Karstad Biodiversity Paintings: adventures in the colour of Canada

November 23, 2012 found me on a windswept Fort Erie beach between Lake Erie and shoreline cottages.  It was 9C and sunny with a gale force wind.  We watched a flock of Tundra  Swans alternately swimming and flying against the wind and I took some amazing photos. The sun shone through the tops of the waves as the wind blew their whitecaps off, and a stormy haze shadowed the industrial waterfront

Yes, it was a great photo! This beloved little dog named Shaila has been gone for a while now, and is much missed by her people. I enjoy doing commissions of pets. It is thrilling when people recognize their four-footed friends in my paintings. This one was done on a dark brown underpainting, and I decided to retain the rich darkness for the background, even though the original photo was taken of the dog against a white kitchen floor. The lighting came from two sides - bright and warm from the left and cooler and a little more subdued from the right - couldn't have posed her better in a studio!