Beckett the Boxer

This young lady was commissioned for a friend of my husbands. She is quite a talented dog, seen here balancing a piece of pepperoni on her nose. The word is she has steely will-power and will balance it there until told "ok" before attempting to flip it into her mouth. I love a pup with personality!

9x12 on 1/8" museum quality panel

www.halliekohnart.com

Frank

This painting was commissioned as a Christmas present.

You know what my favorite thing about doing pet portraits is? Well, there are two actually. One is how much the owner truly loves the pet. It is always so clear how much the animal is loved. The second thing is how much the eyes seem to convey of the animals spirit. My number one goal is always to try my best to get those eyes right because they truly are windows to the soul.

9x12 Oil Palette Knife Painting

www.halliekohnart.com

Bruno with Process Photos

This dog is one of two done as a commissioned piece for a collector who wanted an "avocado--the color of old kitchen appliance" green background. Once again makes me appreciate commissions as it may not be a color I would have originally selected and I absolutely love it. It gives a kind of vintage feeling to the portrait.

I started with a black background, light grid lines, and drew the images with a white pencil. Painting on black was always my thing when I first started painting with palette knife, and I'm so glad to be revisiting it again. I love the way the color pops, and love the effect of allowing some chunks of black to peek through. On occasion I will do this with reddish-orange, but really love the black the best. Here are some process photos:

12x12 Oil on Museum Quality Panel 

www.halliekohnart.com