Day 257

Shadow Walk 7, 6 x 6 inch oil on panel

© 2013 Kathleen Coy

Click for purchase information.

It's been quite a while since I've painted Cloud and his shadow, so I thought I'd do another one before the challenge is up. I was looking though my photos, and thought the shadow of this one looked so cute. My favorite part of this painting is the two feet on the ground, how solidly they seem to be touching the road. 

Day 248

Cloud Study 3, 6 x 6 inch oil on panel

© 2013 Kathleen Coy

I gave myself one hour to paint this, and I'm extremely happy with the outcome. No preliminary drawing underneath, just straight to the paint. I often sketch out a very detailed drawing on the canvas first, and while I enjoy that, I think it can inhibit me from being as loose as I'd like, so this was a really good exercise for me. 

Day 241

Dog Eye Study, 5 x 5 inch oil on panel

© 2013 Kathleen Coy

I think eyes are my favorite thing to paint, and it's even better when they belong to my best buddy Cloud.  

Day 200

Heart Dog, 8 x 8 inch oil on panel.

© 2013 Kathleen Coy

NFS

In honor of todays milestone of my 200th daily painting, I could think of nothing I'd rather paint than my rat terrier Cloud, the dog of my heart. My muse. My joy. My best little friend. I can't even convey in words how much he means to me, and how beautiful I think he is. I hope you can see and feel in this painting just how much I adore this little dog. 

Day 190

Speed Bump, 8 x 8 inch oil on panel

© 2013 Kathleen Coy

It felt about time for me to do another Cloud and his shadow painting. This one is larger than my usual daily paintings - it's eight by eight inches. There's a road near my house that was re-surfaced over the summer, and I knew I had to get some photos of Cloud against that shiny new speed bump and dark asphalt. I really like this painting.

Day 178

Cloud Study 2, 5 x 5 inch oil on panel

© 2013 Kathleen Coy

NFS

Ahhhhhh, I like this version MUCH better! Yesterdays palette knife version bugged me too much - I'm a realist painter at heart, and this version is what I had envisioned all along... While the palette knife version* had its charm, there was just too much going on with the knife strokes and thick paint all over the entire surface for my taste, at least for a smooth coated dog. However, I really love this mixture of brush and knife work -  the varying textures feel more restful to the eye. The background is all palette knife, along with a few areas of his neck, and those areas really stand out and are a nice transition that bring the knife and brushwork together. This is probably my favorite painting of Cloud to date. My little buddy, I love him so...

*I made some changes to the palette knife version if you want to check out yesterday's post. There are before and after pics.

Day 177

Cloud Palette Knife Study, 5 x 5 inch oil on panel

© 2012 Kathleen Coy

NFS

I wanted to paint Cloud using only the palette knife. I'm not sure what I think of this painting, to be honest. I like it, but there's just SO much texture everywhere, especially on areas that I want to be smooth, like his eye. I am pleased with the amount of detail I was able to get with the knife on such a small panel (5 x 5 inches, a new size for me. I like it!) I'm going to paint it again and post the new version tomorrow, this time using a combination of brushwork and knife, more along the lines of the self-portrait I posted yesterday, and see which I like better. Stay tuned...

***UPDATE: My friend Sue ChurchGrant made some suggestions about breaking up the large mass of brick red with some blue. I think she was spot on, I'm much happier with it now, the texture on his face isn't so overwhelming. Below is the before:

Day 146

Mugshot: Cloud, 4 x 4 inch oil on panel

© 2012 Kathleen Coy

If you missed the post about painting mugshots, click here. 

I wanted to do a warmup mugshot before starting the real mugshot project (where everyone who attended Karin Jurick's workshop paints "mugshots" of each other,) so I decided to paint one of Cloud. This painting cracks me up! My little boy's been arrested. His crime? Stuffy homicide:

Day 138

Wonder Dog, 6 x 6 inch oil on panel

© 2012 Kathleen Coy

NFS

Cloud the Wonder Dog, that is. This was painted from one of my favorite photos of him, taken three years ago. He has a few more grey hairs now, but will always be my muse and joy, and best little bud. 

