Monty was diagnosed as terminal while I was painting him. Partway through a commission that had started as a celebration, it quietly became a memorial, and that changed what the portrait needed to be.
As you remember them
By the time I had his photos, illness had taken some of Monty's coat. But that is not how his family pictured him. So I painted him whole again - filling in the fur he had lost, giving them back their sweet, smiley boy exactly as they remembered him.
This is some of the most meaningful work I do. From an old or imperfect photo, I can open closed eyes, restore shaved patches, even remove a hospital collar. The goal is always the same: the animal at their best, the way they live in your memory. Monty's family and I talked a lot while I worked, about who he was before he got sick - the smile, the daft habits, the warmth. A portrait like this is as much about listening as it is about painting.
“Exactly as we remember our sweet smiley boy. More than a few tears.”
Tears like those tell me I got it right. If your dog is unwell, or you only have photos from a hard time, I can still paint them as the dog you know and love.
