Once Upon a Time There Were 3 Little Dogs....

Well after being under the weather the past couple of days I am back in the studio and ready to unleash my creative juices! This is a shot of the very beginning of three commissioned pieces I am doing for a customer of her three adorable dogs, all rescues she has taken in and adopted. There is Bebe, Ozzy, and she even has a Taffy like we do! I cannot wait to get going on these as I think in the end they will make an awesome grouping to hang on her wall! Stay tuned!

If you would like to be a part of my Painting a Pup a Day project please feel free to drop me an email at Loveall4Him@aol.com . I would be happy to send you my current price list as well as put your name on my waiting list! 10% of each painting goes to one of the many dog rescue groups I currently work with!

Cropped Study: Maternal Admiration(Bouguereau) Oil Painting by Lara Harris

Do not adjust your screen! You are right, this is not a pup but a portrait of a mother and her babe...let me explain. I have been busy the past few weeks with my Painting a Pup a Day project, but I will still be making time to do some other pieces such as this portrait study. Now don't get me wrong, painting dogs is my passion, but I also enjoy painting portrait studies, wildlife, and still life. This is a cropped study of "Maternal Admiration," by one of my favorite artists of all time, William Bouguereau. My customer wanted me to change the colors around and I have to admit that I actually like this version a bit better than the original! I will be getting back to painting pups very soon, but I wanted to share this piece with you so you know I am still in the studio painting away!

Painting a Pup a Day: Stay Tuned!

Life has been crazy busy the past couple of weeks and I have been working at getting some commissioned pieces done so I have not yet posted anything new to my Painting a Pup a Day project, but I will be soon! Besides painting dogs I also paint still life, wildlife, and (what I am currently working on) portrait studies! I will post a photo of the completed piece hopefully in the next day or so and then onto some more pups for my project!Thank you for your continued enthusiasm and support!Stay tuned!:o)

Painting 8, "Mosby," the Golden Retriever Painting in Oil by Lara Harris

Painting 8,"Mosby," 11"x 14"

oil on stretched canvas (nfs)

This is my 8th painting for my Painting a Pup a Day project of a beloved Golden Retriever named Mosby. He was a young Golden, despite the fact that he had the white coloring around his eyes and mouth, more typically found in older Goldens. He was one of the many Golden Retrievers taken care of by Carol and Skip Free of Almost Heaven Golden Retriever Rescue, a sanctuary for older Goldens and other dogs who have been abandoned, abused, or neglected. Golden Retrievers have a special place in my heart as we have had the pleasure of having two Goldens in our family throughout the years. Sassy was our first Golden who died of cancer at only 5 years of age, and Cassie, our second Golden, who had to be put to sleep at only 11 due to horrible arthritis (among other health ailments). If you would like to make a donation to Almost Heaven Golden Retriever Rescue click on their name or on their logo to the right. With the way the economy has been, many, many dogs have been abandoned or surrendered to such rescue groups , and more than ever these groups need your help! It costs hundreds of dollars each week simply to feed the dogs under their care. Every little bit counts, so if you can help them out in anyway please do so today!

Painting 7, "Knut," the Samoyed Puppy painting in oil by Lara Harris

Painting 7,"Knut," 5"x 7",oil on canvas panel (SOLD)

photo reference: Heather Caird

(Flickr id:heather bean)
10% of the proceeds will go directly to Almost Heaven Golden Retriever Rescue

This is an original oil painting of Knut, an adorable Samoyed puppy owned by Heather Caird (Flickr id heather bean). It is my 7th painting for my Painting a Pup a Day project. Painting dogs that are white, like little Knut, can certainly be a challenge because you have to train your eye to see colors in the shadows of the fur, you cannot simply paint him all white. Here I've used a combination of creams, greys, and muted blues to develop the shadows and shape of Knut, with a background in darker shades of blue to compliment the shadows. Overall I am really pleased with how he has turned out! This is what Heather shared about her sweet Knut:

My name is Heather and my puppy's name is Knut (with a silent K). He's only 13 weeks old, he's 12 weeks on the picture I've added to the group. My boyfriend and I have been after a Samoyed pup for about 18 months and he surprised me with one for Christmas! I had to drive all the way up to Scotland to pick him up and it took me 6 hours to get there but he's totally worth it!
I've already taught him to sit, give a high five, lay down and stand up. This week we're learning how to roll over :) We also have a pet tortoise called Rocky and Knut doesn't seem to like the smell of him!!


If you would like your pet to be included in my Painting a Pup a Day project,email....and if you would like your pet done sooner rather than later, be sure to ask to be placed on my waiting list!

"Mosby," Golden Retriever Commission (in progress)....and Computer Woes!

("Mosby," Commission in Progress)

So, let me start off by saying that this piece is in the beginning stages, I still have much more detail to add, but the past 2 days have been a bit stressful to say the least.... I had heard from a couple artists friends last week that they were having computer problems and I remember thinking, 'oh I am so glad that is not me'...and wouldn't you know all of a sudden my computer starting having issues this week!? It scared me enough to start going through all my files and saving everything to disks until we could get up to the store to purchase an external hard drive. Thankfully we were able to get one this evening so I will now start saving all my files to it in the event that my computer were to crash. I just cannot believe how much I could have lost...my art files, reference files, family photos, etc. etc. ...many things that you just could not replace. I will now be making it routine to save my files to this hard drive every week or so as I would never want to be in that position. So if you are someone like me, either an artist, or photographer, or someone who just has a lot of important information stored on your computer I would highly recommend getting an external hard drive. You can find one under $100....and believe me it is well worth the money for the piece of mind you will get in return!