photos from a hike we took in October to the top of Huckleberry Knob, one of our favorite easy local mountain trails. I chose a pose with Maggie’s focus on something other than me – which is typical for this attention-deficit dog! She’s been a handful since we adopted her from the local shelter as a tiny puppy in August 2013. Our frustrations with trying to capture her attention and train her have often been punctuated with the line “…good thing she’s cute!” But as she matures, Maggie gets into less mischief, acts sweeter and has grown up to be a great companion for Ellie Mae.
Dog portraits are one of my favorite painting subjects, as you can easily see with a visit to my web gallery. I also enjoy commissions for family homesteads, special places, pet cats and horses. More details on my commissioned artwork – including sizes, pricing, and tips for providing reference photos – are here.