I'm going to be gone all next week at Karin Jurick's workshop. I will be painting every day, and we'll catch up here when I get back. Have a wonderful week, and thanks for following.

Day 133

Cloud Run Value Study, 5 x 7 inch oil on panel

© 2012 Kathleen Coy

And here we have my dog Cloud doing his best greyhound impression. Once again, this piece was great practice on judging values of white fur in shadow. And this ends Value Study Week. It was really fun for me, hope you enjoyed it, too. 

Day 101

Shadow Walk 6 

6 x 6 inch oil on panel

© 2012 Kathleen Coy

Winner of the 2012 Edward Hopper House annual small works show,  

Small Matters of Great Importance, in Nyack, NY.

SOLD

Number 6 may be a new favorite in the Shadow Walk series for me. I love the composition of this piece. I also love the dark value of Cloud's white back feet, in the shade of his own shadow. I get such a kick out of going through my photos and looking for things that stand out to me, cropping those photos into interesting design patterns, and then to create paintings that play up the things that caught my eye in the first place, all while celebrating the beauty of everyday life. I was incredibly honored that this painting won the Award of Excellence at the Edward Hopper House small works show in 2012.

Day 100!

Shadow Walk 5, 6 x 6 inch oil on panel

© 2012 Kathleen Coy

SOLD

Today I'm celebrating my 100th daily painting! It's only fitting that it be of Cloud. I really like the feeling of movement in this piece, helped along by the vertical brushstrokes in the road. And I love, love, love the blue sky reflected on the top of his left hind foot. There's a world of color reflected in fur, especially white fur. Black fur picks up a lot of reflections, too. Keep an eye out for them the next time you look at a black or white dog. 

Day 98

Shadow Walk 4, 6 x 6 inch oil on panel

© 2012 Kathleen Coy

Click for purchase information.

Still obsessing with Cloud's shadow. I love that it looks like it's materializing from the shadow of the telephone pole, and the way the telephone pole shadow makes the color of his back legs so much cooler and darker. I also like that you can see the metal harness ring and leash snap in his shadow. These kinds of things interest and amuse me. I'm a pretty cheap date. 

Day 96

Shadow Walk 3, 6 x 6 inch oil on panel

© 2012 Kathleen Coy

Click for purchase information.

One of the things I really love about this series is trying to capture the action of Cloud's gait, and giving him a sense of being firmly on the ground. Little touches can make a big difference - the way his tail is slightly pointed towards his raised leg helps add to the feeling of movement.  

I think his shadow looks a little like a doberman in this one. 

Day 95

Shadow Walk 2, 6 x 6 inch oil on panel

© 2012 Kathleen Coy

Click for purchase information.

This is the second in a series of ongoing paintings of my dog Cloud and his shadow. Not sure how long the series will last, because I see infinite possibilities - long shadows, short shadows, all different directions of shadows. Shadows on grass, cement, asphalt, dirt. You get the picture. 

I'm loving this series for several reasons - it lends itself so well to the looser, alla prima painting style that I'm developing, I'm obsessed with shadows, and it's Cloud. My muse and best little friend. 

Day 90

Shadow Walk, 6 x 6 inch oil on panel

© 2012 Kathleen Coy

SOLD

What a milestone this painting is! Not only is it day 90 of my yearlong challenge (only 170 more to go!), I think this little painting is also one of the best I've done yet of any size. A new favorite for sure. I see this view nearly every day when I walk Cloud, and I always get a kick out of his shadow. I brought my camera along a few days ago and snapped quite a few photos of him walking. I had so much fun painting this one that I plan at least several more 'Cloud and his shadow' paintings, although I can see infinite possibilities here. 

This painting represents another milestone: many people have been disappointed that I've never been able to bring myself to sell a painting of Cloud. This painting (and the future shadow walk series) doesn't feel as personal to me, and feels like it wants to go out into the world. I suppose it's because there's no face-to-face connection. Anyway, it's a win-win - I get to paint my favorite subject, and it's available to collectors. 

