All work on this site is the creation and copyright of J. Stafford. I am a fine artist who has been painting and selling original oils, featuring wildlife and horses, with galleries around the West for years. I've won major national awards for my work, and have had my art juried or invited into prestigious national and international exhibitions; my paintings can be found in museums and private collections both in the U.S. and internationally.
I'm also a dog person. Specifically, I'm an Agility Addict (there isn't a certified treatment program, but there ought to be), training and competing with my working-line German Shepherds in the Pacific Northwest.
Although I love dogs, there wasn't really a way to leverage that into my gallery painting work. Then, one day, I picked up a scratch knife and a modern artist-quality scratchboard, and a love affair was instantly born. Of course, I'm delighted to portray many species of companion animals (horses, dogs, cats, whatever).
I've always loved good drawing; when I lead artist workshops, the focus is primarily on structure and drawing. Scratchboard gives me the purest medium I've found to 'draw', and with light, not shadow. The results enthrall me - the drama, mood, and mystery in a scratchboard drawing are like no other medium I've found.
Thank you for joining me on that journey, and for entrusting me with your own commission and beloved companion animal.
To discuss your own commission, please contact me.