Mugz the Wonderdog

Ink Drawing of a Mugz, Yellow Labrador Retriever

This is a tribute to Mugz the Wonder Dog, who died a few months ago, just shy of his 16 years.

This hardy labrador retreiver emigrated all the way from South Africa when he was just a wee thing. Some say that he would be ancient, almost unheard of however I think his strength and vitality is testament to his hardy South African line.

Mugz had four passions. His people, squeaky toys, tennis balls... and water!

I met Mugz a few years ago. Mugz was always full of vim and vigour, a gentle soul always happy to meet you, yet he became a dog with jaws of steel with any ball or squeaky toy.

Although Mugz had arthritis, typical of a dog of his age, it rarely slowed him down. He could almost outrun you at the beach, to claim any toy in sight as his own. Onlookers would shout "Watch out, here comes Mugz!"

Mugz, we all love you and dearly miss you.

To find out more about having a portrait done of your dog, visit the Canvas Dog Studio.

My World Outside My Studio - Exploring Twitter

My new early morning habit these days is checking out some of the great posts by fellow Twitterers.
I must admit I was VERY sceptical of that medium, however much to my delight, I have discovered a new world outside my small studio - an international world that continually inspires me !

Follow me on Twitter as I discover postings of new artists, designs, colors, drawings, paintings and illustrations.

Although I hooked on Twitter, I still make time for playing with Cisco and of course painting. In the meantime my website www.theCanvasDog.com is undergoing a major overhaul.

Dog Portrait Artist in today's news!

Featured in the Toronto Star Article, "Good Boy, Now Sit for a Portrait" - April 2, 2009

I met with a great reporter, Francine Kopun, a few weeks ago to be interviewed for a feature article that she was writing about dog portrait paintings.

Although I knew that it would be in print within a week, I opened my email today and received congratulations from friends who were kind enough to tell me that they had already bought me few copies, as the Toronto Star is one of the most read newspapers in Ontario.

Kopun writes not only about contemporary dog paintings and dog portraitists, but also includes a bit of history of dogs in art.

This portrait of Winston, an English Bulldog, was featured in the article. It is painted in acrylic on stretched canvas 12 x 16 and available as a limited edition print from www.thecanvasdog.com

Here is an excerpt:

An artist since she was old enough to hold a spoon and draw pictures in her oatmeal, Nina Otulakowski began her career after deciding to paint her own Australian shepherd. Since then, animal portraiture has become the focus of her artistic life.

Before she paints, Otulakowski likes to spend an hour or two in the company of the dog and its owner to find out whether her subject likes treading water or curling up on a cushion.

"What does the dog like to do? Does the dog have other dog friends? What does the dog mean to the owner?" These are some of the questions she likes to answer.

My Blue-eyed Wonder Dog: Australian Shepherd - Pet Portrait Painting

What stares us in the face sometimes goes unnoticed but not this morning. This is a portrait of my dog Cisco, a lively 9 yr old australian shepherd. I love his enthusiasm and his smarts.

Cisco is full of beans and insists that I play tug of war with his leash while we are at the beach. Against my better judgement, I turned his leash into a spontaneous toy... now with aussies being so smart he learned that one very quickly.

This portrait of Cisco is painted in acrylic on stretched canvas, 20 inches square. It is based on a photograph shot last week by my friend Mike W. (Thanks Mike!)

Check back later this week and see the progress.

Clicker Training the Aggressive Dog

I have begun to read this great book, Clicking to Calm: Healing the Aggressive Dog by Emma Parsons.
Cisco is a joyous and friendly aussie... for the most part. Lately he has started to show signs of leash aggression towards several dogs who exhibit the same behaviour towards him. For the 5 years that he has been with me, this behaviour would only occur with 2 dogs on our block. Then since winter, it escalated. I am not sure why the change but it only happens on our block... and no where else.

Of course I felt like a bad owner... what part did I play in all this? Then I found this book and I am now starting to feel hopeful.

The author shares her own experiences with owning a dog that became aggressive. Grounded in positive reinforcement, there are many clear exercises that she presents to desensistize and calm an aggressive dog.

I don't like to use a head halter with a herding dog as she suggests however I do use a martingale body harness and this is proving to be easy to handle and effective.

I'll be posting again with our results in the near future.

Painting a Pet Portrait - the process of Jax and Holland

Lately I was asked to show the steps of painting a pet portrait. Interviewed in January in the Snap Beaches Newspaper about the process, I thought it's great to share it with you.

This is from an earlier painting, the portrait of Jax and Holland, commissioned as a birthday gift. They are both black shepherd mixed breeds who were adopted into a loving home.

I had assembled a collage of photographs of Jax and Holland. After discussing with owner the importance of creating the relationship of the two dogs in this portrait, I have placed the older dog in front as he is always on guard overlooking everything that is happening. Always eager to play, the younger dog is looking at us with an excited look on his face.

Using a soft pencil, I have lightly sketched directly onto a stretched canvas, 24 x 30 inches.

I begin with the underpainting in black acrylic. It is very loose and light with the texture of the fur. This is a quality that I want to keep.

Next, I paint the eyes, which I feel is the soul of the dog. Then I paint the background. I continue building up the layers, much like I do when creating a sculpture, giving the dogs more dimension.

This is the final painting of the two dogs, Jax and Holland. As art lovers, the owners were ecstatic. In it are captured the qualities that they love... the colour blue, the effect of water over rocks in the background, and most of all the love of the two dogs and the everlasting bond between their owners.

Overcoming obstacles ... outside of the studio

I don't think that I am any different from many other artists out there when I say that creativity happens in a bubble. The bubble in this case is the studio or even the conception stage, that burst of an idea in one's mind.

Today I overcame a huge obstacle! I approached a local shop in my neighbourhood about exhibiting my pet portraits! Fifteen minutes later i walked out with an invitation to return in a few days and hang my work in an exhibit!

Now don't get me wrong... I have exhibited my work for a few decades in various cities in Canada and also the united states. But it is walking into that unknown territory that can be anxiety producing.

Marketing doesn't always come naturally and that is due partly to one's experience and partly to how our minds are hardwired - left side / right side of the brain. Creativity and intuitive process on one side. Logic on the other.

Being in the studio we artists use our creative intuitive side. Even when out for quiet walks, it is the creative side that is quietly working away, looking at how the light might fall on something, admiring the shadow on an object, the reflection of light on the water, the way ice glistens.

So approaching a gallery or shop to exhibit one's work is out of the ordinary. Because it isn't an everyday routine, it gets left to the "do it later" list.
I guess I am quite happy with this as i would rather be in the studio, thank you very much.

the Canvas Dog Studio Featured in Snap

Thanks to SNAP newspaper, the Canvas Dog Studio is featured in their January issue. The article follows the process of the painting of Jax and Holland, two shepherd mixes.
"Nina's Dog Portrait in Progress"

As a birthday gift for his wife, the client shared information about not only the relationship of the two dogs but also of Sally's loving bond with her canine buddies. The importance of water was an element that the painting incorporates in the background of this dog portrait.