Day 58

Asleep at my Feet, 6 x 6 inch oil on panel

© 2012 Kathleen Coy

NFS

This one breaks a record for my fastest daily painting so far - 15 minutes!! Cloud has a bed under my desk and likes curl up and sleep there sometimes, although he usually prefers to lounge on the sofa when I'm busy, so he can look out the window.

It was around 7:30 pm, and I had been working all day on a large studio painting that's been taking me days (and is still not finished). I was in a groove and didn't really want to stop and do a daily, but it was getting late. I noticed that Cloud had come in and laid down for a nap, and I knew I had to work fast, since he never naps very long. 

I grabbed a little 6 x 6 panel from my stack, and used the brushes I was using for my other painting, and blocked in the major shapes, and wouldn't you know it, after 15 minutes he woke up and walked out of the room! 

So it is what it is. A quick, loose, gesture painting. I kind of like it.

Day 46

Blue Steel, 6 x 6 inch oil on panel

© 2012 Kathleen Coy
NFS

I painted this Monday while Cloud spent the day at the vet receiving IV fluids and was kept under observation. There was nothing to do but wait, and there was no question in my mind to paint him again, since he was all I could think about. I've wanted to paint this photo of him for a while - I call it his "Blue Steel" look, which is taken from the movie Zoolander, a comedy about the male modeling world. The hero, Derek Zoolander (three time VH1's Male Model of the Year,) gives his signature pouty-face "looks" different names. The joke is, they are all the same face:

The reason this painting is black and white, is because I received a free tube of special paint the last time I ordered some of my Gamblin brand of oils. Every year, Gamblin makes a color created by pigments taken from their air filtration system. They call their mix Torrit Grey, and give it away each year while supplies last. 

They have a competition every year of paintings created with only Torrit Grey, black and white. Maybe I'll enter it. 

I do love how this painting turned out. I hope you can feel how much I love my dog when you look at it. He means the world to me. He is on the mend, by the way. He is no longer on fluids, and is keeping food and water down. Still on pain meds, and getting lots of rest and love.

Here's more info on Torrit Grey:  http://www.gamblincolors.com/torrit.grey/index.html

Day 45

I am the Watcher on the Couch

6 x 6 inch oil on panel, © 2012 Kathleen Coy

NFS

We had a pretty big scare with Cloud on Sunday - we rushed him to the emergency vet clinic because he couldn't stop vomiting, and there was blood in it, and he was in a lot of pain. They got him stable and ran tests, and said they would call us when the results came back.

I painted this on Sunday while I was waiting for the doctor to call. Artwork is my solace and how I express myself. Anyone who knows me, knows how much I adore this little dog. I was a wreck, and painting him was a way to focus, and channel my anxiety. 

His blood work and x - rays came back pretty normal, and they kept him on pain meds and IV fluids overnight. We transfered him to his regular vet Monday morning. She treated him for pancreatitis, and monitored him all day. He is home now, resting quietly, still on pain meds. It may be 10 days before he is feeling better, she said.

About the painting, Cloud likes to hang out on the back of our couch so he can look out the window. He takes his guard duty very seriously. The title comes from George R.R. Martin's series A Song of Ice and Fire. The oath that is sworn when a man "takes the black" and becomes a brother of the Night's Watch is very beautiful, and goes like this: 

"Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch, for this night and all the nights to come."

Day 36

The Business of Being a Terrier, 6 x 6 inch oil on panel

© 2012 Kathleen Coy

NFS

Well, here I am painting my dog Cloud again, just for the simple fact that he is so incredibly beautiful to me. (Not to mention, he is awesome and I'm crazy about him.) As much as Cloud loves to cuddle and be part of the family, once he's outside, he shifts into business mode. Anyone who knows a terrier knows what I'm talking about. The back yard is his domain, and he must constantly secure the perimeter and be vigilant for any small invaders of the furred or feathered kind. He is so business-like in his demeanor, I always get a kick out of watching him.

On to the painting, it feels like a break-though piece for me - the looseness of the brushstrokes and the strong values is what I've been reaching for. I am incredibly happy with this piece.