I'm considering producing a line of greeting cards, all in the same style of flat color backgrounds, and using images from earlier paintings for the dogs combined with a sketch depicting a setting. Not sure if they should be captioned or just images, themed or not. Caption ideas?
Woody is a shy Golden Retriever, Sadie is Boss of the World. Opposites often makes for good friendships, and it sure does for these two.
Jack of Hearts by Robin F. Gainey is out in paperback (Shimoni, the Jack Russell terrier on the cover is a cropped version of one of my paintings). Robin says "My novel, Jack of Hearts, is #5 on my publisher's Best Selling Paperback List after just one month!!!" (It's about the observations of a JRT in Italy who shares life with some not so valiant humans). Get it!
Good to be back home in Seattle!This is Audrey contemplating the classic Seattle scene.
Beachside Kosmo, beloved companion of Jacki, of Beachside Fitness here in Pompano Beach. Cool Kozzy.
Progression of a digital painting created on the iPad, of Belle (Beagle) and Penny (variety pack) with Pepper the cat (who doesn't like to leave the house) at home in Miami. The progression shows how much a painting can change as it is developed, and it's not done yet! Client feedback is helping to determine where the painting goes, and I'm waiting now for further suggestions and preferences to determine the next step in the painting. I will post the final version when we get there.
Bertie may no longer be in this physical form, but he's still very much with us. Two versions of Bertie.
She even has her own life jacket, though she's not wearing it here. Digital painting of Francesca, to become a hand painted painting on canvas. For crying out loud, let's go!
Thank you Dog Rescue News! What a nice surprise. "Only a genuine dog lover could portray dogs the way Nancy Schutt does. Colorful, playful and humorous, her paintings convey so much of the uniqueness and personality of each dog featured. I love color and I love expressionist style paintings that are not exact replicas. Nancy’s work makes me smile and connect with each dog . . . (more)
Two weeks at my favorite place on the planet, with Pabby, who doesn't like it there very much as there are wild animals and stickery things. But he's a champ! and braves rivers and mountains and the scent of wolf, moose, and grizzly bear!
I have been taking my paintings to Bellevue Fine Art Reproduction for the past few years so that I can document my work in the highest quality possible on earth. Thank you BFAR! The images are awesome! I just had to offer to the world my appreciation for the fine work done by Scott, Tomoko, Redd, Syd, Amanda & JJ the dog.
Come to think of it, I think JJ needs a portrait. She asks every time I come by. But this is William, lover of kongs and all things fun, and a fine scan indeed.
A painting that's been revised a zillion times, I think it finally found it's home.
Izzy and Justus crossed the bridge ahead of Phil, and I'm pretty sure, they were there on Saturday greeting him as he joined them. Celia is doing ok.
A funny little story about this painting: Phil and Celia brought the painting back to my studio a few weeks after taking it home. They noticed a problem which they wanted corrected, and which I remedied. However, I had already had the painting photographed so Celia is still missing her sock in this version.
There are many steps in the creation of a painting, beginning with the initial on-site interview with the dogs and people (if at all possible, it's the best first step! to actually meet the dogs on their home turf and have a face to face with all parties). I sketch and photograph the dogs in their environment, and take notes during the interview about the particular personalities of the animals in order to better know how to portray them being most themselves. Then I create a digital painting in order to determine the basic composition. I email images of the digital painting to the client, who then makes suggestions and requests for changes. This process repeats itself until both the client and I are satisfied with the digital painting, which then becomes the model for the actual physical painting.
Then I start painting in the studio. It usually takes several email reviews of the work in progress by the client before we arrive at a final piece. Here are the many versions of Sucia and Ivy.
I received an order for five prints on canvas to decorate the waiting room of a veterinary clinic in New York. He said he'd been looking for dog art for three years, and when he found me he knew he found the art he'd been seeking. He chose the images he wanted and sent a photo of the waiting room with the three benches. I sketched the benches against the yellow wall and experimented with varying sizes of prints on the wall using the paintings he was interested in, and suggested that maybe he would consider three large canvas dog prints rather than five smaller.He settled upon the last image, three large canvas prints of dogs, and one cat.
Front and back of a T shirt design I created for those who love the bully dogs, or any dogs really, or dog drawings, or shirts. Available at Dog Lover Art
In the effort to make a painting "more better", sometimes I look back on what I was trying to improve and think maybe I should have let it be. But unless I reach the knowing place with it, where nothing is prodding me for change, I have to keep going. This is a painting about the giddiness of a dog that knows it is loved, and the serenity that comes from loving. Painting 1 got concept, painting 2 got the sky, but it's painting 3 that captured the emotion of both subjects. Now, the sky is beckoning. I like the contrast of the churning, threatening clouds in painting 2 but the soft embracing sky of painting 3 fits the mood.
Deliberating whether to go with simple line drawings, monochromatic drawings, or full color for the T shirt designs. Opinions are extremely welcome. This is one of the bad dogs. We all have it in us.
Back to the blog after a few weeks absence- with some T shirt designs. I've created about 20 images for T shirts, starting with a Jack, of course, always first in line!
Saying goodbye to Florida today after a good long stay here with my Dad. Sunny, actually a Hawaii dog, lives in the Pacific version of Florida, so she is representing the tropics today.
nancy@dogloverart.com 206 941 9663
