Seize the Day

Seize the Day, 16 x 20 inch, oil on canvas

© 2012 Kathleen Coy

When I was commissioned for a surprise painting of K from the blog Romping and Rolling in the Rockies, I was truly honored. This inspiring blog is a favorite of mine for many reasons - the dogs, the scenery, the wildlife, and the heartfelt writing.

For those who don't know, K is a chocolate lab who reminds us about living in the moment and enjoying each day to the fullest, despite her frightening health concerns. (Animals are such great teachers!) The author of this beautifully written and fascinating blog shares her bittersweet journey with the world, and I appreciate her courage.

When I say it was an honor to paint K, I truly mean that. It was an honor to be thought of by the blog community to paint this gift, to know that I was chosen to create something with such meaning for her family. And I hope, along with all those involved with this surprise, that this painting will help to ease some of the pain and bring comfort to all who love K.

The painting shows K facing into the sunset, giving her fur a reddish glow that her human loves. The look on her face is pure K, and can be summed up by one phrase: Carpe Diem!!

I was inspired to make a pretty epic (for me) video of the process. I think the only thing missing is car chases and explosions. All kidding aside, I enjoy making these painting videos. I hope you enjoy it, too.

Be sure to have your speakers on!

Here's the direct link to the video: http://vimeo.com/40682331

Much love,

First Painting of 2011

Dignity of Years
14 x 18" oil on panel
© 2011 Kathleen Coy

This painting means a lot to me. A few of you may recognize this dog as my Brittany Benny who passed away in 2009 at the age of 14.

Senior dogs, and Benny in particular, have such a dignity and gentleness about them. They aren't burdened with our hang-ups and worries about aging. They don't notice or care about their graying faces.



I don't have many work-in-progress photos of this piece, but here is the beginning stage with the thin underpainting.


Happy 2011!!! It's going to be a great year!

Greyhound painting is finished!

Retired Racer
11 x 14" oil on canvas
© 2010 Kathleen Coy

I thoroughly enjoyed this painting from start to finish. Not only are brindle dogs very beautiful, the brindle coat pattern is a lot of fun to paint! Here are a few photos of the process:

The toned canvas and underpainting:

A shot of the reference photo in the background. The background is started, along with the top half of his head:

Coming along nicely:

And once again, the finished painting. I love the colors, his expression, the gold metal on his collar, and the silver tag.


I hope you enjoyed seeing the process of this piece.

Much love,

New studio furniture, new art, and a Greyhound painting in progress

It's been a very busy November! I hope everyone had a safe and happy Thanksgiving. I'm very thankful for my husband and the new studio furniture he built for me. I have much more workspace now, as well as file cabinets and drawers, vertical storage for paintings, and shelves. It spans two whole walls of the studio, and the tops are covered in glass so I don't have to worry about getting paint on them!



I love this time of year, and enjoyed several days of hiking in the Loess Hills.



The fall colors of the prairie grasses never fail to take my breath away. I took two separate Plein Air outings (painting on location) to paint at 300 acres of restored native prairie and oak savanna that belongs to the neighbor of a friend. Like most of Iowa, the surrounding land is agricultural fields, but when you're standing alone on this restored landscape with prairie surrounding you as far as you can see, they might as well be a million miles away. It's very surreal, like stepping back in time. I'm very thankful for the hard work and care the landowner put into restoring this land, (and for allowing me to paint there!)

These photos are from the first day I painted there. I was actually waiting for an overcast day:

And the finished painting:

November
12 x 9" oil on linen
© 2010 Kathleen Coy

The next day I painted there, I walked a little further for a different view:

Since this is the first year I've painted landscapes, I'm still experimenting. This one took an abstract turn... I wanted to try to capture how it felt to stand there surrounded by these beautiful tall grasses and oaks, with no sound except for the wind, and the thoughts of how agriculture has changed the land of the Midwest. It was haunting, and I tried to capture that.

Natives
20 x 10" oil on canvas
© 2010 Kathleen Coy

And finally, here's the Greyhound painting I'm working on. It's not finished, still a ways to go, but I'm having a lot of fun with this one! His name is Petro. It's 11 x 14" oil on canvas.

He should be finished in a day or two. I'll post an update with more photos.

Until then, much love,

New Rat Terrier painting - Keeping Watch

Keeping Watch
© 2010 Kathleen Coy
10 x 8 inch, Oil on Ampersand Gessoboard

This is my first dog portrait in oils, and it definitely won't be the last. I'm very happy with this painting, the richness and the bold composition mirror Cloud's personality and intense gaze perfectly.

For those who don't know, this is my Rat Terrier, Cloud, and he's a favorite subject of mine to paint. This is my fifth painting of him, but my first in oils. (The others are in acrylics.) I decided to try oil paints this month because I was getting frustrated with the acrylic paints drying too fast when I paint on location.

