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 in Heaven- London, Englan
Bertie may no longer be in this physical form, but he's still very much with us. Two versions of Bertie.
Francesca, Portuguese Water Dog prefers to ride- Lopez Island, WA
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!
Merry Christmas to all!
Casey Jones wishing all Merry Christmas!
Foxy, big ole' sweetheart loves her hedgehog- Portland, Ore
This is Foxy and her favorite toy. Her person's favorite toy is there too. 
Pilgrimage to Abiquiu, home of Georgia O'Keeffe
I finally made the journey to the home of Georgia O'Keeffe, after many years of unrealized intentions to do so. Wow, what a moving and beautiful experience. Photography was not permitted in or around her home, but I did photograph some of the surrounding landscape that she made so famous. Here I have placed photos of her paintings alongside photos of her home I found online, and with my photos of the landscape.
O'Keeffe grooming her Chows in the courtyard.
O'Keeffe's courtyard, where she was sitting when grooming the Chows. This would have been her view if she looked up.
The Pedernal mountain both as O'Keeffe painting and a photo I took.
Red rocks near Ghost Ranch, the dude ranch where she first stayed in the area before purchasing the home at Abiquiu (which took ten years of negociations!)
The view from her window of the road to her home in Abiquiu.
Ah, the skull.
Two profiles.
Me with Ghost Ranch in the distance.
Seeger on the Hudson- New York dog goes digital
Seeger, New York dog, goes from digital painting to T shirt.
Bay Area Pet Fair Adoptathon and dog art tote bags, San Rafael, CA
Art saves dogs! Bay Area Pet Fair was October 11 and 12 in San Rafael CA. I donated an image for tote bags which were given to each family that adopted a pet, full of goodies. Over 625 animals were adopted (and 625 bags given away) with 100 more adoptions expected. The remaining tote bags were sold for $5 each, and raised $6500 for rescue organizations. Some happy adoptees, with their bags. Lucky dogs! and cats too.
Dog Rescue News article about dog art paintings by . . . me!
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)
Pablo does Wyoming- Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Jackson Hole and Dubois by Chihuahua
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!
Scans of dog art, the way to go to document a portfolio- Bellevue, WA
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.
German Shepherd with bluebirds and butterflies- Zeus in Puyallup, WA
This is Zeus, who posed for me for a painting of another German Shepherd. I didn't have adequate photos of the original dog from which to create a portrait and the dog had died, so I had to recruit a local "look-alike" as a model. The client rejected this painting so I started another one and continued working on her portrait until I achieved something she liked. But I kept this painting of Zeus, since I liked the portrayal. I wasn't sure what to do with it. It is years later now from when I first painted this Shepherd, but I recently felt inspired to finish it. I changed the background and placed this large and rather fearsome-looking animal in a girly lavender background of butterflies and bluebirds. I like the contrast and the implications. Zeus is a sweetheart of a dog.
Dog Dreams of Summer- Doxie, bunnies, and squirrels
A painting that's been revised a zillion times, I think it finally found it's home.
Tribute to Phil
I painted this portrait of Phil, Celia, Izzy, and Justus the cat, in 2010. Phil passed last Saturday. I like to use the present tense when someone passes, as I think they are still with us even though they are no longer in physical form. Phil is one of those people who brings to mind words that describe the best qualities of humans- he spills over with compassion, kindness, gentleness, generosity. He spent most of his life advocating for the most vulnerable in our society, in our world. He came to dog-love late in life, with Izzy being his first. He was smitten! and continues to have dogs as a central part of his life.
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.
Steps in the development of a painting- dog art, Seattle, WA
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.
Decorate with Dogs- Veterinarary Clinic, New York
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.
T shirt for lovers of Pit Bull dogs
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
Evolution of a Painting- Dog Art, Seattle, WA
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.
No bad dogs, only bad garbage can lids.
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.
Jack Russell Terrier T shirt- Dog Lover Art!
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!
