Dog Paintings

Italian Greyhounds would have to be one of the most elegant and delicate looking breed of dogs and they have the most beautiful eyes! Italian Greyhounds, or “Iggy’s” as they are affectionately called, are the smallest of the sighthound family and despite their Toy breed classification and companion dog status, many still retain the instinct to chase small animals and birds!

The breed has a long and noble history spanning thousands of years.  Mummified remains of dogs similar to Italian Greyhounds have been excavated from the tombs of the Pharaoh’s in the Valley of Kings and it is believed that the breed originated in Egypt around 3000BC.  These small hounds were taken to the  Mediterranean by the Romans around 600 BC, and because of their popularity in Italy during the middle ages, they became known as Italian Greyhounds and were frequent companions to European Royalty and Aristocracy including Mary Queen of Scots, Charles 1, Catherine the great and Queen Victoria.  This elegant breed has been portrayed in art throughout the centuries from paintings to carvings and ceramic statues.

I strive to capture the essence of the individual animal in my artwork and so much of this is conveyed through the eyes, which are what compelled me to paint this gorgeous Italian Greyhound from a photo reference by fellow artist C. Sheeter.  I hope I have captured that unique spark in ‘Magnifico’.

Art prints and gifts featuring my Italian Greyhound Painting ‘Magnifico’ will be available for purchase shortly,if you would like to receive notification when merchandise is available, simply follow me on Twitter (http://twitter.com/artistMichelleW) or on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Perth-Australia/South-West-Photography/108861603360?ref=ts).

Sourced from: michellewrighton.com (© Copyright All Rights Reserved 2010.)

My original oil painting of ‘Angel’ the American Staffordshire Terrier was featured as Today’s Best product – considering that Zazzle has millions of unique designs this really is a huge honour!

American Staffordshire Terrier Pet Portrait in Oils by Michelle Wrighton

When I painted “Angel” I really wanted to portray the loyal, loving devotion that these beautiful dogs have towards their family when they are bred and raised by ethical, responsible people.

Unfortunately not all American Staffordshire Terriers and Pit Bull Terriers are as lucky as “Angel” and don’t always end up in responsible homes.

If you would like to purchase a print of ‘Angel’ or to view a range of gifts and merchandise featuring this artwork, please visit my Zazzle Giftshop or Redbubble.

Sourced from: michellewrighton.com (© Copyright All Rights Reserved 2010.)

It was definitely time for a facelift for the old blog so the new design is finally online, just in time to celebrate the arrival of my new gift shop at Zazzle.  We have selected Zazzle for printing products, prints and giftware  for a number of reasons, primarily the high quality of Zazzle products which are endorsde and used by world famous brands such as Hallmark, officially licensed Star Wars and Disney, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet,  Mythbusters, and many more.  So this means that products featuring selected reproductions of my artwork are in very good company!

Aside from that, the Zazzle Promise is the sort of thing that I personally take a lot of notice of when purchasing anything from an online store, and I would expect nothing less for customers purchasing products featuring my artwork.  The Zazzle promise means that:

• Your satisfaction is Zazzle’s Top Priority. If you are not satisfied for any reason with the final product, you may return your purchase for a replacement or refund within 30 days of receipt.
• Your information is secure – Zazzle SSL secured servers are tested daily to ensure your data will arrive privately and unaltered.
• Zazzle produces products on demand and ships very quickly! Production and shipping is within 24 hours for everything but a few products that take slightly longer than 24 hours to produce and ship.
• And finally a great range of products and gift lines to feature my art, many that you can customise to suit your own preference!

Please click the link below to visit the new gift shop and let me know what you think!  New artwork is being added daily and if you would like to be notified of new additions, simply subscribe to this blog, follow me on Twitter or fan me on Facebook

Zazzle.com.au/mwrighton

Sourced from: michellewrighton.com Fine Art and Photography (© Copyright All Rights Reserved 2010.)

Bosco at the Beach - Labrador Painting

Cards, laminated, matted and framed prints of “Bosco at the Beach” can be purchased from my Redbubble shop:

Sourced from: michellewrighton.com (© Copyright All Rights Reserved 2009.)

Jack at the Beach

Owners of water loving, tennis ball obsessed Jack Russell Terriers will appreciate the familiarity this scene! Digitally hand painted using pressure sensitive tablet and stylus in Corel Painter.

Greeting cards, laminated, matted, canvas and framed prints of “Jack at the Beach” can be purchased from my Redbubble shop:

Sourced from: michellewrighton.com (© Copyright All Rights Reserved 2009.)

This is one of the first digital oil paintings that I did, sketching and painting the dog using using Photoshop CS4 oil brushes and blending with the smudge tool.  Initially I was happy with it, then after I did a few more digital paintings I relegated this one to the back burner as it lost its appeal.  I recently dragged it out from my work in progress folders and finished it off – all it needed was a closer crop and a touch more contrast:)

Chelsea - Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Pet portrait Painting

Cards, laminated, matted and framed prints of Chelsea can be purchased from my Redbubble shop:

Pet Portrait Commissions welcome.

Sourced from: michellewrighton.com (© Copyright All Rights Reserved 2009.)

Jack at the Beach

Sourced from: michellewrighton.com (© Copyright All Rights Reserved 2009.)