Most folks do not see the dog in Dog II until it is pointed out or they have a particular love and knowledge of dogs. The only ventured guess I heard saw clearly it was a painting of a woman giving birth on the ground. Oh god no, no, no. I wasn't thinking anything like that.
Damn. It is Jake just setting out after an itch in his crotch. He's really fat. I'm remembering him after he lost his balls and the car wreck left him with epilepsy and he was on sedating medication. That boy got slow and low. He was still the sweetest dog, a fine boy, a bit nappier. Later, he trimmed up just fine. He was a clean boy. He did not let fleas chase around on him. No itch went untended.
What is true about this painting is not necessarily Jake's round belly and flapping knees or the contortions of flea chasing. The most true thing is how new I was to this two-dimensional art work. I loved Jake and I loved painting with oil on canvas. This painting tells more about how happy I was rolling around in my head over Jake, letting the brush and paint trace the memories of him. I couldn't necessarily control where my hand was going. What I did know was the brush trailing lines and sweeping over the canvas, the elegant texture of the paint. Remembering Jake was so tender, his great big old finely formed paws and his round belly. I caught how his sweet ears would get busy standing out from his head with the thoughtfulness of his work
This internal and tactile focus, the test of restricted pallets and my inexperience do not necessarily make a good looking painting. What they do make is a painting that expresses all that tenderness for my dog and the materials. For that, it is an excellent painting.
