Not every portrait carries the same weight. Some are joyful, some are gifts, and a few arrive carrying so much meaning that I feel the responsibility in my hands as I paint. Bear's was one of those.
More than a painting
I will not share everything about why Bear's portrait mattered so much to his family - some stories belong to the people in them. What I can say is that this was a painting that needed to be right, and right quickly, and that I gave it everything I had. I learned Bear before I painted him, then built him up the way I always do, starting with the eyes, until the dog on the paper was unmistakably him.
When his family saw it, they cried. A few words came back to me that I still think about.
Bear was a particularly difficult portrait for me; both emotionally and technically. Due to the circumstances of his loss, the reference images of Bear were incredibly limited and low quality. Given the weight of the portrait request, I needed to make this work - and I did. Using breed reference images online and a lot of trusting the process, I brought detail back into his eyes and face, to make sure the final portrait felt like the Bear his family knew.
“She burst into tears. It is like him.”
That is the whole job, really. A portrait that makes someone say it is like him is worth every hour. It is also why I never treat any commission as just a painting. Behind each one is a family, and a bond, and a lot of trust placed in me. If your animal means the world to you, they will mean a great deal to me too while I paint them. That is a promise I make with every commission, whatever story it carries.
