Showing new paintings, and latest news.

One of my first paintings for 2022 has had a huge amount of interest on social media. I was thinking about how rescue and retired greyhounds have to cross from their old life where they were either successful or unsuccessful, to find their new sweet life. Possible they have travelled to a new country. However, whatever the change it will be a big one.

My idea was that the white galgo is trotting quite confidently and is perhaps heading straight into their own forever home. The black one walking in a more hesitant manner. Maybe going to foster home or staying in a charity shelter for a few months or even years. The black dogs are often the ones which take longer to find a home.

The painting is still work in progress (but almost finished) and so far I have called it 'Crossing'.

Crossing from street life to sweet life.

Crossing from rescue to forever home.

Crossing from one country to another.

Crossing from track to retirement.

Crossing... there is always a story behind a painting.

50 x 60 cm on 3.5 cm deep gallery wrapped stretched canvas. See the finished painting here >>>

In anticipation of spring arriving in Finland I painted Spring Fever. While waiting for the blossoms to burst I experimented with a lot of wet paint on the canvas and let it run. This would be the colourful background to my subject. It worked better than I expected, but I became lost for a while and left the painting alone for a few weeks. I knew I wanted to add a greyhound but where and how?

The work in progress background of Spring Fever.

There are always many questions to be answered and decisions to be made when creating a painting. This was originally going to be a landscape format because I had already pictured in my mind the greyhound. However, as I was studying the shapes and marks I turned the canvas and realised it would work so much better in portrait format - then it was easy.

I changed the greyhound image I had imagined to the one you see in the painting and I was able to place it perfectly. I made a stencil in the correct proportion to fit the painting to check the positioning. Then I continued to make adjustments to the background and now I am very happy with it! 

The painting is for sale and you will find the details here >>>

My galgo Espanol (Spanish greyhound) has been used as a life model for a croquis drawing group, in the time before Corona! While she sat patiently the group participants drew her, and I too took the opportunity to sketch her. She has a favourite pose and it is the very same 'waiting' position she uses when we are out and about running errands, therefore I think of it as a typical greyhound pose!

My patient greyhound comes with me to the studio everyday and if I go to the framing shop or post office then she comes too and while I am attending to the business in hand she waits in this same pose.

From the original life sketch I completed during one of the croquis sessions I did a drawing shown below, which someone bought quite quickly. This validated the pose as a good greyhound image and I decided to also use it for this painting.

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Graphite pencil study - SOLD