Anticipation
Wanted to share my new pastel painting:
“Anticipation”
9×12 Pastel (soft and hard pastels)
UArt Sanded Pastel Paper
January, 2024
In this painting, Bailey Girl is standing, and Adolf is lying down. They are standing at the front door next to my huge easel and commissioned painting in progress, looking out the window transoms on either side of the door, anticipating my sons’ arrival home from school. I was sitting in my husband’s office off the foyer when I took the photo I used as a reference for the painting. I’ve had it in the back of my mind that I wanted very much to paint this for 8 years now. Just the way the light was illuminating our precious German Shepherds and the entrance, made them look so regal.
Every week day, like clockwork, Bailey Girl and Adolf were at the front door within a few minutes of our sons’ arrival home from school. Our boys were their best buds. Bailey Girl passed away just this past year. She was 12y/o. Adolf passed away 7 years ago at the age of 11y/o. This painting has deep meaning to me, as our German Shepherds were family and are dearly missed. They were the most loyal to our family, especially Matthew & Glen.
As for the easel in the background, I was working on a very large commissioned painting – the largest I have ever created. That painting was in oils and took me months to complete. The easel and size of the canvas was too large for my studio (which was the sunroom off our family room in our home in Weddington). I had to move the entire operation into the 2-story foyer. For a long time, I was standing on my steps, sometimes 5 or 6 steps up with my easel up against the stairwell in order to work on the top of the painting. We had to repaint our foyer and get our hardwood floors cleaned after I completed the painting.
This painting was completed in oils and was based on the painting “Certain Uncertainties” which is featured in the movie “The Thomas Crown Affair” 1999 version with Rene Russo and Pierce Brosnan. It is one of my favorite films of all time. Must be the magnificent art throughout the movie.
The original painting was created by the incredible California artist, Christian Vincent, and now resides with the Producer of the movie and his family. My reproduction resides in the home of a Rear Admiral and his wife in Washington, DC.
The painting was so large, in fact, that I had to build my own stretcher frame for the canvas. I can’t recall the exact dimensions, but I think it was something like 6-7ft x 4-5ft.
And in the event you were curious, this is the original photo that I used as a reference. I changed things up a bit. For instance, I did not add the tripod, but instead painted in a jar of paint brushes and I gave the chair a bit more colorful pizazz. But, more importantly, I think I captured the essence of Bailey and Adolf, two wonderful, loyal, and very loved German Shepherds. We were blessed to have them in our life.
