As you can see in the last image above, I ended up changing the base of the house, to make the black dog seem a little more plausible. The thinner house base made her head look too big for what we imagine to be her body hidden from view.
It takes many hours to paint a painting such as this, ranging anywhere from 15 to 25 hours and more, depending on the difficulty. This one was a bit more difficult, as it required some detail and had 3 animals featured. As you can suspect, every artist has intense thinking going on during the process, sometimes reflecting joy and confidence; sometimes insecurity and trepidation. It is all a part of the process.
I sometimes “tweet” some of these thoughts on Twitter as I am working. Here are some of my random thoughts that were captured in tweets as I painted this painting:
@BZTAT I’m looking at this painting and thinking…Even a whimsical painting requires some degree of plausibility, and I am not there yet.
@BZTAT When ya gotta sing, ya gotta sing, or in my case, when ya gotta paint, ya gotta paint! (in reply to a message from a musician)
@BZTAT thinks she is really not made out for detail painting. Just sayin’.
@BZTAT I am working on a piece with more detail than I am used to at the moment, and it’s making me cross eyed!
@BZTAT is painting on the wild side–wearing clothes that, thus far, do not have paint on them. (That changed real quickly…)
@BZTAT Sometimes I think I really don’t know how to paint. I just slap the paint on, and on, and on…until it finally works.
Despite the insecurities, I eventually worked through various dilemmas and finished the piece to my satisfaction. My patron has not yet seen the piece; I hope that she and her pooches enjoy it!
BZTAT with a young fan painting on location
at Lehman’s in Kidron, OH
Now, on to the next portrait–a dog named Boomer, who recently went to the Rainbow Bridge. I feel very honored to paint this very special portrait.
Life is an Adventure!
BZTAT
Follow works in progress by BZTAT on Twitter by searching #bztatptg.
Art Adventures Studios
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Art Adventures Studios, located in downtown Canton, OHnear Second April Galerie and the historic Joseph Saxton Gallery of Photography.