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"I am mesmerized by the pet paintings you have done. How did you ever figure out how to paint their souls?" Deborah C.

Sammi white poodle puppy original oil painting custom pet dog portrait

 
 
"Sammi"
12x16 inches / oil on panel
SOLD
 (Please excuse sway from digital camera; I really need another SLR.)
I love when people tell me a little about their pets so I can think about them while painting; somehow that helps me connect to them which always makes for a better painting.  When I first saw the reference photo of Sammi, my reaction was sheer delight!  Then I began considering cropping and editing the image to improve the composition, i.e., remove horizontal white moulding behind her head, etc.  However, something was lost in the process.  Yes, the result was a better composition but a little magic was lost, then I realized why!  Part of the undeniable charm of Sammi was her small proportion, enhanced by the background moulding and wide layout.  So in this case, although contrary to my design instinct, I chose to work as closely as possible to the photo reference in order to retain that irresistible, "Awwww," when I first saw her!  :o)

2 comments:

Carol J. Forrest said...

I do like the composition -- and my first thought was, "What a sweet LITTLE dog!" Placing Sammi in this setting really invokes an intimate feeling of seeing this little dog in her home!

JEANNE ILLENYE said...

Thank you SO much, Carol! Yes, it seems I made the right choice because I thought the very same thing! Her tiny size and that big face looking upward is just so endearing! Thank you for your lovely comments, Jeanne


taste testing, meeting Teddy, sitting pretty

taste testing, meeting Teddy, sitting pretty

...and one of my beautiful boys

...and one of my beautiful boys

and here are my big boys

and here are my big boys

...and our other big boy

...and our other big boy

my constant companion in the garden whom we lost to cancer this past spring

my constant companion in the garden whom we lost to cancer this past spring