"SWEET PEA" 89/101 OF 101 PET PORTRAITS IN 101 DAYS © SAUNDRA LANE GALLOWAY

"Sweet Pea"

6"x6" oil on slightly textured panel

$75

ON HOLD

"Sweet Pea" is a special hen as she hangs out with cats!  She does NOT discriminate!  She runs to meet Mary Logsdon's car when she arrives home and lays excellent eggs too!  She is even lovey lap baby!  The body of Sweet Pea has more purple than blue, but the photographs just don't grab that purple...in any case, I promise the purple looks great.  What you want to look at in a ptg is the values; how light and dark something is...that is the real test!  Again, this hen was a fauvist girl from the get go...there didn't have to be much of a stretch to paint her in fauvist colors!  Sweet Pea comes ready to frame or she can sit on an easel. 

Sweet Pea is on hold with her sister; Big Bird, for Mary as she is traveling abroad and has no opportunity to see them just yet...so, as promised, I'm giving her that opportunity.

I want to mention a little about my process in these portraits before the project is finished.  I always start with the eyes.  It makes it so much easier to paint the rest when the eyes are finished.  I will mark the outside edges in areas so I can stay accurate, but it is the eyes, and then usually the nose...after that it just paints itself!

Here is little Sweet Pea in her display options.

 The color is pretty accurate in background in this...but the purples just don't show...sigh!  Take my word for it...she looks good in purple!

I found this easel at Hobby Lobby

 This Gold Leaf Floater frame was purchased through pictureframes.com in their floater frame section.

CFS3

 Maple Floater Frame

CFS10

Black Floater Frame

CF1

This is my favorite option; the easel is a close second!

HAPPY CREATING!

"BIG BIRD" 88/101 OF 101 PET PORTRAITS IN 101 DAYS © SAUNDRA LANE GALLOWAY

"Big Bird"

6"x6" oil on slightly textured panel

$75

On Hold

"Big Bird" was a sweetie as far as roosters go.  He was Mary Logsdon's sister's pet kid...until the neighbor's dog ate him...sigh...SO, it is for this reason that I loved painting this pet kid!  I also hear Big Bird loved his back scratched!  Now tell me they aren't like dogs! lol  I REALLY loved painting this bird.  He was like a fauvist animal from the get go...I strengthened the color in Big Bird to really emphasize the fauve in him!  I don't know why, but there is mostly purple in the dark colors in Big Bird, but they always read as blue.  Either way, the darks are good for contrast and would look good blue or purple, but I have to say this so you get an idea.  The green in the background is like a Granny Smith apple green...a little yellowish green, but it looks great with this bird!  As with some of the other animals I have painted if there is a larger amount of background (negative space) I have added a bit of a honeycomb stamp into the oil to give the impression of pattern...it makes the background subtlety more interesting.  In this instance it reminds me of chicken wire! FUN!  "Big Bird" comes ready to frame or can sit on an easel as the example shows. 

Here is Big Bird!  

I feel like the color is best shown here...except still more purple for bottom darks!  Easel was purchased at Hobby Lobby.

 Maple Floater Frame can be purchased at pictureframes.com

Maple CFS10

 Gold Leaf Floater Frame

CFS3

Black Floater Frame (my favorite)

CF1

HAPPY CREATING!

"MILLIE" 87/101 OF 101 PET PORTRAITS IN 101 DAYS © SAUNDRA LANE GALLOWAY

"Millie"

6"x6" oil on slightly textured panel

$75

Available through my website

"Millie" is sister to Bailey in my 101 Pet Portraits in 101 Days.  Their pet mom is Carol Crowder.  With Millie I stayed bright with burnt oranges and yellows.  The dark areas are the purples.  Millie also has a bit of a large negative space as I mentioned with Bailey, so I used the stamping of the honeycomb design to break up the negative space and give it a bit of pattern; which gives it the illusion of more texture.  This adds interest to this fauvist depiction of this beautiful horse!

It was not important to me to give a photo realistic view of Millie's bridle...to give an impression of a thing is often more powerful...this was also so with Bailey.  I wanted to focus on Millie, and to have given a realistic version of the bridle would have taken a little away from her since it is on her face...thus my decision.  

Millie in her display glory!  The easel I found at Hobby Lobby, and the frames I purchased through pictureframes.com.  I'm not thrilled with their shipping prices, but if you watch you can get deals; it shows in the upper left corner.

