dog Archives - Yvonne’s Artwork

Paint your pet workshop. April 2026

Another pet portrait weekend workshop was held last month, for 8 people, all of whom have attended my workshops in the past. It was a beautiful warm weekend, and fun was had by all.The first day consists of preparing the portrait, and drawing the subject onto pre stretched watercolour paper. Some of the attendees chose to have me pre stretch for them, I usually have boards of pre stretched Arches 300gms watercolour paper, in case the weather is wet or humid, which would mean the paper would take much longer to dry properly. Day 1 I provide acetate grids with 2cm squares marked, large enough to cover an A4 photograph. The pre stretched paper is divided in to 2.5cm, (or 1 inch) squares which enlarges the image to fit a 12×16 inch, or roughly A3 size. I do suggest that the grid and portrait be sketched using a 2B pencil. Anything harder, especially for the grid, leaves indents in the paper which can be visible when painted. The grid lines are drawn really feint as these have to be fully erased using a kneadable putty rubber, once the sketch is complete. There is nothing more annoying that painting a beautiful portrait only to see grid lines still visible. After a break for lunch, we begin painting the background, using a wet on wet technique, and the bright colours seen in my portraits. day 2 Day two starts early again as there is a lot to do. The next step, once the backgrounds have been completed and are totally dry, is to start the subject. I suggest starting with the light colours and highlighted areas of the portrait first. for white fur areas we start with the pale blue shading as this really crisps up any white fur. In coloured fur start with the lightest parts where the light hits the subject. There is a lot to take in during this process, the colours used, are not the usual colours, I like to give students the chance to play with the colours using a warm and cool palette, the warm colours are for the highlights and the cool colours for the shadow. The layering of colours build up the shadow areas, and instead of black, purple and indigo are used. There are tricks to getting the eyes to look glassy, we leave the eyes until the body and head are completed and totally dry.Finally the white work, using titanium white gouache, is used for the white reflection in the eye and whiskers, or to scruff up white fur, and finally pen work. A gentle outliner or to accentuate fur direction and movement. As you can see the results are fantastic. Everyone goes home with a portrait to be proud of. If you are interested in attending a workshop, or having me host one for you, please contact me through this website, or via my Facebook page.

Going Incognito for a great cause

This year was the first year I have entered the Incognito Art Show. An amazing 20,000 pieces of art were submitted this year! three of them were mine. Every piece of artwork is A5 in size and is sold for just $100. Profits raised go towards funding programs, supporting artists working with disabilities. There are some very famous prize winning and very well known artists in this show, but that’s the beauty, you don’t know whos art you have until you have bought it. “Our mission… To support arts organisations / To provide emerging artists with professional pathways / To inspire and develop a new generation of art collectors and supporters. The Incognito Art Show is a not-for-profit organisation supporting Australian artists. We run Australia’s biggest and most inclusive art show. “ Give it a go! With this in mind I was eager to have a go. I realised that with so many art works on show, in one place and online, the art had to be bright enough to stand out on first glance, be a recognisable subject that would appeal to a wide audience, be well executed, and a good example of my individual style. So my subjects were easy. Firstly there had to be a greyhound, as greyhound lovers tend to be drawn to art with a greyhound on it, and why not!So my first image was Otis in his sunny spot. Being A5 in size the detail was important to me. I used watercolours, gouache and pen on my finished Image. Second was a Tiger. I love painting tigers, their colours and markings are so beautiful, and they also appeal to a wide audience. I have painted this close up tiger face before on an A2 size. This time I added splashes of gold Alcohol inks to catch the light. With this intense stare it is a hard image to ignore. Thirdly, “The head tilt” a beautiful brown and tan Kelpie. Kelpies have a wide appeal in Australia, the ultimate working dog and loved family pet. Their keenness to work and eager to please attitude makes them a firm favourite. I have painted many kelpies in the last decade or so, some examples were prize winners for me too, so third choice was an easy pick. This one also had that splash of gold alcohol ink to catch the light. So, how did I go? Otis and “The Sunny spot” sold on the first day! My other two sold in the first three days. I was thrilled to be able to contribute to this show and ecstatic they all sold for this great cause.Next year I will encourage more of my students to enter and get a “group pack”. My process will be the same, bright and well executed artwork, plus an appealing well known subject.

