Totems

Getting ready to show two new paintings (one barely finished), at my open studio this weekend. I just started this series so it's a bit scary to show them but I am really interested in hearing what people think of them.

I am going to call them totems since they feel like figures. I was struck by how much this dog reminded me of a Rembrandt-era white collar.

The one below (colors look awful here) also reminds me of another classical subject. Guess which one.

Totem with dog collar, 72"x48"

Since these works are large, there are more areas where I can just play. While painting the newest one (no photo yet), I did less blending and painted the whole thing with a small brush. This makes it feel like a large drawing. I also got carried away testing it on the 3d glasses. It doesn't look 3d but it looks cool.