Psychological research has classified six facial expressions which correspond to distinct universal human emotions. These expressions are: happiness, sadness, surprise, fear, anger and disgust. Believe it or not, dogs exhibit outward expressions of emotion as well. The expressions of emotion in dogs mostly involve body language; but they are pretty unmistakable. This series of paintings depicts our husky puppy, Angelique. Her body language inspired me to “colour code” this series of paintings to emphasize her moods. I have used artistic license with these doggy emoticons, of course.
SNOW DOG, acrylic painting on canvas, 16″ x 20″ 
HAPPY DOG, acrylic painting on canvas, 16″ x 20″ 
SAD DOG, acrylic painting on canvas,16″ x 20″ 
PLAYFUL DOG, acrylic painting on canvas, 16″ x 20″ 
PREDATOR DOG, acrylic painting on canvas, 16″ x 20″ 
SUBMISSIVE DOG, acrylic painting on canvas, 16″ x 20″ 
FEARFUL DOG, acrylic painting on canvas, 16″ x 20″ 
COSMIC DOG with Canis Major Constellation, acrylic painting on canvas, 16″ x 20″
All images and text © Marlene Herbst, 2025
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