German Shepherd Dog oil painting

The portrait of this very handsome and regal German Shepherd is painted in oils and is a lasting tribute to a much loved dog. He is shown here relaxing in the grass but always on the alert. Now at rest - RIP Alf. 

Anne

info@azpaintings.com

Weimaraner oil painting - Kassi

10" x 8" oil painting on cradled board

I never seem to have time to update my blog recently and now have quite a few portraits to post here. I am also working on a lion and lamb painting and will be posting work in progress photos, so this blog will probably be a bit of a mix and match for a while! I hope though you'll be able to enjoy it and if you have any questions, please do ask.

Anne

info@azpaintings.com 

Watercolour Dalmatian dog portrait painting

Watercolour Dalmatian - Otto - on Saunders Waterford NOT paper

Another Dalmatian today but this time slightly different as I'm going to also show a WIP (work in progress just in case anyone was wondering). This boy was painted in watercolours - I hope you like him. 😊

Anne

info@azpaintings.com

Oil painting of a Dalmatian dog

Jazz - Dalmatian oil on canvas

I shall be trying to catch up on showing you paintings which were completed last year and which I simply didn't have time to share. They will be in no specific order. I hope you'll enjoy them. 

What do they mean to me? Well, they are all my 'babies' and I've never finished a painting and not loved the dog (or other animal) painted. I put my heart into them and try with all my might to make them live, whether or not they still breathe.❤️ Today's painting is a Dalmatian, a glorious dog.

Anne

info@azpaintings.com

Oil painting of a Rhodesian Ridgeback dog

Che - Rhodesian Ridgeback oil on canvas (8" x 10")

Well I've been very dilatory about posting here, but promise to do better! :)

To start with here is a boy who I think you'll all agree with me, is a most gorgeous Rhodesian Ridgeback. He is painted in oils - handsome Che. I hope you all like him! 

Anne

info@azpaintings.com

Belgian Shepherd Dog - Groenendael

16" x 20" Watercolour 

Having been negligent of this blog for so long, it's quite difficult to try and catch up and at the same time of course this is a very busy time of year for artists. So this is my excuse for my postings, some of which are going to be rather brief! Please accept my apologies.

The above painting was one of three Groenendaels painted earlier this year. They were commissioned as a surprise gift so a lot of secrecy was involved! 

If you do have any questions you'd like to ask me, do feel free to either comment below or email me and I will get back to you, or if your query is of general interest, will publish it in this blog.

Anne

info@azpaintings.com

Dalmatian in oils - Bailey

Oils on canvas - 16" x 12"

I told the following brief story on my facebook page (Anne Zoutsos Artist) and thought I'd share it with you all too.

When I was little I heard a story about a man who carved beautiful little horses. One day he carved one which was so perfect, it galloped away. It is my hope that one day one of my paintings will bark... 

This very handsome Dalmatian, painted in oils, is greatly missed by his devoted owner. RIP Bailey.

Anne

info@azpaintings.com

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel oil portrait

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel - Barney. 16" x 20" oil on canvas

Some dogs have such sweet expressions, all you want to do is hug them and that's exactly how I felt when I was painting Barney. Such a darling face. 

I was very upset to learn of Barney's passing shortly before his owners received his portrait but was gratified that at least it brought some comfort to them. RIP Barney.

Anne

info@azpaintings.com

Dalmatian - Disney

Dalmatian Disney - 16" x 12" oil on linen canvas

I had meant to publish this photo directly after the post of the video showing a painting being opened as this was what was being unwrapped. Oh well, to quote Robert Burns - "The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft agley"!

If you have any questions please email me at info@azpaintings.com

Anne

Video of painting being opened

Please click the bottom right-hand corner to enlarge

The painting here was commissioned as a surprise gift for the lady shown, by a kind friend of hers, in celebration of the life of her beloved Dalmatian who had died 3 weeks previously. Those of us who truly love our four-legged family members, know the depth of grief felt when they leave us. The video was taken by another friend (owner of the two Dalmatians shown) to whom the painting had been sent so that she would be able to record the unwrapping. 

I often get messages from people telling me how they cried on opening their painting but I don't usually get the opportunity of seeing it for myself and yes, the person making the recording is also crying. I think you can imagine just how touching I find this and guess my own response on seeing this...

Anne

Rhodesian Ridgeback Watercolour Portrait - Simba

Rhodesian Ridgeback - Simba. 20" x 16" watercolour on Saunders Waterford NOT

Another recent commission - this time a watercolour. A much loved and very sadly missed beautiful boy. As far as I can see there is really only one thing wrong with dogs, and that is that however long they live, it's not nearly long enough...

My next blog entry will be a mini watercolour tutorial - can I hear "at last"? Apologies that it's taken so long to post!

Anne

Dalmatian portrait - Enzo (oil painting)

Dalmatian - Enzo. Oil on 7" x 7" MDF board

This evening's posting is of a recently painted portrait - I still have some pre-Christmas paintings to post and am endeavouring to get myself organised sufficiently to be able to put them here on my blog. Never give up! 

At this time of year there never seem enough hours in the day. There are always dogs to be walked but now the garden is crying out to be attended to with so much to do and of course paintings to work on. I had planned some spring cleaning but that has had to be put on hold - not something I am sorry about! 

Anne

Liver spotted Dalmatian pet portrait commission

12" x 16" oil on linen stretched canvas

Here is my most recent commission - not a particularly easy one as the photographic reference wasn't very good as the main photo of his head was very small indeed. In fact this painting is made up of two photographs as the owner particularly wanted this expression - being typical of him - but the photo only went half way down his chest. Fortunately she had another photo of him in almost the same pose - with his head in a different position - so it wasn't too difficult although the way the spots change shape according to slight changes of position in the dog have to be seen to be believed! 

