Palette Knife Painting

For Emma - 12x16 - Oil on Board

All Rights Reserved - R. Wellner - 2014

This was a labor of love for the daughter of a dear friend.  Heard she had lost her kitty and hoped this would help bring back good memories.  Been experimenting with palette knife painting since last fall.  Started when I was doing some plein air and just not getting the color I wanted.  Also it MAKES me not get as trapped in detail.  Always learning!!!  Love what I do!!!

Yorkie --- A Favorite Pup

Samantha - 12x16 - Oil on Canvas

All Rights Reserved - R. Wellner 2014

This cute puppy is a favorite of my client.  This is one of several paintings for her.  She's planning a display of all her favorite dogs.  She also fosters dogs and puppies despite some health challenges.  One of the last emails mentioned picking up 6 six week old lab pups!  Yikes!  She's a better woman than I!! She's a joy to work with --- I'm so grateful for my clients.  I get to do what I love - paint. And since I'm also a dog-lover it's a double win!

Black Dogs

Tess - 12x16 - Oil on Canvas

All Rights Reserved R. Wellner 2014

This painting was not my first solution for this client -- who also happened to be a dear friend.  Initially we planned the tight headshot.  But a tight headshot of a black dog--- it just wasn't very exciting.  So I went back to the photos and decided to do this one.  I see areas that I need to improve on but I'm so much happier with the final result than the first.  Black dogs are a challenge regardless.  Still learning about that!

Peekaboo the Kitty

Peekaboo - 12x16 - Oil/Canvas

All Rights Reserved - Robin Wellner 2014

This beautiful kitty was a present for a family from Dad after he passed.  From the other photos she was quite a personality and true member of the family.  Her owner said "We love it.  It really captures her.  When I glance at it it seems like she's sitting there.  We appreciate it so much."

I appreciate it as well.  Another great learning experience.  Printed out the photo I was painting from and painted away.  After feedback from the client I realized the photo's color was way off.  Using my computer monitor more when I paint from photos.  Hoping to set a permanent monitor to paint from consistently.  Another lesson!

All the best!!

www.petwhimsyportraits.com

www.robinwellner.com

Photographing Your Paintings

Julie's Pup - 12x16 - Oil - 2014

This is actually one of my favorite paintings.  But I rushed it and didn't verify that I had a decent photo before I shipped it off.  And if you look at it closely it's a terrible photo.  I now ---finally--- have a good setup for taking photographs.  It's kind of a pain in the butt but worth it.  I bought two lights with soft boxes on them from Ebay.  The two were less than $100.  I put them at about a 30-35 degree angle on each side of my painting.  Then I put them up close to the ceiling and pointed at the ceiling so they bounce off the ceiling.  And of course turn off all the other lights.  Then I make sure my camera and painting are level --- with a level--- and my flash is turned off on the camera.  Anyway that seems to give me consistently good results.  

All the best!  Hug your furry friends for me!!

www.petwhimsyportraits.com

Wrap Around Yellow Lab

 Yellow Lab - 12x16 - Oil/Canvas

Copyright 2014 Robin Wellner

Painted sides of canvas

Hi!  A gracious client said since you've discontinued your blog I didn't know if you were still painting!  I've been trying to develop another blog and marketing for my other paintings -- people, landscapes, etc.  I'm afraid I've neglected this one!
 This beautiful Lab was the result of a wonderful photo.  Unfortunately this fellow is up in Puppy Heaven now but hopefully his owner will get some solace from his beautiful face!! I posted a photo also of what the canvas looks like if I carry the painting around the edges.

http://www.petwhimsyportraits.com

Hope all is well with you and your furry friends!!

Buffalo

BUFFALO

30x40 Oil on Canvas

All rights reserved - Robin Wellner

It's been a long time since I've posted.  A tumultuous year of changes.  Spending as much time as I can working on my people paintings - tho this does not show that.  I decided to give myself this year to explore that.  Painting people was where I began and then went down a little different road with pet portraits.  I love painting period, so the pet portraits was not a detour.  More opportunity to paint.  I know I've said this before but it truly seems the more I learn, the more I need to learn!!

This Buffalo was done for a friend who's a massage therapist and the Buffalo is her totem.  Seems a symbol of tremendous power to me.  I undercoated the whole canvas with a metallic copper acrylic paint, then did a wash of the blue-green before I painted the buffalo.  It was one of those paintings that felt inspired.  LOVE it when that happens.

 www.petwhimsyportraits.com

www.robinwellnerportraits.com

Alan

Alan - 16x20 Oil on Canvas

All Rights Reserved- Robin Wellner

It's the New Year and I'm trying to challenge and expand myself as an artist.  Hoping to grow in my work with people - portraits and figures.  Realizing that I really need to work on my drawing skills - in addition to alot of other stuff!  It seems that the more I learn, the more I realize that I need to learn.  The mountain grows instead of getting smaller.

Enjoying having my daughter home for a little bit before she goes back to Colorado. Wish she lived closer but happy for her to do what she needs to do in her own growth.  All the best!

Happy New Year!

"Tater"

12x16 - Oil on Canvas

All Rights Reserved - Robin Wellner 2013

Sometimes paintings just come together easily and sometimes I struggle.  This was one that flowed - I think in part because he's such a cutie and it's a great photo!  

It's the new year and I'm exhausted from the last month.  Lost my Aunt Robin who I am named after and have been struggling to get back on track with some direction.  She was an incredible woman and I was blessed to have her a close part of my life the last five years.  I miss her.

I am very excited about working with my Portrait Society mentor Natalie Italiano.  She's already taught me tons with one phone call and presented me with some challenges that I hope I can meet.   The more I learn about portrait painting (people) the more I realize I don't know.  

Here's to lots of learning in 2013!

Brushstrokes

Nali

12x16- Oil on canvas

(C) Robin Wellner 2012

I know I have posted this on Facebook, but it is one of my favorites of late.  It has some of the looser brush style that I am aspiring to incorporate all the time.  Sometimes it seems to just happen -- love that when it does.  I'm hoping to achieve that as well in my people portraits.  I am honored and excited to be a protege for one of the Portrait Society of America's mentor this year.  That means I'll have a mentor help guide me in my portrait painting this year.  Can't wait!!!

Tim

Tim Lemmond- 24x30 oil on linen

This was a labor of love.  This portrait is of a dear friend who passed away about a year and a half ago.  He was an amazing man and incredible musician.  My husband and Tim played music together. It's a portrait I've been wanting to do for a while.  The perfect opportunity was his Legacy Concert and CD release event.  Tim was a counselor who worked with foster children.  Part of his legacy is a scholarship for foster children who would like to pursue music.  The fund provides funds for music lessons for those children.

www.csarts.org/support-csa

This is the link for contributions.

Anyway -- It was definitely the most emotional portrait I've ever worked on.  I told his wife I often felt like Tim was there cheering me on.  Thanks Tim!  Love ya!  Rock on!!

http://www.petwhimsyportraits.com

http://robinwellnerportraits.com