 Milo was a very precious pet in a family that loves dogs. He battled with Cushing's disease for several years, but had to go to heaven just before Christmas last year. He is very much missed by all who loved him. Milo kept me company in my studio, and my kitchen, where I was painting him for several weeks. I also grew to love him. He has such kind, wise eyes, and in some of his picture, the sweetest, most mischievous little doggie smile that crept right into my heart.
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Chelsea (Basset) and Zoe (Labrador) |
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Chelsea (Basset) and Zoe (Labrador) are the two lovely dogs belonging to little Bailey's "grandma". It was such a pleasure getting to know more of the dog family and by the time I'd finished painting Chelsea and Zoe I felt I knew them both.
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Sydney-Jon McAdam - Basset |
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 Oil on canvas 35cm x 45cm
This is Sidney-Jon, also known as SJ.
If he could be immortalised in a cartoon strip he would Fred Basset a run for his money – this is a dog with Attitude!
According to his mom Kim, he is capable of all kinds of mischief including turning on and chewing oven knobs,
opening gym bags and dropping the clothes down a drain, and also removing lamb chops from the kitchen counter.
In Kim’s words, he is “lovable, adorable and gorgeous most times, but can also be obstinate, belligerent, a thief and darn right naughty too”.
I painted Sydney-Jon on red velvet because he is such a luxury-loving pooch,
and gave him a very slight halo because he thinks he’s angelic and I do too!
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 Oil on canvas 40 x 45 cms
Bailey's bereft owner asked me to do a portrait of her beloved basset, who very sadly drowned at the age of six months.
It was a very special experience to paint Bailey and I hope that this portrait will help to heal some of the hurt.
For other pet owners who have lost their animals, go to http://www.in-memory-of-pets.com/ and http://www.petloss.com
Both these sites have pet memorials and tributes to beloved animals. There’s a candle-lighting ceremony in which bereaved owners around the globe can participate. Photographs and animal stories about others’ losses help - you’re not alone.
You can build a virtual memorial to your pet, and read poems and articles by counsellors on animal loss. There are also books and tapes that will help:Goodbye, friend - Gary Kowalski and Legacies of Love - Teresa. L. Wagner (book or tapes) (both from Amazon.com).
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Shandy - English Springer Spaniel |
 Shandy is a highly pedigreed English Springer spaniel, 12 years old. Shandy (kennel name Ballinattin Lady) was born in Waterford, Ireland, and bought as a gift for a little girl who'd just lost her grandmother in South Africa and was also having a tough time settling in a new country. When her owners retired and came back to South Africa, their daughter Samantha - Shandy's inseparable companion for 10 years - remained behind in the UK. The portrait is a gift for her because she misses Shandy so much. I loved painting Shandy - she radiates gentleness and she reminds me of my beautiful old black Cocker spaniel Seamus.
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 Rush the Ridgeback, in acrylic on board.
Rush was a very special dog. He belonged to a vet who farmed in the Eastern Cape. I only met Rush once, but I felt a real connection with him. The photograph I worked from was a silhouette, so I had to tape it to a lamp so that I could find his features in all the dark shadows. I was very sad to hear recently that he had died from poisoning.
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 Waif dog - in graphite on paper.
Waif dog was drawn from a newspaper photograph, advertising a fund-raising campaign for the SPCA. He went straight to my heart, because he reminded me so much of our little terrier Paddy who believed he was a Rottweiler( in a poodle-sized body).
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 Dante - Whippet - oil on paper - 25cm X 20cm.
Dante, the elegant whippet, turned out to be a real challenge because whippets in profile have a very pronounced eye bulge - and if I painted the right eye exactly as it was in the photograph, it looked totally out of proportion. So I had to take some artistic licence and correct it several times until the proportions were right. Both Dante and Delilah are rescue dogs. I’d love to meet them in person one day.
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 Frank - Dachshund - acrylic on paper.
Frank is my husband’s daschhund. His was the first dog portrait I painted. His eyes were flashed out in the photograph I wanted to use, so I had to improvise. He always has a slightly devilish expression which I think I conveyed with those naughty eyes.
I specially enjoyed painting the black coat and found that deep blue highlights gave the coat a lot of life.
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 Xander - bulldog puppy - oil on canvas.
Xander was a runner-up in a competition called “Pup Idols” – I had my money on Xander because being a bulldog puppy, of course I thought he was the most adorable thing on four legs. I made several rough sketches before starting the painting, because he was the first bulldog I painted and he presented quite a challenge – all those folds!
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 Holly - mixed breed - pastel on paper.
Holly’s owner died and I met her when she came to live with Oodat and Lalie in Prince Albert. There’s something very special about Holly – she has extra senses and sensitivities that are highly developed and she’s extremely courageous. I consider her a real friend of mine.
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 Delilah - Chihuahua - oil on paper 25cm X 20cm.
Delilah was the first of a pair of commissioned portraits. She and Dante are owned by a couple in Johannesburg, and the portraits were a Christmas present. I started with Delilah because I imagined she would be more difficult to do than Dante because she was curled up on a cushion, while Dante was in a more classic pose. Well, Delilah was a breeze – I just looked into her eyes and loved her. The portrait went very quickly.
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Oodat and Lalie - Yorkshire Terriers |
 Oodat and Lalie - Yorkshire Terriers - graphite and charcoal on paper.
Oodat and Lalie are two adored Yorkshire terriers belonging to friends of mine in Prince Albert. Both of them have very strong characters and I do believe they think they can tackle and bring down any prey – being terriers they are natural hunters and excellent watchdogs. They have all sorts of special preferences and quirks, and are delightful canine personalities.
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 Honey - Irish Terrier - charcoal on paper.
Honey is a young Irish terrier belonging to friends of mine. She and my dog Milan adore each other and I took a photograph of her to do this charcoal sketch when she came to play one day. Frank is very jealous of her though, and tries to keep her away from Milan; things were getting pretty nasty so I have to put Frank in the bedroom when Honey is here – not very fair.
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 Monty - Bulldog - charcoal and pastel on card.
Monty was drawn from a very fuzzy picture in the magazine of the Cape Bulldog Club, of which I am a life member. In each issue they publish births and deaths, which always bring a lump to my throat because many of the owners publish stories or moving poetry about their beloved bulldogs. Monty died recently at a ripe old age, and because I love all bulldogs, I simply had to draw him - looking as majestic as possible.
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 Frieda - mixed breed - watercolour on paper.
Frieda is one of a pair of rescue dogs – she and her sister Bessie are two of the sweetest and best behaved dogs I’ve ever met and great friends of Milan and Frank. No jealousy problems, because there’s one girl for each dog! They are hard to tell apart, but Frieda has a more pronounced stripe on her nose.
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Cleo - Charcoal and Pencil |
 Little Cleo, still a young pup, went missing while her owners were on holiday and has never been found.
I did this charcoal and pencil drawing of her as a gift for her owners.
I think of Cleo often, and hope that perhaps she has found a loving home somewhere.
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 Tigger is an adorable rescue dog belonging to friends in Prince Albert. This watercolour was done for his owner's birthday.
We're not sure what his "pedigree is" but he does have a bit of a resemblance to a Basenji.
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