Can YOU Help With Painter's Block?

[Lou444]

Since you guys seem to like pictures so much, perhaps you could help.
The Chow Chow Club is having a big specialty show thing in the fall. And I've been commissioned to do paintings that will be used for trophies.

ODDLY, I have NO problem painting Chows to sell, but I'm feeling extra pressure here.
I don't want to do things like I've sold in the past. And I'd like to do ones that have MULTIPLE dogs in one painting, that way I can kind of cover the color and rough vs smooth thing. Nothing worse than your smooth black chow winning and getting a painting of a big red rough chow. (At least I think it would stink.)

So, anyone got any ideas? Or better yet, cute PICTURES that maybe I could use to bounce me back into the world of ideas. Because it's been tough. ONE I could do. Two I could do. But, I have to do 6....and it's starting to hurt my head.

Thanks in advance for any and ALL help!

[cheriekynb]

Lou, I checked out your artwork! AMAZING! I loved every piece!

How about something like the banners that SweetPea is designing?

I love the Angel Chow!! How about one like that but one smooth and one rough?? flying in different directions???

HA HA HA.. A Chow in a pool.... Like the frog in the toilet!

[Lou444]

Hmmmm....WHERE IS SWEATPEA?!?!?

Thanks for the kind words about my work. It's a lot of fun...until I hit something like this. I just keep thinking it's SUCH a big honor I want to make sure it's PERFECT...which is a LOT of pressure.

I'm sure Sushi would say SCRAP the pool and just do one of her in the toilet. She's fascinated by that thing!

Here's some of the ideas I had. Since you guys are Chow owners...what ones do YOU like best. Because I still have to decide on sizes. (And more ideas.)

The ONLY idea I have on paper at the moment is one like this but with LOTS of Chows in a sleeping pile.


I was hoping to do one KIND OF along this idea, but with a wagon...but the idea is there.


One other kind of idea was one like these but with the whole bodies. It would keep me from having to worry about COLOR anyway.


Then I just start stretching things a bit to try and FORCE them to work.

I did these in the fall, I thought maybe if I could find a way to merge them onto ONE canvas, it might work....but I'm not sure.


Almost ALL my babies' pictures have been used already in one painting or another. SURELY there are more adorable pictures of them doing goofy things that could be a good muse.

[Layla]

Is that the thing in Olymia, WA? I was thinking of hopping doen to see all the nice chows & I could see your paintings for real then

I like Cherie's banner idea, would look very cool IMO

[Lou444]

It's in late September and it's for the Chow Chow Club Of Greater New York. Although, there was some mention of Denver...but I think that was in explaining why it wasn't in May this year.

I know I'm supposed to ship the paintings to NY though. I just assumed that's where it was. I should probably, ask, huh? DUH!

[j72]

OH MY!!! I looked at the Angel Chow one last night and it was just lovely... And now these!? They leave me SPEECHLESS!!!!
There are some amazing pics on here of everyone's sweet babies, I'm sure they will give you MORE than enough material to move the creative process right along!

[bama]

Lou,
I too am an artist. I paint from photos as opposed to real life. It's just easier and more fun for me.
You may want to get a photoshop or arc-soft program to help you do the preliminary designs.
I use arc-soft and I love it! However, after seeing Sweetpea's work using Photoshop progam, I like it better and will probably switch.
Good luck!

[chris]

U2 Bama? Me too!!! BUT, I can't draw or paint people.. don't know why.. just can't.

I like all your ideas so far lou. What if you took a few chow chows pics from here and did something with them... or, something like our signatures that sweetpea has made.

[RHENEGADE CHOWS]

Since you guys seem to like pictures so much, perhaps you could help.
The Chow Chow Club is having a big specialty show thing in the fall. And I've been commissioned to do paintings that will be used for trophies.

ODDLY, I have NO problem painting Chows to sell, but I'm feeling extra pressure here.
I don't want to do things like I've sold in the past. And I'd like to do ones that have MULTIPLE dogs in one painting, that way I can kind of cover the color and rough vs smooth thing. Nothing worse than your smooth black chow winning and getting a painting of a big red rough chow. (At least I think it would stink.)

!

Yes Lou I have agreat idea... have a sheet covering what they think they will be winning, and when you uncover it, its blank, you can do a portrait of the winning chow! I think that would be the best trophy in the world... get some photos of the winning chow and then do a collage type painting of him/her. good?

