This is my Finnigan, who takes snowflake chasing very seriously. So much so that he often comes in from even the briefest jaunt literally caked with the stuff. This winter the snow shovel has become as great a toy as the Frisbee. Finn’s usually intense “throw it for me NOW” face changes completely when his eyebrows have furred with snow and he’s grown icicle whiskers. Here is “Cattle (Snow) Dog,” 6x8, acrylic on canvasboard. Finn’s merled coloring is always a challenge to paint, and combined with the falling flakes and chunks of ice, there’s a lot of surface activity here. To simplify that aspect, I restricted the background to layers of blue and lavender, with the strongest and purest color concentrated in his eyes and nose. Much of the brushwork was done with a #1 liner, in transparent glazes. It’s a great piece to let your eyes travel across. This painting is going directly on my wall, so sorry, but it’s not for sale. But I could paint your dog playing in the snow. It’s as easy as s