The Plight of the Galgo

As you may know I love Greyhounds, I had two beautiful rescued Greyhounds, Daisy and Otis, who I have loved, and sadly lost recently. The story of the rescued greyhound is very similar to another breed, the Galgo, a Spanish hunting dog, very similar to a greyhound, part of the sighthound family, they are used for coursing in Spain. These elegant, beautiful dogs are calm and gentle, like their greyhound relatives, but in Spain they were not viewed as a family dog, but as a “thing” that is disposable. Every year thousands of Galgo and Podenco dogs, another sighthound hunting dog, are disposed of horrifically. It is believed that the more suffering the animal receives in its death, the better luck next season for the Galgueros. This mentality sees the dogs suffering the most inhumane deaths. Thrown down wells, poisoned, beaten, starved, burned or hung from trees, the higher in the tree the quicker the death for the better performing dog, the others hung from low branches, forced to support their own weight on tiptoes, until they tire and hang themselves. This is known as Pianoing. This noble breed is mentioned in ancient history, named “the Spanish greyhound”, and is thought by some popular writers to have descended from Egyptian dogs brought to the Iberian Peninsula the Phoenicians nearly 3,000 years ago.They were protected, with heavy penalties for the abuse or death of a Galgo. Over time these dogs worth has dwindled in the eyes of their hunter owners, it is a travesty that such a wonderful dog has been allowed to suffer brutality and inhumane acts of violence. In Spain they were not given any acknowledgement in the eyes of the law. As a result thousands of dogs have disappeared, unaccounted for. In today’s society Spanish Galgo rescues are pushing for change. A new law, as of January 5, 2022, amends the Civil Code to “provide that animals may no longer be considered ‘things’ but ‘sentient beings’ and family members, and that animal owners are now required to provide proper care to ensure their animals’ well-being in accordance with the characteristics of each species.” I support and sponsor dogs through Galgos Del Sol, a rescue in Murcia, Spain, run by an amazing woman, Tina Wales Solera, and an army of volunteers, Thanks to social media the word is getting around the world about this breed, and its ability to make a perfect pet. Education is the key for the future, teaching the children about respect and love for this beautiful breed. Hopefully they, and future generations will once again regard them as the noble breed they are. I wanted to create the image as a more ethereal version, so here it is black on black with an swirling mist, as the Galgo seems to be invisible to many in Spain, and they disappear without being noticed or recognised. Several animal photographers are bringing the Galgo to the eyes of the world, via social media, with exquisite photographic images. Travis Patenaude of StinkEye Photography, allowed me to use his reference image for this painting. He assists rescues in Spain, and helps with the rehoming of Galgos into the USA. As their popularity grows, Galgos are now being adopted throughout Europe, UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, Scandinavia. The public opinion of Galgo and greyhounds has shifted, seeing them as worthy, loyal and perfect companion animals. They have waited many years for this, now they are being given a voice.Once again they can be a noble breed.

My favourite things

My favourite things would definitely be these four characters, Shadow, Daisy, Otis and Charlotte, so I decided to paint their portraits and hang them together as one , as we were redecorating the Background colour was chosen to go with ours new décor. The background is “Atelier Permanent maroon”. The first step was to prime and grid the canvases. Then I sketch in the images. I use a pastel pencil as the graphite pencil can transfer to the paint, and the pastel is much easier to erase. Once my sketches were completed I under painted the canvasses using a burnt sienna, this will help give the white a slightly warmer tone, I find it useful to see where I have painted White areas too, and not missed areas of canvas leaving just primed areas. I use a watery paint to do this and paint the shaded areas in. Once the underpainting is completed I can complete my portraits. Firstly blocking in my subjects then painting in the background. I have demonstrated here with the first portrait of Daisy, the first layer of the background is painted, it needs at least two to cover properly, and I have started to paint the lighter areas of her. The following images of Otis and Charlotte show the blocked in areas, plus some detailed work, Shadow’s face is almost complete, his eyes and the black areas of his body need to be completed. When the portraits were finished I felt I needed to address each character individually, by including their favourite things. For Charlotte it is her ball. She is ball mad and has toy boxes full of them, Her favourite game is to push the ball under something, pool fence, couch, then ask you to come and get it out from under where ever she decided to put it. Once retrieved she immediately pushes it under again… and so it continues. Daisy, being a greyhound was very driven for anything fast moving, her favourite spotting moments were if she saw a rabbit or chicken, she would just stop and stare, in her younger days attempt to chase, but once she had spotted something on her walk, the next few walks she would put the brakes on in that spot and wouldn’t move until she was sure it wasn’t there. Living near orchards and paddocks this made for a long walk. Daisy’s painting shows rabbits and text saying “I Love Mum.” Otis was a very happy boy on his walks, or runs, but he had problems with his toes dislocating and had to wear special greyhound boots, called “Honey boots”. To get ready for a walk meant having his boots on, this lead to a roll on the couch, and the game of the paw of more. Boots finally on he would sprint off into the car. Otis also loved the warm sunny spots in the house and garden so his painting shows a boot and the sun. Shadow‘s favourite thing is easy… It is his Dad. He is a sensitive soul but absolutely adores his dad, he is a very loyal boy, and a wonderful companion. He missed the greyhounds when they died, but needed a dog his own size that would play and tussle, that is why Charlotte came into our family. Charlotte is an American Bull dog, Shadow is an American bulldog, Neapolitan mastiff cross. I hope you have enjoyed the process of making these portraits. My Acrylic paintings are much more detailed and more lifelike than my watercolours. They take anything up to 3 weeks to produce, depending on size. If you would like to see more Acrylic painting examples, have a browse through the gallery section for Acrylic paintings.