This was also a very difficult painting to photograph accurately and I'm going to have to check it today for accuracy. Then rush, rush, rush, carry on with the next commission!

If you'd like to contact me my email address is info@azpaintings.com.

Rhodesian Ridgeback oil painting

Rhodesian Ridgeback - Jackson. 16" x 20" oil on canvas

Another recent commission which I can now share as it was commissioned as a birthday present and given today. I've been informed that everyone was crying when the parcel was opened which I must admit made me feel quite emotional too!

If you would like to commission a painting or have a question please email me at info@azpaintings.com

Rhodesian Ridgeback Oil Painting Commission

Rhodesian Ridgeback - 10" x 8" oil on canvas

A recently completed commission of a very handsome dog. 

If you would like to commission a painting of your own pet or a particular subject, email me at info@azpaintings.com or click the Commissions button in the menu above.

Labrador Retriever Oil Painting Commission

A Loyal Friend Is Everything - 10" x 12" oil on canvas

The above painting of a yellow labrador retriever was one of my Christmas commissions which of course I couldn't share before the day as it was a surprise gift. The dog in the painting is called Alfie and his owner wrote and said that they had decided to call the potrait A Loyal Friend Is Everything, which I thought both lovely and clever! 

One of the many pleasures of being an artist is the lovely emails we receive from purchasers of our paintings and I'm delighted to say that the owners of this painting are very happy indeed with it!

I'm sorry it's been so long since I have posted on my blog. Shortly after my last entry promising to post much more regularly I went down with a very nasty bout of 'flu and I am only now starting to feel nearly normal!

Dalmatian (Magic) - watercolour

Ch Dvojica Voodoo - Watercolour on Saunders Waterford NOT 

16" x 20" (external mount measurement)

Today's painting is a portrait of the top winning bitch, Magic. Here is a list of some of her wins: 

She is the biggest winning Dalmatian in UK history and was Top Dalmatian in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. She is also the holder for the most amount of Best of Breeds at Crufts, and has won the most amount of Groups and Best in Show at Breed Club shows. She has also won the coveted titles of Dalmatian of the Year, for 2005 and 2009. 

Phew! 

More importantly though she is a much loved and loving pet.You can tell so much about the character of a dog by looking at its face and it is obvious from looking at her that Magic is sweet natured girl. What a doll!

If you would like to commission a painting, please email me or click on the commissions page of my site.

Irish Setter

Irish Setter - Katie - 20" x 16" watercolour on Saunders Waterford paper

My latest commission is this pretty girl, Katie, an Irish or Red Setter. I did take a photo of her at the usual 'stage one' phase ie I had painted her eyes with a fair amount of detail and added tone to the rest of her but unfortunately it isn't very clear and so I decided not to show it here. 

Often I don't have the opportunity to meet the subjects of my paintings but sometimes I do and it's always a pleasure. I was fortunate enough to meet Coco - the German Shorthaired Pointer from my previous post - and I am hoping that Katie's owner will bring her along when she comes to collect the painting.

To commission a painting, please email me at info@azpaintings.com or feel free to ask any questions you may have.

German Shorthaired Pointer - Coco

German Shorthaired Pointer - Coco - 20" x 16" watercolour on Saunders Waterford paper

Here is the finished portrait of Coco. Following on from the last stage shown in my previous post, I next worked on her eyes again until they were almost as shown here. I could then get down to all the detailed work on the rest of her. As I've mentioned previously, I don't paint individual hairs with a fine brush as I prefer what I feel is a more natural look, achieved by splaying out a round sable brush. This is a technique which does require a fair bit of practice and will also involve careful lifting of colour in certain areas and blending in others. My aim is to paint a realistic portrait which doesn't look like a photo but looks more than a photo - I want - well what do I want? I want to make the dog live!

I am pleased to tell you that Coco is alive and well and a very loved family member. Her mum burst into tears when she saw the painting - and I can assure you it wasn't from disappointment! Apparently the painting is now hanging on the wall for all to admire :)

To commission a painting please email me at info@azpaintings.com or visit my commissions pages.

Coco - German Shorthaired Pointer (work in progress)

Coco - 20" x 16" watercolour on Saunders Waterford paper (WIP)

This is my latest commission which I have just recently finished. Here I am showing the first completed stage. The drawing has been done and the background wash has been laid down - as usual a watery mixture onto stretched, dry paper. I paint with the board at a slight angle so the paint, when watery, will run down. I start with a darker mixture at the very top of the paper (in fact this part will eventually be covered with a mount) and gradually add more and more clear water to the brush so that the mixture becomes lighter as it nears the dog's head. Once past the ears, I add the more of the water/paint mixture to the very edges, to bring more colour into the painting and then add a strip of darker paint at the bottom. I then quickly add more clear water so that the background mixes in with the bottom of the dog's neck. I hope that makes sense. All this is done as quickly as I possibly can and as I said in a previous post, I can't stop for anything when laying in this wash as otherwise it would leave ugly hard edges wherever the paint was allowed to dry. 

As is usual, I painted Coco's eyes in first so that we could develop a 'relationship' and then her nose. The rest of her head, neck and ears followed gradually and what you see here is in fact not one layer of paint, but already several laid into each other. You'll notice some hard edges on her forehead and a few other places. As the painting progressed I eventually softened these by scrubbing at the area with an old half inch square edged brush and clear water. I have had this particular 'scrubbing' brush for ages now and hope it lasts for ever as I know it would take ages to break a new one in. I'll try and remember to take a photograph of it one day and show you. I will post the finished painting tomorrow.

Happy Birthday Jules!! (Coco's mum)

To commission a painting please email me at info@azpaintings.com