Classic Tails began as a way to study and learn from the great masters of painting.

Fundamental to my approach is considering the viewer. I am a story teller and I do this by creating the illusion of a three-dimensional image on a two-dimensional surface. Whether my paintings are of a single subject or something more elaborate, my objective remains the same and that is to describe something so well that even if it is highly improbable, as with Classic Tails, the viewer will accept it as real. My objective is to create lively images of dogs that are both amusing and endearing. I believe that art can be both beautiful and fun. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than when I achieve these goals.

Origin of Classic Tails

Classic Tails began as a way to study and learn from the great masters. I wanted to study the effects of light and shadow used by Rembrandt and for fun I substituted the head of Titus, in Rembrandt's Titus as Guardian, with that of Skye, our Yorkshire terrier. Anthropomorphism of dogs in art has existed for centuries. Although I was doing portrait commissions of people at the time, this exercise was the beginning of my fascination with painting dogs. The effect of light on fur and the challenges of depicting various breeds has become my passion.

Click on each painting to see more detail...

Portrait of a Beagle inspired by Thomas Gainsborough's Blue Boy, 1770. Oil on canvas.	Portrait of an American Cocker Spaniel inspired by Diego Velasques' Las Meninas (The Maids of Honor), 1656. Oil on Canvas	Portrait of a Boston Terrier inspired by George Romney's Miss Willoughby, 1781-83. Oil on canvas.
Portrait of a Pug inspired by Jacques-Louis David's Napoleon in His Study, 1812. Oil on Canvas	Portrait of an English Bulldog As inspired by Hans Holbein the Younger's Henry VIII, 1540. Oil on Canvas