A Painting of Polo

This painting of Polo was heartbreaking to paint.  Polo held a special place in his owner's heart.  His life was cut way to short by illness. 

Sometimes just a few words can say so much.  Here is what Polo's human mom told me when I asked her to share about her boy...

Polo

Avon Farm Polo Ralph Lauren

December 7, 2009 - October 18,2016

He was a sweet and gentle boy who left too soon. 

I can't write anymore Dawn. I am crying 

 

 

When I read her response to my question asking her to share, I just had to sit and digest her answer.  How many of us have lost a pet too soon?    How many of us have wondered what memories we've lost because we didn't have the time to experience them?    How many of us have lost seeing those gentle eyes that warm our souls and somehow, miraculously, make any hurt a little more bearable?    For me, losing an old pet who has attained their expected life span is tough.   But with losing a younger one, you are filled with that feeling of unfairness - being robbed.   One thing I have learned for sure - no matter how long we have our pets, it is never long enough.

Below is the reference photo of Polo.  At first we were just going to paint his head and shoulders.  The more I studied the photo, the more I realized having more of his body in the painting really complimented the gentle expression in his eyes.   For the sofa, I wanted something that wasn't a pattern.  I asked Julie if a leather sofa could be substituted for her floral one.  She was agreeable.   The softer background really lends to accentuate Polo and unquestionably make him the main focus of the painting.

Hoping this painting helps Julie with the healing process.

Thank you, as always, for taking a peek at my work.

A painting of Tobie the Yorkie and Murphee the Maltese

This painting was really awesome to create.  The owners of Tobie and Murphee had the perfect photos for our project.  Both dogs had passed away and and fortunately their owners had a number of them.  

There was a great photo of the boys laying on the back of the sofa.   Their expressions in that photo were not ideally what the owners wanted reflected in the painting.   However, there were some other photos that had the dogs' expressions that really showed "the boys" personalities.

Usually I stay away from moving body parts like this.  Since the dogs had so much coat, it was not as big of a transition as it would be on a short coated dog like a Frenchie (for example).  I didn't have to worry about muscle or tendons being off - all would be covered with their hair.  For the background, I was a bit concerned the darkness in the photo would over power the dogs.  This was discussed with the dogs owners, Kim and Eric, and they agreed.

The photos are all shown below and you can see how the painting came to life.

I asked the owners to share a little bit about the dogs and this is what they told me:

Tobie, our Yorkie, was born August 26, 2004, and Murphee, our Maltese, was born December 26, 2005.  They became brothers in the Spring of 2006 and played a tremendous role in our family for the years to follow.

In their relationship with each other, Tobie was the “big brother”.  He was very smart, spirited, and welcoming; we considered him an “old soul”, as he was very intuitive in his mannerisms.  Murphee, the baby of the family, had a very affectionate and playful character.  He carried himself in a regal manner, and was a true and sweet companion to all he trusted.  “The Boys”, as we affectionately called them, shared a loving bond and were always together. 

This painting, on the back of our sofa, depicts their favorite spot in the house.  It gave them a collective, comfortable view over their home, and more importantly, over our family.  We are so grateful for our time together, and remain appreciative of their lively spirit – they will be in our hearts forever.

Thank you again for truly capturing their spirit.  We are so grateful for this keepsake and your effort.

Eric & Kim