sea dog by douglas hoover

image copyright and by kindest permission of the artist

North Carolina artist Douglas Hoover loves an immediate image and coastal light.  Here's his "Sea Dog" (print of an oil original), a Boston Terrier looking for his skipper in the bright whites and blue shadows of life on the water.  I'm attracted to his bold structuring of forms through saturated, high-key blocks of color.  The way he's portrayed the compact musculature of a Boston through shadow and highlight is a pleasure to see - you can tell where to poke Boston's tight flank or pet his rump and feel the tailwag ripple through his body.  Not to mention (but I'm going to mention) the excellent rendition of sunshine; I wish I had sunglasses when I look at this piece.
He's another to be found on Etsy, where you can see more of how excellent he is at sun and water.  His blog is also worth a trip, as is his website.