Thursday, March 20, 2008


Jake

Oil on board, 10" x 8"
NFS

Another recently completed commission. I decided to work various greens into the painting to give a sense of an outdoor environment. Also because redheads always look good with green.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

He is lovely and I think he knows it!

mick mcginty said...

Don,
That is one of the nicest animal portraits I've seen in a long time..of any kind.
I love how rich the colors are , without being over the top....amazing control....and to modulate the cools into the rich warms to make all the areas interesting. And finally the personality and good looks that you brought out. What a drawing.

Mick

Anonymous said...

I had to consult my color wheel on this one. It's mostly a harmony of the warm side; orange, yellow, green. Then you went to the opposite side of the wheel and hit it with purple and blue. I wonder if that's what Mr. Mcginty meant by "amazing control".

Frank Gardner said...

What a fine painting Don. The owners must be extremely happy.
I agree with what Mick said.

Don Gray said...

Thanks, Serena. He is a beautiful guy, isn't he?

Don Gray said...

Boy Mick, that is very high praise. And means a lot coming from an artist of your level. Thank you so much!

Don Gray said...

What I was trying to do with those complementary accents was to energize the color--make everything vibrate. The idea was to make vital color echo the obvious vitality of the dog himself. Thanks for coming by, Silvina.

Don Gray said...

Thanks so much, Frank--that means a great deal to me.

A Reason to Paint said...

I agree Don, the green was an excellent choice to compliment those glorious reds and oranges. This portrait is so full of life and very pleasing to the eye.

Don Gray said...

Triecia, thanks. It's nice to hear your thoughts.

Rhonda Hurwitz said...

wow--this is gorgeous. the dog really pops off the background, and the eyes say it all. great work

Takeyce said...

Stunning!!!!

m collier said...

Lots of personality!!! Very nice painting!!

Alex Perez pintor contemporaneo said...

Great portrait of a beautiful creature, has expressed so much love in this wonderful piece of good art.
Alex

laura said...

Love the touches of violet. And his expression! Noble, a little skeptical or maybe it's just indulgence.

Don Gray said...

Rhonda, Takeyce, Alex, M, and Laura--Thank you all for taking the time to drop a note. Your encouraging words are so heartening.

Suzanne McDermott said...

You really capture the personalities beautifully with these dog paintings.

Don Gray said...

I'm glad you think so, Suzanne--thank you.

Lola Smiles said...

I've been looking at a lot of dog paintings lately and this is by far one of the better ones! Beautiful beast! Bravo!

Don Gray said...

Glad you like it, Lola. I had fun painting Jake.

Mary Sheehan Winn said...

The complimentary color vibration is masterful here and the blue 'sky' reflection makes it for me. I like what Mick said about not going over the top with what are already vibrant, pure colors. It's so easy to get into gratuitous color.
Draftsmanship extraordinaire.

What a regal dog!

Don Gray said...

Mary, so kind of you to say, thanks. Jake is indeed a regal-looking and beautiful dog--great fun to paint.