Sam..."has superman genes in his DNA"

My clients Jim & Carol commissioned me to do another portrait for their newest member of the family...Sam! Who, I'm told, has quite the a personality "...he is a crazy retriever, a good game of fetch can last hours if you let it, he thinks every toy in the house is his and will pile them up on his bed to prove it, he's the life of the party and isn't afraid to show it, he has superman genes in his dna (can leap tall buildings or sister dogs in a single bound) 6) he's going to be a little too helpful in the garden..." Sounds like lots of fun to me! This is the 4 foot portrait I did a few years ago of their other dogs, Bud, Waldo, Meenie and Ella:

More Pet Portrait Reveals...a Yorkie & a Toy Poodle

Butter & Joey...another batch from my Holiday Pet Portrait orders. These two are new breeds for me, Butter is a Toy Poodle and Joey a Yorkie. Really sweet dogs..they live in the neighborhood and came to my studio for a photo shoot before I started working on the portraits.

Painting Raffle for Chicago Canine Rescue

Orange Smiling Pup © 2009 13x14 Acrylic on Wood Cabinet Door. Retail Value: $300

I started a raffle for this painting last Saturday at the Chicago Canine Rescue Adoption Event, $1 per ticket or 6 tickets for $5. Several of you have asked how you can purchase tickets. I think the best way to do it is for you to donate money directly to Chicago Canine Rescue via this secure CCR Donation Site, then forward me an email with your donation amount and I will put the appropriate number of tickets for you into the Raffle Jar. I will do the drawing for the painting on Saturday, March 20th and announce the winner on my blog and on my Facebook Fan Page.

Honoring a Retired Greyhound...

Herman, a retired Greyhound, was among my most recent Pet Portrait Orders. I was told he is very shy...I hope he will make an exception for me and come with when Pat picks up the print - he looks so sweet...

Pet Portrait Reveal #3...Hank!

Another holiday Pet Portrait reveal, Hank is my first Leonberger. I was just given a little history lesson "The
original breed was created by taking a Landseer Newfoundland and
breeding that to a Saint Bernard. That dog was then bred to Great
Pyrenees. The original breeding took place in the 1800s in Germany." Stay tuned for more in the next week...

Deacon - Pet Portrait Print Design

I had to get my print order in and really wanted to include Deacon as a thank you to my friend Laura Nugent & her husband Donald who I stayed with in Kansas City last month...he will be my first test subject as a Pet Portrait Print. In a perfect world I would have gotten their feedback and made edits...right now I just need an example here in the studio to show my customers!

Laura & Donald if you are reading this...I know his beard is way too big and he looks a little schnauzery, I will be happy to make changes and color edits for your custom gift!

Damen's portrait

I finally got Damen's pet portrait painted today...turned out pretty good! He was found near and named for Damen Avenue here in Chicago so we went with a Chicago street sign green name banner and the road running around his head. He is an adorable looking little guy, I have not met him yet.