The dog in this painting is named Stevie. Her owner approached me and wanted a painting of them together. A quest ensued to find the perfect photos for the painting. Diane sent me photos of her looking down to mix with photos of Stevie. She sent photos of Stevie looking up. I told her we had enough photos for me to accomplish the painting that was at hand.
On a whim, I decided to scroll through her Facebook photos. Upon doing so, I found a candid photo of her reaching down to lovingly pet Stevie who was looking up at her. It was perfect - it was natural and not staged. So of course I contacted Diane about my "big find". To make this even more perfect, that was the day Diane met Stevie. Stevie came to her as an adult.
Of course, I changed the background. The photo had challenges to work with. It is an old photo with a very small resolution. It took some time, going back and forth, trial and error, to create the detail I wanted in the painting without having the reference material to confirm my thoughts.
The painting is done, Diane is thrilled and my heart is full. Stevie is now 12 1/5 and I know this painting will forever show the bond that started immediately between the two.