Oh My Stars AQC entry 2024

Oh my stars! The 2024 Australian Quilt Challenge theme was “Oh my stars!” which originally bought up images of film stars and pop idols, but I am not so good at people, so decided to go with something I know I am good at, animals. I played around with several images then settled on a dog and a mouse. It had to include stars so I decided a star shaped biscuit was the connection between the mouse and dog. I made a pattern of the head and enlarged it onto brown paper, the acetate pattern was traced from this and would be reversed for tracing the shapes needed for the iron on fusing web. The fused fabric is then cut out and using the correct side of the acetate pattern, I can place the pieces onto the calico backing. I use a Janome sewing machine, very basic, and a hoop to keep the fabric flat whist sewing as the multi directional stitching can make the fabric warp. I use embroidery thread and cottons, with bobbin fill as my bobbin thread in white for the lighter areas and black for the dark areas. As with all my textiles I only ever use straight and zig-zag stitches. Once the dogs head is complete I can cut it out from the backing, then I can begin on the mouse. I tried a few different angles for the mouse, but decided to show the biscuits he was sitting on from the eye level of the viewer, looking at the dresser face on. The background was dyed using Alcohol inks on white homespun. The diluted inks are painted on, then splashed, to replicate my watercolour painting backgrounds. This is left to line dry and then ironed to fix the ink. Constructing the quilt The mouse and dog are cut from the backing fabric and I placed them onto several different layouts, before finally deciding on a dresser that held plates. At first I had the plates way too small, so had to remake them. I settled on a part of the dyed background that complimented the dogs colours, and then began to deign the dresser. This changed a couple of times in the process. Finally I had a design I liked and a dresser I was happy with, so the finishing construction begins. Each piece was sewn onto the dyed background and the mouse and dog appliqued over the top. I added applique stars made from the dyed backing fabric, and added some buttons that were star shaped, you can never have too many stars! I wanted to tie the whole piece together and not make it look so divided by the dresser. I tried to keep the stars the same tones as the background to make them less of a focal point. At last I was finished! “Otis the great Dane is shocked to see someone had helped himself to HIS favourite star shaped biscuits. The Audacity!” The quilting and final embellishment took about 3 days, and in total the quilt took about 5 months to make. It is 90cm square. My quilt entry was accepted as a finalist and was exhibited around the Eastern states of Australia in 2024. It didn’t win any prizes but I hang it proudly on my wall at home.

