Mimi - a beloved Yellow Lab

Mimi
8" x 10"
Oil on Panel

This is a Christmas present to someone who doesn't get on the internet, so I can share it with you ahead of time. You may have seen the beginning of this painting on UStream.tv - All the segments are recorded there, although I did a tiny bit of 'adjusting' after I signed off on the final video.

Jennifer, who commissioned the painting wrote me a sweet email saying:

"Liz, You've outdone yourself again! I can't stop myself from checking out Mimi's portrait online again and again and cannot wait to see the original. You've done a fantastic job capturing who she is: her spirit, her gentle and kind way and her focus, likely on her own shadow! :) The only downside is having to wait until Christmas to share it with my mom! She will be speechless! I cannot wait for you to paint my two black labs together."

Congratulations to new collector Jennifer B. on her commission of Mimi - and I can't wait to paint her black labs either - although I already painted one of them, since they are Search & Rescue dogs - Thanks again for all your hard work and dedication!

If you are considering a portrait for Christmas, now is the time to get in touch with me so I can make sure that I incorporate you into my schedule.

Thank you for listening & looking - and
Live Creatively!

Liz

Mack - Labradoodle at the Beach

(click to enlarge)

Mack Discovers Water that Plays

Labradoodle at the Beach
Oil on Panel
6" x 4"

You probably remember this painting from a month or so ago. I mentioned that I was revisiting some of my daily paintings. One of the reasons that I am doing 'daily' paintings is so that I will do quick studies, learn from the process and move on, instead of trying to create a totally satisfying finished painting as I do with my commissioned portraits.

Well, in theory, that's a good idea. However, I can't stand to have paintings that aren't as good as I think they should be. So, the other day, I took a bunch of 'completed' daily paintings and fixed them up a bit.

Here is the original painting:

The original is actually very close to the actual photo that I worked from. However, I felt that it lacked the color that I like to infuse my paintings with. The adjusted painting has much warmer colors in the shallow water and sand. I did this by putting away the reference photo and just working on how I 'felt' about the beach. I didn't change a hair on Mack, I think the painting had already really captured her excitement and goofiness at discovering waves.


Tomorrow, I have a commission to work on, but I am hoping to get a few color studies done for the Equine Mural panel that I received. I would like to get the painting completed over the weekend, but since I have no idea what I'm going to paint, that presents a challenge.

I just finished a great commission that turned out really well. I don't want to send it away :( It's a pub sign, and I can't wait to show you. As soon as it has been presented to its recipient, I'll be able to share! You're going to love it.

Also, I finally have the majority of the Search & Rescue paintings packed and ready to mail tomorrow. I'm going to miss having them around. Guess I need to paint some more.

As usual, thank you so much for your interest, your encouragement and your patience :)

Live creatively,

Liz