Edward and Sparky the 1st

My paintings are a visual journal, inspired simply by people. This Portrait is of my grandfather and his first beagle, Sparky, thus," Edward and Sparky the 1st“. I have numerous fond memories of this gentle man and all the Sparkys that followed.

Portraying a photogenic likeness has never been my objective. My challenge in this painting was to capture the quiet communication between this man and the young puppy.

I had to rely on an old blurry black and white photo and my own recollections. Throughout the process, my grandfather became very much alive to me again. I found myself revisiting the past, filled with all the conversations and hours we shared together.

The painting is in oil. After staining the surface with a middle tone, I did the preliminary sketch directly onto the canvas. In order to increase the visual presence of both, I intensified the sunlight and used a limited pallet of color with a strong light/dark contrast.