I have the background on MacTavish’s portrait painted now (in oils), really warm gold tones are really going to set off his eyes and black coat (and curls!). It’s overcast today, so the true gold and sepia tones didn’t show up well in this photo, but it’s close. I’ve made a slight revision from my sketch, perking his ear back up. I’ll start working in the underpainting once the background is dry.

Ashley’s portrait is complete, and I’m really happy with how she turned out. She’s a beautiful, fluffy cat and the lighting makes the depth of her fur really stand out. Of course her scan will look much better and be more accurate to color, but the painting will take a couple of days to dry. I’ll post her final scan and photos before I send her on her way home.

(click here to see the work in progress and final painting beside eachother.)

Ashley’s cat portrait is coming along nicely. One more layer of paint will go on tomorrow to deepen the deeps and lighten the lights – add whiskers and fluff and she’ll be finished.

Here’s another painting sketch ready for oils. This one is going to be a blast, I am such a car fanatic myself – I am looking forward to painting this old hot rod! (Not giving away too much information on this one until I confirm with my client that the coast is clear.)

Two more kitties in the studio ready to paint, Cheeky and Willie. Both from different owners, Cheeky is having a larger painting from the first portrait, so this will be my second painting of him. Willie is a fluffy tuxedo cat, I painted his dog brother Mo back in 2004.

I’ll be sketching one more large painting this morning and then putting paint to canvas on Ashley’s Cat Portrait for the rest of the day.

Well, he’s not very good at math, but at least he knows his ABC’s, eh?

I’m still here, finishing up a project so that I can get out into the studio and stay there for the next month. I had considered having a special, which would have just been a specific size (small) at a specific price, but looking at my current painting schedule and the time left before Christmas, I’d really be pushing it to add more than just a couple more paintings or portraits before the holidays. It would be great to paint a dog or two since I have two more cat paintings sketched and waiting, so they’re 3 to 1 now. I’m adding a new subject to my gallery this year, too. I’ll get those sketches up here for you to see soon! I’m anxious to clear my design queue and reconnect with my brushes and oils.

For those of you who are thinking about commissioning me to paint a custom portrait (of anything) by Christmas – drop me an e-mail and I’ll get you scheduled before I am completely booked. I’ll offer an 8×8 canvas panel at a discounted price just for those last couple of openings.

First come, first serve – and I’ll paint right up until the 18th of December to get everything done, dry and shipped in time.

Boy – this year is almost over. I just can’t believe how fast it has gone!

Mac Tavish passed away this year, this sweet little black Scottie was adored by his mom, and his Aunt decided to present her with a posthumous keepsake oil portrait of him. I always approach these pieces knowing that a flood of emotions will always be attached to the portrait, and spend a lot of time studying the photos to really get a feel of the personality to bring that out while I’m painting. Mac’s photos make him out to be a real sweetie of a dog – one ear always perky, one flopped over.

I’ll be painting him in oils on a nice 12×16 traditionally wrapped canvas, so his portrait can hang on the wall unframed – or she can fancy it up with a standard frame since it’s the perfect depth.

I plan to work on several pieces over the next few weeks, holidays approaching and my schedule is filling up fast. (That’s a good thing, of course!) I’ll be posting works in progress of Mac and a few other paintings going on in the studio.