Serious Buster

The next several weeks are going to be fun.  I will be working on the creation of my Top 10 Dog Portraits.  I’ll be using this year’s Top 10 Favorite Dog Breeds list created by the American Kennel Club. 

I can’t wait to paint the look of happy goofiness of a Black Lab or the serious concern of a German Sherpard, right down to the rolling jawls of a Bulldog.  And of course number 6 is already complete – the Boxer!

Faithfully yours,
Johanna Uribes
juribes@sbcglobal.net

Donating artwork can be a good way to get your work noticed.  At least that’s what all of the art marketing books keep saying.  And as it’s always for a good cause, I keeping donating.  Although I’m never really sure if I’m getting any marketing benefit out of this.  That’s still OK because the revenue from the sale of my art at the auction does support work I believe in.

This time I’m donating five giclee prints of different

The Wink

Faithfully Yours,
Johanna
juribes@sbcglobal.net

It’s been awhile since I last posted.  Sorry to all of those who will eventually read these posts – when I finally figure out how to provide the trail that allows you to find me!

Excitment is unfolding though. I’m getting responses from Dog Rescues.  They are taking me up on my proposal to feature my ad for Best Friend Portraits on their websites in exchange for a percentage donation from each portrait.  For now I’m focusing on Boxer Rescues, but this summer I will expand to many dog breeds.

Faithfully yours,
Johanna
juribes@sbcglobal.net

Tuesday, March 17th, Sara came to pick up her memorial portrait of Cooper (see March 15th post).  She really loved it!  She told me the portrait has helped her heal from the loss of Cooper. She really misses him.

Dog Tags are my  new product, so I created one for Cooper and gave it to her as a present for being so wonderful to work with on this very moving portrait project. 

Dog Tags are basically a small, engraved portrait of your dog with your dog’s name just below it on an actual dog tag with a velvet ribbon . 

Faithfully Yours,
Johanna
juribes@sbcgloabl.net

Buster sits patiently, but Luna's decided she's done

Ah, this is the dilemma of every artist!  After years of perfecting my skills, I am at the peak of my artistic skill, so now is the time to reach out.  I know my work brings great joy to those who commission pieces from me.  My portraits are so lifelike – capturing the essence, the inner spark of each subject – that it’s like having your best friend right there with you.

When I paint a portrait it’s as though I am developing a kind of relationship with my subject.  As I travel over the contours of each face, taking the most time with the eyes so that the subject’s true personality can shine through, it’s like getting to know them.  When the portrait is complete, I actually miss my subject, similar to the way you feel when you finish a great book and you no longer share the world of those characters every day.  That’s really why the portrait artist craves more commissions.  Yes, of course income is necessary, but I like to have a relationship going with a subject as often as possible.

So that leaves me with the prospect of marketing.  Not always the favorite task of an artist, marketing is vital.  How am I marketing my portraits at the moment?  For me everything obviously begins with artwork, so I am taking on the fascinating challenge of creating a portrait of every breed of dog, beginning with the 10 most popular breeds.  Then I will move on to cats.  I have a wonderful model in my very mellow, black cat named Bug (more on Bug later).  As I already have many paintings of my two boxers, I’m starting my marketing there.  I recently sent out requests to 50 Boxer rescue sites to post my ad for Best Friend Portraits in exchange for a 10% donation from each portrait commission received from their site.  Why start with animal rescues?   While many love their pets, people who go to animal rescues for their next pet are serious and loyal.  So when their best friend passes on, I would like them to have the joy one of my portraits can bring by allowing them to keep the memory of their best friend alive always.

Faithfully yours,
Johanna
juribes@sbcglobal.net

Cooper was a beautiful 5 year old boxer who was loved deeply by his family.  I was grateful for the priviledge of painting his memorial portrait.

Faithfully yours,
Johanna
juribes@sbcglobal.net

When we develop a relationship with a pet, it seems casual at first, sometimes even annoying. Then something happens like a health issue for example and finally, when your friend comes through it safely you look back and realize just how important he or she is in your life. 

Buster is like this for me.  He is very serious and often aloof.  Recently, he had to have a mast cell tumor removed.  Until the test results came back we were unsure if he would get to live out his normal life span or have a seriously abbreviated life.  The tests showed that the tumor was not cancer.  We all breathed a sigh of relief, but I realized then just how much he has grown to mean to me and how lost I’d be without him.

Faithfully yours,
Johanna
juribes@sbcglobal.net

Welcome to my new blog.  Here you will find hand painted or sketched portraits of best friends.  Luna starts it all with her lovely face.

Faithfully yours,
Johanna
juribes@sbcglobal.net