“Beau”
(Watercolour on paper)
Size: 44x55cm (approx)
ABOUT THIS PAINTING
I have four daughters and two are married with
children. I have painted portraits of
all my grandchildren. The surrogate
child of one of my other daughters was a pet Pomeranian dog called “Beau”.
It is well known that for some people
grief can be as strong for the loss of a pet as it is for a lifelong human
companion. So when Beau died at the age
of 14 years, I did a portrait of him for my daughter who does not have
children.
We all know that animals have
personalities and this becomes very evident when one paints the likeness of a
pet. Below is a photo of Beau. You must agree that I have captured the
personality quite well.
Although this blog is about
Understanding Abstract Art, I include this painting so as to show that even
though I prefer painting in an abstract way, I do have the ability to paint in
a representational way particularly if the subject calls for this style.
Artistic techniques used in the
painting:
This painting
of “Beau” falls into the genre of portraiture. Note the difference in approach between
my abstract portraits reviewed in posts #70 and #71 and this one. All the paintings of my grandchildren (including
Beau) are done in a representational style because I feel that it provides a
token of remembrance.
I chose
watercolour for this portrait because of Beau’s personality. He was a fun and loving companion. Also his very appealing looks which went with
his nature. I chose the medium of watercolour
paint because I felt it best captures these endearing attributes. Of course this is purely a subjective
decision.
A painter has
many choices when starting a portrait (even a portrait of a dog). The artist can choose to depict the whole
body, or alternatively, just paint the face.
What is included in the portrait should always be intentional and
indicate something about the subject and their personality. Because Beau was small and white I chose to
focus on his face. This was the most
defining aspect of him and captured his loving personality.
I painted
this portrait in a medium/large size because Beau was a small dog with a big
presence.
The tone is
high to med-tone showing high contract between his features and his white
fur. I have also used a limited pallet
to enhance this tonal affect.
The form is
quite flat. This is indicative of my
general style even when the subject matter is representational.
The composition
is static and balanced. The medallion
design strategy is used. This gives a
feeling of importance to the subject otherwise one would see just a little ball
of white fluff.
Isn’t he
endearing? Don’t you love him?
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