Now if I were political on how I really feel, I'd say paint a picture of an early openheaded champion! LOL..but I'm trying to be helpful here.

Good luck and I'm sure whatever you do, it will be NO less than FAB-U-LOUS!

[vicster605]

I LOVE them ALL Lou!!! BEAUTIFUL!!!! I'm sure whatever you come up with will be PERFECT!!! Hope you will show us????

[Desi]

So, anyone got any ideas? Or better yet, cute PICTURES that maybe I could use to bounce me back into the world of ideas.
Thanks in advance for any and ALL help!

4 pages of pics,maybe there's something you can use:
http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w46/doowopdesi/

[sweetpea]

What if you used like Milly and Mabel for ideas. They always seem to sit side by side. If you look at the signature I made of Milly and Mabel, there is a picture Judy has of the two when pups, sitting next to a flower bed. The picture is beautiful. I love the pictures people post of their Chows sitting next to flowers. You could use a rough and a smooth, two different colors. Maybe go through the photo gallery, look at the pictures and see if something triggers an idea of a painting you could do.
I wish I could paint. I can draw when I'm in the mood but I have to have a picture to look at, and I use pastels. I just have to be in a certain mood which isnt to often anymore. By the time I'm ready to take out the paper and pastels I'll have to blow the dust off everything! Your work is really good. I'll have to keep you in mind when I'm ready to get a painting of Gracie.

[bama]

I prefer the renderings of the tone on tone busts, of the smooth and rough chow.
I think it looks more chic, giving it a broader appeal.
Plus, you wouldn't have to deal with color.
Just my opinion.

Chris,
Wow, I would love to see something you have painted.
I don't paint people either. I did it once, only because my daughter requested it. So, I tried it in acrylics on a 26" x 32" canvas. I take that back, I did paint a reproduction of Michael Angelo's, "The Creation", but I painted only the outstretched arms.
Here is my one and only attempt at a person.

[Boggled]

beautiful photos - I like the idea of doing a portrait of the winning chow, or withought the worry of color ones - but your paintings are beautiful, so if you put a bunch of them together like the seasonal ones that would be great too.

Not much help - Best of luck to you

[cheriekynb]

Lou, I have another idea..

Take the banner idea but go through stages of a Chow's life.. from puppy to adulthood.

There are a LOT of artists here! I do more like Lou's style but "tole" painting.

I want to switch to canvas..

You all do BEAUTIFUL work!! Naomi is an Artist too..

Naomi, pitch YOUR ideas.. Give some to Lou!!

[sweetpea]

Maybe a style like this?

(just through it together in photoshop)

[jerryo]

I just noticed that almost all the pictures on this thread so far have a cream chow included. Remember, the "Show Quality" folks don't like creams , so there is probably no reason to put them on the trophy paintings.

[Jeff&Peks]

Ok here's a black Chow.

I'm more of a graphics/Photo person, Don't really like Oils or Painting's. Drawings, sketches those are fine. Here is a Graphic I had done of Pekoe awhile back, The original is 6 feet tall, 4 feet wide, its framed hanging on the wall so the first thing you see when you walk in is wall of Pekoe with her eye's following you around. I have 2 or 3 paintings of her but those are boxed and in the garage.

Most have seen this picture already, Has nothing to do with painters block but art is art depends on who is looking.

[bama]

Jeff,
Score!!! I love the graphic of Pekoe!
She looks so mysterious and so beautiful.
Art is art, but great art challenges the mind.
This rendering of Pekoe is thought provoking.
The eyes not only move with you, they move you.

[Sharons Chows]

I really like your no color chow heads a lot...they are beautifuly detailed and depict both smooth and rough and can be any color. They actually have an etched glass look similiar to Lalique.
Do you have to have bodies?
I would love to see them on a trophy...they are very regal and really capture the chow persona.
What medium do you use...I am presumimg acrylics?

I too am an artist of sorts...haven't painted for awhile since I work full time and prefer natural daylight to work in. However, I do restore pottery and china/porcelain etc. In fact I am repairing a jade violin for someone who hand carried it from China and it broke the stem in half. So for now that uses my creative abilities and I enjoy it.

But having an artist's eye...I really like your work...it is whimsical and well done.

Sharon

[chris]

aaaa geeze.. I would have to find something and take a picture of it... let me see what I can dig up. It has been a while and I haven't pulled anything out since ... well it would be 2 1/2 years now.

