dog blog

Pug doodles

2009-04-08T21:30:00.000-07:00

drawn on a recent shakey subway ride:

Maggie, Jim, & Charlie

2009-03-14T19:39:00.000-07:00

My old MassArt friend Jef Taylor commissioned a surprise birthday painting for his wife Alexis of their 2 pitbulls, Maggie & Charlie, with Jim, their Boston Terrier. Alexis's favorite color is Orange, and these dogs love swimming in the summer, so I painted them all sharing a stick in the water. Thanks again, Jef!

Dog Doodles

2009-02-26T08:01:00.000-08:00

I drew my little monkeys on the train ride to MassArt the other night, and feel like I'm finally able to draw Mr. Giles from memory and have it really look like him. Frank and Giles have similar markings, but really different eyes and expressions and personalities. Mr. Giles had a tough month with emergency surgery and a couple weeks of convalescence, right around his birthday, too...the vet gave us a whole test tube of large, calcium-based stones he removed from Giles' bladder. But this 9-year-old Hurricane Katrina refugee dog is one tough cookie. The staples are out and he's running around and acting like his crazy old self again.
Last year Devilicia and I went to see a friend give a poetry reading, and he was really good. Sitting there silently listening to some of the other readers was excruciatingly painful though. Instead of jumping up and screaming and running out of the claustrophobic room, I tried to tune everything out and just drew tiny pictures on a receipt Devilicia slipped me:

Mr. Giles's favorite outdoor activity is spinning in endless circles on his heiny, staring at the sky, before flopping over on his side and rolling in the dirt til he's totally brown and gray:

I did the above picture in my sketchbook as a demo for my Black & White Illustration class. We were talking about making pictures with the eyedropper tool, white gouache, and blotting with cheap paper towels. I'd been thinking about the Autumn day Devilicia shot photos of me with Frankensteiny and Mr. Giles back in Rhode Island:

Autumn 2008 was too short and Winter 2008-2009 has already gone on way too long.

Ava

2009-02-24T07:38:00.001-08:00

I forgot to post this 8" x 10" commission I painted of Garrett Platanitis's Frenchie, Ava, a little while ago. Here are 2 earlier sketches with Photoshop grays added:

Thanks, Garrett!

Junebug Memorial Portrait

2009-02-15T09:55:00.000-08:00

I just finished a memorial portrait for my friend Adriane, who lost her adopted Pug, Junebug, in August 2008 after a vet misdiagnosed her health problems. Adriane and Junebug only got to share 2 months together. You can learn more about Junebug here. Rest in peace, Junebug.

New Bull Terrier 14" x 11" acrylic

2009-01-29T08:57:00.000-08:00

I painted this little guy as a thank you gift for my friends Irena and John Roman, both amazing illustrators and colleagues at Massachusetts College of Art & Design. They gave me a crazy devil mask and told me someday they'd like to have an orange and white Bull Terrier. I painted him on the sidewalk in front of their studio to keep them company until the real dog arrives.

eBay Print Auction for FBRN

2008-12-07T20:49:00.001-08:00

I'm donating 10 signed and personalized Frenchie Sleigh prints on eBay here, with French Bulldog Rescue Network getting the proceeds. My sleigh image has been reproduced on all kinds of merch on the FBRN cafepress store, too!

Rocco

2008-12-06T06:06:00.000-08:00

New 24" x 36" acrylic on canvas commissioned by Emmie Vazquez of her awesome Frenchie, Rocco, zooming around on his magic carpet.
Detail:

sketch for a different pose, ink with Photoshop color:

Thanks again, Emmie!

Bruce and Pinot

2008-09-27T20:56:00.000-07:00

Just finished this new double portrait of Kara Fullmer's Boston Terrier, Bruce (Wayne), and French Bulldog, Pinot, on their red comforter. Thanks again for the fun commission, Kara!

Original Art eBay Auction to Help Frenchies

2008-09-27T05:51:00.001-07:00

I posted 2 original paintings on eBay here, and donated 100% of the winning bids to the great people at French Bulldog Rescue Network to help out some very needy dogs. Please visit their site and donate if you can. Thanks a million to Carla Davis and Kate Ghiselin for their winning bids!