 Black Floater Frame

CF1

 Gold Leaf Floater Frame

CFS3

Maple Floater Frame

CFS10

HAPPY CREATING!

"BAILEY" 86/101 OF 101 PET PORTRAITS IN 101 DAYS © SAUNDRA LANE GALLOWAY

"Bailey"

6"x6" oil on slightly textured panel

$75

Available through my website

Bailey is my first horse in this project of 101 Pet Portraits in 101 Days.  I don't know much about Bailey, but the interesting thing about her was the composition; to make it ok to paint her in the 6"x6" format and keep it cohesive with the rest of the project.  I solved the problem in a fashion with pattern.  There is a larger negative space in this portrait than in most others, so I utilized pattern stamped into the background to "break up" the vastness of this negative space.  I very much liked the end result.  I have to say that the orangy color in the background is a bit darker than in this photo.  We have a very grey day and it affects the photos. sigh...I have decided, by this time in the project that it has has a profound effect on me...I will most likely continue to paint in the brighter color fashion that is the fauvist tradition.  As you will see in the reference photo there is a strong light on top of Bailey and I utilized that contrast, but added some awesome cerulean blue/turquoise in a very light value, contrasted with the burnt oranges, purples and reds in her coat.  White is white with a little blue and orange here and there.  All in all a great fun painting to do!  Bailey comes ready to frame or she can sit on an easel. 

I want to make mention again WHY I add texture to these paintings.  Well, the first answer is I absolutely LOVE texture, even implied (not actual, but it looks like it) texture.  I think it adds another dimension to the interesting"ness" of a painting, it also makes it clear it is original and not a print.  It is part of what makes me a mixed media painter.  I've loved the many aspects it affords other than JUST a painting...which is OK too...just not for me at this time in my career!

Here is Bailey in all her glory with his display ideas!  Keep in mind the floater frames shown can be purchased through pictureframes.com.  This particular easel was purchased at Hobby Lobby.

 Gold Leaf Floater Frame

CFS3

 Maple Floater Frame

CFS10

Black Floater Frame

CF1

HAPPY CREATING!

"IZZY" 85/101 OF 101 PET PORTRAITS IN 101 DAYS © SAUNDRA LANE GALLOWAY

"Izzy"

6"x6" oil on slightly textured panel

SOLD as a gift to her pet mom

Thanks Ron!

Izzy is pet kid to my friend Ron Hanson's mother.  Izzy is a Portuguese Pandango Yorkie Mix. WHEW...I'm excited to have gotten to paint one!  Izzy is a present to Ron's mother.  I enjoyed the dark pinks and purples in the background for Izzy as it makes for great contrast to her fun wiry off white hair.  Izzy is reported to have black eyes...Black eyes are always a bit of a challenge so they don't look like a black hole!...Thanks to Ron for sharing this funny sweet little pup!

This project has been a great learning experience for me as an artist.  When we take on a project that requires work every day in a similar way it is a great way to make decisions on how we would paint a certain subject.  I've had the opportunity to make decisions on how to paint all sorts of hair, and what kinds of colors work to gain a certain effect.  It's what an artist usually knows already, but I can't stress enough just how valuable the art of PRACTICE is!

Izzy is a sweetie in her display options!  The Floater Frames can be purchased through pictureframes.com.  The easel shown here was purchased at Hobby Lobby.

 Black Floater Frame

CF1

 Gold Leaf Floater Frame

CFS3

Maple Floater Frame

CFS10

HAPPY CREATING!

"RORY GALLAGHER" 84/101 OF 101 PET PORTRAITS IN 101 DAYS © SAUNDRA LANE GALLOWAY

"Rory Gallagher"

6"x6" oil on slightly textured panel

ON HOLD FOR PET MOM

Rory Gallagher is pet kid to Mary Logsdon.  Rory was skinny and howled for two weeks, like an Irish singer from the 70/s of the same name, thus he sort of named himself!  I love the strong colors in Rory and the great contrast!  White against just about anything, except maybe more white is a great one for contrast.  Rory's eyes are pumpkin colored, so a fauvist cat from the get go! I also added a turquoise blue to the background; which is opposite on the color wheel so the contrast there is also great! 

Rory is sister to Takoda, and is on hold for his pet mom who is traveling abroad. Check him out with his frame suggestions!

 The easel is from Hobby Lobby

I think the turquoise color is pretty accurate here on my monitor...

