The innocent trust, vulnerability and soulfulness in the eyes of shelter dog “Toby,” painted by Ron Burns, outshine the intense day-glo colors splashed around him. Burns, who helped get Toby out of the shelter and into a home, was named the Humane Society’s artist-in-residence after selling his portraits of homeless cats and dogs and donating part of the profits to shelters. Burns, painting in brilliant, saturated colors to represent animals’ vivid, uninhibited emotions, always starts a project with the eyes which he feels radiate life and personality.

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