"The Sizing Up"

"The Sizing Up,"
8" by 8"
Oils on Panel

A Gift of Personality

I knew these ducks personally, though not very well. I occasionally walked out to their home intermixed with a flock of chickens. They stuck together eyeing my weird human form with suspicion and curiosity. I was invariably wearing my eskimo jacket, as it was winter, with my hood up so that fluffy fur surrounded my face which made my head reminiscent of those on bobble dolls. I never took part in feeding them, which might have endeared me to the little ones. Instead, creepily and strangely without any guile I followed them around the exterior of their fenced in foraging area, awkwardly carrying with me a sketchpad and a pencil bag full of supplies, plopping down to sketch when the opportunity struck.  In these encounters I know I only caught a bit of their personalities, but I believe I captured that bit faithfully in this gift painting. 

Perfect Imperfect Reference

The process of getting a feel for them was fun, as it included looking back at sketches, blurry or dark photos, and snippets of video I took. None of these sources was sufficient to create a painting, but all together I believe they were better than one perfect photo reference. Because I had so many sources and no "perfect" reference to "copy" it was easier to focus on what I really care about conveying in many likenesses: personality, over being faithful to one photographic moment.

Next

I have a lot of Whole Piece paintings in the wings to be shared. They are coming! I promise.

"Murdoch," Pet Portrait

"Murdoch"

9" by 13"

Mixed Media

All Scruff

My friendship with Murdoch made the process of working on this piece more meaningful. For me Murdoch is all scruff. His unusual wiry mane of neck and back hair gets fuller as he gets older and emphasizes he isn't like other dogs, he is wilder, more independent, and just stubborn. With all that comes a lively spirit that bounds through the outdoors and hunts with vigor and less than precision. He is a small dog, but you wouldn't imagine him with a sweater on. But when he wears a sweater what is exposed of his mane just looks bolder stand up straighter. I pushed color and allowed the surface texture of the canvas to show through to give the whole piece a slightly rough and textured look befitting Murdoch's strong personality.

Next

Currently I am working on another pet portrait and I am near completion. I'm looking forward to more daily paintings next week.