One-a-Week Animal Portraits

Otto commission

2010-04-25T00:18:00.000-07:00

Meet Otto. He is the dog of one of the senior volunteers of the Strays of Abu Dhabi. He lives in the UK and was a stray dog himself until he was taken in. He proved quite a challenging pooch, but now has settled down to become a real old softie! This is pastel on canson 10x12 inches and is already sold. The money from the sale of this painting will be donated in full to the Strays of Abu Dhabi. www.straysofabudhabi.com

5" Two feet

2010-03-14T09:32:00.000-07:00

Okay, I finished this but unfortunately not in time to get into the CAG show! Oh well, next time!

If you want to see the show though just follow the link www.canineartguild.com
There is an opportunity to vote for your favourite painting and many of the paintings are for sale! :)

This is something I started with the intention of entering it into the CAG (Canine Art Guild) online show to celebrate their 5th anniversary. However, the deadline was today, and I didn't finish. Here is what we have so far... two puppy feet WIP (Work In Progress).

New Series - My life in your hands #1

2010-03-06T07:50:00.000-08:00

Have worked a bit more on this today - still a lot to do though. The hands are going to be a challenge - one that I'm up to, but not really looking forward to it. This is when the paintings starts to get down to the fiddly details which I don't particularly enjoy. However, it takes patience and concentration, and it is meant to be therapeutic so I can't really complain.

I am starting a new series while I am waiting for my next commissions. The series is called "My life in your hands". It is meant to depict the faces of some of the SAD dogs as they are either taken out on trial or adopted and in some cases the SAD dogs in the situations that we find them. Some of the dogs are totally happy to go with the new people - others show are more cautious. It is a question of personality and how much trust the dogs have in humankind. In some cases the dogs show a face of fear, but resignation as they can do nothing about their situation, they are totally dependant on us but they have no way of knowing if what the future holds for them is something good or something terrible - we have their lives in our hands and that is what I want to show.

This is oil on canvas and a little bigger than I usually do for the one-a-weeks, but I needed the space. It has been a while since i have done human subjects.

When finished this will be for sale at 1000dhs unframed and the proceeds will go to the Strays of Abu Dhabi http://www.straysofabudhabi.com/

Pugs Done!

2010-02-28T01:05:00.000-08:00

Am happy to say that I have now finished the pug commission. I am even happier to say that the lady who commissioned it loves the painting - phew!

The proceeds from this painting (660 dhs) will go to support the Strays of Abu Dhabi

- a non profit organisation that helps re-habilitate and re-home stray and abandoned animals in Abu Dhabi.http://www.straysofabudhabi.com

Pugs commission

2010-02-23T06:29:00.000-08:00

Have largely finished the boy dog - Teddy although there are some minor alterations to make. Tomorrow will try to finish the girl dog - Lucy and then just do the touch ups on both dogs and finish the background.

Worked a bit more on this today. Progress is slow as I don't have much time, but it is making progress so I can't complain!

Have started a Pug commission which I got through the Strays of Abu Dhabi, so the proceeds for this painting will go to the Strays of Abu Dhabi. These are two adorable little Pugs, each has a unique look and a personality to go with it - so this will be a challenging commission to capture their characters. On your left is Teddy, a vigourously active little guys who is very sweet and friendly, but never stops for a minute. On your right is Lucy, an older more sadate character who just wants cuddles and a quiet life.

This painting is already sold. I will be working on it this week and will try to finish it by next week.

View over Mussafah industrial estate

2010-02-07T04:53:00.000-08:00

Have worked a bit more on this today. Mostly I was just getting the placement of the first two dogs. I will put two more in. It seems SAD often is called to help litters that have been abandoned. Building sites, waste ground, and outside the veterinary clinic or kennels are the most popular places for people to abandon litters of puppies.

Okay, this is a little different but along the same theme as the last painting. This is a view I see everyday - two or three times a day. I see it in the morning when I go riding, I see it in the evening when I pick up the kids. This is very much an impressionist painting since it is done from memory rather than a reference (plein air or photo). So it is not accurate by any means, but it gives the feel of the view. In the foreground will be some dogs sniffing around trying to find food - bones left by workmen or fish guts from some of the guys who fish on the bank. It is the sort of place where stray dogs might be found.

For some reason (probably shine from the paint) the colours are not true and it is a little out of focus, but for the moment you get the idea.

For the moment I have just been working on the background and when it is a little drier I will put in the dogs. It is oil on canvas board 8" x 10".

Lost in the desert

2010-02-03T23:06:00.000-08:00

This is just about finished now. The muzzle of the dog is not quite right, but I don't think I have time to fix it at the moment, I may come back to this. For the main part though, if you look at the picture as a whole, I think it gives a good feel of a dog abandoned in the desert. It might be titled 'Will you come back for me' since it has the altertness and happiness of a dog that just thinks it has been left for a while by its owner, before the reality kicks in that no-one is coming for him.

