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June 3, 2024 by

June is butterflies...and one relaxed dog.

"The love of a dog is a pure thing. He gives you a trust which is total. You must not betray it." ~ Michel Houellebecq, a French poet and novelist.

This post was first published in June 2017. Since then, Chico and more recently, Sophie, have both joined Mopsy, and are running joyfully and without pain in beautiful grassy fields.

Chico was one of the first dogs I painted on canvas. This started me on my journey as a pet portrait artist.

Mixed media portrait of Havanese on 12 x12 gallery wrapped canvas

“An afternoon in the shade”.  12 x 12 gallery-wrapped canvas, mixed media portrait of Havanese Chico, 12 years old.

An easy-going, laid back kind of dog, Chico, joined our family as a puppy.

When he is happy to see us, he bounces around, with a big grin on his face. Most times though, he is quite content to lie quietly on a comfortable cushion and watch household activities.

For this portrait, I painted him outdoors. After all, we are almost into summer here in Canada, and just like his human family, he loves the cool grass on his paws, and the shady areas of the yard.

Below is the original photo used as inspiration for the whimsical portrait I painted of him.

photo of Havanese

The photo is a bit dark and not quite focused but I also have a live model as reference!

Chico is sitting on his favourite brown blanket on our red sofa. He claimed that blanket while he was sick, and we used it to keep him warm.

I was aiming for a fanciful, soft portrait of our little puppy.  And in keeping with the puppy theme, I have made him look a little pudgier than he is in real life.

Although he barks at anyone who dares come to our door, he is the gentlest, friendliest little dog one could ever want.

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