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...

Summer is...

This Summer is...

Painting on location:

Remodeling:

My husband and Cloud going for a walk in the clouds:

A campsite with a view:

If you're awake to see it...

Flowers and butterflies:

A boat ride with friends:

A beautiful sunrise:

And gorgeous sunsets:

The weather in most of the country is incredibly hot right now, but Summer will be gone before we know it. I hope everyone is having a good one...

Much love,

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,

New art - Morning Nap

"Morning Nap" © 2010 Kathleen Coy

10 x 8" Acrylic on Ampersand Gessoboard

I created this painting for an online art show of the Canine Art Guild (CAG), of which I am a member. The theme of the show is "Here Kitty, Kitty..." which is a fun twist on the usual dog art.

I like to take photos while I paint, and put them together to make a short video of the progress. It's always fun to watch how a painting comes together. Enjoy:



Here is a link to the Here Kitty, Kitty show, where you can see Morning Nap and many other fabulous entries from CAG members, and vote for the People's Choice Award. I would appreciate your vote, but of course I want you to vote for your favorite... and if it's mine, I thank you! :-)

http://www.canineartguild.com/gallery/index.php

I want to thank my friend Jennifer MacNeill-Traylor for the photo reference of her kitty Pumpkin. If you like horse and Halloween art, check out her work!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Much love,

Wow, Thank You, and Welcome!

When I found out I was Blogger's Blog of Note yesterday, I was very honored and surprised! I'm sincerely happy and humbled that so many new people have visited my blog, and enjoyed and appreciate my work enough to follow it and/or leave a comment. Thank you all, and welcome!

I'm in the middle of a massive studio cleaning and organizing this week. I'd rather be painting, but it must be done... I do have several new pieces that are almost finished, so look for them in the coming weeks, as well as more updates on Pede's portrait progress.

Since this is just a quick post, I'll leave you with a photo I took last week of a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird at my backyard feeder. The light has to hit their throat feathers just right to be red, otherwise the "ruby" feathers appear black or gold...


Once again, I'm honored to be a Blog of Note. Thank you everyone for the lovely comments, and welcome new readers!

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...

Latest commission - Pede the Pit Bull

This beautiful girl is Pede, who is a Pittie from Australia. She is 13 years old, and is dearly loved by her family. She has the most beautiful, soulful eyes! I'm very happy with this drawing, and know I'm going to have a lot of fun painting this sweet girl. The painting will be 12 x 12 inches, acrylic on canvas.

American Eskimo Dog portrait

Junior, 18 x 18" acrylic on canvas
© 2010 Kathleen Coy

Junior's portrait is finished. Junior passed away earlier this year, and I hope his owner finds some comfort in this portrait. I really enjoyed painting Junior's thick, white fur reflecting the colors of sun, snow, and shadow. I wanted to use very little actual white paint, and reserved it for a few select highlights. Even with all these colors in his fur, it makes sense - the mind knows it's looking at a white dog.

Speaking of white dog, Junior was featured on an album cover titled "White Dog" by Vlasis. You can see Junior on the album cover here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/vlasis

And here is an "in-progress" video I made of the painting. Enjoy!

Need a good laugh?

For those of you who are unfamiliar with my painting of Nigel Buggers from Life With Dogs, start here to get the story.

After the auction, there was a demand for prints, so I made a limited editi0n of 40 with 50% of the total price going to the rescue group. What happened next has put a huge grin on my face that hasn't come off for weeks! People who bought the prints (affectionately called Flat Nigel) started taking pictures of him in funnier and funnier situations. There was even a celebrity sighting!

See for yourself:

http://lifewithdogs.blogspot.com/2010/04/witwinb-pt-2.html

(Be sure to click the link in the first paragraph as well, which will take you to more funny pictures of Flat Nigel's adventures.)

Words cannot describe how it feels as an artist to a. have people appreciate your work, b. see them having so much fun with it, and c. to know it's helped raise desperately needed funds for a very worthy cause (well over a thousand dollars so far, which includes donations, auction of the original painting, and print sales!)

This whole experience has been amazing to be part of. I can't thank Nigel's fans enough for their generosity, creativity and wonderful sense of FUN!

Much love,