It is a sad state of affairs that people do this kind of thing.

This is oil on canvasboard 8" x 10"

It will be for sale in support of the Strays of Abu Dhabi at 660dhs (120 Euros)

Girlie update

2010-01-27T21:36:00.001-08:00

This has stalled somewhat as life has been busy. It doesn't help that Girlie has off-centre markings which I think ads to her attractiveness, but am finding it difficult to get the placing right on the image. Am quite happy with the left side of her face, but have to work on the right side and her nose. Once I have got all that sorted out I will get on to the paws and ears and finally the bed - but that is the easy part!

Girle - Work in Progress!

2010-01-19T01:40:00.000-08:00

This is very much work in progress, but I had to show you what I had done so far. I don't want to miss a week, even if it means showing you things that are not finished - it can seem a bit of a mess at times, but this will take shape over the next few days. I first put in the major shapes and base colours and then I go back and work on the details.

This is my dog Girlie, who was a SAD dog who I felt was very special, but it took us months to pluck up the courage to take on a dog in Abu Dhabi. I felt it wasn't the right place to have a dog, but I am glad I have her. She has improved the quality of my life here, even if she can be challenging and frustrating at times.

When finished this will be up for sale at 150dhs (30 Euros) unframed. It is pastel on watercolour paper (roughly A4 size). All proceeds from the sale of this painting will go to support the Strays of Abu Dhabi www.straysofabudhabi.com

The look!

2010-01-16T04:18:00.001-08:00

This has been done because this otherwise unremarkable dog has quite a look about him. It is penetrating and slightly unsettling, but despite this, he is a perfect gentleman.

This is acyrilic on canvasboard 8" x 10" and when it is finally finished (not long to go) it will be another up for sale at 660 dhs (120 Euros) to help support the Strays of Abu Dhabi

SAD Cher

2009-12-30T03:06:00.000-08:00

Cher was one of two puppies that came into SAD after they had been found dumped in the airport car park. Happily the person who found the puppies was a friend of the Strays of Abu Dhabi and brought them in to the programme where they quickly found new homes.

I think Cher has an unusual expression -a mixture of sadness and anticipaiton. I wish her well in her new life with her new family.

This painting is oil on canvas board 8" x 10". When finished (it has some minor things that need to be done) it will be for sale at 660dhs (120 Euros) and all proceeds from the sale will go to the Strays of Abu Dhabi (SAD) http://www.straysofabudhabi.com/

Lost on the Corniche - Abu Dhabi - almost done

2009-12-20T07:36:00.000-08:00

I still have more to do on this, but it is almost done. I need to work a bit on the dog and finish the details on the background. I am quite happy with the way it is developing though - and tomorrow I will start on the next one-a-week!

Lost on the Corniche - Abu Dhabi

2009-12-19T00:31:00.001-08:00

Okay - back to oil this week. This is Dude. I wanted to give the sense of the sort of locations some of the Strays of Abu Dhabi are found. My dog, for instance was found near the beach on Al Salam street in Abu Dhabi, some dogs just get tied to a tree in the park, Dude was found wandering in Khalifa City, some dogs are just dumped in cardboard boxes as puppies - one such set was found in the airport car park, and another set were found at the cricket stadium.

The reasons why people do this are numerous, but it is an aspect of our "throw away" society. Things we don't want we throw away, without much concern for what happens next. It is true for the environment, and it is true for many of the dogs in Abu Dhabi.

This painting is not yet finished. I will try to finish it during the week. It is raining here - so I have no excuse!

Oil on canvas board 8" x 10" 660 dhs unframed (120 Euros) Please contact the artist if interested in purchasing this painting

M is for Moo(se)

2009-12-12T06:51:00.000-08:00

I am struggling so hard to keep up. This week was very busy. There were school events to attend, meetings for the art auction we are putting together for the Strays of Abu Dhabi, and I had to prepare and ride a dressage competition and paint a sign. So it is hardly surprising that I didn't manage to paint so much this week.

This was what I could muster this morning. It seemed appropriate to do Moo today, as he left my house to start his new life with his 'forever' family. It was an event mixed with happiness and a little sadness saying goodbye to this lovely, lovely dog! Congratulations to his new owners! I know they will love him and care for him.

I wanted to immortalize in paint the beautiful M that he has on his head. You can clearly see it when he has his head down. With us he was called Moo (because he has markings like a Fresian cow, but his new family are changing his name to Moose.

This is not finished yet, but I will try to finish it this week. Anyone interested in buying it can contact me. 120 dhs (25 Euros) unframed, It is pastel pecil on paper.

SAD Daisy done

2009-12-04T04:09:00.000-08:00

Not much to add. I worked a bit on the fur and tidied up the background a bit.

