Stray Dog Arts

Addie (and her dear squeaky elephant toy friend, Ellie) are nestled in a very particular spot in my heart and always will be. Whenever I think of her or look at her painted image, I feel a tight little knot inside of me, the size of a rose bud, exuding a concentrated feeling of bright, pure love. Although this is a strange description of love...I must admit, it is a truly beautiful feeling. It tugs at me and infuses me all at the same time.

I love Addie. Her and her mama hold a very deep place in my heart. Addie was part of my recent exhibition, BULLDOG. She's touched my life in more profound ways than she could ever know. And I know I'm not the only one.

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Meet Roman, the tennis-ball-loving black Lab! Roman's portrait was commissioned by Keith and Trycia Miller, of Pampered Pooch Playground in St. Louis Park, MN. Pampered Pooch Playground is a great friend of Stray Dog Arts. And my dogs consider Keith and Trycia to be nothing less than FAMILY! Needless to say, I was more than happy to paint a portrait of Roman to be given as a Christmas gift to Trycia's sister.

As many of you might already know, I have a thing about painting tennis balls. Honestly, I'm in love with the beauty, color, and simplicity of those round, slobbery things! Combine it with a cool looking dog and I was in dog-painting heaven!

This is the second portrait I've painted for the Millers. In 2009 I painted a portrait of their own dog, Roxy, a Bernese Mountain Dog, whose painting greets all who enter the lobby of Pampered Pooch. My dogs give Pampered Pooch Playground an ALL-PAWS-UP rating (they love going there soooo much!!!) and I love painting for them just as much!

These days, I've really been enjoying the ways in which my painting is evolving. I love painting for clients on numerous occasions. A special sort of relationship is formed through the act of painting for someone. It is a relationship built on trust and inspiration--and, in my opinion, these are the best sorts of relationships to have.

Read more about Project Love :: A Painting a Day here.

Oooooh, yeah. Doesn't it feel good?! Project Love is absolutely inspired by the fact that Valentine's Day falls right smack dab in the middle of a great month, but also because I've decided that only one day of celebrating love simply isn't enough!

In honor of all this luuuuv, I've decided that it is time to share some of my most recent works. Long overdue, to be sure! With two solo exhibitions and a highly fueled commission schedule in the past year, I have a lot to share with you!

These paintings were not created

in just one day, rather over the course of many days, weeks and months. I've been so busy painting that I haven't had a chance to share the finished work! I'm excited to finally show you what I've been working on over the past year. There has been so much art-loving, four-legged GOODNESS!!!

To kick off Project Love :: A Painting a Day, I introduce to you the most energetic, kissable Boxer in the Universe: Wyatt! I was commissioned to paint Wyatt's portrait as a Christmas gift from Wyatt's mama to his papa. The secret got out of the bag a little earlier than it was meant to, but it was an incredibly fun gift, nonetheless. The process started with a photo shoot this past summer and ended in a 30"x 40" Oil on Canvas, painted portrait.

I occasionally ask myself, "What would I do if I could do anything?" My answer always comes back to the work I am currently doing and, for that, I am beyond thankful. Painting causes me to feel extraordinary amounts of love in a million ways--and it also allows me to experience intense inspiration on a daily basis.

What would I do if I could do anything? I would do this.

And so, in honor of LOVE and all the good things that come from it, I look forward to sharing the images and paintings that have filled my days.

with more dog love than I know what to do with,

Jessie

xoxo