Some dogs are once in a lifetime. Percy was one of those - a heart dog, the kind whose absence leaves a room a little quieter. By the time his family came to me, Percy had already passed, and I knew this portrait needed to do more than look like him. It needed to feel like him.
Painting from memory and love
I started where I always start, with the eyes. Percy's held all the warmth his family had described to me, and getting them right was everything. From there I built him up layer by layer in acrylic - the set of his ears, the particular tilt of his head, the small details that made him unmistakably Percy and not just a dog of his breed. I worked from the photographs his family treasured most, and asked about the things a camera never quite catches - the personality that brings a whole other level of likeness to a portrait.
When a portrait is a memorial, I am not really painting an animal. I am painting the years a family spent loving one. That is a responsibility I take seriously, and it is why I will keep working at a piece until it is right.
“You captured his essence beautifully. Thank you for the lovely memory.”
If you have lost a dog and want to keep them close, I would be honoured to paint them - even from a single, imperfect photo.
