Today, a man named Colin in WA, is being given this portrait of his dog Kosha, a husky/ yellow lab mix.
I worked on the portrait during the month of May, sent it of, and I got an email from his sister (who initially commissioned the portrait) that it had arrived safely. Such a relief. It always feels a little sketchy, mailing paintings around the world.
It will be a birthday present from his extended family, and I just absolutely cross my fingers that Colin likes it, and feel that he truly sees his dog in it.
He lost Kosha recently, and was (of course!) absolutely heartbroken. I guess that is where my role can be a delicate one, as you want to (-and have to-) portray the essence of the pet. I am always a bit anxious when I am showing the portrait to pet owners. They are the ones who know the dog or cat, and the most important thing is that they recognize their pet in it. Usually I work with the customer during the process, but in different ways. Some give me complete freedom to follow my idea, where as others prefer to have more to say in the choice of color, background, etc.
It has been a little while since I worked on a pet portrait, but as always, I have enjoyed the process. What is slightly different about this portrait, is that I used wall paper in the background. A technique I normally reserve for my other work, the collage paintings. But I do like the way it turned out, and expect to keep experimenting with colors, patterns and texture in the future.
Happy Birthday Colin!
