Commissioned Shih Tzu – Winnie

Commissioned Portrait “Winnie” 14 x 11

“After our Shih Tzu, Winnie passed in November, I decided to commission a portrait of her as a gift to my husband.  I was looking for an artist who not only had a high level of representational skill but also made the leap of capturing the heart and soul of the portrait subject.  As an Art History major and as person with a background in advertising, I had a true appreciation of the difference.  This is why I chose Dawn B. Dwyer.

Thank you for the incredibly special portrait of Winnie. You truly captured her essence.

Dawn, I don’t know if you were aware of my two daughter’s response to the portrait when you brought it over and they had the chance to see it.  They were so moved by the painting that they both cried when you left.

You were a true gift to our family!”           Barb Gehrig  Cincinnati, OH

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Dawn B. Dwyer Explains the Creation Process of Making the Official Portrait of Euka, P&G’s retired V.P. of Canine Communication

    This is the process that I did to create the official portrait of Euka.   I will post a few pictures each day till we have the completed painting.  So be sure to check back each day to eventually see the completed painting.

Creating a portrait of an animal always starts with a photograph.  Once I have the photo I will work with it to find the perfect composition.  Euka got to sit on some chairs for this photo because we wanted to be sure she would givet off the essence of feeling important.  By elevating her from the floor it changed her demeanor.

I was also looking for a certain light to make the portrait more interesting.  So there is cool light coming from the window on the right side of the portrait and warm light in the shadow.

Next I did a quick oil sketch to block in the shapes of the painting.

Portrait of Euka Unveiled at Procter & Gamble – Commission by Dawn B. Dwyer

Hours before the reveal at the Procter & Gamble Mason office, Dawn B. Dwyer was photographed with the oil painting, Euka, which was about to be unveiled to the Procter & Gamble Pet Division.  Euka served over 50 dog years as the V. P. of K9 Communication.  During her time of service she was even featured on the cover of Fortune Magazine, in 2004.

A grand retirement party was held in her honor where the official portrait of Euka was revealed.  It was an honor for Dawn to be chosen to capture this magnificent yellow labrador retriever in an oil painting.  The whole experience was a lot of fun!  Dawn will be posting the “Making of the Portrait of Euka”  in the next few days at www.dawnbdwyer.com

You can also see more of the oil paintings of Dawn B. Dwyer on April 27th & April 28th at the Pendleton Art Center.