“PAWpsicle”

Oil on Canvas, 36” x 36”

The concept for this oil painting emerged from my desire to immortalize my dog’s happiest day in a visual form. This painting is for the foyer of my family’s home, to serve as a perpetual reminder of this joyful time whenever we enter and exit our home. The use of an orange underpainting strategically enhances the overall vibrancy of the overlayed orange, brown, pink and blue tones of the oil paint. To ensure my dog, my hand, and the popsicle are the focal points of the painting, the background has a blurred effect, which was created by using a large soft brush to horizontally swipe the wet oil paint along the canvas, blending the details I had painted. Contrastingly, the foreground is composed of small brushstrokes to create added detail and texture, to make the foreground features stand out. Additionally, realistic color tones were used to create an 'image-like' effect of the painting, and enhance the painting's purpose.