Sam Sam

Pet name: Sam (affectionately known as ‘Sam Sam’)

When: Christmas 2010 (gift)

Sam is a Lurcher-Greyhound cross and lives with Dave and Janna, who brought him home from a dog rescue centre a couple of years ago. Dave and Janna are friends of mine and they LOVE Sam. Now in his twilight years he spends most of his days lazing on his bed in the lounge under the telly, looking up at his owners affectionately, waiting for his next treat.

I was approached by Dave and Janna as they wanted a picture of Sam for Dave’s parents as a Christmas present, who look after him a lot and keep him company while they’re at work.

They liked the idea of him being on canvas and wanted his placid personality to come across in his picture, for him to be painted ‘as they see him’. I immediately thought of Sam on his bed, under the telly all chilled out, where I’ve seen him time and time again. I thought this would work brilliantly on canvas and suggested this to Dave and Janna, who loved the idea, so I set to work!

Sam was painted with acrylic on a 20”x30” canvas, quite big! He’s a black and white dog but looks predominantly grey on his face. His subtle markings around his nose and eyes were a bit a challenge, but so important to get right.

The overall look I wanted to create was contemporary but not formal, for the painting to have a bit of warmth and some humour. He takes up a lot of the canvas and there’s very little background, which was left white for that ‘high key’ affect. I was pleased with the finished piece and Dave and Janna loved it, and it had good reviews from the parents! Dave and Janna now want a picture of Sam for their wall, which I can’t wait to start! So watch this space for Sam Sam to make a second appearance on my blog!