Sue Gardner

I am an oil painter specializing in animal paintings. Many of my pieces are dog, cat and horse portraits with a focus on strong colour and lighting effects. My paintings range in size from small pieces on canvas panels to very large stretched canvases. I accept portrait commissions, more details of which may be found on my website.

Some of the wonderful dogs that I have been lucky enough to paint this year have been: a westie, two pugs, a dalmatian, a cockerpoo, a cavachon, a standard poodle and a miniature poodle, a labrador, a wire fox terrier, a coton de tulear and a group portrait of a family of five shih tzus, such a variety of looks and personalities!. 

I am always seeking to improve and develop my skills and oil painting brings fresh challenges with each new piece of work. It is a beautiful medium to work with and I enjoy the intensity of colour and the 'blendability' of the paint.

Most of my pieces take me around four weeks from conception to completion and are made up of several layers, each of which must be allowed to dry before I begin the next. I use photographic references for practical reasons and might use as many as ten photos as reference for one piece.

My website includes videos of my work in progress and oil painting tips and information. www.suegardnerstudio.com