PAINT MY DOG! #18

Bandaid
8" x 10"
oil on canvas
www.petportraitsbyclair.com


Shortly after Bandaid's passing, Alene wrote this for her beloved best friend…

"My Bandaid

The last night of your life was the hardest of mine. It was a slow, but natural death. I prayed all night for God to take you, to end your pain, to give you what I couldn't. I begged you to forgive me for not giving you peace days before.

I wanted so badly for you to live..Maybe it was the last lesson you were to teach me. I'm sure I'll never be the same. It has taken me two months to write this because I'm sure no words will be good enough to explain to the world what you meant to me.

You were my protection, unconditional love and loyalty. I slept at night, knowing you were watching over me. When I needed someone to love me unconditionally, you did. When life was just more than I could handle, you licked my face and made me handle it.

You always had my back. I am who I am today because you came into my life.

As I write this and try to come up with the right words, one song keeps playing in my head and has for the last two months, even the night you were dying. The Dance, by Garth Brooks. And the line, I could have missed the pain, but I would've had to miss the dance.

Bandaid, I would've spent that night a hundred times over (as hard as it was) to have the dance we shared. What an awesome dance we shared. :) I only hope you feel the same way.

That night could not have been easy for you. I pray you will forgive me for it. I tried to be with you to the end, but at times I couldn't bare to watch nature take you. I would have gladly taken your pain, even as painful as that night was, and as much as my mind dwells on it.

I remember the good nights and the good times, and my arms around your furry neck and your sweet kisses. For that, I have to thank you for the dance.. the night you died (the last hour), you and God gave me a gift (even though I hated God many times that night).

I am grateful for that last gift. It gives me hope we will meet again. My sweet Bandaid, I can't wait to see you.

RIP my sweet, sweet Bandaid. September 2000-November 25, 2011. I love you always."

Reagan

Reagan Commission
10" x 8"
oil on canvas
sold


Handmade Wilmington is having an Artisan's Market  in the Sun Gallery and Gifts parking lot to raise money for Canines for Service Sept. 14th. The gallery is filled with a lot of my dog paintings and I will be there painting if you are interested in dropping by.
Here is the information...

www.sungalleryandgifts.com

Ivan the Terrier

Ivan the Terrier

8" x 10"

oil on canvas

framed in and antique style frame

view this painting in my store

I have wanted to paint Chumley as Napoleon ever since we found him... I guess since he's so small, but has such a large presence to me.

Unfortunately for commissions and my 25 dogs list, I've been struggling with painting ever since I got back from my vacation… painters block….  I wanted to do something not serious and fun and this is the painting that came out.

PAINT MY DOG Series - Lyra - #16

"Lyra"
10" x 8"
oil on canvas
reserved purchase

Just wanted to let you know I'm taking a break for a week to celebrate my 50th birthday with my family in Florida so I won't be posting while I'm gone.

Here is Lyra's story…
"Lyra is a rescue from "Happy Paws Rescue" in Yuba City. We drove to Yuba City (about 30 miles away) in a torrential rain storm on Friday, February 28th and immediately fell in love with her. She weighed a little under 6 pounds when we got her, and is now about 23 pounds. She loves her big brother, Harry (an 11 year old rescue). We think she is a corgi/terrier mix. Her name comes from the book "Out Stealing Horses" by Per Petterson - it was the name of the dog in the book - and my partner, Jim, thought it was a great name for a dog, so three years later, when we got her, we used that name."

Here is Lyra with her big bother…



petportraitsbyclair.com

PAINT MY DOG - Copper - #15

Copper
10" x 8"
oil on canvas
reserved purchase


Coppers story…

"He was named Copper as a pup because of the copper markings on his face. He was 10 when he passed over the rainbow bridge and by then a lot of the copper color was white. 

When he was 7, he was bitten by a copper head, but survived. The bite weakened his heart and he lasted three years after. 

He was a fearless little man who knew what I meant when I asked for a kiss. He would look up and offer me his cheek.  His fur was as soft as rabbit. I miss him."

petportraitsbyclair.com

PAINT MY DOG #11 - Foxy

Foxy
10" x 8"
oil on canvas
reserved purchase

Kane and Abel

12" x 16"
oil on canvas
sold to a collector in Florida

This is your chance to own and original "Pearl Earring" painting!

Auction ends tonight…

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auctions/#/artist=hartmann,%20clair&mode=search

PAINT MY DOG - Rhylee

Rhylee

11/13/03 - 6/29/14
8" x 10"
oil on canvas

Here is Ryhlee's story….

"Rhylee was our "buy one get one free" pup. She and sister Gia were total opposites. Gia very friendly and Rhylee shy and aloof. That being said, Rhylee was the one everyone wanted to pet and she received all the compliments! As she aged she became loving and was always begging for tummy rubs. This made losing her even more difficult. Your painting brings her to life....it's as if I can feel her beautiful fur through my fingers and the expression on her sweet face is perfect. My heartfelt thanks."

