In this painting, the artist has portrayed a German shepherd having fun in the back yard. It’s a warm day and the trees are throwing some shade on the lawn. It appears that there is a small blow up swimming pool in the yard. This suggests there may be a child nearby. However, it could be the dog’s bathtub.
The dog is the principal subject and draws the viewer’s attention. It has a bright blue ball in its mouth, and its crouching appearance indicates it is keen to play. The dog’s ears are pricked and it is alert.
However, there are other interesting secondary elements to examine in this painting. The colours used in the painting are very bright, happy colours. The blue colour of the ball has been repeated on the windows of the buildings, and this leads the viewer’s eye around the canvas. The delightful pink/magenta colour of the garage roof, tank, window frames and lips, are reflected in the smooth trunks of the trees.
Mixed brush stokes have been used in the painting to keep it interesting. Attention has been paid to detail.
Lips appear in many of the artist’s paintings and are one of the artist’s ‘signatures’ in his works. Lips play an important role in verbal and non-verbal communication, and can express loving words and messages. The artist loved dogs. And it appears the dog in this painting loved the artist. The mood of the painting is a happy one.
Acrylic on Masonite, date unknown.
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