DJ Geribo

Although I also paint full-sized animal portraits, from 8"x10" and up, I love painting these 5"x7" portraits in acrylics. Mostly because I can paint them the way I want to, in a looser, more painterly style. I really enjoy painting the photorealistic portraits but I equally enjoy the looser style of portraits. And the good part is, people also seem to like them. Sometimes having a small portrait on an small easel, sitting on a table, of your favorite pet, whether they are still here or have passed, can be just as rewarding and comforting to have around as a full-sized photorealistic portrait hanging on the wall.

This is another portrait that I painted for my friend Melissa (birthday present from her husband Rick) - this one is of her cat, Ginger. A very pretty cat with a beautiful coat, Ginger loves hanging outdoors, on their porch or in the yard. All of their pets were so different from each other and I enjoyed painting the variety of poses and coat colors. I also chose to add different background colors to each one - knowing that they would be sitting on a shelf side-by-side, I thought they would each stand out more if they all had different colors.

A friend recently gave me about 25 used frames - some of them are elaborate and slightly damaged, others are in perfect condition, still others should most likely be brought to the dump. My friend got them from his son who is a curator at a museum and restores the artwork that is on display there. Periodically they update the work with new frames, etc. Since he knows I'm an artist, he gave them to me. Although he didn't ask for payment, I thought it would be a good idea to give him something in return. As it turned out, his wife mentioned that she liked the 5x7 paintings that I did of each of my pets. So as a birthday present from him, I decided to paint her three cats and one dog on 4 of the 5x7 canvases as a gift from him to her. 

I've painted 3 of the animals so far - I still need to touch-up the painting of Brittany, her Shina Ibu, and I still have quite a bit of work to do for the last painting of Moses. This painting is of Smokey. When I took his photo, he gave me this look as if to say, "Yeeesssss, can I help you?" All of the animals posed so well and I got the pictures I needed without any trouble at all. I gave her this painting on her birthday with the promise of more to come. I can't wait to hear what she thinks of them all once they are completed.

 Almost done! Every year Jim and I take a trip up north to look for moose. I can't get enough pictures of this elusive creature as we look along back roads and woods hoping to get a glimpse of the moose. Jim drives and it is my job to look in the marshy woodlands where they like to hang out hoping to find a moose or two that I can hopefully get photographs of to paint.

This time I was lucky and saw, first, the baby standing alone in a marsh. We stopped the truck and quickly and quietly walked as close as we dare to take pictures. The baby, in the meantime, was quickly making its way back to where its mom was, off the road, just a short distance away. One look told us to back off. I was fortunate to get a couple of pictures of the two before they headed into the deep woods, away from the road and out of sight.

About six months ago I joined Daily Paintworks to get more exposure for my art. One of the things I like about the site is that they are involved in fundraising. Although I donate to animal organizations with my other websites (Eye Help Animals and Help Shelter Pets), I often want to use my art to help the many disasters that occur around the country. Daily Paintworks gives me the opportunity to do just that!

I have donated "Sunny Calf" to the cause to raise funds for the Oklahoma Disaster Relief Fund with the money going to the American Red Cross.

My friend Shirley and I often paint together. We also sometimes watch a painting show on the Create channel and are then inspired to try some of the techniques that we were shown. Last week we got together on Monday and then again on Friday to watch both parts of a demonstration by Jerry Yarnell. Although my painting only sort of resembles his painting, I was happy with the way it came out. I painted on a cardboard canvas which I use for practice sessions. I may spend a little more time adding some wildflowers in the foreground. 

The painting was created in acrylics, one of my favorite mediums.