SAD Daisy

2009-12-03T04:36:00.000-08:00

Daisy is the subject of this week's one-a-week. Due to the fact that I have been going through so much paint, and I was a bit behind due to puppy duties - I was forced back into pastels. I like pastels because I draw better than I paint, but I love to work in colour, so for me, the two things come together.

This is also a bit different for me as it is pastel on canvas board. Normally I work on canson paper. I love canson, but didn't have anything the right colour. I only had orange, which didn't fancy working with for this dog. So I painted one of my canvas boards a blue colour and started work on top in pastel. It isn't as easy to work with as canson and uses up the pastels much more quickly however, there is quite a nice effect. Daisy is a SAD dog at the moment

It is not finished yet, but I wanted to post now just in case I don't get time over the weekend.

So here is Daisy Pastel on Canvas board 8" x 10" and when finished will be for sale at 660 dhs (120 Euros) with all money going to the Strays of Abu Dhabi (SAD) http://www.straysofabudhabi.com/

Amber - SAD dog

2009-11-27T23:21:00.000-08:00

This is Amber. She is currently a SAD dog. She is a relatively small dog - around 10kg, and probably has some Saluki in her so is classed as a desert dog. She has a very sweet nature and will make a lovely companion dog.

The painting is Acrylic on canvas board 8" x 10" 660dhs (120 Euros). All proceeds from the sale of this painting will go to support the Strays of Abu Dhabi http://www.straysofabudhabi.com

Timed out!

2009-11-21T10:49:00.000-08:00

This is really hard to do especially when you are travelling and there are events! This week I got back late from my dad's birthday party which was great, but then 2 SAD puppies turned up and it was also the weekend of the SAD stall at the Feline Friends bazaar. The sales of SAD merchandise went very well and we raised 5950dhs for SAD which is around 1200 Euros. However as a result I didn't have much time to do my painting. So this week is a drawing, I had 15 minutes spare and started this drawing of Suki. I wanted to do it as an eye study in acrylic but timed out, so here is my humble effort. Iwill try to finish it this week, and it will sell for 100dhs, (20 euros) unframed.

2009-11-10T01:15:00.000-08:00

Am posting a little early this week as I will be away at the weekend celebrating my dad's 80th birthday. I believe 80 is something to celebrate. It is hard for me to think of living that long, since I already feel tired and like I am winding down, the thought of keeping going for another 35 years or so is just unthinkable.

So not a dog this week - but not all strays in Abu Dhabi are dogs. Although the Strays of Abu Dhabi leave most of the cat rescues to Feline Friends who dedicate themselves to saving cats, occasionally a cat comes our way, and we do what we can to help. All animals deserve to be treated well.

This painting is acrylic on canvasboard and is for sale:

660 AED

(120 euros)

(180 USD)

Please contact the artist

2009-11-06T23:40:00.000-08:00

Made the changes to this one this morning and I am happy with the result. This painting is acrylic on canvasboard and is for sale at 660dhs. Please contact the artist if you would like to buy this painting. All proceeds go to the Strays of Abu Dhabi, which is a non-profit organisation which seeks to re-home and re-habilitate stray and abandoned animals - principally dogs - in the city of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Dog on Dog Beach - Abu Dhabi

2009-11-06T06:11:00.000-08:00

This week I felt like doing a whole dog rather than just a head and shoulder portrait. This is acrylic on canvasboard 8" x 10". It is a little small for me as I don't like working with really small brushes, but it is coming along. It isn't finished yet, I have just tried to put in the major shapes and shading on the dog. I still have to put in a bit more detail and 'connect' the dog better to the ground.

This is typical of dogs on "Dog Beach" in Abu Dhabi. There is basically one beach used by ex-pats to exercise their dogs off leash. This particular dog belongs to a very nice Irish lady, who owns one of the first dogs to be re-homed by SAD (Strays of Abu Dhabi). It is a German Shepherd too, but I am not sure if it is this particular German Shepherd - if I remember right, this is his companion dog.

This painting is for sale 660 dhs - and all proceeds will go to help the Stays of Abu Dhabi.

One-a-week animal portraits

2009-10-31T05:24:00.000-07:00

I am an artist who loves animals, especially dogs and horses. In the past few years we moved to live in Abu Dhabi. In that time, I have become quite involved in a pet rescue organisation called "The Strays of Abu Dhabi". They are a non-profit organisation which takes stray and abandoned animals - mostly dogs - off the streets of Abu Dhabi and tries to find new homes for them.

In the next year, I am planning to do one painting a week for the the Strays of Abu Dhabi and donate the proceeds from the sales of the paintings to the Strays of Abu Dhabi.

Please follow my progress!

To start with, we will kick of with one of the puppies that came in with it's mother. The puppies have all now been re-homed, but we are still looking for a home for the mother of this little guy.

Here is her story:

And here is my interpretation of one of her puppies:

This painting is oil on canvasboard 8" x 10" and can be bought for 660dhs unframed.