 Black Floater Frame

Can be purchased through pictureframes.com

I think the turquoise shows up a little brighter than it really is in this photo on my computer monitor anyway...so hard to get a great one!

CF1

 Maple Floater Frame

CFS10

 Gold Leaf Floater Frame

CFS3

I'm really liking Rory in this frame option!

HAPPY CREATING!

"RUFUS" 83/101 OF 101 PET PORTRAITS IN 101 DAYS © SAUNDRA LANE GALLOWAY

"Rufus"

6"x6" oil on slightly textured panel

SOLD

"Rufus" is an adorable Terrier Ewok Mix pup.  He is pup kid to a couple of friends of Michael Hofman.   He actually purchased this portrait of Rufus for them. I don't have their permission to use their names, but I wanted to express how awesome Michael is to want to do this for his friends!

I LOVED this photo that Michael sent in...such a fun head shot!  Rufus was one I really had fun with color...My favorite color of late is turquoise, and there are several different versions of this color found in this portrait! 

Rufus is adorable in his display choices...the black floater frame and easel enhance the darks in him, but the gold floater just may be my favorite this time.  Take a look and decide for yourself!  I'm sure there are lots of other options out there, so I hope you can imagine how different frame choices can enhance different parts of the paintings.  Floater Frames like you see can be found at pictureframes.com.  An easel like this one can be found at Hobby Lobby.

 Gold Leaf Floater Frame

CFS3

 Maple Floater Frame

CFS10

Black Floater Frame

CF1

HAPPY CREATING!

 

"ROSE" 82/101 OF 101 PET PORTRAITS IN 101 DAYS © SAUNDRA LANE GALLOWAY

"Rose"

6"x6" oil on slightly textured panel

$75

Available in my WEBSITE

"Rose" was such a beautiful Field Golden Retriever to paint.  All those oranges and yellowy creams with a pink (for the lady she is) background!  A fauvist pup for sure!  Rose's pet dad is Michael Hofman.  Her eyes are a hazel with golden flecks...such a beautiful center to this pretty dog!  Rose comes ready to frame or sit on an easel.

Remember you can purchase these floater frames through pictureframes.com.  The easel is one I got from Hobby Lobby. 

For me, I'm sort of loving Rose in the Gold Leaf Floater Frame...but she would work in any option!

 

 Gold Leaf Floater Frame

CFS3

 Maple Floater Frame

CFS10

Black Floater Frame

CF1

HAPPY CREATING!

"HUCKLEBERRY" 81/101 OF 101 PET PORTRAITS IN 101 DAYS © SAUNDRA LANE GALLOWAY

"Huckleberry"

6"x6" oil on slightly textured panel

SOLD to his pet mom Norma...Thank you Norma!

"Huckleberry" is a much loved pet kid to Norma Newton.  Norma reports that Huckleberry; also known as Huck, Huckster, Berry Huck and Lil Bit is a mix of about 10 breeds of which Border Collie is one.  This is Huckleberry and Norma's story: 
"He was a rescue..found years ago by our neighbor on the highway and she had cats. My husband, Todd & I had both, cats and dogs, but Huckleberry started coming over daily and he would crawl and cry as he stretched to get under our gate into our back yard. Then when I left for work, he would cry out as he crawled back out under the gate and follow me out of the neighborhood to the highway. I started stopping and picking him up and taking him to the office with me daily. At night, we'd step out on the front porch about 9:00 and my neighbors would step out on their porch and call him and he would go stay in their laundry room at night. Needless to say, he ended up my dog and when we moved they thoughtfully allow him to join us. We have rescued all of our pets over the years & worked in rescue on and off. While I have dogs that our my babies and don't leave my side, I have never met one quite like him. He truly, for unknown reasons, adopted me!"  Awesome Norma!

I enjoyed all the beautiful blues in Huckleberry that just highlights those beautiful brown eyes.  Norma made a special request that I take a bit of the grey out of the Huckster.  What woman among us doesn't love to do a little grey coverage from time to time...so why not the guys! HA!  Huckleberry comes ready to frame or he can sit on an easel.

Huckleberry is such a sweetie...I love those BROWN eyes!  I like him in his display choices...each one lends a different perspective.  The easel is one I found at Hobby Lobby.  The floater frames are ones I purchased through pictureframes.com.   If you decide to purchase through them, watch for sales popping up on the top left.

 Gold Leaf Floater frame

CFS3

 Maple Floater Frame

CFS10

Black Floater Frame

CF1

HAPPY CREATING!