"Pearl Earring" Three Day Auction

16" x 20"
oil on canvas
View Auction

A few years ago I painted this in a small format and have always wanted a "do-over" in a larger size.
Well, here it is! This painting will be up for auction for three days to raise surgery money for my beloved studio pup Chumley who is feature in this painting.

Here is the link to my auctions:
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auctions/#/artist=hartmann,%20clair&mode=search

"To Have and to Hold" - Three Day Auction

14" x 16"

oil on canvas
view auction

I am sad to say that my Chumley's cancer has returned and he is going in to surgery Monday to try and remove another mast cell tumor. To generate money for the surgery I am offering my painting "To Have and To Hold" which won "Peoples Choice Award" in the Azalea Festival Spring Show in an auction.
I will let you know how the surgery goes - keep your fingers crossed for poor Chums.

petportraitsbyclair.com

PAINT MY DOG - Dexter

"Dexter"
8" x 10"
oil on canvas

Really had fun with this one!

This is Dexter's story….
"Dexter is our 4 year old English Bulldog..he has that perpetually, sad look, but uses it to fool us into spoiling him with love and affection. He lives up to his reputation as an affectionate, loyal, companion, who not only loves us, but other dogs and children.

His secret talents are his ability to not only skateboard, but skim board in the ocean, as well as being a great swimmer, rather Unusual for his breed....needless to say, he has our hearts..
He is a character!"

PAINT MY DOG - ZeeZee

"ZeeZee"
8" x10"
oil on canvas

I love the look of this dog.
Lately, I've been watching the series HELL ON WHEELS which is set in the old west when the railroad was being built. As I was painting her, I thought she looked like she could be one to the characters. 

She just has that look. 

Classic.


Here is Zee Zee's story:
"ZeeZee is a rescue, she became my pal at 12 weeks old when I was grieving about the loss of my husband and dog within a week of each other.

My daughter and I drove to get her in Mt Airy where she had been kept at a Veterinarians Office. They did not give us any history.

They called her Zig Zag, but I thought that sounded like rolling papers…….. she became ZeeZee, which is so much easier to say.

ZeeZee has a mind of her own . Two years ago she jumped the fence and was on the run for 9 days. Thanks to many friends and fliers we found her safe and were joyfully reunited."



Part cattle dog and part terrier, ZeeZee, keeps me throwing the ball and sweeping up hair !

"Bogey" Commission

"Bogey"
16" x 20"
oil on canvas


After the SALT Magazine came out, I was commissioned to paint Bogey and Butterscotch who had passed years ago. The clients had always wanted to get them memorialized in a painting. After they saw the article, they contacted me. I'm truly honored they chose me to paint their beloved fur babies!!

Look for Buttercup in tomorrows post!

clairhartmann.blogspot.com
petportraitsbyclair.com

PAINT MY DOG - Jersey

Jersey
8" x 10"
oil on canvas

Jersey's story…
"We got Jersey when she was 8 weeks old while living in California.  We are both dog people but she was our first small dog.  Our previous dog was a German Shepherd so a Frenchie was a big change, and she did not disappoint. This dog had our number from the day we got her and she knew it.  The day we got her we said she would sleep in her bed next to ours, By day 2 she was sleeping in our bed, under the covers, with her head on the pillow...snoring.  We actually got a king sized bed to fit her more comfortably.

Her two favorite things are to cuddle and to cause trouble.  When she can't cuddle she causes trouble.  At 6 months old she set off our 75lb motion detectors (she is 25lb) and got a visit from the local police department when her mommy forgot to put her in her kennel for the day. She loves walks, but if you take her too far she will lay down and you have to carry her back.  There is nothing you can do to get her to walk.  She will keep laying back down.  

When she was a year old we added a baby boy to our little family.  She was not amused.  Especially when he was 18 mo to 2 years and loved to try to tackle her.  Now that he is three and knows how to play nice they love each other.  Jersey is a complete joy, she has kept her mommy company during 2 of her daddy's deployments. We don't know what our life would be like without her."

You may recall seeing jersey in a painting I did a few months ago…

PAINT MY DOG - Lucie

Lucie
10" x 8"
oil on canvas

Lucie's Story…
"I first met Lucie (Bootie) in 2005 at "Tails U Win" in Oak Island NC. She was about 3 months old at the time and was very sick with Parvo. Her rescuers were not sure if she would pull through or not. We had just lost a dog to old age & I was visiting different rescue organizations & donating food etc in order to ease the pain of our recent loss. We were unsure if we were ready for a new pup and when I left "Tails U Win" that day I had no idea that I would soon be bringing her home. A couple of weeks after my visit, Betty with "Tails" called and said that Lucie (Bootie) had recovered and would be available at PetsMart for adoption. My husband and I went over there "just to look" and someone had Lucie out on a leash. Instantly, I felt my heart in my throat. The minute they put that leash down, I snatched it up and haven't let go ever since! I think the fuzzy red boy I had just lost sent this fuzzy red girl to take his place."

