“Labrador Express”, 12″ x 16″ pastel on velour
It’s been some time since my last post in December, so thought I should take the time now to give an update. I’ve been happily painting away on several commissions and a few show paintings during the first half of the year. Today I would like to share this painting, along with the background of how it came to be.
I envisioned this painting for a couple of years. I own the cute little red wagon… an ATW (all terrain wagon) that my husband bought me some years ago. It was one of those gifts you would never imagine getting… but it’s one of my favorite possessions… and I love those ATW wheels. And I’ve been wanting to paint it with some puppies for some time. Last October I had opportunity to photograph three different colors of Labrador puppies. It was a fun photo shoot following these pups all over trying to get photos that would work with my wagon. It’s nearly impossible to get all three pups together long enough to take a photo… so I took my best photos into Photoshop and created the composition… then on to my velour board. And… viola… Labrador Express came to be.
I should also mention that two of these puppies are family members. The chocolate pup is a little girl named Kona Bella who was adopted by my brother and his wife. The yellow pup is a boy named Duke, now living with my cousin in Grass Valley. They are currently just under a year old now… and no doubt would not fit in the wagon any longer.
“Labrador Express” is currently hanging in the “Bow Wow Meow” art show at Alpha Fired Arts, 4675 Aldona Lane in Sacramento. The show is running now through August 27th. The painting is also juried in the “Art at the Classic” art show at the Draft Horse Classic at the Nevada County Fairgrounds in Grass Valley, CA from Sept 22nd – 25th.