Silent Night Christmas Card

Silent Night Christmas Card

This painting came up in my 'memories' on Facebook today on my personal page and so I thought I'd share it here now. One of my favourites - if you look on my Facebook page (Anne Zoutsos Artist) it's my profile picture! It features my darling Angel. It's available to purchase as cards and prints here: 

http://www.redbubble.com/people/annez/works/8100027-silent-night-christmas-card-with-greeting-on-front 

and here: http://www.redbubble.com/people/annez/works/8102550-silent-night

Anne

info@azpaintings.com

Rottweiler pet portrait commission

Rottweiler - 10" x 8" oil on canvas

A recently completed commission. As usual with a dark painting it's difficult to get an accurate photo but this is reasonably true to life.

Shepherd Reflections - original oil of a German Shepherd Dog

 Shepherd Reflections - 7" x 5" oil on hardboard/masonite

close up of eyes:

This painting came about as a result of a challenge on the Artists Reference page of Facebook. I was actually too late to enter it into the challenge but I wanted to have a go at painting it and changing the atmosphere of the original photograph. In the reference photo, the dog is lying on grass with a ball type toy. I decided, as you can see, to give it a black background with some reflection as on a shiny dark wooden floor. I'm very pleased with the result and hope you like it too.

Anne

This painting will need approximately 2 to 3 weeks to dry before it can be shipped.

Black On Black - Labrador Retriever oil painting

Black On Black - 7" x 5" oil on hardboard/masonite

This has been one of the most difficult paintings to photograph that I think I have ever had! I suppose it is the amount of black, but either it comes up much lighter than it actually is or else flattens out all the detail. Well I think I finally now have it quite accurate and of course when people are looking at a painting with a view to purchasing it, it is up to the artist to make sure it is a good representation of the original. It must be terrible for someone to buy a painting they fall in love with only to find on receipt, it didn't look like the painting they saw online. I haven't had this happen and hope I never will - hence my reason for taking so long to get good photos of my paintings.

SOLD

This painting is straight off the easel and will need to dry for several days before it can be shipped.

Burnt The Fire - tiger oil painting

Burnt The Fire - 7" x 5" oil on hardboard/masonite

I'm rather enjoying this foray into wildlife and think I will paint a lot more of it. I love the expression in this tiger's eyes and the whole painting was a pleasure to paint. I hope you get pleasure from it too.

To those who have asked, the title of the painting comes from the same poem as Burning Bright: The Tiger by William Blake. This is an excerpt:

Tiger, tiger, burning bright    
In the forests of the night,    
What immortal hand or eye    
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?    

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?   
What the hand dare seize the fire?

SOLD

Hunter's Moon - wolf and moon original oil

Hunter's Moon - 6" x 6" oil on hardboard/masonite

SOLD

I am a great admirer of the wolf - not surprising really I suppose, given my love of dogs. Whilst I will admit I can't watch them on tv when they are hunting, well at the kill to be more accurate, I love watching their interaction with each other, their great affection for other members of the pack and nurturing care of their youngsters.

I understand that wolves were much revered in Native American culture and were credited in teaching them about the importance of family and how to hunt and forage for food. Other tribes also believed they were spiritual beings and my aim in this painting was to depict a 'spiritual being'.

Burning Bright

Burning Bright - 7" x 5" oil on hardboard/masonite

SOLD

There is no question that the markings on some of the big cats are simply breathtaking and a real joy, and challenge(!), to paint realistically. It is only too easy to make them seem pasted on rather than an integral part of the coat and so it's important to blend them in with the other colours in the fur. 

It is of course the fantatic markings of the tiger which have made it prey to man's desire for unusual coats and rugs. This desire together with other pressures has led the tiger, the largest of the big cats, to become an endangered species - what a sad reflection on the human race.

This painting is straight off the easel and will need at least one or two weeks to dry before it can be shipped.

Yin Yang (Two Tigers Caressing)

Yin Yang - 7" x 5" oil on hardboard/masonite

SOLD

This painting took rather a long time to paint owing to the patterning of the stripes and the muscular bodies of the tigers - it needed a considerable amount of attention not to get lost amongst all those patterns! It reminds me so much of the Chinese Yin Yang symbol which I am sure you will all know but just in case you don't here is an example:

I've realised that although I know the symbol so well, I know very little of its meaning other than it represents the balance of nature and life. It will be intesting to do some research and learn more about it - I always enjoy learning something new.

I find this painting harmonious and very pleasingly balanced - I hope you do too!

This painting is straight off the easel and still very wet - it will need several days at least before it can be shipped.

Based on a photograph by Schristia at flickr.

Safe And Sound

Safe And Sound - 7" x 5" oil on hardboard/masonite

There is no question in my mind that when you look into the eyes of a dog, you are looking into the eyes of a creature with a mind of great complexity; a personality, not a mere 'animal'. This is one of the reasons I am so obsessed with painting eyes correctly and perhaps the part I see most often incorrectly painted. 

There is a huge variation in the size and shape of the eyes of different dog breeds and within those breeds there are still quite large differences. It is vitally important if you want to paint dog portraits accurately, that you pay huge attention to the eyes and if the photograph you have doesn't show them clearly, you simply can't just copy the eyes of another dog. It would be like painting the eyes of one human if you didn't have a clear photo of the person you were painting.

Of course if you are painting a dog no longer alive and there are no clear photographs, you are in somewhat of a dilemma. Frankly, quite often the owner will not have a clear memory of the exact eye shape - although it's surprising if they don't remember the expression. Very often you will get clues from the shape of the head, particularly just above and below the eye. 

I can only urge dog portrait artists to see dogs! Go to dog shows where you will see large numbers of different breeds - look at them - really look at them and see them. Too often people look without seeing.

Well I think that's enough nagging for today! I hope you enjoy this little chihuahua.

Anne

Based on a photograph by Daniel Chan at Flickr

Thoughtful - Chocolate Labrador Retriever

Thoughtful - 7" x 5" oil on hardboard/masonite

SOLD

Surely one of the hardest things about painting darker paintings in oils is getting an accurate photo of them! I have seen lots of different advice but I think that probably the only real answer is to have a proper lighting kit which is beyond those who aren't professional photographers. 

After about an hour I have managed to get a good representation of the original painting. It's been great fun to paint - I love the dog's thoughtful expression and of course one of my favourite pastimes - painting reflections!

Anne

With thanks to HeyRocker at Flickr for the reference photograph