"Devotion" - New ACEO

"Devotion" - pencil on Bristol, 2.5" x 3.5"

My latest ACEO is a drawing of a chestnut-colored pit bull with a wonderful white blaze and an expression of total adoration and devotion (well, he could just be begging for a cookie). Although I'm a die-hard border collie fan, I have a big soft mushy spot in my heart for pit bulls. We all know they get a bad rap, so part of it is that I like to root for the underdog, but another part of it is that they have such great expressions they make fabulous subjects for my art. And the pitties I've had the pleasure to meet are big ol' goofy love bugs.



My friend Sandy took the photo I used for reference.


Unfortunately, there are a lot of pit bulls in animal shelters and rescue facilities. There are too many being bred and they're a tough sell to potential adopters because of the negative press. So I decided that this drawing will help support a group that rescues and places quite a few pit bulls: A New Hope Animal Foundation. I had listed the drawing for auction on Art By Us, hoping to spark enthusiastic bidding and raise some money for A New Hope, but it didn't sell. So I'll frame it and keep it here for my upcoming September art show.

If you're interested in some note cards of "Devotion", you can find those in my Bonanzle booth.

I scanned the art at various stages of the drawing process, here's a video:


To learn more about pit bulls (which is really just a catch-all term for a few breeds and mixes of those breeds) you can visit Chako.org or Pit Bull Chat.

Oh, and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that the title for this drawing was provided by fellow artist Judith Monroe - another pit bull fan.