Potrait of Snoopy

Title: Snoopy
Medium: Acrylic paint and canvas
Date: Most likely Early '80's
Category: Art
Current Status: Checking with Sotheby's and Christie's to determine how many millions I can sell this thing for

My paternal grandfather was an amazing guy. He was an anesthesiologist when it was a fairly new specialty, a retired colonel in the US Army who was with the Allied forces (medical) at the Battle of the Rhine in WWII, practiced for many years in Dallas and East Texas and then retired. And then went back to school. He learned some Spanish, he started painting, he had all manner of plants and dabbled in cooking. He read a lot. Real Renaissance Man.

When he was at his most active at painting, he let the grandkids paint too. He tried to teach us some basics like shadows, perspective, colors that don't look awful together... obviously, I learned absolutely nothing under his tutelage.

This was one of my first attempts with acrylic paint. I remember going with my grandfather to art supply stores and buying canvas, and paint (apparently lots of RED paint), and brushes and whatever else we needed. I can vividly remember the smell of the paint itself, too. I can remember how much of a pain it was to rinse the paint out of the brushes when we were done. What I can't remember is why the heck I painted this.

It seems fairly obvious that this is supposed to be Snoopy, the extremely white beagle from "Peanuts." So, I'm unsure as to why I felt the need to paint "Snoopy" in large letters above his head. I mean, if Leonardo had painted "Mona Lisa" at the top of that painting, people might have known who she was, but it would have looked stupid and no longer a masterpiece. So, whatever possessed me to paint "Snoopy" at the top when a) everybody can recognize the subject and b) it's unartistic, I have no idea. I plead stupidity that comes with being a little kid.

I think I got Snoopy's head pretty good, but his body is all off. He's too tall. Snoopy is a little more circle shaped than long oval. And where is his arm?!!?! There is no arm there!!!

My wife said it's a "post-impressionist Snoopy." I say it's an 8-year-old with a tube of paint and amused grandparents.