This piece was meant originally for the EBSQ Pet Portrait Swap in 2007 and started before the start of the show, but, it got put aside when real life intervened, as it so often does. This is Murphy, fellow EBSQ artist Nikki Helbig's dog. I loved this pose of his, what I term as "lazy sitting", kind of a dog version of bad posture, lol! I can tell this sweet dog is full of personality! This was for large format, and I had started this piece with a charcoal sketch on 24x36 canvas, then I went in with large brushes and raw umber paint over the entire canvas. While still wet, I took a rag and wiped out the light highlights and waited on it to dry. It within a few days and was ready for me to go in with more color layers and detail, but, that never happened. Don't worry Nikki, you'll be getting your finished portrait of your Murphy soon!