Well, we have made it through over a month of being locked down at our houses due to COVID-19. I know it has been very hard for some people, especially those outgoing folks who are energized by being with bunches of people. For me, I’m not minding it too much. I am getting used to making my own work schedule, finding time to paint, and spending time with Dale and the dogs. As long as I can go to the mailbox everyday and take a little drive and then come back, I’ve been fine. I’m hoping it stays that way.
The first picture below is one of the paintings I have finished since we have been home. It is a sweet little pastel painting of two of the puppies we had a couple years ago. We acquired a stray dog that turned out to be pregnant, so we ended up with a litter of puppies. We gave away all the puppies except Brutus, the black puppy in the picture. In the painting, I took some artistic license and changed the colors of the dog bed and background to blue, and cropped the pose just a little bit. The second picture is the original reference photo before I cropped it. (Please excuse the white fuzz on the rug. These wild little dogs were worn out from pulling the stuffing out of something.) The third photo is a more recent picture of Brutus. He’s still wild sometimes. Notice the yellow fuzz he has pulled off of his tennis ball!
This month, I have been working on pastel portraits of two of our beautiful granddaughters. The first portrait is finished and shown below. I have been working on her sister, which is going okay. It is looking pretty much like her, but I am not really happy with the size of her face in the other painting and I’m not sure the portraits will look good hanging together. I may end up starting over… Sometimes, it’s like that.
My online store has some wonderful gift ideas for your friends and family. If there is something you are looking for and can’t find, please let me know. I may be able to make it for you!
If you have ever thought about getting a custom, commissioned portrait of a special person or pet, now is a great time! Just send me a message here on my website, or email me at jjohns73@yahoo.com.
I truly hope you and your family are doing well and are healthy. Please take care of each other and let those you love know it!