[Salandra]

Your pics are very lovely. Easy to look at. I like the seasons, and the tone on tone.

If I won a painting, some of the pictures I would like to pick from would be
- ZOOMIES! There's lots of pics of Chows here doing zoomies in water, along the shore, around the yard.
- Pics of puppies on their backs, playing with a toy
- Chow angel(s)
- Chow smelling a flower, or romping through a field
- The bust of the chow, tone on tone, or sepia

I have a black Chow, but doesn't mean I wouldn't want a chow of a different color hanging on my wall. A painting of a red or creme if the right setting, would be welcome on my wall. I'd take your Chow angel or any of those in the above post. Would I like pics of black Chows better? I don't know. I might not always have a black Chow so I would welcome anything I WON.

Jeff, that pic of Pekoe is fantastic! I love it!

The pic Sweetpea "threw together" would make a nice arrangement.

I was also thinking of giving the winner(s) the option of a portrait of their own furkid. Probably not an option since you need to send 6 paintings by a certain date.

[RHENEGADE CHOWS]

Maybe a style like this?

(just through it together in photoshop)

almost sort of reminds me of the cover of Kip Kopatch's book... except the pink...I think my husband is going to ban me from getting photoshop.. I'd never leave the laptop.
LOL... LOVE IT SWEETPEA!!!

[Chows5]

Lou,

Just about every Chow lover I know loves your work. The Greater NY Show was probably moved because the Chow National was held in May this year in Denver, CO. It's usually held in April. There are going to be some gorgeous Chows entered in the GNY Specialty. Maybe you could make a painting showing the different colors and the two coat types. One for BOB, one for WD and WB. You said 6 paintings. Are they asking for puppy classes also? I would love to see one of yours of a puppy in the famous Chow puppy play stance. Rear in the air, down in the front, excited eyes, tongue hanging out and tail wagging. I'm sure you know which pose.. Most of us love that pose.
As nice as it would be to have the painting be the same color as the dog who won it, I really don't think it will matter. They will love whatever you send.
You mentioned a wagon. How about a smooth pulling a rough in a wagon? Or vice versa. You don't see many things showing Chows doing something.
Carolyn

[Lou444]

Carolyn,

Howdy Howdy!

YES, I KNEW I heard Denver in the conversation somewhere! That's IT!
To be honest, most of the phone call is kind of a blur. When John called, I was a bit confused anyway as to what he needed to talk to me about that he couldn't do online. And then he mentioned, at one point, not needing me to donate paintings this year.
To be honest, I thought I was being DUMPED or something. I thought it must be a SERIOUS dumping too if he had to call long distance to tell me for SURE not to donate paintings. For about 15 minutes of conversation, I was just totally confused and, half wondering if I was supposed to be crying.

Actually, I think that little misunderstanding is the REAL reason for my Painter's Block. There's just this TINY voice back there saying, "If this isn't PERFECT you WILL be dumped next year!"

Here's what he said he needed.....

Best Of Breed: A Large Original 22 x 28
Best Of Opposite *Censored Word*: A Medium Original 16 x 20
Best Of Winners: A Smaller Original 12 x 12

For the other classes I would have either prints or cards printed up of those three originals. So we will need copies on CD of the three originals.

For the second day:

Best Of Breed: A Large Original 22 x 28 (different original)
Best Of Opposite *Censored Word*: A Medium Original 16 x 20 (different original)
Best Of Winners: A Smaller Original 12 x 12 (different original)

The other classes I would have prints or cards printed up of these new three originals also. So we will need copies on CD of these three originals.

I LOVE the playing puppy idea. I have a couple of sketched of one just like that. But, I can't figure out what's he's playing WITH! Balls are boring. The only thing I could come up with was a butterfly, but then those are small and not usually on the ground.

The trick is trying to NOT do something just like what I've already done. I mean, why kind of award can you also just go buy on eBay?

I know it's taken out of context, but THIS line made me laugh like a mad woman!

You don't see many things showing Chows doing something.

Thank you to EVERYONE! Things are actually starting to flitter through my mind now. Which is TONS better than 24 hours ago when there was just a big ROCK in my head and nothing could get by it.

I LOVE looking at everyone's stuff! It's FABULOUS! I wonder if Chow people are just naturally creative!