Pug, 9″ x 12″ acrylic on birch

I am beginning a new series of dog breed paintings. I hope to cover many of the popular dog breeds and prints will be available for purchase. My first painting is of the lovable pug. It is painted in acrylic on birch plywood. I decided to keep the wood grain as the background. I sprayed the panel with a clear, matte primer before painting. You can take a look at the progress photos below:

The next painting in the series will be a husky, so stay tuned!

A client requested that I paint this figurine to look like their English Bull Terrier named Lily. I gladly accepted the challenge even though this is not what I usually do. I used acrylic paint for this brindle bully and will varnish it for protection. The figurine is made by Border Fine Arts Studio. It is made using the process of cold casting, which is a white body similar to bisque fired ceramic and it allows the figurines to be hand painted. Don’t be afraid to ask me to paint an unusual item.

Chris and Melinda Golden with Cypress (in the red coat)

Part of being a pet portrait artist is being involved in the community. Creating art is typically a solitary activity so being able to get out and meet new people and dogs is wonderful. I have an English Bull Terrier named Cypress (like Spuds MacKenzie or the Target dog). I found out about the Bully Breed Walk through Stubby’s Heroes, a group of Pit Bull advocates.

So on a cold, windy, but sunny Sunday afternoon we got out and strutted our bullies at Wildwood Park. There was even a dachshund mix there. I also got to meet the owners of a dog treat business, Lose a Finger. So overall it was a good day, got to socialize and exercise.

Miles, 9″ x 12″ in watercolor

Last October I had the honor of doing the trophies for the Miniature Bull Terrier Club of America Nationals. I offered several different portraits for the winners. Finally I have been able to catch up on things after a busy Christmas season. Remember, I am also building a house with my husband in my spare time while I work on portraits and help him with photography. I am glad that it is finished!

Photo via Dogs in Duds

Dog lovers, fire up your e-readers and iPads, it’s time for my list of favorite dog blogs!

Feel free to add your favorite animal blogs in the comments!

Adoptable Dog, Pepper, in a tutu (Picture via Animal Action Rescue)

This month I made donations to two local animal rescues: Animal Action Rescue and Our Pal’s Place. I gave away the remaining tutus, bandanas, and bows I had to AAR. They use them in photos to draw interest to their adoptable pets. You can see Pepper (shown above) looking like a miniature ballerina in the tutu I made.

Our Pal’s Place is having a silent auction at their Valentine’s Party on Saturday, Feb. 9th. I donated a custom 9″x 12″ pencil pet portrait. It will be held at The Grande in Kennesaw, GA starting at 6 PM. If you are interested in getting a ticket follow the link here: share your love with homeless pets.

Animal Action Rescue is also having a silent auction at their 4th Annual Have A Heart, A Benefit for Animal Action Rescue on Wednesday, February 13. It will be held at Sun in my Belly in Atlanta, GA. I also donated a custom 9″ x 12″ pencil pet portrait. For more details about the event and ticket purchasing please click the following link: have a heart. Or take a look at the Facebook event to see all of the wonderful donations.

Kim, 9″ x 12″ graphite

Last October (2012), my best friend had to put her dog to sleep. Kim had a good, long life but it was her time to go. She was blind and deaf and had several other issues. The quality of life was not there any more. My husband and I were able to be there in the room to support my friend. So for her birthday I decided to surprise her with a portrait of Kim. She was so thankful for the gift and I was glad I could make this memorial for her.

Have you or someone you know experienced the loss of a pet? What helped you and how did you cope?

My tiny house is part of my long term goals as an artist. I am simplifying my life and keeping my living expenses low so I can pursue my art full time. My husband is a full time photographer: Chris Golden Photography. So with both of us being self-employed, the tiny house just seemed like the perfect fit for us. It is mortgage free and we’re paying for everything in cash.

It all started last Summer (2012) when we bought an older camper. Over the period of a few months we demolished the camper and harvested the trailer from it. Then in November we began framing the house.  Luckily for us, my father-in-law is a carpenter and he already had all the tools we needed.  He helped us a lot with building our house. The tiny house is 8′ wide and 20′ long. If you are interested in looking at our progress or find out more, please visit my Tumblr: The Golden Tiny House.

I am planning to build a small (10′ x 10′)  art studio close to our house. We are building on my in-laws property in North Georgia. It is a fairly rural area but we are still close by to major cities like Atlanta. We will still have all the amenities of home like a shower, kitchen, and internet. It has a sleeping loft and a storage loft. We are hoping to move in by April.

Melinda and Cypress in the tiny house

And of course we’ll be living with my English Bull Terrier named Cypress. She is happy as long as she has a soft bed and a full bowl of food.

Feel free to ask any questions or make a comment. This is the very short explanation of things so I encourage you to read more on our Tumblr.

I got to do something a little different than what I usually do which is always fun. This client requested that I paint a blue, red, and yellow bird on his slate roof piece from a house. Specifically, they are a Bluebird, a Summer Tanager, and a Yellow Warbler. I chose my composition by moving around the images of the birds in Photoshop first.  I decided to use acrylic paint because it can be used on nearly any surface. I think the colors turned out to be vibrant against the grey slate background. The branches were completely made from my imagination. So, just keep in mind that I welcome unusual requests and do not be afraid to ask just because it is not listed on my website.