Category: custom pet portraits

May 21, 2010

What's on BZTAT's Easel? Custom Pet Portrait of 3 Westies!

Artwork by BZTAT

Meet (from left to right) Skittles, Junior and Marshmallow! These frisky fellows are Westies, or West Highland Terriers, that live in Perry, OH, a suburb of Canton. I was honored to paint their custom pet portrait as a gift to their favorite human from her parents.

Skittles and Junior are younger pups and from the same litter. Marshmallow is a bit older, but still very energetic. Can you imagine living with 3 Westies? the energy level in that home must be unbelievable!

They just moved into a new home that their family had custom built, and the portrait was commissioned as part of the new decor.

This painting was a bit of a challenge for me, as white fluffy dogs tend to be the most difficult to do in my style. Multiply that difficulty by three, and you have an even bigger challenge. And this was a larger painting–30″ H x 40″ W. But I enjoyed working on the piece and was pretty pleased with the end result.

What do you think?

Life is an Adventure!

BZTAT

Would you like a custom pet portrait of your pet?

March 8, 2010

What's on BZTAT's Easel? Custom Pet Portrait of Rocket the Dog!

Custom Pet Portrait by BZTAT

Each of my pet portraits take many long hours to complete. This is because I use a process of layering multiple layers of color to get unique texture and color effects.

The process is also meticulous and time consuming because of my passion for ensuring that the portrait captures the essence of the animal depicted. Even though my style is somewhat abstract, it is very important to capture a likeness of the animal, as well as meet my my own exacting standards for a unique work of art.

I love animals myself, and I love sharing my love of pets with other pet lovers. What is unique about my portraits, I believe, is that each one depicts not only the animal, but the relationship that the animal shares with the people who love it.

I met Rocket and his person at Canine Action Sports, a dog training center and dog park where I often paint portraits on location. Rocket was a rescue dog who now lives a very joyful life, bringing much joy to his person. He is quite popular at Canine Action Sports!

When I first saw Rocket, I knew I would enjoy painting him. His coloration and facial structure play to my artistic style well.

But his playful, fun charisma made me fall in love with him! That love filled me with enthusiasm through the entire painting of the portrait.

Rocket and his person loved his portrait, as did his many friends at Canine Action Sports! They were so happy, Rocket’s person has commissioned me to do another portrait of a friend’s cat for a very special gift. Watch for the portrait of Leo coming soon!

If you are interested in a pet portrait of your animal, info about the process can be found here.

Life is an Adventure!

BZTAT

February 17, 2010

What's on BZTAT's Easel? Oscar the Borzoi!

Artwork by BZTAT

I completed this pet portrait of a borzoi breed dog named Oscar a few weeks ago, and wanted to share it with you.

Oscar was a magnificent animal who, sadly, went to the Rainbow Bridge 2 years ago. His owner, whom I met on Twitter, asked me to paint his portrait to help keep his memory alive.

I have never seen a borzoi in real life. What an amazing breed! Here are some photos that Oscar’s owner sent for me to paint from.

I began as I always do, by painting the background black and blocking in colors for the basic shapes. I use a process of building up color by painting many layers of varied colors on top of each other, always leaving some trace of the underneath layers.

At this point, I started having some difficulties dealing with the background. The angle and strong horizontal direction of the face posed some challenges for me.

I played with some different ideas for the background, but nothing really seemed to work right for me.

Finally, I decided to add a window in the back to give some opposing lines to the horizontal direction of the face.

The completed painting was sent to Oscar’s owner in the Kansas City area. her tweet about receiving he Oscar pet portrait told me that she was very happy with the painting!

Painting an animal who has passed away is a deeply moving process. All pet portraits are endearing to me, but when the animal has passed, I engage in the process with special reverence. I know that the painting has personal meaning for my patron, and I want to ensure that it meets a unique need for them.

I thank my friend for allowing me to be a part of this dear memory with her.

Interested in a custom pet portrait of your animal? Details can be found here.

Life is an Adventure!

BZTAT