Boris vs. Porcupine

We put our beloved Boris down just over a year ago. I still miss my big buddy. Ten years was too short a time to spend with such a sweet-hearted dog.

Here’s a quickie portrait of Boris after an encounter with a porcupine. Boris seemed very pleased with himself at the time. Fortunately none of the quills were very deep or in sensitive areas.

Our previous dog, Reggie, a border-collie tried taking a bite out of a porcupine and ended up with 41 quills in her mouth. The vet bill was $300 which works out to about $7.31 per quill.

In this portrait, I’m trying to loosen up my brushwork while still capturing the likeness. The looseness conveys a lot more energy than careful, precise strokes. In general, I prefer more energetic paintings, though having spent the last 35 years as a graphic designer, it’s sometimes hard to break away from the habitual obsession with precision.

Eventually, I’d like to develop my style in a way that bridges realism and abstract. In other words, I want to create paintings built from abstract shapes that work together to convey a realistic image.

I guess another way of saying this is that I want each stroke to be interesting in and of itself. That is a lofty goal and could very possibly take the rest of my life to achieve, if it’s even possible.

"You should see the other guy!"

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