Custom Recreations

2008-09-27T05:43:00.000-07:00

French Bulldog Rescue Network donor Christopher Galleher hired me to recreate my old Boston Phoenix newspaper "Summer Destinations" cover:

featuring his wife Marla and their Boston terrier Tulie as a 24" x 36" canvas painting for Marla's birthday:

and French Bulldog Rescue Network donor Shana McCoy hired me to recreate my old "Sof Serv For 2" painting:

showing her with her departed pug Shu Li:

Thanks for these fun commissions, Chris and Shana

JAKE

2008-02-17T19:15:00.002-08:00

Tonight I gave my Mom this new 20" x 16" painting of my family's newly-adopted puppy, Jake, rolling on their living room rug. He's a real character. Happy Birthday, Mom!

Sachi and Manju portrait

2007-12-26T08:20:00.000-08:00

Harmonix boss and longtime buyer Alex Rigopulos hired me to paint his wife Sachi and their pug Manju as a Christmas present, "with their love melting the snow around them". Thanks, Alex!

Boston Terrier and French Bulldog Holiday Card Box Sets

2007-12-04T08:19:00.001-08:00

are now available from Ghastly Greetings here

Send your family and friends some bug-eyed holiday cheer this year!

recent portraits

2007-11-21T12:37:00.000-08:00

My friend Sheila's little buddy Coach has one eye, and he pulls himself around in a little cart when his back legs get tired. 16" x 20" on canvas, start to finish took 4 hours.

Flossie here is another 16" x 20" acrylic on canvas. She lives with Tom of Standard Design and Sarah in Northampton, MA, and is one good dog.

Happy Halloween!!

2007-10-30T17:35:00.001-07:00

Endicott!

2007-10-23T18:38:00.000-07:00

Dan and Susan Petitpas hired me to paint a 16" x 20" acrylic portrait of their 45-lb. Boston Terrier, Endicott, running around the Boston Common with my own Mr. Giles and Frankenstein. Thanks again for the fun commission!

El Vez Memorial Portrait

2007-10-12T22:06:00.000-07:00

I painted a gigantic canvas for my girlfriend's birthday of her late Great Dane/ Lab mix, El Vez, sprawled on her red comforter. The acrylic is thick impasto style and the colors match our bedroom. Because it will not be released as a print, I didn't get it professionally scanned.

Peggy Sue!

2007-08-16T17:26:00.000-07:00

I just finished a painting of Peggy Sue, a beautiful English Bulldog adopted by my friends Dottie Lux and Val Killmore. My 2 Boston Terriers are totally in love with Peggy. Actually, it's impossible to not be in love with Peggy. She's a character.

12 New Greeting Card Designs!

2007-06-20T21:03:00.000-07:00

Ghastly Greetings has just branched out with a new line of my dog art-themed cards. Just click the "Shop by Artist" button
here

New 36" x 48" Commission

2007-05-20T15:45:00.000-07:00

Carrie Guasto Philbin hired me to do a big painting of her dogs, Gunther and Abby. Here's the sketch with Photoshop color, and a photo of the finished painting. The colors are a bit off in the photo, especially the glare on the right. Thanks again, Carrie!

Davidson

2007-02-03T09:40:00.000-08:00

I just finished this memorial portrait of Davidson for FBRN donor Shana McCoy. Thanks again, Shana!

Muse

2007-02-03T09:22:00.000-08:00

Check out his great photo that print customer Julie Perel sent in of her Pug posing with her framed prints! Thanks again, Julie

Frenchie "Seasons" series completed

2007-01-31T22:18:00.000-08:00

I just finished the "Spring" painting for the French Bulldog "Seasons" series. Like the Boston Terrier series I did for Boston Buddies, the backgrounds line up to create the illusion of one big panoramic picture. The first 10 signed and numbered prints will go to the first 10 people who donate $100 or more to French Bulldog Rescue Network once the print goes up on their site in March; same deal with the "Summer" print in June. I'm very happy the first 10 "Autumn" and "Winter" prints went so fast, raising $2,000 for FBRN. Thank you to Carla Davis for buying the original paintings ("Winter" and "Spring" show Carla's dogs, Jazzy and Candy), Lesley Sailor and Trish Berresford at FBRN for coordinating the fundraiser, and to all the generous donors.

Sleepy Frankenstein

2007-01-23T20:37:00.000-08:00

I did this little sketch of Frank from memory while sitting in a long faculty meeting at MassArt and was really happy with how it came out. Usually I stylize his features, drawing in pencil first, then inking in my lines. But this is like the most realistic I've ever drawn him, and it was just dying pen on paper, no guidelines, and he wasn't even there so I was really proud of myself. I sound like a pompous ass, haha! At the time, I was wishing I was back home under the covers with my little snoring machines. Though the chocolate chip/ banana bread they had at the meeting was really good so it was worth it.