This is a watercolor study I made while preparing to paint a commission of a collectors Briard named Matisse. Using a fully loaded watercolor brush some areas a wet in wet, some are washes and some are wet on dry paper to capture the texture and movement of the dogs long hair. Because she named her dog after Henri Matisse known for his fearless use of color, I choose bright orange and surrounded it in its opposite, bright blue to really make the dog stand out.