For Wilma

For Wilma, a beautiful senior Greyhound who touched my heart . In 2015 I was developing my watercolour style and my Rainbow colouring palette. I was producing a painting for a friend in New Zealand, Tracey, who had a Greyhound called Wilma. Wilma had been rescued as a senior and was afraid of everything, but with Tracey’s help Wilma slowly began to trust. I had just adopted Daisy so we had greyhounds in common, we were both new to Greyhound rescue and were discovering more and more about the Greyhound racing industry and these amazing dogs. Tracey, appalled at how Wilma had been abused, dedicated her time to uncovering the murky truth behind the Greyhound racing industry, and found that the abuse and mistreatment, drugging and killing of greyhounds was rife throughout the industry. Tracey opened a Facebook page Called “Saving Wilma. – slow, broken, old, Greyhound Racing’s dirty little secrets” and held fundraisers, raising money and awareness for Greyhound rescues. I painted portraits of Wilma for auction, and gave away portrait vouchers to raffle. The fundraisers were huge with a world wide following. I was following a page by Paul Croes,who is based in Belgium and has produced some amazing animal photography. Paul Croes- Behind eyes- animal photography in studio He photographed sighthounds in the most exquisite poses, and I asked If I could paint one of these poses, a white Galgo, as a subject for a fundraiser. He very graciously said yes! I started this portrait as a prize for the auction, and while painting got the awful news that Wilma had died. This was such sad news, she was the gentlest dog and had only just begun to have her own sweet life. I decided to name the painting after Wilma, and hinted at wings in the background. This has been one of my most popular images, and is available as a print from Print Art NZ https://www.artcollective.co.nz/product/for-wilma/ I was delighted at the response from the public regarding this painting. In my heart it was for all the fallen Greyhounds, but it will always be a reminder of a sweet old girl from New Zealand called Wilma, who became a well known name in the rescue of Greyhounds, and in whos name, thousands of dollars were raised to help other rescues around the world. Since painting this portrait, I have donated portrait vouchers to many rescues and fundraisers, and had the delightful task of painting some amazing animals over the past years. I hear some sad stories, stories of triumph over adversity, and hear of heartbreak as a beloved pet dies. I love painting these portraits for you, it is such an honour to be asked to create a memory, even a sad one, and tears are the best compliment I can be given, it means I got it right.

Saying Goodbye

Saying Goodbye. Losing Otis To lose a dog is hard, its a raw emotion that affects everyone in different ways, but there is no doubt, its a very hard decision many of us have to make. As followers from my Facebook page will know, I recently lost my Greyhound, Otis. I had been in his life for 7.5 years out of his 13 years on this planet. He came to me as an emergency Foster for “Busselton Greyhound Awareness” in Western Australia, they spotted him on Gumtree as a “Free to good home”. (They had initially fostered him when he finished racing, and recognised him immediately). They couldn’t get the owner to contact them, so asked would I try. I got a response and said I would foster him until he found him a good home. They dropped him off at my home, he lay on the cool floor on a hot, January day, and just stayed there. As they left he made no move to say goodbye or even raise his head as they went out of the door. It was so sad. This boy had resigned himself to being “Left behind.” I found out his story was similar to his first Adoption, a blended family adopted him and had him for roughly a year, then when they split up, the dog went back to BGA for foster. What was wrong with this beautiful, Blue-Brindle, long boy? That’s just it, there was NOTHING wrong with him, he was sad, and he was just waiting to see what came next. Well, I came next. There was no way this boy was going anywhere again where someone else could let him down, so I made a promise, come hell or high water, he was staying with me for the rest of his life. I already had a greyhound, Daisy, who was 8, and a gorgeous boy Harvey, a Heinz 57, with a super gentle nature, who was 10. Such a handsome greyhound Adjusting to a new home Several days went by and Otis was slowly interacting, but most of the time he just lay on the floor, he would wag his tail, a thump – thump on the wooden floors, and raise his head if you called his name. He walked like he was on a mission, no time to stop, while Harvey made his way through orange orchards, with Daisy trotting alongside, Otis was quiet, but he was safe. Fast forward two years…. I had noticed subtle changes, he would rather be in the room with me, he was interacting with Daisy. By this time, I had lost Harvey, another soul dog who is still carried in my heart, so Otis’s role changed, it was his turn to be man of the house, but under Daisy… she was definitely the boss! Then one day as I was in the art room, he came looking for me, I was deep in thought and was nudged by a wet nose on the elbow, he made me jump, he snuggled in for a 3-minute pat and back rub, then shook, and went back to his couch. This began to happen more and more, then after 3 years he actually got on the same couch as me. As I returned home from… anywhere… he would great me at the gate with the happiest of playful dances, followed by zoomies round the yard, more playful dances and then off to the couch. His transition from solo dog to family pet had been made in his head. I think he realised he wasn’t going anywhere, WE were HIS pack, he was here to STAY. Acccepting new family members A new Dad and Brother I met my husband, Paul as lockdown hit, so when he moved in Otis accepted him and his puppy, Shadow, his new brother, his new Dad, willingly. Otis was a happy boy, social butterfly, very cheeky and a lazy couch potato, but the best ambassador for the Greyhound breed. Otis wowed people, they fell in love with him, he was soft furred and stunning looking. He loved his walks, he got so excited, would leap into the car and await his harness being put on, and his hunnyboots. He was dressed for an outing! He would follow one lady, Deb, around the park in her mobility scooter, actively seeking her out, she had treats and lot of cuddles, he was in heaven. He had canine mates who he loved to greet, then he was off on his human rounds, peemails and treats. It’s time Otis fell whilst running and injured his back 3 years ago, nerve damage left him wobbly in his legs and clumsy. He carried injuries and problems with dislocated toes from his racing days. An infected toe injury turned to septicaemia, despite all our efforts to keep in clean and treated, it took a toll on his Kidneys. He nearly died. He was on pain relief and heart medication in the end, and it didn’t slow him down or stop him, he still had little wobbly trots and would flash you the cheekiest smile if you tried to make him slow down as he zoomed past. Unfortunately, all this took a toll on his aged body. Otis hid illness well, ever stoic, but cut a toe nail or remove a bandage and get the howl of doom in return, yet when he was in pain, real pain he was silent. He was quiet and slow over the last couple of days, then deteriorated quickly. A trip to the vet for, we thought, something to stop his nausea and vomiting, it led to blood tests revealing Kidney failure. Otis was tired, he was ill, and he was in pain. We held him gently, yet firmly in our arms and said the hardest goodbye I have ever said. Our hearts were broken, our loving boy had gone. Thank you to everyone who expressed sadness and messaged, he was so loved by