This is the second time I have painted Lucie…

PAINT MY DOG - Coach

"Coach"
10" x 8"
oil on canvas

Coach's story…

"I was at work one day in 2007 and during a slow period, I started looking through Paws Print magazine & found 2 blonde golden retriever pups (Pooh Bear & Sugar Bear) at the Brunswick Animal Shelter. My husband (who had never stopped by the store before) came in that day and asked what I was looking at and was I going to call about them. Once again, we weren't planning on another pup but when I called I learned that Pooh Bear was still available. We took Lucie (our other rescue) with us to meet the pup and we knew pretty quickly that it was a match made in heaven! Pooh Bear was renamed Cochise because he acts like a little chief and we call him Coach for short. He's grown from a skinny little lost pup into a 75 lb beauty and is a loving companion."

This is the second time I have painted coach…

PAINT MY DOG - Alex

Alex
8" x 10"
oil on canvas

Alex's story…
"I adopted Alex from Crete, Greece in June 2012. He had been hung alive from an olive tree. I had visited Greece on vacation and noticed the awful way Greek stray dogs are treated. It is not uncommon for dogs to be hung, given food with poison, shot, kicked and thrown stones at. I decided after my vacation that I would look into adopting a Greek stray. I found a picture of Alex within a week of being hung. A school boy and his teacher had found him. From the pressure of the rope around his neck he lost an eye and two teeth and has a ugly scar on his neck. I talked with the woman that found him and another that was in charge of his care. As soon as he was well enough he flew from Athen's to Boston where I picked up. He sat in my lap the for the ride to VT about 5 hours. He is the sweetest dog. He is what started New England Helps Greek Strays. In a way Alex is one of the lucky ones because he made it out. Many dogs live a very bad existence in Greece in barrels. The metal is the only shade from the baking sun in the summer and the only protection form the cold in the winter. Most of these dogs do not have clean drinking water and many are left to starve tied to these barrels.
Alex enjoys laying on my bed and playing with my other dogs."

Curly Cow

"Curly Cow"
22" x 22"
oil on canvas
sold

This is a commission I just completed for a collector.
My friend humorously calls it a "cowmission".

The show is tonight from 5-8pm -
I'll have all the new paintings up!
(they look so much better in person than on this silly monitor)

PAINT MY DOG - Huck

"Huck"
8" x 10"
oil on canvas

I just love this face!

About Huck:
"You can say he is very stubborn; incorrigible but more than makes up for it by being very sweet."


I will have all the new paintings at the show Friday!

"Kizzy" Commission

"Kizzy"
8" x 10"
oil on canvas
sold

The name Kizzy came from Roots, she was the daughter of Kunta Kinte.

I wanted to share the clients email… this painting was originally going to be a surprise...

"Oh, gosh Clair. Wow. It's perfect. Really, it's beautiful and we love it. Yes, I'm afraid the cat's out of the bag because when I saw this last night, I started crying and couldn't seem to pull it together. Ranald, of course, wanted to know what was wrong, and I was too emotional to make anything up! So, I showed him, and we both started to cry, and we're both thrilled with it. Thank you."

Here is Kizzy's story:

We adopted our beautiful girl out of Rhodesian Ridgeback Rescue when she was 18 months old. She had had a tough time as a puppy, so she didn't trust many people, but the three of us loved each other right away. She was an amazing athlete, a tremendous hunter, and the best guard dog we've ever seen. She had a regal, queenly bearing, and she loved to sit in the sunshine for hours.

This was her memorial:

It is with a heavy heart and a spirit filled with gratitude that we let you know that our dear Kizzy passed over the Rainbow Bridge last night, completing this part of her journey, and she is now on her next adventure. She had her quirks, but we loved her, and she loved us back with ferocity. We continue to feel her so close by, making sure we are OK, as she always has. The last couple of days, the three of us talked a lot about our walks on the beach, at the park, and chasing her leash at UNCW. The way the squirrels ran for cover whenever she went into the backyard, and how much she loved being pet on the belly - but only by us, her people she could trust. How she got the top marks in obedience class, but woe be it to the person who dared to ring our doorbell! She was beautiful, proud, and fiercely loyal. If you would think of her today and send an ear scratch her way, we would love that. Mindy and Ranald

Don't forget about the show tomorrow night!

I'll have all the recent paintings up!