So why did I choose acrylic paints over oils in the first place, anyway? True story - my mother paints with oils and I had to be different than my mother! That's it. Dumb reason, I know... **blushes**

Well, the oils really are great and I do love working with them. Oh god, I'm just like my mother...

Just kidding, my mother is a wonderful person! I love you mom!!

I thought you might enjoy this photo I took as I was working. The painting, the reference photo, and the sketch together. Three steps of the process:


Much love,

Martin's portrait is finished!

Martin © 2010 Kathleen Coy

11 x 14 inches Acrylic on Ampersand Gessoboard

Martin's portrait is finished. It was an honor to paint this beautiful boy. In case you missed Martin's story, he was one of 28 greyhounds and mixes that were seized in a cruelty case in Texas. Everyone who saw the photos of these dogs was horrified. And as more photos became available, everyone fell in love with Martin. Along with his extraordinary beauty, his eyes radiated pure love, even after everything he had been through.

Even though Martin's poor body was too weak to recover, for three weeks he got to know what it meant to be loved. To have a home, to have toys, good food, and a soft bed. He got to know that people are good. To me, Martin represented the face of 'The 28.' This painting is a tribute to everyone involved in pet rescue and fostering everywhere.

Auction and print details to come...

Much love,

More work on Martin's portrait

I've done some more work on Martin. If you recall, I had sketched him on the canvas, then changed his ears to make them look less pained and afraid. Despite his circumstances, I want this painting to be a remembrance that he got to experience the love of a family, even if it was oh so briefly, before he passed on.

I'm happy to report that many of the other dogs seized in the case are improving greatly! See the previous post if you missed the story.

Now, on to the progress photos of Martin's portrait:

First I tone the canvas to create a beautiful soft glow:

And start blocking in the dark areas:

Starting his eyes and nose here. Those eyes that look right through to your soul. Those eyes that still loved people even after the abuse he went through. The eyes that made people around the world fall in love with Martin the moment they saw his photos...

Starting on his muzzle and refining his fur patterns here:

Working on his beautiful coat and starting on the background. There's still a lot of work to go, and once everything is blocked in, I'll go back and refine things.


I'm extremely happy with this painting so far. It feels like it's coming straight from my soul.

Hopefully the next post will show his completed portrait. Stay tuned...

Much love,

Martin Greyhound

Martin was one of 28 dogs seized in a high profile hoarding case in Fort Worth, TX. Sadly, Martin and three other greyhounds didn't survive. He did get to know love, kindness, good food and comfort in his short time with his foster family.

This painting is dedicated to everyone involved with the rescue, care, fostering, and financial support of these dogs. I chose Martin to represent the 28, because there was something very special about him... he touched so many people's lives with his extraordinary beauty and sweetness. Thank you to his foster mother for allowing me to use his photo.

I sketched him on the canvas with his ears as they were in the photo. So sweet, but also troubled...


I decided to change his ears and perked them up a little. I want this painting to represent the love and hope for the future that these abused dogs found, and I think these ears help to portray that...


Martin is now ready for color! Stay tuned...
Painting specs: 11 x 14 inches, acrylic on Ampersand Gessoboard.

If you haven't heard about this case and want to learn more, you can find info here, but be prepared, there are graphic photos.

May all dogs be loved...

Pede's portrait is finished!

Pede 12 x 12 inch acrylic on canvas
© 2010 Kathleen Coy

Pede's portrait is finished and I'm very happy with how it turned out. Pede is getting up there in years, and is dearly loved by her family in Australia. I wanted to capture her dignity, devotion, and gentle nature.

I made a short video of the progress, from start to finish. In it, you can see the photo I worked from, the concept sketch, and a few studio shots. I hope you like it:



Dogs give us so much, and ask for so little in return. It's truly a labor of love to paint them - it's my way of giving something back. I think every dog deserves a portrait, but of course that's just my opinion.

And as always, if you're interested in a portrait of your pet, you can find information here. Feel free to email me with any questions.

Much love,

More work on Pede's portrait

Here's an update of the progress of Pede's portrait. This was where we left off - with the underpainting complete and awaiting subsequent layers of paint:

Now comes the part where I refine and add detail.
Here, I'm building up the background, adding depth and richness:

Refining the right (her left) ear and eye:

Now working on the left (her right) ear and facial fur:

Refining the eyes, the most important part of a portrait:

The painting as it stands now. I just love those sweet and soulful eyes. The portrait is NOT finished yet, but is nearing the home stretch. As always, if you're interested in having me paint a portrait of your pet, you can contact me through the email in my profile.

Much love,

Working on Pede's portrait

After the sketch, I toned the canvas with a beautiful warm yellow. Now it's time to start the underpainting, which is not very detailed, but gives me the information to build up details in the layers of paint to come. First I block in the background:

Working on Pede's eyes and ears:

Muzzle and body structure:

I started blocking in her collar and tag, but didn't like the placement of it:


So I moved over to the side a bit. I like this placement a lot better:


And the painting as it stands now. Still lots of work to go, but she's really starting to take shape:


More to come...