One Last Look

One Last Look, a watercolour portrait One Last Look was a painting I recently finished after having a slight doubt in my artistic abilities. For a while now I have painted pictures that I thought would appeal to the public with a selling point in mind. Each art prize I entered had been largely focused on what would sell rather than what would win a prize. Earlier this year I entered an art prize in a nearby town, which was surrounded by hype and grandeur, and we had to submit our art work. On the entry form it stated that if not chosen our work could be nominated to go into an Extension exhibition. I wasn’t particularly interested in entering this exhibition but a friend talked me into it, so I entered two paintings, both which were my usual style of the bright rainbow colouring, featuring emus. My friend then informed me that around the local circles this exhibition was being touted at the reject exhibition, which we though was rather comical. My work didn’t make the original exhibition but was allowed to enter the “Extension” aka Reject exhibition. Ok, that didn’t bother me too much, I am under no illusion that my work is better than anyone else’s, but I believe my work is of a high standard and I am good at what I do. I have been painting pet portraits for nearly 20 years now. All was well until the opening, A few careless words threw me into doubt about my work and I had a real crisis of confidence… the mayor opening stated “This exhibition is for those who didn’t make the cut” I was actually a little insulted by her words, and when I looked at other artists around me it seemed I wasn’t alone! My friend nearly choked on her finger food! There were several really good pieces by well known artists around the exhibition circuit, and quite a few what I would categorise as student/novice works, so it was a well-rounded exhibition. I am aware that art is sometimes seen as “Elitist” and seems to be getting more and more so, especially in the exhibitions and art prizes these days. Gone are the days of just entering and displaying, now some ask for artist statements and CVS! I decided to enter an art prize that I have entered, and sold at, on previous occasions, in Dalwallinu in Western Australia. So I painted “One Last Look” as a statement of This is me, this is what I do, I don’t mind if you don’t want to buy it, but it is ME… and a very good version of ME. My Therapist. A watercolour study My second entry into the Dalwallinu Art prize is “My Therapist” a watercolour study of my motorbike. It is a 2016 Harley Davidson Softail Deluxe and is my pride and joy, I have painted this in acrylics on canvas but didn’t want to have to display that at the art prize, as items displayed often have to be for sale, so I painted a smaller version that shows what I am capable of doing. I enjoy the challenge of painting chrome work. The detail in the spokes and engine leaves me with double vision, but the challenge was to prove I could do it and do it well enough to be judged on its merit. In future I will be painting what I want to paint for these art prizes, something that reflects on who I am as an artist. https://www.dalwallinuartsfestival.com/

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