A Dog Portrait in Oil

"Herman in a Chair"

6" x 6"

oil on Raymar board

There will be more paintings of Herman - and I can't put my finger on it, but there is something about this painting that is him, yet it isn't.  I guess when you miss someone that much and knew them just the same - you become very persnickety.  It is wet and shows lots of glare off the wet paint, maybe that is what is bothering me.  I plan to revisit it once more when the paint is dryer. 

DH has dreams about him. I don't.  I walk into a room and just slightly in my panning vision, I see him - just for a second...not a ghost, just like walking into a familiar room and seeing something in a spot that maybe was moved, but you are so used to seeing it there, YOU do see it momentarily. 

This painting has been good therapy for me.

It's been a long winter...already.

Checking Back In

As stated in my sidebar..I write this blog to tell about life as an artist living in (rural) Kansas.  Also, my plan was to have a plethora of art pieces to showcase on a regular basis.  Sometimes that works and sometimes that doesn't.  Many have told me that it interests them to know what an artist does, how they think, what they experience in their lives that makes them able to and want to do what they do.  I hope I share that, as well, probably not always obvious..but hopefully my readers can infer.  

Been in the studio the past several days.  It's been a real wrestle, but I need to get on with it.  I have a commission to paint of a coworker/friend's dog, who passed in May.  (See a couple of posts ago, same dog, different pose and a more involved finished piece - larger, more complex.)  By contrast, I am experiencing some of the same emotions that she felt at an earlier time.  This painting is one of those MOST IMPORTANT paintings for reasons you may understand.  Not that they aren't all important, but painting 'life' - posthumously - is the supreme challenge for me. 

Two dogs are with me at all times.  We are discovering the "new" order of life without Herman.  I watch them act out in different ways...it all says to me how they are missing him, too.  We are helping each other - healing from a loss of a pet, and best friend/companion/source of unconditional love and affection.  The BIG awareness for me is...there will never be another dog like him.  He was the "one and only - Herman".  Going forth each day, trying to find inspiration in his memory.  It's gonna take awhile.  Thanks for your kind thoughts/comments and emails.