This beautiful oil painting of Sophie, the boxer dog, was commissioned as a gift from a wife to her husband for Christmas! What a wonderful surprise! This was painted on a 12 x 12 stretched canvas. When people get a stretched canvas, they have options to either hang it on the wall unframed, which gives a contemporary feel, or to have it framed, which gives a traditional look. It’s great to have options. The reference photo is a very important part of the process. This customer hired me for $75 to come to our home and capture this dramatic photo. The goal was to get the sun to shine on the dog at an angle to create strong light and dark contrast across her face. The light and shadow contrast helps to see the form of the dog’s face. Try it if you are considering an oil painting.
