Opie

My dad was visiting from Nevada a few weeks ago. It was hard for him to be away from his dog because they spend a lot of time together hiking and going on long walks. There were a few photos on his phone of Opie, and the light on this one was really good. I had a great time painting this nice and loose.

8x8 on 1/8" museum quality panel
www.halliekohnart.com

Ace & Jet

This was such a fun commission to work on from start to finish. When I went to take some pictures of these two black labs, they were so full of life and puppy energy. When my client said blue was her favorite color, I knew it was a match made in heaven and I was thrilled to incorporate such dynamic color to go with their great personalities!

20x24" on 1.5 Gallery Wrapped Canvas

www.halliekohnart.com
www.facebook.com/halliekohnart

Golf Cart Companions

This was a commissioned painting done using brush instead of palette knife. I think once I become more comfortable painting people (this might be my third painted person), then I would love to try using the knives. It would definitely require me painting a looser representation, something I know would be fun to work on more.

8x10 oil on museum quality panel/brush

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

Your Photo Painted SOLD

A week or two ago I posted to my Facebook page looking for photos that friends/fans would like to see painted. A few of the photos that I received were of dogs! I had painted my first dog about a month ago and decided I was interested in giving this another go. The thing that drew me to the photograph that I ultimately selected was the water and all of the colors--I knew this would be a challenge. I am pleased with the way it turned out.

I am told this is the North Umpqua River in Oregon and that it is quite beautiful.

8x10 Oil on Museum Quality Panel
www.halliekohnart.com