For the longest time, I mainly painted people and landacapes either realistically or as semi-abstracts. They were, and still are, a constant source of joy. However, in 2018, I started primarily painting dogs since more people were interested in having their dogs painted. This became one of my biggest joys in painting as it helped me free up more than anything I had ever done before.
When I grew up, we always had dogs. At my dad's house, we had black labs and a sheepdog. At my mom's we had shelties. Dogs have always been a part of my life. In fact, on the Chinese Zodiac I am the dog as well The same reason I actually started painting dogs in 2018 was because it was the Year of the Dog.
Whenever I paint people, especially if it is a commissioned painting, I always feel like you have to flatter the subject in some way. Sometimes you can never be too honest in a painting, especially if the person you are painting has something they don't care about like a larger nose or double chin.
A dog, on the other end, is very different. You want to see their wild and playful side. Whenever I paint dogs, the painting is never complete until I can see how wild and playful they can truly look. You never have to worry about flattering certain features of a dog. If they have a large nose or crooked tooth, it is almost better to exaggerate it since it captures more of their features.
